Shaftesbury Primary School

School report Shaftesbury Primary School Shaftesbury Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 8PF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 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 school’s arrangements for the administration and recording of safeguarding issues are not consistently applied.  Senior leaders and governors have not ensured the systems for recording safeguarding arrangements are effective and are understood by all staff.  Some teachers do not always use information about pupils’ previous learning well enough to inform planning for individuals and groups.  Sometimes, tasks in lessons do not provide appropriate challenge for more-able pupils.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Children start in Nursery with skills that are well below those typically expected for their age. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and achieve well.  Achievement in Key Stage 2 has improved over the last three years. Pupils are now well prepared for secondary school, with most leaving school with average attainment.  Teaching over time and across the school is typically good. The teaching of phonics in Year 1 is strong.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning and behaviour during lessons and around the school are good. Pupils are polite, respectful and caring towards their peers and adults.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 22 lessons or parts of lessons. Joint observations were undertaken with members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, observed an assembly and visited the school’s breakfast club.  Discussions were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, other staff, pupils, members of the governing body and a representative from the Teaching Schools Alliance.  Inspectors noted the responses of 51 parents and carers to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) and two letters given to inspectors during the inspection. Discussions were held with parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors looked at the responses to 43 staff questionnaires completed during the inspection.  The inspection team examined a range of other evidence including minutes of meetings of the governing body, the school’s development plan, and data about pupils’ current progress,

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Inspection team

Monica Raphael, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mirella Lombardo Additional Inspector Victoria Turner Additional Inspector Noureddin Khassal Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Shaftesbury Primary is larger than the average sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion who speak English as an additional language is well above average.  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 is below average. There are no pupils with statements of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding provided to schools for children in care of the local authority, those known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent or carer in the armed forces, is 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?

 Increase the proportion of good to outstanding teaching by:  ensuring that teachers use what they know about pupils’ prior learning to plan work pitched at the right level to secure maximum progress for individuals and groups  planning work to provide increased challenge in lessons for the more able.  Strengthen the impact of leadership and management by ensuring:  senior leaders address inconsistencies in the way safeguarding arrangements are administered and recorded  governors rigorously monitor the recording of safeguarding procedures so that they can be sure that effective systems are securely in place and understood by all staff. An external review of governance should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Nearly all pupils make at least good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2013, the proportion making expected progress in mathematics is close to that found nationally.  Children join the Nursery with skills and abilities that are well below those expected for their age, with many speaking English as an additional language. During the Early Years Foundation Stage they make rapid progress in their reading and personal, social and physical development. Children leave the Reception with expected levels of development and ready to start Year 1.  Pupils achieve well in Key Stage 1 because the quality of teaching is good. Standards have risen year on year and are now at national averages in writing. This is an improving picture from that found at the previous inspection.  The consistent and good teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) helps pupils to use their skills well when reading and writing. As a result, the children are well prepared for the

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The achievement of pupils is good

phonics reading check in Year 1, with the unvalidated school data showing the children did better than was found nationally over two consecutive years.  Pupils are making good progress from Year 2 to Year 6. Achievement in lessons is good. In some lessons the more-able pupils are not challenged enough. Nevertheless, attainment is rising and at the end of Year 6 is average in writing and mathematics, preparing pupils well for secondary school.  Pupils across the school show interest and enjoyment in reading. Pupils use their knowledge of how to tackle unfamiliar words to help them when reading. Their reading with meaning and understanding is developing well across the school.  Achievement in writing is improving as a result of pupils using language well through talk, extra writing lessons, Shaftesbury Writers intervention, and by the school having a writer in residence.  In mathematics, pupils make good progress as a result of activities that encourage pupils to

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The achievement of pupils is good

solve problems and use their understanding of number. As a result, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 6 in 2013 is higher than that achieved by the school in 2012.  The pupil premium funding is used to support pupils in class and additional adults support small group work. This provides more opportunities for pupils to speak and read English. In 2012, these pupils were six months behind their classmates in English and less than one month behind them in mathematics.  Pupils achieve well in physical education because of the wide range of sporting and leisure activities offered by the school.  In relation to their starting points, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well and make good progress. In 2013, these pupils made better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because of the effective support and teaching they receive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Generally, when progress is sometimes slower, it is because teachers do not always use what they know about pupils’ prior learning to inform their planning and teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school’s own monitoring, work in books and those lessons seen during the inspection show that, over time, the quality of teaching is good. Teaching assistants provide in-class support; however, at times, especially during whole-class teaching, this support does not make a significant enough contribution to pupils’ learning and achievement.  Phonics is taught well. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, through good teaching, teachers help children to make rapid progress from their starting points.  Relationships across the school are a real strength and pupils learn in a positive and engaging atmosphere.  Where teaching is effective, teachers use what they know about individual pupils and groups to inform planning. However, this is not yet consistent across all classes.  Speaking is a key feature in supporting pupils’ language development in all classes. In a Year 6 class, a pupil clearly explained her understanding of a mathematics activity using correct

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The quality of teaching is good

language and grammar.  Teachers skilfully question pupils and, with their positive attitudes to learning, enable them to do their best and to make good progress.  Pupils know how well they have done and are beginning to understand how to improve their work.  Occasionally, activities in lessons are not carefully matched to individual needs, especially for the more able, and therefore tasks are not reshaped quickly to provide learning to the highest levels.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 This is a welcoming school where the relationships between pupils and adults are good.  Pupils are keen to learn and listen to their teachers’ instructions and explanations. Their behaviour in lessons is good. On rare occasions when activities lack challenge or tasks are not reshaped quickly, pupils’ attention and concentration weaken.  A strong feature of the school is the positive relationships between pupils from different backgrounds in how well they work and play together.  Pupils say they feel safe and know who to speak to if they need help. New pupils to the school are well supported by other pupils who make sure they have someone to talk to at playtimes.  Pupils are aware of different types of bullying, but say that this is rare at this school. They know how to keep safe when using computers, but some aspects of their understanding of internet safety are not strong enough.  Pupils say there is no racism or poor behaviour at the school. The school records confirm their

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

views as accurate.  Attendance levels have improved and are now at national averages. This reflects the positive actions the school has taken to improve attendance and pupils’ increasing enjoyment of learning.  Parents and carers feel pupils are well looked after and cared for at the school. The majority of responses to the parent online questionnaire said that they felt their children were well cared for and happy at the school. One parent or carer said, ‘Teachers are really helpful! They sort problems out the same day.’ The majority said that they would recommend the school to other parents or carers.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management are not good because, while statutory requirements for staff employment checks are met, the school does not follow a consistent approach to the administering and recording of safeguarding arrangements such as child protection training.  Systems for recording and monitoring accidents and incidents are also inconsistent.  Senior leaders share a strong commitment to the school, but staff are not always clear in their understanding of the safeguarding systems in the school.  Senior leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and understand the priorities for improvement and the actions needed to achieve them. They recognise that teachers need to have more ownership of knowing where children are in their learning so that they are able to provide appropriate extension activities, especially for the more able.  The school works as part of a Teaching Schools Alliance and has received support through this

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The leadership and management requires improvement

partnership. As a result, teaching is improving and is now good and better than it was at the time of the previous inspection.  The school has effective systems in place for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. New senior leaders are particularly skilled at identifying what teachers need to do to further improve their teaching, and are beginning to communicate this while providing appropriate support.  The effective tracking systems enable school leaders to identify pupils who are underachieving and put the right support in place for them. This helps pupils make good progress.  The curriculum provides a wide variety of opportunities which add to pupils’ knowledge of the wider world. Their experience is deepened by their trips to France and Devon, as well as their participation in other local events such as the Newham Carnival. Pupils enjoy the range of clubs available to them, and many are learning to play an instrument as part of the Every Child a

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Musician project. This makes a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils know about their own culture and the culture of others through the study of religion, performance in assemblies and Black History Month.  Pupils keep healthy by attending a range of clubs and participating in physical activities after school. A detailed plan is in place to develop more sporting opportunities through the new sports funding. School leaders will measure the impact of this by the increased number of pupils participating in the sports offered.  The school receives appropriate support from the Teaching Schools Alliance.  The governance of the school:  Governors share the vision of the school. They know the challenges the school faces and are supporting the school to continually improve. They know the quality of teaching has improved from the time the school was previously inspected. Governors understand information about

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the performance of the school through visits to the school, the School Data Dashboard and RAISEonline. They are well informed through the headteacher’s reports and act on the information by making sound financial decisions such as the allocation of the pupil premium and rewarding teachers for performance.  Members of the governing body have a wide range of skills. Several governors are recent appointments and training is planned for them. Governors are very supportive of the school and ask questions to ensure the school continues to improve, but have not checked that the systems for administering and recording safeguarding arrangements are securely applied. They undertake rigorous performance management of the headteacher linked to school improvement.

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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 102744 Local authority Newham Inspection number 425551

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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 654 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Sarfaraz Headteacher Geoff Hadlow Date of previous school inspection 23–24 January 2012 Telephone number 020 84720761 Fax number 020 85034965 Email address info@shaftesbury.newham.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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