The Kilburn Park School Foundation

The Kilburn Park School Foundation Malvern Road, London NW6 5RG

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher has been the driving force in leading improvements since the previous inspection – in particular, raising the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Governors are highly skilled and are ambitious for the school’s future.  Behaviour is outstanding. Pupils work very well together. They are able to develop their leadership skills well and their views are highly valued. They are extremely proud of their school.  Personal development is outstanding. The school’s values that everyone should aspire to improve and give back to the community underpin the work of the school.  Teachers are given good opportunities to develop their practice further and are highly positive about the guidance they are given to improve.  The quality of teaching is good because teachers enable pupils to make good progress and acquire the skills needed to improve their work and check their own learning.  The curriculum is innovative and exciting, with

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This is a good school

many varied opportunities to learn new skills. Pupils enjoy coming to school; attendance is now above average.  By the time pupils leave the school, they have achieved standards which are significantly above those nationally. They make good progress from their different starting points.  Parents highly praise the work of the school and in particular how it prepares their children for the next stage of their education. The school is proactive in making links with the community.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not all understand and use the school’s new assessment system to regularly check pupils’ understanding and plan work that is hard enough for them.  Not enough of the most-able pupils are making the rapid progress in mathematics that they are capable of.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teachers’ understanding and use of the new assessment system to regularly check what pupils already know so that they are better prepared to plan activities that are hard enough for all pupils.  Continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning, ensuring that the most-able pupils make rapid progress in mathematics by ensuring that: they are given activities that are sufficiently challenging for them to achieve their potential, and, in particular, are given increased opportunities to apply their skills and knowledge to solve more complex problems.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The headteacher is highly inspirational and has been central in leading the school to make rapid improvements since the previous inspection. There is a real sense, from the comments from staff, parents and pupils, that the school is, as one parent said, ‘like a family’.  The headteacher has been instrumental in improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in the school. The school sets high standards for what all staff are expected to reach, and provides a clear framework against which staff are able to evaluate their own performance.  Leaders have developed a rigorous system for checking the quality of teaching, drawing on a wide range of evidence to provide clear guidance for individual teachers on how they can improve further.  Staff are highly positive about the training they receive. Those new to teaching feel they are very well supported in the school. Subject leaders are given the opportunity to train for nationally recognised

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

awards which helps them to keep abreast of current developments in their subject area.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive of what the headteacher has achieved at the school and the progress their children make. Many parents with children who have now left the school say the achievements their children are now making are as a result of how well the school prepares pupils for their secondary education. Partnerships with parents are very strong: for example, home learning is strongly promoted and pupils benefit from the support of teaching tutors at after-school clubs and at the school’s Saturday school to complete tasks set.  The curriculum is outstanding. Teachers ensure that pupils are clear about what they are expected to learn and how the different aspects of their learning fit together. Pupils are encouraged to debate events in the news. There is a strong focus on developing pupils’ skills widely: for example, their artistic skills,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

which are of a particularly high standard. They are also able to pursue other interests, such as global studies, developed from the school’s own bio-dome project.  Fundamental British values are taught as an integral part of the curriculum and pupils are able to speak very confidently about the values the school promotes. For example, pupils reflect on the plight of Syrian children and discuss the rights of every child. The school’s ‘flag project’ challenges stereotypes and celebrates diversity. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum is ambitious and teaches children about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. The school’s work with the American School of London has led to pupils completing impressive ‘year book’ and animation projects.  Leaders have made a concerted effort to place the school at the heart of the community, notably through a specific outreach project that has been particularly successful. School staff attend events in the local

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

area, and the school engages members of the community to provide specific training for staff to raise awareness of specific issues, for example female genital mutilation. This community engagement is a priority for the school, and governors have also been involved through setting up a ‘families and communities’ committee that supports the school’s work in this area.  The school uses pupil premium funding extremely well to make sure that disadvantaged pupils achieve above other pupils nationally by the time they leave the school. This is because the school strongly promotes the principle that there is no excuse for underperformance, and promotes equality of opportunity for all pupils. The funding supports a range of initiatives tailored to individual children, access to laptops and the internet at home, and the running of a Saturday school. It also provides funding for a teaching tutor team who provide additional support for pupils across the school, focused on closing any

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

gaps in their learning.  The primary sports and physical education funding is used effectively to provide a range of lunchtime and after-school clubs, including fitness training during the breakfast club. The school listens to the views of pupils, and a comic strip newsletter produced by the pupils eloquently captures what pupils say about the recent changes the school has made in sports provision. As a result, more pupils are engaging in a wider range of competitive sports, including archery, fencing and bowls. The school’s three-year sports strategy outlines the school’s aims to continue to raise the profile of sports and physical education, including the funding of a dedicated sports coach to train class teachers.  The governance of the school Following a review of governance in March 2014, the appointment of new governors has galvanised the governing body to make significant changes to how it operates and provides strategic direction of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

the school. This includes the reorganisation of committees and clearly defined governor roles. Governors are highly committed to enhancing the local reputation of the school so that it becomes the school of choice for local pupils. They see their partnership with parents as a crucial aspect of this work. Governors are highly knowledgeable and hold leaders to account for their actions and the progress pupils make at the school. They meet regularly with school staff and the headteacher and use information from these meetings to check the progress the school is making against its priorities. Staffing is now stable after a period of temporary appointments, and the leadership structure has been widened. Together with careful financial planning, this places the school in a strong position as governors pursue an ambitious strategic plan, which includes a three-year building project to expand provision on the current site.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

Governors make sure the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and for sports and physical education is used efficiently so that any gaps in achievement are narrowed. They check the take-up of clubs, including Saturday school, to make sure that pupils who could benefit from these activities attend. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. They recognise the need to improve teaching even further, and oversee decisions on teachers’ progression in salary being based on the achievement of pupils.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Governors organise regular external audits of safeguarding to provide further checks of their procedures. Governors are trained in safer recruitment, and teachers receive regular training. The school provides clear guidance to all staff to make sure that the school provides a healthy and safe place for all pupils, as well as compiling the ‘silver book’, which

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

sets the expectations of safeguarding in the school. Parents and pupils are well informed through leaflets and displays around the school. Pupils are given ‘time to talk’ and guidance on what to do to keep safe. Pupils say they feel safe in the school and parents fully support this view.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The systematic checking of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment has led to improvement across the school. Teaching is now consistently good, with some that is outstanding. As a result, pupils across the school make good progress.  Reading is a strength of the school. This is because pupils who arrive at the school with poor reading skills are supported well, and because the school actively promotes a love of reading through good resources and a range of effective initiatives which set out basic principles to encourage pupils to read for pleasure.  Teachers give children strong guidance on how to check their work and those of their peers. This helps pupils to improve and, in particular, has led to the good achievement seen in pupils’ writing since the previous inspection. In science, there are many occasions where pupils use their skills particularly well in practical experiments, which they greatly enjoy.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Pupils are given regular opportunities to support their arguments and develop reasoning skills. Teachers set clear expectations of how pupils answer questions in class and respond to written feedback in their books.  Additional support in the school’s Dolphin Centre has been particularly effective in developing early language skills. Specific programmes of work, targeted at basic skills, help these children develop their ability to tackle the demands of the curriculum in their respective year groups.  Additional adults in the school provide effective support, whether in lessons or smaller sessions in groups. Leaders have encouraged adults to develop specialisms, for example in phonics, to make sure that the impact they have on pupils’ achievement is strong. In one lesson, for example, the additional adult provided good support to a group of pupils, using equipment to reinforce their understanding of the value

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

of digits in carrying out calculations. This helped these pupils keep up with the rest of the class.  In some mathematics lessons and pupils’ work, the challenge for the most-able pupils is not sufficiently strong. Some pupils say they often listen to teachers ‘recapping what we know already’ rather than moving on quickly to work that is immediately challenging.  The introduction of curriculum statements as part of the school’s assessment system has provided teachers with clear guidance to support their planning; however, not all staff understand and use these statements regularly to check on what pupils can do.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils’ views are valued and they are encouraged to give their opinions, for example, about daily events in the news and how the school is managed. Pupils produce regular newsletters expressing their views, and leaders share the school’s priorities with them so that they are kept informed.  Pupils are eager to talk about their learning and are highly resilient learners. When they come across new learning, they are positive about what they can achieve. They express aspirational future goals: for example, some pupils spoke about going to university.  Pupils say there is no bullying. This is confirmed by the few behaviour incidents noted in logs, and in pupils’ responses to the questionnaire. It was also seen in the positive behaviour in class and around the school, and supported by the school’s strong values about how children and adults should behave.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are very safe in the school. They say that adults take swift and appropriate action to resolve any concerns they may have, and that, ‘You always have someone to talk to.’ They are taught to keep safe by their teachers, during assemblies, and from visitors to the school. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe when using the computer and they have access to learning platforms at home, where they enjoy learning and talking to each other online. They say they are able to use the ‘whistle’ icon if they feel uncomfortable about something, and this is monitored closely by the headteacher.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They are extremely polite and considerate, in class and around the school. Pupils take great pride in their work and present their work neatly.  Pupils are highly motivated, and understand the value of education and the importance of behaving well to achieve their best. For example, one said, ‘There are high expectations for work and behaviour in this school.’ They work extremely well together and are taught to understand the different cultures and faiths of other pupils in the school. The school’s values about ‘giving something back to the community’ are evident in what pupils say about their volunteering work: for example, ‘Some people’s lives are very difficult, so we have to help.’  Attendance is above average because pupils value their education and want to come to school. The school has been highly effective in reducing levels of persistent absence, intervening early with families

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Behaviour

whose children are at risk of not attending regularly.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education by the time they leave the school because their attainment is significantly above that seen nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportions of pupils making expected and better than expected progress are also higher than average. Outcomes are not outstanding because there are some year groups currently in the school where progress in not as strong.  The majority of disadvantaged pupils in the school achieve very well and the gap between them and other pupils nationally, seen in 2015 in writing, has now closed in the school. In 2015, these pupils achieved the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics, which were above other pupils nationally. In many cases, disadvantaged pupils are performing above their peers in the school.  The majority of pupils who have special educational needs or disability made better than expected

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Outcomes for pupils are good

progress in reading and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2015. However, they made only expected progress in writing. The progress of those currently in the school is strong and despite some inconsistencies in their progress when they first start at the school, they soon catch up.  Those pupils who do not speak English as a first language are given intensive regular support which helps them to catch up quickly. They make good progress in the school.  The progress of the most-able pupils is good overall. Most of these pupils are provided with good opportunities to extend their learning in class. However, in some year groups their progress is not as strong, in particular in mathematics, where they are sometimes given work that provides them with too much practice of what they know already and they do not move onto more challenging work quickly enough.

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School details

Unique reference number 101556 Local authority Brent Inspection number 10002016

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School details

This inspection 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 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 189 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mary Arnold Headteacher Laurence Keel Telephone number 020 7624 7603 Website www.kilburnpark.brent.sch.uk Email address headteacher@kilburnpark.brent.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 November 2013

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Information about this school

 The Kilburn Park School Foundation is smaller than the average-sized primary school. It is a junior school.  A significant number of pupils join and leave the school part-way during their primary education.  A higher than average proportion of pupils are supported by additional government funding, known as the pupil premium. This funding is used to support pupils who are eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after.  The majority of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is higher than average.  A higher than average proportion of pupils at the school have special educational needs or disability.  The school runs a breakfast club and a Saturday school. The Dolphin Centre is a school-based provision for children at the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited all classes in the school and observed pupils’ learning in a range of subjects. The headteacher joined the lead inspector on several of the visits to classes.  Inspectors spoke to a number of pupils, listened to them read and looked at pupils’ books. One inspector met with a group of pupils to ask them about learning at school. The inspectors considered the responses of 39 pupils to the questionnaire.  Inspectors spoke to a number of parents at the beginning of the school day and during the inspection. They considered the views of parents from the 56 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View.  A meeting was held with governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. A telephone discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 12 responses to an online questionnaire for members of staff.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation. This included information on pupils’ attainment and

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Information about this inspection

progress, minutes of governing body meetings, information on how the performance of teachers is managed and reports on the use of funding. Inspectors also examined information regarding safeguarding, and looked at records about pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Mirella Lombardo, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Jan Keating 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 .

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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.

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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

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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,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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