Pinner Park Primary School

Pinner Park Infant and Nursery School Melbourne Avenue, Pinner, HA5 5LT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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

 Pupils make rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics and their attainment by the end of Year 2 is well above the national average.  The quality of teaching over time is outstanding. Teaching is typically lively and engaging and pupils respond very positively to teachers’ skilful questioning. Expectations are high and all pupils are pushed to do their very best and develop an ‘I can’ attitude to their learning. Just occasionally, work is not challenging enough for the more able in mathematics and pupils are not given targets to check how well they are doing.  As a result of high quality support and care from teachers and teaching assistants, pupils from different groups, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, those with additional funding and those whose first language is not English, make better than expected progress.  The teaching of phonics (the links between

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

letters and sounds) is very effective and gives children the confidence to read unfamiliar words by the time they enter Year 1.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to work are outstanding. Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful. They are enthusiastic learners and show great willingness to talk about their work with other pupils and adults. They feel very safe at school and enjoy coming to school. Attendance is average and improving.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is extremely effective. Pupils interact well with each other and value the cultural diversity in the school.  Leaders and managers at all levels, including governors, have successfully maintained the outstanding quality of provision and teaching since the previous inspection. Assessment procedures to monitor and track pupils’ progress are very effective and help to make sure that learning is rapid for all pupils.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School morale is very high and staff, parents and carers strongly agree that the school is effectively led and managed.  Parents and carers are very supportive of the school and acknowledge the caring nature of the headteacher and all the staff.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 21 lessons, of which six were joint observations with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, and inspectors listened to pupils read and discussed their reading with them.  Discussions were held with the acting Chair of the Governing Body and a Community governor, senior leaders and managers, and a representative from the local authority. In addition, inspectors spoke to parents and carers in the playground at the start of school.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and examined a range of documentation, including the school’s own performance data, an analysis of its strengths and areas for development, improvement plans, records of monitoring the quality of teaching, and records relating to exclusions, behaviour and safeguarding.  Pupils’ work was also scrutinised to look at their progress, the quality of marking and feedback

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Information about this inspection

and curriculum coverage.  The inspectors considered 40 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspectors took account of 42 responses received from parents and carers to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Avtar Sherri, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Westall Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized infant and nursery school.  Pupils come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The majority of pupils are from Asian or Asian British backgrounds, with pupils from a White British background forming the next sizeable group.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and children of service families) is below average. The school currently has no children who are looked after by the local authority or children of service families.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above the average, as is the proportion of pupils whose first language is not English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported by school action is average, and the proportion supported at school action plus or

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Information about this school

with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school has changed from a first school for three- to eight-year-olds to a three- to seven- year-old infant and nursery school since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sustain the high standards in mathematics by ensuring that:  higher ability pupils are always provided with the highest level of challenge  pupils are given targets so that they can check their own learning and know what to do to improve.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 When children join the school in the Nursery and Reception their skills and knowledge are lower than those typically expected for their age. As a result of high quality teaching, pupils make at least good and often excellent progress and, by the end of Reception, their skills and knowledge are typical of those expected.  Pupils make outstanding progress in Years 1 and 2 and standards in writing, reading and mathematics are consistently high by the end of Year 2. Considerable proportions of pupils make more than expected progress in all three subjects.  Reading is a particular strength and pupils enjoy reading a great deal. They read with much confidence and expression and take great pride in talking about the books they have read. Pupils understand that ‘you have to be good before you can move on to the next book’.  Although pupils’ scores in the 2012 phonic screening check were just below the national

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

average, the teaching of phonics (the links between letters and sounds) has improved significantly and pupils use their phonic skills with confidence to read unfamiliar and difficult words.  Pupils who are at risk of not achieving as well as they could receive high quality support to help them catch up. As a result of strong teaching and high quality support and care from teachers and teaching assistants, all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds and those whose first language is not English, make better than expected progress.  Pupils apply their skills in reading, writing and mathematics very effectively in a range of different subjects. For example, in a Year 1 lesson on information and communication technology (ICT), pupils discussed how the growth of beans, planted by them, could be measured using cubes. They then used the computer to record their results.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils are given frequent opportunities to write as much as they can, with pupils in Reception and Year 1 making outstanding progress with their joined-up writing. Pupils enjoy reading their work to one another and gain in confidence from this.  The many school visits enrich pupils’ learning and act as a springboard for stimulating work across the curriculum. For example, a visit to the ‘Victorian washday’ enriched the history topic and a visit to the science museum inspired stimulating work on space. These visits capture pupils’ interest and make a strong contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school has carefully monitored the progress of pupils eligible for the pupil premium and recognises that in previous years they did not make as much progress as other pupils. However, as a result of closer monitoring and tracking of their progress and improved provision, these

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

pupils are now consistently making better than expected progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Leaders have been highly effective in ensuring teaching is never less than good, with much that is typically outstanding across the school. Teachers know their pupils extremely well and set work that is engaging, with opportunities for them interact with each other and greatly enhance their speaking and listening skills.  Expectations are sky high and teachers use the detailed information on pupils’ progress to set work that is usually very well matched to the needs of different learners. Teachers’ lively, captivating teaching and enthusiasm rubs off on the pupils who, in turn, are fully engaged in their learning, motivated to do their best and keen to respond to teachers’ questions.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there is a wide range of opportunities for children to learn through play and investigation, with an excellent balance between child-initiated and adult-led activities. There is a very good balance of indoor and outdoor learning experiences through

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

which children improve their skills in speaking and listening. Adults use incisive, clear and challenging questioning techniques to probe their understanding. In a lesson on ‘space’, a pupil shared with a teacher her knowledge about different planets using paintings. She added, ‘Would you like me to show our big picture of the galaxy?’  The school is an extremely caring place for pupils and equal opportunities are promoted well. The work is meticulously planned to meet the needs of different learners to enable them to make the best possible progress. Pupils who are at risk of not achieving well are supported extremely well in the classroom and in small groups outside the classroom, including one-to-one support. As a result, these pupils make rapid progress.  Pupils show a real enjoyment for reading and they are helped to become confident readers through the effective teaching of phonics. Pupils’ literacy and communication skills are supported

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

by excellent opportunities for speaking and listening through discussion and sharing their ideas. For example, in one Year 1 lesson, pupils were given opportunities to improve sentences to make them more exciting, with the teacher helping through asking probing questions.  Pupils respond well to different ways of solving problems in mathematics and testing to see if they have the right answer. For example, in a lesson on division, pupils were able to use multiplication to check if they had the correct answer. However, just occasionally, more able pupils are not always challenged sufficiently enough in mathematics and pupils do not have targets in this subject to help them check their own learning to self-assess and to know for themselves what they need to do to improve.  Almost all parents and carers say that their children are well taught at the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to work are exemplary. There is a very positive climate for learning and pupils maintain high levels of concentration in lessons.  Pupils know and follow the school rules meticulously and are very effectively managed by staff. Good behaviour is celebrated by the school and pupils value their ‘golden time’ as a reward for good behaviour. They also challenge other pupils whose behaviour may occasionally be not of a high standard.  Pupils are extremely polite, courteous and friendly and engage with each other and adults very well. They say bullying and name calling, including racism, are very rare. Pupils from all backgrounds get on very well with each other and there is respect for diversity in the school.  Pupils are extremely positive about their learning and show great interest in all the activities that the school offers, both in class, in the playground and after school. Their engagement in lessons

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

rarely fades, even when the pace of learning occasionally drops.  Pupils say that they thoroughly enjoy coming to school and that staff keep them safe and take great care of them. They are taught how to keep themselves safe when using computers through discussions about internet safety.  Attendance has improved significantly, through positive relationships with parents and carers, and is now broadly average. There have been no exclusions at the school for several years.  There are good arrangements with the neighbouring junior school to support the transition between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and to enable pupils to move to their next stage of learning smoothly and safely as possible. For example, Year 5 pupils trained as ‘buddies’ visit the school to interact with Year 2 pupils.  Parents, carers and staff all strongly agree that behaviour is good at the school and is effectively managed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The outstanding leadership of the headteacher and senior leadership team provides the relentless drive for continuous improvement. They work effectively with governors to ensure that high standards are maintained and their high expectations are shared by all staff.  The quality of teaching is regularly monitored by leaders, with very detailed feedback to teachers on how they can further improve their work. The school’s commitment to equal opportunities is strong and leaders and staff work hard to ensure there are no barriers to learning, particularly for those pupils who are at risk of underachieving.  There are effective and robust performance management and training procedures in place that link very closely to improving the quality of teaching and progress of pupils. Teachers’ progress on the upper scale shows a clear link to their quality of teaching.  The curriculum is broad and balanced, fully engages pupils effectively and contributes in a highly

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The leadership and management are outstanding

positive manner to their learning. Assemblies provide good opportunities for reflection and lessons; for example, those exploring ‘space’ provide moments of awe and wonder. ‘Golden rules’ reinforce doing the right thing all the time, and music, dance and stories from different cultures promote cultural diversity very well.  Self-evaluation is accurate and the school development plan has a clear focus on improving the quality of teaching and maintaining the exceptional progress of pupils. The school’s monitoring and tracking of pupils’ progress across the school, both for individual pupils and for different groups, are done extremely well. This information is used to identify quickly pupils who need specific individual help.  The school works very closely with parents and carers and communication is of a high standard. Parents and carers were keen to tell the inspectors that the headteacher is highly visible around

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the school and that she and her staff are very caring and approachable. Almost all parents and carers who responded to the on-line questionnaire and all the staff who returned questionnaires agreed that the school is well led and managed.  The local authority has supported the school in the moderation of its Key Stage 1 assessments and in further improving its systems for monitoring and tracking pupils’ progress. This support has been very helpful and the headteacher now helps other schools with their assessment systems.  The school meets all the statutory safeguarding requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors ask challenging questions to hold leaders accountable for the work they do. They are closely involved in the work of the school and have a very good understanding of how well the school is doing and how its performance compares with other schools. They are aware of the quality of teaching in the school and the link between teachers’ performance management

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and salary progression. Financial management is effective and the governors keep good control of the school’s budget. They closely monitor the way in which any extra funding, such as the pupil premium, is used. Governors take full advantage of the training that is offered to them by the local authority to keep themselves informed of new developments and to enhance their own skills to maintain 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 102207 Local authority Harrow Inspection number 413353

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 382 Appropriate authority The governing body Acting Chair Karen James Headteacher Karen Disspain Date of previous school inspection 9 July 2007 Telephone number 020 88632191 Fax number 020 88636391 Email address office@pinnerparkinfant.harrow.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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