Oldhill Community School

Tyssen Community Primary School Oldhill Street, Stoke Newington, London, N16 6QA

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Leaders have made rapid improvements to the school since the previous inspection. Standards have risen and teaching has improved as a result of the consistent and rigorous checking of pupils’ learning and progress.  Middle and senior leaders work relentlessly to drive improvement and ensure that both teaching and achievement are of a high standard, and continue to improve.  Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics because their teachers and class assistants provide fun and engaging experiences for them.  Consistently good teaching provides pupils with memorable experiences and opportunities to develop their excellent attitudes to learning.  Pupils from different groups, including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs, those eligible for the pupil premium and pupils who speak English as an additional language, make excellent progress because their needs are well met by teachers and their assistants.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils work with interest and concentration. They behave extremely well in lessons and around the school. They feel safe and very happy in school.  Parents and carers speak highly of the school and are extremely pleased with the way the school develops their children.  Governors are very dedicated to the school’s development and ensure resources are allocated efficiently so that pupil premium funding makes a positive contribution to the excellent achievement of the eligible pupils.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teaching over time ensures pupils make good rather than rapid progress overall.  Too few pupils have reached the higher levels in writing and mathematics by the time they leave the school.  Sometimes, the most able are not given sufficiently challenging work in English lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 35 lessons, 14 of which were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. In addition, the inspection team made 11 shorter visits to lessons to focus on specific aspects.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and attended assemblies.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the headteacher, subject leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the responses to parent surveys carried out by the school. Members of the inspection team also spoke to parents and carers as they brought their children to school.  The inspection team observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including school improvement plans, data on pupils’ current progress, pupils’ written work, the governing body minutes and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Janev Mehmet, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector David Webster Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  A high proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families. There are currently no pupils from service families in the school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is below the national average, and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above the national average.  Most pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and many of them speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school hosts a children’s centre on the same site, which caters for babies, toddlers and pre-

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Information about this school

school children and provides support to the parents and carers of the community. The governing body is responsible for this provision. It is subject to a separate inspection.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The 10 pupils who are part of this provision are also integrated into classes and lunchtime activities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding by ensuring that teachers provide more challenging activities for their most able pupils in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school with skills and knowledge that are below the levels expected for their age. By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, their attainment is at the expected level for their age, indicating that they have made good progress.  Children learn quickly to recognise their letters and sounds because teachers encourage the use of play and imagination to develop and practise speaking, movement and active learning. The teaching of language, literacy and communication skills is systematic, and ensures that pupils achieve well. Consequently, the phonics (the sounds that letters make) screening check at the end of Year 1 shows that pupils are above average in reading.  By the end of Key Stage 1, most pupils attain above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Similarly, by the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils attain above average standards in these subjects. Consequently, pupils make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s current data show that the most able pupils are making particularly good progress in reading and mathematics. Their achievement is not yet outstanding overall because too few pupils make more-than-expected progress in writing and mathematics to achieve the higher levels, even though rates of improvement are rapid.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make excellent progress because specialist teachers and their assistants provide well-planned and engaging learning activities to develop their language and learning skills. For example, pupils who had recently arrived at the school with little knowledge of English learnt quickly through confidence-boosting conversation activities where they talked about the fruit they liked to eat, while they were actually eating the fruit.  Pupils who are part of the specially resourced provision make good progress in their development

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The achievement of pupils is good

and learning as a result of the well-planned and appropriately resourced activities they take part in.  Pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills develop extremely well because they enjoy reading and are very enthusiastic about taking part in the rich opportunities that the curriculum provides. For example, with a recent project on ‘buildings’, pupils based their learning around interesting activities like visiting the ‘London Eye’, writing about it and drawing and mapping out the construction of buildings around the world.  The pupil premium funding is used very effectively to support the high number of eligible pupils in providing extra teaching staff to deliver specialised teaching activities. These pupils make accelerated progress across the school and their attainment is better than that of their peers in both English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is consistently good, with some of high quality, because teachers make learning fun, engaging and inspiring. For example, when learning about Hinduism, pupils were able to practise meditation and dance moves to empathise with people from that religion.  Teachers provide pupils with a variety of interesting classroom activities. The use of technology and effective deployment of additional staff enable pupils to enjoy their learning. In some other lessons however, the most able are not always challenged as well as they could be.  Positive relationships and vibrant classrooms and corridors contribute to a very stimulating atmosphere for learning across the whole school. Every classroom has a reading corner, which encourages pupils to see the importance of literacy. ‘Working walls’ support pupils in their skills in checking their work and taking responsibility for their own learning and that of others. For

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The quality of teaching is good

example, some pupils in Year 6 regularly visit children in the Nursery and Reception classes to support them with learning activities and their reading.  Pupils learn and develop their skills rapidly because their teachers challenge them through motivating tasks. For example in a Year 2 class, the teacher pretended she needed help working something out with a bar graph and tally charts in a mathematics lesson. Pupils were very able to articulate where the bar chart needed to be altered and why. They worked well to think through the challenge and explain it. The activity was challenging, fun and interactive.  Teachers check pupils’ books consistently and thoroughly. Pupils receive appropriate feedback, guidance on how to improve and further challenge to enable them to make even better progress. Pupils regularly check their own learning, follow up on their teachers’ comments, and sometimes check each other’s work too.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils at Tyssen Community Primary School adore coming to school. They thoroughly enjoy learning and speak very highly of all the adults who work at the school. Consequently, they have very good relationships with each other and with their teachers.  Pupils are polite, considerate and welcoming to visitors. They attend school regularly and are punctual. Behaviour of pupils in the school is excellent, both in class and around the school, because it is managed exceptionally well by caring adults who model positive and respectful communication skills. As a result, there are no major incidents, and bullying is very rare.  Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and can talk about why they have to keep safe. During anti-bullying week they prepared booklets for new children, and in meetings with inspectors, they spoke confidently about how to apply the principles of e-safety when using computers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are prepared extremely well for the next stage of their lives. ‘Pupil Leaders’ organise a timetable for themselves to support younger pupils in lessons, and the ‘Interpreters Team’ support new arrivals to feel part of the school community. The ‘Reading Knights’ are a group older boys in Key Stage 2 who are known for supporting Year 3 pupils with their literacy skills. The impact of this action has been that their own skills have improved as well as raising the profile of reading for boys.  Parents and carers have high regard for the school and are happy that their children are safe and motivated to learn. The school supports parents and carers well to maximise the learning and well-being of their children. A recent workshop about the teaching of mathematics was particularly popular, and enabled parents and carers to understand how they could help their children with activities in mathematics.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher and the leadership team work collaboratively and at a fast pace to ensure that high-quality learning and the progress of all pupils are the key elements of the school’s purpose. School leaders at all levels provide excellent role models for all their staff through their positive attitudes and high levels of expertise.  Middle leaders are extremely effective in leading their teams through new procedures, and ensure that staff are provided with opportunities to excel. They monitor and develop their team members rigorously in order to develop their skills in teaching and leading learning. They meticulously analyse how well pupils are doing in their subjects and provide clear, focused next steps in order to improve areas that need to be worked on.  Leaders have enabled some groups of pupils, including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs, those eligible for the pupil premium and pupils who speak English as an

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The leadership and management are outstanding

additional language, to achieve outstandingly well. Teaching and achievement are not yet outstanding overall because the proportion of the most able pupils reaching higher levels is not yet high enough. However, leaders are very aware of this issue and can demonstrate that improvement is developing at a rapid rate.  The pupil premium is allocated effectively to focus on the literacy and numeracy needs of eligible pupils through, for example, organising smaller groups for classes to work on particular aspects of learning, and booster activities to accelerate progress.  The curriculum is exceptionally well planned and organised by all teachers, taking into account pupils’ needs to enjoy and achieve in new learning opportunities. Pupils deepen their knowledge through activities that develop teamwork, the imagination and an understanding of the world. For example, children in Reception were very excited about learning to experience the difference

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The leadership and management are outstanding

between light and dark as they took turns going into assembled play tents with their torches.  The school makes good use of the additional sports funding by promoting physical education and pupils’ health and well-being through coaching programmes. They provide pupils with drumming and dance workshops as well as setting up inter-house competitions in football, netball, hoops, chess and skittles. Pupils of all abilities are encouraged to take part in inter-borough competitions in boccia (a precision ball sport, related to bowls).  The school very successfully ensures that all elements of spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning are embedded across the curriculum. Learning about other cultures, religions and countries is extremely well integrated into the school’s curriculum. Pupils learn Spanish and also celebrate a language every month by highlighting key words from that language, raising awareness of where it is spoken, and which staff and children speak that language.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 All groups of pupils achieve well and all staff are supported to enable them to perform at their best. All pupils are actively taught about empathy, respect and consideration. Consequently, they are tolerant and respectful. Discrimination is non-existent because the school maintains high expectations for equal opportunities. The effective leadership of the specially resourced provision ensures pupils in the unit make good progress.  Safeguarding practices meet the statutory requirements.  The local authority provides appropriate challenge and support for the school. It has been a ‘critical friend’ in moving the school on since its last inspection visiting at key points and endorsing partnership working.  The governance of the school:  The governing body continuously supports and challenges school leaders to ensure that teaching and achievement are of high quality. The Chair of the Governing Body leads other

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The leadership and management are outstanding

members of the governing body extremely well to both collectively hold the school to account, and develop their skills as governors through regular training. Governors are linked to particular areas of the school and visit the school regularly to keep up to date with developments. They visit lessons and celebrate the work of teachers and pupils. Governors have an excellent understanding of the school’s data and how they are being used to maximise the impact of teaching. Governors ensure that teachers are suitably rewarded for good performance related to the quality of their teaching and pupils’ achievement. They check that pupil premium funding is allocated in the best interests of the pupils concerned. Consequently, these pupils make rapid progress in their reading, writing and mathematics skills and attain higher levels than their peers nationally.

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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 100244 Local authority Hackney Inspection number 425499

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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 Community School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 430 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Youssef El Dada Headteacher Paul Fleming Date of previous school inspection 6–7 March 2012 Telephone number 020 8806 4130 Fax number 020 8806 3620 Email address pfleming@tyssen.hackney.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 whenand 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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