Sir John Heron Primary School

Sir John Heron Primary School School Road, London, E12 5PY

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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 and attainment in their reading and writing by the time they leave. Pupils in the special resource provision achieve well.  Children enjoy the exciting and stimulating range of activities provided in the Early Years Foundation Stage, particularly in the nursery.  Teaching is typically good as all teachers have high expectations of pupils. Their exciting use of technology in lessons motivates pupils’ learning and teachers give pupils clear guidance about how they can improve their work.  The headteacher and senior staff have succeeded in improving the school’s effectiveness. Their determination to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement has succeeded.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good which results in their great respect for all members of the school community and good behaviour. Pupils say that they feel safe and are very well cared for.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in mathematics is slower than in English.  Teachers’ lesson plans do not always focus sharply enough on giving pupils enough opportunities to plan work and think for themselves.  Although governors support the school with enthusiasm, they are not always clear in knowing how to help it improve further.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed teaching in parts of 23 lessons. Four joint observations were conducted with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Discussions were held with senior staff, teachers, a representative of the governing body, a representative from the local authority, school’s improvement partner and pupils.  Inspectors analysed a range of documentation including the school’s self-evaluation, checks on performance, plans for improvement, day-to-day health and safety arrangements including checks on staffing, policies, the school’s website and records of pupils’ progress.  The inspection team took account of ten responses to the Ofsted on-line Parent View survey, along with the school’s survey of parents’ and staff views.

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Inspection team

Kewal Goel, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter Thrussell Additional Inspector Clementina Olufunke Aina Additional Inspector Ann Sydney Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sir John Heron is a larger-than-average primary school with a part-time nursery. There are two classes in each year group from Reception to Year 6, except in Year 3 which has three classes.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritage is well above the national average, as is the proportion of those who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported through extra pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action is slightly more than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with severe special educational needs, supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, is higher than normally found. In addition to the mainstream special educational needs children, the school has a resourced provision that caters for 23 pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties.

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of a soft federation, which includes seven neighbouring primary schools, a children’s centre and the local secondary school.  The school was a member of the Get Set Network but still promotes the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movement.  In January 2012, the school achieved the national standard for Enterprise Education.  The school has been awarded the Gold Quality Mark from the Youth and Sports Trust for physical education and sports provision.  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?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that all teaching is consistently good or outstanding by:  adapting planning in mathematics to take greater account of the needs of more able pupils  teachers using strategies to make sure that pupils think more for themselves and develop skills in planning their work.  Help governors have a clearer understanding of how they can help the school improve still further.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children’s level of skills on entry is well below to those which are typical of four-year-olds. Children achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage because staff continuously assess their achievement and use this information to plan a wide range of interesting activities, well matched to their needs.  At Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress and their attainment is average in reading and mathematics and significantly above average in writing by the end of Year 2. Teachers ensure that pupils build well on this good foundation. At Key Stage 2, pupils build upon this good progress and attainment is above average in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6 but their skills in grammar are sometimes inconsistent.  Skilled and directed support for disabled pupils, those with special educational needs including pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties in the special resourced provision, means

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The achievement of pupils is good

they make good progress. Many have individually planned activities that meet their specific needs very well.  Those at the early stages of learning English make good progress and achieve well as they have good support both in class and by one-to-one support when needed.  The use of the extra pupil premium funding is effective, so that those pupils for who it provides support make good progress. The school uses the designated funds well to support these pupils, including individual learning sessions, special teaching programmes in English and mathematics and after-school extra-curricular activities.  All staff make sure that every pupil in the school gets an equal chance to succeed, while valuing the differences in their backgrounds and beliefs. This is central to the work of the school.  Pupils of all ages read widely. They are positive about their learning and working hard. Pupils who are capable of doing harder work rise to the challenges provided by their teachers, although

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The achievement of pupils is good

this is not always the case in mathematics. This means their progress is occasionally slower. By the time they leave, however, pupils are well prepared for their time in secondary school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can do. They plan interesting and motivating learning experiences and use skilful questioning. Teachers use resources, including technology such as interactive whiteboards and computers creatively and effectively, and make the learning exciting.  Teachers’ planning is thorough and takes into account fully the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and build on their prior learning. They use pupils’ knowledge and skills well in grouping in the class for most subjects.  Teachers use a variety of approaches to meet and respond to pupils’ different learning needs. As a result, pupils are interested and motivated to learn and make good progress. For example, in Year 3, pupils responded really well to the teacher’s high level of challenge to create questions from a text from the point of view of a reporter.  Arrangements to provide specialist support and teaching for disabled pupils, those with special

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The quality of teaching is good

educational needs and pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities, are highly effective and enable them to make good progress. For example, staff’s positive and sensitive response to pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties ensures that those pupils are fully included in the lessons and no learning time is lost. Teaching assistants demonstrate excellent understanding of pupils’ needs and support them very effectively.  High quality marking of pupils’ work and constructive guidance by teachers involve pupils in deciding what to do next and how to influence their own learning. Pupils are given time to consider teachers’ comments and respond appropriately. Pupils take pride in what they do well and understand that they are responsible for making sure they do as well as they can.  While teachers generally plan well, they do not always adapt their planning in mathematics sufficiently to take greater account of the needs of more able pupils to raise their achievement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well. They create a positive climate for learning and promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. As a result, relationships are strong and pupils work well with one another.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils display consistently positive attitude to learning during lessons. Pupils take pride in presenting their work to high standards. They work collaboratively, listen to different points of view and share their ideas to help one another learn. There is no low level disruption in lessons.  Pupils show a very good awareness of different forms of bullying. For example, a pupil said, ‘If you observe bullying and do nothing, you are also to blame.’  Parents appreciate the way in which the school promotes high standards of behaviour. There have been no exclusions. Pupils say that instances of bullying of any kind are extremely rare, but the school is quick to act if it does.  Pupils are courteous and fond of the school. They attend regularly and are punctual. Attendance, although broadly average, is lower than it might be because some pupils take holidays in term time to maintain contact with families overseas.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Relationships are very good. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. All pupils know they have a responsibility to care for others.  Pupils feel extremely safe and secure in the school. They told inspectors that if they have any concerns, teachers and other staff deal with them promptly.  Pupils have good opportunities to take responsibility. A class-based buddy system exists for new arrivals and for children who require support in the playground.  Children who have emotional difficulties, which impact on their behaviour, are supported through intervention programmes and the learning mentor.  There is a well-established system of managing behaviour, which is consistently followed across the school.  The school has a multi-use games area for younger and vulnerable children, which provides a secure space for groups of children to play active games safely.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and two deputy headteachers have a clear vision and drive to improve standards through systems for monitoring, assessment and knowledge of the daily practice within the school. Senior leaders and managers are determined to improve the school further.  Expectations are high and leaders have agreed clear and detailed long term plans. Progress in meeting the targets set out in these plans is constantly reviewed.  The school has very good systems to evaluate the quality of teaching and learning. Senior leaders provide clear guidance to teachers and teaching assistants on how to improve the quality of teaching and raise standards. Annual reviews of teachers’ performance, arising from checks on teaching and learning, are rigorous and provide challenging targets for teachers’ development.  There is a good team spirit and staff work well together to plan so pupils have exciting activities

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The leadership and management are good

to follow.  The school’s strong caring environment has a great impact on the daily life of the school, which results in high levels of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Safeguarding systems are robust and meet all statutory requirements. These are reviewed regularly and valued highly by pupils and parents and carers.  The exciting curriculum helps teachers to be creative and pupils to be imaginative in developing their knowledge and understanding across different subjects. Pupils’ experiences are enriched by a wide range of clubs, visits, music and sports coaching.  The local authority has taken a light touch approach to the school, given the school’s track record of performance.  The school is well resourced and allocated budgets in each area are monitored effectively. Robust procedures, which meet financial regulations, are in place to monitor spending.  Inspection questionnaires returned by members of staff show that the leadership of the school

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The leadership and management are good

has full support. All members of staff provide good role models in consistently promoting the strong values and beliefs that permeate all aspects of school life.  The governance of the school:  The governing body shares the same high expectations for all pupils as the senior leadership team and promotes equality of opportunity well. It has a good understanding of how pupils’ performance compares to other schools. Governors oversee the budget effectively, and make sure the pupil premium additional funds are targeted effectively. Governors are supportive of the school and know that the overall provision is good, but they are not as clear about how they can challenge the school to the next level of effectiveness. The Chair of the Governing Body ensures that fellow members attend professional development training and this has been particularly effective in helping them understand budget issues. Governors know about the

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The leadership and management are good

quality of teaching through visits and observations of lessons. They regularly discuss with senior leaders about performance of staff, how this is linked to salary and promotion and the steps leaders take to address underperformance.

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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 132789 Local authority Newham Inspection number 402557

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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 492 Appropriate authority The governing body Acting Chair John Wood Headteacher Rani Karim Date of previous school inspection 18–19 November 2009 Telephone number 020 8514 9860 Fax number 020 8514 9862 Email address info@sirjohnheron.newham.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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