Green Dragon Primary School

Green Dragon Primary School North Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 0BJ

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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 Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This school requires improvement. It is not good because:

 Achievement over time is not yet good because teaching is too variable and not enough of it is good or outstanding.  Tasks are not always set at the right level to match pupils’ abilities and learning does not move on at a quick enough pace.  Pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to write at length in English or solve problems in mathematics across subjects.  Pupils do not always have guidance on how to read for understanding.  Information about pupils’ progress is not always used well in the school.  Behaviour for learning is not good enough, especially where teaching is not sufficiently challenging.  Marking and the use of targets do not always help pupils to understand clearly the next steps necessary to reach higher levels in their work.  Those responsible for subjects or year groups do not check the quality of teaching and learning regularly to ensure that progress is consistently good or better.

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This school requires improvement. It is not good because:

 Checks made by senior leaders and managers on the quality of teaching do not focus sharply on how well different groups of pupils are learning.  Leaders, managers and governors have not ensured that the standards of teaching and achievement at the time of the previous inspection have been maintained.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Despite challenges from many changes of staff, the dip in standards in 2012 was addressed in 2013, with improvements in reading, writing and mathematics.  The new headteacher, supported by governors and the local authority, is making a strong impact. Work is focused on the correct priorities and standards are rising.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage where they settle quickly and make good progress.  A good range of activities promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Teachers and adults ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 22 lessons and parts of lessons. Approximately two thirds were conducted jointly with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspectors also observed pupils being taught in small groups and listened to pupils from different year groups reading.  Discussions were held with a range of pupils, the headteacher and other senior leaders, members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of 21 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, and discussions were held with a small number of parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.  The inspectors looked at a number of documents including the school’s data about pupils’ current progress. In addition, the inspectors looked at documents relating to safeguarding, governance, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors looked at a range of other evidence, including displays, the school’s website and

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Information about this inspection

evidence representing the school’s wider achievements beyond the classroom.

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Inspection team

Sonja Joseph, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Stephanie Rogers Additional Inspector Simon Adam Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language is well above average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. This is additional funding provided to schools for children in the care of the local authority, those children known to be eligible for free school meals and other groups. At this school, it only applies to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children in local authority care.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress in mathematics and English.  A high number of staff have left or started the school since the last inspection. A new headteacher was appointed in April 2013.  There is a children's centre on the same site, which is led by the school headteacher and overseen by the school's governing body. This is subject to a separate inspection.  The school has the Silver Physical Education award and School Sport Kite award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better by ensuring that:  information gained from checks on pupils’ progress is used more effectively to plan work that is well matched to their individual abilities, including for the more-able pupils, so that they can quickly progress to the next level  lessons proceed at a brisk pace so that pupils remain focused and engaged in their learning throughout lessons  clear targets are set for exactly what each pupil is to learn in each lesson, based on careful monitoring of previous lessons and the pupils’ starting points  marking is consistent in all lessons so that pupils understand clearly what they need to do to improve their work so that they make rapid gains in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the rate of pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills to solve problems in mathematics lessons and during work in other subjects  teaching pupils to use their writing skills in a range of subjects and helping them to write progressively lengthier pieces in a variety of styles  developing teachers’ knowledge and skills, particularly in the teaching of reading, so that pupils can make more rapid gains  giving pupils clear reading targets so that they know what to do to improve their reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by:  using available national information to set ambitious, realistic targets for all pupils based on their starting points and making sure all leaders and managers use performance information to make certain that all pupils, especially the more able, are achieving well  making sure that checks on the quality of teaching and learning are fully focused on how well different groups of pupils learn and are rigorous enough to identify weaknesses and resolve them quickly  providing more frequent opportunities for those responsible for different age groups or subjects to check on the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of work to ensure progress for all pupils is consistently good or outstanding  making sure that the governing body uses information about how well the school is doing more effectively, so that governors can challenge the school’s performance to ensure all pupils

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

achieve well. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress that pupils make throughout the school is uneven and varies for different groups of pupils because the quality of teaching is inconsistent across subjects and year groups.  Standards in both English and mathematics dropped in 2012 to be well below average. Provisional data for 2013 show improvements in the proportions of pupils making and exceeding expected progress at the end of Year 6 to being close to or above those found nationally. An increased proportion of pupils also achieved the highest level, Level 6, for the first time in mathematics.  However, progress in mathematics is not yet consistently strong across all year groups to ensure all pupils achieve well, because there are not enough opportunities to use and apply mathematical skills across all subjects to solve problems.  In writing, not enough pupils reach the higher levels in writing because they do not always get sufficient opportunities to write at length and improve their writing in subjects other than

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

English.  Teachers sometimes miss opportunities, both in lessons and when marking books, to emphasise pupils’ individual targets so that pupils understand clearly what they need to do to improve their work so that they make rapid gains in their learning.  Too few pupils reach the higher levels in reading because their skills in understanding and interpreting what they read are underdeveloped. Younger pupils tackle unfamiliar words well because they have a good understanding of letters and their sounds, which has resulted in above national levels of achievement in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 for consecutive years. Pupils do not always know how to improve their reading.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the same progress as their classmates and in some cases better, as a result of specific small-group programmes of support.  In the 2013 Year 6 tests, pupils who benefited from the pupil premium funding were just over

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

one third of a National Curriculum level behind in English and half a National Curriculum level behind in mathematics. However, from their previous starting points, they made the same expected rate of progress as other pupils in the school and gaps are closing with similar pupils nationally.  Pupils make the best progress in lessons where teachers have a very clear understanding of what they want each pupil to learn and carefully match their work so that it is neither too hard nor too easy. This good practice is not routinely applied across the school.  Pupils are given good opportunities for speaking and listening and building their vocabulary in most lessons. This is particularly beneficial for pupils who speak English as an additional language who often make better progress than their peers.  Pupils achieve well in physical education because the school uses the Silver PE and School Sport Kite Mark Award to give physical activity high priority through the school. All pupils participate in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the wide range of opportunities, including local football and athletics tournaments and specialist sports coaching.  In Early Years Foundation Stage, children make good progress because teaching is good. Children leave Reception with expected levels of development and confident to start in Year 1.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is uneven across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Too little teaching is of sufficiently good quality for pupils to make good progress overall.  Information about what pupils know and can do is not always used effectively to ensure that work fully meets the needs of all pupils. There are occasions where it is too easy for more-able pupils and a little hard for less-able pupils so that, as a result, learning slows and pupils are less active and engaged in their learning.  Teachers often miss opportunities, both in lessons and when marking books, to emphasise pupils’ individual targets and set out the next steps they need to take. As a consequence, pupils do not always have a clear idea about how to improve quickly and move their learning on to the next level.  Sometimes, the pace of learning slows, when teachers do not adapt activities to extend the learning of pupils who are doing well to provide additional challenge so that they may be even

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

more successful and achieve the highest levels.  In literacy, there are not enough opportunities for extended writing with a clear purpose across all subjects.  In the teaching of mathematics, pupils’ progress sometimes slows because pupils do not have enough opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills to solve problems.  Phonics is being taught increasingly well. This is having a positive impact in Key Stage 1 on pupils’ ability to sound and read words. However, pupils’ underdeveloped vocabulary is very evident when adults begin to explore the meaning of words with them or question them about what a piece of text might infer.  Where teaching is stronger, teachers are lively and engaging, and plan lessons very well to promote high levels of skills, including pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, across a range of subjects.  Teachers use skilful questioning to probe the understanding of all pupils. They provide thinking

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

time for pupils and expect well-thought-out, extended responses to their questions. This is a strong feature in the Early Years Foundation Stage and is one reason why the children achieve well. For example, children in the Reception Year made good progress in response to the teacher’s probing questions during an activity about keeping healthy.  In an excellent Year 6 English lesson, lively discussion and debate about the portrayal of characters in Julius Caesar ensured all pupils made rapid progress in their understanding of the different purposes of language. Such lessons are not routine across the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 In some lessons, pupils need reminding to focus on their learning, particularly when learning activities are not matched well enough to their needs or are repetitive. In these instances, pupils do not concentrate well and they are less enthusiastic to learn. Consequently, this slows their pace of learning and for others in the class. Where teaching is good or outstanding, pupils remain engaged and make rapid gains.  The headteacher has created a positive atmosphere across the school. The relationship between pupils and staff is strong. Pupils say that they feel extremely safe and well cared for in school and that their teachers are always willing to listen to them if they have any concerns.  Pupils play well together during break times. Older pupils take on responsibilities, for example acting as sports leaders, and spend time with younger pupils to support their learning.  Pupils told inspectors that behaviour was generally good around the school and over time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

Similar views were expressed by all of the parents and carers the inspectors talked to.  Pupils have a good awareness of different forms of bullying including name calling in the playground and on the internet. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that adults are quick to deal with any incidents, should they occur.  Pupils are friendly and welcoming to visitors. They are confident in talking with adults and happy to express their views and engage in conversation on a range of topics.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance has improved over time and is in line with that found nationally.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 High staff turnover, including at senior leadership level, and long-term staff absence have hindered the drive for improvement and the school has not sustained previous good outcomes.  Leaders have not checked the performance of teachers rigorously enough to ensure that areas of weakness identified sufficiently focus on how well different groups of pupils learn and are resolved quickly. As a result, the quality of teaching still varies across the school.  Information on how well pupils are achieving is not used well enough to ensure that targets and tasks set for pupils’ learning are as challenging as they could be, to make sure that more-able pupils reach the highest levels.  Those leaders responsible for subjects or age groups, some of whom are new to role, are not always clear about their roles and responsibilities. They have not had enough opportunities to check the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of work to ensure that the progress of

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The leadership and management require improvement

all pupils is consistently good or better. This limits their ability to drive improvements in their areas.  The determination of the new headteacher, ably supported by senior leaders including governors, is making sure that teaching and achievement are starting to improve. They have used the support of the local authority very effectively to review the quality of teaching and learning and ensure appropriate plans are in place to improve the school further.  The weakest teaching has been tackled vigorously and considerably reduced. The proportion of good teaching is improving. Standards have risen. This demonstrates the school’s capacity to improve.  The use of pupil premium funding is targeted appropriately to ensure that it has a measureable and positive impact upon the progress of all pupils for whom it is intended. Their progress is starting to speed up because expectations of their achievement are higher and improved

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The leadership and management require improvement

arrangements to support them are in place.  The arrangements for managing staff are well organised with clear links to performance, salaries and responsibilities. A range of training is provided for individuals or offered to all staff.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and engages pupils in their learning. The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strong feature of the school. Pupils participate in music and singing, artwork, sports and extra-curricular activities. They value cultural diversity and have opportunities to celebrate different festivals.  School leaders and governors have effectively used the new primary sports funding to provide specialist physical education teachers to work with the pupils and provide training for teachers.  Consequently, all pupils participate keenly in many sports enabling a positive impact on health and physical well-being with some using their training as pupil sports’ leaders to support physical

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The leadership and management require improvement

activities during school lunchtimes.  Safeguarding arrangements fully meet government requirements. Staff training is comprehensive and recording is thorough.  The governance of the school:  The governing body brings a wide range of skills and experience to the school. Governors do not hold the school sufficiently to account for pupils’ progress and the standards they reach. Governors are aware that they have not challenged enough the progress information presented, and questioned current inconsistencies in teaching. They have ensured that appropriate systems are in place to manage the performance of staff and their salaries. They pay high attention to the welfare needs of pupils in the school, including safeguarding. They carefully monitor the school’s finances, including how the pupil premium is spent and its impact on pupils’ achievement. They know that it has been partially used to support eligible

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The leadership and management require improvement

pupils to have small-group tuition in reading, writing and mathematics and that this has helped to improve their progress. They are ambitious to see improvements and have more recently been fully involved with the local authority to made good use of training to increase their skills in order to hold the school to account more fully.

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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 132266 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 425644

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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 520 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Lawrence Headteacher Ben Foley Date of previous school inspection 6–7 October 2010 Telephone number 020 8568 3971 Fax number 020 8569 9260 Email address head@greendragon.hounslow.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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