Buckingham Primary School

Buckingham Primary School Buckingham Road, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 3LT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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

 Teaching is not yet good enough to ensure that all groups of pupils make equally good progress across the school in English and mathematics.  Pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding do not achieve as well as other groups in the school.  The tasks that pupils are given, once teachers have finished talking to the whole class, do not meet the needs of all pupils.  The achievement of pupils in the specialist unit is not carefully enough measured to establish how much progress they are making.  Leaders, including governors, do not measure robustly enough the effectiveness of the initiatives they have put in place to drive improvement to ensure maximum impact on outcomes for pupils.  Attendance has not improved fast enough since the previous inspection and, last year, was below average.

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The school has the following strengths

 Standards have risen since the previous inspection, particularly in writing.  Most pupils make good progress from their below-average starting points.  Pupils are courteous and respectful to each other because the school promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Leaders have initiated a range of successful measures to improve results for individual pupils supported by the pupil premium, for example in reading.  Governors play an increasingly effective role in supporting senior leaders, freeing them up to focus on the key work of raising standards.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons or parts of lessons, several of which were conducted jointly with senior leaders. All classes were visited, including the specialist unit, and a range of subjects were seen including the teaching of phonics, writing and mathematics.  The inspection team looked carefully at pupils’ work in lessons, as well as the work they have completed over time in their books.  Inspectors took account of the 97 responses to the Ofsted online survey ‘Parent View’, as well as conversations with parents during the course of the inspection. Inspectors also looked at the results of the 35 questionnaires returned by staff.  The inspection team attended an assembly, listened to pupils read and held meetings with staff, pupils and representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised a selection of documents, including those related to safeguarding and

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Information about this inspection

child protection, behaviour and attendance, checks on the quality of teaching, information related to pupils’ academic performance and the school’s self-evaluation and development planning.

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Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Diane Rochford Additional Inspector Michael Elson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action is almost half the national average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is slightly higher than the national figure.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (extra funding designed to be used to narrow the attainment gap between pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and children of service families and other groups in school) is slightly above the national average. There are no children of service families currently on the school roll.  The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. Sixteen further groups are represented in varying numbers.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than found

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Information about this school

nationally. A few of these pupils are at an early stage of learning English.  The school has an eight-place specialist unit for Key Stage 1 pupils with severe and complex needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that the progress of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium at least matches that of other groups throughout the school by:  measuring the impact of additional support more carefully so that provision can be fine-tuned to effect maximum learning  ensuring tasks given to pupils during independent and group work are very closely matched to individual learning needs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that senior leaders, including governors, are fully aware of the effectiveness of any improvement measures introduced by:  underpinning all key actions with clear numerical targets which can be compared to past figures to establish how much progress is being made  setting ambitious time limits by which targets must be met, to drive improvements more rapidly  creating efficient, consistent systems for middle leaders, including those responsible for managing the specialist unit and for improving attendance, to report back the impact of their work on a regular basis.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve attendance so that it is at least in line with the national average for all pupils and for those pupils who find it particularly difficult to attend regularly.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because some groups of pupils, notably pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, do not make as much progress as other groups in school. This means the gap between their attainment and that of all pupils nationally is not closing. Achievement for pupils in the specialist unit requires improvement. Although it is clear that, over time, their needs are being met, evidence for this has not been well enough analysed by leaders to show precisely how much progress they are making, and to help them to improve it.  Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skill levels that are below those typical for their age. Most groups of children make good progress. However, as in the rest of the school, pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding achieve less well.  Pupils reach average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. This represents good progress from low starting points. However, the gap between pupils who are

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

entitled to the pupil premium and other groups in school is wider than that found nationally in both mathematics and English. For example, these pupils are nearly four terms behind in mathematics when they leave Key Stage 2 whereas the national gap is only just over two terms.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are taught in the main school rather than the unit is good, because careful and regular checks are kept on their progress to ensure their needs continue to be well met.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve well because they are well supported in lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that the needs of those at the early stage of learning English are well met in most classes and they consequently acquire the vocabulary they need to make rapid gains in their learning.  There is no significant difference between the achievement of pupils from different ethnic

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

groups.  A specific focus on the teaching of phonics across the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 has resulted in a rise in the proportion of pupils reaching the standards expected for their age in the phonics screening check.  Attainment in writing has risen considerably since the previous inspection because leaders have ensured that writing is taught more effectively.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet good enough to narrow the gap in attainment between pupils who are entitled to the pupil premium and other groups. This is because the tasks that pupils are presented during independent and group work do not always meet their needs effectively enough to promote equally good progress.  Teachers do not assess the progress of pupils in the specialist unit carefully enough to establish how effective their provision for them is.  Key elements of teaching have improved since the previous inspection, so that the needs of most other groups of pupils in the school, particularly more able pupils, are now being well met. For example, teachers have got better at explaining tasks to the whole class. They ask questions which prompt pupils to think deeply before answering and have high expectations, including that everyone will contribute to whole-class discussions.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is effective in ensuring children settle very quickly

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

into school routines. This enables them to develop positive attitudes to learning from the outset.  In the most effective lessons, teachers plan carefully to ensure all pupils remain engaged. For example, in a writing lesson, the teacher provided pupils with very clear steps to help them achieve the lesson’s objective. This ensured that pupils knew exactly what they had to do to succeed and were able to use the steps to identify for themselves how well they were learning.  Teachers promote basic skills well, especially those of grammar and punctuation, which will stand pupils in good stead as they move on to the next phase of their education.  A strong focus on reading a range of texts helps pupils to develop a broad vocabulary which they then use to good effect in their own writing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in and around the school. They are courteous and considerate, and playtimes and lunchtimes are calm.  The school’s strong provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development encourages a high level of respect because the school works actively to tackle discrimination and foster good relations both in the school and the wider community.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, for example when using the internet or when crossing the road. The vast majority of parents who completed the online survey agreed that their children feel safe in school.  Pupils are confident that there is very little bullying at the school. On the rare occasions that bullying does occur, teachers deal with it swiftly and effectively. Pupils are clear that bullying is something persistent and understand what kind of language is seen as offensive and should be reported.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is managed consistently well by all adults. Pupils talk knowledgeably about the card system and are very proud when they receive the gold ones that represent excellent behaviour. Logs over time show reduced numbers of incidents because the system is transparent and fair, so pupils, including those with particular behavioural needs, find it increasingly easy to respond to the high expectations made of them.  Behaviour in lessons is also good and pupils show positive attitudes to learning. However, when tasks do not match pupils’ needs, a few can become distracted and lose concentration.  Attendance has remained low since the previous inspection. The school’s figures rank in the lowest 20% when measured against national benchmarks. Nevertheless, the school has succeeded in improving the attendance of those pupils whose persistent absence has hampered their progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders do not promote equality of opportunity as well as they could because they do not ensure that some of the more disadvantaged groups in school have an equal chance of attaining as highly as others.  Leaders correctly identify areas for development. They put a range of measures in place designed to address them but do not always back these up with rigorous checks. Systems are not in place to measure precisely enough the impact of all the actions they have taken for leaders to know what has been most effective.  For example, leaders know that pupils in receipt of the pupil premium attending a specialist reading programme gained on average one and a half years in their reading skills last year. In contrast, they are not clear about the extent to which absence has reduced, and for which groups.  Leaders set increasingly ambitious targets for teachers in order to improve their performance, but although these have helped to improve the teaching of writing, they are not precise enough

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The leadership and management requires improvement

to ensure that all groups make similar progress.  Leaders ensure that the curriculum provides opportunities to practise the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics across a range of subjects. The strong focus on writing has contributed to improved attainment.  Where leaders have focused their attention on driving specific improvements in teaching and learning, there has been success, most notably in improving standards in writing and phonics and in ensuring the needs of more-able pupils are better met than at the time of the previous inspection.  Leaders provide a good range of opportunities for promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, assemblies focus on shared values, exposure to a broad range of books ensures pupils are well read, and discussions looking at different moral choices ensure pupils know right from wrong. Pupils’ physical development is well catered for because

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the school is actively involved in local sports networks, and leaders have ambitious plans to broaden their teaching of physical education with the aid of forthcoming government funding.  The local authority has supported the school effectively since the previous inspection in a range of ways, for example in the school’s drive to recruit a new teacher-in-charge for the specialist unit. A recent local authority review of teaching and learning rightly identified areas that the school needed to focus on in terms of building upon successful improvements.  The governance of the school:  Governors have improved their ability to set the school’s strategic direction and their capacity to support senior leaders. They make good use of available resources to help them understand how well their school performs compared to similar schools. They are aware of the range of expertise needed to help them fulfil their roles effectively, and have actively recruited and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

trained new members to broaden their range of skills and expertise. They ensure pupils are safe at school by following all statutory safeguarding requirements carefully and keeping all relevant training up to date. Governors support the process of setting challenging targets for teachers in order to improve the quality of teaching. Governors understand the implications for individual staff of not meeting targets and make it clear that a pay rise is not automatic. Governors ask some probing questions, but this is not followed through sufficiently rigorously to accelerate the progress of all pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding. Governors are aware that some of this funding is used successfully to improve the achievement of individual pupils. For example, the catch-up reading programme resulted in an average of over one and a half years’ progress in nine months. However, because not all

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The leadership and management requires improvement

initiatives are measured with equal accuracy, they do not have a clear picture of the impact of all of the money that has been spent.

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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 102904 Local authority Richmond Inspection number 425554

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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 494 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Heena Sachdeva Headteacher Caroline Boyle Date of previous school inspection 14–15 November 2011 Telephone number 020 8941 2548 Fax number 020 8783 1579 Email address info@buckingham.richmond.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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