Sandringham Primary School

Sandringham Primary School Sandringham Road, Newham, London, E7 8ED

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The headteacher provides highly effective leadership. He is supported well by the deputy headteacher, senior leaders, members of the governing body and a strong team of staff who are improving the school. All share the same drive and vision for the school.  Achievement is good. Pupils’ progress in mathematics has accelerated quickly this academic year because of more effective teaching in the subject and mathematical activities are better matched to pupils’ specific needs. Pupils’ progress in reading has improved in Years 1 and 2 because the teaching of letters and sounds is effective.  Pupils of all abilities, and from different backgrounds, achieve well in English and mathematics, and make good progress, often from very low starting points.  Provision for sport and music is outstanding.  The headteacher and other leaders rigorously monitor teaching and learning so that they can identify strengths and weaknesses and provide

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effective support. As a result, teaching has improved, particularly in mathematics. Teaching is good, with some that is outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. They have excellent attitudes to learning, are polite and friendly, and are proud of their school. They enjoy coming to school and attendance has improved from a low level at the previous inspection to above average.  The school is a happy, harmonious community where pupils of all backgrounds get on very well together. Pupils feel extremely safe in school.  Leaders have created an impressive learning environment, and a strong culture and aspirational, inclusive ethos summed up well in the school song, ‘Believe in Yourself.’

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching.  Pupils do not always have enough opportunities to reflect on their learning in order to help them improve.  Pupils’ higher-level reading and comprehension skills in Key Stage 2 require improvement. As a result, they do not make as rapid progress in reading as they do in writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 27 lessons or part lessons, most of which were joint observations with senior leaders. Inspectors talked to pupils about their work and listened to some pupils read.  Discussions were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, other staff with key leadership responsibilities, groups of pupils, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents including the school’s own assessment of its work, the school improvement plan, records of pupils’ progress, and monitoring information on the quality of teaching, and evaluated the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding procedures.  Inspectors took account of 53 responses to the online parental survey (Parent View) and spoke to several parents and carers. Inspectors also took account of 52 questionnaires returned by

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Inspection team

Margaret Coussins, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Teresa Davies Additional Inspector Cliff Mainey Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector Clementina Olufunke Aina Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sandringham is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school has a diverse ethnic population. The largest groups are of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage.  Most pupils speak English as an additional language.  An above-average proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported at a school action level. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school other than at the usual times is above average.  An above-average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals, those that are looked after by the local authority or are children of service families. At Sandringham, most of the pupils who qualify for the pupil premium are those eligible for free school meals.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school provides a daily breakfast club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in order to raise achievement by:  ensuring that teaching consistently provides pupils with a range of opportunities to help them reflect on and improve their learning.  Improve achievement in reading so that it at least matches that in writing by:  ensuring that pupils develop higher-level reading and comprehension skills throughout Years 3 to 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Nursery or Reception Year with knowledge, skills and understanding that are well below the expected level for their ages. They make good, and often outstanding, progress because they are taught well and a good range of stimulating activities are very well planned to meet their specific learning needs.  Progress in reading is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6, pupils’ higher-level reading and comprehension skills require improvement. Reading is promoted well with lots of special events and activities to motivate pupils’ enjoyment of reading. Teachers work effectively with parents and carers to encourage their children to read at home. Achievement in reading is not as strong in Years 3 to 6 as it is in writing.  In the 2012 Year 1 phonics (the sounds that letters make) screening check, the proportion achieving the expected standard was average. The proportion achieving the expected standard

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The achievement of pupils is good

in the current Year 1 has improved considerably. Both sets of results demonstrate that pupils in Year 1 are making good progress given their original starting points. Pupils are continuing their good reading progress in Year 2 and standards are rising in the subject.  Pupils make good progress between Years 1 and 6. Year 6 attainment in mathematics and English is average. Year 6 attainment in mathematics and writing has risen over the past 12 months. For example, there has been a rise in the percentage of pupils reaching the expected level in mathematics and writing in both subjects. The percentage of pupils achieving Level 5 in writing exceeds the national average.  Current progress data and Year 6 work show that there has been a significant increase in the proportion of pupils making the expected progress in mathematics and writing this academic year. Improvements are a result of good leadership in both subjects to improve teaching quality;

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The achievement of pupils is good

a relentless focus on improving mathematics; and more opportunities for pupils to write at length to develop their writing stamina and writing skills.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are fully included in all aspects of learning and make similar progress to their classmates. Their needs are identified early and effective support is provided to ensure that they make good gains in learning in lessons and in group support sessions.  Pupils who join the school in different year groups, often at the very early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language, are made very welcome in the school community. They are given very effective support and rapidly acquire language and communication skills. As a result, they make good progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing.  In 2012, the attainment of pupils eligible for free school meals in English was four months

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The achievement of pupils is good

behind other pupils in school. Their attainment in mathematics was six months behind. Rising standards in writing and mathematics this academic year is resulting in a narrowing of the gap between their performance and other pupils in school. These pupils are making the same good progress in English and mathematics as their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching over time is good, with some teaching that is outstanding. Teachers’ commitment, subject knowledge and a good awareness of the pupils’ academic and personal needs mean that most lessons engage pupils well and enable them to make good gains in their learning. Pupils enjoy their learning and say that they think lessons are fun. They have good attitudes and are enthusiastic learners who want to do well.  Lessons are well planned so all groups, including those with special educational needs and those learning to speak English as an additional language, have equal access to good-quality learning opportunities. Skilled teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to improving the rate of learning of these pupils so that they make good progress in developing their communication, language and numeracy skills. Effective additional support is provided, on a one-to-one basis or

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The quality of teaching is good

in small groups, for those at the early stage of acquiring English or who have special educational needs. Consequently, these groups of pupils make good progress.  In most lessons, teaching ensures that learning progresses at a good pace and teachers’ good questioning skills keep pupils on task, motivated and involved. The activities provided extend pupils’ thinking and accelerate learning at a good rate. Teachers focus well on developing pupils’ speaking, listening and communication skills, particularly for those who speak English as an additional language.  The focus on early reading skills, the skilled leadership of the reading manager and the appointment of trained reading assistants, who provide effective one-to-one support for specific individuals, result in Reception and Key Stage 1 pupils developing a secure knowledge of phonics, which helps them read unfamiliar words. In Years 3 to 6, pupils are not developing the

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The quality of teaching is good

depth of comprehension or the necessary higher-level reading skills at a fast enough pace to achieve as well as they might.  Teachers have high expectations and mostly plan work that is suitably matched to pupils’ capabilities. There are good relationships between pupils and teachers which results in a positive learning climate in classrooms.  Teachers are good role models and teaching promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.  Marking of pupils’ work is effective because teachers’ comments give pupils good pointers for how to improve their work. Marking was identified as a weakness at the previous inspection and shortcomings in marking practice have been remedied effectively. Opportunities for pupils to reflect on their own and others’ learning, to help them think about how they learn best, are not routinely provided by all teachers.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes are taught well and have a broad range of exciting

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The quality of teaching is good

opportunities to play and learn, both indoors and outdoors, which helps develop curious and enquiring minds. Children in the Reception classes benefit from the new building that provides good indoor and outdoor learning opportunities, which was an area for improvement in the previous inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ outstanding behaviour in lessons and around the school makes a very strong contribution to the climate of calm and purposeful learning. School records show that this is typical of behaviour over time. Pupils are well-mannered, friendly and courteous at all times.  There are robust, consistent systems for promoting excellent behaviour that are well understood by pupils and all staff. Pupils follow the school’s code of conduct and learning is never disrupted in class. Very high-quality support for those with challenging behaviour has led to excellent improvement in individuals’ management of their own behaviour. This has led to them being fully engaged in lessons, and they are making good progress both academically and in their personal development.  Pupils have excellent attitudes towards learning and enjoy coming to school. Many who spoke to inspectors said that they liked the friendly, caring atmosphere where they feel safe and secure.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

They can learn and play without fear of discrimination. Staff provide strong role models for the pupils and work extremely hard to raise pupils’ aspirations. Mutual respect and trust are key aspects that are fully embedded throughout the school.  Pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors are proud of their school. This was seen to great effect in the school’s celebration assembly when all pupils and staff gathered in the playground and sang their school song with huge enthusiasm and gusto. Pupils celebrate each other’s achievements with genuine enthusiasm. As a result, the school is a happy place, where pupils want to come and learn. This is reflected in their attendance, which is above average and has improved since the previous inspection. Pupils show respect and consideration for each other, and are instinctively caring and supportive of each other in lessons and in the playground.  In discussion, pupils are adamant that they are not bullied in school and have complete trust in

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

adults to deal with any problems should they arise. They have an excellent awareness that bullying can take different forms, including name-calling, physical bullying, cyber-bullying and prejudiced-based bullying. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, for example through drug awareness teaching, road safety and when using computers to access the internet.  The breakfast club provides a good, safe and sociable start to the day for those pupils who attend.  Almost all parents and carers who responded to the online survey agree that their children feel very safe in school, and most feel that their children are well looked after and behave well. Inspection findings support these positive views.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides highly effective and positive leadership and management. He has the confidence of staff, governors, pupils, and parents and carers. They are inspired by the headteacher’s drive and motivation to provide the best possible experiences for pupils.  Key leadership roles are well defined and leaders at all levels make a positive contribution to whole-school improvement as well as putting their skills and expertise to good use in their particular areas of responsibility. Leaders are talented and committed, and lead by example. They create strong teams to drive forward improvements in teaching and learning and pupils’ achievement. Work to raise standards in mathematics has been particularly effective over the past 12 months.  Leaders use a range of approaches, including observing teachers at work and rigorous evaluation of data about pupils’ achievements, to check on the effectiveness of teaching. As a

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The leadership and management are good

result, there is a good understanding of what the school does well and what must be improved. The school’s strengths and relative weaknesses are recorded accurately in the school self- evaluation. The school improvement plan provides a clear steer for the school’s future improvement work.  Checking on the quality of teaching is linked closely to the systems for performance management and pay progression. Targets and rewards are linked closely to pupils’ progress. A good programme of further training is planned and professional development is securely based on teachers’ individual needs and whole-school priorities.  During regular meetings, leaders and teachers use data about pupils’ progress effectively to identify, at an early stage, those who may be at risk of falling behind. Appropriate action is taken to provide pupils who may be at risk of underachieving with the required additional support to

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The leadership and management are good

move their learning on.  The range of subjects and topics taught is well matched to pupils’ needs and interests. A wide range of extra activities is available that enrich learning and broaden pupils’ horizons. The provision for sports and music is an important strength of the school, with a wealth of opportunities provided in both areas. For example, there are opportunities to learn and excel in a very wide range of sports, instrumental lessons, school choirs and musical productions, all over and above what every pupil receives as part of their normal classroom activities. In addition, the school provides a Saturday morning music school for older pupils to learn to play a range of instruments. Leaders and governors ensure that these opportunities reinforce its inclusive ethos and are free of charge to pupils. These activities not only develop specific skills and talents but make a very valuable contribution to raising pupils’ self-esteem and aspirations. Pupils and

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The leadership and management are good

teachers benefit from the expertise of physical education and music specialists.  In all classes, there is an appropriate focus on developing literacy and numeracy skills, and pupils are well prepared for their next schools. The school has correctly identified the need to be more explicit about the development of literacy and numeracy skills in the topics that are taught.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively and underpins all that the school does. Pupils work well together in collaboration and discussion. They learn to listen to each other and respect each other’s views and opinions. The school promotes good relationships and equal opportunities for all pupils. As a result, pupils get on well with each other, make good progress and learn without fear of discrimination.  Parents and carers are very supportive of all aspects of the school’s work. The school goes the

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The leadership and management are good

extra mile to support pupils and their families. The purpose-built Sandringham Family Centre offers a wide range of activities and learning opportunities for parents and carers, often run by themselves. These opportunities include parenting skills, English lessons, computer lessons, and stay and play sessions. Around 100 parents and carers attended an assembly during the inspection to celebrate reading.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. Child protection procedures are well known and are implemented effectively, and this ensures pupils are kept safe and secure.  The local authority provides ‘light-touch’ support to this good school.  The governance of the school: Members of the governing body are effective in driving improvement. They know the school well and are committed to improving it further. They understand how the school is performing compared to other schools nationally, based on the published performance data, and know

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The leadership and management are good

about the quality of teaching and its impact. Effective performance management systems are in place to ensure that teachers and the headteacher fully meet their responsibilities and the targets set. Staff pay is linked to their performance. The governing body has a good knowledge of how the school uses its pupil premium funding, for example the impact the input of the reading manager, reading assistants, learning mentor and family support worker are having on pupil outcomes. They ensure that pupils’ well-being is successfully promoted in the breakfast club. Governors bring a range of expertise to their roles, and some are highly visible in the school and well known by pupils, parents and carers. The governing body has a detailed and comprehensive action plan to help increase the school’s effectiveness. Governors suitably hold senior leaders to account for the school’s performance and provide an appropriate level

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The leadership and management are good

of challenge and support. The governing body’s strategic work has improved since the previous inspection.

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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 130381 Local authority Newham Inspection number 412057

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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 956 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fred Beasley Headteacher Robert Cleary Date of previous school inspection 27–28 April 2010 Telephone number 020 8472 3800 Fax number 020 8472 5994 Email address info@sandringham.newham.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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