Stanhope Primary School

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

 The headteacher, staff and governors have built successfully on the improvements seen at the time of the previous inspection. Working as an effective team, they have made sure that teaching and pupils’ achievement have continued to improve quickly.  Achievement is good. Pupils make good progress from their starting points and standards are rising. Pupils achieve particularly well in reading and writing. A systematic approach to teaching phonics (the sounds letters make) and early reading skills as well as daily reading practice throughout the school, encourage pupils’ enjoyment of books.  Leaders and managers have made sure that disadvantaged pupils, as well as disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good progress.  Leaders and governors have secured better teaching quality so that it is good. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Teachers typically plan interesting tasks that make

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning enjoyable.  Pupils feel happy and safe at school. Behaviour is good and pupils are polite and friendly. Through workshops and assemblies, pupils have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe from harm.  Children in the early years provision achieve well. As a result of good teaching in Nursery and Reception, they are well prepared for the next stage in their education when they move to Year 1.  Pupils are keen to make suggestions to help the school improve further and are enthusiastic to take on responsibilities within the school. Older pupils are eager to help the younger ones, for example as reading buddies, prefects and healthy-eating mentors.  Leaders, managers and governors check the quality of the school’s work regularly and identify where key improvements are needed. This has been particularly effective in driving improvements to teaching and pupils’ achievement in reading and writing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in mathematics is not always as consistently brisk as in reading and writing, particularly in lower Key Stage 2.  The most able pupils are not always set hard enough tasks to do in mathematics.  Leaders have not identified priorities for improvement in mathematics precisely enough to ensure pupils build up their numeracy skills swiftly.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in all years. They visited parts of 23 lessons, nine of them jointly with senior leaders.  The inspectors held informal discussions with groups of pupils. The inspectors also held discussions with staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. The inspectors listened to pupils reading, looked at work in pupils’ books and the school’s information showing pupils’ progress.  The inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by the school, including action plans, the school’s own checks on its performance and the quality of teaching. Records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding were also considered.  There were 25 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. The inspectors spoke informally with parents and considered the school’s own recent survey of parent views. The inspection took account of 17 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Madeleine Gerard, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-size primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. The proportion speaking English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is similar to the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding to give extra support to those known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after) is above average.  In 2014, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school provides part-time early years provision for children in two Nursery classes and full-time provision for children in three Reception classes.  More pupils join and leave the school part way through their primary education compared with other

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Information about this school

schools nationally.  The breakfast and after-school club is not managed by the school and was not included in this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils make more rapid progress in mathematics by:  identifying precisely the key improvements needed in mathematics so these are addressed quickly  helping pupils to build up their numeracy skills quickly, particularly in lower Key Stage 2  making sure the most able pupils are always set demanding work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, working together with senior leaders, managers and governors, has successfully driven improvements since the previous inspection. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ academic achievement have improved and are now good. Leaders have successfully maintained pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and their good behaviour. They have made sure the whole school community is ambitious to achieve well. In informal discussions and the online survey, parents were confident that the school has improved and that their children achieve well.  Leaders have successfully raised pupils’ aspirations for the future. For example, talks from professionals in a variety of employment, opportunities for selected pupils to visit Cambridge University and close links with local secondary schools all encourage pupils to aim high. Success in public speaking and sporting competitions helps boost pupils’ self-confidence.

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The leadership and management are good

 Regular checks on the quality of teaching and clear targets to secure improvements have effectively secured better teaching. Leaders have involved all staff, including teaching assistants, in specific training, for example to secure a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics and early reading.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. Music and art are particular highlights, as the school’s recent success in achieving the national Artsmark award reflects. Pupils enjoy singing in the local community and have taken part in performances with professional musicians. Pupils learn about democracy through elections for key posts of responsibility. Writing letters of application and interviews for other roles prepare pupils well for their future working lives. Tolerance and mutual respect are strongly developed, for example through celebrating festivals from a wide variety of faiths and cultures, and visits to local places

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The leadership and management are good

of worship. All these strengths successfully foster good relations within the school, tackle discrimination and prepare pupils effectively for life in modern Britain. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is developed strongly.  Leaders use the pupil premium funding carefully to promote equality of opportunity and provide additional sessions in reading, writing and mathematics for selected eligible pupils. The additional funding is also used to make counselling opportunities available to support pupils’ personal and emotional development. As a result, previously wide gaps in attainment between pupils eligible for the funding and the others are closing quickly.  Subject leaders have developed their roles in contributing to improving the school since the previous inspection. They check the quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility and have helped to develop the curriculum in reading and writing in particular so that pupils’ progress is accelerated. The leadership

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The leadership and management are good

and management of mathematics is less effective in identifying key priorities for action, in order to secure equally rapid improvements in pupils’ progress in mathematics.  Safeguarding measures are rigorous and organised effectively to make sure that pupils are kept safe. Leaders with specific responsibility for safeguarding make sure that records are maintained carefully and that any issues that may arise are followed up promptly. They make sure that the very best interests of pupils are protected at all times. Staff receive regular training for their roles so that any concerns are dealt with consistently. Leaders and governors regularly check that safeguarding documentation and guidance for staff are up to date, and that procedures are followed precisely.  The local authority has worked with the school since the previous inspection and checked that it has continued to improve the overall effectiveness of its work. The local authority has collaborated with

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The leadership and management are good

leaders to measure the quality of the school’s work and to provide helpful additional support and guidance.  The primary sports premium funding is used successfully to raise standards and encourage pupils to have positive attitudes to keeping fit and healthy. Sports clubs at lunch time and after school are popular and well attended. In informal discussions, parents expressed their appreciation for the sports clubs that the school organises.  The governance of the school:  Since the previous inspection, governors have shared the determination of senior leaders, managers and staff to make sure the school improves quickly. They have made sure they attended training to help them in their roles, for example so that they understand the information the school gathers about pupils’ academic performance. Members of the governing body visit the school regularly and know how well it performs and the quality of teaching. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s

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The leadership and management are good

systems to manage performance, reward good teaching and tackle underperformance. They know the targets that staff are set and how these link to salary. However, governors do not always make sure that a clear set of success criteria are fully met before salary increases are awarded.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite, friendly and behave well in lessons and around the school. Occasionally in lessons a few pupils lose concentration and their attention wanders but this rarely interrupts learning.  Older pupils are enthusiastic to take on a number of roles and responsibilities within the school. For example, Year 6 prefects organise their own rota of duties to help make sure that break-times run smoothly. Older pupils promote reading by hearing the younger ones read each week and encourage pupils to make healthy eating choices.  Teachers and staff are positive role models and have consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are clear about the standards of behaviour expected of them, and understand and respect the school’s behaviour systems. Pupils wear their uniforms smartly and look after the school’s resources. They help make sure the school is litter free. Members of the daily lunchtime gardening club look after the

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Behaviour

school’s vegetable beds.  Pupils show caring attitudes. Cyber mentors share their computing and information technology expertise with other pupils and staff. In Year 5, the most able pupils in mathematics organise a club to support other pupils in developing their mathematics skills. Through regular charity fundraising and discussions on how they can contribute to improving the school, local community and wider world, pupils think carefully about those less fortunate than themselves.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel safe at school. In the survey of parents’ views, the very large majority of parents confirmed that their child feels safe at school.  Pupils say there is some occasional bullying. They are confident that the school staff always take swift action to help resolve any problems that may occur, as the school records show.  Through discussions in assembly and in class, pupils are encouraged to develop a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe from harm. Road safety sessions, cycling-proficiency training and regular discussions about how to keep safe when using information and computing technology help pupils have a very good awareness of many of the dangers they may face. Training for pupils to help them avoid other risks to their safety, such as extremism, are not always as thoroughly promoted.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is consistently good. The teaching of reading and writing is particularly strong and helps pupils make rapid progress in developing their literacy skills. Teaching in mathematics is not always as effective in helping pupils to master numeracy skills quickly, particularly in lower Key Stage 2.  Very regular phonics teaching in the early years provision and Key Stage 1, as well as frequent reading in Key Stage 2, is highly successful in promoting pupils’ achievement in reading. Leaders have made sure pupils read a wide variety of motivating texts that foster a love of books and positive attitudes to reading. Pupils in Key Stage 2 speak very positively about their favourite authors and the types of books they prefer to read.  Teachers make sure pupils write often and encourage them to use the features of high-quality prose in their English work as well as when writing in other subjects. As a result, pupils practise their key skills

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The quality of teaching is good

regularly and they gain confidence in writing fluently.  When teachers mark pupils’ work, typically they make clear what pupils have done well and challenge them to identify where they can improve further. Pupils often know their personal targets and use these sensibly to focus their attention where they need to improve the quality of their work.  Teaching assistants often make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning. They support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs effectively in literacy and mathematics as well as in improving their speaking and listening skills. Teaching assistants help pupils speaking English as an additional language to build up their spoken English skills quickly.  The most able pupils have challenging work to do in reading and writing that helps them to concentrate and think hard. In mathematics, the work teachers set the most able pupils is not always as consistently

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The quality of teaching is good

demanding to ensure they make swift progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Rates of progress for all groups of pupils have accelerated and, as a result, standards are rising, including in early years. In 2014, at the end of Year 2, standards in teacher assessments were the highest for the last five years and significantly higher than the national average. In the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2014, more pupils than the national average reached the expected standard. Despite making slower progress in their learning in the past when they were lower down the school, pupils now in Key Stage 2 make better progress than previously. As a result, pupils’ standards at the end of Year 6 in national tests are average and improving quickly. Pupils achieve well.  Pupils in all classes make particularly rapid progress in their reading and writing, and develop their literacy skills securely. They make good progress in mathematics. However, progress in mathematics is not always as brisk as in literacy in lower Key Stage 2 when teaching does not make sure pupils build up

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The achievement of pupils is good

their mathematics skills as rapidly.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their starting points. They benefit from well-organised sessions tailored to their specific needs from well-trained teaching assistants, teachers and specialist therapists.  Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those speaking English as an additional language make good progress. Pupils at the early stages of speaking English as an additional language are helped to build up their knowledge of English vocabulary quickly. This makes sure they make strong gains in their spoken English as well as in other subjects.  Pupils who join the school part way through their primary education are helped to settle quickly. Other pupils make sure new pupils are welcomed and make friends easily. Additional support helps them make good progress from their starting points.  Previously wide gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school and

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The achievement of pupils is good

nationally narrowed in 2014, particularly in reading and writing. Pupils eligible for additional funding in Year 6 made similar progress from their starting points compared with other pupils at the school and nationally. Eligible pupils were less than two terms behind the others in school and nationally in reading and writing, a narrower gap than that found nationally. In mathematics, pupils in Year 6 eligible for additional funding were two and a half terms behind the others in school and nationally, a similar gap compared with that found nationally. The school’s records of pupils’ progress show that disadvantaged pupils currently at the school make rapid progress. They have successfully caught up with the others and consequently, there is generally no longer a gap in their attainment.  The most able pupils achieve well. They make rapid progress in reading and writing. Their progress is slower in mathematics when they are not challenged with suitably difficult work.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is well led and managed. Children make good progress and achieve well from their starting points. Children are well prepared for the start of Year 1. More children than average reached a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year in 2014. A larger proportion of children than that found nationally exceeded the expected standards in their learning.  Teaching is good in Nursery and Reception. Children benefit from a suitable balance of adult-led tasks and activities to choose to do on their own. Staff help children build up their knowledge of basic skills quickly, including phonics and numbers. Occasionally, teaching assistants are not effective in helping children build on what they know and can do through discussions.  Children are happy and behave well. They listen carefully to one another and to the adults, and follow instructions. Social skills are fostered well. Children are sensible, take turns and share resources. Two

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The early years provision is good

children were observed playing musical instruments together. They worked cooperatively in order to play in rhythm successfully. Children readily act helpfully. For example, another group of children were observed calmly collecting writing equipment after a phonics session. Children are encouraged to keep themselves and one another safe. Children practising hitting a ball with bats did so carefully while other children using climbing equipment took turns to help one another to use the resources safely.

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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 101907 Local authority Ealing Inspection number 464549

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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 584 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Denise Maloney Headteacher David McLeod Date of previous school inspection 6 ‒ 7 November 2013 Telephone number 020 85759989 Fax number 020 88132606 Email address admin@stanhope.ealing.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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