Norbury School

Norbury School Welldon Crescent, Harrow, Middlessex, HA1 1QQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make at least good progress in all year groups and many pupils make rapid progress.  Pupils make outstanding progress in writing.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make outstanding progress.  Pupils’ attainment at Key Stage 1 has been improving for the past three years and is now above average.  Pupils achieve well in lessons because they understand how to be a good learner.  The consistently good teaching supports pupils to develop their social skills. They understand that respecting others must underpin everything they do.  Behaviour is outstanding. Pupils are very kind and caring towards each other.  All pupils feel safe and are extremely confident that bullying is dealt with well.  Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly over the last year.  The school works very well with parents to achieve positive benefits for their children.  Leaders and managers are ambitious and this

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

brings about improvements in pupils’ achievement.  Leaders, managers and governors set targets for teachers that mean teachers are always working hard to improve their teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Sometimes, when pupils work in groups, the less-able pupils find it difficult to learn well.  Occasionally, when pupils work independently, what they are given to do does not keep them engaged.  Leaders and managers track progress, but do not use this information to help them understand how many pupils make better progress than expected nationally.  Governors do not always understand what progress the pupils are making, and do not always act to make it better.

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Information about this inspection

 Thirty-four lessons or part lessons were observed, amounting to about 13 hours in total, taught by 20 teachers. Six lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body , staff and two representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a range of evidence, including the school’s documents on self-evaluation and safeguarding. They observed the school’s work, looked at pupils’ books and the tracking system used to monitor their progress.  An inspector met informally with parents at the start of the school day, two representatives from the parent council, and had a telephone conversation with one parent. Inspectors considered the 40 responses to the on-line Parent View questionnaire and the questionnaires returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Miranda Perry, Lead inspector Additional inspector Theresa Mullane Additional inspector Michael Merva Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Norbury is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school has a nursery which runs a morning and afternoon session.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the current floor standards, which set the government’s minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  Norbury has received the Rights and Respects Schools Award Level 1, the Pan-London Quality Mark Gold Award for CPD, and the School Games Kitemark Bronze.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching by making sure that all teachers set work at the right level for:  less able pupils when they are working in groups  all pupils when they are working independently.  Improve progress so that it is consistently outstanding through:  leaders and managers analysing data so they can understand:  how many pupils are making the progress they should make, or better, compared to national percentages  how well different ability groups are doing  the governing body:  developing their understanding of the difference between good and outstanding progress  consistently holding the school to account for the progress pupils make.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The majority of children enter the Nursery Year with knowledge and skills below those typically found. Those in Key Stages 1 and 2 who have attended both the school Nursery and Reception Year make better progress than those who have not. This is because the school understands the level of children’s skills in communication, language and literacy when they arrive and identifies successful ways to improve these skills.  Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1, particularly in reading. Letters and sounds are taught well and, when children do not understand certain sounds, their misunderstandings are quickly resolved.  Pupils make outstanding progress in writing because of the school’s high expectations. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils analysed a difficult text in detail so that they could write just as well. One pupil said, ‘I’m going to use an opening sentence like that. It will make my writing so much better.’

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make outstanding progress because support staff are well trained in the areas where they need extra help. Adult support in class ensures disabled pupils and those with special educational needs access learning as well as their peers.  All ethnic groups make equally good progress because pupils learn from each other and appreciate each other’s different attitudes to learning. One Year 4 boy said, ‘We always take turns at home, so I make sure my learning partner does too.’  Pupils are ambitious at Norbury, and challenge themselves to learn well in lessons. They take their learning seriously, and think a lot about the best ways to learn. For example, a group of Year 6 pupils in an art lesson explained that they improved their wire frames once they started listening properly to each other.  Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium benefit from support which tackles

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The achievement of pupils is good

different obstacles to learning for these pupils. For example, the school uses the pupil premium to fund extra learning sessions at the weekend and after school.  The school does not always measure how many pupils make progress that is better than expected nationally, or how much progress different ability groups make. This makes it hard for the school to set up focused programmes that will bring about consistently outstanding progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Because of the school’s good teaching, pupils understand what they have to do, why they are doing it, and how to do it better. Teachers set pupils clear aims for learning, explain in pupils’ books how well they have done, and set next steps for improvement. A Year 3 pupil said, ‘When Miss marks our books, she always finds us something more to learn.’  Staff make sure that pupils get the chance to work with stimulating resources. In a Year 1 mathematics class, pupils counted to 10 using giant dice, building bricks, mini whiteboards, board games, and plastic link chains. ‘I don’t know which to do first,’ one boy said excitedly.  Pupils have a love of reading. The teaching of letters and sounds is outstanding. Pupils are delighted when they have learnt a sound for the first time and can practise it without making mistakes. In one Year 1 class, pupils cheered when they sounded out ‘or’ correctly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers consistently use questions to develop pupils’ learning. In a Key Stage 2 mathematics class, pupils came up with their own questions to ask about the properties of shapes. They then worked in pairs to see if their questions worked. A pupil turned to an inspector and said, ‘You wouldn’t believe it. In this class, we get to ask questions about questions.’  Pupils are enthusiastic about working in groups. However, sometimes the tasks that teachers set for group work mean lower ability pupils do not make good progress.  When pupils are given the chance to learn independently, the type of the task they are given means they sometimes lose focus towards the end of the activity. This slows their progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 In lessons and around the school, pupils maintain the highest standards of behaviour for themselves.  Pupils have a deep respect for each other. They do not like it if their peers are upset, and see it as their responsibility to make things better.  Pupils at Norbury are very welcoming. They routinely introduce their friends to visitors, and wish visitors a pleasant time at the school. One Year 6 pupil explained that it was everybody’s job to make sure newcomers settle in quickly, make friends, and enjoy learning.  Parents, staff and pupils are unreservedly positive about behaviour, and feel the school is an extremely safe place to be. The school gives the pupils skills to prevent bullying. They talk sophisticatedly about different types of bullying, why individuals bully, and how to support them not to. They are entirely confident that the school sorts out bullying if it occurs.  The school is highly successful in resolving pupils’ problems with behaviour. One Key Stage

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

2 pupil explained that, when he came to the school, his temper spoiled his learning. He discussed everything the school had done to help him, and described himself now as an excellent learner. ‘I am really a changed man,’ he said.  The school has worked tirelessly to bring about considerable improvements in attendance, which is now above average. Pupils are delighted if they win the cup for outstanding attendance, and talk seriously about how important attendance is for their learning. A Key Stage 1 pupil said, ‘It is my job to make everybody come to school in my class, and I work hard at it.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The management of teachers’ performance has meant that teaching has improved strongly over the last two years. Teachers feel that their demanding targets and headteacher’s drive for high quality teaching hold them to account for their pupils’ progress.  The local authority works with the school to review its practice on an on-going basis and plans its next steps to becoming an outstanding school.  The senior managers are innovative in finding solutions to problems. For example, they have set up the Parents Council for Learning, whose purpose is to help parents support learning, work with the community and to ensure effective communication between parents and the school.  Pupils love the subjects they learn. They love the fact that art is celebrated at the school, and are very proud of the displays of their own work. The wide range of activities on offer means the pupils flourish. Pupils enjoy gardening club, and are very happy with their music

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The leadership and management are good

lessons. One Year 3 pupil said, ‘You’ll find that music, art and celebration are a very important part of our school.’  The promotion of equality of opportunity is fundamental to everything the school does. Pupils are clear that everybody has an equal right to learn in the classroom, and they work hard to respect that.  The school does not tolerate any form of discrimination. Pupils feel they deserve their Rights and Respects Schools Award Level 1. A group of Key Stage 2 pupils hoped the inspector understood the importance of judging people fairly.  The senior team uses data well to monitor pupils’ progress year on year, and the progress different ethnic groups are making. The team does not use data effectively to establish how many pupils are making the progress that is expected of them, compared to national expectations, and how many pupils are doing better. It does not use data consistently to

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The leadership and management are good

inform the members how well groups of different ability pupils are doing.  Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is at the heart of the school. Pupils develop skills of empathy and sympathy. For example, Year 6 pupils attend an activity where they have to understand what it would be like to cope in life as a disabled person. One Year 6 girl said, ‘You have to properly think what it would be like to be someone different to yourself.’  The governance of the school:  The governing body ensures pupil premium funding is well targeted. For example, it uses the pupil premium to fund a learning mentor. The mentor’s role of working with the family, to improve achievement, has been recently clarified, and governors hold the learning mentor to account for improvements brought about.  The governing body asks challenging questions of the headteacher and the senior team to make sure financial resources are spent on things that will improve learning and progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body does not always hold the school to account for the progress pupils are making. Governors know that the headteacher has high aspirations for pupil achievement, and they feel their performance management targets for the headteacher are demanding. However, they do not understand the difference between good and outstanding progress, nor what the school needs to do to make consistently outstanding progress.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 102222 Local authority Harrow Inspection number 402879

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community 3–11

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School details

Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 526 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Galbraith Headteacher Louise Browning Date of previous school inspection 19 June 2008 Telephone number 0208 8638769 Fax number 0208 8615235 Email address office@norbury.harrow.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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