Malorees Junior School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3

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

 Leaders, managers and governors have not been effective in improving the quality of teaching and achievement over time, because there has been insufficient focus on the progress pupils make in lessons.  Leaders do not make rigorous checks on the impact of the support provided for disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Governors do not know enough about the progress of different groups of pupils, including those entitled to the pupil premium, so that they can hold senior leaders to account for these pupils’ achievement.  Governors have not been sufficiently involved in the performance management of teachers to ensure teachers’ pay awards are justified.  The behaviour policy is not consistently reinforced across the school to ensure pupils have positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are not improving rapidly enough.  Teachers often lack high expectations for what

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

pupils can achieve, especially for those with lower attainment. As a result, some pupils do not complete their work or present it well.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work often does not give clear steps on how it can be improved, and pupils lack time to respond to comments or to improve their work.  Teaching assistants are sometimes not deployed effectively to maximise pupils’ learning.  Pupils do not make consistently good progress across all the year groups, especially in writing and mathematics. They sometimes make a slow start to learning in lessons.  The gap between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and their classmates is not closing quickly enough.  The most-able pupils are not consistently challenged well in lessons to enable them to work and achieve at higher levels.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders and managers have a greater focus on the progress pupils make, and the quality of teaching is improving.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has improved and is well above average in reading, mathematics and in grammar, punctuation and spelling.  The school is effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Reading is strong in the school, and pupils show enjoyment in their reading.  Pupils are kept safe in school and say they feel safe there. Most parents responding to the online questionnaire (Parent View) agree with them.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 16 lessons, of which four were joint observations with the interim head of school or the assistant headteacher. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in classrooms, and at breaks and lunchtimes.  A meeting was held with different groups of pupils, and inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 3 and 6 and discussed their reading with them.  The inspectors held discussions with the interim executive headteacher, interim head of school, assistant headteacher, senior and middle leaders, and four governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. A discussion was also held with local authority representatives. A telephone discussion was held with the Chair of the proposed Interim Executive Board.  The inspectors examined a range of documents, including information on pupils’ progress across the school, development plans and checks on the quality of teaching. They also considered school records

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Information about this inspection

relating to behaviour, safety and attendance.  The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books and written work to see what progress they make and the quality of teachers’ marking and feedback to pupils.  The inspectors took account of 50 responses received from parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View). In addition, inspectors spoke to parents in the playground at the start of the school day.  The inspectors also considered 15 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Avtar Sherri, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Malorees Junior School is an average-sized junior school.  Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic groups, with the largest group being White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is well above average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is above average. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to those who are looked after.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well above average.  The current substantive headteacher has been absent on long-term sickness leave since mid December 2014. Currently, the school is supported by a consultant headteacher and interim head of school from Barham Primary School. The interim head of school works full-time at Malorees Junior School. In the

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Information about this school

absence of the substantive headteacher, the local authority is working very closely with school leaders.  There have been a number of changes in staff due to redundancies, and the school has been through a period of staff changes and recruitment. There have been some changes to the membership of the governing body since the previous inspection, with a new Chair of the Governing Body and some new governors. There are plans to establish an interim executive board after the local authority issued a warning notice to the school in relation to governance on 12 December 2014.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is at least consistently good in every year group by ensuring that:  teachers’ marking of pupils’ work includes comments on how it can be further improved, and pupils are given sufficient time to respond to deepen their understanding and make improvements  the most-able pupils are challenged in lessons to help them achieve higher levels  time is used effectively in lessons to enable pupils to complete their work and make good progress  teachers have high expectations of pupils’ work, particularly that of the less able, so that it is consistently completed and well presented  teaching assistants are well deployed in lessons and their skills enhanced to support pupils’ learning.  Improve pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics by ensuring that:  pupils are given time to write more in English lessons, and have sufficient opportunities to practise their

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

writing skills in other subjects  pupils have sufficient opportunities to practise their mathematical skills in all subjects  pupils are given sufficient opportunities to apply their mathematical skills to solve problems.  Improve pupils’ behaviour and safety by:  maintaining stronger links with parents so that they are fully supportive of the school’s efforts to improve attendance and punctuality  ensuring that behaviour is well managed in all year groups so that pupils’ attitudes to learning are consistently good.  Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:  leaders and managers have a sharper focus on the progress of different groups of pupils to confirm they are achieving well enough  the checks on the impact of support provided for disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are always rigorous and ensure these pupils’ good progress  governors know about the progress of different groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged,

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

and hold senior leaders to account for the achievement of pupils  governors have a secure understanding of the quality of teaching across the school and ensure teachers’ pay is linked to the progress pupils make.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The leadership and management over time require improvement because leaders have been ineffective in establishing a culture of good teaching and behaviour. Leaders have not ensured that pupils make consistently good progress and have not made it a high priority.  The school is updating its largely accurate self-evaluation to ensure a stronger link with the priorities of the school improvement plan. Planning correctly identifies the main priorities as improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ achievement. However, it is too soon to evaluate the impact of action taken to realise these priorities, and the role of governors in evaluating the impact of actions taken is not identified.  The impact of the support provided for disadvantaged pupils is not checked closely and frequently enough to ensure that these pupils make rapid progress. As a result, the use of the pupil premium has not been

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The leadership and management require improvement

effective in eliminating the attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and others. Similarly, the impact of the support provided for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is not always assessed closely by leaders, including governors, to ensure these pupils make consistently good progress.  The middle leaders and managers observe the quality of teaching, particularly in English and mathematics, and know what progress pupils make. As a result, they are able to hold teachers responsible for pupils’ progress to account. They are involved in school improvement planning and are committed to dealing with the main priorities. However, they have not ensured good teaching and progress across their subjects.  The consultant headteacher, the interim head of school and the assistant headteacher and governors are working effectively as a team to bring about improvements. They monitor teaching and learning and have

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The leadership and management require improvement

an accurate view of how effective it is. As a result, they are taking action to improve the quality of teaching and are having some success in doing so.  Teachers are receiving better support in improving the quality of their teaching, particularly through the performance management process and training. The links between the performance of teachers and their salary progression are better established.  Leaders are successful in creating a more stable staff who share the commitment to bringing about improvements. There is strong support among the staff for leaders and the morale in the school is improving after a period of instability due to staff restructuring and recruitment. Recent improvement shows a growing capacity to bring about further improvement.  Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects to capture their interest and give them equal opportunity to learn. They learn about different cultures and religions represented in Britain. They learn tolerance and

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The leadership and management require improvement

respect for diversity, and assemblies and international evenings are used effectively to promote these values.  Leaders ensure there are good relationships between different groups of pupils and that there is no discrimination. Pupils learn about the importance of democracy and the law, particularly through elections to the school council and visits to the House of Commons. They learn about British values and the school prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Pupils enjoy a wide range of school visits, sporting activities and after-school clubs to support their learning and develop their physical development. Pupils particularly enjoy music, which is very strong in the school, and a large majority of pupils learn to play musical instruments.  The school has fully embraced the new National Curriculum for primary schools and leaders, managers

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The leadership and management require improvement

and staff have worked effectively to implement it, including procedures to assess pupils’ progress. However, the curriculum is not fully effective in bringing about pupils’ more rapid progress, particularly in mathematics and writing.  The additional sport funding is used effectively. It helps to promote sporting activities, develop sports partnership with local schools, including inter-school competitions, and provide coaching for after-school events. Consequently, pupils are increasingly taking up sport, including those who are disadvantaged, and all are gaining in health and physical fitness. There are good opportunities for staff to improve their skills in teaching sporting activities through the coaching and support they receive from sports coaches.  Leaders ensure that policies and procedures relating to safeguarding are robust. As a result, safeguarding arrangements to keep pupils safe meet all requirements.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The local authority has supported the school effectively through staff changes, including implementing the interim leadership structure and holding half-termly meetings with leaders to drive improvements in the absence of the substantive headteacher. The local authority has improved governance and worked effectively with leaders and managers to improve the quality of teaching.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school’s main strengths and areas for development. They have received training on data showing pupils’ performance and know how pupils are doing in relation to other schools, including schools nationally. However, governors know that they and senior leaders have not focused closely enough on the progress pupils make across the year groups to be secure in knowing how good it is. As a result, they cannot hold senior leaders accountable for the work done to raise achievement.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Governors know that the quality of teaching across the school is not consistently good. However, they do not know enough about the management of teachers’ performance and how teachers’ quality of teaching and the progress their pupils make are linked to pay awards.  Although governors have previously been involved in the performance management of the substantive headteacher and in setting targets in relation to raising achievement, they have not had a performance management meeting with the substantive headteacher since December 2013.  Governors check the school’s finances closely and know the primary sport funding is used effectively. They are less secure in knowing the impact of the pupil premium on disadvantaged pupils’ achievement.  Governors ensure that safeguarding requirements are met, and attend relevant training.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because there are occasions in lessons when pupils become chatty and lose concentration, especially when they are slow in starting their tasks. As a result, the pace at which they learn slows. Pupils say that that when some pupils talk, there is ‘less learning time’.  Some pupils do not take pride in their work, and the presentation of their work is poor.  Although the new behaviour policy is improving pupils’ behaviour, it is not reinforced consistently throughout the school. As a result, pupils’ behaviour varies across the year groups.  Pupils are courteous, friendly and respectful of each other and staff. Their behaviour around the school, in the dinner hall and in the playground is often good.  Pupils’ attendance is below average, and some pupils have poor punctuality to school. The school is beginning to forge closer links with parents to improve attendance and punctuality, and the current school

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Behaviour

records show some improvements in attendance. However, not all parents are persuaded about the importance of their children attending school regularly.  The school has not had any recent exclusion.  A large majority of parents responding to the Parent View say that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved. However, inspection findings show that pupils’ attitudes to learning are not consistently good.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are safe in the school and say so. They say they are confident to approach a member of staff if they have any concerns about their safety or well- being.  Pupils from all backgrounds get on well with each other. Pupils know about different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. Pupils say that racism is not an issue in the school. They say that incidents of poor behaviour do occur occasionally. For example, there are occasional homophobic comments by a few pupils. They say that, when this happens, teachers always take swift and effective action to deal with such incidents.  Pupils are taught about unsafe situations and how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know how to keep safe when using the internet.  Most parents responding to the Parent View are confident that their children are safe and feel safe in school, and most say that that the school deals effectively with bullying.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching over time requires improvement because it has not been good enough to ensure pupils make consistently good progress across the year groups, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Although teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is improving, teachers do not always provide clear steps to pupils on how they can further improve their work. When teachers do provide such comments, pupils are not given sufficient time to respond to them to enable them to correct and improve their work.  The most-able pupils are not consistently challenged in lessons to enable them to work at, and achieve, higher levels. In some lessons, the most-able pupils do the same tasks as their classmates and have to wait for more demanding tasks. This slows their progress.  In some lessons, pupils have to wait for too long before they get down to their work, and lack sufficient time to complete it. They, therefore, do not always make expected progress by the end of the lesson.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some pupils, especially less-able learners, do not always complete their work and the presentation of it is poor. This failing is often not picked up by teachers because expectations are not consistently high enough. As a result, a few pupils continue to produce insufficient and untidy work, and do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Teaching assistants often provide effective one-to-one support, both inside and outside of lessons. However, teaching assistants are not always effectively used in lessons to move the learning on for some of the pupils, and are occasionally inactive at the start of the lesson, particularly if teachers talk for too long.  Pupils are not always given opportunities to write enough in English lessons, or to practise their written skills in other subjects. Sometimes, written work is restricted to short answers, which prevents pupils from writing more to reinforce and improve their written skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils frequently lack opportunities to practise their mathematical skills across different subjects, and to apply their mathematical skills to solve every day, practical problems.  Pupils have sufficient opportunities to read. They are given time to read books and a range of other materials, including newspaper articles, and to discuss their reading with teachers and teaching assistants. The weaker readers in lower year groups are able to use their knowledge and understanding of phonics (the sounds that letters make) to read difficult or unfamiliar words. As a result, pupils enjoy their reading.  There are positive relationships in the classroom, and pupils are encouraged to talk about their learning with others. Teachers ensure that pupils know what they will be learning in lessons, and use questioning effectively to engage pupils in their learning and test their understanding.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, the attainment of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 improved in reading, writing, mathematics and in their use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Their attainment in reading, mathematics and English grammar, punctuation and spelling was well above average. In contrast, their attainment in writing was in line with the national average.  School data show that pupils do not make consistently good progress across the year groups, particularly in writing and mathematics. Progress in Year 6 is stronger than in other year groups because of better quality teaching.  The most-able pupils do not make consistently good progress across the year groups. Opportunities are missed to ensure that they are fully challenged in lessons to help them work at, and achieve, higher levels. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in 2014 was no more than in line with the national average in writing, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling. However, the proportion

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

attaining the higher Level 6 in mathematics improved to well above average.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do not make consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Although there is support and extra help available for these pupils, the impact of these is not fully evaluated to confirm positive impact on their rate of progress.  There are no significant differences in the achievement of different ethnic groups. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to, and achieve as well as, their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because they have good opportunities in lessons for speaking and listening and to build their English vocabulary.  Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve well because the support they receive does not have the impact on progress intended. The attainment of disadvantaged pupils improved at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

particularly in reading. Their attainment was about four months behind those of their classmates in reading, and eight months behind in both writing and mathematics. Compared to other pupils nationally, there is virtually no gap in attainment in mathematics; disadvantaged pupils are about five months behind others in writing. In reading, disadvantaged pupils are about one month ahead of other pupils nationally.

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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 101554 Local authority Brent Inspection number 453203

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Foundation Age range of pupils 7−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 236 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair George Burn Headteacher Claire Fowler Date of previous school inspection 11 November 2010 Telephone number 020 84595452 Fax number 020 84517491 Email address head@maloreesjnr.brent.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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