Parsloes Primary School

Parsloes Primary School Spurling Road, Dagenham, Essex, London, RM9 5RH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 Pupils do not make fast enough progress in writing and mathematics because teachers’ knowledge in these subjects is not as good as it should be.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent across year groups.  Planning does not always meet individual needs; expectations are not always high enough and, on occasion, pupils are given work which is too easy or hard for them.  Sometimes teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to work independently and, as a result, the pace of learning in lessons slows.  Sometimes teachers do not regularly check pupils’ understanding, and misunderstandings are not picked up early enough.  Comments in exercise books do not always provide enough guidance for pupils to improve and extend their learning.  School leaders do not check teaching well enough to ensure that it enables pupils to make good progress  Governors do not hold school leaders to account well enough for the performance of

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders have effectively monitored pupils’ attendance and, as a result, it is now above average.  Pupils are very fluent and confident in their reading.  Pupils who benefit from the pupil premium have higher attainment than their peers in English, especially in reading.  Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception class because of good teaching.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through thematic topics and assemblies.  There are some strong links with other schools and the community, notably a successful songwriting choir project.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 22 lessons, of which nine were joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. The team also spent time in the Early Years Foundation Stage, observing the quality of teaching and support that is given to children in Nursery and Reception.  The team observed behaviour around the school, especially at playtimes.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher to discuss the progress that pupils make throughout the school.  Meetings were held with other senior leaders and staff, with the local authority’s link advisor and with the chair of governors.  Inspectors considered parents’ and carers’ views of the school through informal discussions at the start of the inspection and the 22 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). There were also discussions with pupils and staff. The team had lunch with the pupils, listened to them read and interviewed pupils during lunchtime.

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Information about this inspection

 The team examined a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, and planning and monitoring documentation. They looked at attendance figures, and pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Janice Williams, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Bimla Thakur Additional Inspector Samuel Ofori-Kyereh Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of girls on roll is above the national average.  Around 34% of pupils are known to be eligible for additional support through the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for looked after children, those eligible for free school meals and the children of service families. This figure is above the national average. The number of pupils looked after by the local authority is very small, and no pupils from service families.  Over 50% of pupils are from ethnic backgrounds other than White British, and this is well above the national average.  Around 29% of the pupils speak English as an additional language and this proportion is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported at school action is below the national average. However, the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement

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Information about this school

of special educational needs is similar to the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A new building with seven classrooms for upper Key Stage 2, was completed in September 2012. The school expanded in September 2012 to accommodate a third Reception and Year One class.

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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 and helps pupils to make faster progress, especially in mathematics and writing by:  raising teachers’ expectations and using information about pupils’ achievements more effectively to make sure that all pupils are given work that is hard enough for them  providing more time for pupils to work independently and extend their learning  providing more specific feedback and comments to pupils that clearly explain what they need to do to improve their work and how to extend their learning  checking pupils’ understanding more regularly and adjusting plans accordingly to quickly correct pupils’ misunderstanding of a concept or topic  providing more opportunities for teachers to develop their subject knowledge and skills in the teaching of writing and mathematics.  Improve leadership and management at all levels by:  ensuring that senior leaders check the quality of teaching more effectively by being more

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

specific in identifying areas for improvement and frequently checking that evaluations are accurate  ensuring governors hold leaders to account more effectively for the performance of the school and follow up any areas of concern  arranging for an external review of governance to be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because some pupils in different year groups do not make fast enough progress in writing and mathematics.  Children enter Nursery with skills that are well below expectations for their age in speech and language development and calculations. Not all children continue into Reception but by the end of the Reception Year, those that do so make good progress because teachers and other adults organise stimulating indoor and outdoor activities that help them to become independent in using their imagination and creativity. Information on children’s progress is thoroughly analysed and used productively to extend their learning in all areas.  Attainment is below average on entry to Year 1, especially in the linking of letters and sounds, reading, writing and calculations. Their attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 remains below the national average, although their attainment in the Year 1 linking of letters and sounds check was

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

above the national average.  In 2012, pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 2, was below the national average. It is higher in reading than it is in writing or mathematics.  Although pupils’ writing skills have improved, with most pupils making better progress than previously, their progress is still not fast enough, due in part to weaknesses in the teaching of writing skills. Some White British pupils make particularly slow progress and boys overall make slower progress than girls because assessment information is not always used effectively to plan for the needs of all pupils.  Many pupils make slower progress in mathematics. They enter the school with limited calculation skills. Not all staff are sufficiently skilled in the teaching of mathematics; in some lessons, the tasks lack challenge and there are often not enough opportunities for pupils to extend their knowledge and skills.  Leaders have thoroughly monitored pupils’ reading skills. As a result, most groups of pupils,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

including pupils from different ethnic backgrounds, make continuously good progress in reading throughout the school so that by the end of Key Stage 2, they are confident and fluent readers. In a few cases, older independent readers do not read more challenging texts and occasionally they do not use their blending and decoding skills to pronounce unfamiliar words.  Pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs do not make fast enough progress in writing or in mathematics, similar to their peers.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language make better progress than their peers because teachers and other adults give good guidance and support that are well matched to their individual needs.  Leaders have ensured that the pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide small group support sessions and one-to-one tuition. As a result, at the end of Year 6, pupils who are

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

eligible for free school meals and therefore benefit from the pupil premium funding have higher attainment than their peers in English and similar to that of their peers in mathematics, as measured by their average points scores at the end of Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is not good, partly because there are too many inconsistencies in teachers’ subject knowledge, especially in writing and mathematics. Pupils do not always receive enough guidance to enable them to improve their work and extend their knowledge and skills during lessons and through marking.  The pace of learning in some lessons is too slow because pupils are not given enough opportunities to work independently. In the younger classes in particular, pupils spend too long sitting and listening to teachers.  Although older pupils display confidence when engaged in learning, for example in producing extended pieces of descriptive writing, they are often unsure of what they need to do to further improve their own knowledge and skills.  Assessment information is not consistently used to its fullest effect and expectations are not always high enough; consequently activities do not always provide enough challenge for

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

individuals.  Some teachers do not regularly check pupils’ understanding, especially in English, and opportunities are missed to modify activities to quickly address pupils’ misunderstandings.  Pupils’ books are marked regularly with many ticks and frequent praise but teachers do not always provide helpful comments to pupils, especially in mathematics, to show them how they can improve their work.  The feedback from teachers in English is better than in mathematics. Comments tell pupils how well they have done, although sometimes these comments are for tasks that have not sufficiently extended individual learning.  Teaching is stronger in Reception than in other parts of the school. Teachers create well- organised areas of learning that allow children to explore and be involved in organising their own learning. They also make good progress because teachers’ use of questioning creates a reflective learning environment. As a result, in one lesson, children were engaged and motivated

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

to write their own sentences by sounding out key words and using them to express their thoughts on safety.  Although additional support for pupils with disabilities and special educational needs is effective, it does not compensate for weaknesses in the teaching of writing and mathematics and, consequently, these pupils’ progress is in line with that of their peers.  Extra support for pupils who speak English as an additional language is particularly effective and carefully matched to individual needs.  Pupils eligible for pupil premium funding make particularly strong progress in reading because of the many resources that are used in guided reading sessions to encourage them to read for meaning and, as they read aloud to their peers and other adults, their confidence and fluency develop well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well and attend school regularly. In lessons, pupils work well together, showing a high level of respect for their teachers and peers. In the playgrounds, pupils play together well and enjoy many games and activities.  In Nursery and Reception, children work pleasantly with their peers during role play, computer activities and other team-building activities that provide them with many opportunities to play and explore. They behave responsibly outdoors, with a high level of care towards each other.  Leaders have just implemented a new behaviour system that pupils praise and say that behaviour has improved tremendously because most of them want to ‘stay on the green’. Pupils can confidently explain positive or ‘green’ behaviour and identify improvements to their own behaviour as well as that of their peers. Consequently, pupils take pride in showing good behaviour and working hard so that they can earn many merits points.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good awareness of the different types of bullying. They say that there are few incidences of bullying but they know they can use the ‘Worry Boxes’ and report issues to teachers. They also say that when these are reported, teachers and leaders act quickly to ensure that the action is not repeated. Pupils also say that they write any concerns they have and put them in the ‘Worry Boxes’ because they are confident that teachers check these boxes regularly and issues are normally discussed in classes or on an individual basis.  A few parents have expressed their concerns with bullying but majority of the parents who were interviewed and those who responded to Parent View say that the school deals effectively with bullying and the majority say that their children are safe. The school’s documentation systematically records incidences of bullying and leaders’ follow-up is detailed and effective.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe at the school and can explain in detail how to keep themselves safe while using the internet.  Any racial incidents are logged carefully and there is a good amount of follow-up work done to address issues; there are good strategies in place to promote harmonious relationships across the school. Consequently, there is an inclusive atmosphere where pupils respond well to each other.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because leaders and governors have not yet ensured consistently good teaching and fast enough progress for pupils in writing and mathematics.  Leaders check the quality of teaching regularly but often have a view that it is better than it is. Teachers’ performance is not yet linked to their pay; the areas identified for improvement in teaching by leaders are generally accurate, but are not always linked effectively enough to pupils’ achievement.  The school’s self-evaluation states that planning ‘is set at three different levels to extend the learning of all ability groups’. However, during the inspection, the planning seen and lesson activities observed did not always cater sufficiently for pupils of different abilities.  Self-evaluation is also too generous in relation to professional development. Leaders have not always thoroughly evaluated the support provided to teachers and have not effectively examined

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the impact of that support on accelerating pupils’ achievement.  Leaders have worked closely with the local authority to gain an accurate analysis of the past Year 6 results and to examine and improve the accuracy of their judgements on the quality of teaching in the school. However, this work has not yet had a sufficient impact on improving the quality of the monitoring of teaching throughout the school.  There are many training opportunities in the school. Recent training to improve teachers’ subject knowledge in writing has resulted in more pupils, including boys, writing extended pieces. However, teachers’ knowledge in relation to the teaching of writing and mathematics still requires further improvement.  In some respects, the impact of senior leaders has been good. They have rigorously monitored pupils’ attendance and improved pupils’ behaviour and some aspects of governance. There is now a full complement of governors and the committee arrangements have also improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Leaders have also ensured that pupils make good progress in reading and improving progress in writing.  The curriculum is effectively organised, with many topics that are of interest to all pupils, thereby promoting learning opportunities for all. Pupils’ spiritual and moral development is promoted well through assemblies and ‘thought of the day’ reflective quotes. The house system encourages pupils’ social development as they work well together to gain many points.  Pupils are exposed to many cultural activities through music, artwork and songwriting assemblies. Leaders have effectively organised the Dagenham Songwriters Choir project. Songs are written by pupils from the school and are performed by people and pupils from the local community.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively to fund additional support and intervention. The funding has been used, for example, in creating smaller class sizes in Year 6, one-to-one

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The leadership and management requires improvement

mathematics tuition, homework club, and gaining support from additional music and creative professionals to assist with improving pupils’ writing skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors are very supportive of the school. Since the last inspection, they have reviewed the committee arrangements and these are now more effective. Although governors support leaders in using performance management to monitor the quality of teaching in the school and have visited lessons to get information on the quality of teaching, they do not rigorously challenge leaders for the inconsistencies in teaching. They have relied on leaders’ generous evaluation and planned intervention sessions to accelerate pupils’ progress, rather than focusing on the quality of teaching that pupils receive in lessons, including underperformance. All governors have completed the ‘New Governor’ training and each meeting is preceded by training sessions. They ask some probing questions but they often do not follow up to ensure that pupils make more rapid progress. They are clearly aware of the strengths of the school

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and know from data provided that pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics is not fast enough. Governors monitor the spending of the pupil premium funding and make sure that safeguarding requirements are fully met and effective.

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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 101227 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 413169

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 534 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ray Parkin Headteacher Aedin Lipski Date of previous school inspection 17-18 November 2009 Telephone number 02082704925 Fax number 02082704926 Email address office@parsloes.bardaglea.org.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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