Bush Hill Park Primary School

Bush Hill Park Primary School Main Avenue, Enfield, EN1 1DS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  All pupils make good progress from their starting points and achieve well. Attainment at the end of Year 6 is improving steadily, especially at the higher levels.  Pupils in the Nursery and Reception make good progress from very low starting points because activities are exciting and well planned.  Teaching has improved considerably over the past year as a result of good leadership. There is some outstanding teaching and the majority is consistently good.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent and the school is a happy and friendly place.  Attendance has improved due to the support the school offers families, many of whom have to travel a considerable distance.  The headteacher and senior team have managed unexpected change extremely well and all members of the leadership team and the governing body are fully committed to improving the school further.  Procedures for settling in the many pupils who

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

arrive at all times of the year, often with very little English, are good, ensuring they get off to a rapid start in their learning.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always give more-able pupils the opportunity to work on their own quickly enough.  Targets set for pupils do not always show them what they must do to move to the next level in their learning.  Good marking in English throughout the school and in all subjects in Years 5 and 6 is not seen consistently in other subjects or year groups.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors saw 30 lessons or parts of lessons, some observed jointly with the headteacher and assistant headteacher. They also looked at some special group work sessions, attended assemblies, and listened to a sample of pupils read.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, leaders responsible for different subjects, the inclusion manager, a representative from the local authority and the Chair of the Governing Body. They also spoke to pupils.  Inspectors took account of the nine responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and spoke informally to parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors looked at: the school’s records on progress and standards; the school’s self- evaluation and development plans; school records on behaviour and bullying; policies for safety and child protection; local authority reports of visits; minutes of governing body meetings; and pupils’ books.

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Inspection team

Penny Spencer, Lead inspector Additional inspector Howard Jones Additional inspector Fran Ashworth Additional inspector David Gutmann Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average primary school.  Since the last inspection the deputy headteacher has been promoted to the headship of another school and the inclusion manager is on maternity leave. Members of the leadership team have been promoted to fill these posts and there is a part-time inclusion manager.  Most of the pupils belong to a minority ethnic group and speak English as an additional language. The main ethnic groups are Turkish, Somali and British, although there are increasing numbers of pupils from Eastern European countries. Many pupils are at the early stages of learning English.  Many more pupils than average join or leave the school throughout the school year.  Over half of all pupils are eligible for free school meals and are supported by extra funds – the pupil premium.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average but the proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of

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Information about this school

special educational needs is below average.  The school provides a breakfast club for pupils managed by the governing body which was subject to this inspection. After-school care is not managed by the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and further improve achievement by: - making sure that extra challenge for pupils who find learning easy is introduced earlier in lessons, especially in mathematics - extending the consistently good marking, seen in all subjects in Years 5 and 6, and across the school in English, to all subjects and year groups - ensuring targets set for pupils enable them to see more clearly how to progress to the next level in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 6 is rising steadily. Detailed analysis of pupils’ results and progress shows that the small numbers of pupils who have been at the school since the Reception classes make excellent progress and attain at or above the national averages in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6. Those who arrive at different times make good progress from their different starting points, with many making rapid progress by the end of Year 6.  Most pupils enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skill levels that are much lower than average, especially in communication. Many are also at very early stages of learning English. They make good progress because of the strong emphasis on developing language and literacy skills.  Although pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1, standards in English and mathematics remain below average by the end of Year 2. Nevertheless, attainment is

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The achievement of pupils is good

improving over time.  Pupils who took the national phonics screening test in Year 1 achieved in line with the national average for all pupils.  There is little difference in the achievement of different ethnic groups who all make good progress.  Pupils who receive extra funding through the pupil premium make good progress and achieve as well as other pupils nationally.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This was observed during a one-to-one mathematics session where a pupil in Year 2, who finds learning very difficult, was observed making good progress in counting to 10 because the work was fun and exactly at the right level.  Pupils enjoy reading. Older pupils speak confidently about the books they like best and show a good range of strategies to help them understand what the book is about. Younger pupils link letters to sounds to help them read new words and talk enthusiastically about the stories

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The achievement of pupils is good

they enjoy.  Parents and carers who spoke to inspectors and responded to the online questionnaire are positive about the achievement of their children.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved rapidly as a result of rigorous monitoring and carefully tailored training and support for teachers and support staff.  Newly qualified teachers are supported well and the school has several qualified teachers who have progressed from being teaching assistants through the graduate teacher programme.  Expectations overall are high and work is planned to cater for pupils’ different abilities, but too often more-able pupils have to work their way through tasks that are too easy before they can tackle work that will stretch them fully, especially in mathematics. This sometimes leads to frustration for pupils who want to show what they can do more quickly.  Teachers use a wide variety of methods to engage and motivate pupils. The use of open- ended questions to develop pupils’ communication and thinking skills is a strength and good use is made of paired talk to allow pupils to share their ideas with each other. This was

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The quality of teaching is good

observed in a Year 5 mathematics lesson where the teacher’s questioning made sure that pupils had to think deeply and provide detailed answers that showed their knowledge and good understanding when solving problems.  Other adults in the class are highly motivated and support pupils’ learning well. They have a clear understanding of the needs of the pupils in their groups and are confident to work independently of the teacher when necessary.  The teaching of reading is a big focus in the school and a substantial investment has been made in new books and in increasing opportunities for pupils who might be falling behind to read individually with an adult. This is having a positive impact on the reading ability of pupils at the early stages of learning to speak English. This was observed during a one-to- one session where a pupil made outstanding progress in his understanding of the story because the teaching assistant cleverly linked the story to real-life examples and really

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The quality of teaching is good

engaged with the pupil’s own interests.  Marking in English books is strong and shows pupils how to move forward in their learning. This is not as consistent in other subjects, so pupils do not always know what to do to improve.  The teachers in Years 5 and 6 consistently use marking and targets that are linked to National Curriculum levels and pupils can see how to move on to the next level. However, in other year groups, targets are often too general and do not enable pupils to see the big picture and where they need to move to next.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are eager to learn and enjoy being in school. They have very positive attitudes to learning.  During lessons, in the playground and around the school they get along with each other very well and are keen to support and help each other succeed.  Pupils in all year groups were observed working together cooperatively. This was a real strength of the Nursery and Reception classes where these skills have been taught highly successfully and children quickly become confident learners.  Pupils enjoy taking on positions of responsibility, for example as playground helpers and house captains.  Behaviour records are well kept and show that any recorded incidents are followed up thoroughly.  Parents and carers and pupils feel that behaviour is good and bullying is extremely rare. This was evident in the records which show very few incidents over the past few years.  Pupils are very aware of dangers to themselves and understand how to keep safe when out

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

on the roads and when using the internet because the school makes sure policies are clear and messages are understood by both pupils and parents and carers.  The breakfast club provides an excellent start for pupils. A healthy breakfast, coupled with a wide variety of fun activities in a safe environment, makes sure pupils are geared up to learn for the rest of the day.  Attendance has improved and is now average. The school has been persistent in following up with parents and carers who do not bring their children to school regularly.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides very strong leadership to continue improving the outcomes for all pupils.  Her vision for achieving success is evident in all aspects of the school’s work and is clearly communicated to the wider community.  The leadership teams, at all levels, have quickly and successfully taken on extra responsibilities as a result of some unexpected staff changes due to promotion and maternity leave. They provide secure and effective support to the headteacher.  Improvements to teaching have been achieved through careful monitoring of performance and detailed support and training opportunities for teachers who need to improve their practice.  Performance management is closely linked to pupils’ progress and all leaders are held accountable for improvements in achievement.  Self-assessment is accurate and there is a clear plan for improvement, indicating that the school has great potential for continued success.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is interesting and relevant and gives pupils access to exciting opportunities and experiences they might not otherwise enjoy. It provides excellent opportunities to celebrate the school’s diverse cultural community. International links are strong and the school hosts visits from partner schools in Rwanda and Europe.  Partnerships with parents and carers are good and there are lots of opportunities, especially for those parents and carers who are new to the country, to undertake classes for their own learning or to support their children.  The pupil premium is allocated effectively to provide extra resources and staff to support individual pupils and school initiatives to raise standards. The positive impact is seen in the excellent progress in literacy and numeracy made by the pupils who receive this extra funding.  As the school has continued to improve, the local authority has become increasingly less

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The leadership and management are good

involved unless specifically requested to provide training or support.  The governance of the school: - The governing body is experienced, understands the strengths and weakness of the school and is actively involved in supporting school improvement. Governors are involved in checking the quality of teaching and performance management and their impact on pupils’ achievement. This enables them to make well-informed decisions about increasing pay thresholds. Governors are effective in holding the school to account for the use of pupil premium resources. They are increasing their knowledge and skills by attending training to make their governance even more effective. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties to ensure pupils are kept safe.

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 02024 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 404802

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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 Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 659 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kathy O’Sullivan Headteacher Sue Crisp Date of previous school inspection 25–26 January 2011 Telephone number 020 8366 0521 Fax number 020 8366 0420 Email address office@bushhillpark.enfield.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, please

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School details

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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