West London Free School Primary

West London Free School Primary Cambridge Grove, London, W6 0LB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders, including trustees and governors, have in a short space of time secured excellence in all areas of the school’s performance.  The executive headteacher has created an ethos where hard work combined with care and compassion are central to the school’s work. She is skilled in nurturing individual strengths, providing support when necessary and recognising and celebrating success. Both adults and pupils flourish in everything they do.  A sharp focus on securing the very best teaching has resulted in a talented and high-performing team of teaching staff, including support staff.  Achievement is outstanding. Children and pupils make rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics to attain standards which are well above those expected nationally. Very occasionally there are some lost opportunities for the most able pupils to achieve even more in mathematics.  Middle leaders provide excellent capacity for the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school to secure further improvements. They are instrumental in making sure that the school achieves its aims.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Children and pupils have mature attitudes to their learning. This makes a significant contribution to their outstanding achievement. Their ability to persevere and sustain their concentration in lessons is remarkable.  Safeguarding arrangements are rigorous and ensure that children and pupils are kept very safe and secure.  The provision in the early years is excellent. High expectations for standards in achievement and behaviour are established in this key phase. Children make outstanding progress in all areas of learning.  The school has a strong partnership with parents. Parents have every confidence that the school will make sure that their child excels and thrives during their time in school.  The curriculum stimulates and supports children’s and pupils’ learning exceptionally well. It

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

contributes strongly to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, as well as to their understanding of British values.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed the quality of teaching in eight lessons, all of them jointly with the executive headteacher, and some with the phonics leader.  Meetings were held with school leaders, including the executive headteacher, middle leaders and the support staff manager. A meeting was also held with governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, as well as the Human and Resources Director, Chief Executive Officer and the Chair of the multi- academy trust. The inspector also met with the associate headteacher of the teaching school alliance. Informal discussions were held with parents and pupils.  The inspector considered 73 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Informal discussions were held with parents and pupils to gather their views about the school’s work. A total of 13 questionnaires completed by staff were also taken into consideration.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documentation. This included: the

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Information about this inspection

school’s self-evaluation and development plan; records of attainment of children in Reception and pupils in Year 1; minutes of the governing body’s meetings; monitoring and evaluation of teachers’ work; and the provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Additionally a range of policies on, for example, behaviour, safeguarding and the curriculum were scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Mary Hinds, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 West London Free School Primary is a small primary school. It opened in September 2013 with an intake of 60 Reception children who attend on a full-time basis. In September 2014 a further 60 Reception children started. The school will continue to grow to the full primary age range, catering for pupils aged between 4 and 11. The school opened because of a shortage of primary places in the local community.  The school is part of a multi-academy charitable trust which includes another primary school and a secondary school. The directors of the trust oversee the work of all three schools; several are founders of the West London Free School. The secondary school has a separate governing body, with the Chair being a director of the trust. The two primary schools have the same governing body, but each school has an elected parent governor. The Chair of the two primary schools is also a director of the trust. Chairs of the

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Information about this school

Governing Body report to the board of trustees termly. The school shares the same site as the other primary school. Pupils in Year 7 and 8 are also educated on the same site. They will join the remaining secondary pupils when there is sufficient space at the new secondary school nearby.  Pupils are from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with the largest group being White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average. Almost all of these pupils are bilingual.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is well below average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding provided for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children, is well below average.  Currently, the leadership team consists of an executive headteacher, who is headteacher of both primary

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Information about this school

schools. Middle leaders have additional management responsibilities for the leadership of Reception and Year 1, mathematics, phonics and PE. To strengthen leadership capacity, the school has appointed a curriculum leader and a data manager on a part-time basis. Further staffing appointments, including leadership posts, will be made as the number of pupils increases.  The school seeks to provide an innovative curriculum which promotes fundamental British values. The school’s values are wisdom, laughter, fellowship, success and perseverance (WLFSP).

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the good work already undertaken to secure further challenge for more able pupils in mathematics, by :  undertaking an audit of staff’s knowledge of the subject and providing tailored training to enhance practice still further  making sure that there are more activities which make these pupils think hard about their work  setting challenging targets to make sure that the proportion of pupils exceeding expected progress is as high as it is in reading and writing.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The executive headteacher is an outstanding teacher and leader. She has created a highly successful team who share her, the trustees’ and governors’ aspirations of securing excellence for all pupils. As a result, all pupils achieve their full potential.  The trustees, governors and the executive headteacher have been single-minded in securing highly effective teaching. Weaker teaching in Year 1 has been eradicated swiftly. The appointment of new Year 1 teachers has bolstered the teaching profile significantly.  The executive headteacher has been pivotal in this through regular checks on teaching, including peer observations, and intensive coaching and mentoring. Teachers have quickly honed their teaching skills. Both she and middle leaders continue to provide further support and guidance. Identified areas for improvement are followed up methodically. As a result, teaching is never less than good and usually

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The leadership and management are outstanding

outstanding.  The executive headteacher has forged very effective partnerships with outstanding schools, one being a local teaching school. Staff have benefitted immensely from observing outstanding practice, as well as accessing high quality professional development for both teaching and leadership. Similarly, the executive headteacher has secured guidance from external consultants to make sure that the school’s performance is accurately monitored, and that assessments are accurate.  Performance management is rigorous. All staff are set challenging targets based on pupils’ achievement, including support staff. Monitoring provides clear guidance on what is working well and what needs to be worked on further. All staff are keen to make sure that they develop professionally.  Trustees and governors recognise that the executive headteacher has shouldered most of the leadership responsibilities, and have listened to her solution. As a result some middle leaders have been appointed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

To date, these leaders have bolstered the quality of teaching and pupil achievement. The phonics leader has implemented a highly structured and systematic phonics programme, providing training and support for staff. She also teaches additional intervention programmes for those pupils who need any additional support in their learning. The Reception and Year 1 leader provides coaching and mentoring for colleagues. The leader for support staff and the leader of lunchtime supervisors, also contribute greatly to the school’s outstanding performance.  Further strategies to strengthen the capacity of the leadership team on a short-term basis are the recent appointments of a data manager and curriculum leader. These leaders have revised the system to track pupil performance and reviewed the quality of the curriculum. The longer-term plan is to appoint only the very best candidates for senior leadership positions to strengthen leadership capacity still further as the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

school continues to grow.  The school’s priorities have been well focused, particularly in literacy. There is a concerted effort to make sure that a greater proportion of pupils achieve the higher levels in mathematics as in literacy. Staff have effective professional training and development. However, the school has yet to undertake an audit of staff’s expertise in mathematics. Training as a result is generic and not sharply focused on individual needs.  Pupil progress is tracked regularly and accurately. In both key stages, pupils are assessed as to whether they are working below, meeting or exceeding expectations. These assessments are used to: make sure that activities are suitably tailored to meet the needs of ability groups; identify any potential underachievement and to implement intervention strategies to accelerate progress; to make sure that all pupils achieve their potential, securing equality of opportunity for all and preventing discrimination; and to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

plan effectively for further improvements.  Progress information is also used to set ambitious targets, although in mathematics these could be even more aspirational, so that as many pupils achieve the higher levels as in English.  The school has only received the sports funding this academic year. It is being used well to drive up standards in PE and sport. A PE apprentice works with teachers to improve the quality of teaching and to raise pupil achievement. Pupils enjoy this subject both in lessons and in extra-curricular activities.  Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. All aspects to keep children and pupils safe are rigorously monitored and reviewed. Pupils’ welfare and safety are paramount.  The curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding across a wide range of subjects. It promotes pupils’ enjoyment, confidence and ability to think for themselves. The curriculum

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The leadership and management are outstanding

emphasises the history and culture of Britain and promotes fundamental British values extremely well. The Reception and Year 1 pupil councils learn about democracy. They put key principles into practice and vote for the best way to enter the school buildings. Year 1 pupils learn about the kings and queens of England and how the Magna Carta is the basis for British law. They write about ‘bad King John’ and explain that it is wrong to take people’s money and to lie. Children in Reception learn about the rule of law and apply these basic rules by establishing their own class rules. A significant emphasis is placed on visual arts and music. There are numerous visits and visitors which bring pupils’ learning to life. The curriculum promotes pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural exceptionally well. Pupils’ mature attitudes and social skills mean that they are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The board of trustees and governors have an incisive and thorough understanding of the school’s effectiveness, including the quality of teaching. Their wealth of experience and skills is used effectively, resulting in most of the school’s aims being achieved rapidly. They are far from complacent and regularly review the impact of their work to make sure that the school continues to succeed, develop and expand.  They gather a wide range of evidence from: audits and termly reports from external consultants; the executive headteacher’s reports; their own independent information through regular focused visits based on the school’s priorities; and via the regular meetings they have with the executive headteacher to hold all to account for the performance of the school. It is clear from governing body minutes that they ask extremely challenging questions in order to gain a comprehensive overview of progress

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The leadership and management are outstanding

towards the school’s priorities.  Trustees and governors know how well all groups of pupils are performing. They make sure that the funding for disadvantaged pupils not only secures outstanding achievement, but promotes equality of opportunity. These pupils are supported so that they have free access to after-school care, school trips, and learning to play a musical instrument.  They set challenging targets based on pupil progress for the executive headteacher which are then used as performance management targets for all teachers. They are acutely conscious of rewarding good or better performance, and use retention bonuses for staff who excel in their work.  The trustees and the governing body ensure the school fulfils all the statutory requirements, including safeguarding. The safeguarding governor is relentless in making sure that everyone is up to date with child protection training, as well as having an understanding of the local and national priorities,

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The leadership and management are outstanding

including safer recruitment and radicalisation.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils have a thirst for knowledge and engage in their learning with a single-minded focus and ability to persevere in their work. Their high attendance demonstrates their love of learning.  Every day begins with pupils saying the school values, which sets the tone for the day. These values are constantly promoted throughout the day; for example, pupils are caught being good scholars at every opportunity.  Pupils are exceptionally polite and courteous. They have excellent manners and have great consideration for each other’s feelings and viewpoints. Ambassadors delight in informing visitors who they are and what they are learning about today.  Everyone, including parents and pupils, is extremely positive about behaviour. Discussions with pupils confirm that they feel listened to and that they trust all adults implicitly to take care of them.  Pupils are exceptionally well behaved. There are very few occasions which merit adult intervention at any

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Behaviour

level because pupils are encouraged to develop self-control. The small minority of pupils who have difficulty in controlling their feelings are managed positively and consistently by all staff.  There are many opportunities for pupils to develop an understanding of and appreciation and respect for different cultures and religions. Pupils learn about moral and ethical issues, for example, through studying Aesop’s fables and writing their own examples. They confidently explain that a moral is a story that ‘tells us a lesson we should learn’.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe is outstanding. Safeguarding pupils is given the highest priority. Systems for securing the site are robust and constantly reviewed. Governors monitor the impact of policies and procedures regularly and rigorously.  Vetting checks and recruitment procedures are robust. Safeguarding training is up to date and reviewed regularly, so that staff are able to protect pupils from harm, including e-safety and extremism.  Pupils are encouraged to keep themselves safe in all areas of their work and play. They learn about road safety and how important it is to walk quietly, and hold hands with their partner when they go on school trips. They have many opportunities to explore, identify and manage risks, including the danger of fire, through visits from the fire brigade.  Parents are unanimous in stating their children are safe in school. Pupils can explain what makes them

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Safety

feel safe. They appreciate the ways in which the school teaches them to stay safe.  Pupils say there is no bullying and school records confirm this. They are acutely aware that it is wrong to be unkind to anyone who is different to them. Pupils look after one another and put the school’s value of fellowship into practice. Pupils, including younger children, are taught about e-safety and how to keep themselves safe when using digital technology.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The executive headteacher has developed a culture of scholastic excellence. Her exacting and high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, effort and work are shared by all staff. She has secured consistency in teaching practice in all four classes. Outstanding teaching combined with pupils’ diligence and resilience secures rapid progress.  Pupils are almost always totally engaged in their learning from the moment the lesson begins. All resources, including the classroom environment, consistently promote and support pupils’ learning and ability think for themselves. For example, there are many visual prompts with key vocabulary in literacy, mathematics and topic work on the ‘working walls’ which are constantly referred to. This encourages pupils to work on their own.  Every lesson has a clear learning outcome with steps to success. Pupils know what they are expected to learn and what they have got to do to achieve this. These prompts help pupils to identify for themselves

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

whether they have been successful or not. Consequently pupils are spurred on to achieve even more.  Learning is sequential because activities build on what pupils know and can do. Teachers and teaching assistants carefully assess pupils’ understanding in lessons and then provide further challenge or support. Strategies to secure rapid rates of progress in mathematics are not as secure as they are in literacy. As a result, although more able pupils achieve well, there are some lost opportunities for them to excel in this subject all the time.  Assessments are regular and accurate. They are used to provide the right level of challenge for most ability groups, so that learning is moved on at a fast pace. The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is a real strength. Activities are pitched precisely to pupils’ abilities to secure outstanding progress. Pupils are given extensive amounts of time to apply their phonic knowledge in reading and

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

writing in literacy lessons and across the curriculum. Pupils in Year 1 read with expression, fluency and comprehension. They read for a purpose and for pleasure.  Pupils write independently about their own and others’ experiences, in both fictional and non-fiction styles. In some mathematics topics, pupils are working well beyond age-related expectations, for example using the formal column written method to solve addition problems. Work in pupils’ books illustrates rapid progress over time and attainment which is well above that expected nationally in both writing and mathematics.  Teachers model learning and then deepen pupils’ understanding by asking probing questions. They use pupils’ misconceptions to clarify, consolidate and extend learning. Pupils are constantly challenged to think about their work so that their learning moves on rapidly.  Marking is purposeful and provides pupils with exact pointers for improvement, as well as regular

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

opportunities to practice and extend their learning.  Teaching assistants are trained well. They are an integral and important partner in the teaching and learning cycle. They are charged with securing rapid pupil progress in the intervention work they undertake, as well as supporting teaching and learning in class. They provide an excellent programme of ‘stretch and support’ for pupils who find learning difficult and for those who find learning easy.

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is outstanding

 From their different starting points, all groups of pupils make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics in Reception and Year 1. The proportion of pupils making expected progress and the proportion of pupils exceeding expected progress is high.  Attainment in all three core subjects is significantly above national expectations. By the end of Reception every child is able to read accurately and with increasing fluency. In 2014 four out of five pupils attained a good level of development, which is considerably more than the national figure. This is set to rise in 2015.  The school’s assessments at the end of the spring term 2015 established that in Year 1 almost one in two pupils were at least a year ahead of what is expected for this year group nationally in reading. School data and work in pupils’ books show that pupils are consistently working at levels usually attained in Year 2 in

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is outstanding

both writing and mathematics.  The most able pupils achieve exceptionally well in reading, writing and mathematics. A high proportion of pupils make better-than-expected progress from their starting points, although less so in mathematics. Work is usually challenging in lessons. Learning proceeds at a fast pace, and there is additional work to boost their progress still further, but this is not consistent enough in all classes.  The small minority of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those for whom pupil premium provides support, achieve as well as all other pupils in the school. Their progress is carefully tracked through regular assessments and weekly staff review meetings to make sure that lessons and interventions are tailored sharply to meet their needs.  There are no gaps in attainment or progress between disadvantaged pupils and all pupils in the school. Moreover, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is well above that of all pupils nationally in Year 1 in all core

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is outstanding

 Children enter Reception with variable skills. Sometimes they are slightly below those typical for their age, and sometimes above. All groups of children make outstanding progress in all areas of learning during their time in Reception. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development in 2014 was significantly above the national average. The school’s information confirms that this high level of attainment will be replicated in 2015.  More than a third of children exceeded the early learning goals in most areas, including literacy, although fewer children exceeded the early learning goals in mathematics in 2014. Nonetheless, children are more than ready for the challenges ahead in Year 1.  Adults are skilled in nurturing and motivating children, fostering their personal and academic development exceptionally well. The range of activities covers all areas of learning, both inside and outside the

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is outstanding

classroom. At every opportunity children are encouraged to rehearse their thinking by talking about their work and to speak in ‘scholar sentences’.  Every minute is used to maximise children’s learning through direct teaching and incidentally. Captions provide children with effective writing examples which extend their vocabulary. For example, in the castle (role-play area) there are key words such as portcullis and ramparts. Many captions are posed as questions to stimulate children’s thinking skills and curiosity; for example, in the book corner, children are asked, ‘Who is the illustrator?’  There is a wealth of opportunities for children to write for a purpose on their own, both inside and outside the classroom and across all seven areas. For example, in science, children are asked to write about ‘my butterfly diary’. Most children are confident to write their own sentences independently and with

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is outstanding

increasing accuracy.  Adults accurately check children’s understanding and plan activities that are carefully pitched at the right level of difficulty to secure fast rates of progress. They methodically check children’s understanding and encourage them to apply, consolidate and extend their thinking and learning.  Children behave exceptionally well. They are polite, respectful and cooperative. Adults constantly model positive behaviour and encourage reflection so that inner self control is achieved.  Children demonstrate high levels of curiosity, perseverance and engagement in their learning. Their ability to concentrate is exceptional. As in Year 1, children follow the school’s traffic light system. When this is on red, they work in almost total silence so that they are not distracted from their work.  Children are developing a very good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They are encouraged

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is outstanding

to take care of each other as well as exploring and managing potential risks such as using scissors sensibly.  The early years leader is an outstanding practitioner and is an exemplary role model. Staff benefit from formal and informal mentoring and coaching. The early years team is highly effective. All staff constantly review their practice to secure further improvements. There are regular in-depth reviews to assess strengths and areas for development, including the progress made by different groups of children.

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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 139546 Local authority Hammersmith and Fulham Inspection number 450099

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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 Academy free school Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kathryn Cooper Headteacher Natalie de Silva Date of previous school inspection N/A Telephone number 020 8741 9967 Email address admin@wlfs-primary.org 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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