Orleans Primary School

Orleans Primary School Hartington Road, Twickenham, TN1 3EN

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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.  ‘A love of learning, for life, for all’ is not only the motto but the beating heart of this school. Parents and carers cannot praise the work of the school highly enough and say ‘there is a real buzz here.’  Pupils achieve exceptionally well at this school. Their achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has been significantly above average for the last five years. They are confident and articulate, using their communication skills exceptionally well to talk with each other about their learning.  Teaching is outstanding. Exciting lessons begin with a challenge or event that captures pupils’ interest exceptionally well so they are highly motivated to achieve. Activities are well planned to meet the learning needs of all groups of pupils.  Pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning, punctuality and attendance mean that behaviour is outstanding.  The superb relationships between all members

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

of the school community mean that any minor falling out or disagreement is resolved quickly and well. Pupils feel exceptionally safe at this school and know exactly how to keep themselves safe on the internet.  The senior leadership team, including the governors, are ambitious and have a relentless drive to continually improve the achievement of all groups of pupils at the school.  Parents and carers say that all the staff know their children exceptionally well as individuals. Parents and carers are very pleased with the progress their children make and have many opportunities to become involved in the life of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 27 lessons taught by 12 teachers and some teaching assistants, of which eight were jointly observed with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. In addition short visits were made to other lessons, and inspectors listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body, the vice-chair and one other member, three groups of pupils and a local authority representative.  There were 110 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. The team took account of a recent parent questionnaire conducted by the school. The responses to 13 staff questionnaires were analysed.  The team looked at school documents, including school data relating to assessment and pupils’ progress, planning for school improvement, monitoring of teaching and learning, records relating to behaviour and attendance, minutes of the governing body and documents relating to

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Inspection team

Janet Dinsmore, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Cheryl Millard Additional Inspector Linda Walker Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, Orleans Infant School has been designated as a primary school from July 2012. It is undergoing the transition from a three-form entry infant school to a two- form entry primary school. A neighbouring school, St Stephens, previously a junior school is also becoming a primary school. At the time of the inspection, Year 4 were the oldest cohort in the school and there were four Year 2 classes. It is a larger than average sized primary school.  Two thirds of the pupils are of White British origin. The rest of the pupils are from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, the largest group being from Any Other White background. A significant proportion of these are learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after

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Information about this school

and children of service families) is much lower than average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is below average. The proportion of those supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school does not have access to any alternative provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by making sure that all staff have highly effective skills for the teaching of mathematics, using the revised curriculum to meet the full range of pupils’ abilities.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 All groups of pupils achieve exceptionally well at this school. They enter the Nursery with skills that are typical for their age. The constant enquiry and thirst for knowledge evident throughout the school begin at this stage. Many children in the Nursery and Reception classes can talk articulately and knowledgeably about dinosaurs and animals in the Arctic, explaining that several are quite vicious. They play exceptionally well together. They are beginning to use their knowledge of letter sounds to write words in the Nursery and sentences in the Reception class. This means that they are ready for continuing their learning in Key Stage 1.  Pupils read exceptionally well. Pupils in Year 1 confidently explain what they are reading. They use reading skills well to follow instructions for activities and work out longer words they do not know. Pupils practise their spelling frequently in school and at home and achieve well above

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

average in the Year 1 phonics screening check.  Pupils in Year 2 continue to make excellent progress with reading and writing. At the end of Key Stage 1 the proportion achieving at the higher Level 3 is much higher than average. Pupils are learning to use speech marks and write dialogue, for example. Pupils continue to make rapid progress in writing in Year 3 and 4. Year 4 pupils can confidently identify and use similes and metaphors as they describe an imaginary world, using a thesaurus to develop their vocabulary further.  Pupils make rapid gains in mathematics. Pupils in Year 4 can competently interpret a real bus timetable, accurately calculating periods between times and using different forms for recording the time. Pupils in Year 2 eagerly demonstrated their mental agility and understanding of repeated addition and multiplication to find out how many packets of different resources would be needed for a new classroom. Pupils in Year 3 learnt rapidly about a whole variety of two and

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

three-dimensional shapes, being able to explain confidently all the properties.  The small number of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium make rapid gains in their learning. There has been a gap in the achievement between them and their peers at this school in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1. This gap is closing rapidly in the current cohort in Year 2 and for those pupils who have now reached Year 4. They are making progress at a faster rate than their peers.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress, in line with their peers. There are individual examples of exceptional progress. Those with statements of special educational needs are exceptionally well supported and learn to communicate very well with signs and symbols. They have excellent relationships with their peers in the class.  Those who are new to the school and to learning English report that they settle quickly in the

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

school and make rapid progress in acquiring all aspects of the language.  Higher ability pupils achieve very well at this school. They are challenged in the full range of subjects and report that ‘It all makes sense.’

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers plan lessons that are exciting and interesting. Pupils say they really enjoy the drama techniques used such as ‘hot seating’ and ‘freeze frame’. They say that it helps them to understand how a character was feeling and to describe events and settings in a story. These activities provide an excellent stimulus for pupils’ writing.  There are excellent links between the different subjects so that pupils learn and acquire accurate knowledge and understanding of historical events, for example. Information and communication technology skills are developed well in combination with other subjects and pupils are competent users of these.  Teaching assistants have excellent skills in supporting all the different pupils in the classroom, particularly disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. They do this very well, for example, using signing and symbols to aid communication and working with small groups to

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

develop specific reading and mathematical skills. All staff know pupils exceptionally well and how they learn best.  All staff use questioning very effectively to check pupils’ understanding and correct any misunderstanding. Consequently the pace of learning is rapid in lessons.  Teachers mark books well and pupils know exactly what to do to improve their work. Pupils confidently explain how they use the target sheets in their books and what teachers explain or have written to continually improve their work. This applies to writing and mathematics.  Teachers assess pupils’ work accurately and use their excellent subject knowledge to enable pupils to make rapid gains in their learning. Any slight slowing of progress is quickly identified so specific support can be put in place to make sure pupils develop their reading, writing, mathematical and social skills more rapidly.  Homework makes a strong contribution to learning in lessons. For example, in Year 4, pupils had

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

been practising descriptive writing at home. This was then explained and extended in the lesson. The school makes sure that all pupils have the support they need, at homework club for example. This is a good example of the way equality of opportunity is promoted and ensures that there is no discrimination.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning and teachers’ high expectations of their behaviour result in rapid learning in lessons. The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils use the equipment and resources well and take a pride in their work. Pupils report that minor falling out is the extent of any difficulties and bullying is non-existent. Attendance is above average and pupils are enthusiastic in returning to lessons after break and lunchtime.  Pupils work exceptionally well together in pairs and groups. There is no time wasted, as there are well-established class and school routines. They show courtesy and respect for each other when playing in the playground. This demonstrates their excellent social and moral development.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Leaders ensure that all aspects of safety are carefully assessed for potential risk. This was particularly evident for the recent

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

building project and in how pupils describe how they cross roads and are expected to behave on trips outside school. Pupils feel and know that they are exceptionally safe.  There are outstanding individual examples of support for those pupils who have more difficulties in managing their behaviour and their families to make sure that behaviour improves rapidly. These individually tailored packages are an example of the excellent care for individuals that parents and carers value so highly.  Pupils enjoy celebrating the languages and cultures represented in the school and have a strong understanding of these.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders and governors are managing the transition of the school from an infant to a primary school and the recent building project exceptionally well. They have maintained the high achievement of pupils by planning all changes in detail and carefully preparing for all eventualities.  Senior leaders check the progress of pupils and the quality of teaching regularly and accurately using a wide range of measures. They use this information well. The resulting plans for the development of the school are clearly focused on the improvements that can be made. For example, further improving the achievement in mathematics is one of the current aims.  The performance of teachers is very well managed. Teachers are trained well and specifically for any identified shortfall in their skills in the classroom. However, there need to be more opportunities for all staff to further develop their skills in the teaching of mathematics, using the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

revised curriculum, to meet the needs of the range of abilities of all the pupils within the school.  Peer observations are used to particular effect by all teachers to develop their practice in addition to further training. Subject leaders are knowledgeable. They train their colleagues well to teach the range of subjects effectively through to the end of Key Stage 2 and check this regularly in the school.  Statutory requirements for safeguarding are met. There are excellent working relationships with other professionals involved with pupils in the school.  The local authority provides light touch support for this outstanding school and highly values its contribution to the wider community of schools. There is a strong partnership with St Stephens, which is also going through a process of change. For example, the sharing of expertise in teaching and assessment of pupils’ progress at Key Stage 1.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupil premium funds are spent effectively to provide additional teaching in English and mathematics, small-group work, access to trips, after-school activities and workshops to help parents and carers support their children’s learning. These actions have improved pupils’ progress in reading writing and mathematics and the gap in achievement is closing rapidly.  Primary sport funding is being used to make sure that teachers are trained well to teach physical skills and extend the range of sports that are on offer by making links with sports clubs in the locality. There is an excellent range of clubs and activities available after school with increasing participation in different sports such as karate and rugby as well as different forms of dance.  Parents and carers report that they can speak to the headteacher easily with any concern. They say that the school challenges pupils of all abilities. They appreciate the excellent range of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

activities as well as the promotion of reading and homework activities.  The governance of the school:  Governors have made sure that they have an excellent range of professional skills amongst their members. These include human resource and change management, law, business and finance. This ensures that they can provide exceptional challenge and support for the school. They ask detailed and searching questions when members of staff present reports of their work in the school. They visit the school frequently and are well known members of the school community. They understand the school data and know how well the school is performing in comparison with others nationally. This has enabled them to set precise targets for the headteacher’s performance management particularly to improve the progress of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium. They know exactly how the money has been spent to do

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The leadership and management are outstanding

this. They know that the quality of teaching has improved from good to outstanding since the previous inspection and how teaching observations, performance management and staff training have contributed to this. They make sure that salary progression is related to this performance. They work exceptionally well as a team with the senior leaders of the school.

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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 102895 Local authority Richmond Inspection number 434598

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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 3−9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 403 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rhian James Headteacher Jane Evans Date of previous school inspection 25–26 May 2011 Telephone number 020 8892 1654 Fax number 020 8744 2844 Email address info@orleans.richmond.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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