Setting

Mr D McLeod The Headteacher Stanhope Primary School Mansell Road Greenford Middlesex UB6 9EG

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Stanhope Primary School

Following my visit with Gavin Jones, Additional Inspector, to your school on 12 and 13 June 2013, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken since the school’s previous monitoring inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Stanhope Primary School

The inspection was the third monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in May 2012. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Stanhope Primary School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Stanhope Primary School

the school is making reasonable progress towards the removal of special measures.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Stanhope Primary School

One newly qualified teacher may be appointed in Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Stanhope Primary School

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be published on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for the London Borough of Ealing.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

Tribal 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 311 5359 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email : christina.bannerman@tribalgroup.com

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place in May 2012

 Introduce a training programme immediately to ensure all teaching is at least good or better by:  using assessment information more effectively to ensure teaching carefully guides the next steps in learning for all pupils, especially in mathematics  identifying clearly how the learning needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are to be met in lessons  using new technology and other resources more effectively to support and extend the pupils’ learning across the full range of subjects  improving marking so it provides more effective feedback on the steps pupils need to take to meet their targets  deploying teaching assistants so that they make an effective contribution to raising pupils’ achievement.  Improve pupils’ behaviour in lessons by:  ensuring that teachers achieve a better balance between how much they talk and the time allowed for pupils to be actively engaged in learning

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place in May 2012

 ensuring teachers manage behaviour consistently and effectively.  Introduce a programme to raise achievement in English which:  ensures that pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language are provided with sufficient opportunities to practise speaking in order to improve their level of fluency  focuses the teaching of phonics more sharply on the next steps in each pupil’s learning, and by organising groups so that they include pupils of similar levels of attainment  increase the impact of guided reading sessions and ensure that pupils read to an adult in school regularly and frequently.  Improve provision and outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage by:  ensuring that there is a coherent and systematic plan to promote all areas of learning  making more effective use of the outdoor environment so that children’s outdoor activities are linked more closely to their learning in the

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place in May 2012

classroom ensuring that the Nursery and Reception work together more closely for the good of all children’s development.  Improve the school’s leadership capacity and impact by:  ensuring that all leaders have the skills to drive forward improvements in their areas, particularly in improving the quality of teaching  developing the role of the governing body so that it is able to hold the school to account  monitoring the performance of different groups of pupils so that any emerging gaps can be responded to quickly.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed 15 lessons. They also made short visits to two support groups for pupils learning English as an additional language and four lessons in Key Stage 1. Most lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or one of the deputy headteachers. Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and a new parent governor. An inspector also met a group of pupils, senior school staff, a group of parents and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors listened to some pupils in Years 3 and 5 read. They looked at pupils’ workbooks in lessons and spoke to pupils about their work. They also checked documents, such as the school’s summary of self-evaluation, records of pupils’ progress and minutes of meetings of the governing body.

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Evidence

The lead inspector did not visit lessons to see the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters or combination of letters make) or guided reading on this monitoring inspection. This was an area of the school’s work which was judged to be progressing well at the previous monitoring visit.

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Context

Two experienced teachers have been appointed as assistant headteachers and will be joining the school in September. The vacancies for key subject leadership roles have been filled by internal candidates. Several teachers are leaving the school at the end of this term. Vacancies are being advertised locally and nationally.

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Context

Two new governors have joined the governing body.

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Context

The building work to improve provision for outdoor learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is on schedule to be completed by the start of the autumn term.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The headteacher and senior leadership team recently carried out rigorous checks of pupils’ workbooks to see if teachers’ judgements on pupils’ progress matched with the evidence seen in books. Although they were able to validate teachers’ judgements in many cases, books in a few classes showed that pupils had made less progress than teachers had reported. Senior leaders are confident that all information on pupils’ progress is now accurate.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The assistant headteachers now meet with teachers regularly to discuss pupils’ progress, and then plan next steps to ensure that any pupils who are in danger of falling behind are given the help they need to make progress and catch up. School leaders report that these meetings are having a considerable impact on accelerating progress. The latest assessments and un-validated test results confirm that pupils’ progress is improving. Pupils in most year groups have made at least the expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics this year. Pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 have made particularly good progress in reading and mathematics.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The deputy headteacher, who oversees the provision for pupils learning English as an additional language, has set up an induction programme for new arrivals. Pupils now attend daily small-group support sessions each afternoon and this is helping them to settle quickly and make better progress. Progress for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is more variable and there is more to be done to ensure that these pupils achieve as well as possible.

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The quality of teaching

The overall quality of teaching is improving steadily. Inspectors saw a higher proportion of better quality teaching during this monitoring inspection. Effective teaching was seen in all the Reception classes in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Across the school, most teachers have made good use of the tailored support provided by senior leaders and teachers from the partner school. Several teachers have made significant improvements to their practice. Others are still not always successful in managing the pace of learning in lessons. In an effort to avoid talking for too long, they rush through introductions so quickly that pupils do not understand what they are learning or what they need to do.

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The quality of teaching

New sets of reading books have been provided for all classes and teachers use these effectively in group reading lessons. Pupils particularly enjoy the non-fiction texts covering topics such as sports and science. Teachers understand the importance of maintaining a well-ordered, bright and engaging classroom environment. The classrooms in the Early Years Foundation Stage now celebrate children’s achievements and support learning with clear captions and prompts. Elsewhere in the school, prompts for pupils are often too small or placed too high up to be of use in accelerating pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching

Most teachers now plan lessons more carefully and consider the needs of pupils pupils who are at an early stage of learning English, ensuring that they have opportunities to improve their fluency. Teachers also make provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and ensure that these pupils have the support that they need in lessons. In the majority of lessons seen during this inspection, teachers planned activities that were pitched at the right level for pupils and enabled them to make progress in their learning. However, on some occasions, expectations were still too low and the work set did not provide enough challenge for more-able pupils. Teachers now make better use of the additional support provided by teaching assistants and nursery nurses. The role of teaching assistants is clearly defined on most teachers’ planning and many make a valuable contribution in helping to promote pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching

Teachers are increasingly confident in the use of new technology and most ensure that this is used effectively in lessons. For example, one teacher made excellent use of an interactive whiteboard program to demonstrate the equivalence of fractions and another teacher used a visualizer to project work in a pupil’s book on to the whiteboard so that everyone could see how the pupil had used emotive language in their writing.

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The quality of teaching

The quality of teachers’ marking remains variable across the school and there is still not a consistent approach to correcting poor spelling.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The good standard of behaviour seen on the playground and around the school at the time of the last monitoring visit has been maintained. Pupils generally behaved well in the lessons seen on this inspection. Because the work set for most pupils now provides the right level of challenge, pupils achieve more and there are fewer occasions when pupils’ concentration lapses in lessons. Teachers manage behaviour well and apply the school’s behaviour management policy consistently. They ensure that they recognise and praise good behaviour in lessons. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and reinforce the importance of sharing resources and working together at every opportunity.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance continues to improve and school leaders ensure that parents understand the importance of regular attendance even for the youngest children in the Nursery and Reception classes.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The capacity of the senior leadership team has grown over the last term, even though the team is still not yet at full strength and one of the deputy headteachers is still covering the role of assistant headteacher in lower Key Stage 2. The reason for this improvement is that the assistant headteachers are now making a stronger contribution to improving provision in their areas of responsibility. They are all strong teachers who consistently demonstrate good practice to their colleagues. Their roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. They share the headteachers’ ambitious vision for the school and they know what they need to do to improve provision further for pupils. They work closely with teachers and know their strengths and weaknesses. Fortnightly ‘personalised learning’ sessions have ensured that support for teachers is tailored to individual needs. Teachers now say that they have the help that they need to improve their practice. Inspectors saw the impact of

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

this work in some classes where the quality of teaching has improved. The headteacher and the senior leadership team make good use of the new electronic tracking system to monitor the progress of different groups of pupils closely. They analyse pupils’ progress in each class and act decisively to deal with underachievement. One of the deputy headteachers has taken the lead on improving provision for pupils who are new to learning English and has made important changes to the way that the school supports new arrivals and monitors their progress. Changes to subject leadership roles have been managed well and the new leaders for English and mathematics are keen to make a difference. They have a good understanding of what needs to be done next. Teachers who lead other subjects such as art and history have all had the opportunity to carry out some work to improve provision in their subject since the last monitoring inspection.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The headteacher and the governing body have a strong partnership and governors are fully involved in discussions about strategies for improvement. Changes to the format of the headteacher’s reports to the governing body have ensured that governors are now very well informed about all aspects of the school’s work. Governors know about successes and about the areas that still need improvement and ensure that achievements are celebrated with staff.

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External support

The regular support from an outstanding school that was brokered by the local authority was particularly effective in helping the headteacher to improve the school in the autumn and spring terms. In the last term, support has been reviewed and focused on two year groups. This has had more variable impact on the quality of teaching. Although teachers have been given very clear advice about what they need to do to improve, some have not been able to make the necessary changes to their practice.

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External support

The local authority has continued to monitor the work of the school closely. Visits have been made to the school to verify teachers’ assessments of writing in Year 6 and progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. An officer from the local authority attends each meeting of the governing body and receives a copy of the termly headteacher’s report to governors. This has enabled her to judge the school’s progress in improving the quality of teaching and accelerating pupils’ progress.

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