St Mary's Kilburn Church of England Primary School

School report St Mary’s Kilburn Church of England Primary School Quex Road, Kilburn, London, NW6 4PG

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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

 The executive headteacher, ably supported by other senior staff, provides strong and effective leadership. Together, they have ensured that teaching is good, so that all groups of pupils achieve well.  Teamwork amongst the staff and governors is strong. This has had a positive impact on bringing about improvement since the previous inspection.  In national tests in 2014, standards improved from the previous year and at the end of Key Stage 2 were above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  The early years provision is good. Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. They make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.  Teaching over time is good. Teachers have clear expectations of what the pupils can achieve and of their behaviour.  Senior staff check the quality of teaching regularly and accurately. The strong links with the partnership schools have helped to support the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improvements in the quality of teaching.  The school provides a range of subjects and activities that is well planned and offers imaginative and thoughtful experiences. It promotes British values well and makes a very positive contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils’ behaviour in and around the school is good. Pupils feel safe and have confidence that adults and their friends will take care of them.  Governors provide an effective level of support and challenge and are ambitious for further improvement.  The large majority of parents and carers are very happy with the quality of education and care provided for their children.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Activities in guided reading sessions are not always challenging enough to help the more able readers reach the higher levels in reading.  Outdoor resources and activities in Nursery and Reception classes do not always help children to develop their early reading, writing and numeracy skills.  At times, the work set for the most able pupils is not challenging enough to stretch them.  The presentation of work and handwriting is sometimes too untidy.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 15 lessons. Nine of these were jointly observed with senior leaders.  Inspectors talked to pupils, both informally and formally, including a group of the most able pupils. They heard pupils read and talked to them about their reading habits.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents and carers, including the 20 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire, the school’s own parental survey and the individual communications made during the inspection. They also talked to several parents and carers before school and considered the views of staff expressed in 22 inspection questionnaires.  Discussions were held with representatives from the local authority’s advisory service and the Chair of the Governing Body. The inspectors held discussions with members of the senior and extended leadership teams and other staff.  Inspectors examined pupils’ progress information and the work of a randomly selected group of pupils

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Information about this inspection

who are supported by additional funding. Other school documentation, including the minutes of governors’ meetings, the school’s development planning, policies and information relating to targets set for teachers and child protection and safeguarding, was scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Barbara Firth, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Mary’s Kilburn Church of England Primary School is an average-sized primary school.  The vast majority of pupils belong to minority ethnic groups and just over two thirds speak English as an additional language.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above the national average.  All children in the Early Years Foundation Stage attend full time.  Just over half of pupils are eligible for support through pupil premium funding. This is well above the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding given to schools for pupils who are in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school has been through a period of significant change. The previous headteacher left the school in July 2013. Since September 2013, the school has had an executive headteacher and an associate headteacher. The school works in a federation with Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School and St Eugene De Mazenod Catholic Primary School; all of the three schools share the same executive headteacher, but have their own governing bodies. The executive headteacher is a National Leader of Education (NLE).

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the overall quality of teaching and achievement to outstanding by:  providing more opportunities in the early years outdoor learning area for children to practise their early reading, writing and numeracy skills  ensuring that activities during guided reading sessions are focused on developing effective reading skills which will extend the most able readers  all teachers providing tasks that are challenging and stimulating, particularly for the most able  consistently expecting pupils to take more care with their handwriting and the presentation of their work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Under the direction of the executive headteacher, actions taken by the school leaders helped to ensure that achievement improved in 2014 across the school.  The leadership team has an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what needs to be improved. The team has the full support of the staff, and responses to the staff questionnaire show that morale is very high. In addition, a large majority of parents agree that the school is well led and managed.  Leaders, including governors, work well as a team to review progress data, information about the quality of teaching and work in pupils’ books. They use this information to plan improvements to the quality of teaching and, as a result, teaching has improved over time.  Targets set for teachers are used to improve the quality of teaching and are clearly linked to pupils’ progress. Teachers are well supported in developing their teaching skills in school and also benefit from

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The leadership and management are good

the good range of training opportunities across the partnership of schools.  The special educational needs coordinator makes good use of information about how well pupils are doing to introduce and monitor small group teaching that helps pupils catch up. As a result, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress.  Subject leaders have an explicit role in monitoring standards in their areas of responsibility. They use performance data and work scrutiny to plan improvements. They are developing good skills in coaching and are beginning to have a positive impact on improving teaching in their subject areas.  The school provides a broad and exciting curriculum which is enriched through a good range of activities, both inside and outside of school. It is well prepared for the new National Curriculum and is in the process of developing a suitable assessment system with their partner schools which they will be implementing

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The leadership and management are good

over the coming year.  The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through its strong and caring ethos. Adults successfully promote qualities such as empathy, respect for others and kindness. Pupils are considerate towards others and relate extremely well to adults. They show a good understanding of different religions and of what it takes to be a good member of the school community. Through well delivered and planned assemblies and events, such as charity fundraising and Black History Month, pupils gain a better understanding of themselves, the local community and the wider world in which we live. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The school has made good use of the primary sport funding. Through the employment of a sports coach, an increased number of pupils are taking part in competitive sports and the quality of physical education

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The leadership and management are good

(PE) teaching across the school is improving.  Pupil premium funding supports the employment of additional staff to enable pupils to be taught individually and in small groups. School data and work in pupils’ books show these pupils make good progress. This emphasises the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity for all pupils.  The local authority has provided effective support and challenge to the school. It has worked well with the leadership team to improve the quality of teaching and strengthen governance. The school has also benefited from working in partnership with other schools in the federation.  A very small minority of parents and carers expressed concern through Parent View about the effectiveness of the leadership and management. However, most parents, including those who inspectors spoke to during the course of the inspection, recognise the improvements that have occurred under the

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The leadership and management are good

current leadership and management are benefiting their children, and would recommend the school to other parents and carers.  School leaders have ensured that appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place and that pupils are well cared for.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Recent changes to the governing body have strengthened its effectiveness. There is now a clear focus on achievement and the quality of teaching.  The governing body is ambitious and keen to support the school. Many governors visit on a regular basis to meet with the leadership team, subject leaders and pupils. They spend time in classes and look at pupils’ books. Consequently, they are well informed about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching.  Members attend appropriate training courses and have a very good understanding of data and how the school is performing compared to other schools nationally. This, together with their good understanding of the quality of teaching in the school, ensures that they can ask robust questions which challenge and hold the leadership team to account.  There is a clear structure to reviewing key policy documents. Governors have ensured that all

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The leadership and management are good

safeguarding procedures meet requirements.  Governors help to ensure that good decisions are made about allocating finances, including the primary sport funding, and rewarding teachers appropriately for their work. They are aware of how the school is using the additional funding it receives for the pupil premium and primary sport and the impact that this funding has had.  Governors recognise their responsibility to take account of data and performance management information when making decisions about teachers’ pay and progression. They ensure that the management of the headteacher's performance is robust through external checks.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and the consequences should they not demonstrate the school’s values. Pupils are respectful and polite.  Pupils’ attendance has improved since the last inspection and is now above the national average. The school has done much work to emphasise the importance of regular attendance and punctuality and to discourage the taking of holidays in term time.  A large majority of parents and carers who completed Parent View and all of the staff who completed the staff questionnaire agreed that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved. Inspectors found that school logs are meticulously kept and systems to support and follow up any instances of poor behaviour are very effective.  The very large majority of pupils have positive attitudes to their learning, which have a clear impact on the progress they make.

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Behaviour

 Work in pupils’ books is not always as neatly presented or completed in as much detail as the rest and not all pupils make enough effort to write accurately or with care. This is because not all teachers have consistently high expectations of how pupils present their work.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The school helps pupils to understand how to stay safe in different situations and the importance of becoming responsible citizens. The school also ensures that pupils understand how to protect themselves when using the internet.  Pupils readily identify the different types of bullying that could occur, such as cyber bullying or racist bullying. They also know that calling people names is unacceptable and recognise that the use of words such as ‘gay’ is inappropriate.  Some parents and carers did not agree that the school deals effectively with bullying. Inspectors spoke at length to pupils about this issue. Pupils stated that bullying was rare in the school. They also said they had full confidence that the adults at the school would sort out any incidents of bullying should they occur.  Pupils understand that the school works hard to ensure that they learn how to keep safe. Work in

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Safety

assemblies and in class activities such as circle time helps them recognise dangers and what action to take. The checks the school makes to ensure that everyone is kept safe are rigorous and effective.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time is good and promotes pupils’ learning well. This is reflected in samples of pupils’ work, the data tracking progress and in learning seen during lesson observations. The range of evidence indicates that some teaching is outstanding and there is none that is inadequate. The teaching of literacy, reading and mathematics has a positive impact on the progress pupils make.  Teaching successfully engages pupils and promotes good learning for all groups. Clear explanations and demonstrations help to ensure that pupils learn well. Questioning is used effectively to challenge pupils’ thinking and to check their understanding of new work.  The quality of marking has improved recently. Teachers provide useful comments which give good advice to pupils about how to improve their work. Each day, ‘Fix It’ time is provided for pupils to review teachers’ comments. Pupils are responding well to the good advice that is provided and this supports their good

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The quality of teaching is good

progress.  Teachers set regular homework that extends activities undertaken in school. Pupils say that they enjoy learning at home and are clear that they are expected to complete any work set.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are taught well and this leads to their good progress. Teaching assistants work closely with teachers and support learning well. They provide good support to pupils, both within lessons and when working with small groups. They are particularly effective at supporting those pupils at risk of falling behind with their work.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language are very well supported and quickly develop their skills in English. This helps them to achieve well in a range of subjects.  Occasionally, work is not set at the right level of difficulty. Sometimes, tasks are not challenging enough for the most able pupils. In guided reading sessions, too many pupils, including the most able readers,

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The quality of teaching is good

were observed drawing pictures rather than focusing on writing and reading activities. This is one reason why not enough pupils achieve the highest levels possible, especially in reading at the end of Key Stage 1.

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is good

 All pupils make good progress through the school, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage. In 2014, pupils made impressive progress between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in all subjects. This represents a substantial improvement on that achievement in 2013.  In 2014, attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 improved and standards were in line with the national average in all subjects. This was an improvement on 2013 and represents good progress from their starting points at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 improved in 2014 and, for the first time in three years, was above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is consistently good for younger children. Results of the phonic screening check for pupils in Year 1 in 2013 were in line with the national average and data indicate a similar picture for 2014. Pupils demonstrated to inspectors that they can use their knowledge on

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is good

how to tackle tricky words effectively. They told inspectors that they enjoyed reading and were encouraged to read regularly at home.  Good teaching and well-focused support help to ensure that disadvantaged pupils across the school who are eligible for additional funding make at least good progress. Although in 2013, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 was better than that of similar pupils nationally, they were three terms behind other pupils in the school. Provisional results for 2014 show that the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 was significantly above that of similar pupils nationally and, additionally, there was no difference in attainment between these pupils and their peers in school.  The attainment of the most able pupils is rising across the school because, increasingly, teachers have higher expectations of them. However, pupils’ overall achievement is not yet outstanding because the

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is good

progress of the most able pupils is not yet consistent throughout the school, with some groups less likely to achieve the higher levels than others. This is particularly the case for those pupils supported by additional funding and is sometimes the result of work set being insufficiently challenging for the most able.  The school actively promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination. Pupils identified as requiring extra help with their work are effectively supported. Consequently, disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language make good progress and achieve well.

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is good

 Provision in the early years is led and managed well. There is a clear system for identifying children’s needs early in the school year, which involves listening to the views of parents and carers. Close working with the partnership schools ensures that these assessments are accurate.  Children enter the school with skills that are generally well below those typical for their age. By the end of the Reception year, they have made good progress, with the proportion achieving a good level of development being just below the national average. Consequently, children are well prepared for Year 1.  Teaching is good in the early years. There is a strong emphasis on developing children’s speaking and listening across the setting and children are well supported by adults in developing these skills. There is a good range of activities on offer to help children to develop across all areas of learning. However, the

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is good

opportunities to develop early reading, writing and numeracy skills are limited in the outdoor area and this can slow children’s progress.  There are good relationships between adults and children. Although at the time of this inspection, children in the Nursery had been in school for only a short time, many of them demonstrated that they can work well together, share and talk confidently to each other and to adults, including inspectors. In the Reception yearthe children were much more confident and independent and were keen to engage with each other and adults.  The behaviour of the children across the setting is good. Adults provide a good level of care, guidance and support. They ensure that there are good procedures in place to keep children safe at all times whilst in school.

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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 100042 Local authority Camden Inspection number 444166

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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 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Father Andrew Cain

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Associate Headteacher

Juliette Jackson Clare Dyson Date of previous school inspection 5–6 May 2014 Telephone number 020 7372 6565 Fax number 020 7372 1611 Email address admin@stmarykilburn.camden.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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Associate Headteacher

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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Associate Headteacher

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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Associate Headteacher

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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Associate Headteacher

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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Associate Headteacher

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

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