Bishop John Robinson Church of England Primary School

School report Bishop John Robinson Church Of England Primary School Hoveton Road, Thamesmead, London, SE28 8LW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils achieve well. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 has improved. More pupils reached above average standards in 2014 than in the previous year.  Test results from 2014 show that attainment at the end of Year 2 remained above average in reading and mathematics, and was in line with the average in writing.  The most able pupils consistently achieve well. A greater proportion than the national average have attained the highest level in mathematics over the last three years. Their progress is also consistently above national figures.  Pupils are currently making good progress and are on track to achieve well in 2015.  Governors and the newly appointed school leaders have put all their energies into raising standards for all pupils. This follows a couple of years of unsettled leadership.  Pupils behave well around the school and in their lessons. They display mature attitudes towards their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning and they strive to do well.  Safety is good. Safeguarding systems are all in order. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe.  The quality of teaching has improved since the new leadership team put in rigorous systems to check the quality of teaching and learning. This led to improvements in pupils’ achievement at the end of Year 6 in 2014.  Governors ensure that leaders check teaching and learning regularly so that the rate of improvement towards higher standards can be accelerated for all pupils.  Children receive good education in the early years. Children make good progress and are well prepared to start Year 1.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always ensure that lower ability learners have grasped essential concepts before moving on to more complex concepts. This is especially the case in mathematics.  Teachers’ marking and feedback are not of a consistently high quality. As a result, lower ability pupils do not understand how they can improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all eight classes. Four observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  In addition, the headteacher and an inspector made a series of shorter visits to lessons.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work books from last year and those of pupils currently in school to check on the progress that pupils make over time.  Inspectors talked to pupils and asked them what they think about their school, how safe they feel, what behaviour is like in the playground, and whether they think that they make good progress.  Inspectors read all relevant documentation about the school’s work, including policies on behaviour, safety, teaching and learning, programmes of study and assessment, and the minutes of meetings of the whole governing body.  They talked to parents to gather their opinions on their children’s school, including on behaviour, teaching and levels of safety.

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Information about this inspection

 They met with the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and with a representative of the local authority.  In addition, inspectors took account of the 74 responses to the online questionnaire Parent View and of responses to an anonymous questionnaire by 16 members of staff.

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Inspection team

Mina Drever, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school, with more girls than boys. There is one class in each year group.  There is a Nursery class and a Reception class in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The children can join either the Nursery at age three or the Reception at age four. Children attend Nursery part time, either in the morning or in the afternoon. Their start to the Nursery is staggered for the first two weeks so that staff can help each child to settle comfortably.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is much larger than the national average. Almost all of the pupils belong to 11 ethnic groups. The largest group, more than two thirds of pupils,  are from aBlack African heritagefollowed by White and other British.Four in ten of the pupils speak English as an additional language. This proportion is also above the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is in line with the national average.

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Information about this school

In this school the funding is used to provide support for pupils in receipt of free school meals and children looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is well below the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above the national average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress in mathematics, reading and writing.  Since the previous inspection in November 2010 the school has gone through some instability in leadership. The previous headteacher resigned and left the school in May 2013. The governors supported staff while they set up a temporary partnership with Invicta Primary School. In September 2013 the deputy headteacher from Invicta joined this school as temporary head of school. He was supported in this

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Information about this school

transition by the executive headteacher at Invicta and by the local authority.  The same head of school took up the post of substantive headteacher at this school in September 2014. The temporary partnership with Invicta was dissolved. Now, steered by the new headteacher, the school works informally with other school clusters to share good practice and moderate assessments. The senior leadership team consists of the headteacher and a deputy headteacher recruited in September 2014. A new middle leadership team joined the school in September 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and achievement so they are typically outstanding by:  ensuring that lower ability pupils have grasped key concepts before moving on to more complex ones, especially in mathematics  ensuring that teachers give lower ability pupils clear guidance about what they need to do to improve their learning and their work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors, all leaders and teachers are united in their ambition for this to be an outstanding school. Teachers feel well supported by the new senior leadership team because they have well-defined goals and a clarity of vision that had been lacking in the past.  The headteacher has played an important role in this transformation through the selection of key staff. Recently appointed leaders, including those that lead the support for disabled pupils and those who have special education needs, and the early years, are helping to drive improvements. The headteacher encourages leaders, teachers and support staff to check the quality of the school’s work rigorously. This has led to a cohesive plan of school development, which is firmly focused on raising achievement for all pupils.  Subject and key stage leaders work very well together to develop a shared approach to checking learning in their own areas of expertise. They ensure that teachers and teaching assistants have the necessary

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The leadership and management are good

knowledge and training.  Systems for checking the quality of teaching and learning are effective in securing improvement. Pupils’ progress is analysed regularly and accurately. As a result of all these new procedures teaching is now consistently good and pupils make good progress.  The range of subjects and activities on offer gives pupils equal opportunities to do well and helps them learn to respect one another. This has a positive impact on their behaviour and helps to prepare them for life in democratic Britain. The curriculum is enriched by an array of cultural activities that reflect the community of the school but also open doors to historical figures and visionaries to inspire pupils. For example, the school has a range of activities planned for Black History month.  The new National Curriculum is delivered efficiently and effectively. Teachers are working with the local authority to put in place a new assessment system to track the progress pupils make.. The early signs are

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The leadership and management are good

that this is having a positive impact. The school is also working with other local schools to moderate both the implementation of the new curriculum and the assessment system.  The pupil premium funding is used well. In 2013 and 2014 there was a gap between the achievement of eligible pupils and that of their classmates. However, in-depth analysis has revealed that the gap was a result of poor management of learning leading up to the summer of 2013, and in 2014 to the specific circumstance of a group of pupils who had missed a lot of education before coming to this school during Key Stage 2. Eligible pupils across this school are now making good progress and are on track to achieve as well as other pupils in 2015.  The primary sports funding is effectively spent on two strands: on providing greater opportunities for pupils to participate in team activities, and on external consultants training teachers to deliver a sports

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The leadership and management are good

curriculum. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ enjoyment of competitive activities and on the teachers’ confidence in teaching physical education.  The local authority has worked very closely with the school. It has provided effective training for staff that has contributed to improvements in teaching quality and pupils’ academic standards,  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. As a result of appropriate risk assessments pupils are appropriately protected. They feel safe and their parents trust the school to keep their children safe. Teachers are appropriately trained. They feel confident about keeping pupils safe.  The governance of the school:  Governance is very effective. Governors supported staff well following the departure of the previous headteacher and have now secured a strong, visionary headteacher who knows where he wants to take the school. They support him very well and provide clear challenge, for example by consistently seeking

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The leadership and management are good

explanation for any dips in pupils’ ongoing performance. Governors check that priorities for action lead to improvements. They manage the headteacher’s performance very effectively by making sure that his targets for raising achievement are met. Through the headteacher they keep a keen eye on teachers’ performance, overseeing the school’s systems for linking performance with pay awards. Governors make sure that the school’s self-evaluation and development plans focus on raising standards. They keep a tight rein on the budget. Governors have an appropriate and broad set of skills to enable them to support and challenge the school effectively.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils love their school and like coming here. As a result attendance is high and consistently above the national average over-time.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. Occasionally, a few lose concentration in class for example, if they do not understand something. Teachers and other adults quickly pick this up and bring them back to the task at hand..  The school’s emphasis on moral and spiritual development contributes in no small way to the pupils’ considerate behaviour towards one another and adults. They go around the school with big smiles on their faces and constantly look out for one another.  There is an atmosphere of equality and uniqueness at the same time, an understanding that each person is valued within a collective sense of responsibility. This goes a long way towards preparing children for life in modern Britain.  There is a strong community feel around the school. Pupils help each other in their work in class and play

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Behaviour

well together outside. The playground is full of the sound of children involved in a variety of creative play.  Parents feel that pupils behave well and that any negative behaviour is dealt with quickly and fairly. They are very supportive of the school because staff treat pupils fairly and care for them.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have a good understanding of all types of bullying. They say that this is rare and that they trust all staff to treat any bullying fairly yet firmly.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and play safely together. They are aware of the small area in the playground that is a little bumpy and walk through it very sensibly.  Parents feel that the school provides a safe and secure environment for their children.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Because teachers plan interesting activities in all lessons, pupils are fully engaged in what they are doing. They listen attentively to teachers’ explanations and participate well in whole-class discussions. Children in the early years provision were interested to learn about shapes. They listened carefully and talked confidently with the adults about what they had learned about squares, trangles and cubes.  Occasionally, a few pupils lose concentration when teachers’ explanations are not clear enough for them to understand readily. For example, a few lower ability pupils in a mathematics lesson were confused about the more complex shapes like octagons or about metres and centimetres and their attention wandered. Teachers and teaching assistants are prompt in noticing this. However, they do not always check what pupils missed and where they lack secure understanding.  On the whole, a vibrant and upbeat atmosphere ensures that pupils are keen and motivated to learn. As a

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The quality of teaching is good

result, pupils can be seen engaged and enthusiastic in their learning as one walks from classroom to classroom and along the corridors. For example, in the hall one group of pupils were seen creating complementary rhythmic patterns in excited groups. Listening and negotiating skills were used instinctively by pupils to motivate and challenge one another.  Pupils learn well in lessons because teachers check individual pupils’ progress with well-expressed questions that make pupils think about their answers.  Pupils’ exercise books show that they make good progress over time. This is especially evident where teachers have explained how pupils might do better and pupils have used the information to improve the quality of their work. However, it is not always as clear that some of the lower ability pupils have understood and followed teachers’ advice.  A strength in the school is the acquisition of verbal skills. Pupils communicate clearly and confidently and

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The quality of teaching is good

often quite eloquently. It is a pleasure to listen to their articulate explanation of, for example, the different roles played in a game in the playground.

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is good

 Since the previous inspection in 2010 achievement has been consistently good in Key Stages 1 and 2. There was a slight drop in the proportion of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected levels in 2013 as a result of sudden changes in leadership. Results were also affected in 2013 by a drop in attainment by disadvantaged pupils, almost all of whom had additional needs.  The most able pupils achieve very well, particularly in mathematics. By the end of Year 6 a substantially greater proportion than the national average attained the highest level (Level 6). The more able pupils in Year 2 also reach standards above the national average in all areas of learning and significantly so in reading and mathematics.  Test results from 2014 indicate that the uncharacteristic drop in achievement at Key Stage 2 in 2013 has been reversed. New leaders have improved the quality of teaching and raised standards. Attainment at

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is good

the end of Key Stage 2 is again above national figures.  Training provided by the school has secured better teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent). The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the phonics check at the end of Year 1 and Year 2 has risen and is above the national average.  The progress of current pupils in Year 6 suggests that attainment in 2015 is on track to rise further. This is because leaders have improved the quality of teaching. Leaders check pupils’ progress information rigorously and regularly. Pupils who need extra support are helped to catch up.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well from their different starting points. The new leader for special educational needs is developing support for these pupils, and makes sure they all have high-quality individual plans.  Up until 2013, disadvantaged pupils in receipt of additional funding performed much better than other

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is good

pupils nationally and other pupils in the school. The decline in their achievement in 2013 reflected the dip in attainment of all pupils in the school as a result of instability in school leadership. In 2014, the gap between these pupils and other pupils nationally closed in reading and almost closed in writing and mathematics. Compared to other pupils in the school, the gap in attainment of these pupils closed in reading, but attainment stood at over five terms behind in mathematics and over four terms in writing. An in-depth analysis of the make-up of this group of pupils revealed that the group’s results were affected by the multiple and complex educational needs of all but one pupil in the group. Teachers and leaders worked very hard with all of these pupils and their families; as a result, some of them attended school more than they had ever done before and made faster progress.  Disadvantaged pupils in the current Year 6 are making similar progress to their peers and are on track to

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is good

reach similar standards of attainment and thus close the gap in 2015. This is because teachers and leaders are keeping a very close eye on their progress and providing one-to-one support as it is needed.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language perform very well compared to similar groups nationally. This is because the school provides very good language support as it is needed across the curriculum. Pupils from all ethnic backgrounds achieve consistently well.

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is good

 Children come to this school with knowledge, skills and understanding generally below those typical for their age. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. Leadership is good in the early years provision and makes sure that children are well prepared for the next stage in their education when they move to Year 1.  Children are nurtured well in the early years classes. All adults in Nursery take immense care in looking after the children’s welfare and in giving them every available opportunity to learn through talk and through practical activities. As a result, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development is above the national average, especially in communication and language. This is because teachers and other adults are skilled in training children to use language for effective communication.  Children behave incredibly well when playing together outside in the garden area. This is because adults

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is good

are ever present to ensure that children engage safely in play.  Assessment of children’s skills when they join the school is done with parental support so that teachers get a good idea of what children can do before they start school. Teachers then begin to provide individual support for each child to develop at his or her own pace within the rich learning environment.  Teaching is good. Adults keep the children captivated by their learning. However, sometimes some of the children lose concentration during whole-class learning. This affects the understanding of difficult concepts, especially in mathematics, and teachers do not always notice.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 100181 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 444044

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 228 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jill Bonner Headteacher Ken Maslin Date of previous school inspection 10–11 November 2010 Telephone number 020 8310 9160 Fax number 020 8300 4463 Email address headteacher@bjr.greenwich.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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