Clockhouse Primary School

Clockhouse Primary School Clockhouse Lane, Collier Row, Romford, Essex RM5 3QR

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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 school is well led and managed. The headteacher’s relentless determination to achieve maximum progress and personal development for all pupils has resulted in clear improvement since the previous inspection. This determination has been well supported by senior leaders.  Middle leaders embrace their responsibilities and implement them with vigour. They now have a much greater role in monitoring the work of their areas of responsibility.  Teaching is good. Teachers follow the school’s marking policy consistently to secure improved outcomes for pupils. Support staff provide clear guidance.  The school’s governance is strong. Governors fulfil their responsibilities efficiently. They provide appropriate challenge and support to the school.  Classrooms provide attractive and supportive learning areas and the school grounds are large and interesting.  The provision for early years is good. Children are well taught and make good progress.

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This is a good school

 Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress. Their needs are carefully assessed and they receive appropriate support.  Pupils are kept very safe and are well looked after. They behave well and are happy at school. They respect and support each other.  Pupil progress has improved since the last inspection and is now good.  Opportunities for spiritual, moral social and cultural education, and the fostering of British values, are well developed.  Parents and carers are overwhelmingly pleased with what the school provides for their children.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The progress of pupils is not outstanding. This is because work is not consistently well matched to pupils’ learning needs.  Teachers’ questioning does not usually extend pupils’ learning sufficiently well. In some instances, unclear explanations mean that pupils do not fully understand what they are expected to do.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of pupils making outstanding progress by: – making sure that learning activities in lessons match pupils’ needs to enable them to make the maximum progress – further developing the use of questioning and clarity of explanation consistently to enhance pupils’ knowledge and their understanding of what is expected of them.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leadership and management of the school have improved since the last inspection. The headteacher and senior leaders have a vision of strong achievement and personal development for all pupils. They have carried it out with rigour. All staff and governors subscribe to this vision and the school has developed a culture of continued improvement. As a result, both outcomes and the quality of teaching have improved over time. The school evaluates its work accurately.  Middle leaders undertake their work with enthusiasm and skill. They engage in whole-school improvement initiatives such as monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching accurately. They are clear about what is expected of them and value the support they receive.  Comprehensive processes are in place to assess teaching. Strategies such as lesson observations and scrutiny of pupils’ work have resulted in ongoing improvement.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. It is imaginatively delivered using topics such as London, the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Ancient Greeks and the Second World War to secure interest and enjoyment. Subjects such as modern foreign languages and science are delivered both separately and through topic work. The curriculum supports pupils’ safety through the personal, social, health and economic education programme and a range of assemblies. The safe use of technology is a particularly strong aspect of the school’s work.  Pupils’ learning is developed further by visits and visitors linked to topics or life skills. For example, a visiting artist delivered a programme on the history of art by impersonating a range of famous artists and demonstrating their work. To support pupils’ life skills and increased understanding of their environment, a taxi driver spoke to Year 1 pupils about how transport in London functions.  The funding provided by the pupil premium is used well. Effective strategies include individual help in reading, writing and mathematics and a home-support worker to improve attendance. As a result, the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

difference between the progress of disadvantaged pupils and others in the school has decreased over time.  The school uses the funding supplied by the primary physical education and sports premium effectively. It is used to provide a wide range of popular clubs, including the introduction of new sports such as dodgeball and boccia. These both enhance pupils’ enjoyment of school and their physical well-being. It has also enabled pupils to participate in external competitions with increasing success. The school’s physical education provision has been strengthened through the funding by providing specialist coaching and training for staff.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and the fostering of British values are inherent in everything the school does. Mutual respect and tolerance are promoted through visits to places of worship and assemblies involving local religious leaders. The school uses trips to different communities to help pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

appreciate London’s rich cultural heritage. The dangers of radicalisation and extremism are explored by examining and discussing a broad variety of political views. Activities designed to help pupils assess whether a particular situation or action is safe or harmful enhances moral understanding. British heritage is explored through topics such as the monarchy and the Second World War. Participating in school elections and studying national elections provide opportunities for pupils to learn about democracy.  The school employs a wide range of strategies to engage parents. A computer program which monitors and rewards pupil behaviour and engagement provides instant and direct communication with parents. Workshops for parents, in areas such as assessment, and the involvement of parents in supporting reading and visiting lessons, are other examples of effective initiatives.  The ethos of enabling all pupils to succeed drives equal opportunities in the school. Teamwork involving

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

both pupils and staff makes sure that all views are valued and decisions are made collectively.  The processes for evaluating staff performance are rigorous and clear. Targets are closely linked to school improvement priorities and are reviewed effectively. Support for newly qualified teachers is comprehensive and meets statutory requirements. Staff are encouraged to undertake training to progress their careers.  The local authority supplies appropriate support to help the school scrutinise and evaluate its work.  The governance of the school – Governors fulfil their responsibilities well. They completely endorse the school’s vision of continuous improvement and are proud of its ongoing success. Governors have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what needs to improve. They receive information concerning outcomes and the quality of teaching at appropriate intervals and monitor it with rigour. They are assisted in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

doing this through appropriate training and a programme of classroom visits and work scrutiny. – Governors are fully aware of external funding provided by both the pupil premium and primary physical education and sports programme. They understand how the funding is used and evaluate the impact. Governors know how staff performance is measured. They make sure that the process of appraising the work of staff is thorough and fair. – Governors ensure that all school policies are in place and reviewed as required. They also closely scrutinise the school’s finances and ensure that they are linked to school improvement priorities. They ensure that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and check risk assessments. They have undertaken a range of training such as child protection and safer recruitment to aid them in this role. – To further support their work, governors have organised additional training sessions at weekends. The

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

sessions are called, ‘How well do we know our school?’ and they include training on aspects including the new assessment policy, early years and British values.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school’s caring and supportive ethos makes sure that all pupils are safe. Leaders know their pupils and parents well and carefully log and investigate any possible concerns. Support is carried out by staff that are familiar with the needs of particular pupils and their families. The school has secure systems in place for staff recruitment, which meet statutory requirements. Pupils feel very safe and are well looked after at school and this is endorsed by parents. Pupils are supported in keeping safe by lessons or assemblies on ‘stranger danger’ and road and online safety. The school makes full use of support from external agencies to ensure that its pupils are safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Learning activities are well timed and imaginatively delivered. Opportunities for literacy and numeracy feature in planning, and homework is used well to support learning further.  Teachers use their good subject knowledge to make topics accessible to pupils. In a Year 3 English lesson on writing, the teacher carefully explained how to use nouns in an increasingly sophisticated way to strengthen the quality of writing. Imaginative classroom display supports learning and understanding. Teachers have consistently high expectations. Challenge is a regular feature in lessons and is popular with pupils, in particular the most able. The ‘challenge’ approach, a particular feature in mathematics, enables pupils to self-select their next steps and consolidate their learning before moving on to more difficult work. The most able pupils do this confidently, demonstrating a strong desire to extend their learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Work and activities are designed to match pupils’ learning. However, when tasks lack challenge, pupils are not fully engaged and their progress is limited.  Questioning to check pupils’ understanding and explanations to clarify learning tasks are a feature of lessons. However, in some instances, questioning is not used effectively to stretch learning. When explanations are not clear, pupils are uncertain about what is expected of them.  Support staff are very well deployed in lessons. They provide effective support for pupils’ learning needs. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, an additional adult very helpfully broke down a topic which enabled a group of pupils to make good progress.  The school’s new assessment policy is used consistently in lessons. All work is marked in line with the policy and pupils are given useful advice on how to improve.  Pupils are confident and fluent readers. They use phonics (letters and the sounds that they make)

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

accurately to read new words. The teaching of reading is good, resulting in improving outcomes. Literacy is a key school priority with a clear vision shared by all staff. Topic work allows pupils to extend their writing skills across a number of subjects. Individual progress in reading is monitored in lessons by all staff. A particularly effective strategy to improve boys’ reading in key stage 2 has been the introduction of a reading scheme based on football. As a result, boys display increasing enthusiasm for reading. One said the initiative ’makes me want to read other books and link reading and writing’.  The teaching of mathematics is good. Numeracy is well embedded in the curriculum in subjects and topics including physical education, history and science. For example, Year 6 pupils studying the Second World War were able to compare contemporary British money with the money used at that time. The

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

cookery club helps pupils understand correct measuring.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are very positive about their school and are proud to represent their forms as ‘class ambassadors’. One pupil said that the school is ‘a place to achieve your dreams’. They are eager to explain their work and are very welcoming to visitors.  Pupils respect each other’s views. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson on compound spaces, a pupil expressed an opinion on how to calculate area. This prompted a constructive discussion across the class as the expressed view was carefully considered.  Pupils say they feel very safe at school and well looked after. They know where to get help if there are problems and are confident that these will be swiftly dealt with. One pupil said, ‘Teachers look out for us. My friends take care of me. If I am upset, teachers notice.’ Sessions on road safety and ‘stranger danger’ help them to keep safe outside school. Parents overwhelmingly feel that their children are safe at school.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils state that bullying is rare and promptly dealt with when it occurs. They are aware of different types of bullying. The curriculum supports pupils’ understanding of bullying well. In a Year 6 personal, social and health and economic education lesson on the use of technology, pupils thoroughly explored the dangers of social media, the use of mobile phones and how to respond to potential risks.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils mix well during break and lunchtimes and move around the school in an orderly manner. They help each other to behave. Pupils come to lessons eager to learn and say they enjoy the challenges provided. They take full advantage of the opportunity provided for them each day before lessons start to reflect on their learning. Only when learning does not sustain their interests or the lesson tasks are unclear, do they become less than fully engaged.  The use of a computer program effectively supports behaviour. It is used to record incidents of good behaviour in lessons and across the school. These results are available to parents and they value the information they receive.  Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in attendance which has improved over time and is currently broadly average. Attendance for groups, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special

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Behaviour

educational needs or disability, has also improved and is now good.  The school has had no permanent exclusions over time. Fixed-term exclusions have significantly reduced. There are none for the current school year.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ outcomes have improved since the last inspection. From broadly average starting points at the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment was significantly above the national average in writing and slightly above in reading and mathematics in 2015. Current information gathered during the inspection indicates that outcomes will improve further in 2016 at the end of Year 2 and Year 6.  The proportions of pupils making expected progress and more than expected progress in 2015 in Year 6 was broadly average in mathematics, reading and writing. Pupils’ performance in these subjects demonstrated either improvement or significant improvement over the previous year. Current information and evidence from lessons and books indicate further improvements in all year groups, but particularly in key stage 2. As a result, pupils are well prepared for secondary school.  Results from the Year 1 phonics screening check were above the national average in 2015. This is

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Outcomes for pupils are good

predicted to rise further in 2016. Information suggests that all groups are currently making good progress.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress. Accurate identification of need, close monitoring of progress and appropriate intervention strategies allow pupils to make progress in line with their peers.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language and pupils from White British backgrounds make good progress. Evidence gained during the inspection shows that the previous gap in attainment between boys and girls is currently closing well in reading, writing and mathematics in both key stages.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils is improving. Gaps in outcomes between them and their peers have steadily narrowed over time, particularly in key stage 2. The school monitors their progress carefully and current outcomes information suggests that the gap continues to narrow in all year groups.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Lower-ability and the most able pupils both make good progress. Lower-ability pupils are well assisted by support staff and the use of laptops, particularly in mathematics.  The school’s high expectations and widespread use of challenging work is beginning to address the learning needs of the most able pupils well. In 2015, although all made the rates of progress expected nationally, a few did not make more than the progress expected, particularly in reading.

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Early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of early years are good. Leaders have an accurate view of children’s needs and swift interventions are put in place to address any learning issues as they arise. An appropriate training programme makes sure that staff are prepared to support learning. As a result, all groups of children now make good progress from starting points below those typical for their age. These include children who have special educational needs or disability and disadvantaged children. A difference between the progress of girls and boys still exists but is being successfully narrowed through targeted activities to improve boys’ writing and engagement. Children are well prepared for Year 1.  Teaching in the early years provision is good. The stimulating indoor and outdoor environments make learning fun. Both areas are rich with learning activities such as age-appropriate key words and writing

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Early years provision is good

activities. This produces confident, excited learners who engage well in their work. However, when the main purpose of some practical activities is not fully understood by children, learning is more limited.  Assessment of children’s work is comprehensive. Their learning needs are well defined on entry to both nursery and Reception. Targets are provided to challenge all children. Their progress is evaluated at half- termly meetings.  Safeguarding procedures are effective. Children are very well looked after in a secure and caring environment. Arrangements to support children who have special educational needs or disability are effective. Home visits are arranged before children enter either the nursery or Reception, their needs are carefully assessed and appropriate support is implemented.  The involvement of parents is good. They are well informed of their child’s progress and workshops are held regularly to help them support their child’s learning. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the

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Early years provision is good

early years provision and their comments are extremely favourable. One parent said about the early years, ‘Lovely school, brilliant teachers.’

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School details

Unique reference number 102291 Local authority Havering Inspection number 10009178

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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 712 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Leaper Principal Joanna Collard Telephone number 01708 745972 Website www.clockhouseprimaryschool.co.uk Email address office@clockhouse.havering.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 February 2014

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British background. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average.  The school manages its own early years provision which includes morning and afternoon nursery sessions and three full-time Reception classes.  The school offers a number of clubs including comprehensive opportunities for music and sport. The breakfast and after-school care club are not managed by the school and are inspected separately.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set minimum requirements for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress in mathematics, reading and writing at the end of Year 6.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  Since the previous inspection, the headteacher has been confirmed in post and the senior leadership team has been restructured, resulting in a number of new appointments.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 33 lessons, of which 10 were joint observations with school leaders. Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors observed the start and end of school, break and lunchtimes, registration, two assemblies and a range of clubs.  Formal meetings were held with pupils, members of staff, representatives of the governing body and the local authority officers. Inspectors analysed 72 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, and 14 responses to the pupil questionnaire. Inspectors scrutinised 67 responses to the staff questionnaire. Inspectors also analysed a range of questionnaires provided by the school and spoke to parents informally at the start and end of school.  A range of school documentation was examined, including current performance information, development planning and self-evaluation records.  Inspectors also looked at documentation relating to safeguarding, risk assessments, minutes of

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Information about this inspection

governing body meetings, reports provided by the local authority, staff performance against targets, pupils’ attendance and exclusion information.

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Inspection team

Michael Merva, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Andrew Turnock Ofsted Inspector Margaret Warner Ofsted Inspector Eleanor Whitby 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

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

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Inspection team

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

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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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