Barley Lane Primary School

Barley Lane Primary School Huxley Drive, Chadwell Heath, Romford RM6 4RJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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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 Good

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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 and senior leaders have secured improvements since the school’s inspection by keeping staff focused on improving the quality of their teaching.  Teaching is now good across the school. Pupils make good progress and attainment is rising, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics.  The governing body is more effective than at the school’s last inspection. The review of its working practices means that governors are more sharply holding leaders to account for the school’s performance.  Adults work closely as a team in the early years to ensure that children have similarly interesting and stimulating experiences in each class. This accounts for their enjoyment and good progress.  Pupils are able to write at length in a variety of styles. Their written work is developed across a wide range of subjects and becomes very imaginative as they move through the school.  The school’s values permeate all areas of its daily

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This is a good school

life. These promote well the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It also helps them to understand the values that underpin British society.  Behaviour has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Pupils are polite and very considerate towards others.  Pupils are eager and keen to learn. They take great pride in their work and try hard to meet their individual targets.  Pupils mostly feel safe in school because they say the systems and procedures help adults take care of them.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 School leaders do not always evaluate assessment information sharply enough to precisely identify where future action is needed. One consequence is that few disadvantaged pupils make the same rapid progress as some of their peers.  Not all subject and year group leaders have the expertise or opportunity to check performance and plan improvements in their areas of responsibility.  Teachers do not always spot quickly enough when pupils are ready to move on to harder work. This can hold up their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of leadership and management at all levels on outcomes for pupils by ensuring that: – leaders evaluate pupil and school performance more incisively so that priorities and actions for improvement can be sharply focused – more disadvantaged pupils make rapid progress and so work at greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics – subject and year leaders have the expertise and opportunity to drive forward improvements in their areas of responsibility.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that teachers spot and take action more quickly when pupils are ready to move on to more advanced work.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders have rigorously tackled areas for improvement from the last inspection so that teaching, the pupils’ progress and their behaviour have all improved. Strong staff teamwork is leading to consistency of approach, particularly in lesson planning within year groups, and high expectations of behaviour.  The performance of teachers is carefully checked and challenging targets set for the progress of pupils they teach. Training for teachers is based carefully on their individual needs. Mentors work closely with new teachers to tackle any areas identified as requiring attention. The local authority has provided valuable help and guidance in supporting the school’s improvement.  The leadership expertise of year and subject leaders is being developed through links with a successful local school. Several leaders are ready to take on greater responsibility but do not have the opportunity to check performance and support improvements to teaching in their areas. Other leaders do not yet have

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

the full range of skills for the role they are to fill.  Leaders at all levels do not always evaluate school and published assessment information incisively enough to focus sharply on key priorities for the next stages of the school’s development. Actions are then general rather than specific enough to move improvement on at a greater pace.  Pupil premium funding is used well to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make expected progress and reach expectations for their age. However, leaders do not always evaluate carefully the impact of this funding. This has meant that they have not spotted that fewer disadvantaged pupils make better than expected progress and work at greater depth than others nationally.  The curriculum strongly supports not just the pupils’ academic development but also their creativity. Literacy permeates all subjects, including the development of the pupils’ writing. Reading is encouraged

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and a love of books promoted at every opportunity, as shown by photographs around the school of adults reading books. Pupils also learn to have concern for the environment, such as when studying recycling. Their experiences and interests are broadened by a wide range of additional activities, including clubs, trips and visitors to the school linked to topics being studied.  The school strongly promotes an understanding of British values such as by helping pupils to understand democracy by looking at current affairs. This includes the debate about the European referendum and the role of the monarchy when celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday. Pupils have also written to the Prime Minister with their concerns about the Syrian refugee crisis.  Sports premium funding is being used well so that improvements in teaching and provision can be sustained. Pupils now participate in a wider range of sports, including in competition with other schools.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

The expertise of teachers is developing by working alongside a skilled sports coach.  The governance of the school – The work of governors has become more focused and effective since the restructuring of the governing body. Governors are now asking more challenging questions of school leaders. They also gain more first-hand knowledge about the school than previously through their regular visits to check the progress of action towards meeting priorities in the school improvement plan. Expertise within the governing body is growing. – Often the information governors receive, particularly about assessment information and test results, is not precise enough. This limits their ability to ask even more searching questions in order to help them assess the performance of all aspects of the school. This includes being clear about the impact of pupil premium funding on the progress of all disadvantaged pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Training undertaken enables staff to understand how to identify concerns quickly. Procedures to follow through causes of concern are thorough and systems are regularly checked and tested by the governing body.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is usually lively and interesting. It captures and holds the pupils’ attention for long periods. Teachers are consistent in the way they manage behaviour, so pupils know where they stand and try to meet expectations. This generates a strong culture for learning in almost all classrooms.  Teaching is generally based on a clear understanding of what the pupils know and can do. This leads to the learning of the most able being extended and their understanding deepened. Pupils who find new ideas difficult are given additional support or a different approach is adopted to help them understand.  Learning is at its most productive when pupils are questioned carefully and asked to clarify their answers. This deepens their understanding and that of others in the class, particularly in mathematics. Their learning is enhanced when adults check their understanding and suggest further challenges so that they

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

more deeply understand new concepts.  Generally teachers and support staff identify quickly how well pupils are doing in lessons. Occasionally teachers and support staff do not spot when skills and ideas are secure and pupils are ready to move on. This slows their learning when they go over skills that they have already securely mastered.  Teaching of writing is very effective. Pupils plan, edit and correct their work before embarking on the final product. The guidance they receive through marking and other feedback is particularly effective in improving their writing. It helps them to understand how well they are doing, to correct mistakes and to improve the quality of their work. It also helps them to make sure that their work is grammatically accurate.  Pupils have the opportunity to deepen their mathematical understanding and develop reasoning by applying their skills regularly and in many ways. This includes solving problems, undertaking practical

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

activities and exploring investigations.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupil’s personal development and welfare is good.  The pupils develop strong moral values. Choices of texts they read mean that they regularly discuss moral issues. They learn how to become better citizens through studying each other’s cultures and customs. Consequently, pupils show great respect and tolerance of others.  Pupils work well collaboratively including in discussion, when working on practical tasks or when evaluating each other’s work. Pupils are confident to investigate ideas as they can learn by their mistakes. This contributes significantly to their good learning.  Pupils are taught how to stay safe, such as when thinking about ‘stranger danger’. They understand that they need to take care when using the internet. Bullying is not a major concern for pupils. They know that it is wrong because ‘bullies ruin lives’ and ‘it’s not cool to be cruel’, as displays of their work show.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils make a significant contribution to school life. They are pleased that they can take leadership roles so that they can show they are able to be responsible. This includes organising games at playtime or representing their classmates on the school council.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils respond almost immediately to teachers and other adults in lessons. They are very attentive and eager to answer questions posed. Any lapses in concentration are dealt with swiftly by staff, so learning can flow uninterrupted. The pupils’ pride in their work and achievements is shown by the neat and tidy presentation of their books.  Pupils move very sensibly around the school, helping to create an orderly environment. They show respect and consideration for others. Pupils say that any inappropriate behaviour is rare and does not get in the way of their learning or enjoyment.  Pupils are proud of their school and say that they find learning interesting. They talk confidently about their work and are keen to share views and ideas. Pupils also take great pride in the opportunity to represent their school in various sports teams.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is an improvement since the school’s last inspection. Attainment is rising in all subjects. Most pupils reach expectations for their age and significant numbers work at greater depth in each year group.  Pupils are prepared well for secondary school. By the end of Year 6, pupils can sustain the concentration needed to write creatively and at length in a wide range of styles. They apply their secure mathematical skills well to solve complex problems and deepen their understanding of new concepts. They can analyse texts and take meaning from what they read.  The most-able pupils also make good progress. They develop a deep understanding of key ideas, and their refined enquiry skills enable them to explore and investigate unfamiliar situations with confidence.  Pupils make good and improving progress in their understanding of phonics (letters and the sounds that

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Outcomes for pupils are good

they make). Attainment by the end of Year 1 is rising. Pupils enjoy books and understand the importance of reading if they are to be successful in the future.  The small numbers of pupils who have special educational needs or disability also make good progress. Adults working with these pupils are trained well and deployed effectively by teachers. They have developed close and productive relationships with those they support.  Any variations in the progress of pupils from the main minority ethnic groups in the school follow no significant pattern. Pupils new to English become confident and secure in their language skills quite quickly, so they are able to access materials and teaching and make good progress.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils has fluctuated since the last inspection but is now good. Gaps in attainment with other pupils nationally widened slightly in 2015. This was because, although almost all

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Outcomes for pupils are good

made expected progress and reached at least level 4 in each subject, relatively few reached higher levels. This is still the case in some year groups.

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Early years provision is good

 Good leadership and effective communication between adults has resulted in great consistency across the early years. Routines are deeply embedded. This means that there is the same stimulating provision in all classes, and outside activities closely reflect and support learning taking place inside.  Children make good progress in the early years. The close attention paid to developing their basic skills, including in communication, gives children a secure basis from which to continue their learning in Year 1.  Attainment is rising at the end of Reception, in part because of the successful attention paid to improving writing, particularly for boys. Almost all activities offer interesting opportunities to practise writing. These stimulate imaginations and draw boys into wanting to write. When asked to write about ‘The hungry caterpillar’ one boy in Reception said with enthusiasm, ‘I want to write the whole story.’

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Early years provision is good

 Expectations of behaviour are consistently high among all adults and are reflected in how they show children to build relationships. Consequently, children behave well. They are polite, share resources happily and work confidently with others or on their own. Parents are very positive about how their children are kept safe and secure.  Phonics teaching is systematic in both the Nursery and Reception. Mathematics is integrated into activities, with some Reception children able to count confidently in twos to 30. Texts chosen link well to topics being studied, such as ‘Growing’. This has led to children producing writing by themselves about growing a beanstalk.

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School details

Unique reference number 102840 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 10011927

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 840 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rachel Fabian Headteacher Mark Ingham Telephone number 020 8590 8474 Website www.barleylane.redbridge.sch.uk Email address admin@barleylane.redbridge.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 February 2014

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Information about this school

 This school is large in size compared with other primary schools.  Almost all pupils are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. This figure is very high. Over two thirds are of Asian or Asian British heritage.  More than three quarters of pupils speak English as an additional language. This figure is high.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is low.  Children in the early years provision attend the Nursery part time and the four Reception classes full time.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by funding through the pupil premium is below average and falling. The pupil premium is additional government funding which, in this school, supports pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  The governing body has reconstituted since the school’s last inspection. All members, including the chair of governors, were appointed in February 2015.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 26 lessons. Senior leaders accompanied inspectors to 10 of these. They looked at work in pupils’ books from the current academic year.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, school staff, the chair of the governing body and two other governors. A meeting was also held with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 53 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View questionnaire and written contributions from 36 parents. They also met informally with parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors also took account of the 50 responses to the staff questionnaire and 69 responses to the

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Inspection team

Martin Beale, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Sarah Bailey Ofsted Inspector Sarah Lack Ofsted Inspector Christopher Birtles 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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