Manorside Primary School

Manorside Primary School Squires Lane, Finchley, London, N3 2AB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Children start school with skills that are much lower than are typical for their age. They make outstanding progress to reach above average standards in their tests at the end of Year 6, significantly so last year in mathematics.  Teaching is outstanding. Teachers across the school plan a wide variety of exciting activities that fire pupils’ imaginations and that are tailored to their individual needs and abilities.  Leaders, all staff and the governing body, work together to ensure that every pupil is supported to reach high academic standards and to have their broader talents and interests nurtured and developed.  Leaders regularly check on every pupil’s progress. Those identified as underachieving are given high quality personalised support which enables them to make outstanding progress.  Pupils are very proud of their school. They come from a wide range of faiths and cultures which are celebrated, and all treat

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

each other with great respect.  In this caring learning environment in which all are included, pupils gain greatly in self- confidence because the school promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well.  Pupils display exemplary attitudes to learning, participating enthusiastically in lessons and making valuable contributions to school life.  Pupils feel extremely safe at school and have a very sensible understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.  Attendance of the vast majority of pupils is consistently above average. A few parents, however, interrupt their children’s learning by taking them on holiday during term time.  Parents’ views are particularly positive about all aspects of the school’s work. The parents are very well guided in how to support their children’s learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons taught by 11 teachers. In addition, inspectors observed the teaching of phonics (letter patterns and the sounds they represent). Many of these observations were made jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher of the school.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor, parents and carers, staff including senior and middle leaders, groups of pupils and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at school documentation, including teachers’ planning, the school’s self-evaluation and development plans, assessment information, monitoring files, governing body minutes, safeguarding documentation and samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked with them about their enjoyment of books.  Inspectors considered the 39 responses to the on-line questionnaire for parents and carers

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Inspection team

David Radomsky, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jill Thewlis Additional Inspector Samuel Ofori-Kyereh Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  An above average proportion of pupils are supported by additional funding through the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported through school action plus or a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  A well above average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  A well above average proportion of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds.  The school’s governing body manages a daily breakfast club and an after-school club and these formed part of the inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has gained many accreditations and it recently won first place in the Accord Award

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Work with all parents to ensure that their children are not removed from school for holidays during term time so that they benefit from uninterrupted learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Most children start school with skills that are well below those typically expected for their age, especially in their language development. They quickly settle and, owing to the language-rich environment, they make outstanding progress in all areas.  By the end of Year 2, pupils reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils make excellent progress across Key Stage 2. Pupils continue to gain knowledge, understanding and skills quickly in a wide range of subjects. In 2012, pupils’ overall progress in English and mathematics was within the top 8% nationally.  Standards at the end of Year 6 are consistently above average, significantly so in the 2012 tests. A higher than average proportion of pupils attained the exceptionally demanding Level 6 in mathematics.  Pupils make rapid progress in their reading because it is taught extremely well. They value the many opportunities to read to adults in school and the wide range of books available to them.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

They become confident, independent readers, enjoying reading for pleasure. As one pupil told inspectors, ‘Reading is much better than wasting electricity on watching television!’  Discrimination of any type is not tolerated. All pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, those from different ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language, have an equal opportunity to make outstanding progress. Pupils with learning needs are identified at a very early stage, and well focused support ensures all groups of pupils develop excellent skills in reading, writing, communication and mathematics.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium funding have benefited from additional small group and one-to-one tuition. Consequently, any gaps in performance between pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and other pupils are narrowing rapidly. For example, over the recent

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

autumn term, the progress made in reading, writing and mathematics across Key Stage 2 for those pupils was similar to their peers.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers have consistently high expectations of what every pupil is capable of. They are exceedingly skilled in planning, together with teaching assistants, fun learning activities that excite and challenge all pupils to make rapid progress. They are typically characterised by:  helping pupils make links across various areas of learning. For example, in the Early Years Foundation Stage in a session on toy design and labelling, children chose their own materials and worked together to design and make their own toys. They were then encouraged to apply their knowledge of letters and the sounds that they make, to spell and write their labels  developing pupils’ empathy with characters in a book that the class is reading as a basis for developing language skills. For example, pupils in one class worked in pairs to act out a dialogue between a young girl and a pig after which they practised writing direct speech

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 using a wide variety of resources and varied activities that cater for the full range of pupils’ learning needs and interests. For instance, in a mathematics lesson all the adults and pupils wore different hats and each had to explain, using the correct vocabulary, the mathematical features of the design of their individual hats  skilled questioning that helps pupils to develop their thoughts and ideas, as seen in a science lesson where pupils had to justify the suitability of the materials they had chosen for building a house for the Three Little Pigs  opportunities for pupils to work together and to help each other, as seen in a poetry lesson where pupils worked together to write and develop their vocabulary through looking up words in a thesaurus and sharing their ideas  opportunities to consider moral issues and respond to them, such as in class where pupils were utterly engrossed in writing formal letters to the government to raise their concerns

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

about the cruelty of bears held in captivity about which they had learnt.  Teachers provide high quality written and oral feedback to pupils on what they have done well and what needs to be improved. This effectively assists pupils to improve their work and helps them to make rapid progress in reaching their challenging targets.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils display an exemplary welcoming and tolerant attitude to all. Their behaviour was summed up by one pupil who said, `Everyone takes care of each other and everyone treats each other the way they would like to be treated.’  Pupils are very proud of their school and willingly take on responsibilities. For example, peer mentors in the playground help pupils resolve any minor disagreements that they may have. The school council organises fundraising activities in support of charities, including helping poor children in Africa, thus extending their cultural awareness and developing their moral values.  Pupils cooperate willingly with staff and their classmates. They reflect on how to improve their own work and advise their peers on how they could do even better. This outstanding attitude to their learning makes a major contribution to the rapid progress that they make.  Pupils are aware of all forms of bullying, such as racism and cyber bullying. They are confident

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

that bullying is very rare. The very occasional incidents are dealt with swiftly and appropriately so pupils feel safe and secure in school. They are well aware of how to keep themselves safe, including all aspects associated with their use of multimedia applications.  Through excellent care and support, the school successfully integrates pupils who have had behavioural difficulties in other schools. They settle down quickly and make rapid progress in their learning and personal development. There have been no exclusions of pupils for a number of years.  Attendance of the vast majority of pupils is above average and pupils arrive in good time each day. This supports their learning very well and teaches them how to be reliable members of society in the future. A few parents, however, disrupt the continuity of their children’s learning by taking holidays during term time.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school benefits from the devoted leadership provided by the headteacher who, together with all other leaders and the governing body, has secured outstanding performance in all aspects of the school’s work.  Leaders observe lessons frequently and give teachers feedback on how to improve. Additionally, teachers and teaching assistants observe each other and regularly share ideas on how to improve the quality of their teaching. Teachers and leaders learn from best practice in other outstanding schools and through visiting overseas schools. They also provide guidance to leaders and teachers in other local schools requiring additional support to improve.  Leaders check their areas of responsibility frequently. They use pupil performance information and direct monitoring to identify underperformance and address it quickly. They also use this information to hold teachers to account for the progress of each of their pupils.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Self-evaluation processes are robust and ensure that leaders know the school well. This enables leaders to identify the school’s priorities and plan developments precisely.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is extremely well developed. It is promoted through the broad range of subjects taught and opportunities for example to learn to play chess, performing a mock Hindu wedding, learning musical instruments, choir performances and visiting the Royal Opera House. Activities available in the breakfast and after-school clubs, residential visits and the many visitors to the school offer pupils many more enriching experiences. Accordingly, pupils develop into knowledgeable, broad-minded, caring young people who are very well equipped to face the challenges of secondary school.  Partnerships with parents are excellent. The school provides parents with many opportunities to broaden their own education and also helps them to successfully support their children’s learning

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The leadership and management are outstanding

at home. Leaders recognise that more work needs to be done with the few parents who take their children out of school during term time to understand the importance of uninterrupted education for their children.  The local authority provides light touch support for this outstanding school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body ensures that all statutory duties are met and that arrangements for safeguarding meet requirements. Governors receive detailed information from leaders, visit the school regularly and are involved in the school’s processes of self-evaluation and improvement planning. They challenge and support leaders, monitor the school’s performance and are aware of how this compares to similar local schools. Consequently, they know the school’s strengths and areas for further development, including in the quality of teaching. They are aware of the outcomes of the school’s performance management procedures and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

make sure that only the most successful teachers are rewarded. They ensure good value for money, including with how the pupil premium funding is spent to narrow any achievement gaps. Governors undertake regular training to sustain their effectiveness.

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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 101290 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 402849

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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 288 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Fox Headteacher Steve Hilborne Date of previous school inspection 27 March 2008 Telephone number 020 8346 4847 Fax number 020 8371 8207 Email address office@manorside.barnetmail.net 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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