Nishkam School West London

Nishkam School West London 390 London Road, Isleworth, London TW7 5AJ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership and management at all levels are of exceptionally high quality. Leaders constantly check the quality of teaching and learning and provide very good support for any teacher who needs to develop their practice.  Exemplary leadership and management skills ensure that the school’s values are central to developing pupils’ learning and mind-set.  The school’s vision to ‘offer excellence… and inspire children to learn’ pervades the school. As a result, pupils are motivated and have high aspirations.  The national and local governing body are energetic and forward-looking. There is no sense of complacency. They monitor the school’s work and meet regularly with the headteacher to ensure that the school’s work is highly effective.  Senior leaders have very good systems in place to keep the school’s work under review.  Pupils achieve outcomes that are significantly above average in the national tests.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 By the time pupils leave Year 1, the vast majority reach the expected standard in phonics screening. This is outstanding progress from their starting points.  By the end of key stage 1, groups of pupils – in particular the most able, the most able disadvantaged and disadvantaged pupils who did not achieve well in early years – are far ahead of other pupils nationally.  Provision in the early years is outstanding. It is an exciting and busy place where children get off to a flying start. As a result, they make rapid progress from below-average starting points.  Pupils achieve extremely well because the quality of teaching over time is outstanding. Teachers know their pupils and use assessment meticulously to plan activities so that pupils can excel in their learning.  The school’s values are closely linked to British values, and pupils live by them. As a result, pupils are disciplined and respectful towards

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

each other and visitors. Behaviour is exemplary.  The school’s practice of ‘Nishkam’ (‘selflessness’) means that pupils, parents and the wider community have a strong bond and a sense of unity and safety. Pupils are safe, and the overwhelming majority of parents say that their children are happy, safe and well looked after at the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that, as the school expands each academic year, leaders focus on maintaining and sustaining the high standards.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 Leaders, including governors, have created a unique culture which inspires pupils to exceed expectations regardless of their starting points. They have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and they enable them to reach high standards. Leaders at all levels are proficient and have built a highly skilled team that works very well together to ensure that pupils can excel academically and live the school’s motto as part of their personal development. A strong and corporate community identity contributes to the school being highly effective.  The new headteacher, well supported by the deputy and middle leaders, has successfully built on her predecessor’s work. Leaders and governors are uncompromising in their vison for the school and expect it to be in the top 10% of mainstream schools nationally. They have established a very good foundation by using highly effective systems to monitor and review the quality of teaching and learning and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

the curriculum. As a result, leaders have a very accurate view of the school, and there is a strong picture of improving outcomes since 2013. Leaders also provide exceptionally good-quality care and support for pupils.  Systems for monitoring permeate through the trust’s national governing body to the local governors, and to the headteacher and staff. Leaders are consistent in checking the quality of teaching and learning. They ask questions and challenge teachers, set and follow up improvement targets and use training and development very well. As a result, teachers continually sharpen their skills. Links between pupils’ progress and teachers’ appraisal provide teachers with the opportunity to receive support and seek out the best resources to accelerate pupils’ learning.  Programmes of work are linked to the new national assessment system. The school’s structured approach to identifying the skills that children and pupils need to exceed

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

expected progress is working very well. Planning for improvement is extensive and begins when children enter Reception. Early assessment of children’s skills and clear strategies to address weaknesses ensure that the progress of specific groups such as disadvantaged pupils, the most able and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is interpreted accurately. As a result, all groups have an equal opportunity to achieve excellence.  The development of literacy is central to the school’s work. Highly effective links between subjects provide pupils with wide-ranging opportunities to apply their literacy and numeracy skills. Short but intensive and daily teaching of phonics and the promotion of reading in class and at home contribute significantly to pupils’ academic prowess in literacy.  Parents appreciate the school’s approach to supporting their children to make rapid progress in literacy and mathematics. Parental involvement in the school’s work is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

excellent. They attend workshops run by the school, which contributes to them supporting their children’s learning very well.  The curriculum draws on the rich cultural diversity and faith systems in the school and wider community. Striking displays around the school, discussions with pupils and work in their books demonstrate how well British values are established in the curriculum. Educational visits to places of interest, practical activities and specialist visitors bring pupils’ learning to life. Enrichment activities and trips to places such as Windsor Castle make a significant contribution to pupils’ awareness of British institutions and democracy. Children and pupils are well prepared for the next phase of their learning in the school and for life in modern Britain.  Provision for children’s and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The school environment ensures that they can grow in confidence. Pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

exude determination in their quest for excellence while demonstrating ‘tolerance, humility, selflessness, love and respect’ for each other.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively and monitored carefully to ensure outcomes for disadvantaged pupils that are in line with or better than the national average. The physical education premium funding has been used well to increase participation in a range of sports and improve pupils’ understanding of healthy lifestyles.

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Governance of the school

 The trust’s national and the school’s local governing bodies are effective and each makes an excellent contribution to the school’s effectiveness. They are forward- thinking and critically evaluate the school’s work while planning the priorities for the school as it expands each year.  Governors have a very good understanding of the school’s work. They monitor the progress of pupils, including new arrivals with little or no English, and use the information to challenge the school’s effectiveness and support for pupils. Governors are well informed about the pupil premium funding and its impact on the rates of progress made by disadvantaged pupils. For example, governors know that the school’s reading project and the strong teaching of phonics is diminishing differences in achievement between disadvantaged and other pupils nationally. Similarly, they are aware that the sport premium has improved pupils’ understanding of pursuing healthy

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Governance of the school

lifestyles. Governors know the quality of teaching and make sure that the appraisal of teachers’ work is fair and that support, if required, is provided.  Governors regularly review their training needs and participate in high-quality training provided by the academy trust. Governors make sure that financial management, safeguarding requirements, assessment and curriculum matters are all reviewed regularly.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Procedures for meeting the emotional needs of pupils are very good. The school is responsive and uses early help and other external services effectively to support pupils. Checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils are thorough.  Staff know their responsibilities and respond to the needs of pupils in a timely manner if there are concerns about their safety. The academy trust makes good use of external trainers who are conversant with the ‘Prevent’ duty and other child protection matters to ensure that staff are knowledgeable about all aspects of safeguarding. Senior leaders supplement this national training annually to keep abreast of local and national priorities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 Pupils’ work, discussions with them, parental views, tracking and analysis of assessment information, and outcomes over the last three years all confirm that, over time, the quality of teaching is outstanding.  The school’s slogan, ‘excellence in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well’, pervades teaching and learning. Teachers inspire pupils to love learning, show curiosity and apply the taught skills accurately. Pupils’ desire to do well, combined with the very good levels of support from teachers and associate teachers, enables them to make rapid progress.  Teachers’ excellent relationships with pupils and the emphasis on all practising the values ensure that pupils learn in a well-ordered and stimulating environment that supports learning.  Teachers have a very good understanding of the range of subjects taught. They make good use of their specialist expertise in subjects such as music and physical education

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

to develop pupils’ proficiency.  Strong teamwork among teachers and associate teachers supports effective planning which is checked to ensure that the needs of all groups are met. Work is set carefully for different groups and provides the most able groups with opportunities to progress to more difficult tasks. While work is carefully matched to pupils’ needs, the most able, including pupils who are disadvantaged, do not all feel that work is always challenging. Scrutiny of books confirms that they are given challenging work. Nevertheless, the school does not have an action plan that is focused on making the most of the gifts and talents of different groups of pupils beyond lessons.  Teachers collect and use specific assessment information about pupils’ learning, enabling them to match work and resources very well to specific needs. This helps them to track and keep clear records of pupils’ progress over the short and longer term

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

so that they can monitor the impact of interventions and make changes as necessary.  Lessons begin on time, and well-established routines ensure that teachers use time efficiently to maximise learning, with pupils moving with ease from activity to activity. Teachers demonstrate the use of skills taught, check pupils learning and deal quickly with misconceptions. They skilfully use a range of questions to challenge pupils and well-selected resources to exemplify specific points while developing pupils’ oral skills and subject-specific vocabulary. Teachers successfully encourage pupils to think deeply about challenging tasks.  Associate teachers make an excellent contribution to pupils’ learning and are often indistinguishable from the class teachers. They are very well briefed and deployed to support pupils who are developing their communication and literacy skills or pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 Failure is not an option; pupils do not give up. Pupils explained to the inspectors that they use the rule of three by seeking out the answers from other sources before asking their teacher for additional help. Throughout the inspection, pupils were often observed grappling with challenging tasks. For example, Year 4 pupils, when writing in the first person as Iron Man, used a range of interesting adjectives to convey a particular setting and their feelings.  Pupils receive detailed feedback, in line with the school’s policy, that leaves them in no doubt about the next steps in their learning. However, senior leaders recognise that, occasionally, weaknesses in spellings are not pointed out or corrected. Steps are planned to address this.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils’ understanding of the many values of ‘excellence’ and ‘Nishkam’ leads to them doing their ‘best at all times’. This comment from a Year 2 pupil sums up pupils’ perception of learning.  Pupils are confident, communicative and motivated. As a result, from Reception through to Year 4, they are keen to learn and take part in activities such as carrying out their ambassadorial role. Values such as ‘leadership’, ‘selflessness’ and ‘respect’ are enacted daily. As a result, pupils care for and look out for each other. They understand the importance of showing respect for their elders and for people from other cultural heritages. For example, members of the school council said, ‘We respect the elderly.’ Personal and social education work provides pupils with very good insight into other lives in the community and wider world.

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Personal development and welfare

 Healthy lifestyles are promoted well in, for example, design and technology and physical education. Pupils learn about the importance of nutrition and eating healthily.  Pupils readily identify with their school, and are fiercely proud of its ethos and what it means to them. There is a strong sense of honour in wearing the uniform and showing readiness to learn. Pupils are highly ambitious about their future goals. The school has made a good start in supporting pupils’ future dreams by inviting visitors from a range of backgrounds to talk to pupils about their professions.  Punctuality, previously an issue, has improved significantly over the last academic year. This improvement supports the view of the overwhelming majority of parents that pupils enjoy coming to school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils listen well to instructions and demonstrate the values of ‘trust’, ‘obedience’ and ‘self-discipline’ extremely well in lessons and when moving around the limited space. Parents applaud the way in which their children follow the code of conduct and described behaviour as ‘fantastic and civilised’. Parents told inspectors that their children bring the code of conduct into the home.  Senior leaders are tenacious in tackling the occasionally naughty behaviours such as name-calling and hitting. They have successfully implemented a revised behaviour policy and work well with an external agency to meet the particular needs of pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The support and help provided has led to sustained improvement in pupils’ behaviour. Parents told inspectors that on the very few occasions when behaviour has been unacceptable, leaders have acted quickly

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Behaviour

and decisively.  Pupils know about different forms of bullying and are conscious of how to keep safe when online. They know about prejudice-based bullying in relation to, for example, religion and race. Parents and pupils are adamant that the school does not tolerate these forms of behaviour. Incidents of bullying are indeed rare. Since opening, the school has not had any formal exclusions.  The school’s systems to keep pupils safe are embedded. Pupils feel safe and parents agree. Most pupils attend regularly, and attendance, previously below average in 2015/16 because of a few pupils, is improving and is now average. The low attendance of a few vulnerable pupils is much improved because leaders proactively follow up their absence. As a result, their academic progress, which is good or better, has not been affected.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 By the time Year 2 pupils take the national tests in reading, writing and mathematics, they achieve outcomes that are significantly above average. This represents outstanding progress from their starting points which are mostly below average.  The high standards achieved in 2014 improved further in 2015 in all subjects in the key stage 1 national tests.  The 2016 validated outcomes in early years confirmed that the large majority of this cohort made rapid progress. Girls achieved above the national average. Children made rapid progress in early years because adults planned and used focused activities to motivate them and develop their literacy skills. The school successfully supports a high proportion of children who, speaking English as a second language, had not acquired a fluent and formal way of using English to express their thinking. Based on their starting points, children make excellent progress overall in their personal development and

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

academic skills. The current results are significantly better than those achieved between 2014 and 2015.  As a result of changes in the curriculum and planning, and the emphasis on focused teaching, 98% of Year 1 pupils successfully achieved the standard expected nationally in the 2016 phonics screening check. This represents outstanding progress for all groups of pupils, including the few disadvantaged pupils who did not achieve well in early years.  In the 2016 key stage 1 national tests, pupils surpassed national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. The overwhelming majority achieved well above the national average. With a minority working at greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics as well as in other subjects such as science, all pupils made rapid progress from low starting points in the early years. The difference in attainment between different groups of pupils has diminished each year, and the 2016 outcomes

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

confirm that the school is realising its plan to eliminate the difference altogether.  Current outcomes and tracking data show that disadvantaged pupils consistently make significant progress each term to exceed the standard expected nationally. The most able disadvantaged pupils performed as well as other most-able pupils nationally. In 2016, all exceeded age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.  The Year 2 most-able non-disadvantaged pupils consistently achieved well above the standard expected nationally for most-able pupils over the last three years.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities achieved outcomes in line with or above the national average. They made very good progress from below- average starting points.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, and other minority ethnic groups, made exceptionally good progress, particularly in reading and writing.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Inspection evidence substantiates the school’s initial assessment that children in early years and pupils in Years 1 to 4 are either at or above age-related expectations and are on track to meet or exceed the standard expected nationally. All groups make rapid progress because, over time, teaching is consistently strong.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 Children make rapid progress in early years because careful and detailed planning, combined with thorough use of assessment data when they enter, lead to teachers and other adults identifying and meeting their needs very well. Teachers use assessment information to match resources so that they can bring out the best in children. As in the main school, adults have high expectations that children can aspire to excellence by reaching a good level of development. Children are ready for the challenge of learning in Year 1.  From the outset, children are taught how to manage their feelings and behaviour as they are inducted into the school routines, the values and the code of conduct. This strong grounding means that children who enter Reception later are not readily distinguishable from other children who enter the school at the start of the new academic year.  Children enter the early years setting confidently. Established routines help children to

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Early years provision Outstanding

work well together in small focus groups, concentrating on and exploring activities, while adults observe, question them and model learning.  Observations of children at play show that their behaviour is outstanding. They play and work well together, learn to take turns and listen well.  The setting is a hive of activity and children are constantly busy learning. This well- organised and inviting setting abounds with activities and engages children well. Adults work productively with the children and, as a result, they quickly gain insight and record their observations of what children know, understand and can do.  Very good organisation means that adults use a range of activities to reflect the breadth of each area of learning. This enables them to begin assessing the needs of children quickly. For example, the most able were seen solving mathematical problems using the words ‘more than’ and ‘less than’. Activities excite and engage them. For

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Early years provision Outstanding

example, drawing in the sand led to a few children building a pyramid and describing it as a ‘cone’.  Journals show that children make rapid improvement each term in their reading and writing. By the time they leave Reception, the vast majority of children read and write basic sentences accurately when completing various forms of writing such as diary entries.  Safeguarding is effective. Adults in the early years setting are appropriately trained to support children’s medical needs should they need help or support. Parents know that their children are safe within the setting; there is close attention to overseeing the movement of children throughout the school day.  Leaders work closely with parents. This partnership work provides opportunities for parents to find out more about how they can work with the school to help their child learn well before they make the transfer into Year 1.  Strong interim leadership and effective teamwork ensures that the early years provision

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address enquiries.nswl@nishkamschools.org

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Information about this school

 This all-through, multi-faith school opened its first phase in September 2013 with Reception and Year 1 pupils. The school is currently much smaller than the average- sized all-through school. Leaders expect to open phase two in September 2018, when the intake will also include Nursery, Year 7 and Year 12 learners. The school intends to build its capacity each year and, when full, it expects to have 1,400 pupils on roll by 2020. Currently the school is operating in temporary accommodation and the new building programme has started on a different site.  The school makes full-time provision for 50 children in two Reception classes.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs support is well below average, as is the proportion who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  Most children and pupils speak English as an additional language.  All pupils are from minority ethnic groups. The two main groups are from Indian

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Information about this school

heritage, and the second largest group includes pupils from a range of other backgrounds.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The first cohort of pupils, who started in Year 1, will take the key stage 2 national tests in 2019.  The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club.  Nishkam School West London is part of the Nishkam School Trust which has a Sikh ethos. The trust is the main governing body with legal and strategic responsibilities for schools within the trust. The local governing body focuses on the day-to-day responsibilities of the school.  The current interim headteacher took over the running of the school in April 2016, after shadowing the first headteacher prior to her departure in March 2016.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed a range of learning activities, including 14 part lessons with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, members of the governing body, including the local chair of governors, the chair of directors from the Nishkam School Trust and the officer for governors. Discussions were held with two groups of pupils. A telephone discussion took place with a representative from the Department for Education.  Inspectors took account of the 39 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, received during the inspection. They also spoke with a minority of parents when dropping off and picking up their children at school during the two days of the inspection. A meeting was also held with a few parents on the second day of the inspection.  The inspection team observed the school’s work and scrutinised a number of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan, external

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Information about this inspection

review of the school’s effectiveness, records and data on children’s and pupil’s performance and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Carmen Rodney, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rosemarie McCarthy 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

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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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Inspection team

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

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