Randal Cremer Primary School

Randal Cremer Primary School Ormsby Street, Hackney, London E2 8JG

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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

 Leaders have worked with considerable drive and determination to improve the school since the last inspection. Pupils now make good progress.  Teaching and learning is a strength, lessons are well planned and pupils benefit from the consistent structures and clear expectations that run across the school.  Standards in writing have risen significantly. Considerable work in this area means that pupils across the age range are taught how to develop their skills and they leave the school having made high levels of progress in writing.  Pupils behave very well. They are collaborative and supportive of each other.  The highly effective early years provision ensures that children make rapid progress from their starting points and they leave this stage well prepared for key stage 1.  Governors have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the school. They ask challenging questions and have understood their dual role as

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This is a good school

both supporters and challengers of the leadership team.  Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils is at the heart of the school; teachers know the pupils very well and as a result pupils are happy and feel safe.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The wider curriculum requires further development. The school’s focus on driving up standards in the core curriculum since the last inspection means that some other subjects are less well developed.  There are not enough opportunities for parents to engage with the school beyond the early years and foundation stage.  Some leaders have only recently taken up their posts. They require development as middle leaders. Experienced senior leaders should ensure that these staff continue their improvement journey.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the curriculum beyond the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, by: reviewing the schemes of work for ‘topic’ and science creating more opportunities to develop drama and art embedding the new Spanish courses in key stage 2.  Ensure that there is a range of opportunities for parents’ views to contribute to the school’s planning so that they are more involved in the next phase of the school’s development.  Strengthen leadership and management by providing opportunities to develop the expertise of new middle leaders so that the best practice that has been established in the core subjects runs through all curriculum areas.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher and her senior team have driven the school forward since the last inspection. There are high and clearly defined expectations and the culture is one of no compromise in putting the children’s learning first. The school motto, ‘Everybody excelling, every day, no excuses!’ sums up the headteacher’s expectations of both children and adults very well.  Leaders have a good grasp of the levels at which pupils are working. This is as a result of regular assessments and careful scrutiny of work in books and lessons. In addition, the school has moderated its work as part of a local authority ‘cluster group’ to ensure its judgements are correct.  School leaders have established clear monitoring and evaluation systems that provide accurate information about pupil and class level work. This data supports both effective use of interventions where pupils are falling behind and the generation of transparent targets for teachers that are linked to their pay review.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Methodical work on professional development has improved the quality of teaching at the school. Staff have welcomed the introduction of ‘collaborative coaching’ and engage in training both in and outside the school to drive up standards. Consequently, teaching is consistently strong across the school.  The core curriculum has undergone significant change since the last inspection. Writing has been a particular focus and the ‘talk for writing’ initiative has transformed the way that the school delivers this area of the curriculum with significant results for the progress of pupils.  Mathematics teaching has seen a move away from using text books to an investigation approach that aims to develop mathematics mastery and prepare pupils better for the new secondary mathematics curriculum. The subject leader is focusing on building staff skills so that they are confident about this new, more challenging, approach to mathematics at the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Pupils have the opportunity to develop a broader range of skills through topic work and science. Themes such as ‘I love London’ that run across the age range also contribute to the development of pupils who are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils spoke confidently about tolerance and democracy and positive messages about these values are prominent in displays around the school.  Recently appointed leaders of the foundation curriculum have a clear vision for the development of their subjects, for example an emphasis on practical work in science. New curriculum plans and training for class teachers have been identified as next steps so that these subjects enhance the pupils’ learning.  Leaders ensure that pupils are spiritually, morally, socially and culturally enriched. Pupils enjoy the weekly singing assembly and were particularly enthusiastic about the school song which reinforces the school values

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and was co-written by pupils. There are opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of the values further, for example through work with Citizens UK and Debate Mate.  Pupil premium funding is well used and the analysis of its impact is part of the continuous assessment and tracking process by leaders. If a strategy is not having an impact, then it is changed. This methodical approach is closing the gap between the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils who receive this funding and that of other pupils.  Sports funding is used wisely. Coaches have been brought in to deliver sports at the school and to train class teachers so that their knowledge and skills improve. Pupils enjoy this element of the curriculum and would like even more opportunities to participate in physical education.  The governance of the school Governors know the school very well and are providing a high degree of support and challenge to ensure

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

continuing change and improvement at the school. The governors spend more time with a wider group of staff through their ‘link governor’ responsibilities and have the opportunity to hear and question presentations by responsibility holders in different areas of the curriculum. Governors have sought external support in developing their own expertise and have established a streamlined and efficient approach to meetings and training.  Parents are informed about their child’s progress but there are few opportunities for parents to engage with school leaders and contribute their thoughts about the school’s development.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are robust and referrals are timely and appropriate. The school works well with external agencies and staff have been trained to keep pupils safe from extremism. They are also aware of their role in safeguarding against female genital

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

mutilation and have a strong understanding of how to mitigate that risk at school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers plan lessons which are well structured and engaging. Inspectors consistently saw pupils that were focused and eager to contribute to questions and challenges.  There has been considerable development of teaching since the last inspection, driven by the deputy headteacher. Consequently, teachers are consistent about routines such as presentation and handwriting in books and are committed to training in subjects which are outside their area of expertise.  Teachers use questioning skilfully and consistently ask pupils to explain their reasoning rather than just accepting a simple answer.  The use of ‘talk partners’ to clarify understanding before answering questions was a consistent feature of the lessons observed and pupils enjoyed this opportunity to discuss and develop their thinking.  Baseline assessments, on-going teacher assessment and the use of the ‘Hackney Fundamentals’ to evaluate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

mastery of the curriculum mean that teachers have an accurate picture of how their pupils are progressing and can set work that moves them on.  Across the school teachers use ‘hot’, ‘spicy’, and ‘extra spicy’ tasks for pupils of different abilities. Sometimes pupils choose the task, sometimes they are directed to the most appropriate one. This is an embedded and effective approach to ensuring that learning is supportive and challenging.  Work in books showed evidence that the school’s approach to feedback is having an impact. Pupils respond to instructions such as ‘re-write and improve’. The high standard of work in the scrutiny of Year 5 most-able pupils’ books illustrates how powerful this approach has been in driving up standards.  Peer assessment is being developed, including in the younger year groups, with clear guidelines about using key words so that feedback is meaningful and developmental. Pupils in Year 2 were clearly rising to the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

challenge of this responsibility and giving some really sensible advice to their classmates on how to improve their work.  Homework is set on a weekly basis and consolidates the learning done in school. However, the variety of tasks is limited and the school has identified this as an area for further development.  The teaching of phonics is a strength. Pupils showed a high level of engagement in the Year 1 phonics lessons observed. Furthermore, inspectors listened to Year 2 pupils reading and it was apparent that they were familiar with using their phonics skills to tackle words that were unfamiliar with success.  Since the last inspection, the assistant headteacher for inclusion has made significant changes which improve inclusion at the school. As a result of regular training, learning support assistants are effective in supporting pupils in class and running withdrawal groups that focus on particular core skills.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are friendly and polite to each other and visitors as they move around the school building.  Pupils know about keeping themselves healthy. They have the opportunity to learn about topics such as healthy eating in their science lessons. Younger pupils who are identified as behind in physical development have extra movement and coordination sessions so that they catch up.  Pupils have a range of opportunities to take responsibility and contribute to the smooth running of the school. Roles available include stair monitors, school councillors, peer mediators, attendance ambassadors and playground friends. Head boy and girl positions are voted for by the pupils.  External organisations contribute to the assembly programme; during the inspection the NSPCC were running assemblies about how to keep yourself safe.  Pupil groups said they knew about bullying and how to deal with conflict. They knew what to do in response

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Personal development and welfare

to bullying and felt that although it happened, it was ‘rare’. The school is proactive about tackling bullying and uses external groups such as Kidscape to consolidate this work.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are proud of the school and their behaviour in lessons throughout the inspection was completely focused on learning.  At lunchtime there are structured activities in the playgrounds and pupils worked collegiately moving around the ‘stations’. Breaktimes are not structured in the same way and some pupils in the key stage 2 playground were not able to manage their games appropriately and required adults to step in and direct them to be less boisterous.  Attendance is in line with the national average and the school puts considerable energy into celebrating individual and class attendance on a weekly basis to maintain this focus with pupils and their families.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Attainment at the end of key stage 1 was in line with national figures for reading, writing and mathematics in 2015 and the school’s assessment information indicates that this will be sustained in 2016.  Attainment at the end of key stage 2 was above the national average for level 4+ reading, writing and mathematics in 2016 and the current Year 6 are on track to meet their targets this year.  The achievement of current pupils across the school is good and improving in the core subjects of reading writing and mathematics. Progress across some of the foundation subjects is inconsistent, but the school is developing this area of the curriculum and expects to see rapid improvement in these areas over time.  Most-able pupils attain highly in writing and mathematics. This is due to the range of challenging resources that are used in lessons and an embedded culture of tackling the ‘extra spicy’ questions for this group.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Work scrutiny of most-able pupils’ books carried out by the inspection team provided supporting evidence of challenge for this group; the quality of writing was particularly impressive.  Reading is encouraged in class and there is an attractive library environment. A large majority of pupils achieve the expected standard in the national phonics check. However, routines for reading at home, with parents listening and recording progress, are not set beyond the end of key stage 1.  There are gaps in the attainment of disadvantaged pupils compared with other pupils in some subjects and year groups. However, these gaps are closing and in some year groups there are no gaps in reading or writing. Where there are gaps, the school is tracking improvement and using its government funding for this group effectively to target intervention work.  Gaps in performance between pupils who have special educational needs or disability and their peers are

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Outcomes for pupils are good

closing and senior leaders see further reduction in these gaps as a priority.

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Early years provision is good

 The leader of the early years and foundation stage has a clear vision and demonstrates strong leadership. As a result, although the leader was appointed relatively recently, there is already evidence that this area of the school is highly effective.  The proportion of children reaching a good level of development is consistently above the national level and the forecast for this year indicates that this level will be maintained. This is particularly impressive because of the very low starting points with which many children enter the Nursery.  The curriculum is stimulating and engaging and the ‘free play’ spaces are changed to respond to the children’s interests. The children use the area sensibly and wisely.  Children have good personal and emotional skills, they play well together and settle down to group learning activities with enthusiasm. In the open play areas, both inside and outside, there is an industrious

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Early years provision is good

atmosphere with children cooperating and taking turns.  The assessment system is well used and there is no room for children’s progress to slip. Samples of work, photographs and knowledge of the pupils all contribute to a firm understanding of their ‘learning journey’.  Parents are well informed about their children’s progress and there are plenty of opportunities for them to get involved with their child. For example they may settle down to listen to them read in the Nursery and the early years space at drop off or pick up time.  Safeguarding is effective and there are strong partnerships with external agencies.  The key worker system is effective because adults know their children very well and consequently the children feel secure and confident. They have no fear of trying new things and are keen to share their experiences with other children and adults in the Nursery.

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School details

Unique reference number 100236 Local authority Hackney Learning Trust Inspection number 10009176

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 457 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rachel Urquhart Headteacher Jo Riley Telephone number 020 7739 8162 Website www.randalcremer.hackney.sch.uk Email address admin@randalcremer.hackney.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 30–31 January 2014

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Information about this school

 Randal Cremer is a larger than average primary school with early years provision for Nursery and Reception children.  The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority) is high.  The percentage of pupils from a broad range of minority ethnic groups is high. A large number of these speak English as an additional language. Very few are in the early stages of English.  The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is high.  The school is supported by a school improvement consultant working on behalf of the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school meets the requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 This was an unannounced inspection.  Inspectors observed 26 lessons or parts of lessons across all year groups, some paired with senior and middle leaders. Books were scrutinised as part of the lesson observations. In addition, a separate scrutiny of Year 5 higher ability pupils’ books was carried out across all subjects.  Inspectors observed behaviour in the corridors, the play spaces at breaks and lunchtimes and at the gate at the start of the day.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior leaders, members of the governing body, middle leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and the safeguarding leader, newly appointed subject leaders and a representative from the local authority.  Formal meetings were held with various groups of pupils including the most able and the school council.  Inspectors listened to Year 2 pupils reading.  A large number of documents were scrutinised including the school’s self-evaluation, information on the

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Information about this inspection

current progress of pupils, behaviour logs, attendance and punctuality information, as well as policies and procedures, including those for pupil premium spending, the curriculum and for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The single central record and safer recruitment procedures were checked.  Inspectors took account of 48 responses to the staff survey, 14 responses to the pupil survey, five parental responses on Parent View and six text and meeting comments from parents.

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Inspection team

Victoria Linsley, lead inspector Seconded Inspector Helen Bailey Ofsted Inspector Christopher Birtles Ofsted Inspector Martin Roberts 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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