Buttercup Primary School

School report Buttercup Primary School 181 Cannon Street Road, London, E1 2LX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement 3

Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Requires improvement 3

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

 Governors are over-reliant on the headteacher to provide them with information. They are unaware of the increased importance given to school governing bodies.  School leaders were unable to provide information about the achievement of children leaving the Early Years Foundation Stage in 2014.  The school does not compare the achievement of different groups of pupils in order to identify any areas of concern, nor does it analyse information about attendance.  The work of the school is not adequately checked. Systems for measuring the impact of actions taken lack rigour.  Teaching is not consistently good. Too often, pupils are all set work at the same level and therefore progress is slowed.  The school does not meet several of the independent school standards. These are in relation to: the tracking of personal, social and health education; provision of adequate toilet facilities; and detailed maintenance of attendance

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The school has the following strengths:

 The work of the school to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. The endorsement of British values is interwoven into the curriculum and ensures that pupils develop tolerance and respect for all.  Pupils study a broad and balanced curriculum. This is because the school has planned a wide range of topics in all subject areas.  Pupils are enthusiastic learners. They behave well and are polite and courteous.  The school has robust and rigorous systems for keeping pupils safe. These include arrangements for safeguarding, planning of external trips and teaching pupils how to keep themselves safe in 21st century Britain.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school must take action to meet schedule 1 of The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, as amended and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection took place at the request of the Department for Education, and following an application from the school for a change in premises and a related increase to the number of pupils on roll.  Inspectors observed teaching and learning in nine lessons, and made short visits to classrooms at other times. Pupils’ work in books was scrutinised, and inspectors spoke to pupils about their life at school and their learning, both informally and in a more formal meeting.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and other leaders. The lead inspector met briefly with one governor.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including policies, curriculum planning, information regarding pupils’ achievement and arrangements for safeguarding.  There were insufficient responses to the online questionnaire Parent View for these to be taken into account. The school arranged for parents and carers to complete paper copies of the online

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Information about this inspection

questionnaire; 10 responses were received and considered. An inspector spoke to a group of parents and carers at the start of the day.

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Inspection team

Gaynor Roberts, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Buttercup Primary School opened in 2012 and caters for primary-aged pupils aged from three to 11 years. It is a Muslim faith school, now housed over three floors in a building alongside shops and businesses. There is no outdoor space on the school site, but daily use is made of local outdoor provision.  There are currently 117 pupils on roll, 37 of whom are in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and all of whom attend full time. Pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes.  Pupils come from a range of cultural backgrounds, including Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Somali and North African heritages. Almost all pupils are from Islamic backgrounds. Most pupils speak at least two languages, including English.  The school’s vision states, ‘the Muslim values, principles and standards lie at the heart of our education alongside a strong recognition of world faiths and the multicultural society in which we live’.

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Information about this school

 There are currently no disabled pupils or pupils with special educational needs on roll.  The school was last inspected in July 2013 and has since moved to new premises.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that governors: take a full part in evaluating the quality of educational provision put a robust and rigorous system in place for the appraisal of teachers, including the headteacher.  Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: the delivery of personal, health and social education is carefully tracked throughout the school plans to improve the school are reviewed regularly and that the impact of actions taken is noted along with the intended next steps.  Improve achievement by: considering and analysing the achievement of groups of pupils such as disadvantaged pupils, boys and girls, and those from differing ethnic groups ensuring that an overview of achievement across the school, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, is in place, enabling leaders to evaluate effectively how well pupils are doing.  Improve the quality of teaching by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensuring that teachers’ planning is consistently good and meets the needs of the differing ages and aptitudes within the group ensuring that marking and feedback to pupils are of consistently high quality, enabling pupils to deepen their learning.  An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspects of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 The school must meet the following independent school standards Ensure the curriculum provides appropriate personal, health and social education which reflects the school’s aim and ethos (paragraph 2(1) and 2(2)(f)). Ensure that an admission and attendance register is maintained in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 (paragraph 17). Ensure that suitable toilet and washing facilities are provided for the sole use of pupils (paragraph 23A(1) and 23A(1)(a)).

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The leadership and management of the school are characterised by a strong moral purpose and a commitment to providing high-quality education within an Islamic environment. However, the checking and evaluation of most aspects of the school’s work lack rigour. Plans for improvement outline appropriate priorities and reasonable steps to be taken towards addressing these. Dates are set for checks to be undertaken in order to measure progress. However, plans are not updated in the light of these checks.  School leaders use a variety of methods to come to an accurate view of the quality of teaching. They address any weaknesses in a timely manner. A process for the appraisal of teachers’ performance is in place but is not robust. Teachers are not set specific, time-bound targets based on pupils’ progress.  School leaders ensure that all are treated equally. Boys and girls play and work alongside each other in an

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The leadership and management require improvement

atmosphere of mutual respect.  Middle leaders are developing their skills in managing the Early Years Foundation Stage and in the analysis of information about pupils’ progress. They have accurate views regarding standards in the school. They have implemented secure systems for assessing and monitoring the progress of pupils as they move through the school.  The curriculum provided is broad, balanced and relevant to pupils growing up in British society. Curriculum planning demonstrates that a wide range of topics is covered, appropriate for the age and aptitude of pupils. For example, pupils explore art and design through modelling of play parks, learn about historical events such as the world wars and study a range of world religions. Each day they also have short Islamic studies lessons. The school seeks to ‘mould a thinking, believing and practising Muslim’ rather than someone rushing to memorise the Qu’ran or learn Arabic.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Personal, social and health education (PSHE) provision is described in a robust policy which outlines the delivery of this subject through other curriculum areas. However, there is no structured tracking of how this is implemented in practice, or assessment of pupils’ progress in this area.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements and are effective.  Leaders have not fully accounted for the impact of a rapid increase in numbers on roll since the move to new premises. This has resulted in the number of toilets being insufficient for the numbers currently in the school, particularly as facilities are spread over three floors of the building.  A strong policy with regard to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins good practice in this area. The school also has an excellent ‘Teaching British values’ policy which makes clear the school’s commitment to both the government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy and the promotion of fundamental British

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The leadership and management require improvement

values. Similarly, a robust policy regarding the vetting of visitors and speakers ensures that inappropriate views are not expressed within the school.  The school actively promotes the development of spirituality, exemplified by pupils and staff singing in assembly about respecting all of humanity. The wonder of life is celebrated by all. Displays throughout the school promote social and moral learning. Pupils have a clear idea of right and wrong and pay attention to the ‘golden rules’. Pupils are proud of their varied heritages and their ability to speak in two or more languages. They are proud to live in Britain and speak knowledgeably about the wide range of cultures found within the United Kingdom.  The governance of the school: Governors are over-reliant on the headteacher to provide them with information. Minutes of governing body minutes are brief and lack detail of how governors hold leaders to account for the achievement

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The leadership and management require improvement

of pupils and the quality of teaching. Governors are unaware of the increased importance of their role. Governors receive information regarding strengths and areas for development in the school. For example, they are aware of strengths in teaching, and measures taken to address weaker practice. They are also aware of the achievement of pupils who left Year 6 in 2014. Examples were given of robust questioning of the headteacher in meetings, but this was not recorded in the minutes. Governors visit the school to make checks on safeguarding matters, for example. Governors attend some performance management meetings held with staff members, but could not provide information indicating how robust this practice is. They could not provide information about how the headteacher’s performance is managed.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good because they apply themselves well to their studies and are keen to learn. Pupils are proud of their school and can explain why they and their parents and carers prefer it to previous schools.  Pupils are active participants in learning. Young children were visibly excited by large quantities of ice cubes in the ‘winter wonderland’ area of their classroom, and eager to explore this further. Occasionally, in some classes, this excitement results in high noise levels as pupils explain their learning to their peers or teachers with increasing volume.  Pupils are consistently polite, well-mannered and respectful to both adults and peers. They understand and respond well to the ‘golden rules’ and the behaviour management systems in use. There have been no serious behavioural incidents since the previous inspection.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have a highly developed awareness of bullying and the different forms it may take. They are taught about staying safe on the internet and in the local community. Pupils told inspectors that incidents of bullying are rare, but when they do occur, staff members handle any incidents swiftly and effectively.  Procedures for daily visits to the park and playing area for break times and outdoor learning are planned rigorously to ensure the safety of all. Deeply embedded routines ensure that all pupils remain safe, and daily consideration of staff roles and responsibilities ensures that they are robust.  Parents and carers are confident that their children are safe at school, and no serious concerns in this regard have been raised.  Pupils’ attendance has increased since the last inspection and is now good. Absences are followed up on a

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Safety

daily basis. Individual attendance is reported regularly to parents and carers. The school does not, however, collate information regarding overall attendance or relate this to particular groups of pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because it is not consistently good. Teachers do not regularly adapt work for the differing abilities within their class. This results in groups of pupils making less progress than they should. The quality of teachers’ planning is variable. Not all teachers include opportunities for extending the learning of the more able.  School leaders have recently introduced guidance for teachers with regard to setting targets for pupils and raising the quality of marking and feedback. This is not consistently applied across the school. For example, in some classes, almost all pupils have the same target stuck into the front of their literacy book, while in others a target has been selected as appropriate to the needs of the individual. In some classes, feedback is of high quality and conforms to the school policy. This supports pupils in the development of their work. In other classes, marking is less consistent and does not enable pupils to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

deepen their learning.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is also inconsistent. In phonics (the sounds that letters make), subject knowledge was weak, with the teacher sounding ‘tt’ inaccurately as two separate sounds. In a creative science lesson about forms of water however, the teacher’s use of vocabulary regarding cloud formations resulted in pupils extending their vocabulary. As a result they were able to use these technical words accurately and in context.  Inconsistency in the quality of teaching is evident in all subjects, including key areas such as literacy, reading and mathematics.  Computers are available in every classroom and are used effectively to support learning.  Most teachers have high expectations of pupils in terms of their work and their behaviour. Where expectations are lower, pupils become noisy and less responsive to the teachers’ instructions.  School policy states that PSHE is delivered through other curriculum areas. However, there is no strategy

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

for identifying where and when elements of PSHE occur in other subjects, or for tracking pupils’ progress in this area.  Teaching assistants are deployed well, particularly when working with younger pupils. They are animated and interested, and work well with groups of pupils. At times, when the teacher is instructing the whole class, teaching assistants are less effective, sitting at the edge of the class making little contribution to pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since opening in 2012, the school has admitted pupils at different stages of their education. Generally, they enter with skills at levels below those expected for their age. Achievement across the school is variable because the quality of teaching is inconsistent.  Attainment in Year 2 in 2014 was weak, with less than half of pupils attaining expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics. In Year 6 however, pupils did well, with half of this small cohort attaining above the expected level in English and mathematics.  More-able pupils do not always achieve as well as they could. This is because teaching is not adapted for their needs, and they often tackle the same task as others within their class. Where teaching is stronger, the school caters well for the needs of more-able pupils. This is exemplified by attainment at the highest levels by a small number of Year 6 pupils in 2014.  School information shows that some pupils who started the autumn term in 2013 working at below

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

expected levels for their age finished the summer term working at expected levels. Likewise, some of those who started the year working at expected levels finished the year working beyond expectations. This constitutes good progress.  Currently, the school does not consider the achievement of groups of pupils, such as those who are disadvantaged, or the achievement of boys in comparison to girls. Cohorts are very small, and achievement is considered on an individual basis. There does not appear to be any significant difference in the achievement of groups from the information available.  The school was unable to provide information regarding the achievement of those in the Early Years Foundation Stage in 2014. Children currently in the Early Years Foundation Stage are making good progress. This is because staff members have established routines quickly and use questioning, and carefully planned activities to support learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school does not track the delivery of PHSE. As a result, it does not have robust information on how well pupils are achieving in this area.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 School leaders were unable to provide information regarding the achievement of children who left the Early Years Foundation Stage in 2014. In particular, they were unable to tell inspectors what proportion of children had reached a good level of development and what proportion met each of the early learning goals. However, scrutiny of children’s books shows that in terms of literacy and numeracy they were adequately prepared for starting Year 1 in 2014.  The current Early Years Foundation Stage leader has set up a robust and clear system for assessing each child in all the early learning goals, and measuring their progress on a termly basis. This system has been in place since September 2014. Early information shows that, generally, children enter the school with skills below the levels expected for their age. Staff also record progress in ‘wow’ books, using photographs, quotations from children and pieces of work referenced to each of the areas of learning.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Provision in the early years department covers each of the areas of learning. Children have opportunities to play and explore a wide range of activities. Children participated excitedly in an experiment to create a volcano using vinegar and baking soda. They were able to recall relevant vocabulary, such as ‘erupt’ and ‘lava’, and the teacher extended this further by introducing the word ‘chemicals’.  Activities involving a variety of media, such as paint and water, and modelling dough, extend children’s fine motor skills. The creation of a ‘winter wonderland’ provides opportunities for role play, imaginative development, and sensory exploration of ice. As the school has no outdoor space the children are taken out each day to participate in outdoor learning. Usually they visit a nearby play area. They have also visited local markets and shops. Staff structure activities for children to participate in when outdoors, but

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The early years provision requires improvement

the variety of these is narrow, and some areas of learning are covered only indoors.  Children’s behaviour, both indoors and out, is good. Familiar routines, such as wearing a high visibility jacket and walking sensibly along the pavement, close to the buildings, are well established. Children cooperate well and share resources.  Teaching in the early years class is effective. Children receive constant verbal feedback from staff about the quality of their work. Staff model appropriate responses so that children develop personal and social skills. Staff in the early years class work effectively as a team. Adults question children carefully, supporting their learning. All adults are involved in planning activities and assessing children’s progress.

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Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate

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Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Non-association independent school inspection handbook which is published on the Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/140053 .

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School details

Unique reference number 138564 Inspection number 455380 DfE registration number 211/6003 This inspection was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as inserted by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Type of school Muslim primary day school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 117 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Neyarun Nessa Headteacher Rena Begum Date of previous school inspection 2–4 July 2013 Annual fees (day pupils) £2,800–£7,800 Telephone number 020 3759 7408 Email address info@buttercupprimary.co.uk guidance 'Complaining about inspections', 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.

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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

inspects to 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 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,

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School details

please 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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