Marlborough Primary School

London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 5XA Inspection dates 9–10 May 2013

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 Teaching is not yet consistently good and a small proportion is still inadequate. Sometimes, the work given to pupils does not always match their need, and sometimes, it does not provide enough challenge.  Teachers do not always make best use of the teaching assistants. Marking does not always show pupils the next steps needed to improve their learning.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has been falling in both English and mathematics over a three-year period.  Over time pupils have not achieved as well as they are capable of in mathematics, especially in Key Stage 2 in Years 3 and 4. This is because some of the teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence is limited in this subject.  Practical resources are not always used well enough to develop pupils’ understanding of the basic skills in mathematics before they are taught harder topics.  Middle leaders are still in the early stages of learning how to make checks on the quality of

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

teaching and in helping to embed new initiatives in their areas of responsibility.  Some teachers are not using data effectively to assess how well the different groups of pupils that they teach are doing compared to others nationally.  Until recently, leaders have not taken sufficient action to improve teaching and increase pupils’ progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is very organised and communication with others is good. Leaders have a clear and accurate picture of the school and as a result of actions taken progress and attainment levels are rising over time particularly in Key Stage 1.  Behaviour is good and pupils are very polite, friendly and well mannered. They feel very safe in all areas of the school.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effectively promoted throughout the school.  Children achieve well in the Early Years Foundation Stage, which provides exciting and expansive indoor and outdoor learning environments.  This is an inclusive school that responds well to the diverse learning needs of all pupils.  The school caters well for disabled pupils and those with a statement of special educational needs.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 27 parts of lessons and saw pupils being taught in small groups. Four were joint observations with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and attended an assembly.  Meetings were held with pupils, key staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on recent and current progress, pupils’ work, governing body minutes, planning and monitoring information, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  The 94 responses to the online survey (Parent View), written comments by parents and carers, telephone conversations with parents and carers, and staff questionnaires were taken into account during the inspection.

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Inspection team

SharonaSemlali, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jim Eshelby Additional Inspector Jane Richmond Additional Inspector Graham Pirt Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 MarlboroughPrimary School is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school manages a Children’s Centre called Syon, which is inspected separately.  The school has a specialist resource centre for pupils with special educational needs. It caters for 12 pupils with specific learning difficulties.  The school manages Marlborough Minders, which provides a breakfast and after-school club.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding (additional money given to schools for particular pupils, including those eligible for free school meals, looked after pupils and those from service families) is above average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average. Very few are at the early stage of learning to speak English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by

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Information about this school

school action is below average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes to the teaching staff. The structure of the senior leadership is different, and so are most of its members.

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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: - eradicating all inadequate teaching - fully utilising all teaching assistants to support pupils’ learning - ensuring that marking helps pupils to know their next steps in learning.  Accelerate progress and raise standards in mathematics, particularly in Years 3 and 4, by: - ensuring that work is correctly pitched to the needs of the pupils and they have appropriate levels of challenge - building on teachers’ mathematical subject knowledge and confidence so that pupils have a firm understanding of the basic skills in mathematics before moving on to more advanced topics - ensuring that pupils have access to practical resources in the school which will help to develop their understanding in the subject.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: - strengthening the monitoring role of the middle leaders so they can effectively support in

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

checking the quality of teaching and help to embed the recent initiatives - ensuring that teachers have a clearer understanding of how to effectively analyse data about progress of the different groups of pupils that they teach and can compare this with others nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because progress has not been fast enough over time. Pupils join the school with skills that are well below those typical for their age, and in 2012, attainment at the end of Year 6 was well below that nationally.  Since the previous inspection, the attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has remained steady while attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has fallen steadily in English and in mathematics until 2012.  School data show that progress has increased, over the past 12 months, in most year groups, especially in English, because of improved teaching.  However, pupils do not make fast enough progress in Key Stage 2, particularly in mathematics, in Years 3 and 4. Pupils are able to choose from the different levels of challenge of work in this subject, but occasionally, pupils opt for the ones that are not appropriate for their need and some teachers do not pick this up quickly enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The stimulating language, and rich and spacious outdoor and indoor learning environments, help to develop their physical, social and language skills. This has been improving over the last few years.  Pupils enjoy reading. Those who are at an earlier stage are able to use different ways of working out unfamiliar words as well as understanding the text they read. Older pupils read fluently and confidently to inspectors without being afraid to attempt words that challenge their ability.  Pupils’ writing is consistently well presented throughout the school and is collated together in a book called ‘learning logs’ which shows them having a range of opportunities to develop their writing in other subjects.  Those pupils who come from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language achieve better than their peers nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although the attainment of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs was below that expected for their age and ability in 2012, the school’s tracking shows that the majority of the current group are now achieving or exceeding expected progress.  Those who are in receipt of the pupil premium funding benefit from having extra adult support and participate in extra-curricular activities such as trips. The school has successfully closed the gap between these pupils and others in the school as they are achieving the same in mathematics. The gap is slightly wider in English as they are just over a term behind in this subject.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although teaching is improving, it is still judged to require improvements because, over time, teaching in Key Stage 2, particularly in Years 3 and 4, has not been good enough to help pupils to make good achievement. Teaching observed during the inspection was mostly good, with a few outstanding and a small proportion of inadequate lessons.  Teachers in Key Stage 1 use mathematical resources well to support pupils’ learning. In a Year 1 mathematics lesson which was investigating numbers up to 100, the teacher effectively used a range of equipment to clarify their understanding. This is not consistent throughout the school as teachers do not always make best use of the available practical resources to support their pupils’ learning in mathematics.  In a few lessons observed by inspectors, pupils were given more advanced work in mathematics before they fully understood some of the basic skills. This is because some of the teachers have

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

limited subject knowledge and are not confident enough in mathematics.  Teaching assistants are used well to support pupils who need additional help and for those who are taught in smaller groups for mathematics and English. However, in some classes, teaching assistants are not fully utilised to support pupils’ learning.  Teaching in the specialist resource centre has improved since 2012 and is now good, and as a result, pupils achieve well. The work set by the teachers is well organised and most pupils are fully engaged in the different activities.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children’s imagination is stimulated well through playing with a range of resources such as sunglasses and goggles for sale in their shop. Outside, children are looking at pizzas and making tea in their outdoor café. There are effective systems in place that enable children to become independent and make choices within well-

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

defined boundaries.  The work in pupils’ books reflects much-improved productivity over time and shows that teachers give pupils a wide range of activities in all subjects as well as mathematics and English. There is plenty of positive reinforcement such as stickers and comments, but marking does not always clearly show pupils the next steps needed to improve their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ typical behaviour over time is good. They are well mannered, and respond extremely well to all staff and treat each other with the utmost respect. They have good attitudes to, and enjoy, learning. This is backed up by the responses made by parents and carers, and the school’s documentation.  Children’s behaviour in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. They are very good at sharing the different resources, and playing and listening to each other.  Behaviour in the specialist resource centre is good. The atmosphere in there is very calm and purposeful, with pupils moving sensibly and independently around the different tasks.  Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school.  Pupils have a good understanding of bullying, including cyber-bullying. They can confidently speak about the importance of the school blocking certain sites. They say there is no bullying in school and if there is, they feel that all adults are approachable and will take any actions

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

needed. Pupils say that anyone who is new into the school is well looked after and is ‘allocated a friend’.  The school council is active and was involved in the decision-making process in the purchase of the playground games and the adventure trail in the playground.  Attendance is average. Punctuality is regularly checked and this has improved.  The breakfast club provides a healthy and settled start to the school day for pupils. It helps them to effectively develop a range of social skills which they use effectively throughout the rest of the day.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The school’s leadership is beginning to secure improvements, but overall it is still judged to require improvement because it did not have strong enough impact on achievement and the quality of teaching over time.  Some of the middle leaders are still developing their roles. They are at the early stages of checking the quality of teaching and in helping to embed any recent initiatives. Some teachers do not have a clear enough understanding of how to analyse data about the progress of the different groups of pupils that they teach.  Leaders and managers have quickly responded to, and acted on, the dip in standards in 2012. The headteacher and senior leaders regularly monitor the quality of teaching and have almost eradicated most of the inadequate teaching, but it has not completely gone. Firm plans are in place to address this. A support package is given where teaching requires improvement. At the

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The leadership and management require improvement

time of the inspection teachers responded well and acted quickly to feedback given by inspectors.  The headteacher has tightened up on targets given to teachers which clearly link rewards in their salary to their pupils’ achievement.  The school has a realistic and accurate picture of how well it is doing. Action plans have accurately identified the correct areas to focus on and show how to improve. Some of these plans have helped to make the necessary improvements seen and the last set of published results demonstrate the school’s capacity to improve further.  The curriculum enables literacy and numeracy to be taught in all subjects within a theme so that it is more meaningful for the pupils. Specialist teachers deliver parts of the curriculum such as music, French and physical education. Pupils enjoy visits to other places, including staying in the Isle of Wight.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is effectively promoted through the curriculum, and

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The leadership and management require improvement

assemblies and school leaders work hard to ensure equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination.  Pupils are reflective about their own and others’ needs, and will often choose to help others. They have a clear view of what is right or wrong.  School leaders work hard to foster good relationships and, as a result, links with parents and carers are positive. The school meets with parent representatives once every half term. Parents and carers say ‘The school welcomes all pupils and they are happy here.’  The local authority gives this school good support. Since the dip in standards in 2012, it has been placed in their ‘schools causing concerns’ category. This support is having a positive impact on the pupils’ achievements.  The governance of the school: This is an experienced governing body which clearly knows its roles and responsibilities, and its members have had plenty of training. All new members receive a thorough induction. The

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The leadership and management require improvement

governing body knows the school well. Its members are clear about the quality of teaching in the different areas of the school and are well informed about the school’s data. They use information from this and their visits to ask the school challenging questions and hold leaders to account. They are well informed of how the school rewards the teachers. Governors are clear about the spending of the pupil premium and its impact. It ensures that all safeguarding meets requirements.

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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 102494 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 411831

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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 703 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jerry Folkson Headteacher Gary Murrell Date of previous school inspection 25–26 February 2009 Telephone number 020 8560 3978 Fax number 020 8560 2185 Email address office@marlborough.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 whenand 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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