Ronald Ross Primary School

School report Ronald Ross Primary School Castlecombe Drive, Beaumont Road, London, SW19 6RW

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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.  Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. They start school needing a lot of support but make extremely good progress to reach above- average standards at the end of Year 6.  Children get very effective help with their learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are given things to do that interest and excite them. Learning is fun and stimulating.  Teaching is outstanding. Teachers and other adults have high expectations of pupils, set challenging work and make learning fun.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make excellent progress. Teachers know their pupils very well and strive successfully to meet their needs.  Pupils entitled to the pupil premium make the same excellent progress as other pupils.  The headteacher’s drive and leadership are outstanding. Senior leaders support the headteacher very effectively and together they have created a very strong staff team

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

committed to high standards of learning.  The governing body plays an important and successful role in supporting and challenging the school to help drive improvements.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They are polite, treat others with respect and enjoy their lessons a great deal. This is because teachers and assistants know their pupils very well and manage behaviour most effectively.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons. Nine were joint observations with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or assistant headteacher. Inspectors also made a number of short visits to lessons, observed guided reading, listened to pupils read and attended assemblies.  Inspectors met with two groups of pupils, the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, senior leaders, a representative of the local authority, the Chair of the Governing Body and other governors.  Inspectors took account of 12 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, and spoke to six parents during the inspection.  They observed the school’s work and scrutinised a number of documents, including the school improvement plan, data on pupils, current progress, the school’s self-evaluation, minutes of governing body meetings, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Brian Oppenheim, Lead inspector Additional inspector Gill Walley Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium, additional government funding, is above average. No pupils are looked after by the local authority and there are no pupils from service families.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils that do not speak English as a first language is high. Pupils are from a range of ethnic groups, including those of Pakistani, White British, African and mixed heritages.  In 2012, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The headteacher, deputy headteacher and Early Years Foundation Stage coordinator provide support for other schools in the local authority.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils are given time to respond to, and act upon, the advice they are given by their teachers when they mark the work in their books.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 When children join the school their knowledge and skill levels are much lower than expected for their age, particularly in reading and writing. The excellent teaching means that they make brisk progress in Nursery and Reception, although they still start Year 1 with English skill levels that are lower than average for their age.  As pupils move through the school they make rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics overall. By Year 6 almost all pupils have made the progress expected of them in English and mathematics, and many do much better than this, especially in English. This applies to all pupils from all ethnic groups, including those of Pakistani, White British, African and mixed heritages, and represents outstanding achievement considering the very low levels at which pupils typically start school.  Pupils supported by pupil premium funding achieve better in English than their counterparts

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

nationally, and achieve nearly as well in mathematics. The gap between their achievements in English and mathematics and that of other pupils in the school, as shown by their respective average point scores, is reducing rapidly. The funding has been used by the school to provide extra help for reading and for a wide range of initiatives, including working with parents, providing English lessons for them, and developing stronger links with the community. Consequently, pupils’ confidence in reading and writing rises strongly as they move through the school with very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils who do not speak English as a first language make rapid progress in developing their English skills.  The early emphasis on teaching letters and sounds means that children begin to develop their reading skills as soon as they start school. Consequently, younger pupils make rapid progress. In the Nursery, for example, children are able to sound out letters to make simple words such as

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

‘cat’, ‘hat’, ‘van’ and ‘pan’, and write these down confidently. Attainment in reading is now broadly average at the end of Year 2 but above average in Year 6.  The school has very strong systems for checking pupils’ progress regularly and pinpointing where support is needed. As a result, the support is well targeted and makes a significant impact on individual pupils’ learning.  Pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs make excellent progress from their starting points. This is because teachers and other adults know their pupils well and manage their learning expertly.  In mathematics, standards have increased steadily over the past few years and continue to rise. The small fall in standards in 2012 has been reversed, and pupils currently in Years 2 and 6 are on track to reach above-average standards.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The senior team’s strong focus on teaching and learning has been one of the main reasons why the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection.  Typical characteristics of teaching include:  well-organised lessons in which teachers demand a lot of pupils and move their learning forward swiftly so that they remain motivated and engaged throughout  skilful teachers who ask searching questions which draw out pupils’ understanding and extend their learning  the high-quality marking that provides a careful balance between praise and suggesting how pupils could improve their work, although sometimes there are not enough opportunities for pupils to respond to these comments and take action on the advice they are given  excellent relationships so that pupils’ personal development is fostered very effectively and behaviour managed expertly.  Literacy, including reading, and mathematics are taught extremely well so that pupils have lots

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

of opportunities to develop their writing and mathematical skills across different subjects. For example, the way the teacher emphasised language in a Year 4 mathematics lesson made an extremely strong contribution to the outstanding learning. As one pupil said, teaching ‘challenges and motivates’.  In Nursery and Reception, excellent teamwork and very good questioning contribute to the outstanding provision. Despite the very low level of skills that children have when they start school, they develop confidence and independence and are able to talk knowledgeably about their work.  Teaching assistants add hugely to pupils’ excellent learning and progress. They know their pupils well and are very sensitive to their needs, providing just the right support at just the right time. As a result, they help to ensure that all pupils make the best progress they can in lessons.  Teachers regularly check how well pupils are doing. They use this information very effectively to

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

make sure that pupils are helped if they are stuck, or to adapt their lessons to ensure that all make brisk progress. The data from their assessments is used by the school to identify pupils who are falling behind and to ensure that individuals have the support they need.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is typically exemplary. They are always polite and very respectful of others as, for example, in the celebration assembly where they shared in the pride of others at being awarded a prize for good work. Teachers and teaching assistants manage pupils extremely well. Sometimes the behaviour of a few pupils can be very challenging but the high expectations set by the school means that everyone knows what is expected. Overall, parents agree that the standard of behaviour is very high.  Pupils enjoy their lessons very much and show great curiosity in learning, often asking questions of their teachers or other adults about things that interest them. Attendance has risen this year and is now at least average. Punctuality is very good.  The school does a great deal to develop pupils’ understand of the world. Visits to art galleries, the Houses of Parliament, links with local community organisations, such as the Funkey Club,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and work with UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Award are all examples of how the school involves pupils in a wide range of activities that promote their personal development very successfully. Overall, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.  Pupils say that incidents of bullying or disruptive behaviour are rare. On the very few occasions that it does happen they say that the school deals with it effectively. They know that bullying can take different forms and have an especially good understanding of the need to use the internet and mobile phones safely. Pupils say they feel safe.  Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsible roles such as peer mentors and as members of the ‘Green Team’ or school council. As peer mentors, older pupils take care of younger ones, helping them play games, listening to them read or looking after them in the playground.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher, senior leaders and staff all play an active part in promoting excellence and high standards. The headteacher’s very strong and caring leadership has had a huge influence on how well the school has improved since the last inspection. This has created a very stable staff which ensures consistency and adds to the sense of security felt by pupils. The school is welcoming and everyone ensures that pupils are treated equally. All those parents who spoke with inspectors agreed that the school is very well led and managed and that the headteacher’s impact on improvement has been striking.  The school goes to great lengths to ensure that pupils enjoy school by making learning exciting and interesting. It provides an inspiring curriculum and a wide range of enrichment activities. Themed weeks are linked effectively to literacy, numeracy and ICT. For example, the inspection coincided with science week during which pupils were seen investigating ‘a theft from the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

school’: pupils’ investigative skills were developed very effectively and the range of activities available, such as chromatography, grabbed their imagination.  Senior leaders know their school extremely well from the rigorous checks they carry out. Pupils’ achievement is tracked very closely to ensure that everyone is on course to meet their potential. Pupils are able to say precisely what their targets are and what they need to do to achieve these.  Teaching performance is managed extremely well. Senior leaders know precisely what makes teaching outstanding and use this knowledge effectively to drive improvement. They observe lessons very skilfully and regularly, using the information to identify accurately where there are strengths and where teachers need support. Staff understand that they are accountable for their performance and that this is linked to pay progression.  The local authority’s support for the school is ‘light touch’ in recognition of its high performance.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is skilled and effective and is becoming increasingly more effective. It has a well-informed understanding of the school’s work and governors use data to understand its strengths and weaknesses. They challenge and support the school in equal measure and hold the school to account for the way the pupil premium funding is used to improve pupils’ achievements. Governors receive regular training, are involved in the management of performance, including that of the headteacher, and are increasingly aware of the link to teachers’ salaries. They have a good grasp of the school’s finances. Safeguarding policies and procedures are well established so that all requirements are met in full.

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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 101031 Local authority London Borough of Wandsworth Inspection number 402840

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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 239 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Charles Runcie Headteacher Deborah Hart Date of previous school inspection 12 – 13 June 2008 Telephone number 020 8788 5233 Email address head@ronaldross.wandsworth.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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