Gifford Primary School

Gifford Primary School Greenhill Gardens, Northolt, Middlesex, UB5 6BU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Standards have risen rapidly at the school since the last inspection because of the pupils’ outstanding progress in English and mathematics. Consequently, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics is at least average and improving.  School leaders have extremely high expectations of adults and pupils which have led to rapid improvements in all aspects of the school’s work since the last inspection.  Teaching is consistently good with many examples of outstanding practice. Pupils are clear about what they are expected to learn and the work is set at the right level to meet their needs and challenge their thinking. Opportunities to accelerate pupils’ progress by acting on teachers’ suggestions when marking work are sometimes missed.  Support staff, who work with pupils in need of extra help, are making an exceptional contribution to raising standards.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils who are eligible for support under the pupil premium initiative make rapid and sustained progress in English and mathematics as a result of the focused additional support they receive.  The school is committed to encouraging parents and carers to support their children with their learning at home and provides additional English language support classes for families who are new to Britain.  Pupils are really keen to learn and are unreservedly polite and caring of one another. Their behaviour in lessons and around school is exemplary.  Pupils feel very safe and well cared for. The school has excellent arrangements in place to ensure that pupils are safe at all times.  Pupils whose hearing is impaired achieve extremely well because teaching is strong and tasks are very well matched to their needs. At times, however, the quality of ‘signing’ hinders pupils’ greater understanding as it does not always accurately reflect the technical

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

vocabulary being used.  The wide variety of themes and activities provided by the school, including after-school clubs and visits, ensures that pupils develop skills in a broad range of subjects and are very well prepared for their next stage of education.  The governing body holds the school robustly to account for its performance and its management of the finances.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 34 lessons, two of which were jointly observed lessons carried out with the headteacher. Inspectors also carried out a series of short visits to other lessons across the school and Hearing Impaired Unit, talked with children and listened to children read.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and other governors, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 14 responses to the online Parent View survey, as well as the views of the parents and carers they met.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, safeguarding policies, and records and documents relating to management of staff performance.  The team also had the services of an interpreter who provided assistance ‘signing’ when required.

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Inspection team

Lesley Leak, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Martin Marsh Additional Inspector Victoria Turner Additional Inspector Michael Elson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school which is expanding from three to four forms of entry. There are four classes in both Reception and Year 1.  At the time of the inspection, a significant building programme was under way to accommodate the expansion to four forms of entry in every year by 2017.  Approximately half of the pupils who attend the school are eligible for the pupil premium. This is above the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families.  The majority of pupils come from minority ethnic groups, the proportion being much higher than the national average. About 5% of pupils are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs at school action is high compared to national averages, whereas the proportion of pupils at school action plus or

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Information about this school

who have a statement of special educational needs is above average.  Nine pupils who are on the school’s roll are taught in the Hearing Impaired Unit.  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?

 Make sure that pupils consistently respond to marking by providing opportunities for them to improve their work and correct their mistakes.  Ensure that technical concepts and vocabulary are always accurately ‘signed’ for pupils with impaired hearing.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Many children enter the school in Nursery with skills well below age-related expectations and continue to make excellent progress from their starting points, with exceptionally rapid progress achieved at Key Stage 2.  The attainment of higher-attaining pupils is significantly better than it was previously and the overall profile of achievement is well above average. This is reflected in the increasing proportions reaching higher National Curriculum levels.  Pupils make significant progress in their reading and writing because they are expected to apply their writing and reading skills in a range of lessons and subjects. The school has raised boys’ attainment in English through incorporating more ‘boy-friendly’ texts such as Harry Potter.  Pupils’ engagement with mathematics is strong because they are regularly given imaginative problem-solving opportunities that are rooted in everyday life. These deepen their learning very

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

successfully and this has contributed to their rapid progress in mathematics.  The school actively promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination by ensuring pupils who are not making sufficient progress are given appropriate extra help to achieve well. Rigorous checks on pupils’ progress means that anyone who needs extra support is quickly identified and provided with specific support, either in small groups or with one-to-one tuition. Consequently, most groups of pupils make good or better progress from their different starting points, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Pupils who join the school speaking little or no English are provided with excellent support, which enables them to develop confidence and to acquire language and communication skills quickly. This enables them to catch up fast and to make as much progress as the others.  Pupils who attend the Hearing Impaired Unit achieve extremely well as a result of the strong

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

teaching they receive, both in the unit and in the mainstream classes they attend.  Evidence of the school’s performance shows that pupils funded through the pupil premium, including those eligible for free school meals, make sufficient gains in progress to secure attainment which is above national and in line with their peers in English and mathematics. This is because funding has been properly spent on meeting the needs of identified pupils through additional support and other small-group activities in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers create a calm and welcoming learning environment which promotes high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievement. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils and know their classes well.  Teachers use high-quality resources which are very well matched to pupils’ abilities and needs, including information and communication technology (ICT), to engage the interest of pupils. Pupils are trained to work collaboratively and independently. They initiate and lead on their own ideas and are taught explicitly how to learn. In a particularly successful Year 1 shared writing lesson, pupils had to understand their targets before they began to write and, as a result, they were completely focused on improving the quality of their own writing.  Pupils make exceptional progress because their lessons are skilfully planned to match each individual’s needs and to challenge their thinking. Adults who support pupils in need of additional

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

help, including pupils who have special educational needs and for whom English is an additional language, play a significant part in the planning and are well briefed to support selected pupils.  Pupils who attend the Hearing Impaired Unit achieve extremely well because tasks are well matched to suit their needs. They enjoy learning and are well integrated into the school. However, on occasion, when the material is technical or the vocabulary used is a little complicated, the signing is not always accurate enough to convey what the teacher has said. For instance, in one science lesson about friction, the signer’s interpretation of what happens when a shoe is in contact with different surfaces did not do justice to the teacher’s explanation.  All pupils thrive on teachers’ challenging and open-ended questions which require them to work things out for themselves, ensuring they are working at the very limits of what they can do. The

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

pupils are confident ‘risk-takers’, applying what they already know to tackle new problems. In a highly effective Year 6 mathematics lesson, higher-attaining pupils used the architect’s plans for the school’s extension to calculate the volume of concrete needed for trenches, necessary for building the foundations. This high-level problem-solving activity required the pupils to draw on their prior knowledge of the difference between imperial and metric units of measurement.  Marking of pupils’ work is regular in English and mathematics, but although teachers frequently provide useful feedback on what pupils have achieved, opportunities to improve their work or correct mistakes are not consistently applied.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school is exemplary. Pupils and staff are unreservedly polite and courteous to one another, and there is a strong community feeling to the school. In the words of one pupil, ‘We all bond together like a family.’  Most pupils are eager to learn and are highly motivated. They demonstrate good social skills, working well together in pairs or small groups. They respond well to teachers’ high expectations and seize opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning, and consequently achieve well.  All staff are skilled and highly consistent in their approaches to behaviour, which contributes to the pupils’ strong academic achievement.  The school rigorously follows up any behaviour incidents and thereby ensures that bullying is extremely rare. Pupils are confident in the school’s ability to deal with instances of bullying or any ‘off task’ behaviour swiftly and effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The care shown for vulnerable pupils is outstanding, enabling them to feel happy and safe in school and make the same rapid progress as their peers.  Pupils value the many opportunities to take on important roles and responsibilities on offer such as the school council, house captain, or play leaders.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The ambitious leadership of the headteacher, senior leadership team and governing body is shown in their constant drive to secure improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement. Central to the picture of improvement is the school’s clear view of its own strengths and weaknesses and the investment in the assessment of pupils’ achievement.  Middle leaders are making an exceptional contribution to raise pupils’ attainment by improving the way that lessons are taught and by ensuring that appropriate support is provided for any pupils who are at risk of falling behind.  The school’s systems for managing staff performance are highly effective because they focus on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress. All teachers and support staff are subject to appraisal and they value the high-quality training they receive. New staff, including newly qualified teachers, benefit from comprehensive induction which enables them to understand and adopt

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the school’s expectations and procedures quickly.  The curriculum provides a wide range of opportunities for high-quality learning and is successfully broadened by imaginative topic work that promotes literacy skills, ICT, French classes and the many themed events such as ‘Hook’ and ‘Fabulous Finish’ days. Pupils enjoy the additional arts and sports classes after school.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very well. Their communication skills are strong and there are good opportunities for moral and spiritual reflection. Pupils appreciate how well prepared they are for the next stage in their education.  The school ensures that parents and carers are really well briefed on how to support their children’s learning at home. The school has invested in a parent support adviser, who has helped many families, including those who are new to Britain, to become more familiar with the English

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The leadership and management are outstanding

system and to take advantage of the English language support and ICT classes provided.  The school has continually worked in a very positive way with the advisory service at Ealing local authority and has always welcomed the high-quality expertise and support it receives, when requested.  The governance of the school:  The work of the governing body has contributed to the excellent quality of education the school provides. The governing body knows how the school performs against national standards and pays close attention to the school’s assessment and pupil performance information. Governors know how the pupil premium funding is allocated and are rightly proud that the achievement gap has continued to narrow as a result. They have had relevant training about keeping the school under review and are very clear about what the school is doing well and where it could do better. They have developed close links with parents and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

carers. Governors manage the resources of the school very effectively and, for example, they ensure that any additional demands associated with the current building programme do not interfere with the school’s relentless focus on raising standards. Governors make sure that the system for managing the performance of staff is robust and linked closely to pay for teachers and senior leaders. The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities, which are exemplary, and ensures that all requirements are met and effective in relation to the safeguarding of children, particularly during the ongoing building works.

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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 101898 Local authority Ealing Inspection number 400510

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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 780 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Philip Young Headteacher Nigel Cook Date of previous school inspection 20–21 October 2009 Telephone number 020 8845 4661 Fax number 020 8841 2353 Email address head@gifford.ealing.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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