Sandhurst Primary School

Sandhurst Infant and Nursery School Minard Road, London, SE6 1NW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 As a result of good leadership and management, the headteacher, leaders and governors have ensured that teaching over time is typically good, maintaining pupils’ good achievement.  Overall, pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. By the time they reach the end of Year 2, standards are above national averages.  Provision in the early years is good. Children in the Nursery and Reception learn effectively, both in the classroom and outdoors. They are well prepared for the start of Year 1.  School leaders are committed to engaging all parents in supporting their children throughout the school. As a result, the school enjoys the confidence and support of parents and carers.  The governing body knows the school well. It provides a good balance of challenge and support to ensure leaders continue to drive improvements in the school’s work.  The school’s curriculum provides meaningful learning experiences for pupils. Trips, visitors and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

special curriculum events bring the curriculum to life and ensure that pupils enjoy learning and make good progress.  Pupils feel safe and secure in school. They have a good knowledge of how to keep safe. They are well cared for and, as a result, enjoy their time at school.  The behaviour of pupils is good. Relationships between pupils and adults are consistently good. Pupils are courteous towards each other and to visitors.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Planning for school improvement by senior leaders lacks precision in analysing and evaluating the impact of actions on pupils’ academic achievements.  Where appropriate, teachers’ comments and feedback on pupils’ work do not consistently identify what pupils should do in order to improve further.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes. A total of 25 lessons or part lessons were observed, some of which were observed together with a senior leader.  The inspectors held informal discussions with groups of pupils. The inspectors also met with staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and four governors, 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 current pupils’ progress and attainment.  The inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by the school, including action plans and minutes of governing body meetings. Records relating to the school’s performance management systems, spending of 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) and the primary sport funding grant, as

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Information about this inspection

well as behaviour, attendance and safeguarding, were also evaluated.  Inspectors analysed 57 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. The inspectors spoke informally with parents and considered the school’s own survey of parent views carried out in March 2015. The inspection took account of 22 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Jean Thwaites, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Madeleine Gerard Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. The largest three groups are Black Caribbean, Black African and White British, each representing around one fifth of the school population. The proportion speaking English as an additional language is above average. A very small minority of these pupils are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is close to the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is broadly average.  The early years provision consists of three full-time Reception classes. The school also provides part-time provision in two Nursery classes which operate as one unit. There are 50 children who attend the morning Nursery sessions and 50 children who attend the afternoon Nursery sessions.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure leaders analyse and evaluate the success of priorities for improvement on raising pupils’ achievement.  Ensure that, where appropriate, teachers’ comments on pupils’ work inform pupils about what they need to do to improve their work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders, managers and governors have successfully sustained the good quality of teaching in Key Stage 1 since the last inspection, and pupils continue to achieve well. Governors have increased their effectiveness in challenging the school to do better. The good behaviour of pupils has been maintained and staff morale is high. As one teacher said, ‘I am so grateful to be in a school with such supportive and friendly staff, and a leadership team who puts the children first, so that we can give them the best opportunities and starts in life. It’s why I teach here!’  Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s key areas for improvement. They are aware of some inconsistencies which remain, for instance in the quality of marking pupils’ work.  While the school’s improvement planning clearly identifies areas for improvement, the precision with which actions are analysed and evaluated for their impact on pupils’ academic achievement is less effective.

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The leadership and management are good

Leaders make sure the pupil premium funding is used effectively to support the learning of eligible pupils and promote equality of opportunity successfully. As a result, gaps in the attainment of eligible pupils and the others are closing.  The curriculum has been effectively revised by middle leaders to accommodate the new national requirements; it encourages pupils’ enjoyment of learning. Teaching is brought to life through a range of school visits to support the topics of study, such as a visit to Greenwich to link to a topic on the sea. Workshops and visitors help to ignite pupils’ interest in the broader curriculum. The school promotes British values, such as tolerance and democracy, through the school council and is currently reviewing its values with families, governors and their local junior school to consolidate this aspect of the school’s provision further.  The school positively tackles discrimination and fosters good relations, working with parents, for example,

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The leadership and management are good

through their recent dads’ camping trip, their ‘standout’ programme and international evening. As a result, there are many opportunities for all parents to engage with the school. Links have been made with visits from, and to, a local children’s hospice. This has enhanced the school’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural curriculum on offer, providing pupils with regular and relevant volunteering opportunities to support their local community.  Leaders, governors and key staff ensure that procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place and actively followed. The site is secure and well maintained, and staff demonstrate an awareness of the importance of maintaining site security. Safeguarding documents scrutinised by inspectors, and the analysis of a case study, show that the required systems are in place and referrals made to external agencies when appropriate.  Additional sport funding is used well to increase pupils’ participation in sporting activity. The funding is

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The leadership and management are good

used to provide a range of equipment, lunchtime clubs, as well as training for staff. This has raised standards and encouraged pupils’ positive attitudes to keeping fit and healthy.  The local authority is right to be confident in the school’s leadership. It provides appropriate light touch support for this successful school.  The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. The governors regularly review and consider their roles, membership and the skills they each have to offer. This has resulted in the subsequent appointment of governors with the right skills to bring about further school improvement.  As regular visitors to the school, governors are confident to challenge school leaders and these questions are recorded in the governing body minutes. For example, governors questioned the lower levels of progress made in writing for one year group since the last school assessments, asking what

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The leadership and management are good

action the school was taking to address this. As one governor pointed out, they recognised that they ‘didn’t always have the full picture’ and so implemented, for the summer term, reports from subject leaders to challenge further the quality of teaching and learning.  Governors monitor the performance management arrangements for all teachers well. Pay awards for teachers are linked to improved performance. The headteacher provides governors with reports on pupils’ progress, information on the school’s performance and on the quality of teaching. As a result, governors have a clear understanding of the school’s priorities.  Governors are clear about their responsibilities in ensuring finances support the identified school priorities and they look to achieve ‘best value’ for site developments. They also check to make sure safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and monitor spending of the pupil premium funding.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good in lessons and around the school. Children are well supported by clear induction procedures when starting in the early years. Pupils joining the school part way through Key Stage 1 are helped to settle swiftly through the ‘buddy’ partnership and make friends quickly. As a result, pupils are welcoming and polite to their peers, staff and visitors.  There is a consistent approach applied towards behaviour management in all classrooms. Pupils are well aware of the rewards and sanctions in place. Occasionally, a few pupils need to be reminded of the behaviour expected. Rewards play an important role in encouraging good behaviour. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the fun ‘golden time’ rewards, particularly the opportunity to take part in ‘golden gardening time’.  The school’s planned programme of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development events ensures pupils

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Behaviour

have opportunities to explore issues, such as bullying, in a range of contexts. For example, anti-bullying week makes links to other visits, such as the life bus where feelings can be explored further.  Termly curriculum activities foster pupils’ understanding of a wide range of cultures and faiths. Social family events, like the international evening, provide opportunities to celebrate diversity and encourage respect and understanding towards others. The language of the month is displayed in each classroom.  School displays on self-esteem and feelings reinforce the importance of respect for, and good behaviour towards, each other. The school enjoys the confidence and support of the parental community. Many parents are highly supportive of the school and feel that it makes sure that the pupils are well behaved.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils regularly use public transport for school outings and high quality risk assessments are in place. Pupils are confident about keeping safe when using computers and know that they must not go into the junior school playground.  Pupils have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe, including road, fire and internet safety, because it is covered well in lessons. Pupils participate enthusiastically in safety workshops that help them develop their awareness of risks. For example, a road safety campaign reinforcing the skills required to stay safe while out and about, walking to school and when using public transport all serve to enhance pupils’ understanding of the importance of safety.  Pupils gave an example of how they follow the fire drill rules. They explained that the fire alarm was set off by smoke released during a recent performance from the ‘mad science’ workshop team. The pupils

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Safety

clearly understand how to leave the building, and why it is important to leave quickly and quietly to stay safe.  Leaders make sure the whole school community is clear about the importance of attending school regularly and follow up any concerns with the relevant agency. As a consequence, attendance levels in the school are maintained around the national average.  Safeguarding procedures are robust and staff have a thorough knowledge of the school’s systems and procedures to keep pupils safe. Leaders maintain detailed records of concerns and any referrals made to outside agencies. As a result, school records show careful consideration of any safeguarding issues that may arise.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good quality teaching is leading to good achievement. External links with professional services, for example the speech and language service, support interventions led by staff. These additional adults make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning in the group and individual sessions, so that pupils with additional needs or who are at the early stages of English learn well. The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is supporting all pupils so that they become confident readers.  Additional adults also contribute effectively to learning in the early years, where staff work well as a team supporting the range of learning activities planned. However, this is less apparent in Years 1 and 2 where their deployment to support learning was less clearly focused.  The school ensures that the quality of teaching focuses equally on speaking, listening, reading and writing. This ensures that pupils are supported well in their literacy work. For example, pupils in one class were

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The quality of teaching is good

very keen to talk about the visit from ‘the animal man’. They described how they held a dolly lizard and what the different exotic animals they saw looked like. They were then encouraged to write, using their rich vocabulary choices inspired from the visit. Clear questioning by the teacher supported pupils’ learning, encouraging pupils to explain their vocabulary choices and to identify the grammatical features that had been used and why.  Throughout the school, teachers plan for and encourage pupils to solve mathematical problems. Teachers make sure that pupils know and understand key mathematical vocabulary, appropriately reinforced by the use of practical equipment and resources. Pupils enjoy using these practical resources and models to support their thinking. Work in books shows that there are many opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematical learning, but fewer opportunities to record and show mathematical reasoning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Spelling, reading and mathematics homework are set regularly, supporting pupils’ learning in class. Parents said that they liked the optional homework challenges in the weekly newsletter which they can complete with their children.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and acknowledge what pupils have done well. However, the impact of teachers’ marking on pupils’ learning is weakened by the inconsistency in identifying what pupils should do in order to improve further.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ overall attainment by the end of Year 2 has been consistently above average year on year. Pupils make good progress and achieve well. In 2014, standards at the end of Year 2 were typically above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. Provisional data indicate that overall attainment in 2015 is similar to that in the previous year.  The most-able pupils achieve well. In 2014, the proportion of pupils achieving above average standards in writing and mathematics was significantly above the national figure. Provisional teacher assessments at the end of Year 2 for the current year indicate a rise in the proportion of pupils achieving above average standards compared to the previous year.  Pupils make good progress in reading. Weaker readers are supported in building up their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make (phonics). This has contributed to an improvement from the results of

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The achievement of pupils is good

the Year 1 screening check in 2014 to 2015.  In 2014, the gaps in attainment at the end of Year 2 between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils at the school and nationally reduced. The 2014 results for Year 2 showed that disadvantaged pupils were a term behind other pupils in the school in reading, a term behind other pupils in writing, and just less than two terms behind other pupils in mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils were less than half a term behind other pupils nationally in reading, less than a quarter of a term behind other pupils in writing, and just under a term behind other pupils in mathematics.  The school’s latest checks on pupils’ progress show disadvantaged pupils are less than half a term behind other pupils in reading, less than half a term behind other pupils in writing, and a term behind other pupils in mathematics. This continues to be an improving picture, showing that the gap in attainment between

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The achievement of pupils is good

Sandhurst children eligible for pupil premium and all children at Sandhurst is closing over time.  All groups of pupils, including those from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language, achieve well overall in reading, writing and mathematics, with attainment outcomes above average at the expected level. Those at an early stage of learning English are supported in building up their vocabulary and spoken English so they achieve well.  By the end of Year 2, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar good progress compared with other pupils at the school. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs benefit from a variety of additional support targeted to their needs. The school works closely with external agencies to ensure the appropriate support is provided.

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The early years provision is good

 Children join the early years with skills and capabilities that are below those typical for their age. Teaching is typically good. From their individual starting points, most children make good progress and achieve well. By the end of their time in Reception, children are well prepared for the start of Year 1.  The early years provision is led and managed well. The leader has a clear understanding of the strengths and what needs further development. Established routines help the children to settle quickly. Visits to the school before they join, including the recent stay and play session, help children to feel confident and safe, and provide opportunities for parents to familiarise themselves with the setting. Parents have many opportunities to engage with the school.  Children’s behaviour is good, supported by their secure relationships with teaching staff, parents and each other, and the strong induction arrangements. However, on occasions, a few children become disengaged

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The early years provision is good

in activities and need to be reminded of the behaviours expected.  Real enjoyment in learning about numbers, both in the classrooms and in the outdoor environment, is evident. Staff record what children do well or what they say, but their comments do not always identify what the children should do in order to improve further. As a result, staff do not identify quickly what actions will result in the greatest impact for children’s progress.  Staff are vigilant about children’s safety and there is a purposeful and happy atmosphere around the early years provision. Parents are well informed about what their children are learning, and they appreciate the workshops they can attend.

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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 100703 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 448195

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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 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 364 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pauline Miller Headteacher Maxine Osbaldeston Date of previous school inspection 19–20 May 2010 Telephone number 020 8698 5810 Fax number 020 8461 5200 Email address admin@sandhurst-inf.lewisham.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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