Griffin Primary School

Griffin Primary School Stewarts Road, London SW8 4JB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 A high turnover of staff and changes to school leadership have meant that high-quality leadership and management have not been sustained since the last inspection. The quality of teaching has routinely been less than good.  Leaders have not scrutinised pupils’ progress closely enough. Pupils who are falling behind have not, until recently, been identified promptly to ensure that they receive the necessary help to catch up.  Pockets of good practice in teaching do not extend consistently across the school. Pupils are not sufficiently challenged or supported swiftly enough to enable them to make the progress of which they are capable.  Governors have not responded effectively or swiftly enough to falling standards in the school since the last inspection. They have not held school leaders to account rigorously. While rightly recognising the need for additional support to make the necessary improvements and pursuing becoming part of a multi-

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

academy trust, they have paid less attention to their routine responsibilities. Governors have not ensured that they are well placed to check that school systems and procedures are effective.  The early years provision requires improvement because adults do not have well-organised systems to check children’s progress. Children do not receive the specific support they need to make good progress. The school has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The newly restructured leadership team is a clear strength of the school. Building on their knowledge, experience and accurate view of the strengths and areas for development of the school, new leaders are rapidly developing a range of effective strategies and initiatives that are in the early days of restoring the school to former high standards.  Pupils’ personal development and welfare are good. The school maintains strong systems to safeguard children.  Leaders forge productive communications with parents.  Pupils study a wide range of subjects, linked together by overarching creative themes. Pupils have the opportunity to pursue a rich variety of extra-curricular sporting and artistic activities.  Pupils behave well and are considerate towards each other and adults in the school. They appreciate the friendships they make at school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by ensuring that: – governors keep abreast of current requirements so that they fulfil their roles and responsibilities from a well-informed position, and hold leaders to account if standards fall – leaders continue to develop their roles so that new policies and systems are firmly established and their high expectations are fully met.  Teachers must ensure that pupils make the progress they are capable of by: – making accurate checks of children’s progress in the early years – making effective use of the school’s new assessment systems to track pupils’ progress – following the school’s assessment policy consistently – using assessment information to provide the support and challenge pupils, including the most able, needed to make good progress. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 In recent years, school leadership has gone through a series of changes that has led to an unsettled time in the school, with a high turnover of staff and the falling of standards. The appointment of the executive headteacher in September 2016 has been central in starting to reverse this decline, stabilising the staff team, boosting morale and promoting a renewed collective drive for improvement.  Leaders, including governors, have not, over time, ensured that the school’s systems to monitor the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress have been used efficiently. Leaders have not looked closely enough at how well pupils are doing so they have not identified promptly when pupils are falling behind. Leaders have not ensured that disadvantaged pupils receive the right help when they need it. As a result, pupils have not made the progress they should have done. New leaders are addressing these shortfalls as a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

matter of urgency. They have raised expectations of teachers and pupils and rapidly established routines for monitoring, so that the quality of teaching is getting better. New arrangements this year for the regular review of pupils’ progress involve class teachers meeting with leaders and the special educational needs coordinator, so that the individual areas in which pupils need support are identified and interventions are implemented. There are early signs that these improved systems are beginning to accelerate pupils’ progress. However, it is too early to judge the effectiveness of this strategy.  Leaders recognised rightly that the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) education has not in recent years been an integral part of the school’s curriculum. They have therefore made appropriate changes to the ways in which subjects are taught, and introduced weekly SMSC themes such as ‘stories that teach

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

us’, encouraging pupils to reflect on the impact of their actions on others and the importance of small acts of kindness.  Pupils appreciate that they have friends at school from a wide range of backgrounds and this prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Curriculum developments have been too recent for pupils to be confident about wider themes such as democracy and knowledge about different faiths other than their own.  Leaders are considerate of pupils’ circumstances to ensure that all participate in extra- curricular activities. For example, all Year 4 pupils have the opportunity to learn to play the trumpet. After-school clubs enable pupils to complete online homework assignments which might otherwise be difficult for them to access. Leaders ensure that adults across the school act as positive role models for pupils.  New leaders have revised the curriculum so that pupils can practise their skills in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

literacy and numeracy across a range of subjects while developing their creativity. This is facilitated by leaders’ introduction of the International Creative Baccalaureate which enables pupils to apply their studies to whole-school artistic themes. All year groups go on curriculum-based trips every term. For example, Year 6 pupils enriched their history focus on ‘the history of language’ by attending workshops led by actors from the National Theatre.  Leaders ensure that the physical education and sports premium is used effectively so that increasing numbers of pupils take part each year in extra-curricular sports and competitions. The school provides pupils with a rich variety of clubs at breaktime and after-school, with more added each year, including girls’ cricket, judo, tri-golf and netball. Teachers receive training which is funded through the premium so that they can lead these activities in lessons and clubs.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders recognise the importance of regular communication with parents. Fortnightly newsletters introduced this academic year provide clearly written, helpful information for parents. Leaders are mindful of the importance of explaining to parents the relevance and value of the creative curriculum to pupils’ education. Last term’s focus on dance, applied to the whole-school topic of ‘Our London’, led to the Griffin London Dance performance, which had the highest attendance by parents for some time. The school runs helpful workshops for parents to support their child’s learning at home.  The executive headteacher ensures that teachers’ performance management targets reflect the school’s areas for improvement. Teachers feel well supported in their work to achieve their targets and career aspirations, with leaders providing relevant whole- school training and individual guidance as needed. Newly qualified teachers rapidly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

grow in confidence because of their collaborative work with their colleagues.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have recognised when changes have been needed to restore high standards in the school. They have taken time to make the right decision for the school and focused on finding the multi-academy trust they would like the school to join. In so doing, they have become more remote from day-to-day school life and have not been as vigilant as they should be in fulfilling their routine roles and responsibilities. This means, for example, that they have not ensured that policies are reviewed in a timely manner. Although governors are aware of the key areas of strength and for development, they have not, over time, held school leaders sufficiently to account for the impact of strategies to improve pupils’ progress, including those who are supported by the pupil premium grant. As a result, they have not acted swiftly enough when standards have dropped.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school’s day-to-day care and protection of pupils are vigilant and thorough. Staff attend effective training that reflects the Secretary of State’s latest guidance. The processes they use to follow up any concerns about pupils’ welfare are clear and appropriate. They are alert to indications that pupils may be vulnerable to specific risks, such as female genital mutilation. The school’s records show that staff are relentless in their pursuit of the right support for pupils when referrals to outside agencies are made.  Over time, leaders and governors have not ensured that the administrative aspects of safeguarding have reflected the efficient and routine good practice in the school, for example by making sure that the school’s child protection policy refers to up-to-date requirements. The new leadership team has addressed this temporary shortfall as a

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Safeguarding

matter of urgency to ensure that all essential documentation is fit for purpose.  The single central record of recruitment checks on the suitability of staff to work with children meets requirements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 While there are pockets of good practice across the school, there is too much inconsistency in teachers’ use of school policies and effective planning for the needs of groups and individuals. Teachers do not respond quickly enough when pupils are ready for more challenge or support.  The school’s new requirements for teachers’ assessment of pupils’ work are becoming established. The impact of teachers’ feedback, both orally and in pupils’ books, varies. Pupils are often not clear on what they need to do to improve their work and their misconceptions persist.  Teachers use a wide range of attractive resources and engaging activities to stimulate pupils’ interests and enthusiasm. Pupils are usually attentive and respond promptly to their teachers’ high expectations. Inspectors saw few examples of pupils being distracted from their work. When this happens, it is usually associated with pupils being ready for more difficult work or needing extra help. Teachers’ alertness to pupils’

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

distraction varies, so that pupils do not refocus as quickly as they should.  Pupils are keen to learn and are enthusiastic about attempting more complex tasks. However, teachers do not routinely provide pupils with suitably challenging activities soon enough and at the right level to enable them to deepen their understanding of a topic. As a result, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Pupils have positive relationships with their teachers and each other. They collaborate well and are confident in sharing ideas. Pupils who need it benefit from close support from teaching assistants to help them settle to their tasks. However, on occasions, pupils are too reliant on adults to support and guide their learning and do not persevere long enough to work out a problem for themselves.  Teachers use their subject knowledge well to model their expectations to pupils and provide helpful guidance so pupils are clear on what they have to do.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school monitors pupils’ attendance closely and follows up unexpected absences swiftly. The outreach services manager carries out valuable work with families. As a result, the school is highly aware of individual circumstances that cause pupils to be absent and tailors support accordingly. Leaders have recently raised the profile of the importance of attendance with pupils and parents, with regular reminders in newsletters and rewards for those pupils with 100% attendance. While overall attendance remains below the national average, it is improving, with the attendance of disadvantaged pupils improving quickly.  Pupils who spoke to inspectors stated that they enjoy coming to school because everyone gets on well and they make lots of friends. They are considerate towards each other and use ‘friendship stops’ if they ever feel lonely at playtimes, so that others

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Personal development and welfare

come and keep them company.  Pupils feel safe and are kept safe in school because adults supervise them well and pupils know who to speak to if they have any worries. Pupils say that using the ‘listening box’, where they post notes about anything they are upset about, means they receive help to resolve any difficulties.  Pupils are confident about ways to keep themselves safe, for example when working online and when out and about, because of the guidance they have received from their teachers.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils value the friendships they make at school. They are keen to welcome visitors and understand the importance of being well mannered and considerate towards each other.  Pupils are generally attentive in class and their learning is rarely interrupted by poor behaviour. Teachers use the behaviour policy effectively and pupils respond positively to the well-thought-out rewards systems appropriate for different year groups. Occasionally, pupils become distracted from their work because they find the work too easy or too hard.  Pupils generally conduct themselves calmly around the school and respond promptly to their teachers when reminded to improve their behaviour.  Pupils’ behaviour in the playground is boisterous but generally good-humoured. Leaders’ careful tracking of pupils’ behaviour shows that serious incidents of poor behaviour are rare and have become less frequent since leaders have put in place the

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Behaviour

right intervention for different pupils. Parents and pupils who spoke to inspectors agreed that pupils’ behaviour is good because it is well managed by teachers.  A few pupils who have difficulty managing their behaviour are supported well in the nurture group for part of the school day. Experienced teaching assistants develop pupils’ social skills and ways to reflect on the impact of their behaviour on others, as well as supporting their learning. Pupils who attend the nurture group improve their behaviour so that they often can integrate successfully with their peers in mainstream classes.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 While pupils’ achievement at the end of key stage 2 in 2015 remained above the national average, there has been a decline over recent years in the rate at which pupils make progress across the school. This is because the quality of teaching has been less than good and leaders have not, until recent months, acted swiftly enough to make improvements where they were needed.  In 2016, pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 dropped substantially compared with national levels. This fall in standards was largely due to disadvantaged pupils doing less well than other pupils nationally, because they did not receive the targeted support they needed to achieve their best.  Pupils, including most-able pupils, do not attain the greater depth of learning of which they are capable, because they do not move on to more complex tasks and challenges when they are ready.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in phonics in 2016 dipped to well below the national average compared with results in 2014 and 2015, when results were above average. The school’s own achievement information indicates that recent improvements to the quality of teaching are leading to pupils making better progress in phonics.  Pupils refer readily to books and other written sources of reference to support their learning. They enjoy the daily reading activities at school and appreciate the wide range of books they can borrow from the school library. They describe enthusiastically the books they have chosen. Pupils’ reading logs indicate they read regularly at home.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Outcomes for children in the early years were lower in 2016 than in previous years. Areas of learning, such as literacy and mathematics, in which children did less well in 2014 and 2015 did not improve.  Adults in the early years do not have consistent and well-organised systems for recording assessments of children’s progress. As a result, children do not receive the right levels of support and challenge quickly enough to enable them to make better progress.  Children do not make the best use of resources because adults have not established productive routines. While some children persevere with activities and collaborate well together, others are less purposeful in their completion of tasks.  Teachers’ knowledge of phonics is strong. However, this is not consistently applied to support children’s progress effectively, especially for lower-ability children.  Children interact positively with each other, including at lunchtimes, when they eat

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Early years provision Requires improvement

healthily and are supervised well.  Children benefit from the whole-school focus on creativity across the curriculum. They thrive on imaginative play. Two children in the Reception class retold a story confidently using puppets, developing their pre-reading skills. Others developed their artwork well through their work with the school’s artist in residence, modelling and talking about her painting as she completed it.  Safeguarding in the early years is effective. Leaders make sure that all necessary checks and documentation, for example risk assessments and first aid provision, are in place.  Senior leaders have an accurate view on the ways in which the early years provision needs to improve and are addressing these appropriately and urgently.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.  The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is approximately double the national average.  More pupils than average represent minority ethnic groups, with most pupils being of Black African or Black Caribbean backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than average.  The proportion of pupils who receive support for special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is similar to the national average.  The school converted to academy status in September 2014. Over the past academic

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Information about this school

year, the governing body has been pursuing the opportunity for the school to become part of a multi-academy trust.  The school receives support from The Elliot Foundation, who deployed the executive headteacher to work at the school for two and a half days per week. The Foundation also provides leadership development opportunities for school leaders and the opportunity for teachers to share good practice across different schools.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 11 lessons and made shorter visits to classrooms as part of learning walks, sometimes accompanied by school leaders.  Inspectors held meetings with school leaders, members of staff, the outreach services manager and groups of pupils from across the school. One inspector listened to pupils read. Another inspector met with a representative from The Elliot Trust and held telephone conversations with the chair and former vice-chair of governors.  A wide range of the school’s documentation was scrutinised by inspectors. These included the school’s assessment information, the school improvement plan, records of the monitoring of teaching, records of pupils’ behaviour, minutes of meetings of the governing body and school policies. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in their books.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in and out of lessons and held conversations with pupils and staff.

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Information about this inspection

 An inspector met with the school’s business manager to review the single central record of recruitment checks and evaluated documents relating to the safeguarding of pupils.  Inspectors also gained information from parents’ surveys carried out by the school. There were no responses to the online survey Parent View. Views of a few parents were gathered through conversations with an inspector.  For technical reasons, pupils and staff were not able to access the online surveys. Views of some pupils and staff were gathered by inspectors during meetings.  This was a section 8 with no formal designation inspection deemed a section 5 inspection.

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Inspection team

Amanda Carter-Fraser, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Birtles Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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

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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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