Hollymount School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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.  Pupils achieve well because they make good progress. They reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 that are much higher than those seen nationally.  The most able pupils make rapid progress in mathematics in Years 5 and 6. They have regular opportunities to learn at the highest levels.  Teaching is good and some aspects are outstanding. Learning is well planned to include a rich variety of activities set at the right level for most pupils.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education well. From an early age, pupils learn to take care of their environment and develop a strong understanding of ecological issues.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school is very good and typically good in classrooms. They are very keen to learn and enjoy their lessons.  Pupils feel entirely safe within the warm, welcoming and purposeful environment.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership, including governance, is good and leading to improved outcomes for pupils. The senior leaders have created a very effective staff team which is focused on making the school as good as it can be.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Boys’ writing is not as good as their reading and their work is sometimes untidy.  The school does not provide consistent challenge for the most able pupils in some subjects.  In Nursery and Reception, there are not enough stimulating activities for pupils to work at outdoors, for example in reading and writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons, 10 of which were jointly observed with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. They listened to a sample of pupils from Years 1 and 2 read.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, looked at a range of their work and examined the school’s information on pupils’ attainment and progress.  Meetings were held with representatives of the governing body, senior leaders and teachers. They held a telephone conversation with a local authority representative.  Inspectors considered the 107 responses to the online Parent View survey and the few letters sent by parents and carers.  Inspectors considered responses to the 28 questionnaires returned by staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including plans for improvement, safeguarding arrangements, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and records of school leaders’ observations of teaching.

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Inspection team

Eileen Chadwick, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Roy Blatchford Additional Inspector Julie Sackett Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Hollymount is a larger-than-average sized primary school. The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of a part-time Nursery (mornings or afternoons) and two Reception classes. About a half of the children go on to Reception from the Nursery.  The school is growing year-on-year. There are currently two classes in Years 1 to 4 and one class in each of Years 5 and 6. There will be two classes in Year 5 from September 2014.  Just over half of the pupils are White British and the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above the national average. Pupils are from a range of cultural heritages and the proportion who speak English as an additional language, at just over a quarter, is above the national average.  A few pupils each year join the school part-way through their primary education, especially in Key Stage 1.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported

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Information about this school

through school action is low. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well below average. This is additional government funding provided for children in care and those pupils known to eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school provides daily breakfast and after-school clubs for pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure teaching inspires pupils to make outstanding progress, by:  enabling boys to achieve as well in writing as in reading, including by writing neatly and improving the presentation of their work  enriching the subjects that are taught and making sure teachers provide consistent levels of challenge, especially for the most-able pupils  in Nursery and Reception, improving children’s learning in the outdoor area and encouraging them to use their knowledge of phonics (the sounds that letters make) when reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of improvements since the time of the previous inspection, pupils now make quick enough progress and reach the standards that they are capable of.  Children’s attainment on entry to the Early Years Foundation Stage is typically above what is usually found. The majority of children join the school with more advanced skills while some have weakness in their personal and communication skills and a few are at the early stages of learning English. Children in Nursery and Reception make good progress and move into Year 1 well placed to start the next stage of their learning.  Pupils’ continued good progress in Key Stage 1 leads to well above average attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by Year 2. Standards in Year 2 have recovered after a dip and pupils are now entering Year 3 better prepared for their junior education. Later entrants to Key Stage 1, most of whom have little English on arrival, are supported well. Consequently, they

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The achievement of pupils is good

quickly learn to speak English and progress as well as their peers.  Pupils achieve well in Key Stage 2 and their standards are much higher than seen nationally. In Year 6 in 2013, eight out of 10 pupils attained high levels in reading and mathematics while nearly six out of 10 did so in writing. Mathematics was particularly strong and just over one quarter of pupils attained standards which were more than three years ahead of their age.  The current Year 6 pupils are attaining just as well. Girls’ attainment is similar in both reading and writing. However, boys’ writing is not as strong as their reading.  Both boys and girls write well in a range of different ways but a few boys do not write neatly or present their work well enough which impairs its quality. Pupils do especially well in the national checks for spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Pupils develop a thirst for reading and read widely at school and at home. Reading is a high

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The achievement of pupils is good

priority in the school and pupils benefit from a structured programme that helps them to recognise the sounds that letters make.  Pupils make good progress in other subjects, including in information and communication technology, geography and French. From an early age, pupils develop a strong understanding of ecological issues facing the world. For example, Year 2 pupils learned about the need to preserve rainforests and life within them and, after a walk along London’s South Bank, Year 6 pupils are considering problems associated with urban living.  The most able pupils make swift progress in mathematics in Years 5 and 6. However, they are not always fully challenged in their learning in the rest of the school and in other subjects.  Pupils of different ethnic groups, including those who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good progress similar to

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The achievement of pupils is good

their peers. This is because of the individualised support they receive combined with the good teaching they receive in lessons.  Specialist teaching arrangements for the few pupils with weaker literacy skills are ensuring they make good progress.  The few pupils supported by the pupil premium achieve well. Their good progress is a result of the good support they are given and wise use of the funding. The school identifies their requirements accurately and quickly puts in place effective support for their particular learning needs so they achieve as well as other pupils. There were too few eligible pupils in Year 6 in 2013 to comment on their attainment without identifying them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good with aspects that are outstanding. Teaching has been a focus for improvement and the results are clear to see in the majority of lessons and in pupils’ books. This is why pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Learning is enjoyable because teachers have high expectations and provide interesting contexts which motivate pupils to learn. For example, in the ‘London Eye Mystery’, Year 5 pupils worked very hard when drafting and redrafting their reports and radio broadcasts to improve their written and verbal accounts.  Teachers assess pupils’ progress well. They use information to plan lessons that build on what pupils already know. Sequences of lessons are well-thought through so that pupils are able to explore ideas in a variety of ways. The work set for most pupils is at the right level.  Teaching is not outstanding as some pupils do not have higher levels of challenge to help them

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The quality of teaching is good

make consistently outstanding progress over time. While some specialist teaching in mathematics for the most able in Years 5 and 6 is enabling these pupils to make rapid progress, the needs of the most able pupils are not consistently met across the school or in all subjects.  Teachers usually enable pupils to apply their knowledge of phonics well. For example, in both classes in Year 2, teachers’ reminders enabled pupils to make rapid progress in applying phonics to spelling when writing imaginatively.  In Nursery and Reception, adults provide an interesting range of activities and staff are usually quick to seize opportunities to develop children’s communication, literacy, numeracy and personal skills. However, there are too few opportunities for children to develop their learning outside, for example through applying their phonics knowledge to reading and writing activities.  Marking is good in different subjects and classes. Teachers provide guidance to pupils on how to

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The quality of teaching is good

improve their work and celebrate good achievement. Pupils act upon the comments and consequently learn well from feedback.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ learning, including those learning to speak English, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. This is because their work is carefully planned.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are considerate to each other and work and play very well together. They show respect and kindness to each other and pupils from diverse backgrounds get on extremely well together. This is because the school places a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils are proud of their school and very appreciative of the building improvements that have added space. They take care of equipment and behave very well in the playground, corridors and dining room. Lunchtimes are very pleasant experiences and the pupils enjoy chatting with friends.  Pupils are very keen to learn. They listen carefully to adults and concentrate in lessons so that very little time is wasted in managing behaviour. Sometimes, when work is not tailored as well to pupils’ abilities, their attention wanders but this does not disrupt the learning of others. A few

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

pupils who find it hard to regulate their own behaviour are well supported and show good improvement over time.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have good relationships with adults and say that they feel very safe and confident that any poor behaviour is dealt with effectively.  They have a good understanding how to keep themselves safe in school and the local environment. They understand how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.  The very large majority of parents and carers who responded to Parent View agree that behaviour is good, and feel that their children are kept safe.  Pupils’ attendance is above average and still improving. There have been very few exclusions in recent years.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying. They say that little bullying occurs and they are confident that adults listen to them and take their concerns seriously.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and governing body acted decisively following the previous inspection. They addressed issues that caused the school to require improvement. Consequently, pupils now make good progress.  School leaders have improved the leadership of teaching. Their judgements are accurate because they now look more rigorously at how different groups of pupils are learning. This, combined with the help given to teachers through training, has led to good improvements in the quality of teaching.  The management of teachers’ performance has improved since the previous inspection. Clear targets focus teachers on the outcomes pupils achieve. As a result, teachers are held to account and any promotion must be justified by good or better performance.  Senior and subject leaders regularly check the quality of teaching throughout the school. They also examine pupils’ work and assessments and provide constructive feedback.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders provide teachers with good support. They have a clear vision for quality and are helping to drive improvements in teaching and learning across the school. They identify strengths and weaknesses in teachers’ subject knowledge and help them to improve.  Leadership and management are not yet outstanding because measures to improve the quality of teaching have not yet resulted in consistently outstanding teaching over time.  The curriculum enables pupils to develop their skills and knowledge across a range of subjects. However, the curriculum and teaching are not yet consistently providing enough challenge for the most able pupils.  The school has good partnerships with other primary schools and parents and carers. It has recently forged closer links for mathematics with the local secondary school in order to strengthen teachers’ subject expertise, especially for increasing the level of challenge for the

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The leadership and management are good

most able pupils.  The school is committed to equality of opportunity and works hard to ensure that all pupils do well. Effective systems are in place to ensure relationships are good and tackle discrimination.  The school is using its sports funding to employ sports specialists to work alongside teachers to strengthen their expertise in the teaching of gymnastics, dance and football and to increase professional training for teachers, for example in netball. It has started to evaluate the impact of this spending on pupils’ performance.  The local authority has provided the school with good support and challenge since it was judged to require improvement.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school well and have high expectations of pupils and staff. They challenge and question senior leaders and staff and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They are committed to providing high-quality learning for all pupils

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The leadership and management are good

and give time freely to help the school improve. For example, in recent years, the older most able pupils have benefited from very regular coaching in mathematics given by a governor with the necessary expertise. Governors have implemented thorough procedures to manage the performance of the headteacher and make sure pay rises are deserved. They closely check how the additional government funding and primary school sports funding are spent and the impact they are having. Governors take full advantage of professional training in order to be as effective as possible. They ensure that statutory arrangements for safeguarding are met.

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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 102633 Local authority Merton Inspection number 102633

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 370 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Pickard Headteacher Philippa Jackson Date of previous school inspection 13 December 2012 Telephone number 020 8946 0454 Fax number 0207 345 1886 Email address info@hollymount.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 and 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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