Ark Atwood Primary Academy

ARK Atwood Primary Academy 17–23 Third Avenue, London, W10 4RS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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.  Inspirational leadership by the headteacher, supported by the committed team of teachers, non-teaching staff and governors, has created an excellent learning environment in which all pupils can fulfil their potential. There have been exceptional developments in all aspects of the academy since it opened.  Achievement is outstanding and attainment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 1 is well above comparable figures nationally. The academy has an unrelenting and successful focus on raising pupils’ achievement, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics.  All pupils make excellent progress. The individualised support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs means that they make at least the same progress as all pupils and in some cases better.  Pupils in the Reception classes get off to a first-rate start in an exciting and purposeful

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning environment.  Teaching across the academy is consistently good and often outstanding. Activities offer highly effective challenge for pupils to develop their understanding and skills. Teaching assistants provide excellent support. Occasionally, teachers do not use questioning and challenge effectively at the end of lessons to reinforce and extend pupils’ learning.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent and their highly positive attitudes contribute strongly to their progress. Pupils work together exceptionally well and are typically polite and respectful to adults and other pupils.  Attendance has improved, but the academy has not met its challenging target for this year.  A particularly strong feature of the academy is the way the rich cultural heritage of the community is celebrated and used to enhance pupils’ learning, behaviour and attitudes.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed the teaching in nine lessons and one assembly. Eight of the lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or inclusion manager.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Local Governing Body and academy staff, including the headteacher, inclusion manager, teachers and non-teaching staff. The inspector also heard some pupils read and held a meeting with the primary lead for the academy’s sponsor, ARK Schools. Informal discussions took place with 10 parents.  The inspector observed the academy’s work, and looked at a range of information, including data on pupils’ achievement, planning and monitoring documentation used by teachers to check on how well the academy is doing, minutes of meetings of the local governing body, records of behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding. The inspector also scrutinised pupils’ books.  An analysis was made of the 72 responses to the online Parent View survey, which were made

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Information about this inspection

before and during the inspection. The 16 questionnaires completed by members of staff were also considered.

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Inspection team

Robert Pyner, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 ARK Atwood Primary Academy is a free school which opened in September 2011 with two Reception classes. The academy is planned to grow, with up to 60 pupils admitted each autumn until there is a full primary age range. This year there are two Reception and two Year 1 classes. Currently, the roll is below the average for primary schools. The academy operates a longer day than is usual, from 8.30am until 4.00pm.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is much greater than the national average. Pupils represent a very broad range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. About a third are of White British heritage. Other large groups include pupils from other European countries, North Africa and those of Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean heritage. Altogether, the pupils have family links with 26 countries around the world and all but one of the seven continents.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is broadly in line with the

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Information about this school

national average. There are 10 languages spoken by pupils at the academy, of which Arabic is the most common after English.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families, is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is broadly average, as is the proportion of pupils with greater learning needs and supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The academy does not yet have pupils in Year 6, so there are no test results that can be compared with the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum levels expected for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The academy is currently in temporary accommodation whilst a new school is built at a nearby

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Information about this school

location. The academy is scheduled to move to its new site in September 2014.  The academy is a member of the ARK Schools chain.  The academy operates a breakfast club, which is attended by a small number of pupils. An after- school club operates from the academy site, but this is not managed by the governors and did not feature in this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure greater consistency in the way that teachers ask questions to assess what knowledge, skills and understanding have been acquired by pupils and extend their learning further, particularly at the end of lessons.  Continue to improve attendance so that the academy meets its target by July 2014.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children enter the Reception classes with skills and understanding that are broadly in line with those expected for their age. They make rapid and sustained progress, particularly in personal, social and emotional development, reading, writing and mathematics. This is due to the high quality of the teaching, and so almost all pupils enter Year 1 with standards well above those expected for their age across all areas of learning.  Pupils develop their reading skills exceptionally well. This is the result of the highly effective structured reading programme which is based on using phonics (linking letters to sounds) to learn to read. As a result, in Year 1 almost all of the pupils met the required standard in the phonics screening check this year. Pupils who read to the inspector were enthusiastic and had excellent strategies to tackle unfamiliar words. This, in turn, has led to the high quality of pupils’

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

writing.  Year 1 pupils have made excellent progress in reading, writing and mathematics, with outcomes exceeding the academy’s aspirational targets for these subjects, and well above both the average for the sponsor’s nine primary schools and national expectations. The school monitors pupils’ progress very carefully.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make excellent progress based on the individualised approach developed by the academy. Parents who spoke to the inspector were extremely positive about the individual support received by their children with specific needs and the rapid progress they make in their learning.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium do exceptionally well. The rigorous system for tracking progress shows that pupils in this group have narrowed the gap in achievement with all pupils since joining the academy. The data for this group in Year 1 show that their progress is at least

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

in line, and sometimes better than all pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.  The academic progress of pupils for whom English is an additional language is also tracked carefully and they make the same rapid progress as other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is of consistently high quality in lessons across the academy, with much that is outstanding. Teachers and teaching assistants work very effectively to support individual learning. An excellent example of this was towards the end of a Year 1 mathematics lesson, where the teacher talked with the pupils about what they had learned while the teaching assistants checked their books and then worked with individual pupils where they needed extra help.  In a very few lessons, teachers did not leave enough time at the end of lessons to review the most important aspects of the learning and opportunities to provide further challenge to extend learning were insufficiently exploited.  All lessons are informed by the regular assessment of pupils, and planned activities focus on individual learning needs. Consequently, the pace of lessons is highly effective and activities are relevant and challenging for all ability groups. A very strong feature of lessons is the excellent

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

use of talking partners so that pupils can share their ideas and reinforce their learning.  Teachers use links between different subjects successfully to ensure basic skills in English and mathematics are developed to the full. There are many high-quality displays around the school which reflect this. One display followed Year 1 work on the topic of London and included many aspects of writing, including pupils’ brochures about the London Eye. Pupils enjoyed talking about this work, especially the trip on a London Routemaster bus.  Marking is regular and supportive, with the school policy applied consistently. The system of ‘tickled pink’ and ‘green for growth’ is well understood by pupils in Year 1. They can explain how they have improved their work as a result of the marking in their books.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve particularly well because of the individualised approach to the support of their learning in all subjects. Teachers and teaching

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

assistants work together exceptionally well to ensure that personalised programmes are implemented. Adults assess the impact of these programmes and use them to further improve pupils’ learning. The school’s inclusion manager manages this process very effectively.  The teaching of reading is excellent and pupils confidently use their knowledge of letters and sounds to read unfamiliar words.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All staff have extremely high expectations and a consistent approach to managing behaviour. This is fully accepted by pupils and there are excellent relationships at all levels. As a result, behaviour in and around the academy is outstanding and pupils follow instructions extremely well. The pupils understand and completely live up to the academy’s ASPIRE motto.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent. Pupils are enthusiastic and strive to do their best. Overall, the academy is a very hardworking and harmonious community where respect for individuals and groups is of the highest order. This was seen during the International Day during the inspection, when pupils were encouraged to wear clothes reflecting their cultural heritage. Pupils were able to reflect on the ‘global family’ represented in the academy.  The temporary academy building is located on a constrained, but safe, site with facilities

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

maintained to a high standard. The outside area has a good range of facilities for the current number of pupils. At break and lunch times pupils can use a broad range of play equipment and toys, including a ‘roadway’ for bicycles and scooters and an area for reading. The meal time assistants engage very well with pupils. The extremely high standard of support and care available to the pupils at breaks and lunchtimes contribute to their outstanding behaviour.  Effective systems are in place to monitor and resolve any incidents of poor behaviour, bullying or racist incidents.  In the Parent View survey, parents and carers say that their children are safe, happy and well looked after. Parents spoken to were universally positive about the work of the academy and the way that their children were cared for. Staff were equally positive about the behaviour of the pupils and relationships within the academy. These positive views were confirmed by the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

inspector.  The attendance of pupils has improved this year and the overall figure is in line with the comparable national figure, but the school has not met its target. Improving attendance further is a strong, and appropriate, feature of the school’s development planning.  Safeguarding procedures fully meet current requirements.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher provides excellent leadership for the academy, supported well by the inclusion manager. Their passion for raising achievement and improving provision for pupils is strongly supported by all academy staff. There is a very thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school and comprehensive action plans to support further development.  There are excellent systems for monitoring pupils’ progress. Data are used effectively to target interventions where underachievement is detected. As well as this, very strong systems for monitoring the quality of teaching mean that there is excellent support for teachers, especially those who are newly qualified. These systems are the bedrock of the excellent progress pupils make. As a result, the overall leadership of teaching is excellent and performance management is used very effectively to identify where teachers and teaching assistants would benefit from

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The leadership and management are outstanding

specific training or additional experience.  The curriculum provides pupils with a rich variety of relevant experiences, with many examples of educational trips and visitors to the academy to enhance learning. The extended academy day enables an excellent range of extra-curricular opportunities to be provided in sport, drama, music and art. The curriculum is planned to ensure all pupils have equal opportunities and plays a strong part in developing their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The pupil premium funding is used extremely well across the academy to support pupils. The funding is used to provide extra support from a teaching assistant, further sessions for targeted pupils, workshops and handbooks for parents, extra swimming lessons for selected pupils to improve their confidence and a subsidy for attendance at the breakfast club for some children. Tracking data show that these initiatives have a strong impact on the progress and attainment

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The leadership and management are outstanding

for those involved.  Parents are very confident about the leadership of the academy. Those who spoke to the inspector noted the very effective communication with academy staff, the rapid progress that their children have made in their learning and the effectiveness of personalised programmes, particularly for those with special educational needs.  The sponsor, ARK Schools, has provided excellent support and challenge for the academy. The extensive range of services available to the academy has a strong focus on enabling leaders to concentrate principally on raising pupils’ achievement. The academy has also used a number of Westminster Council’s services, including support for newly qualified teachers, for attendance issues and the moderation of the outcomes for Reception children.  The governance of the school:  Members of the local governing body are very knowledgeable and governance is very well led.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

The governing body is extremely ambitious for the academy’s continued success, building on the developments since it opened. Governors have an excellent understanding of data and are fully aware of the academy’s performance in relation to that of others where this is possible. The expertise of individual governors is used extremely effectively, for example in supporting safeguarding procedures and through the link governor for special educational needs. Governors take an active role in the setting of priorities for the academy, including performance management and pay progression for staff. There is a strong link with the community, particularly the parent governor who leads the Parent Forum. This group has a cycle of meetings to which all parents are invited so that any issues raised can be taken forward to the full meeting of the local governing body. This secures a very strong link between home and the formal governance of the academy. Governors make sure that the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

pupil premium is well spent, and minutes and reports are detailed, with strong evidence of challenge.

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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 137323 Local authority Westminster Inspection number 400334

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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 Academy free school School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 4–6 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 117 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rebecca Curtis Headteacher Daniel Upfield Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 020 8962 4700 Email address info@arkatwoodprimary.org 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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