The Orchard Primary School

Orchard Primary School Orchard Road, Hounslow, TW4 5JW

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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.  Pupils achieve well and make good progress. They start school with levels of skills and knowledge that are well below those expected from children of their age. By the end of Year 6 they have caught up, and their attainment is in line with national averages.  The quality of teaching is good across the school, and some teaching is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations and teach interesting lessons that help pupils to learn well.  The progress of pupils is checked carefully. If a pupil is not doing well enough, help is quickly given.  Pupils are taught to read successfully. By Year 6 their standards in reading are slightly above average.  Pupils behave well in lessons and are very positive about their learning. The school is a very calm place to learn in.  Pupils get on very well together, and bullying and racism are very rare. Pupils feel safe and enjoy school, and attendance rates are rising.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders and managers, including governors, are keen to raise pupils’ achievement and to improve the school.  School leaders carefully check on the quality of teaching and help teachers to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons teachers talk for too long. This allows less time for pupils to work independently and slows their rate of progress.  More-able pupils are not always given work which is hard enough for them, especially in writing, and as a result, although they make good progress, they do not always produce the highest quality work they are capable of.  Until recently the governing body had not always challenged the school in a systematic way to improve. It had relied too heavily on senior leaders for information rather than its own first-hand experience.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 34 lessons or part-lessons and made a number of shorter visits to observe pupils at work and at play. Three of these lessons were jointly observed with school leaders. Inspectors also saw two class assemblies.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, with governors and with school staff, including senior leaders. The lead inspector spoke by telephone with a representative of the local authority, and with the school’s improvement partner.  Inspectors considered the 17 responses to the staff questionnaire that were received. They spoke to a number of parents and carers and looked at the 22 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). They also looked at the results of a recent larger survey of parents’ and carers’ views carried out by the school.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books and teachers’ planning. They also looked at school documents including information on pupils’ current progress and plans for improvement. They looked at

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Information about this inspection

records on pupils’ behaviour and attendance, and at how the school keeps children safe.

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Inspection team

Mike Phipps, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Chris Bennett Additional Inspector Phil Hibbs Additional Inspector Liz Kissane Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Orchard Primary School is much larger than the average sized primary school. It includes Early Years Foundation Stage classes for Nursery and Reception-aged children.  Over 95% of pupils are from minority ethnic groups, which is a much higher proportion than found nationally. The largest ethnic groups are pupils of Indian and Pakistani heritage. Around four fifths of pupils do not speak English as their first language, which is much higher than national figures.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for groups of pupils including those eligible for free school meals) is broadly in line with national figures.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in the school is slightly below national figures. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is in line with national figures. The proportion of pupils

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Information about this school

supported through school action is slightly below what is found nationally.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of lessons that are outstanding by:  making sure that the time pupils spend listening to the teacher is kept to a minimum, so that pupils can start doing their work as quickly as possible  always making sure more-able pupils are given more difficult work to do, especially in writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the level of challenge provided by the governing body so that the school improves in a more systematic way by:  analysing for itself pupils’ results to identify areas that need improving  checking the effectiveness of the school’s plans for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are well below those expected for their age, especially in language and counting. Good teaching means that the large majority of them make good progress and achieve well. As a result they are well prepared for Key Stage 1, which they enter with levels of skills and knowledge that are only a little below what is expected of children their age.  Reading is taught well in school. Support for pupils who are at an early stage of learning English is very effective. This means that by Year 6 pupils can read confidently and can talk about favourite books and authors. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in reading by the time they leave school is above national figures.  Good teaching means that pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1. Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 1 is broadly average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2, particularly in mathematics. The proportion of pupils making expected progress in English is above the national average, and for mathematics is considerably above average. The proportion of pupils making better than expected progress compares well with the figure nationally. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ levels of attainment are in line with national figures for English, and slightly above national figures in mathematics and reading.  Pupils of Indian and Pakistani heritage, those known to be eligible for the pupil premium and disabled pupils and those with special educational needs all make good progress which is in line with, or above that of all pupils nationally. This is because the progress of all groups of pupils is checked carefully, and effective help is given where it is needed.  Evidence from lesson observations, a check of pupils’ work in their books and a review of the

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The achievement of pupils is good

school’s own data clearly show that this trend of good progress is securely in place across Key Stages 1 and 2 and is continuing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The overall quality of teaching over time is good and improving. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do, and they plan interesting and enjoyable lessons. As a result, pupils listen carefully, behave well, work hard and learn well.  In the many good or better lessons teachers plan work which closely matches the ability of pupils in the class. In a Year 3 English lesson where the quality of teaching was outstanding, the teacher knew each pupil’s ability very well. This allowed her to set suitable work for each pupil, to check pupils’ progress carefully and to support each pupil very precisely. This meant that all pupils made good, and for some better, progress. In lessons where teaching is good or better, teachers question pupils skilfully to check their understanding. Teachers’ explanations are clear, so pupils know what they have to do, and what good work will look like.  In a small minority of less successful lessons, more-able pupils are not always given work which

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The quality of teaching is good

is hard enough, or which allows them to explore their own ideas and work with less help from the teacher. In some lessons teachers talk for too long. This reduces the amount of time for pupils to work without the teacher’s help and they make less progress.  The progress of pupils is checked regularly. Teachers mark pupils’ work in detail and set each pupil an individual target for how to get better. Teachers and pupils regularly discuss these targets. If pupils do not do as well as they should, help is quickly given.  Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs are well supported in lessons by teachers and by other adults. They encourage pupils to think for themselves by their careful questioning, and they explain tasks well. Extra help is available for pupils, including for those who do not speak English as their first language. This help is very effective, and is sometimes outstanding. This helps pupils to catch up, and means that all groups make good

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons. They are positive about their learning, keen to get involved and want to do well. Poor behaviour rarely interrupts learning, though pupils sometimes become restless when the teacher talks for too long. Pupils value the rewards they get for working and behaving well. The school’s sanctions for poor behaviour are rarely needed.  The school is a very harmonious community where pupils from many different backgrounds get on well together. Bullying and racism are very rare. Pupils move around the school in a safe and sensible way, so the school is very calm. Pupils say they enjoy school.  Parents and carers rightly feel that pupils’ behaviour in school is good. They know that their children are well looked after and will be kept safe. Staff questionnaires show that school staff also feel that pupils’ behaviour is good and well managed.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Bullying

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

at this school is rare, but pupils are sure that if it does happen, it will be dealt with well.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. Racist incidents and exclusions from school are very rare.  The school has taken determined action to improve pupils’ attendance. This has been successful, as attendance rates are rising and are now above national average figures. The number of pupils who are frequently absent from school is low and falling.

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The leadership and management are good

 All school leaders and managers, including governors, have a shared idea of what the school is trying to achieve. They are keen to raise pupils’ achievement and to improve the school.  School leaders carefully check the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers are very well supported to improve the quality of their teaching. Performance management works well and is closely linked to the training of staff, and to their salary progression.  Close checks are made on how well pupils are doing. School leaders use this information to make sure that teachers are held responsible for the progress of the pupils they teach.  The school knows its strengths and weaknesses very well. Plans to improve the school concentrate on the right areas. Any weaknesses are tackled effectively, so the school continues to improve.  School leaders, including governors, use the school’s finances well. Extra funds from the pupil

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The leadership and management are good

premium have been spent wisely on additional teachers, support for groups of pupils, including those eligible for free school meals, and on paying for their after-school activities. As a result, these pupils do well.  The school’s curriculum is good, and provides pupils with a range of interesting lessons and experiences. Pupils have the chance to use and apply their literacy and numeracy skills in different subjects.  Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs and activities after school including art, fencing, karate, Bollywood and hip hop dance, cricket, guitar and film clubs. Pupils can take on positions of responsibility such as membership of the school council. This improves their self-confidence.  The school promotes pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development well and ensures that there is no discrimination. In a Reception class assembly, children paused for a moment of silent, spiritual reflection. In a Year 2 geography lesson pupils were able to reflect with some

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The leadership and management are good

insight on cultural differences between the lives of farmers in Bangladesh and in the United Kingdom. Visits to local places of worship and a programme of activities with the local community help pupils to understand the different cultures within and beyond their local area.  The school receives a light level of support from the local authority. Training for governors has strengthened the governing body’s capacity for holding the school to account. The local authority rightly judges that the school has a clear view of its priorities for improvement, and has good capacity to make the necessary improvements. Inspectors’ findings confirm with this view.  The governance of the school:  Governors are ambitious and keen to improve the school. They know what is happening in school and understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses, its priorities for improvement, and the quality of its overall provision. They have a working knowledge of the quality of

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The leadership and management are good

teaching, the use of performance management and its links to salary progression. As a result they understand what is being done to recognise and reward good teachers and what is being done to tackle underperformance. They oversee the budget carefully, and know how pupil premium funds are being used to close the gap for disadvantaged pupils. Governors in the past relied too much on school leaders to give them the information they needed to challenge the school, especially in analysing pupils’ results to identify areas that need improving, and in checking the effectiveness of the school’s plans for improvement. As a result of recent appointments to the governing body, and effective training, governors are now beginning to carry out this role in a more systematic way.

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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 135562 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 402719

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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 702 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Charlotte Roffey Headteacher Christine Haslam Date of previous school inspection 6–7 July 2010 Telephone number 020 8570 6247 Fax number 020 8577 0563 Email address Office@tops.hounslow.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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