Elm Park Primary School

School report Elm Park Primary School South End Road, Hornchurch, RM12 5UA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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:

 Pupils do not make consistently good progress. They do not learn to spell well enough and there are too few opportunities for them to write at length.  Pupils’ mathematics skills are not thoroughly developed and pupils are not encouraged to apply their skills to problem solving.  There is not enough good or better teaching to enable pupils to make good progress. Teachers do not all have high enough expectations.  Pupils are not all given regular comments about how they can improve their work. Checks to ensure improvements have been carried out are not always made.  The behaviour of pupils requires improvement as they are not always engaged in their work. They do not all take care and present their work neatly.  Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have not ensured that teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved enough to be good. They are not rigorous enough in checking pupils’ learning. Subject leaders are

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

not involved sufficiently in improving teaching in their areas of responsibility to make sure it is consistently good.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress. Staff organise engaging activities that interest them in learning.  Early reading skills are well developed. Pupils achieved above average results in the Year 1 phonics (sounds that letters make) check.  Pupils take on a wide range of responsibilities to support others, their environment and learning.  Governance has improved significantly since the previous inspection. Governors know the school well and challenge senior leaders to make more improvements.  Pupils say that they feel safe in the school and the vast majority of parents and carers responding to the online survey agree.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 16 lessons or part-lessons. Four observations were carried out with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, staff with responsibility for subjects or areas, pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other governors and a local authority representative.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and the work they had completed over time.  The 36 responses to the Parent View survey were scrutinised. Inspectors also talked to parents and carers informally about their views of the school when they dropped their children off in the morning.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation including the school’s review of its performance and plans for the future, records of the management of staff performance, current information on the performance of pupils, minutes of meetings of the governing body, and behaviour, attendance and safeguarding records.

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Inspection team

Susan Williams, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Melanie Clapton Additional Inspector Roger Easthope Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils come from a range of backgrounds with the largest group being White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is just above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is just below the national average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the national minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better by ensuring:  expectations of what pupils can do are consistently high and pupils are always engaged in their work and behave well  pupils are given regular guidance to help them improve their work and act upon the feedback they receive  errors in spelling are corrected, pupils present their work more neatly and have more time to write at length  mathematics skills are developed more thoroughly and pupils have the time to apply these to problem solving.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring:  subject leaders are more involved in developing teaching in their areas of responsibility  checks on learning are more rigorous so pupils make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not make consistently good progress. They do not learn to spell well enough as their errors are not always corrected. Pupils in all year groups are not given the time to develop their writing skills by writing longer texts. Mathematics skills are not thoroughly developed and time is not given for pupils to use these for problem solving in order to understand the skills they learn.  Pupils supported by additional funding receive extra help in classes and small groups as well as opportunities to attend clubs and activities. These pupils were approximately six months behind other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics in the national tests in 2013. School information shows progress is starting to improve, particularly in Year 6. Their progress is similar to other pupils’ and is not consistently good across the school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive additional support and some

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

pupils make rapid progress although this is not consistently strong for all pupils. The most able pupils make similar progress to others. Expectations are not always high enough for them to make better progress. White British pupils and pupils from minority ethnic groups and the most able achieve similarly.  Attainment at Key Stage 2 was broadly average in 2012 and 2013. Progress in 2013 was weaker in writing and mathematics. School records show projected improvements in reading, writing and mathematics for 2014 with much improved progress.  Attainment at Key Stage 1 was below average in reading, writing and mathematics in 2012 and improved to be broadly average in 2013. Inspection evidence and school information show similar average standards have been maintained in 2014.  Reading is a strength in the school. Early reading skills are developed well. The proportion of pupils who reached the required standard for the Year 1 phonics check in 2013 was above

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

average and has improved further this year. Pupils read books regularly. They say they enjoy reading and also read books at home.  Writing is improving and pupils write in a range of styles and about a wide variety of subjects. Mathematics is also improving and where pupils do well, topics are covered thoroughly and pupils have time to apply these skills to problems.  Children enter the school in Reception with skills and knowledge at below the levels typical for their age. They make good progress as they are well supported and do interesting activities which help them to learn well. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development was above average in 2013 and has improved further in 2014. Children are well prepared for Year 1.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Expectations are not high enough for all groups of pupils, including the most able. Pupils are not always set demanding enough work to do. In English for example, pupils are not expected to write at length often enough.  Pupils in some classes are not always engaged in their work. When teachers do not plan tasks that capture and hold pupils’ interest their attention wanders and learning slows.  Standards of presentation are not high enough. When teachers accept poor presentation or when incorrect spellings are not corrected pupils’ progress is diminished.  Pupils are not always given regular written guidance on how to improve their work. Even when teachers give helpful feedback, pupils are not always encouraged to act on the advice they receive.  Displays in classrooms support learning. There are helpful suggestions for words pupils could use in their writing or for working out problems in mathematics. Classrooms create a positive

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

environment for learning.  When tasks are challenging and interesting in mathematics and English, pupils are motivated and engaged and produce better quality work. In writing in Year 6 for example, pupils worked hard to plan and write a letter home as a Second World War evacuee. They were helped to think about how they might have felt so they could describe their emotions in their letter.  Teaching assistants work well with teachers in sessions and with pupils outside classrooms to support pupils’ learning. Some of these pupils are making faster progress.  Adults work well with children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide interesting activities which engage them in learning. For example, children enjoyed learning about vegetables. For example, they worked hard to make a vegetable patch collage and paint vegetables on a plate. They dug to find vegetables buried in the earth outside and described

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Sometimes pupils do not concentrate on their learning in lessons and become distracted. Pupils reported that on some occasions some pupils do not listen and their learning is disturbed.  Pupils do not all take pride in their work or take care over presentation in their books or files.  Around the school, in the lunch hall and the playground pupils behave well. They are considerate when playing games with each other. Adults play circle games with younger children and are fully involved in the activities which the children enjoy.  Pupils say that around school behaviour is better than in lessons. They are not concerned about bullying and say very little happens. They are confident that adults will help them to sort out any issues. Behaviour records show that any poor behaviour is well managed and that there are few racist incidents and cases of bullying. The school is effective in ensuring equality of opportunity,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

fostering good relations and ensuring there is no discrimination.  Pupils are rewarded for good behaviour with notes home and a golden ticket for following the ‘golden rules’ at lunchtime where they enter a raffle and are awarded a prize at the end of the week.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe in the school and the vast majority of parents and carers agree. Pupils know about how to keep safe such as on the roads and on the internet.  The school develops pupils’ awareness of safety well with sessions on ‘stranger danger’, drug awareness with Years 5 and 6, road safety, the police to talk about cyber bullying and in celebrating safer internet day.  Attendance has improved significantly and is now around the national average. The number of pupils who have high absence rates has reduced. The school has worked hard to promote good attendance and the importance of attending school with families, and this has been successful.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 Pupils take on a range of different responsibilities in school including as junior travel ambassadors who promote safety by, for example, encouraging parents and carers not to park outside the school. Prefects in Year 6 are involved in recycling and other pupils take part in the school council. The ‘digital leaders’ promote the use of information and communication technology to boost pupils’ writing.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because checks have not been rigorous enough to make sure that teaching and achievement are good.  Subject leaders do not work with teachers to ensure that teaching is consistently good in their areas.  Self-evaluation is broadly accurate. Improvement plans have appropriate priorities for improvement with associated outcomes which can be measured by governors. These have been effective in raising standards in the Early Years Foundation Stage and securing recent improvements in Key Stage 2.  The management of the performance of staff has improved and clearer targets are now set for improvement. These are linked to appropriate professional development for staff. There have been improvements in teaching, particularly for staff new to the profession.  The curriculum gives appropriate priority to the development of English and mathematics. However, weaknesses in opportunities to develop writing and mathematics mean pupils do not

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The leadership and management require improvement

do as well as they could. Other subjects are taught in topics, for example, the Second World War in Year 6 and a mission to Mars in Year 5.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted through assemblies, visits to museums, places of worship, arts week and charity events. Pupils visit places of worship including churches and a Gurdwara. They also go to see musicals in London. Visitors also enrich pupils’ experience of school including an Olympian who shared their experience of winning a gold medal and a grandparent who talked to pupils about what life was like when they were young.  The sports funding has been used effectively to increase opportunities for clubs including football and cricket. The teams have won more games this year and the school went to the London Youth Games. There are strong links with a local secondary school and Year 10 sports leaders teach in the school. Pupils took part in a mini-Olympics competition at the secondary

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The leadership and management require improvement

school and were the overall winners.  The local authority has provided effective support to assist senior leaders and governors in monitoring improvements and consultant support for teaching.  The governance of the school:  Governance has improved considerably since the previous inspection. The governors commissioned an external review of their work and have acted on its findings. They have reorganised themselves to enable them to have additional governors with expertise to strengthen the governing body. A governor induction online programme helps new governors find out about the work of the governing body. This is also helpful for other governors and enables the governing body to be strategic.  Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the school. This helps them to challenge senior leaders. They have received training to help them to understand assessment information. They know the school’s results and that progress

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The leadership and management require improvement

across the school currently is variable. They know that progress is improving for pupils receiving additional funding.  They know the quality of teaching and ensure pay awards are linked to the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress. They are also aware of where support has been given to tackle underperformance. They ensure statutory duties are met, including for safeguarding.

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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 102272 Local authority Havering Inspection number 442133

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 382 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Catherine Barham Headteacher Victoria Knox Date of previous school inspection 24–25 January 2013 Telephone number 01708 451463 Fax number 01708 620733 Email address office@elmparkprimary.co.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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