Starks Field Primary School

Starks Field Primary School 167 Church Street, Edmonton, Enfield, N9 9SJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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 Early years provision Good 2

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

 Pupils do not make consistently good progress, particularly in Key Stage 1.  Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of how much progress pupils can make. Work is not always sufficiently challenging.  Pupils are not always given guidance on how to improve their work. Teachers do not always check that improvements have been carried out.  Pupils’ basic skills in spelling, punctuation, handwriting and mathematics are not developed thoroughly in all subjects across the school.  The school has not worked closely enough with parents and pupils to ensure that attendance is broadly average.  Leaders, managers and governors have not ensured that teaching and achievement have improved enough to be good overall.  Leaders, including middle leaders, do not make sufficiently rigorous checks on teaching for it to be consistently good.

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The school has the following strengths

 Early years provision is good. Children begin Nursery with skills and knowledge below those that are typical for their age and make good progress. Staff support children to develop their skills well in a bright and colourful environment.  Progress in Key Stage 2 has improved and attainment is broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils say that they feel safe in the school.  Pupils behave well in the school. They are polite and supportive of each other. Pupils from different backgrounds get on well with each other.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong and this prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.  Governance has improved. Governors now ask more searching questions, particularly about raising achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed learning in 21 lessons. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteachers joined inspectors in nine observations.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and at work they had completed over time in their books. Inspectors listened to pupils read and attended an assembly.  Inspectors held meetings with two groups of pupils to hear about their views about the school. Inspectors also spoke to pupils in lessons, at break and at lunchtime.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and teachers with responsibility for subjects or areas of the school. A meeting was also held with the Chair of the Governing Body and a local authority representative.  The inspection team reviewed the responses to the online Parent View survey along with those from the school’s own surveys. They also spoke to parents when they brought their children to school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including the school’s own checks on its performance and plans for the future, information on how well pupils are progressing, minutes of meetings of the governing body, and attendance, behaviour and safeguarding records.

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Inspection team

Susan Williams, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic groups with the largest groups from White British, Other White and Black Caribbean backgrounds.  Almost half the pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium, additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority, is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  A higher than average proportion of pupils join or leave the school at other than the usual start and leave times.  The early years provision has one class in Nursery and two in Reception which are both full time.  A new deputy headteacher started in April 2015.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better, particularly at Key Stage 1, by ensuring that teachers:  have higher expectations of pupils’ progress  set work which is always challenging enough for all pupils  mark pupils’ work regularly with clear guidance and check that pupils carry this out  develop pupils’ basic skills in spelling, punctuation, handwriting and mathematics more thoroughly in all subjects.  Work closely with parents and pupils to improve attendance so that it is broadly average.  Improve leadership and management so all leaders, including middle leaders, robustly monitor the quality of teaching and support staff to develop their skills so that pupils achieve well.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because teaching is not consistently good, particularly at Key Stage 1.  Leaders, including middle leaders such as those responsible for subjects, have not been sufficiently rigorous at monitoring teaching and providing support to improve it. Even where pupils make better progress in Key Stage 2, leaders have not been rigorous in ensuring all staff give pupils guidance for improvement or check that this is done.  The roles of subject leaders are still being developed in order to ensure that checks on teaching and pupils’ achievement are more rigorous and they can support teachers to improve.  Clear targets are set for teachers with the expectation that pupils will make good progress. Where teaching is less strong support is provided to help teachers to improve. There are examples of where this has been effective and teaching has improved, although this is not always the case.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The school promotes values and beliefs which encourage positive relationships. Equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination is not tolerated. Behaviour has improved and pupils from different backgrounds get on well together.  The curriculum (subjects taught) gives priority to the teaching of English and mathematics. Other subjects are taught through themes, for example the Second World War. Pupils’ spelling, punctuation, handwriting and mathematics skills are not always well developed in all subject areas and expectations are sometimes not high enough for pupils to do their best work in all subjects.  Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is well promoted. A specialist music teacher teaches music and pupils have the opportunity to play instruments as a class including the recorder and African drums. The use of the pond, arts groups, drama groups and trips contribute to pupils’

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The leadership and management require improvement

development in this area.  Music and arts from different traditions are celebrated. Pupils learn about British values and democracy including elections. They have morality tales in assemblies and learn about a range of different religions. Pupils learn to respect pupils from different backgrounds and cultures and this prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  The physical education (PE )and sport premium has been used effectively to fund membership of the local sports partnership. It has also been used to develop teaching, provide specialist support for staff and opportunities for pupils to take part in competitive sports including football, tag-rugby, rounders, netball and athletics. As a result, increasing numbers of pupils are taking part in sport and developing healthier lifestyles.  Disadvantaged pupils are supported effectively with extra help in class and in small groups. Extra help is

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The leadership and management require improvement

also provided for pupils so they can deal with issues that arise in school and which may hinder their progress. An early morning running club encourages pupils to come to school early and be healthy. The school monitors the progress of this group of pupils carefully and tracks the difference that extra help makes in improving pupils’ progress. Safeguarding procedures are effective and meet statutory requirements. The school has excellent relationships with local agencies who provide specialist support for pupils if they have problems.  The local authority has provided effective support to help improve teaching and pupils’ achievement. Consultants have worked with teachers to improve teaching and specific support has been facilitated from other schools, for example for Early Years.  The governance of the school:  Governance in the school has improved and is now effective. Governors have acted on recommendations from the review that took place following the previous inspection. They have an

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The leadership and management require improvement

meeting to focus in more detail on raising standards. Minutes show detailed discussions about key aspects of the school’s work and evidence of challenge, particularly about raising achievement. This has led to improving progress, particularly at Key Stage 2 and in the early years.  Governors know about the published information on learning and results of the school’s performance with regard to achievement. They receive regular updates about how well pupils are doing. They check on the progress of different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, and offer challenge to senior leaders where progress is less strong.  They carry out the management of the performance of the headteacher with support from the local authority. They also ensure teachers are rewarded for teaching well. They know where support has been provided to improve teaching where there has been underperformance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well around the school and in lessons. They are polite to each other and to adults including visitors. They are respectful to each other and pupils from a wide range of backgrounds get on well with each other.  Routines are well established in lessons. Pupils know how the rewards system works and that they can move up the classroom behaviour chart from green into silver or gold if they do well. They also know that if they make the wrong choices they move down to yellow or red. They know if they have a problem they can take time out to think about it.  Pupils engage well with their learning in lessons and this supports their improving progress. Pupils work well with each other and are helpful to each other if they get stuck with their work.  The number of behavioural incidents in the school is reducing. Parents and pupils reported that behaviour has improved in the school. There are also examples of individual pupils who have been helped to improve

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Behaviour

their behaviour successfully.  Pupils know about different types of bullying and say that this is rare. A few pupils spoke about occasional name-calling. They say that pupils sort out their own disagreements and that the school council helps pupils to do this. Pupils are confident that adults will help them and are positive about the help they receive from adults if they have a problem.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement. Attendance, which was a previous inspection issue and had been consistently low, improved in 2014 but has fallen this year. The school has not been successful in working with parents and pupils to ensure more pupils attend school regularly and attendance is broadly average.  Other aspects of keeping pupils safe are strong. The site is secure and the school provides specialist support to help pupils deal with any problems they are having. The school’s work with local agencies is effective and this helps to make sure pupils are safe.  Pupils are helped to understand different aspects of safety including awareness of ‘stranger danger’, fire safety, first aid and internet safety. They understand how to keep themselves safe and are able to help others who have problems.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it does not support pupils’ good progress, particularly at Key Stage 1. Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of how much progress pupils can make in lessons. Occasionally, work is too easy and pupils are not challenged.  Marking is regular, but practice is not always the same across both Key Stages 1 and 2. Where pupils are given clear targets for improvement they say this is helpful. However, this is not always the case. Pupils do not always have clear guidance on how they should improve. This hampers pupils’ progress.  Teachers do not always ensure that pupils’ basic skills in spelling and punctuation are developed well enough. They do not always make sure that basic errors are corrected. High expectations are not always maintained, for example, teachers do not always expect handwriting to be of the highest standard.  Writing is developing more effectively at Key Stage 2 and there are opportunities for pupils to write in a

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

range of styles. This supports pupils’ better progress. In Key Stage 1, progress is slower and expectations are not high enough for the amount of writing pupils are expected to do. Progress is limited because work is not challenging and does not develop their skills sufficiently.  The teaching of mathematics is improving, particularly at Key Stage 2. However, pupils do not always apply their mathematics skills well in other subjects such as science. This does not support them in developing their expertise and being able to apply it proficiently in different contexts.  The school has introduced a new reading programme in Key Stage 1 which focuses on developing pupils’ reading skills. There is not always enough challenge for all groups in reading lessons and so pupils make less progress than they should.  Teaching assistants support individuals and small groups in lessons and also outside of lessons. Where

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

teachers’ expectations are high and clear, support is very effective. Pupils receive help to catch up with others and to think more deeply about their work.

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requires improvement

 Pupils do not make good progress, particularly in Key Stage 1. Expectations from teachers about how much pupils can learn in lessons are not always high enough. Basic skills including spelling, punctuation, handwriting and mathematics are not well developed in all subjects across the school.  Attainment has been consistently below average at Key Stage 1 over the last three years. School information and work in books show an improvement this year. Some pupils are on track to reach the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics this year.  Following the disappointing results in the Year 1 phonic screening check last year, there has been a focus on improving pupils’ early reading skills. However, as in other subjects, there is not always enough challenge for pupils when they are learning to read and some pupils do not make as much progress as they should.  Progress has improved at Key Stage 2 and for the last two years attainment has been broadly average in

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requires improvement

reading, writing and mathematics. School tracking shows similar standards will be maintained this year.  Progress for the most able is improving. Increasing proportions of pupils are reaching the higher levels at Key Stage 2 and in 2014 this was similar to the national average in writing and mathematics. The school projects that some pupils at Key Stage 1 will achieve the higher levels this year. However, the most able pupils are still not always challenged enough.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive extra help in lessons or in small groups. The school ensures pupils’ needs are identified and support is provided to meet these. As with other pupils progress is not consistently good. There are examples of effective support in lessons and in small groups where adults are helping pupils to understand their work.  Progress of different ethnic groups of pupils is similar overall, including White British, Other White and

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requires improvement

Black Caribbean pupils, and is not consistently good. Pupils who join the school later or who speak English as an additional language are given appropriate help to settle. Support is provided to help them to catch up so they achieve as well as others.  In the 2014 national tests, disadvantaged pupils were three terms behind other pupils nationally in mathematics and reading. In writing, they were six months behind. Gaps were similar in mathematics and writing and slightly wider in reading. Their progress was similar to other pupils nationally in writing and mathematics and slightly lower in reading. Compared to other pupils in the school, they were three terms behind in mathematics, two terms behind in reading and one term behind in writing. Gaps narrowed in writing, remained the same in reading and widened slightly in mathematics.  The school has tracked how much difference the various types of support it provided made to pupils last

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requires improvement

year. It has adapted some of the support to ensure it is more effective. This year progress is improving across the school for disadvantaged pupils and gaps with other pupils in the school are narrowing.

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is good

 Children’s skills and knowledge on entry to the school are below those typical for their age, particularly in their communication and personal development. Children make good progress from their starting points and are well prepared for Key Stage 1.  Leadership is good and ensures that children are well supported and language skills are developed. Teaching is good, staff encourage children to talk and explain their experiences. Children playing in the ‘transformer’ car enjoyed describing their journey and explaining to other children where they would be stopping. Staff asked questions to encourage them to describe where they were going and develop their language.  Nursery and Reception classes make good use of the shared outdoor area. This has been improved and has a wide range of fun activities which support learning. Children are encouraged to develop different areas of learning such as their counting when doing star jumps or counting when they are skipping.

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is good

 Pupils behave well and staff ensure they are safe and well looked after.

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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 134307 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 462174

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 455 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Del Goddard Headteacher Davindar Bhalla Date of previous school inspection 8–9 May 2013 Telephone number 020 8887 6060 Fax number 020 8887 6069 Email address office@starksfield.enfield.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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