The Vineyard School

The Vineyard School Friars Stile Road, Richmond-upon-Thames, TW10 6NE

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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

This is an outstanding school.  Standards are consistently high and pupils leave the school well over a year ahead of their contemporaries. Standards are continuing to rise.  Most teaching is outstanding and the consistency of the provision means that all pupils achieve extremely well throughout the school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make excellent progress because they are given all the support they need to excel.  Pupils are extremely well behaved both in class and around the school. They have impeccable manners and treat one another and adults with the utmost respect.  Pupils say they feel completely safe in school, a view supported by parents and carers. They have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe, for example when using the internet.  The inspirational leadership of the headteacher and her senior team, including the governing body, has kept standards high, teaching fresh

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and achievement accomplished, resulting in a school that provides an exceptional education for all its pupils.  Meticulous attention to detail and rigorous checking of the quality of teaching and learning make sure that the school keeps on top of its game. Leaders are quick to intervene if any aspect of the school’s work appears to be slipping.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 23 lessons or parts of lessons, some of which were joint observations with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  The inspection team heard pupils read and, with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, looked closely at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including development plans, policies, self-evaluation reports, monitoring files, safeguarding and curriculum materials, evidence of the school’s partnership work and information for families.  Meetings were held with pupils chosen at random. Discussions were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, the assessment and progress manager, teachers, the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor, and a representative from the local authority.  The inspection team took account of the 106 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke with several parents and carers outside school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors considered the staff questionnaires that were completed.

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Inspection team

Nick Butt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sibani Raychaudhuri Additional Inspector Victoria Turner Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. It has two forms of entry, which means that in each year it has places for 60 pupils, normally two classes. However, there are additional classes in Years 1 and 4.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average with increasing numbers of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, those known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent or carer in the armed services, is low.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The number of pupils who join or leave the school part-way through their school careers is

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Information about this school

greater than is usually found.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  There are plans to expand the school for three forms of entry from September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Encourage pupils to respond to the comments that teachers make in their books about how they could improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The school has kept standards extremely high year-on-year and they are continuing to rise as more pupils reach the highest levels of attainment. In every year group standards are high in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children join the school with broadly typical skills and abilities, although increasing numbers come speaking very little English. This is true of the current Reception Year pupils. They make outstanding progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because teachers are highly skilled at planning activities that inspire the children and develop their early skills in literacy, numeracy and communication.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) are taught extremely well. This gives pupils an excellent grounding in the skills they need to read fluently and write accurately. In last year’s Year 1 phonics reading check the proportion of pupils meeting the required standard was well above

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

average. The present Year 1 pupils are on course to do just as well.  Pupils make outstanding progress in Key Stage 1 because teaching is of a consistently high quality, and standards by the end of Year 2 are significantly high in all areas. Achievement in Year 1 is particularly strong this year following a focus on accelerating progress in mathematics.  Pupils’ high standards and very rapid progress are maintained and built upon in Key Stage 2. The school’s emphasis is on securing the basic skills in Year 3 and then using these to promote creativity and independence in Years 4 to 6. Pupils leave the school with a love of learning and are over a year ahead of pupils in other schools in their attainment, so that they are extremely well equipped for secondary school.  Pupils become very accomplished readers, skilful writers and confident mathematicians as a result of the rich curriculum they receive. They are encouraged to reflect in depth on their

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

learning and collaborate whenever possible, making links across different subjects. Reading has a high profile across the school, and pupils make very good use of the centrally located, attractive libraries for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds achieve as well as their peers; so do those who join the school speaking very little English and those who arrive part-way through the year. These pupils are helped to settle quickly and given all the support they need to take a full part in learning. The school promotes equal opportunities very well.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs benefit from the excellent teaching and receive support that is extremely well tailored to suit them individually. They are increasingly supported by fully qualified teachers, but teaching assistants also make a very valuable contribution to this process. This means that these pupils achieve as well as their peers

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

and in some year groups make even more rapid progress.  In 2012, pupils in Year 6 known to be eligible for the pupil premium had the benefit of extra funding for only their last year. They did better than their peers nationally, but as many other pupils reached extremely high standards there was still a considerable gap of over a year in English and over two years in mathematics between these pupils and others in the school.  The pupil premium has had an excellent impact on current pupils. Pupils known to be eligible are being given outstanding support to help them keep up with other pupils academically. They are also helped in other ways to make the most of their schooling so that they have complete access to the full range of activities and visits the school offers. While there are fewer eligible pupils in this year’s Year 6, their attainment is higher and the gaps are much narrower.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers have excellent subject knowledge. They have honed and polished their skills to become diamond sharp. This gives them the confidence to expect great things of their pupils, reflected in probing questioning and extremely challenging activities.  Teachers are very clear about what they want pupils to learn, and how they are all going to succeed in meeting the objectives. They constantly assess how well pupils are doing, and reshape teaching as they go along to make sure that everybody is getting the most from their learning.  For instance, in a Year 5 science lesson pupils were considering gestation periods. They had to match total gestation in days to different species of animals, including humans. This activity generated considerable discussion and all pupils were totally absorbed in working out a system and looking for patterns.  The teacher skilfully challenged them further by asking them to assign a different set of data to

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

the animals, but did not tell them what it represented. They had to work this out for themselves. While the new information was actually life expectancy figures, pupils were able to explain their theories and how they had applied them. One group came up with the idea that the new data represented the total number of offspring each animal might produce in a lifetime.  Teachers make sure that pupils are actively involved in lessons and encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning. This means pupils often assess how well they are learning new skills and set themselves targets for improvement. Teachers use what they already know about pupils to design activities that build on their existing understanding and to plug any gaps in their knowledge.  Children in Reception get off to an excellent start because staff are highly skilled at designing activities that fire their imagination and tap into their natural curiosity. They make very good use

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

both of the outside area and the classroom inside to provide children with a range of memorable and purposeful experiences that develop their basic skills. For example, children enjoyed acting out the song, Ten in a Bed, and knew that by doing so they were subtracting one each time.  Pupils’ work books show that they take a real pride in their work, which is beautifully presented. Marking is regular and comprehensive. Pupils are not routinely prompted to respond to their teachers’ comments, so it is not clear how far they have taken them on board.  Parents and carers who responded to Parent View, and those who spoke to inspectors, say how much they value the quality of teaching across the school. They see their children’s enthusiasm and enjoyment of learning. One parent or carer summed up the views of many when she said that the children are buzzing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 A pupil commented, ‘Teachers are in unison with the pupils’. Pupils see their teachers as guides who are taking them on exciting journeys of discovery. They stress how enjoyable they find their lessons, but also how much they learn. This means that pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and are very keen to find out all they can about what they are studying. As one pupil said, ‘I like to go away and learn more about it’.  Pupils believe that behaviour is very good. They say they know this because members of the public send in letters of appreciation. They say there is no bullying but if there were, teachers would handle it. They know all about different forms of bullying, such as cyber bullying, and how to combat them. They know that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.  Pupils are friendly and polite. They hold open doors for adults and show respect. They regulate their own behaviour and are not reliant on adults to tell them what to do. This was most

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

apparent in the assemblies, where pupils sat quietly between activities without needing to be reminded.  Pupils are confident and talk with enthusiasm about what they are learning. They are ready to give a response if called upon at random to answer a question. They reflect deeply, and are skilled at justifying their views, backing them up with clear evidence.  Pupils say they feel totally safe in school. They are very well versed in e-safety and cycling proficiency, and know what to do in an emergency.  Because pupils behave so well, new pupils joining the school soon come to realise what is expected and up their game to meet the high standards pupils have of themselves. The school can point to many examples of often troubled pupils who join part-way through school, who have been grafted successfully into the Vineyard way and borne fruit as a result of the individual care and support they have received.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils take their responsibilities seriously and enjoy helping around the school. They raise money for good causes, such as a partner school in South Africa. Pupils took part in a ‘tag marathon’ to raise over £20,000 for solar panels to make their school more energy efficient.  Most pupils attend well and are punctual to school. Leaders take a firm approach and expect to see evidence to back up requests for term-time absence.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders and managers know exactly how well the school is doing and what needs improving. They are highly effective at communicating this to all staff. There is a shared vision for driving improvement.  Leaders have been extremely successful in securing consistency in practice across the school. This means that pupils receive the same excellent provision whichever class they are in. It has come about because the headteacher and deputy headteacher, supported by other leaders and the governing body, are relentless in making their high expectations clear and in checking that they are being carried out fully. In this way all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed.  Basic skills are developed early on and built up step-by-step as pupils progress through the school. As a result they become confident independent learners, extremely well equipped for the next stage in their education. Leaders have kept standards very high over time.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The monitoring of teaching and learning is distributed across the staff and is regular and rigorous. Staff are very keen to identify what works, which leads to a culture of reflection upon best practice. For example, members of staff have been involved in different research projects about aspects of teaching and learning, such as how easy it is to adjust learning during lessons in the light of pupils’ responses.  New approaches to the teaching of science and the humanities to develop pupils’ thinking skills, with much more investigation, have brought these subjects to life and enabled pupils to produce outstanding work.  A meticulous tracking system means that leaders know precisely how each individual is doing and how groups of pupils are performing. Termly meetings to consider pupils’ progress not only hold teachers to account for the achievement of the pupils in their care but also celebrate the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

success of strategies to improve provision in targeted areas. Actions arising out of these reviews are timely and effective. For example, teachers focused on accelerating progress in Year 4 by applying a range of measures that included setting up grammar workshops for different groups of pupils.  Subject leaders have a thorough knowledge of their areas and have produced detailed and insightful reports on them.  The local authority provides light-touch support for this outstanding school, and makes use of its expertise to help other local schools.  The management of the performance of all staff is robust and sets targets linked to the progress pupils make and whole-school priorities for improvement. Staff are very good at sharing best practice and learning from one another.  The rich curriculum gives pupils many opportunities to use and apply their knowledge and skills across a range of subjects. The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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The leadership and management are outstanding

understanding to a very high level through music, the arts and sport. The school’s maypole dancers performed for the Queen in Richmond Park. Singing is a particular strength, with a choir of over 100.  Pupils enjoy many visits to places of educational interest, receive a wealth of visitors and take part in a wide range of clubs. Special events, such as ‘Bollywood Night’ and a celebration of Chinese New Year with a lion dance, create memorable experiences. The visit of the Olympic torch is still talked about.  Pupils make excellent use of the school’s own extensive grounds and wider locality, including Richmond Park and the nearby terrace that overlooks the River Thames.  The school engages extremely effectively with parents and carers, who are full of praise for the education their children receive.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school extremely well and bring a wide range of expertise to their work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

They have a very good understanding of data and a clear overview of how well the school is doing; they know about the quality of teaching and the performance of pupils both within school and in relation to other similar schools. They are active in supporting the school. Governors know how targets are set for teachers to improve their practice. They know what the school is doing to reward good teaching and tackle any underperformance. They make sure that all statutory requirements are met, including securing the safeguarding of pupils.

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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 102906 Local authority Richmond-upon-Thames Inspection number 411815

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 475 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Daphne Mather Headteacher Judy Pearse Date of previous school inspection 11 June 2009 Telephone number 020 8948 0195 Fax number 020 8332 6828 Email address head@vineyard.richmond.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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