Middle Park Primary School

Middle Park Primary School Middle Park Avenue, London, SE9 5RX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because:

 The quality of teaching through the school is uneven and requires improvement. As a result, pupils’ achievement requires improvement because rates of pupils’ progress are variable between year groups and subjects, and between groups of pupils.  Despite the wide range of attainment in most classes, teachers do not always make sure they set pupils work to do that is the right level of difficulty. This means tasks are sometimes too easy for some pupils and too difficult for others.  The part additional adults play in lessons is not always planned in enough detail to make sure they contribute fully to pupils’ learning.  When teachers’ explanations of new learning are not clear enough, pupils lack confidence in tackling independent tasks and the pace of their work slows.  Sometimes, teachers do not check how well pupils make progress in lessons and address misunderstandings quickly so that pupils can make swift progress.

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because:

 Information from the checks made on pupils’ progress is not always rigorously examined to identify how well pupils are achieving and where they need extra help to make good or better progress.  Leaders and managers have not always measured the school’s performance and the quality of teaching rigorously enough since the last inspection. As a result, they have not maintained the school’s outstanding level of effectiveness.  Improvement plans do not all tackle the most important priorities for development to secure improvement.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Children learn and progress well in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The school has successfully increased the involvement of parents and carers in their children’s learning, for example through reading together in school each week.  Leaders and governors have secured improvements in reading and mathematics attainment, particularly in Key Stage 1.  Pupils behave well and have good attitudes to learning. They understand how to keep themselves safe.  The school promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development strongly. Staff organise themed events, outings and visits that capture pupils’ imagination and help them enjoy school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups and undertook seven joint observations with senior leaders. They observed 22 teaching sessions.  Inspectors held discussions with groups of pupils, staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors listened to groups of pupils reading. They looked at work in pupils’ books and the school’s information showing pupils’ progress.  The school’s website, development plans and records relating to safeguarding were also checked.  The inspection took account of 38 responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View), the school’s own analysis of a recent survey of parents’ and carers’ views, and 18 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Madeleine Gerard, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Velia Hartland Additional Inspector Noureddin Khassal Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Middle Park Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is average. Few are at the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of pupils who are supported through school action is above the national average. An above average proportion are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and the children of service families) is above the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better in order to accelerate pupils’ progress by making sure that:  work is matched closely to the learning needs of individuals  explanations of new learning are made clearly so that pupils understand new concepts quickly  teachers’ planning makes clear what additional adults are expected to do during lessons so that they play a full part in supporting the learning of individuals and small groups  marking and feedback make clear to pupils how to improve, and encourage pupils to respond fully to teachers’ comments and suggestions.  Improve the effectiveness of leaders and managers by making sure that:  pupils’ progress is checked rigorously to make sure that all pupils fulfil their potential and reach the highest standards  development plans focus on the most important priorities for improvement to raise achievement for pupils

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 evaluations of teaching quality focus on the extent to which it is securing rapid pupil progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement of pupils from all backgrounds requires improvement because their progress across the school is inconsistent. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 is broadly average overall. Few reach above average standards in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The progress of lower-attaining pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is also variable and requires improvement. They are not always well supported in lessons because teachers’ planning does not make specifically clear how additional adults should support their learning. Extra sessions outside the classroom are more effective. These promote their development of basic English and mathematics, speaking and listening, and their social and emotional skills.  Expectations of higher-attaining pupils in lessons are not always ambitious enough and they are not always set suitably difficult work to help them make rapid progress in their learning and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

reach higher levels.  Pupils speaking English as an additional language make better progress because they benefit from additional sessions to help them develop their spoken English. In-class support for older pupils helps them build their skills in English and other subjects.  In last summer’s national assessments, the gap between Year 6 pupils who benefited from the pupil premium and other Year 6 pupils narrowed in reading and writing so that the attainment of these pupils was slightly below the others in reading and just over a term behind in writing. However their attainment was nearly five terms behind in mathematics. In English, this was a better performance than that found nationally, however in mathematics it was not as good.  The progress of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium currently at the school requires improvement because their progress is uneven.  Children join the school with skills that are generally below the levels expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

They are happy, enjoy the activities the adults plan and develop their social skills well. They make good progress in Nursery and Reception classes so that attainment at the end of the Reception Year is rising and broadly average in recent assessments.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching does not promote consistently good achievement over time. The work teachers set is not always suitably matched to the full range of abilities in classes. When all pupils are expected to complete fairly similar tasks, the pace of their learning requires improvement because some pupils give up when they find the work too difficult, while for others it is not demanding enough and their interest is diminished.  The contribution additional adults make to pupils’ achievement in lessons is diminished when teachers’ planning does not make explicitly clear what they should do to support pupils’ learning. Well-trained additional staff make a better contribution to pupils’ learning when they work with them outside the classroom in individual and small-group sessions.  Teachers’ explanations of new learning are sometimes insufficiently clear to enable pupils to understand readily. As a result, pupils lack the confidence to tackle independent tasks quickly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

Time is wasted when pupils wait for teachers to re-explain concepts and tasks because teachers do not always check pupils’ learning in lessons and tackle any misconceptions rapidly.  There are differences between classes in the quality of guidance and feedback that teachers give pupils to suggest how they might improve their work further. There are examples of helpful marking but teachers do not always make sure pupils respond fully to their guidance, or check they complete the additional tasks that they set.  In Nursery and Reception, children enjoy a range of activities. Adults plan activities that children can choose for themselves that encourage their independence and help them to work and play well together. Adult-led tasks help them to develop their basic literacy and numeracy skills. For example, children working with an adult in Reception enjoyed writing postcards about the activities they had enjoyed at a science event.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff are positive role models so that relationships between pupils and staff and among pupils themselves are encouraging and help lessons to run smoothly. Pupils work well together in table groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy their time in school and have positive attitudes to learning in lessons. They behave well in lessons although occasionally they need to be reminded about the behaviour that is expected. Friendly and respectful relationships are promoted strongly so that pupils from different backgrounds get along well together.  Pupils feel safe in school. Through assemblies and discussions pupils know what constitutes bullying, and they are confident that any incidents of it occurring at the school are rare and tackled effectively by the school. They are sure adults at the school will help them should any problems arise.  Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility for the younger ones as play leaders, buddies and prefects. They make a valuable contribution to the positive atmosphere around the school.  Workshops and events promoting awareness of keeping safe when using computers, crossing the road and cycling all help pupils to have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance rates show recent improvement. The school is working hard to reduce the amount of frequent absence by making abundantly clear to parents, carers and pupils how important it is to attend school very regularly.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The school’s procedures for checking the progress pupils at the school make are not always sufficiently robust to help leaders and managers notice quickly that some pupils are not doing as well as they should. Very recent changes to the way information on pupils’ progress are reviewed have not been in place long enough to give leaders a clear view of how well all groups of pupils at the school are doing. The promotion of equality and tackling of discrimination are not consistently robust.  Checks on the quality of teaching do not all focus on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning. When observations of teaching focus more on what teachers are doing instead of pupils’ work and progress, key priorities to improve teaching are missed. They do not always focus on making sure that teachers set work that is suitably difficult and check the impact of additional staff.  For these reasons teaching quality and pupils’ achievement are not yet good. Development

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The leadership and management require improvement

planning does not always sharply identify what the most important priorities for improvement are to raise achievement quickly and securely.  The school demonstrates capacity to improve further. Improvements to the teaching of numeracy are raising pupils’ standards in mathematics at the end of Year 2. The school has developed strong links with parents and carers and involves them in their children’s learning. Workshops and weekly opportunities for them to read together with their children in class have improved pupils’ performance in the most recent Year 1 phonics (letters and the sounds they make) screening check. Leaders have successfully maintained children’s good gains in the Early Years Foundation Stage and pupils’ positive attitudes to school.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strongly promoted. Well-planned activities, visitors, visits and well-attended extra-curricular clubs broaden pupils’ learning experiences and

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The leadership and management require improvement

promote firm relationships. Pupils in Reception and Year 1 benefit from opportunities to explore the natural world within the school grounds and the local vicarage garden. Popular lunchtime drop-in clubs ensure there is a wide variety of activities for pupils to enjoy at break times.  The local authority has worked with the school to encourage partnership work between the school and other local schools to enhance teaching and learning. However, it has not challenged the school sufficiently to improve pupils’ achievement.  The governance of the school:  The governing body works closely with the school and is determined to drive improvements. Governors visit the school regularly to check the school’s work and they know how the school’s performance compares with that of other schools nationally. They know what the school does well and where it must do better, including making sure teaching is suitably challenging so

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The leadership and management require improvement

that pupils reach the highest levels in English and mathematics. Governors take their role in managing performance seriously. They are increasing the rigour with which they make sure teachers’ salaries are linked to teaching quality.  Governors understand the uses to which the pupil premium funding are put and have demanded greater detail from the school’s leaders about how well groups of pupils at the school learn and make progress. They attend appropriate training and ensure safeguarding arrangements meet requirements.

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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 130921 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 412052

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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 398 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Geoff Sheath Headteacher Donna Adkinson Date of previous school inspection 8–9 July 2010 Telephone number 020 88508747 Fax number 020 88504001 Email address office@middlepark.greenwich.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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