Newtons Primary School

Newtons Primary School Lowen Road, Rainham, Essex RM13 8QR

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent. Consequently, pupils’ progress is uneven, particularly in Years 2 and 5.  The most-able pupils and those of middle ability are not set stretching tasks to do, and so they do not reach their potential.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement. Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ work are undemanding. Some teachers do not challenge untidy work.  The system for checking pupils’ progress is new and is not implemented fully. As a result, although teachers, leaders and governors identify underperformance, they are slow to raise pupils’ progress swiftly.  Leaders, managers and governors have not secured improvements to teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Leaders and governors do not check that safeguarding records are consistently well organised. Neither do they review routines on the school site systematically in order to maintain the very highest safeguarding standards.

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Gaps in performance between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils remain.  Pupils’ attainment is low. Pupils are not prepared fully for the next step in their education and have to catch up on moving to secondary school.  Attendance for groups of pupils, particularly pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is below average.  The interim improvements made following the previous inspection have not been sustained.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils’ standards in reading and writing have improved since the last inspection.  Good leadership in the early years provision ensures that children make good progress. Children are well prepared for the start of Year 1 when they leave the Reception Year.  The school is a welcoming and friendly place. Pupils enjoy school. Parents and staff are equally appreciative of the positive atmosphere.  Pupils behave well. They are clearly keen to learn, and show high levels of care and respect for one another.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve attendance rates for all pupils, particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Raise pupils’ attainment by: improving the consistency of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils make good progress making sure the most able and middle-ability pupils are set demanding tasks that challenge them to learn well raising teachers’ expectations relating to pupils’ completion of tasks, and to the quality of their presentation closing the gaps in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and others.  Improve the impact of leaders and managers, including members of the governing body, by: making sure that additional funding is used effectively to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils ensuring regular checks on the quality of record-keeping and of the school site routines to maintain the highest possible standards of safety and care.  An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how leadership and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

management can promote substantial improvements.  An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken to assess how leaders can securely close the gap in achievement between these pupils and others.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders, including governors, have not established a culture in which the quality of teaching is consistently good. This has resulted in attainment being below national averages and pupils’ progress varying across year groups.  A recently introduced tracking programme helps leaders to monitor pupils’ progress, term by term. However, leaders have not used the information gathered on pupils’ underperformance in Years 2 and 5 to tackle the causes urgently and effectively.  The school development plan identifies key priorities for improvement and what the school aims to do to address these. The plan omits clear targets to measure how well progress is being made. As a result, governors, managers and teachers do not identify where progress is slow and where further improvement is needed.  Since the previous inspection, a high number of changes in teaching staff have limited the impact of initiatives to improve the consistency of teaching, learning and assessment. Some recent changes to the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

role of middle leaders, including new appointments, have not had time to show impact in improving teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  The support received from the local authority has not been effective in helping the school to improve its overall effectiveness since the previous inspection.  Pupil premium funding is spent predominantly on additional teaching assistants to address pupils’ individual needs. Senior leaders have clear plans in place to support disadvantaged pupils in their learning. However, these are not having the desired outcome because disadvantaged pupils, particularly in key stage 2, do not achieve well.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils have opportunities to learn through a wide range of subjects. The school plans assemblies and extra-curricular clubs to develop pupils’ social, creative and artistic skills. For example, pupils enthusiastically learn ballroom dancing at the lunchtime club.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils learn about British values through all subjects, extra-curricular clubs and on school trips. For example, recently some pupils explored old-fashioned toys at the National History Museum. Opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. For example, pupils learn how to make right or wrong decisions by considering the consequences of making bad choices.  Leaders use physical education and sport premium funding to widen the range of sports pupils can practise and to increase sports teaching expertise. There are more opportunities for pupils to engage in sporting competitions as a result of the funding.  The headteacher is ably supported by a deputy headteacher and has the support of staff and parents, as evidenced by responses to questionnaires. One parent wrote, reflecting the views of many, ‘The school has a family feel to it, all teachers, and staff are friendly, approachable and extremely helpful.’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school Governors have not been effective in bringing about the necessary improvement to the school’s overall effectiveness since the last inspection. Reviews of governance of the past have not been effective in developing the governors’ role in improving the school. The governing body has not provided robust scrutiny and challenge to help leaders to improve the school’s work and raise pupils’ outcomes. Neither have the governors ensured that the school’s website includes all the information required by law. The curriculum overview on the school’s website omits information on the core subjects. Governors know how pupil premium funding is spent. They ask leaders searching questions about strategies in place to support disadvantaged pupils and other pupils at the school. The governing body checks that leaders manage teachers’ performance and set targets for improvement.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school keeps pupils safe. Training for staff includes

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

the latest guidance. Staff know the school’s systems and procedures, and what to do if there are any concerns about pupils’ safety or well-being. Designated senior leaders work well with other agencies to support pupils and their families who need additional support. Arrangements for the supervision of pupils are adequate, but leaders do not identify where further improvements are needed. Leaders make sure that timely referrals are made should any concerns arise. The school recognises that systems for keeping records about these referrals are not always well organised.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching varies between year groups. There are areas of teaching, learning and assessment that require improvement because some pupils reach less than expected levels in all subjects.  Teachers often set work that lacks challenge, particularly for the most able and middle-ability pupils. These groups of pupils repeat work that they already understand.  In some mathematics lessons, pupils are not helped to make rapid progress because the tasks teachers set are not demanding.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not consistently ambitious. When pupils are not encouraged to complete tasks fully and take pride in presenting their work neatly, their progress is diminished.  Some teachers apply the school’s marking approach, help pupils to improve their learning and encourage pupils to act on their teachers’ guidance. However, this is not consistent across all year groups.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Pupils read well. Younger pupils know how to sound out unfamiliar words. Pupils in Year 1 enjoy reading with Year 6 pupils. Teachers encourage pupils to read regularly at home and pupils are praised for doing so. For example, pupils receive stickers for reading at home five or more times per week.  Pupils make better progress in writing than in mathematics. They use their individual targets to improve the quality of their writing in other subjects, including geography and history.  Teaching assistants support the learning of lower attainers well. For example, in Year 1, the support of two additional adults helped low-attaining pupils to make strong progress in their writing.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Some pupils do not have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe. Pupils’ knowledge of the different kinds of bullying is limited, as some are unaware of cyber bullying. Most pupils know the potential dangers of using the internet and how to avoid them, but some do not.  Pupils feel safe and explain that, ‘Teachers take care of you.’ They know who will help them if they are hurt or worried.  Generally, the school keeps pupils safe. All staff and the vast majority of parents say the school is a safe place.  Pupils say that bullying is rare and school records confirm this. Most parents are unaware of any bullying or agree that if it does happen it is dealt with quickly.  Pupils know the importance of healthy eating and exercise. They were able to discuss the various clubs at which this is reinforced, with inspectors.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well outside lessons and there is a calm atmosphere as pupils move around the school. They are polite, courteous and welcoming to visitors.  Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning because they are keen to learn. They remain positive even when teaching does not challenge them.  Systems for managing behaviour across the school have been strengthened since the last inspection. Pupils say that there are a few incidents when the behaviour of a small minority disrupts learning, but teachers are quick to ‘sort it out’.  The attendance of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, has improved this year. However, the attendance of all pupils is slightly below average. There are a number of pupils who do not attend regularly, including pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school’s family support worker works closely with those pupils and their families.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Pupils are not making consistently good progress in all year groups and attainment is below the national average.  Pupils make slow progress in Year 2 in mathematics and in Year 5 in all subjects. Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics across both key stages is low. Therefore, outcomes for pupils require improvement.  The school’s current information suggests that Year 2 and Year 6 scores are below national figures in reading, writing and mathematics. Therefore, most pupils transferring to secondary school and those in Year 2 will not be fully prepared for the next stage of their education.  Between 2014 and 2015, the gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in key stage 1 and other pupils nationally closed slightly. However, the gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in key stage 2 and other pupils nationally widened.  Currently, in some year groups and in some subjects, disadvantaged pupils are making better progress

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

than other pupils in the school. However, this is not consistent in all year groups where disadvantaged pupils are performing below their peers.  In most year groups, the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.  The most able pupils are not making rapid progress consistently across all year groups. However, those in Year 6 are making strong progress.  Recent work shows that pupils are making better progress in reading compared with that found at the last inspection because of the high priority it is now given. Younger pupils develop basic skills through effective teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters represent). However, the results of the Year 1 phonics screening check were below average in 2015.

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Early years provision is good

 Leadership in the early years provision is good. From their individual starting points, children make good progress because of strong teaching. This makes sure that they are well prepared to learn in key stage 1 by the end of the Reception Year.  Children enter the Nursery with skills that are below those typically found, notably in elements of literacy and numeracy. They settle quickly and happily because they are well cared for and good routines are established.  Children develop confidence, learn to share well and are encouraged to be independent. They learn from a stimulating mix of well-planned activities both in the classroom and in the recently improved outdoor learning area.  Children behave well in the early years. Adults ensure that safeguarding requirements are met.  Leaders have established strong links with parents. They monitor children’s progress carefully and keep parents informed about how well their children develop their skills. Parents receive helpful guidance on

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Early years provision is good

how they can support their children’s progress at home.  In the early years, additional funding for disadvantaged children is used effectively to support eligible children. Leaders measure closely the impact the funding has on children’s learning and progress.  To help children in Reception classes prepare for the start of key stage 1, they attend assemblies and enjoy playtime with Year 1 and Year 2 pupils.  Teaching is good overall but sometimes opportunities are missed to develop children’s speaking and communication skills. Some children find it difficult to express themselves beyond using a one-word answer. Leaders agree that activities are not routinely matched to children’s needs.

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School details

Unique reference number 102319 Local authority Havering Inspection number 10011915

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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 409 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Linda Mills Headteacher Lynn Lowe Telephone number 01708 558613 Website www.newtons.havering.sch.uk Email address office@newtons.havering.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 June 2014

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Information about this school

 Newtons Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The early years provision consists of two part-time Nursery classes and two Reception classes.  Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities supported by the school is broadly average, whereas the proportion of pupils with a statement or an education, health and care plan is above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through pupil premium funding is well above the national average. (The pupil premium is additional government funding that schools receive to support those known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.)  The school organises and manages breakfast and after-school provision.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of the information about the school’s curriculum on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons in all classes. They made 20 visits to lessons or parts of lessons, some jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also observed pupils at an extra-curricular club, at the start of the school day and at break and lunchtimes.  Inspectors held discussions with groups of pupils, staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors listened to pupils reading, looked at pupils’ books and scrutinised the school’s information showing pupils’ progress and attainment.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school’s own self- evaluation and a review of governance report. Records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding were also considered.  Inspectors spoke to 13 parents informally to hear their views on the school. These discussions took place at the start and end of the school day.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered 26 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, 14 responses to Ofsted’s online pupils’ survey and 36 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Rosemarie McCarthy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Kanwaljit Singh Ofsted Inspector Juliette Jackson 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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