Henwick Primary School

School report Henwick Primary School Henwick Road, Eltham, London, SE9 6NZ

p.1

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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and managers have built on the good standard of education that was evident at the previous inspection. Teaching and achievement are improving further.  The governing body is well informed and effective. Governors visit the school regularly to check its work.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is good. Pupils say they feel safe in school. They are eager to learn and behave well in and around the school.  A range of interesting themes in assemblies, and visitors and visits, ensures that the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The school also promotes British values well.  All staff regularly check the quality of teaching. This makes sure that teaching is improving and that pupils are making good progress.  Teaching is good. Teachers ask questions and set tasks that make pupils think hard. Teachers’ marking helps pupils improve their work, especially

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

in literacy.  Pupils achieve well. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and the most able. Attainment is above average by the end of Key Stage 2.  Children settle well in the early years and make good progress. Phonics (the sounds that letters make) is taught effectively. Children are well prepared for Year 1.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Occasionally the work given to pupils is not challenging enough, particularly for the most able.  Although attendance has improved since the previous inspection, it is still slightly below average.  Sometimes, pupils are not sure what their targets are for the next steps in their learning because they are not always checked or reviewed.  Leaders’ checks sometimes focus too much on what teachers are doing rather than on what pupils are learning.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 19 lessons or part lessons across the school, and saw all teachers teach. Six lessons were observed jointly with school leaders. In addition, inspectors conducted a work scrutiny of pupils’ books and work in a range of subjects. Inspectors also listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors held meetings and discussions with pupils, school leaders, teachers, members of the governing body, parents and carers and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 37 responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as the outcomes from a recent parent survey that the school conducted.  Inspectors considered the 22 questionnaire responses received from staff.  The inspection team also examined a range of documentation, including that related to safeguarding, the school’s self-evaluation and development plan, the minutes of governing body meetings, information

p.2

Information about this inspection

relating to pupils’ progress and attainment, records of behaviour and attendance and records relating to the management of staff performance. The school’s website was also scrutinised.

p.2

Inspection team

David Thomas Hatchett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Inspection team

Raminder Arora, Team inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Inspection team

Christopher Toye, Team inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Henwick Primary School is larger than most primary schools.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language is higher than normally found.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through pupil premium funding, half of all pupils, is nearly double the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs at just over one fifth, is above the national average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the previous inspection, the headteacher and Chair of the Governing Body have changed. There have been significant changes in staffing.  Early years provision in the Nursery is part time, and in Reception is full time.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by making sure that:  pupils’ targets for improvement are reviewed regularly and updated when pupils achieve them  activities always challenge the most able, particularly in the early years and Key Stage 1  leaders’ checks of the provision focus on what pupils are learning rather than on what teachers are doing.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve attendance levels by engaging parents and carers more effectively in their child’s attendance.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, supported by her senior team and governing body, has created the conditions for continuing good teaching and behaviour.  The leadership team has an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and their evaluation of the school’s effectiveness is mostly accurate.  The leadership of teaching is effective. Records identify accurately what has been successful and what could be improved. Occasionally, these records say too much about what the teacher is doing rather than what the pupils are learning.  Leaders, including a recently appointed attendance officer, check pupils’ attendance rigorously. As a result, attendance has improved since the previous inspection and is now close to the national average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has sharply reduced.  Senior and middle leaders are using the pupil premium funding well. They have carefully analysed the

p.4

The leadership and management are good

impact that spending decisions have had, and make changes based on this information. For example, leaders recently decided to appoint a number of lead teaching assistants to work with focus groups of disadvantaged pupils. As a result, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is closing.  The primary school physical education and sports premium is used well to improve teachers’ expertise. It has also been used to employ specialist coaches in football, gymnastics and other sports, and to provide a range of extra-curricular sports clubs that are supported well. In the early years, for example, this work has resulted in improvements in children’s physical development skills.  The performance of staff is well managed by senior and middle leaders and the governing body. Teachers are set challenging targets which are linked to how well pupils in their class and year groups achieve, and the quality of their practice. Staff confirm that good training is helping them improve their practice.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The quality of the school’s curriculum is good. It provides memorable learning experiences for pupils in all year groups. Pupils are keen to learn and apply their skills in reading, writing and mathematics to other subjects. The curriculum includes visits to places of worship, as well as local and London-wide places of interest. A range of extra-curricular clubs and activities enhance the basic curriculum. Corridors and classrooms show a range of high-quality work from across the curriculum, much of which promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness well. The school is harmonious and equality of opportunity is promoted well resulting in good achievement for all groups of pupils. Evidence of the school’s work to promote British values is evident in all year groups and classes. For example, pupils are very respectful of individual differences, and polite and courteous to visitors at the school.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The majority of parents, carers and staff agree that the school is well led and managed. They feel that school leaders do all they can to improve teaching.  The school’s policy and procedures for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and are effective. School leaders are now working to ensure that the school’s work in this area represents best practice.  The local authority has provided mainly appropriate support and challenge to the school, recognising its track record. It has provided training to teachers looking to improve their practice with staff from other schools in the borough, and conducted a recent in-depth review.  The governance of the school:  The effective governing body is very well informed about the quality of teaching and knows what is done to tackle underperformance. This is because governors receive detailed reports from the headteacher and senior team, including reports for the different phases of the school. However,

p.4

The leadership and management are good

governors also find out information about the school for themselves by visiting very regularly. They monitor the school’s data very carefully, and ask questions to check that all pupils and groups of pupils are making good progress.  The recently appointed Chair of the Governing Body, supported by two vice chairs, provides a strong steer to the school’s work. Governors have a close oversight of the school’s budget and ensure that teachers’ pay is linked to their performance. They also check that additional funds, for example the pupil premium and the primary school physical education and sports premium, are having a positive impact on pupils. The governing body has a good overview of the targets that leaders and teachers are set to improve their performance.  Governors have an accurate awareness of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They contribute to and scrutinise the school’s evaluation of itself, and make use of external advisers, for

p.4

The leadership and management are good

example when managing and reviewing the performance of the headteacher.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils, staff and parents and carers all agree that behaviour is good.  Staff have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Exclusions are very rare, and only used to protect the safety of other pupils and adults. Pupils are very polite and welcoming and are proud of their school.  The school keeps detailed records of behaviour. These show that it is improving over time as a result of a very clear behaviour policy that adults apply consistently. Pupils are aware of the rewards for excellent behaviour and the consequences for poor behaviour. Parents and carers report confidence in the school’s management of behaviour.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They have positive attitudes to learning, which help them make good progress.  Very occasionally, pupils lose concentration and interest in their learning, particularly when the work is too

p.5

Behaviour

easy or too hard. However, low-level disruption and misbehaviour are very rare.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe in and around the school and that the adults help them feel this way. Parents, carers and staff also confirm that children are safe at school.  Pupils generally have a good knowledge of the different types of bullying that exist. They report that bullying is rare, but that they have someone that they could go to if they were worried or upset.  The school has rigorous processes to monitor pupils from the first day of absence. Staff also use a range of strategies to promote high attendance, which pupils say encourages them to want to attend school every day. For example, they are awarded ‘lucky dip’ rewards, and attendance certificates.  As a result of the school’s work, attendance is improving and persistent absence reducing significantly. Attendance is still slightly below average, however, because not all parents and carers realise the adverse

p.5

Safety

impact absence has on pupils’ progress.  The school’s curriculum helps pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe in and out of school, and when using computers. Pupils have a good understanding of how to manage risk, for example when using scissors in the early years and scientific equipment during investigations in older classes.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching over time is good, and sometimes better. Support in the classroom from additional adults is also generally good. Pupils, staff, governors and parents and carers all agree that teaching is good.  Teachers and other adults have high expectations of pupils and set work which enables them to make good progress. For example, in a religious education lesson in Year 5, pupils quickly made progress in learning about the Buddha’s journey to enlightenment. This was because all pupils were keen to study the interesting range of activities and artefacts. Teachers ask good, searching questions, which make pupils think about their learning and sometimes help them to make rapid progress.  The teaching of phonics and reading is good. As a result, pupils achieve well in the phonics check in Year 1 and in national assessments in Years 2 and 6.  Teaching also has a good impact on learning and achievement in literacy and mathematics. As a result,

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

pupils make good progress in their basic skills throughout the school.  Checks on learning are used well by teachers and in turn, these judgements are confirmed by other teachers in the school and from within the local authority. The school has made progress in developing a new system of checking and tracking pupils as they progress throughout the school. It identifies those pupils that are working towards, at and above the national expectations for their age.  The quality of teaching and support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. They are well supported by adults who are appropriately trained and ensure that pupils are set work at the right level. Teachers are good at showing pupils exactly what is required of them and asking questions which enable pupils to deepen their understanding.  Relationships between adults and pupils are strong.  Occasionally the most able pupils do not always have work which is challenging enough to enable them to

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

reach the highest levels of attainment. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, all pupils completed an exercise rounding decimals from the whiteboard, despite the fact that some pupils could do the work and did not find it challenging and others waited a long time for help as they were stuck. Where this happens, pupils’ progress slows.  The quality of marking is good and promotes pupils’ good progress over time. Teachers give very detailed and helpful comments, which pupils often act upon. However, the school’s policy on target setting is not always followed consistently. In some classes, targets are reviewed and updated regularly and referred to in marking; but this is not always the case, particularly in some classes and subjects in Key Stage 2.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of good early years provision, pupils are well prepared as they start Key Stage 1. They make good progress during Years 1 and 2 because of good teaching, and achieve levels that are generally above those found nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. However, not as many pupils reach the higher levels in reading by the end of Key Stage 1.  By the time pupils leave Key Stage 2, their attainment is above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress is often rapid, and a much higher proportion of pupils attain the higher Levels 5 and 6 in writing and mathematics than is found nationally. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for secondary school when they leave.  Pupils make good, and sometimes better, progress in Key Stage 2 in all subjects because of consistently good teaching, effective marking, teachers’ high expectations and pupils’ good attitudes to learning. In

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

2014, nearly all pupils made expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6, with a higher proportion making more than the expected progress when compared with other 11-year olds nationally.  Achievement in lessons and in books over time is good, and occasionally it is outstanding. Outstanding achievement in books was seen where work was set at just the right level. Teachers gave precise feedback and pupils were given an opportunity to respond and improve their work before moving on to something new.  Disadvantaged pupils attain better results than other pupils nationally in all subjects. This is because the school’s use of the pupil premium is having a strong impact. The most recent, unvalidated data show that by the end of Year 6, disadvantaged pupils were just less than two terms behind their classmates in mathematics, just over a term behind in reading and two terms behind in writing. However,

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

disadvantaged pupils achieved better results than other pupils nationally in all subjects. The gaps between the performance of these groups is closing in other year groups, although the rates at which this is happening vary between year groups and subjects. Inspection evidence indicates that disadvantaged pupils make good progress.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs generally make good progress over time from their varied starting points. They achieve well because the support and work they receive are set at just the right level for them and meet their needs.  Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those learning English as an additional language achieve well.  The most able pupils make good progress throughout the school, particularly during Key Stage 2. This is because the school’s approach to setting and the detailed marking and feedback pupils receive help them

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

to reach the highest levels of attainment. As a result, more pupils than found nationally reached the highest levels in Year 6 in writing and mathematics. However, the most able pupils do not make outstanding progress in all year groups because occasionally the work set is not challenging enough at each stage of the lesson.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of the early years are good. The leader has an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development in provision. She ensures that staff work together as a team to plan and carry out activities and experiences which help children make consistently good progress during their Nursery and Reception Years.  Children’s behaviour is good and they are safe and well cared for. Adults have a good knowledge of children’s needs and work well with parents, carers and outside agencies to ensure that children are looked after, are happy and flourish.  Children join the early years with skills at below the levels typically found, especially in communication, numeracy and personal development. The school’s accurate assessments of children on entry are checked by local authority staff and other external organisations.  Children quickly settle and make good gains in their learning because of good provision. Children catch up

p.7

The early years provision is good

in their understanding of number, and their communication and personal development skills develop rapidly during the Nursery and Reception Years. This is because teaching and support from adults are of good quality. By the time they leave Reception, children’s attainment is slightly above average, and they are well prepared for Year 1. However, a below average proportion of children exceed expectations. This is because occasionally activities are not always challenging enough for those children who find learning easy.  Disabled children, those who have special educational needs and those who are disadvantaged make good progress. This is because teachers make sure that they plan activities and sessions inside and outside that are well suited to these children’s needs, and additional adults support these activities well.

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all of 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 of 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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 100131 Local authority Royal Borough of Greenwich Inspection number 444154

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

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 326 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Phil Jones Headteacher Jacqueline Willer Date of previous school inspection 9–10 December 2009 Telephone number 020 8856 8627 Fax number 020 8856 8085 Email address schooloffice@henwick.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10