Hounslow Town Primary School

Hounslow Town Primary School Pears Road , Hounslow, Middlesex, TW3 1SR

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  From their starting points, pupils achieve well in English and mathematics. This includes pupils who enter the school at non-standard times or who have limited spoken English.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress from levels which are well below those expected for their age.  Pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium funding make good progress. Clear strategies are devised and applied to help them learn well.  Pupils with disabilities and special educational needs, some with very complex needs, make good progress because of the expert help they receive.  Teaching is usually good and sometimes outstanding. Teachers use imaginative activities to engage pupils’ successful learning.  Pupils are safe and secure and behave well. Pupils from a wide range of different ethnic groups get on very well together. Attendance is now above the national average.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and moral education are well promoted. Particular strengths are the activities designed to help pupil understand the wider world.  The school is well led and managed. All leaders and managers recognise the challenges and work effectively to address them. Governors both support and monitor the school’s work closely.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Progress in mathematics is not as rapid as that seen in reading and writing. Teachers’ assessments to help pupils improve their work are not of a consistently high quality across the school.  There is not yet good enough use of resources in the outdoor area in the Early Years Foundation Stage and this hampers the children’s wider development.

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Information about this inspection

 I Inspectors observed 23 lessons, of which seven were joint observations with the headteacher and senior staff. They also observed three assemblies, registration, the breakfast club, two after-school clubs, the start of school and breaks and lunchtimes.  Meetings took place with staff, pupils, representatives of the governing body, parents and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors listened to a sample of pupils read.  Inspectors analyses 50 responses from the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the school’s own parental questionnaire. They also scrutinised 52 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at a range of school documentation, including analyses of pupils’ achievement, the quality of teaching and the performance management of staff. Other documentation scrutinised concerned safeguarding policy and procedures, child protection arrangements, risk assessments, attendance and exclusions, self-evaluation, development

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Information about this inspection

planning and minutes of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Michael Merva, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Patricia Underwood Additional Inspector Marie Cahill Additional Inspector Michael Buist Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school. The school is currently expanding further and is receiving a high proportion of pupils who have little or no prior schooling. It is engaged in a building programme to accommodate the planned increase in numbers.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average. Many of these pupils are at the very early stages of learning to speak English.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for extra funding provided for looked after children, pupils eligible for free school meals and children of service families (pupil premium) is well above average. A large number of these pupils are also at the early stages of learning to speak English.  The number of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school

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Information about this school

action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. Included in the number of statemented pupils are those who attend the Centre for Moderate Learning Difficulties. This is a provision managed by the school, and the pupils who attend are on the school roll. However, pupils come from across the local authority to receive their education.  The school provides a daily breakfast club and a wide range of lunchtime and after-school clubs. These include music, sports, drama and gardening. A children’s centre and a day care provision on the school site are not managed by the school and have been subject to separate inspections.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching so that pupils make faster than expected progress, particularly in mathematics, by making sure that:  all lessons provide work which meets both the needs and aspirations of pupils and provides effective challenge  high quality accurate assessment of pupils’ work, including marking is consistent across the school, so that all pupils are aware of their current learning and how to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that the outdoor provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is fully used to support children’s learning and development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils of all abilities and from different ethnic groups achieve well from their starting points. Current school information indicates that achievement is improving further, especially in mathematics. A high proportion of pupils currently make better than expected progress in reading and writing.  Pupils engage well in learning because they are well taught. Standards are improving and are broadly in line with national averages at the end of Years 2 and 6.  Progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. The vast majority of children enter the Nursery with very limited skills in English, communication, language and literacy. They make good progress in learning English and across the areas they experience. By the start of Reception, many are working within age-related expectations.  By the end of Reception, the gap has narrowed further, indicating that most children have made good progress, with a small number exceeding the level expected for their age. The school is

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The achievement of pupils is good

aware that the outdoor space is under-used to further enhance children’s wider learning and development.  Pupils enjoy reading and build confident skills as they move through the school. The most recent phonics (the sounds letters make) screening check results in Year 1 were in line with the national average. Previously results were well above the national average and the current Year 1 pupils are on track to reach similarly high standards.  The progress of the large number of pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with disabilities and special educational needs is good. Carefully devised strategies, including the highly effective use of the pupil premium funding, has resulted in the accurate and timely identification of need and effective support. Case studies of vulnerable pupils demonstrate clearly how well the learning needs of pupils are met by skilful support.  More able pupils are well targeted by the school and the proportion reaching the higher Levels 5

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The achievement of pupils is good

and 6 at the end of Key Stage 2 are rising .  In 2013, Year 6 pupils in receipt of the funding were three terms behind their peers in mathematics, two terms behind in reading and four terms behind in writing. However, one-to- one and small-group work in literacy and numeracy, visits related to topic work and the lunchtime ‘Chill Out’ club set up to help some pupils to manage their behaviour positively are all examples of the effective action being taken to reduce the barriers to learning between this group and others. As a result, the gap in achievement between pupils eligible for the pupil premium and their peers is quickly narrowing, especially in writing, where pupils are now only two terms behind their peers.  The school has rightly prioritised enhancing pupils’ language and literacy skills to enable them to access their work in the subject they study. As a result, progress in reading and writing are

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The achievement of pupils is good

improving at a faster rate than in mathematics, particularly in Key Stage 2. The work pupils are set in mathematics does not always fully meet the needs of all learners, especially the more able, and this limits their higher achievement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in English and mathematics and some is outstanding, which results in boys and girls from different ethnic backgrounds achieving well. Leaders keep a close check on teaching standards and work with staff to share best practice and secure improvement.  In good or better quality lessons, teachers have high expectations, confident subject knowledge and make sure that work is planned and timed to support pupils’ good progress. In an outstanding Year 4 mathematics lesson on symmetry, imaginative teaching strategies and exciting resources allowed all pupils to build their knowledge, understanding and enhanced skills at a brisk rate as they made outstanding progress. However, such high quality teaching and learning are not yet fully consistent across the school.  Additional adults are well used to support pupils’ learning. In a nursery lesson covering a range of learning objectives, additional adults were very well deployed to support children’s good

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The quality of teaching is good

learning. Staff carefully recorded the stage of each child’s language development and fine motor skills development when building a snowman using shapes. However the outdoor space is not used consistently as an effective learning resource to widen their skills development.  Activities designed to support pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are woven across the curriculum. Reading is taught particularly well and pupils practise regularly and become successful readers who enjoy books. For example, in a Year 4 guided reading lesson, activities were carefully devised so all pupils, including the more able, were sufficiently challenged and made good progress. Homework is used especially well to support the development of reading.  The use of marking and assessment to help pupils aim higher is too variable. Good practice seen in a Year 2 English lesson on story writing involved the teacher carefully checking pupils’

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding at different points in the lesson, enabled learning to be carefully evaluated and work adjusted to help some pupils catch up and others given more challenge. This practice is not yet commonplace.  Most mathematics lessons engage pupils well because the tasks they are set enable them to learn successfully. However, there are occasions when activities do not sufficiently challenge all groups of learners and opportunities are missed to fully develop their numeracy skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is good. Relationships are friendly, happy and caring and based on mutual respect and support for another. They value the ethnic and cultural diversity of the school community. One pupil said, ‘It helps us to understand about the world and makes us better people.’  Pupils are well aware of what bullying is and its various forms, such as cyber bullying. They feel it is rare, but know where to get help should it occur. Their understanding is reinforced by school initiatives such as ‘Anti-bullying week’ and ‘E Safety workshops’. One pupil said ‘We learn a lot about how to deal with bullying and the importance of controlling our emotions.’ This helps prepare them for their next stages of life.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. As a result, pupils feel well looked after at school. Parents overwhelmingly believe that behaviour is good and that their children are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

well cared for. One parent said ‘I could not ask for better.’ This view is also endorsed by staff.  The management of behaviour is good. Home/school agreements and clear communication facilitate the strong partnership with parents. The ‘buddy system’ supports pupils’ own responsibility. The behaviour policy emphasises positive aspects, including understanding the consequences of actions and the benefits of mutual support.  Attendance is currently above average and has improved well over time. The school checks attendance regularly and provides good support for families.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is well led and managed. The headteacher provides clear direction at a time of expansion and change. All school leaders share the school’s inclusive and supportive vision. Middle leaders bring enthusiasm and great clarity to their roles and are strongly focused on raising teaching standards and ensuring all pupils achieve the best they can.  The school has raised attendance to above average levels by devising and employing effective improvement strategies. Well-targeted support from a range of external services, links with parents and refined tracking and quick follow-up of absence have brought success and demonstrate the school’s positive capacity to drive improvement.  Self-evaluation processes involving all managers are comprehensive and result in an accurate picture of the school’s effectiveness. The careful checking of teaching has led to improvements over time. This has resulted in the timely identification of areas for development such as the

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The leadership and management are good

consistency of marking and assessment.  The management of teachers’ performance is well linked to pupils’ achievement. The process of target setting, devised with the involvement of all staff, is seen as productive and supportive.  English and mathematics are well managed. Clear identification of pupils’ needs has made reading a high priority and the school’s actions are accelerating progress. The involvement of parents to strengthen the home/school reading programme is a positive feature. Work in mathematics is rightly focusing on basic numeracy in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Plans are in place to fully extend these initiatives further in Key Stage 2. The ‘Parent Support Group’ has successfully enabled a range of parents to become involved in supporting pupils’ learning in lessons.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. It is well supplemented

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The leadership and management are good

by engaging extra-curricular activities, for example visits to the ballet and opera, to help pupils gain experiences that they might otherwise not have. A flexible approach is encouraged, especially to meet the needs of the high proportion pupils new to learning to speak English.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural opportunities are well developed. Activities around Chinese New Year and the celebration of religious festivals support cultural and spiritual development well. The encouragement of pupil responsibility and mutual respect enhances their social development.  The sports funding is well managed and plans are in hand to gauge its impact on pupils’ physical well-being. Strong links have been established with a local football club and coaches have been engaged to develop access to sports such as tennis, basketball and tag rugby. Physical education specialists have helped to redesign the sports field to create an attractive learning

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The leadership and management are good

resource for both physical education and mathematics.  The school has purposeful links with the local authority who provide support with self-evaluation. The school is part of a local educational cluster which provides support and shares expertise.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school well and provide an appropriate balance of challenge and support. They are well aware of what they school does well and its areas for improvement. They have a very clear understanding of the wide range of pupils’ learning needs and the challenge this presents. Their clear committee structure enables them to check both achievement and the quality of teaching at appropriate intervals. Governors monitor the school’s finances well and understand the link between staff pay progression and classroom performance and the financial implications of the building programme. They understand how the pupil premium and the sports funding are used and scrutinise their impact. Governors

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The leadership and management are good

review policies very effectively and check their implementation. They ensure that safeguarding meets statutory requirements and that risk assessments are robust. Governors are proactive in identifying training needs to support their work. They have training in the use of achievement data, safeguarding and induction for new governors. Governors support the school’s very open and welcoming environment.

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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 102491 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 440961

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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 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 695 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Francisl Rowswell Headteacher Chris Hill Date of previous school inspection 25 January 2011 Telephone number 020 8570 1747 Fax number 020 8570 1854 Email address office@hounslowtown.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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