Newtons Primary School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Too few pupils progress well enough in reading and writing to achieve the highest standards of which they are capable by the end of Year 6.  Not enough children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage from their starting points.  The presentation of pupils’ work during lessons is not always of a high enough quality.  Teachers’ expectations of the pupils are not always sufficiently demanding, and pupils’ work is sometimes untidy or not completed properly.  Marking is inconsistent in writing. As a result it does not always clearly identify to pupils how to improve their work.  .In some lessons pupils become distracted when planned activities do not match their needs, especially when the work is too easy or too difficult. Consequently, behaviour is not always good enough.  Leaders and managers at all levels have not always been rigorous enough in the tracking and monitoring of pupils’ progress in reading

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

and writing.  Governors are not always given accurate information about pupils’ progress. Consequently, they have not been sufficiently robust in challenging the school to bring about rapid improvements.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils make good progress in mathematics and achieve well.  The school provides a wide range of clubs for pupils to participate in.  Attendance has improved since the last inspection and continues to rise.  Parents feel that their children are safe and happy at school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in 18 lessons or part lessons, four of which were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. They also listened to groups of pupils read.  The inspectors scrutinised the 12 responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View), and spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Questionnaires completed by 41 staff were analysed.  Meetings took place with staff, pupils, governors and a local authority representative.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised pupils’ books, records of pupils’ progress, and the school’s checks on teaching and learning. They examined the school development plan, records of behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding documents.  Year 3 pupils were out on a trip and some Year 6 pupils were at a cricket tournament during the inspection.  The school is currently going through a period of building works.

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Inspection team

Emma Merva, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Michael Elson Additional Inspector Justina IIochi Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Newtons Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after) is above average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported through school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is above average. The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. The largest groups are from White British and Black African heritages.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is broadly average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics in Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club which is under the management of the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is good or better, especially in reading and writing, by ensuring that:  marking details how pupils can improve their work, and is followed up to ensure that pupils have understood and addressed the guidance offered  activities and work set by teachers enable all pupils to do their best  good practice found in the skills of stronger teachers is shared among all teaching staff.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management at all levels by:  effectively using data within the school to increase progress and attainment of all groups of pupils  ensuring that governors have accurate information about pupils’ progress and attainment, to enable them to more effectively hold the school to account  developing the governing body’s understanding of pupils’ achievement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 A review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how leadership and management may be strengthened.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress made by pupils is not yet good enough. There are variations between year groups and subjects. Progress in reading and writing has not been as good as in mathematics. Too few of the more able pupils make the progress they should.  Pupils enter the school with abilities well below national expectations. There is insufficient good teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage to ensure that all children make good enough progress to prepare them thoroughly for transition to Key Stage 1.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is generally effective. Pupils’ performance in the Year 1 phonics check has increased since 2012, but has remained below national expectations.  Younger pupils apply their understanding of phonics to pronounce their words, properly, which helps them to read and better understand short stories. They are frequently able to predict what might happen next.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Homework is used appropriately to supplement progress in reading. Older pupils read for pleasure and take reading books home regularly. Pupils also regularly have opportunities to practise their reading in school, but the teaching of reading is not systemically planned across the school. This leads to inconsistencies in the progress of different year groups. The school’s own tracking of pupils’ progress information shows that they are on track to attain broadly average standards in reading by the end of Years 2 and 6.  The school has placed an appropriate emphasis on writing through projects such as The Big Write, and standards of writing are showing improvement as a result. However, the school’s own data, validated by the local authority, show that standards still remain broadly average.  Pupils progress well in mathematics. From the information seen during the inspection and in comparison to their peers nationally, their progress and attainment in mathematics are above

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

average.  Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, as well as those from White British and Black African heritages, are making similar progress to their peers. As a result of effective one-to-one support and small-group interventions, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are also progressing as well as their peers.  At the end of Key Stage 2 last year, pupils supported by additional funding attained below their peers in mathematics, reading and writing. They were over a year behind in mathematics, and 16 months behind in reading and writing. They have benefited from being provided with extra resources such as lunchtime mathematics groups, small-group intervention and directed activities. The school’s own monitoring of this group of pupils is showing that the gaps in their achievement are being narrowed.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good enough in all year groups. The achievement of pupils is too variable, and too few exceed the national progress expectations in reading and writing by the end of Key Stage 2.  Lessons are planned with different pupils’ needs taken into account. However, some work is not sufficiently challenging for all pupils to make good progress, and some work is too difficult.  Expectations of pupils are inconsistent. For example, in some year groups, but not all, poorly presented and incomplete work is not appropriately challenged by teachers. The checking of pupils’ work is also inconsistent across the school. Marking does not always pick up basic mistakes, nor does it regularly inform pupils about how to improve their work so they know what to do next.  The teaching of phonics has improved. However, this is still not taught systematically across the whole school. As a result, not all pupils make the progress that they are capable of.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage needs to be improved because basic routines are not yet fully established. Not all children make the necessary progress to prepare them fully for entry into Year 1.  Where teaching is at its most effective, it is exciting and engaging, pupils want to do well and are usually fully involved. For example, in a Year 4 mathematics lesson pupils were creating tally charts to present their data well. They were well supported as a result of effective planning and made good progress.  Teaching assistants are used well to target support for one-to-one activities both inside and outside of the classroom.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour requires improvement because pupils’ attitudes to learning are not routinely attentive. Although eager to work together in lessons and keenly share ideas, pupils sometimes distract their classmates when lesson activities do not cater well enough for them all. Some pupils’ learning is occasionally disrupted as a result.  Behaviour policies include both sanctions and rewards; however, during the inspection teachers were found to be applying the policies inconsistently, with varying standards of behaviour accepted in different classes.  Pupils get on well together around the school and in the playground. They are polite to each other and to adults in and around the school. There is a harmonious and inclusive atmosphere and no evidence of any form of discrimination. The school’s records show that there have been very few recorded incidents of serious misbehaviour.  Pupils say that they are happy to come to school and that they feel safe, and their parents

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

agree. However, some aspects of the school’s supervision of maintenance, for example, health and safety checks in the Early Years Foundation Stage area, are not routinely carried out rigorously enough.  The school has taken positive action to improve pupils’ attendance, and persistent absence rates are falling. Overall attendance rates have gone up and this year are above the national average.  Pupils have an effective understanding about the different types of bullying, including verbal and cyber bullying. They say that if bullying or name-calling does happen, they feel that adults take swift action to deal with it.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the last inspection leadership and management have not demonstrated the rigour and consistency needed at all levels to ensure that pupils make good or better progress in all year groups in reading and writing.  Senior and middle leaders observe teaching and give advice on how to improve. However, good practice has not been shared across the school to support consistency. For example, leaders of the Early Years Foundation Stage do not ensure that activities are routinely matched to children’s needs. As a result children do not always make the expected gains for their age.  Subject leaders have not been systematic in applying the school’s monitoring and evaluation policies. For example, marking in pupils’ books does not always follow the agreed policy across all year groups.  The school has developed a new policy for teachers’ performance management in line with local authority guidance. Previously, teacher targets were insufficiently focused to increase progress

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The leadership and management requires improvement

at the highest level to enable pupils to fulfil their potential.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory guidelines. There are a wide range of clubs and activities that pupils can attend, for example, violin lessons, ballroom dancing and cricket. Pupils also enjoy a positive start to the day in the breakfast club. These activities help to promote pupils’ effective understanding of social, moral, spiritual and cultural dimensions.  The primary school sports funding has been used to buy new resources, provide a sports coach and support the development of new sports initiatives.  Stronger data checking processes and closer monitoring are beginning to ensure that all pupils equally share the opportunity to make better progress. This is leading to an overall improvement in their learning.  Arrangements to safeguard pupils meet statutory requirements.  The school is receiving local authority support to improve provision.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governance is not yet fully effective. Governors are energetically reviewing their systems to enable them to improve their monitoring and support. They are focusing very carefully on the school’s building programme to ensure that it will have a positive effect on pupils’ learning. Governors have recently attended training courses, but to date they have not received sufficient information to allow them to provide effective monitoring of pupils’ achievement. They understand the purpose of pupil premium funding; however, they have not previously closely checked the impact of strategies to support the progress that pupils make as a result. Governors monitor the finances of the school and have an operational understanding about how the school’s finances are spent, including how the sports funding is used. They have a clear understanding of the performance management process, and have ensured that it is

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The leadership and management requires improvement

linked to classroom performance. The governing body has ensured that arrangements to safeguard pupils meet statutory requirements.

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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 102319 Local authority Havering Inspection number 443863

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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 350 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Linda Mills Headteacher Lynn Lowe Date of previous school inspection 6–7 July 2011 Telephone number 01708 558613 Fax number 01708 554650 Email address office@newtons.havering.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

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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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