Lambourne Primary School

Lambourne Primary School Hoe Lane, Abridge, Romford, RM4 1AU

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Achievement requires improvement because pupils are not making consistently good progress across the school.  While attainment is average by Year 6, it should be higher than this, especially in mathematics.  There is not enough good or outstanding teaching to ensure that achievement is good.  Not all lessons have a sharp learning focus.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough and learning does not always move along at a good pace.  Pupils do not always know what they need to do next to improve.  Leaders, managers and governors are not using a full range of information to accurately report the school’s performance and inform the action to raise achievement and improve teaching.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and staff have created a positive school atmosphere in which pupils can learn and develop.  The headteacher, deputy headteacher and the governing body show commitment and determination to improve the school.  Children in Reception make good progress.  Pupils feel safe and well looked after.  They behave well in lessons and around the school.  Pupils’ attendance has improved and is above average.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 14 lessons or part-lessons.  They held discussions with the headteacher, staff, representatives from the local authority, governors, parents and pupils.  The inspectors took account of the 24 responses to the online survey (Parent View).  They examined school policies, information about pupils’ attainment and progress, teachers’ plans, pupils’ work and school improvement planning.

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Inspection team

Derek Watts, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Ruth Brock Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average primary school.  Most of the pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportions supported through school action plus or a statement of special educational needs are also below average.  An average proportion of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those with a parent in the armed services.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher have been recently appointed.  Pupils are educated onsite. There is no regular offsite provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning to be, at least, good by making sure that:  lessons always have a sharp learning focus so that pupils know what they are expected to learn  teachers’ expectations of what pupils can learn and achieve are always high – particularly of the more-able pupils  pupils’ learning always moves on at a good pace  pupils know what they need to do next to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress and raise attainment to above average by the end of Year 6, particularly in mathematics, by:  spreading the good practice in the teaching and learning of English and mathematics  extending opportunities for pupils to apply numeracy skills to solve problems so as to reinforce their mathematical understanding  providing more opportunities for pupils to write longer pieces so they enhance their written skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership, management and governance, by ensuring that all key leaders:  thoroughly analyse a range of performance data on pupils’ attainment and progress and report findings accurately to guide improvement priorities  provide the governors with an accurate overview of the school’s performance so that members can better hold the school to account for what is does  use more accurate data on progress and attainment to judge staff performance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because they are not making good progress in all areas of learning, particularly in Key Stage 2. As a result, pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6, while average, is not as high as it should be.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children start in Reception with knowledge, skills and understanding typically expected for their age. They make good progress because of effective teaching and the interesting learning activities provided. By the end of Reception, children’s attainment is above average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment by the end of Year 2 was above average last year. However, attainment in Key Stage 1 fluctuates too much, and the school is, currently, striving to reduce the extent of the year-by-year variation in attainment in Years 1 and 2, and is having reasonable success in doing so.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement in mathematics requires improvement. It is weaker than in reading and writing. Pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities to apply their numeracy skills to solve practical problems in mathematics. Consequently, their skills in solving numerical problems are not fully developed and do not enhance their mathematical understanding enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Positive action has been taken to improve pupils’ achievement in writing. There are some good examples of pupils applying their writing skills in other subjects. However, pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities to write extended pieces of work.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the progress that is expected nationally. In a number of lessons seen, these pupils were taught and supported well, but teaching is not consistently effective enough to ensure they make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Positive steps have been taken to raise the achievement of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding. Last year’s Year 6 pupils receiving pupil premium funding attained higher standards than other pupils in the school, and higher than pupils receiving the premium nationally. However, this positive performance is not repeated in all year groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In some lessons, pupils make good progress in speaking and listening. This is because they have well-planned opportunities to discuss their learning by working with a partner or with others in small groups. However, opportunities are sometimes missed to develop these skills and their progress slows.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Most pupils enjoy books and show positive attitudes to reading. Attainment by the end of Year 2 was securely above average last year, and the school is striving to maintain these standards.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is not consistently good. As a result, pupils in some classes are making more progress than in others.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough, and this means that pupils are not learning as well as they should or producing enough work. The more-able pupils, for example, are not always set work at the right level for their abilities and teachers’ do not expect enough from them. Consequently, these pupils do not make the progress that they should. They were seen to make good progress when work was pitched at the right level and the teaching demanding enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some lessons lack a very clear learning focus, so pupils are not always clear what they are expected to learn. When teachers set clear learning intentions and share these effectively with the class, the pupils know what they are aiming to know, understand and be able to do. In these situations, their learning is well directed and successful. Where practice is best, pupils are given clear indicators or useful prompts to guide their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 On occasions, the pace of pupils’ learning is hindered by overlong teacher introductions or weaknesses in how the class is organised. By contrast, in the best practice seen, lessons were well structured and the teacher ensured that learning moved along quickly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The use of individual targets to guide pupils’ learning in English and mathematics is not effective in all classes. Where this happens, pupils are not clear about what they need to do to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are effectively deployed and make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. For example, pupils eligible for the pupil premium are often helped well, and make good progress. However, the help and support these pupils get is not, consistently, of the best quality.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers effectively promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They develop positive relationships with the pupils and manage them well. Pupils are encouraged to work together and show consideration for others.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is good in Reception. A wide range of interesting activities are provided inside and outside the classroom. There is an effective blend of adult-led activities and those that children choose for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are examples of good practice in Key Stages 1 and 2. For instance, pupils made good progress in estimating and measuring length in mathematics in Year 2 because of the teacher’s clear demonstrations and explanations. Pupils were fully engaged in the learning and responded very well to the teacher’s high expectations of what all could achieve, and the constructive feedback and skilful questioning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some good practice was also seen in the teaching of writing. For example, Year 6 pupils made good progress in planning and writing a newspaper report because the teacher made clear the criteria for success in the work set. Technology was used well to illustrate an example of a good news article. Clear explanations and questioning helped pupils better understand effective use of the past tense, the use of emotive language, well-chosen quotations and short, snappy phrases.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Nearly all the parents who responded to the online survey, ‘Parent View’, stated that their children feel safe at school and are well looked after. Pupils also said that they feel safe at school and very well cared for by staff. These positive views reflect the findings of the inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in Reception settle well into the school because of the positive relationships established with adults. They learn and play well with their peers. They take turns, share learning materials and behave well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, most pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They behave well in lessons, at break times and during the lunch period. The school’s clear records of incidents show that behaviour is typically good. Pupils say that behaviour is good and, sometimes, excellent.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show care and respect for others. They learn collaboratively and relate well to others. Pupils show a good understanding of different cultures and faiths within the school and within the wider community.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding of different forms of bullying, including persistent name-calling, physical bullying and cyber-bullying. They know the action to take should bullying occur. The school has thorough and effective procedures for dealing with misbehaviour, including bullying. Pupils informed the inspectors that there was very little bullying in the school. They were confident that the school deals with it effectively when it occasionally happens.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has been particularly successful in raising pupils’ attendance since the previous inspection. The actions taken have raised attendance from below average to above average.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The analysis of data describing pupils’ attainment and progress and the checking of teaching quality by leaders and the local authority are not always sufficiently rigorous. Not all the available data have been included in the analyses completed and, consequently, the analysis done is not accurate enough. As a result, the school, local authority and the governing body are of the mistaken view that the school is better than it is.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school informed the inspectors that attainment by the end of Year 6 was above average and that pupils made good progress. The national performance data show that attainment is average in both English and mathematics and that pupils make the progress nationally expected through Key Stage 2. They do not exceed this expected rate of progress and this has been the situation for the past two years, as confirmed by observation of pupils’ progress during this inspection.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher, staff and the governing body demonstrate a determination and a drive to move the school forward. The most pressing priorities for improvement, such as pupils’ progress in mathematics, have been correctly identified, and there is some evidence of improvement in pupils’ writing. There is considerable improvement in pupils’ attendance. The headteacher and staff have created a positive and welcoming atmosphere in the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led and managed. This has a positive impact on children’s progress and the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The procedures for the monitoring and development of teaching are rapidly developing under the headteacher’s direction. Senior leaders observe teaching and provide constructive feedback to teachers. However, the sharing of best practice in the teaching of English and mathematics to is an underused approach in developing teaching across the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There are clear systems for the checking of staff performance, and staff training is linked to improvement priorities, such as pupils’ achievement in mathematics and writing – and other priorities specific to individual teachers. However, lack of rigour in analysing the data on progress, for example, has not enabled leaders to be secure in managing teachers’ performance and in making decisions about staff responsibilities, salary and promotion. Leaders are rapidly amending the information they use to judge the performance of staff to better inform their decisions.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum is broad and balanced across the subjects taught. Improvements have been made to learning opportunities in writing and there are plans to improve pupils’ problem- solving skills in mathematics. However, it is too soon to measure the full impact of these initiatives on pupils’ mathematical and literacy skills. Pupils enjoy the range of clubs and visits which enrich their learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The use of pupil premium funding has been properly allocated to provide the pupils who are eligible for it to one-to-one help on personal matters, additional class support, breakfast club and to fund a residential visit.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

– Governors support the school well. However, inaccuracies in reporting of the school’s performance mean that they have not had an accurate overview of pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. Therefore, they have not held the school to account for any underperformance because they thought it was doing better than it was. Through helpful training and guidance, governors have a clear understanding of pupil premium funding and know how the money is spent and the benefit to the pupils involved – which is generally positive. They have a clear understanding of staff promotion and pay practice, but as they have lacked an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching until recently, their effectiveness is this area has been limited. Governors make sure that safeguarding procedures and practices meet requirements.

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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 114952 Local authority Essex Inspection number 401479

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 185 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Martin Headteacher Sarah Noden Date of previous school inspection 21 November 2009 Telephone number 01992 812230 Fax number 01992 815675 Email address head@lambourne.essex.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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