Bedfont Primary School

Bedfont Primary School Hatton Road, Bedfont, Hounslow, TW14 9QZ

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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

 Although the proportion of pupils making good progress is increasing, progress is not yet consistently good across the school in reading, writing and mathematics.  Too few pupils are working at or above what is expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics, especially at Key Stage 2.  Some teaching does not plan lessons that fully meet the needs of pupils of average ability so that these pupils do not make enough progress.  The quality of feedback for pupils in teachers' marking is not consistently good across the school. As a result, pupils are not always sure about the next step they should take to improve.  Some pupils who speak English as an additional language are not becoming confident speakers quickly enough because there are too few opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills across subjects, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  A new curriculum has been implemented to

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

meet the needs of all of the pupils, especially in writing, but it has not yet had a sufficient impact on the pupils’ attainment and progress.  Some new subject leaders are not improving their subject areas quickly enough.  Governors have not previously had a sharp focus on the information on pupils’ performance.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, information on children’s progress is not used well enough to inform teachers' planning so that activities meet the needs of all children.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher, together with the new senior leadership team and members of the governing body, is beginning to drive forward improvements in achievement, especially in mathematics.  Areas for improvement in the last inspection report have been tackled effectively.  Asian pupils do well, especially those of Indian heritage.  Teaching in some classes is good.  The behaviour of the pupils is good and they are polite, courteous and feel safe. Pupils from different backgrounds play together well.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 25 lessons, of which three were joint observations with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher. The inspectors also observed senior leaders reporting back to teachers on the quality of learning and pupils’ achievement in lessons.  Inspectors made a number of shorter visits to other lessons. Inspectors also listened to pupils read and jointly scrutinised their work with the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, senior leaders and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at documents relating to safeguarding, the performance management of staff, the tracking and assessment of pupils’ attainment and progress, records on behaviour and safety and the monitoring of teaching and learning. They looked at the school’s spending of the pupil premium funding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the views of 44 parents in the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s own surveys of the views of parents and pupils. The views of parents were sought at the start of the school day. Inspectors scrutinised 39 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Zahid Aziz, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Dr Mina Drever Additional Inspector Jameel Hassan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bedfont Primary School is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  The largest groups of pupils are White British, Asian Indian, Black African and those of Pakistani heritages. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language is well above average.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club which is managed by the governing body.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school does not use any alternative off-site provision for its pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by:  ensuring teachers plan work which is at the right level for all pupils, especially pupils of average ability and particularly for more able pupils in mathematics  improving the quality of feedback in teachers' marking so pupils are clear about the next steps they should take to improve  improving the skills of teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage in making accurate use of information on children's progress in their planning so activities meet the needs of all children.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise levels of achievement in reading, writing and mathematics by:  developing speaking and listening skills, especially for children who speak English as an additional language in the Early Years Foundation Stage  raising expectations of what pupils can achieve at Key Stage 2 for all groups of pupils.  Ensure leaders and managers have a greater impact on improving pupils’ progress by:  developing the effectiveness of subject leaders in raising achievement in their areas  fully embedding the new curriculum so that it meets the needs of all pupils, especially in developing their writing skills -  checking the quality of feedback related to pupils' targets in teachers' marking so pupils know how to reach the next level  ensuring governors have a good grasp of performance data and understand how well the school's performance compares with others nationally.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 have been rising since the previous inspection, but remain broadly average, especially at Key Stage 2. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels in mathematics remains below average.  Although improving, pupils’ progress varies among groups of pupils including between boys and girls and across years. Progress requires improvement, especially in Year 4 and Year 6 in writing. In some classes, the quality of writing in - books is not checked well enough and, as a result, information about how well pupils are doing is not used effectively in planning future work.  School data and checks of pupils' books show that some groups of pupils have started to make accelerated progress. For example, in Year 6, pupils' work in mathematics and writing shows they are making good progress because of strong adult support.  Many children enter the Nursery and Reception class with skills that are below those expected

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

for their age. They make steady progress in all areas of learning and enter Year 1 with skills slightly below what is expected, particularly in communication and language skills. At the end of Key Stages 1 and 2, they are slightly below the national average having made steady progress.  Reading skills require improvement and there are too few checks to see the progress pupils are making. Some pupils are able to recognise words and know how to read them. However, other pupils just pass the words they cannot read. For example, in Year 2 and Year 3 some less able pupils either cannot break down the words or just read by looking at the picture.  The progress of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and pupils supported by additional funding through the pupil premium is improving and some make good progress because of the effective deployment of staff to support them. The gap in attainment between

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

those receiving the pupil premium and other groups is narrowing as measured by their average point scores.  Some groups, including White British girls, pupils of Indian and Pakistani heritages and those who speak English as an additional language, are making good progress, particularly in mathematics. The attainment gap between different groups of pupils including White British boys and pupils of Black African heritage is narrowing because they are given good one-to-one support in lessons and in small groups. Those at the early stages of learning English are not always given enough opportunity to develop their spoken skills and, thus, make slower progress than could be expected.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good because some teachers do not plan lessons which meet the needs of all pupils, especially those of average ability. As a result, these pupils do not make good progress.  In 2012, Year 6 national test results dipped because of weaker teaching and a lack of focus on the needs of pupils in mathematics, especially for the girls. However, the school has since taken action and there is now mostly high quality teaching in Year 6, strengthened with specialist subject support in mathematics.  Not all teachers communicate their high expectations well. Where teaching has improved, for example in mathematics, this is because of the use of practices such as setting for the more able and additional support for the less able. In Year 6, additional support has helped to improve pupils’ number and problem-solving skills considerably.  The quality of teaching in English requires improvement. Although the school has provided

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills across other subjects this practice is recent and it is too early for it to have had a strong impact in improving writing skills.  The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) at Key Stage 1 is mostly good but practice is not consistent across other key stages. The results of the reading screening test in 2012 for pupils aged six were similar to those nationally.  The marking of pupils’ books is improving, especially in Years 5 and 6. Pupils check their own work regularly. As a result, they know better than previously how well they are doing and what else needs to improve. However, comments in pupils’ books do not always link to pupils' targets, and as a result, learning is not as fast as it could be.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils' attitudes to learning are good in the lessons where teaching engages them. Behaviour is not outstanding, because occasionally pupils lose concentration when whole-class activities go on for too long, especially the younger pupils.  Pupils behave well and respectfully towards each other and adults throughout the school and in the playground and get on well together. For example, Year 4 pupils happily spoke about the importance of ‘respect’ for each other and adults around them.  Pupils feel happy and safe. Their parents agree. Pupils know what to do if they are worried and who to approach for help. Pupils have a clear understanding of different forms of bullying and what constitutes good or bad behaviour. They feel they are well supported by the adults around them.  The school has a comprehensive system of rewards and sanctions and pupils know them well. There is effective supervision, for example, at break times, on playgrounds and in the corridors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school keeps full records of any incidents such as a log of any racist incidents, but the records show that such incidents are rare.  Attendance has improved steadily and is now above average. The school is rigorous in tackling poor attendance and persistent absences. A good range of effective strategies is deployed, including the use of a parent-support advisor, to reduce any term-time absence.  The breakfast and after-school club provides a valuable resource and helps many pupils get off to a good start to the day. There are good opportunities to participate in a range of different activities after school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership, including that by governors, requires improvement. Leaders and managers have identified some key strengths and areas for improvement. With the support of the local authority the school has acquired an accurate understanding of its own performance.  The school ensures that progression through the pay scales is linked to teachers’ performance and this process has led to improvements in the quality of teaching across the school.  Leaders have not yet secured the same level of improvement in teaching and achievement in mathematics for all groups of pupils. There are signs that new subject leaders, especially in mathematics, are starting to have an impact on raising attainment.  There are more accurate assessment and tracking systems in place. Useful termly pupil progress meetings have been introduced which are leading to improvements in progress in reading and writing.  Nursery and Reception classrooms have a spacious and secure, directly-accessible outdoor area

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The leadership and management requires improvement

which is used to provide children with a good variety of ‘free-choice’ activities indoors and outside and which develops their ability to work by themselves. However, the setting's leaders do not always use information on children's progress to inform their future planning to meet the needs of all children. As a result, their progress is not as fast as it could be.  The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination by working with pupils to reflect on behaviours that might cause offence. There are, however, still some gaps in attainment between different groups.  The local authority provides some helpful support such as the ‘raising attainment plan’ as well as support for the development of the governing body.  The governance of the school:  Since the previous inspection, the governing body has become more challenging as well as supportive than previously and has a grasp of most of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

There has been additional training to enhance governors’ skills. However, it lacks a good grasp of data and does not know how well the school's performance compares with others nationally. The governing body is aware that the quality of teaching requires improvement and how any weaknesses are to be addressed. It is aware of performance management procedures and of rewards for good teaching. It ensures that safeguarding procedures are secure. It knows how well the pupil premium funding is spent, which includes extra staff to improve achievement in mathematics, and is aware of the impact.

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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 135831 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 406635

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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 571 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair George Brown Headteacher Ann Broughton Date of previous school inspection 15–16 February 2011 Telephone number 020 8890 4755 Fax number - Email address office@bedfont.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

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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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