Malmesbury Primary School

Malmesbury Primary School Malmesbury Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 6HG

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Early years provision Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is a good school

 The school is improving. Since the previous inspection, senior leaders and governors have successfully tackled key areas for improvement. Leaders have driven improvements to the quality of teaching in Nursery and Years 1 to 6. Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 have risen and pupils’ outcomes are now good.  Pupils enjoy the interesting tasks teachers set and are motivated to work hard. Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Guidance from teachers makes clear how pupils can improve their work.  Pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare have improved. Pupils behave sensibly in lessons and around the school. They show caring attitudes towards each another. They have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe.  Members of the governing body have attended training and built up their skills in checking the quality of the school’s work and pupils’ outcomes. They are confident to ask senior leaders tough

p.1

This is a good school

questions about how quickly the school improves.  Leadership and management are good. Through well-selected staff training, leaders and governors have made sure teachers and teaching assistants use consistent approaches to teaching in Nursery and Years 1 to 6 that help pupils learn quickly.  Teachers are positive about the initiatives that leaders and managers have introduced to improve the school.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of provision in early years is improving but it remains inconsistent and therefore requires improvement. Leaders have not been as effective in ensuring that teaching, learning and assessment, and children’s outcomes in the Reception Year, are as good as in Nursery and Years 1 to 6.  The most-able pupils, and the most-able disadvantaged pupils in particular, are not always challenged in their work to reach the highest standards of attainment.  Leaders have not made sure that handwriting is taught consistently throughout the school to enable pupils to develop fluent handwriting.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise outcomes for children by the end of the Reception Year by: improving the consistency of teaching, learning and assessment in early years provision ensuring that teachers set demanding tasks that build on what children in Reception classes know and can do already identifying sharply the most significant priorities to drive improvement in early years provision and measure the effect of the initiatives on children’s outcomes.  Raise pupils’ attainment further by: making sure that the most-able pupils, and most-able disadvantaged pupils in particular, are set challenging tasks to do in all lessons making sure that pupils are encouraged to develop fluent handwriting.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has worked closely with leaders, governors and staff to drive improvements. Leaders have developed a shared sense of purpose and determination to promote equality and raise pupils’ outcomes. Leaders have successfully motivated staff and raised pupils’ aspirations.  Leaders have improved the quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 and in Nursery. Since the previous inspection, well-selected training for teaching staff has secured better approaches to the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils are motivated to work hard. Leaders have provided additional guidance and managed performance effectively in order to tackle underperformance. They have made sure that teaching assistants are well trained and as a result, teaching assistants play a valuable part in supporting pupils’ learning.  Through the curriculum, pupils enjoy a wide variety of engaging activities. For example, pupils are

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

enthusiastic to secure awards for knowing their multiplication tables. They are eager to reach high scores when they complete mathematical quizzes and to answer questions online about the books they have read. Pupils’ positive attitudes to reading are encouraged by the wide range of interesting books they read in class. The curriculum programme for writing makes sure that pupils complete a variety of writing tasks regularly. However, leaders have not made sure that the curriculum supports pupils to build up fluent handwriting.  Extra-curricular clubs, including clubs for German, Spanish, gardening and computing, are popular and well attended. Pupils are keen to take part in sporting activities because leaders make sure that the primary physical education (PE) and sports funding is used effectively to encourage high uptake of sporting opportunities. Specialist sports teaching, as well as competing in sporting competitions against

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

other local schools, encourage pupils’ positive attitudes to keeping fit and healthy.  Leaders make sure pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered strongly. Pupils enjoy singing multicultural songs in assembly and taking part in international events that celebrate the differences between pupils from different backgrounds at the school. Pupils’ caring attitudes are encouraged well. For example, pupils are proud to be recognised for being kind to others. Respect, tolerance and democracy are discussed regularly in assembly, and older pupils speak knowledgably about fundamental British values.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively to tackle discrimination. Gaps between disadvantaged pupils and the other pupils at the end of Year 6 closed in 2015, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school’s assessment information shows that disadvantaged pupils make similar progress as others at

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

the school. However, fewer of the most-able disadvantaged pupils reach the highest standards in reading, writing and mathematics compared with other pupils in the most-able group at the school.  Leaders have not been as effective in making sure that teaching, learning and assessment, and children’s outcomes, are as consistently strong in early years provision. Development planning does not identify priorities for action in early years provision as sharply as in other phases. Leaders have not measured the effect of key actions closely against better outcomes for children.

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school Following the review of governance recommended at the time of the previous inspection, members of the governing body have swiftly developed their skills in challenging the school’s leaders to improve the school. They have attended relevant training so that they understand the school’s assessment information and now ask incisive questions. As a result, they understand how well the school is performing and where the school needs to do better. Governors have reorganised the structure of the governing body, recruited new members and checked that governors have relevant expertise to work effectively with the school’s senior leaders. Governors visit the school regularly, meet leaders to understand the work they are doing, and talk to pupils to gather their views about how securely the school is improving.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Records are detailed, of high quality and show that

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

leaders follow up any concerns swiftly. Leaders make sure staff have up-to-date training, and know the school’s procedures and what action to take should they have any safeguarding concerns. Recent training for staff includes recognising pupils at risk of radicalisation, extremism and female genital mutilation.  Members of the governing body attend training to make sure they are well informed about current safeguarding guidance. Leaders have also organised workshops for parents on the government’s Prevent strategy to help them keep their children safe.

p.3

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Interesting activities and tasks capture pupils’ interest and motivate them to work hard. Pupils have positive attitudes to school because they enjoy learning.  Leaders have made sure that teaching approaches are consistent across classes in Years 1 to 6 and in Nursery. Pupils build up confidence to tackle mathematical calculations and solve problems because teachers encourage them to build up their knowledge of key skills. Pupils are motivated to secure awards for knowing multiplication tables and number facts, and to meet teachers’ high expectations. Regular reading and well-selected books foster pupils’ enthusiasm for reading and writing. Teaching assistants support pupils’ learning effectively in lessons and in additional reading, writing and mathematics sessions for identified pupils.  Teachers’ comments and feedback typically make clear how pupils can improve their work. Pupils generally know their personal targets and often take responsibility for checking that they meet them.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers set most-able pupils in Year 6 demanding work that helps them to deepen their knowledge, particularly in mathematics. Tasks are not always as consistently challenging for the most-able pupils in other year groups, including the most-able disadvantaged pupils.  Teaching in early years provision is not as consistently effective. In Nursery classes, adults extend children’s understanding through discussions and questioning that encourage children to think hard. In Reception, information from checks on children’s progress is not always used to plan the next steps in children’s learning, and tasks are not always selected carefully. As a result, activities in Reception are not always demanding enough to hold children’s attention and help them to learn new skills quickly.

p.4

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are courteous and friendly. Those who join the school part way through their primary education are welcomed by the others and as a result, they make friends and settle quickly. Older pupils willingly help the younger ones, for example by hearing them read.  Pupils are attentive and follow teachers’ instructions readily so that time is not wasted. They have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils work well together and support each other’s learning.  Clubs and sporting activities at lunchtimes encourage pupils’ physical fitness and their enjoyment of breaktimes. Leaders make sure that pupils who find breaktimes difficult are well supported.  Pupils confirm that any bullying is rare, as the school’s records show. They are confident that the adults will sort out any problems quickly should any issues occur. Pupils have a clear understanding of what they

p.4

Personal development and welfare

should do to keep themselves safe, for example when using computers and communications technology, or when travelling on public transport.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are proud of their school and how it has improved since the previous inspection. The school is a tidy, well-maintained, graffiti- and litter-free environment.  Pupils confirm that behaviour has improved since the previous inspection. Around the school and in lessons, pupils are sensible and conduct themselves well. They follow teachers’ instructions readily and time is not wasted.  Leaders have worked effectively to reduce previously high levels of persistent absence so that it is now average. Appropriate measures to secure the best attendance each week as well as awards for pupils who attend school every day, help to raise attendance rates. Attendance has improved and is closer to the national average.

p.4

Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ progress has accelerated since the previous inspection, and pupils make good progress in Years 1 to 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, standards in assessments at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 rose in 2015 and were the highest for the last five years.  The school’s assessment information and work in pupils’ books show that all groups of pupils generally make good progress from their starting points.  The very few pupils who are at the very early stages of learning English benefit from English speaking and vocabulary-building sessions. They increase their English skills quickly and achieve well in other subjects.  The school provides a range of tailored support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. From their starting points, these pupils make good progress. The school checks pupils’ progress regularly, identifies any pupils at risk of falling behind and gives them extra help. Additional

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are good

sessions in reading, writing or mathematics with teaching assistants help these pupils to catch up quickly.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. Gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally at the end of Year 6 closed in 2015, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school’s assessment information shows that disadvantaged pupils make similar good progress compared with that of others at the school. However, fewer of the most-able disadvantaged pupils reach the highest standards in reading, writing and mathematics compared with other most-able pupils at the school.  The most-able pupils make good progress overall. They make striking progress in mathematics in Year 6 because they benefit from sessions with specialist mathematics teachers. They attained well above average standards in mathematics in assessments at the end of Year 6 in 2015 compared with the

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are good

national average. In other subjects and year groups, the most-able pupils are not always challenged as effectively.  Outcomes for children at the end of the Reception Year are improving but remain below national averages. Children’s attainment at the end of Reception rose in 2015, but was still below national averages. Leaders use the additional funding to close gaps effectively between the attainment of disadvantaged children and that of others at the school. However, gaps in attainment between disadvantaged children at the school and other children nationally, and in attainment between boys and girls, have narrowed but not closed quickly.

p.5

Early years provision requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in early years provision is variable. Consequently, children are not well prepared for the start of Year 1. Early years provision is improving but leaders have not identified and tackled key priorities for action as sharply as in other age phases.  Expectations of what children can achieve in Reception classes are not always high enough. Activities, particularly in the inside areas, are typically insufficiently demanding to help children to deepen their knowledge and understanding in basic literacy and numeracy skills.  Children make better progress in Nursery and get off to a good start. Activities are more carefully tailored to children’s skills and capabilities and successfully capture and hold children’s interest. Adults in Nursery extend children’s thinking effectively through discussions and questioning. Adults encourage children’s early literacy skills well in Nursery. Children in Nursery listened carefully to different sounds the adults

p.5

Early years provision requires improvement

made and thought hard to identify the source of what they could hear. The most-able children in Nursery, working with an adult, enjoyed writing their names and practising writing short words.  Children work and play well together, taking turns, waiting for their turn patiently and sharing resources. Across early years provision, children behave well. They help to tidy the classrooms and this contributes to keeping one another safe.

p.5

School details

Unique reference number 132169 Local authority Merton Inspection number 10009044

p.6

School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.6

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 469 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Raven Headteacher Karen Sheridan Telephone number 020 8648 3561 Website www.malmesbury.merton.sch.uk Email address school@malmesbury.merton.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 26–27 June 2014

p.6

Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized, all-through school. Children attend Nursery part time, and a few children attend full time. Children in the Reception classes attend full time.  More pupils than nationally speak English as an additional language. Very few are in the early stages of speaking English.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school organises and manages breakfast provision.  Newminster Children’s Centre, which shares the same site, is not part of the school and was not included in this inspection.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 40 teaching sessions across a range of subject areas in all key stages. On the first day of the inspection, the large majority of visits to lessons were conducted together with members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, and senior and subject leaders. Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in lessons and around the school, and looked at work in pupils’ books. They also met with groups of pupils from Key Stage 2, and listened to pupils reading. Inspectors met with a representative from the local authority and held a meeting with three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  They looked at a range of documents provided by the school, including assessment information, minutes of meetings of the governing body, and the school’s action plans and self-evaluation reports. The school’s records relating to safeguarding were also checked.

p.7

Information about this inspection

 There were 37 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. Inspectors also spoke informally with parents during the inspection. The inspection also took account of 43 responses to the staff questionnaire.

p.7

Inspection team

Madeleine Gerard, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Lou Anderson Ofsted Inspector Joanna Brinkley Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspection team

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.

p.8

Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

p.8

Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.8

Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.8