Middle Park Primary School

Middle Park Primary School Middle Park Avenue, Eltham, London, SE9 5RX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 Following the previous inspection, senior leaders and governors took a decisive, proactive and very successful approach to improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement. Teaching is good, and particularly high quality in Years 1, 4, 5 and 6.  From their previously low starting points pupils in Year 6 are making rapid progress. The most able are working at levels much higher than those normally expected for their age, especially in writing and mathematics.  The number of pupils reaching and exceeding the national average at the end of Key Stage 1 has increased year-on-year. Attainment at the end of the early years has risen and is above average.  Teachers’ planning and clear explanations ensure that pupils develop their knowledge, skills and understanding well over time.  Teaching assistants are very clear about their roles. Their strong support allows disabled pupils, those with special educational needs, and those

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

who speak English as an additional language or who are disadvantaged to make good progress.  Information about pupils’ progress is used rigorously to target additional support and offer increased levels of challenge to the most able.  Pupils’ good standards of behaviour and attitudes to learning contribute significantly to their increased rates of progress. They are confident the school keeps them safe.  A very well-written action plan based on robust self- evaluation is driving improvement strongly. All involved in the school are clear about developments and the intended impact on pupils’ achievements.  Senior leaders are relentless in their drive to pursue excellence and enable pupils to achieve highly. They check regularly the impact of teaching on pupils’ attainment, progress and attendance.  Governors have developed their skills extremely well. They offer high levels of challenge and support, holding leaders and managers to account.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

They do not assume all is well unless they have clear evidence of pupils’ good or better progress over time. They ensure that the school plays a central role within the community.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Outstanding practice in some year groups has not been shared fully with all staff.  When marking pupils’ work, not all teachers explain what they need to do to improve or give them time to respond to their comments.  Children in the early years, especially boys, do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their skills to work together and use their ideas to solve problems when they are playing outside.  Some staff new to subject leadership have not yet acquired the expertise they need to contribute fully to the school’s improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 30 parts of lessons, mainly in English and mathematics. They observed all teachers and some small-group sessions for children who receive additional support. The headteacher and deputy headteacher observed some lessons alongside the inspectors.  Pupils spoke to inspectors about their views of the school and their work in lessons, during playtimes and lunchtime, and in a formal discussion. A small number of pupils in Years 1, 2, and 6 read to inspectors.  Meetings were held with members of staff who have leadership and management responsibilities, newly qualified teachers, and representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  Some parents and carers spoke to inspectors when they brought their children to school in the morning. The responses of 282 parents and carers to the school’s own questionnaire, and 20 responses to the online survey, Parent View, were taken into account.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered a range of the school’s documentation. This included information about pupils’ progress, their attendance and behaviour, minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s self- evaluation summary and improvement plan, and arrangements for safeguarding pupils.

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Inspection team

Kath Beck, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Middle Park is larger than the average primary school. The early years consists of one Nursery class and two Reception classes. Most children in the Nursery attend either in the morning or afternoon. Eight children stay all day. Children in the Reception classes attend full time.  Over half of the pupils are supported by the pupil premium. This is a much higher proportion than found in schools nationally. Pupil premium funding is money provided by the government to give extra support to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after.  Almost half of the pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic groups. One quarter speak English as an additional language. This is higher than the national average. Only a few are new to speaking English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is high. In some year groups, two fifths or one half of the pupils have been identified as having specific needs.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in mathematics and English.  Since the previous inspection there has been some staff turnover. Senior leaders have established a curriculum team, special educational needs team and a junior leadership team, which includes subject leaders. Some members of these teams are new to their roles, especially subject leadership. Governors have reorganised the way in which they work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress by:  sharing the outstanding practice in Years 1, 4, 5 and 6 with all members of staff  ensuring all teachers, when marking pupils’ work, give pupils clear feedback about what they need to do to improve, and give them time to respond to their comments  providing effective opportunities for children, especially boys, in the early years to develop skills in working together to solve problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the leadership teams by developing the skills of those who are new to subject leadership so that they contribute fully to the school’s improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders, managers and governors, under the clear direction of the headteacher, are determined to make a difference to pupils’ lives. Their decisive and proactive approach to raising the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment and progress has been very successful. Pupils understand and respond well to high expectations and the view that high achievement in their academic work is vitally important. One child said, ‘The best thing about this school is that it gives me opportunities to do, and be, the best that I can.’  A very well-written action plan is based on rigorous self-evaluation which includes the views of staff, governors, parents and carers, pupils, colleagues from other schools and advisers. It enables all staff to share the clarity of vision and ambitions for what must be done to drive improvement and make the school outstanding.  A recent independent review of provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs led

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The leadership and management are good

to important changes in provision. Their needs are identified precisely. They are now supported more effectively and this has improved their rates of progress.  All involved in the different leadership teams, including in the early years, work extremely well together. They are clear about their roles in bringing about improvements. Some, especially subject leaders, are new to their roles and have not yet acquired the expertise they need to contribute fully to the school’s development.  Senior leaders set very clear expectations for high-quality teaching. Their regular visits to lessons, reviews of pupils’ work, and analysis of teachers’ records of pupils’ progress focus strongly on how well teaching is raising pupils’ achievements and their attendance. Except in marking, the weaknesses identified at the time of the previous inspection have been eliminated.  Information about the progress of pupils in different groups is used rigorously by senior leaders to ensure

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The leadership and management are good

that all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed. Additional funds are targeted well to assist disadvantaged pupils to achieve as well as their classmates, to support those in danger of falling behind or to offer an increased challenge to the most able.  Newly qualified teachers and those at an early stage in their teaching career are supported well. They work alongside their more experienced colleagues to ensure the differing needs of pupils are met and that they make good progress. However, the outstanding practice found in some year groups has not yet been shared fully to ensure that all staff meet the demands for high-quality teaching consistently.  The new curriculum has been implemented well. It sparks pupils’ enthusiasm for learning across a wide range of subjects, including music and art. Residential visits for pupils in Years 4 and 6 contribute significantly to their personal and social development. These factors, as well as assemblies, religious

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The leadership and management are good

education, science, and studies about the impact of global warming on the environment, add much to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Additional sports funding has broadened the range of sports pupils play during the breaks from lessons and after school, promoting healthy lifestyles. Girls and boys take part in cricket and tennis tournaments against other schools, enhancing their competitive spirit and the thrill of winning. Training for staff has improved the quality of teaching in physical education.  The school places strong emphasis on preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain. Staff model high standards in all their work, demonstrating respect and tolerance for all. They work with a variety of charities to promote pupils’ understanding of families from a wide range of backgrounds and different lifestyles. Pupils know that it is wrong to use derogatory language and that discrimination is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school plays a key role in the community. It has strengthened its partnership with parents and carers in the past two years. There are many opportunities for parents and carers from all backgrounds to become involved in the school and contribute to their children’s achievements. In collaboration with the local community centre and children’s centre, the school provides parents and carers with courses and additional advice which help them to overcome barriers in their child’s learning.  Very few parents or carers responded to the online survey, Parent View, but the vast majority of parents and carers responding to the school’s own survey this year are very positive about their child’s happiness and safety in school, the quality of teaching, behaviour and leadership and management.  The local authority has provided good levels of challenge and support over the past 18 months. This has made an important contribution to the rise in pupils’ achievements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Arrangements to ensure pupils’ safety are in line with statutory requirements. Senior leaders and governors ensure that staff are well trained, kept up to date and report concerns quickly. They are not afraid to pass on their concerns to other professionals to ensure pupils are safe in the community.  The governance of the school:  Governors have developed their expertise extremely well. The reorganisation of their committees ensures that they maintain a strong focus on the school’s improvement. They are very knowledgeable about the school’s performance in comparison to other schools nationally. Governors visit the school regularly to understand fully its strengths and areas for development. Consequently they support the headteacher in the redeployment of staff according to where they will have the most impact.  To offer high levels of support and challenge, governors receive frequent updates about the progress of

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The leadership and management are good

pupils in different groups and year groups. They do not assume that developments are having a positive impact unless they have clear evidence that pupils are making good or better progress. Together with the headteacher, governors use this information to check that teachers have met their annual, challenging targets to reward good teaching and to tackle any underperformance.  Governors ensure that the school plays a central role in the community. The links with charities, the church, children’s centre, and community centre mean the school helps parents and carers develop strong networks of support. Events where parents and carers are brought together socially or to increase their confidence in helping their children to learn are proving very popular.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils, including in the early years, demonstrate good attitudes to learning and this makes an important contribution to their rising achievements. They listen carefully to their teachers and other adults, and respond well to their questions. Their work is neatly presented and they take pride in their uniform. Pupils take care of the resources and ensure that the school is kept tidy.  Relationships are friendly and respectful. Pupils from all backgrounds work well together. In Year 6, pupils enjoy opportunities to work on activities that demand skills of teamwork, negotiation and compromise.  During the breaks between lessons, most pupils behave well, but they say this is not always the case if there are disagreements about games they are playing. They move around the school in a sensible and orderly manner, standing aside to politely let others pass through the doors first.

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Behaviour

 Very few pupils have been prevented from attending school for a short time because of poor behaviour. Those who find it hard to behave well, including those who are transferred from other schools, are supported effectively. They adapt well to the school’s high expectations, and their behaviour improves over time.  The school has taken determined action to improve attendance. It is in line with the national average. The number of pupils who are often absent is much smaller than in the past.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Well-trained staff, throughout the school, take prompt action when they consider pupils may be at risk of harm, often working in partnership with other professionals. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to promote safety and prevent cyber bullying when their children are using the internet at home. Assemblies and the curriculum help pupils to understand risks and how to keep safe when they are in the community.  Pupils who spoke to inspectors said they feel safe in school. They are knowledgeable about different kinds of bullying and have devised posters to make clear that it is unacceptable. The posters remind their classmates what to do if they believe they are being bullied. Pupils say staff respond quickly if it is reported.  Pupils with responsibilities, such as the elected Head Girl, Head Boy, prefects and school council, take their

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Safety

roles very seriously. They explain to their classmates that it is important to keep to the rules set by the school because they keep everyone safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is promoting good and sometimes outstanding achievement. Senior leaders have set high expectations for pupils’ achievements, and teachers are clear about what they need to do to achieve them. Strong teaching in Years 1, 4, 5 and 6 is enabling pupils to fill gaps in their learning, and in some cases catch up quickly.  Teachers’ planning to promote pupils’ skills in reading, writing and mathematics is thorough. This, together with their use of assessments of what pupils know and can do, ensures that work is usually pitched at the right level.  Teachers ensure that teaching assistants know the aims and objectives of each lesson, and how they are to assist the pupils in their groups. They are knowledgeable about the prior achievement of disadvantaged pupils and those with differing levels of attainment or English as an additional language. They build on

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The quality of teaching is good

these skills so that the pupils make good progress.  Teachers provide clear explanations of new learning. Often they are sharply focused and give pupils the confidence to tackle their work without extra help. The calm, purposeful atmosphere and pupils’ good attitudes and behaviour allow teachers to move around the classroom to give encouragement, correct misconceptions and accelerate learning.  Pupils gain good skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar. They apply these well and are fluent in many different types of writing. Younger pupils make a good start with their reading using their knowledge of the sounds letters make (phonics) and other clues to read words that are not familiar to them. Older pupils read well and enjoy a wide range of children’s literature. A recent visit by an author inspired them to think carefully about the books they read and their writing, especially the impact it has on the reader.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The new mathematics curriculum is taught well. Pupils are confident in using a range of methods to calculate and to solve problems. Pupils who find the subject difficult engage in small-group sessions where they are inspired to learn quickly.  There are differences in the quality of guidance and feedback that staff give to pupils when marking their work. Some teachers make very clear to pupils where they have gone wrong, and what they need to do to improve. They check pupils’ responses and offer further guidance as appropriate. Others do not always mark pupils’ work frequently, point out errors or provide time for pupils to reply to their comments and questions.

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The achievement of pupils

 Pupils in Year 6 in 2014 made rapid progress from low starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Their attainment in writing was well above the national average, but in mathematics and reading it was average. This reflects a significant rise in attainment over 2013, and is on course to be sustained in 2015.  Attainment at the end of Year 2 has risen steadily year-on-year. In 2014 it was broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics.  In order to raise attainment overall in Years 1 and 2 and enable more pupils this year to reach the higher levels of attainment, senior leaders have deployed teachers more effectively. This is to make the best use of their skills, especially in teaching reading and the sounds that letters make. A large number of pupils are on course to achieve well in the phonics screening check. Inspection evidence shows that this is why pupils’ achievements in this age group this year are better than in published documents.

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The achievement of pupils

 The most able pupils are challenged to achieve well as they move through the school. Those in Year 6, including some disadvantaged pupils, are working at levels in writing and mathematics that are more typically found in the first year of a secondary school.  The careful targeting of support and the use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils are ensuring that in Year 6 the gap in their performance compared to that of others in school is minimal. In 2014, they were less than a term behind their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. They outperformed all pupils nationally by two terms in mathematics and one term in writing. There was no difference in reading.  The reorganisation of provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs has successfully enhanced their rate of progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is regardless of whether they are working in the classroom or in small groups elsewhere in the school. Their work is

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The achievement of pupils

carefully matched to their precise needs. Skilled, experienced staff and high-quality resources make learning enjoyable and help pupils to make good progress from their wide-ranging starting points.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language do well. Their achievements are similar to and sometimes above those of their classmates.

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The early years provision

 Good leaders and managers have worked in collaboration with the local authority to sustain the good provision found at the time of the previous inspection. Children’s attainment at the age of five has risen and is above average, which means they are prepared well for their work in Year 1.  From their varied starting points, children make the best progress in mathematics, physical development, learning to listen and be attentive, and acquiring self-confidence. In 2014, girls outperformed the boys, especially in managing relationships, reading, writing and being imaginative.  To close this gap successfully, the staff have adapted the curriculum, and chosen storybooks that are more appealing to the boys. Through good teaching, all children in the early years are learning the sounds that letters make, and this is enhancing their progress in reading and writing. Practical activities in mathematics capture children’s attention so that they can count in sequence and double numbers to

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The early years provision

20.  Outside activities, especially in the forest, give children good opportunities to play and explore and to be active in their learning. However, at other times there are too few opportunities for them, especially boys, to work as a group and to use their own ideas to solve problems.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs or who are disadvantaged or new to speaking English are supported effectively and learn well. Many activities motivate children to want to talk, and they like to sing songs from different countries. Staff use the guidance from speech therapists very effectively to provide one-to-one support for children who find it hard to communicate their ideas clearly.  Children understand the risks they can take when climbing on play equipment, and in the forest area. They play happily with their friends from all backgrounds, respecting and celebrating their differences.

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The early years provision

They are eager to learn, especially when working with adults. All staff are well informed about what children are to achieve in the sessions planned for them, and provide good support.  Parents and carers contribute well to the initial assessment of children’s starting points when they first start school. They become involved in their children’s learning, going out on trips and supporting their developing skills in reading and writing at home.

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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 130921 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 462168

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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 430 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Carol Ladbrook Headteacher Donna Adkinson Date of previous school inspection 11–12 July 2013 Telephone number 020 8850 8747 Fax number 020 8850 4001 Email address admin@middlepark.greenwich.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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