Nelmes Primary School

Nelmes Primary School Wingletye Lane, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 3BX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 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 an outstanding school.  Outstanding leadership has created a highly reputable and popular school where all pupils make rapid progress and do outstandingly well by the time they leave at the end of Year 6.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get an excellent start to their education.  Outstanding teaching enables all pupils to do their best. As a result, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels in mathematics, reading and writing has increased and is well above the national average.  Teachers’ detailed marking helps pupils to make rapid progress, particularly in English and mathematics.  Attendance is above average. Pupils say, ‘I love coming to school as the teachers make learning fun.’  Pupils have a strong desire to learn and are very proud of their school. Behaviour is excellent and pupils say they feel extremely safe.  The curriculum highly stimulates pupils’ interests and provokes their thinking skills.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural knowledge is well developed.  Parents and carers have high regard for the school.  The governing body are highly effective in carrying out their roles and responsibilities.  Senior and middle leaders’ robust systems for checking the quality of teaching are helping it to continually improve.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 parts of lessons including observing pupils being taught in small groups. Eight were jointly observed with the acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher. Two assemblies were also observed.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading in Years 1, 2 and 6.  Discussions were held with pupils in groups, during lessons and on the playground.  Discussions were held with key staff, three members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents including: the school’s own information on pupils’ progress; the school’s view of its own performance; the school’s evaluation of its performance, the school improvement plan, minutes from governing body meetings and information relating to attendance and child protection procedures.  Inspectors took account of 24 staff questionnaires. They spoke to parents and carers at the start

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Information about this inspection

of the day and took into consideration 64 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Sharona Semlali, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Webster Additional Inspector David Wolfson Additional Inspector Milan Stevanovic Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than averaged-sized primary school.  The previous headteacher retired at the end of August 2013. The current headteacher and the deputy headteacher have been in their acting positions since the beginning of September 2013 and are not new to the school.  The school had an extra intake of 30 pupils in the Reception class in 2013.  The proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average and is growing. The three main ethnic groups in the school are White British, Indian and African.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average. The main languages are English and Punjabi.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is lower than average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also lower than average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is above

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Information about this school

average. (The pupil premium is extra funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those from service families and those looked after by the local authority.)  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the best practice in marking in mathematics and English is evident across all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 From their individual starting points pupils make exceptional rates of progress in all subjects. This is because they have experienced outstanding teaching over time and they are enthusiastic and highly motivated to learn. Standards at the end of Year 6 have been significantly above average for the past five years in all subjects, with particular strengths in mathematics.  Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are broadly typical for their age. Both the indoor and outdoor learning environments are highly stimulating and promote children’s learning of number and language development extremely well. As a result most children leave the Reception Year with skills and knowledge that are slightly above average levels.  Pupils continue to make at least good and often outstanding progress throughout the rest of the school.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve much better than their peers

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

nationally and in comparison to the others in the school. This is partly due to high-quality support given to them by the learning mentor. Some of the support includes pre-tutoring them before they go into the lessons which successfully builds up their confidence and understanding.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to that of the other pupils in the school. This is because the school is very proactive in identifying any concerns early. Case studies show how the school has successfully made a big difference for those pupils who are in challenging circumstances. The school is highly effective in working with external agencies so they can competently cater for pupils with complex needs.  The gap is quickly narrowing between those eligible for the pupil premium funding and the others in the school. In some year groups those eligible for the funding outperform the other

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

pupils. In the 2013 national tests, the proportion eligible for the funding was small. They were just under three terms behind in the combined mathematics, reading and writing tests. Some of the funding is used to help them to take part in activities at the weekend such as swimming and craft clubs. This shows how well the school is effectively promoting equality of opportunity.  All groups of pupils achieve extremely well in reading, writing and mathematics as these skills are effectively taught through other subjects. Written work in pupils’ books and on display is of a high quality. Those at the early stages of reading demonstrate they have the skills to use the sounds that letters make to read unfamiliar words. Reading challenges and teachers reading stories give additional incentives and effectively encourage pupils to read for pleasure.  The more-able pupils achieve extremely well in all subjects, particularly in mathematics. The

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

proportion achieving the higher Level 6 in mathematics and in the new spelling, punctuation and English grammar tests was above average in 2013. A small group of pupils who are talented gardeners achieved the Silver Gilt award at the Chelsea Flower Show.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching over time is outstanding and has resulted in pupils achieving significantly above average attainment over the past five years.  Teachers create an excellent working climate and help to build highly productive relationships, which enable pupils to foster the love of learning.  Teachers’ expert subject knowledge and skilful questioning techniques help pupils to make rapid gains in their learning. This was seen in an outstanding religious education lesson where pupils gained an in-depth understanding about why people have special books for different religions.  Teachers make best use of getting pupils to learn outside when the weather is right. Activities include pond dipping and using their wildlife area. This was the area for improvement from the previous inspection which has now been successfully achieved.  Whenever possible teachers make full use of the latest computer technology and use a wide

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

range of rich and varied resources to support pupils’ learning. This particularly helped pupils to quickly gain a full understanding of how to use their skills in finding fractions of quantities in an outstanding mathematics lesson. Pupils say, ‘Our teachers know how to encourage and help us feel confident with our work in mathematics.’  Teaching is excellent in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children work well together, thrive and enjoy their learning.  Work in pupils’ books and displays around the school show pupils are given quality time to write at length in all subjects. Even though there is good evidence of some detailed and quality marking in mathematics and English, this is not always consistent in all subjects and pupils are not always given the time to act on the comments given and so further improve their work.  The school has clear homework policies. Homework helps to consolidate the skills in

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

mathematics and literacy that have been taught in school. Sometimes pupils have to do some research or do something that is practical and challenging such as creating a three-dimensional model of a river.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils’ manners and conduct are excellent. They are very aware of how their attitudes contribute to an orderly and calm school environment. Their attitudes to learning are of a high standard. Their enthusiasm and desire to learn are evident in their paired work, group work and discussions as a whole class. Parents and carers, staff and pupils are highly positive about behaviour and safety.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and pupils in Key Stage 1 are involved in creating rules for their own conduct around the school. Older ones in Key Stage 2 have the opportunity to assess how well they all behave during assemblies. Planet Captains create PowerPoint presentations to show other pupils in their teams how to behave and achieve points. These planet points are used as a reward for their teams. Pupils relish and enjoy having these different responsibilities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils feel extremely safe. They say that they are confident in sharing fears and concerns with staff in a supportive environment, for example, by recording their issues into a worry box.  Pupils have a good awareness of how to remain safe beyond the school. They thoroughly know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet as it is consistently reinforced. Pupils have many visits from safety organisations such as the police and fire brigade. They have good knowledge of the different types of bullying, including verbal and racial bullying, and say they do not tolerate it.  Attendance is above average. Parents and carers said ‘My children enjoy school more than they do at home.’ There has been no form of exclusion over the last three years.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Despite the interim leadership, the school continues to improve. The acting headteacher has a clear vision and is highly focused in driving the necessary improvements. The acting deputy headteacher is highly rigorous and complements the work of the headteacher. Staff morale is high and they have full support from staff.  The middle leaders fully support the senior leaders in rigorously monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. This is effectively achieved in small groups of middle leaders working together in ‘focus groups’ that are responsible for one particular subject. All teachers have challenging targets and are held to account for the performance of their pupils by all leaders.  The curriculum puts strong emphasis on ensuring that pupils gain essential life skills such as enquiry and research skills. For example, pupils in Year 3 had to use their research skills to find

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The leadership and management are outstanding

out about real artefacts that came from Gambia. This effectively helped them to use and build on their reading and writing techniques too.  The curriculum is highly effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by celebrating and learning about the different religions, including visits to different places of worship, and cultures, including, for example, Irish dancing. Also there are strong links to the Royal Opera House which is helping the school to create its own opera.  The sports funding is improving teachers’ skills. Also it is significantly enhancing pupils’ opportunities to take part in a wider choice of sports competitions such as hockey and football. Competitive opportunities such as the pentathlon are increasing their fitness levels as their performance is tracked carefully.  Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school’s work. They say, ‘We think the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

school is first rate.’  The local authority provides only light touch support as this is an outstanding school.  The school works closely with eight other schools in its local area and is where practitioners meet and share best practice.  All safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school: All members of the governing body are highly experienced and fully committed members that have received bespoke training which is helping them to be highly effective in carrying out their roles. All three subcommittees meet once a month to constantly review the school’s work. Governors are often in school to assist with reading or are monitoring their areas of responsibility. They have a clear understanding about the school’s data and do not solely rely on the information given to them from the senior leaders. All of this information helps them to have an in-depth knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Also this helps governors to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

stringently hold all leaders to account. They monitor the school’s decisions to reward good teaching and understand how teachers’ performance can justify their progression in pay. In order to promote and foster strong relationships with parents and carers they hold open days for new prospective parents and carers. The school’s budget is healthy and they meticulously monitor the impact of the pupil premium and sports funding. Governors have highly effective systems in place for succession planning and nurturing its own leaders.

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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 102321 Local authority Havering Inspection number 440960

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 450 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Perkins Acting Headteacher Kirsten Cooper Date of previous school inspection 14 July 2008 Telephone number 01708 447676 Fax number 01708 453780 Email address office@nelmes.org 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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