Malmesbury Primary School

School report Malmesbury Primary School Coborn Street, Bow, London, E3 2AB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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.  The school has made strong progress in all areas of its work. Consequently, over time, pupils’ progress across year groups is good.  The quality of teaching is a strength and is underpinned by exemplary marking that is helping pupils to improve their work further.  Pupils enjoy learning and concentrate well. Their zest for information leads to them responding quickly to instructions.  Leaders and managers, including governors, are committed to the headteacher’s ambitious vision of the future for all pupils. They are helping to deliver key priorities to raise standards further.  The senior leadership team, supported by middle leaders and governors, have led the school through a period of difficult changes. Together, they have driven improvement since the last inspection by instituting new systems to raise attainment and hold staff to account for pupils’ achievement.  Provision for all aspects of pupils’ development

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

is strong and supports community cohesion very well, especially, cultural and social events.  Strong emphasis on teaching and a range of initiatives to develop staff underpin improvement, including creative classroom practices.  Children excel in the Early Years Foundation Stage, make rapid progress and achieve very well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards in speaking and writing are not consistently good to enable pupils to make or exceed above the national average.  The most-able pupils are not all exceeding their targets to reach the highest levels at the end of Years 2 and 6.  The quality of teaching is not at a consistently high enough level to enable pupils to achieve as well as they can.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, six of them jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, a number of senior and middle leaders, a Local Leader of Education (LLE) from Bonner Primary School, three groups of pupils, a group of mentors, over 30 parents and carers, the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked closely at the school’s work, including the raising achievement plan, the governing body minutes, the school’s information on pupils’ progress, and pupils’ work, as well as documents relating to behaviour, safeguarding and attendance. They also scrutinised a range of documents on leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of the school’s effectiveness.  Inspectors took account of the 19 responses from parents and carers recorded in the online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Carmen Rodney, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Gaynor Roberts Her Majesty’s Inspector Graham Lee Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school with a Nursery and three Reception classes.  A high proportion of pupils are from a diverse range of minority ethnic groups. The largest groups are pupils from Bangladeshi, White British and African heritages.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs who need extra support or those with a statement of special educational needs is average.  A well-above-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the additional government funding provided for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, are looked after by the local authority or are from service families.  When the school was inspected in March 2012, it was judged to require special measures. Inspectors made five monitoring visits in July and December 2012, May and October 2013, and in March 2014, to evaluate the school’s progress.  Following the previous inspection, a few staff left the school but their responsibilites were taken

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Information about this school

over by either permanenetly appointed teachers or temporary supply staff.  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?

 Focus on developing the the quality of pupils’ writing skills to ensure that it is as good as or better than their achievement in reading and mathematics by: - giving them time to develop their ideas when doing extended writing and ensure there is a good balance between learning about technical skills and applying them accurately to their work - developing the writing process across subjects to increase pupils’ grasp of planning, organising and editing text.  Develop pupils’ speaking by: - increasing their ability and readiness to organise their thoughts, opinions and ideas that will lead to deepening their thinking skills and improving their writing.  Ensure that the most-able pupils are sufficiently challenged to attain the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards of attainment and the rates of pupils’ progress have improved since the last inspection. In 2013, pupils made good progress overall in the Key Stage 2 national tests, particularly in reading and mathematics, with a minority exceeding their targets. Most pupils made expected progress in writing, with exceptional achievement in the new test in English grammar, punctuation and spelling.  Improvements are being sustained and predictions for the current Year 6 cohort show that a higher proportion of pupils are likely to reach the higher Levels 5 or 6 in reading and mathematics.  Although achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has been significantly below average for the last five years in Key Stage 1, it was higher in 2013. The school’s information shows that pupils in Year 2 made strong progress throughout the key stage. Currently, pupils are sustaining the good progress. Outcomes of the phonics (the sounds letters make) reading check were well

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The achievement of pupils is good

above average in 2013 and were a significant improvement on 2012 when they were also above average. In lessons, pupils’ learning is consistently good.  When children enter the Nursery, their attainment is well below that typically found, especially in physical development and language and communication. Nevertheless, children make good or better progress throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and are well prepared to make the transition to Year 1. In 2013, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development exceeded the national picture, which was also confirmed in lessons.  Most pupils from different minority ethnic groups are making good progress. In 2013, while pupils of Bangladeshi heritage made good progress, some groups made slightly slower progress; in particular, not all of the most able exceeded their targets, White British pupils made average progress and boys made better progress than girls.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils with special educational needs and those who need extra help achieved far less well than their peers. Leaders are aware of the needs of pupils with special educational needs or a disability as they prepare for secondary school and have enhanced support for those at risk of not doing so well. Good support in lessons and the school’s care and attention to finding new ways of measuring the progress of some of these pupils are contributory factors to them currently achieving as well as their classmates.  The attainment gap between pupils eligible for additional funding was better than the average for their peers nationally. However, in 2013, they were at least six months behind their classmates and the gap was slightly wider than in the previous year.  Reading is well promoted and opportunities are provided for pupils to read aloud and independently. Pupils learn to carry out mini research projects, and to select and use

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The achievement of pupils is good

information, as well as to extract meaning and re-present information. For example, in Year 2, whole-class reading led to pupils reading expressively and with understanding before they read their own text independently. Close questioning showed that they used good phonic skills to pronounce complex words and explain their views about the characters and setting.  Since the previous inspection, achievement has risen because of the targeted approach to tracking progress and taking action when underachievement is spotted. Increased emphasis on good-quality planning, teaching and marking has had a positive impact on driving standards. The school recognises that the development of pupils’ oral and writing skills, in particular, their sentence structure and ability to write accurately for a range of audiences, are two aspects of achievement requiring further work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is effective and is enabling pupils to learn well. Over time, much has been done to improve the quality of teaching to ensure that consistently good practice is the norm.  Without exception, teachers use their good subject knowledge to plan and teach well-structured lessons that take into consideration the needs of different groups and individual pupils. Resources and activities are carefully selected so that lessons mostly move at a good pace enabling pupils to increase in confidence and apply taught skills. For example, Year 3 pupils used a range of reading and other cross-curricular skills when researching the Vikings. In this lesson, they demonstrated comprehension and note-taking skills as they compared and contrasted the past and present lives of children.  Good teaching is underpinned by quality one-to-one or group support and targeted questioning which lead to pupils giving clear responses and using subject-specific language to explain ideas.

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The quality of teaching is good

In such lessons, teachers demonstrate high expectations of work and, in turn, pupils use the projector or video well to share and explain aspects of their work. This particularly good feature contributes to pupils reflecting on the quality of their writing as they critique each other’s work. For instance, following a discussion on writing a discursive essay on fox hunting, Year 6 pupils began to use a more formal style of writing after sharing their ideas.  Other characteristics of good teaching that contribute to pupils making good progress include the use of short timed activities and assessment to develop thinking. Pupils are given time to share answers in pairs or small groups before addressing the whole class.  Throughout the school, expectations of work are higher. Pupils as well as parents and carers understand the school’s special term,’ Chilli Challenge!’, as straightforward to demonstrate high

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The quality of teaching is good

expectations. For example, a Year 5 pupil, when asked about her level, said, ‘I am hot!’ In this instance, the pupil appropriately signalled that the work was quite challenging.  Outstanding teaching involves creativity such as using role play to develop an increased sense of audience to inspire pupils, as seen in a Year 3 lesson where pupils and teachers re-enacted Roald Dahl’s The Twits. Similarly, in a Year 6 lesson, highly effective support for pupils with learning difficulties enabled them to make rapid progress primarily as the class teacher and support assistant challenged them and helped them to gain in confidence.  In lessons where teaching occasionally requires improvement, teachers’ explanations lack clarity and result in pupils not understanding what they need to do. In some instances, pupils are not moved on quickly enough or given additional challenge.  Additional adults work very well with class teachers as a ‘double act’, supporting, echoing,

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The quality of teaching is good

marking and working alongside pupils to help them make good progress.  Marking is much improved. Exemplary marking is evident in all year groups and extends beyond writing a running commentary throughout pupils’ work and identifying what needs to improve. As a result of teachers using different coloured pens, pupils are able to gauge the quality of their work, in particular, sentence structure. Marking is carried out during lessons and contributes to pupils quickly correcting spelling mistakes, improving their vocabulary and grammatical structures and punctuation marks. Pupils are routinely given time to respond to comments.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good, with exemplary features, demonstrating the school’s high expectations. No pupil has been excluded since September 2013.  In lessons, pupils behave well. Occasionally, minor off-task behaviour occurs but this is dealt with quickly and effectively. There is a very good level of cooperation with teachers because pupils are eager to learn, and say that their teachers inspire them.  Pupils are polite and respectful to adults, visitors and their peers. Positive relationships contribute to pupils developing good social skills. They relate well to each other and in lessons, their determination to master their learning leads to them supporting each other very well.  Incidences of inappropriate behaviour such as bullying or racist attitudes are rare. Pupils indicated that ‘these went a long time ago’. Pupils are confident that they can turn to an adult if

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

they have a problem. They are well informed about different forms of bullying because of coverage of this in assembly. Displays around the school and the school council’s contributions to putting forward ideas on how pupils from different cultures can work together have also increased their understanding. Pupils know about e-safety as this topic is covered every year.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Playtime is a sociable time for all concerned and pupils say they are safe at any given spot in the school. This is because the school is secure, adults are highly visible and playground supervisors engage very well with the pupils.  Attendance is broadly average.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the previous inspection, important changes have had a clear impact on improving pupils’ academic progress and the school environment.  The headteacher, with the effective support of other senior and middle leaders, has successfully developed and shared a clear vision for improvement. This has been communicated and is now owned by the staff. As a result, there is a constant focus on improving and sustaining teaching so that the quality is consistently good or better to enable pupils to make rapid progress.  Teachers have a good understanding of expectations of how well they are developing the vision for improvement because performance management is used strategically to hold staff to account for pupils’ achievement. Between 2012 and 2013, only staff who achieved their targets received a pay rise. Senior leaders’ uncompromising approach to developing teaching has helped to drive improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has provided a good range of support packages for staff. These have been personalised to meet the needs of individuals as well as the corporate needs of the school.  The school has benefited from the strong partnership work with the Local Leader of Education. Joint working with staff in Bonner School with a similar cohort has contributed to teachers increasing their awareness of how they could release the potential of pupils in their care. Consequently, this has helped senior leaders to work with staff on changing the culture of the school to a ‘can do’ approach. Significant improvements have led to the school being invited to join the local teaching alliance and sharing some of its good practices such as marking with other schools.  The commitment to improving the school has led to the introduction of effective systems for tracking pupils’ progress, monitoring teaching, supporting pupils and ensuring that staff are

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The leadership and management are good

given every opportunity to develop their expertise and broaden their experience.  As part of the drive for improvement, the school has engaged very well with the different community groups both in relation to improving communication and in organising and delivering workshops for parents and carers and hosting English classes. Parents and carers are highly appreciative of the work the school provides for their children and the way it embraces children from different heritages.  Leaders’ rigorous approach to tackling attendance has led to a decline in persistent absence and improved punctuality. The zero-tolerance message on extended absence and lateness has been carefully conveyed to parents and carers through, for example, good partnership work with faith and community groups.  The range of subjects is kept under review and leaders ensure that it is responsive to the needs of pupils. Topic work is well established and parents, carers and pupils spoken to say that the

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The leadership and management are good

teaching inspires them to achieve well.  A very good range of activities are used to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, they are provided with opportunities to explore landmarks in London. Further afield, topic work or family learning provides pupils with opportunities to research into great men and women throughout the centuries and major events such as the Civil Rights Movement. Pupils learn about music from around the world and have access to playing percussion instruments such as African drums. They are exposed to literature from around the world and assemblies are used to increase their understanding of other faiths and different groups of pupils. For instance, during the inspection, pupils were given an informative presentation on autism.  Additional government funding is used well to promote pupils’ achievement, particularly in literacy, their attendance and pastoral needs. For example, additional teachers are employed to

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The leadership and management are good

provide extra support and the impact of their work is evident in the much improved attendance of a few pupils who are no longer identified as persistent absentees. However, a very small number of pupils do not attend regularly.  The school is providing good support for pupils in challenging circumstances through its partnership work with the School Home Support provision. Case studies show that a range of work with children and families is effective in relation to improving outcomes for pupils and strengthening family life. Effective support from mentors and the counsellor contribute to pupils’ readiness to learn.  Equality of access to the school’s work underpins everything provided for pupils. Senior leaders ensure that there is due regard to meeting the responsibilities of the Equality Act 2010.  The sports funding is used well to provide dedicated teaching of physical education. In addition,

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The leadership and management are good

the school uses funding from the Fishmongers Guild to extend pupils’ involvement in a range of technical sports such as water polo and cross-country running. These have provided opportunities for identifying and nurturing talents.  Safeguarding requirements are fully met.  The local authority has provided very good-quality support that has enabled the school to move forward and develop its capacity to improve further. The school’s receptive approach to making the most of the expertise, training and strategies provided enabled the local authority to withdraw most of its support early. The local authority now provides a light-touch service.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Following the last inspection, the governing body changed its approach to supporting the school. As a knowledgeable body with educationalists, financial, business and medical experts, governors used the support of the local authority to strengthen and develop their skills to provide increased challenge and support for the school. They have used training on pupils’ progress information to increase their understanding of pupils’ starting points. As a result, they are well informed about the rates of pupils’ progress over time. They have used this information well to consider the setting of targets for teachers by asking in-depth questions when holding staff to account for pupils’ achievement through the quality of their teaching. They have been very supportive of senior leaders when teaching is not good enough. Governors are very well informed about the school’s work and its capacity for further

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The leadership and management are good

improvement. For example, they are very aware of its finance and use of pupil premium funding to support pupils’ learning; they know about the needs of different groups of pupils; and the impact of work with different partners in the local and wider community. As a result, they ensure that the Equality Act 2010 is implemented so that all groups can have equal access to support. They ensure that safeguarding protocols and procedures are in place to ensure the safety of pupils. They support the school’s provision of enrichment activities well to broaden pupils’ overall development. For example, religious festivals reflecting the heritages of pupils and beyond are promoted annually.

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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 134160 Local authority Tower Hamlets Inspection number 432607

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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 590 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jackie Turner Headteacher Joanne Clensy Date of previous school inspection 5-6 March 2012 Telephone number 020 8980 4299 Fax number 020 8980 1102 Email address admin@malmesbury.towerhamlets.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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