Oliver Goldsmith Primary School

School report Oliver Goldsmith Primary School Coniston Gardens, Kingsbury, London, NW9 0BD Inspection dates 8–9 May 2014

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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.  Pupils achieve well and make good progress in English and mathematics, reaching above average standards by the end of Key Stage 1 and 2.  The dynamic leadership of the executive headteacher has improved pupils’ achievement since 2013.  Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where skilful teaching ensures they make rapid progress.  The quality of teaching is good across the school.  Pupils are courteous, respectful and behave well. They enjoy coming to school and attendance of pupils is above average.  There are good partnerships with parents and pupils feel safe and well looked after. This is a really good aspect of the school’s work.  Leaders and governors provide strong leadership and clear direction to staff and pupils. There is a sharp focus on raising standards and teachers are held accountable for the progress pupils make.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some pupils, in particular the most able, are not always given harder work when they are ready to move on in their learning.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, pupils do not always receive the feedback they need to know how to improve their work.  Teachers and middle leaders do not always use information about pupils’ progress to ensure that all pupils achieve outstandingly well.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 24 episodes of teaching, of which six were observed jointly with school leaders.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, three governors including the Chair of the Governing Body, the local authority school improvement partner and staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents. These included information about pupils’ progress, and checks made on the quality of teaching, the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation summary. Safeguarding documentation as well as behaviour and attendance records were also examined. Inspectors also looked at the school’s action plan for the use of the sports funding.  Inspectors took account of the 105 responses to the online Parent View survey and the outcomes of the school’s own parental surveys. In addition, inspectors took account of the 28 responses they received from the questionnaire the school administered to staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors talked to pupils about the school’s work and listened to some pupils read.

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Inspection team

Nasim Butt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jeanie Jovanova Additional Inspector Brian Netto Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of two part-time Nursery and two full-time Reception classes.  Almost all pupils are of minority ethnic heritage. The largest ethnic groups are of Asian, Black Caribbean and White Eastern European heritage. The majority of pupils speak English as an additional language. A few are at the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (in this school, additional government funding for particular pupils, including those eligible for free school meals) is slightly below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and who need some extra help is below average, as is the proportion who need more help or who have a statement of special educational needs.  The school met the current government floor standards in 2013, which set the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since September 2013, the school has been part of a soft federation with Byron Court Primary School, an arrangement in which both schools work in partnership under one executive headteacher but with two separate governing bodies.  The executive headteacher of Oliver Goldsmith is a national leader of education (NLE) and the substantive headteacher of Byron Court Primary School. She assumed her position as the executive headteacher of both schools in January 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding by:  making sure that pupils, especially the most able, have harder work when they are ready to move on in their learning and, as a result, a greater proportion of the most able pupils reach higher standards by end of Key Stage 1 and 2.  providing consistent guidance on pupils’ next steps in learning, especially in subjects other than English and mathematics, and ensuring that pupils follow this advice quickly  ensuring that information about pupils’ achievement is always used effectively by teachers and middle leaders to challenge all pupils to make more rapid progress in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Nursery class with knowledge and skills that are typically below those expected for their age. The activities set in the Early Years Foundation Stage stimulate children’s curiosity. Children enjoy learning together and most persevere well to complete tasks to a high standard and so make rapid progress.  Good progress continues through the school because most leaders monitor pupils’ progress closely and extra help is given when necessary. As a result, all groups of pupils, including the few at the early stages of learning English, thrive and do well.  Standards in English and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 have been historically above the national average but declined in 2013 to broadly in line with national expectations. Not enough pupils made good progress, including those supported by the pupil premium. As a result of decisive action by senior leaders, last year’s dip in standards has been reversed. The

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The achievement of pupils is good

current Year 2 and Year 6 pupils are on track to achieve above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics this year.  The good progress in English and mathematics is not reflected in all subjects across the school. Progress in pupils’ science, history and French books is not as strong as it could be because teachers’ feedback to pupils lacks the detail found in English and mathematics books.  Achievement of the most able pupils is improving this year and most are making good progress. Leaders recognise that more outstanding teaching is needed to ensure that a much higher proportion of pupils attain Level 5 and Level 6 in English and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2.  In 2013, there was a large gap in attainment and progress between pupils supported by the pupil premium and their peers. This is not typical and the achievement gap is closing quickly. Currently, the gap in attainment between pupils supported by the pupil premium and their peers

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The achievement of pupils is good

in Year 6 is equivalent to less than one-third of a level in reading, writing and mathematics. The progress these pupils make in English and mathematics is as good as, and sometimes better than, that of their classmates.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Their needs are accurately analysed and the right support provided, generally by skilled teaching assistants.  Pupils’ writing benefits from a closer scrutiny of pupils’ attainment every half-term on a fiction and non-fiction piece of unaided writing.  Reading is improving as a result of more systematic teaching, particularly of how letters link to the sounds they make (phonics). In the 2013 Year 1 phonics screening check, the large majority of pupils met or exceeded the level expected, a significant improvement from 2012.  The different groups in the school achieve equally well, including boys, girls and those from

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The achievement of pupils is good

different ethnic heritages. This demonstrates the school’s success in promoting good equality of opportunity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the previous inspection because there is more consistently good and outstanding teaching across a range of subjects.  Very positive relationships between staff and pupils lead to effective learning. As a result, very little time is wasted in lessons and smooth transitions between activities allow more learning to happen.  Most teachers use skilful questioning, well-planned activities and focused support, to help pupils make rapid progress. When teachers use a range of stimulating resources pupils learn well and to sustain their interest and motivation.  Planning, teaching and the checks made on children’s progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage are good. Teachers use the information gathered about children’s progress to plan what they need to learn next. As a result of a good balance of activities children choose for themselves and adult-led tasks, children learn new skills quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Phonics is taught systematically and younger pupils use this knowledge in their reading and writing activities to make good progress.  Teaching is not yet outstanding because the most able pupils are not always set work that is hard enough. As a result not all make the progress of which they are capable.  Pupils’ books shows that they have many opportunities to practise their writing skills across all areas of their learning. Work shows strong evidence of good progress, particularly when pupils use the ‘toolkits’ provided to check their own progress.  When teachers mark pupils’ work, they often make clear to pupils how they might improve further. Pupils are encouraged to and do respond to teachers’ feedback and comments and enjoy using the ‘purple pen of progress’. However, pupils do not always get detailed guidance in all subjects to know how to improve.  Most teachers use information about pupils’ achievement to plan activities that develop pupils’

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The quality of teaching is good

learning lesson by lesson. However, this is not the case for all pupils and some pupils do not make the progress they should.  Teaching in French, music and information and communication technology is good. In French, for example, pupils enjoy speaking and listening and they are able to construct sentences about their sporting likes and dislikes using appropriate connectives.  Teaching assistants support pupils well in lessons. Through targeted small-group work pupils are guided well and make good progress in their knowledge and understanding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Most parents who responded to the online questionnaire judge that behaviour is good and rare instances of poor behaviour are dealt with well. Pupils who spoke to inspectors said that pupils behave well most of the time.  Pupils are friendly, polite, helpful and kind to each other and to visitors. Staff are good role models for pupils. Relationships are respectful throughout the school.  In most lessons, pupils are very keen to learn and they are attentive. They respond quickly to teacher’s cues, both verbal and non-verbal, moving between activities easily. Behaviour is not yet outstanding because occasionally a few pupils lose concentration when teaching is not stimulating them enough.  When asked to work in pairs or in groups, pupils work well together. Consistently good behaviour has resulted in only two fixed-term exclusions in the previous year, both of which

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

were dealt with appropriately.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Staff, pupils and parents all agree that pupils are safe and well looked after.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe on social media sites and when using the internet. They know, for example, not to share information about themselves online. Some older pupils in the school are Junior Road Safety Officers and they sometimes go out to inform parents that they are parked illegally or inconsiderately.  Staff know pupils and their families well. They monitor pupils’ absence and check that families do not take their children away on holiday in term time. As a result of very effective work to promote regular attendance, persistent absence is very low and attendance is well above average.  Pupils of all backgrounds get on really well with each other. Pupils say that that bullying of any form is very rare and staff deal with any lapse in pupils’ treatment of each other effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying and its negative consequences.

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The leadership and management are good

 The excellent leadership of the executive headteacher has been instrumental in continuing to move the school forward following some turbulence in staffing two years ago.  Senior leaders, staff and governors are ambitious for the school and have high expectations. Every member of staff who completed the questionnaire confirmed the school is well led and managed. They know what the school is trying to achieve, they feel involved in improving the school and that their training needs are being met. They agree that leaders are helping to improve their teaching.  Senior leaders check frequently on the work of teachers and other adults. Senior leaders jointly watch teaching and look together at pupils’ books. They make accurate judgements on the quality of teaching because they look closely at pupils’ progress over time.  Where weaker elements of teaching are identified, skilled teachers from Byron Court Primary

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The leadership and management are good

School provide effective training for staff. Teachers’ pay is linked directly to the progress pupils make. The executive headteacher makes tough decisions about staff performance and sets challenging targets for all teachers.  The school has introduced faculty leaders who have oversight of subjects and key aspects of the school’s work. Faculty leaders check pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. They identify where the quality of teaching needs improvement. However there is not enough focus on using information about pupils’ progress to stretch all pupils to help them learn exceptionally well.  Good leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage ensures that children make rapid progress from starting points below those expected for their age; this strong start eases their transition into Year 1.  Pupil premium funding is used well and the pupils who benefit from this funding make good progress in English and mathematics. Sometimes their progress is better than that of their peers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The additional primary sports funding is used effectively. This is helping to increase pupils’ participation in sport, develop a range of skills and is improving their health and well-being.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Subjects including music, art and French complement numeracy and literacy, and contribute well to pupils’ cultural understanding. Displays of high quality around the school celebrate pupils’ personal development and their academic achievement.  Parents and carers are very supportive of the school. A very large majority (95%) of parents who responded to the online questionnaire agree or strongly agree with almost all statements.  The local authority was effective in brokering the arrangements for executive headship. This is providing the strong leadership necessary to help all leaders maintain the good quality of education at the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school meets safeguarding requirements. Procedures are well established and are applied consistently across the school. There is a named governor responsible for reporting on safeguarding to the governing body.  The governance of the school:  Governance has improved since the previous inspection, because of effective on-going training. Governors are assigned specific roles to make sure there is expertise within the team. For example, because they understand their roles, they share information well and make sure that governors understand the quality of teaching, pupils’ achievement, safeguarding requirements and financial management. They are very clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and know how pupils’ performance compares with all schools nationally. Governors worked closely with the local authority to deal with staffing issues in December 2012. A governor is linked to each of the six faculties of the school and they take part in the

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The leadership and management are good

review of faculty action plans. Finances are managed robustly and governors know how the pupil premium and sports funding is spent. They know how the impact of these funds are evaluated. Governors ensure teachers’ pay is linked to their performance, and know how to tackle underperformance. Governors ensure all statutory requirements are met, including those for safeguarding pupils.

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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 101528 Local authority Brent Inspection number 444296

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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 460 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dave Cooper Headteacher Martine Clark Date of previous school inspection 12–13 January 2011 Telephone number 020 8205 6038 Fax number 020 8205 4987 Email address admin@olivergoldsmith@brent.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 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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