Edward Pauling Primary School

Edward Pauling Primary School Redford Close, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW13 4TQ

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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 Good 2

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

 Teaching is not yet good enough to make up for inadequate progress in the past to enable pupils to achieve well by the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics.  Not all teachers use questions well enough to check pupils’ understanding in Years 1 to 6 or to move children’s learning forward in the Reception class.  Teachers do not always provide suitable activities to develop the pupils’ wider reading skills such as comprehension and research.  Some teachers do not expect enough of the pupils, particularly those capable of reaching high standards in English and mathematics.  Teachers’ marking does not always give pupils clear guidance about how to improve their work, so they are unsure what to do to reach their targets.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher is a strong presence around the school and is inspiring everyone to aim higher. Through her dynamic leadership she is building an effective and cohesive staff team, which has resulted in significant improvement.  Leaders and governors ensure that the performance of teachers is carefully checked and training provided to help each teacher meet very demanding targets. As a result, pupils’ progress is improving and attainment is rising strongly.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and their punctuality and attendance are improving. They try hard in lessons and behave well at all times.  School leaders and governors work effectively to ensure that the welfare of the pupils is safeguarded. As a result, pupils feel safe at all times and learn how to look after themselves and each other.  Parents say that the headteacher has made considerable improvements and that their children are happy in school and getting on

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 20 lessons or parts of lessons, of which nine were joint observations with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, school staff, members of the governing body, including the Chair, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 20 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and held informal discussions with parents and carers at the start of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on the pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Martin Beale, Lead inspector Additional inspector Atifa Sayani Additional inspector Ramesh Kapadia Additional inspector Noureddin Khassal Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Pupil numbers are rising in this well-above average-sized primary school as it moves to two forms of entry.  The majority of pupils are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language is well above average but few are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for funding through the pupil premium, which is extra money given to schools for looked-after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families, is well above average.  The proportion of pupils with disabilities and special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school has experienced a period of considerable staff change over the last year. The

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Information about this school

headteacher was appointed in September 2012 after two terms in which the school was led by an interim headteacher. The deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher have been appointed in the last 12 months.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Nursery and two Reception classes.  The school does not use alternative provision for its pupils.  Privately run before- and after-school clubs use the school premises, although these are inspected separately.  The school meets the government’s current 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?

 In order to raise pupils’ achievement, improve teaching so that it is at least good by:  developing the questioning skills of teachers and support staff  ensuring that teachers plan lessons that provide work that it not too hard and not too easy for pupils, especially the more able  ensuring that teachers and support staff check how pupils are getting on during a lesson and adapt their teaching if they are struggling  providing opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in the new topics  developing pupils’ reading skills of comprehension and research  developing the skills of staff in the Early Years Foundation Stage so that they can move the children’s learning forward at all times.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that marking gives pupils clear guidance on how to improve their work and take the steps needed to reach their targets, and that teachers provide time for pupils to respond to their written comments.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of pupils requires improvement because for some time after the previous inspection pupils made inadequate progress and their attainment had fallen to well below average.  The interim headteacher made a successful start in tackling this and Year 6 test results rose to average in 2012. The new headteacher is continuing the drive to eliminate any remaining underachievement.  Recent improvements are leading to children making better progress in Nursery and Reception from levels of skill below those expected for their age on entry.  Pupils’ progress is accelerating in English and mathematics and is now good in many classes as teaching improves. Attainment is rising strongly and more pupils, including those from minority ethnic backgrounds, are working at and above levels expected for their age. However, pupils in the current Year 6 are behind where they should be because of previous underachievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Parents say they have noticed greater progress in reading by younger children this year. This is due to the introduction of a new scheme for teaching phonics (letters and the sounds they make) and training for staff to support pupils in need of extra help. The focus has now turned to improving wider reading skills, but activities such as those to develop comprehension and research do not always move the pupils’ learning forward at sufficient pace or engage their imaginations.  Pupils have increasing opportunities to deepen their mathematical understanding by applying their skills to solving real-life problems on ‘Thinking Thursdays’ and ‘Investigating Fridays’. Their books show that the amount of repetitive exercises is reducing if not eliminated.  Pupils attracting additional funding through the pupil premium make similar progress to others in their classes. Their progress is rising but is not yet sustained at the good level needed over long

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

periods to close gaps between their attainment, as measured by average points score, and national expectations.  Support staff work well in partnership with teachers. They have a clear role in lessons and in teaching specific programmes for pupils needing additional help. As a result, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs as well as pupils speaking English as an additional language make adequate but improving progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet consistently good across all year groups and therefore requires improvement. There are examples of strong teaching but some variability remains which prevents pupils from making faster progress.  Where teaching is less effective, work set can be too easy and not sufficiently demanding of the more able. Questioning does not make pupils think deeply or check understanding before moving on. Not all teachers are skilled at assessing and addressing pupils’ misconceptions during a lesson and adapting their teaching accordingly.  Reception teaching is much improved with a new team this year. The classrooms are very busy with carefully planned activities that attract the children, support the next stages in their learning and make better use of the outside area. Adults lead sessions to develop literacy and numeracy well but do not always intervene at appropriate moments when children are working

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

on activities to move their learning forward.  The most effective teaching encourages and praises the pupils for their contributions, giving them confidence to answer and try out new ideas. Teachers regularly give pupils the opportunity to learn from each other through discussion and working on tasks together. In these lessons, the pupils’ interest, concentration and engagement are sustained and their curiosity engaged.  Marking is improving but consistency has not yet been achieved. Additional challenges in mathematics, or a teaching assistant sitting with a group of pupils to go through the teacher’s comments about their writing, help pupils see what they can do to improve next time. However, these activities are not common practice and pupils do not have time to respond to their teachers’ comments.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite and welcoming. They are increasing in confidence through the praise and encouragement from the headteacher and her staff. The headteacher took a firm line over behaviour at the start of last term in order to set her expectations clearly for everyone. Pupils feel that this has helped them to know where they stand and has added to their enjoyment and feeling of security in school. This is also a key factor in their improving attendance and punctuality.  Pupils are becoming keen and enthusiastic learners who want to please their teachers and be successful. They concentrate and try hard in lessons, although their attention can wander when teaching lacks interest. Pupils enjoy discussing their ideas with each other and their aspirations are rising by knowing their individual targets.  Pupils report how safe and happy they feel in school. They learn how to identify and cope with risks such as when using the internet. Discussions show they do not see bullying as an issue.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

Similarly, incidents of racist name-calling are very few and far between. Records and the responses of parents and carers confirm this view and that any incidents are dealt with effectively and do not recur.  Pupils undertake responsibility willingly. They go out of their way to help newcomers to settle in and make a considerable contribution to harmony at lunchtime as play leaders. They value the contribution they make to the school’s development through presenting ideas for consideration by the school council.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has very high expectations and has rapidly developed an atmosphere in which staff and pupils feel they can contribute to the school’s improvement. In almost every conversation with her, they are asked what they have done to make them feel proud and help the school to improve. Teachers and support staff are encouraged to make decisions and cannot present her with a problem without a solution and ideas on how it will benefit the pupils.  The headteacher has successfully continued the work to improve the quality of teaching started by the interim headteacher, although it is not yet consistently good or better. Teachers work in pairs on aspects of their teaching that need to be developed and have the opportunity to watch senior leaders and other strong teachers at work in the classroom.  The headteacher and governors have renewed formal arrangements for checking on each teacher’s performance and set them very challenging targets. This is to support the drive to

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The leadership and management are good

improve teaching and will lead to teachers only being rewarded financially if pupils in their classes make good progress.  The local authority has been effective in helping the headteacher to identify action to tackle school priorities and develop robust and accurate systems to check whether or not targets set are being met.  The staff team is working to break down barriers that might impede individual pupils’ learning. All staff ‘Champion a Child’ by acting as a mentor to two pupils not necessarily from their class whose circumstances for whatever reason might make them more vulnerable  Parents say they feel more engaged with the school because the headteacher and school leaders welcome them at the start and end of the day and are open to listen to their comments and suggestions.  The organisation of subjects and the way they are taught have been reviewed. From the start of the current term other subjects are being more closely linked into themes, with the development

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The leadership and management are good

of writing central to each topic. As this has only been in place for two weeks it is not possible to evaluate its effectiveness, but observations indicate that pupils find the topics interesting.  The school places great emphasis on the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and promotes it well. Pupils from different backgrounds work and play cooperatively. They learn to respect each other and their different customs, and are showing an increasing awareness of environmental issues.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is led well. Individual governors work regularly in school, for example hearing pupils read, which helps them to develop a close relationship with staff. Through regular training, including in assessment data, governors have developed the expertise to be able to question and challenge senior leaders over the school’s performance and how it compares with that of other schools. They have a clear picture of the quality of teaching, what

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The leadership and management are good

the headteacher is doing to improve it and how she only intends to reward good teaching. Budget deficits have been eliminated as pupil numbers have increased and governors are fully involved in financial decisions and evaluating the impact of spending. They have been fully involved in allocating pupil premium funding to provide additional staff and resources, and establishing whether or not it is being used effectively. They ensure that arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are robust.

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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 102514 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 404825

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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 435 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mary Brown Headteacher Shazia Akram Date of previous school inspection 16–17 March 2011 Telephone number 020 8831 0841 Fax number 020 8831 0851 Email address office@edwardpauling.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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