Keir Hardie Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Ms Violet Otieno Headteacher Keir Hardie Primary School 13 Robertson Road Canning Town London E16 1FZ

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Short inspection of Keir Hardie Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 28 March 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2012.

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Short inspection of Keir Hardie Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have set high expectations about what pupils can achieve and you provide clear direction for the school’s future improvement, based upon the school’s core values. The culture of the school is demonstrated in the way your pupils respond to your vision. They are ‘motivated’ in their learning; display a positive ‘attitude’; show ‘gumption’ when faced with obstacles; demonstrate ‘independent’ thinking; and ‘communicate’ effectively. All members of staff understand your vision and demonstrate these values in their work .

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Short inspection of Keir Hardie Primary School

You have created a leadership team that is determined to do the best for all the pupils in the school. Together, you have led improvements in the quality of teaching that were identified in the last inspection report. For example, you have ensured that the quality of teaching has improved particularly in key stage 2. You have also improved the effectiveness of your monitoring systems so that you can intervene at the earliest opportunity to support pupils’ learning and progress.

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Short inspection of Keir Hardie Primary School

In 2016, outcomes information showed that there were no weaknesses identified. The learning walk and analysis of most recent school information confirmed that, as a result of an emphasis on improving teaching, all pupils are making good progress.

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Short inspection of Keir Hardie Primary School

Your pupils are very proud of the school. They believe this is a good school because ‘teachers are very helpful, help you with your work and keep you safe’. You have created an environment where pupils have high aspirations. They want to be lawyers, paramedics or teachers. They behave well in lessons, at breaktimes and around the school. Children demonstrate independence from an early age in their choice of activities. Older pupils help to resolve minor issues between other pupils in order to ensure that behaviour is as good as it can be.

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Short inspection of Keir Hardie Primary School

Leaders ensure that everyone at the school is vigilant and understands how to keep pupils safe. The headteacher is the designated safeguarding lead. Working closely with other leaders, the safeguarding team make sure that all statutory requirements are met and that pupils are safe. For example, checks on visitors are rigorous and pupils are aware of keeping themselves safe from a wide range of potential dangers, including cyber bullying. The school provides workshops for parents as well as informative leaflets to help them keep children safe at all times. Parents are confident that their children are safe.

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Short inspection of Keir Hardie Primary School

The school’s office manager makes sure that all pre-employment checks are rigorously undertaken and, each term, the governor linked to safeguarding monitors the school’s practice. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. All staff receive child protection training which is updated regularly. As a result, staff have a thorough understanding of the school’s safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection findings

 My first line of enquiry focused on the actions taken to ensure that the quality of teaching has improved. Senior leaders demonstrate effective leadership skills. For example, they systematically monitor what is happening in classrooms and review the progress of all pupils. As part of this monitoring senior leaders have identified inconsistencies. When necessary, prompt action is taken to improve teaching and to ensure that all pupils make progress.  Middle leaders provide good support. For example, working alongside teachers and modelling lessons so that teaching improves. During phonics lessons, the phonics leader supports all groups and coaches staff to ensure that all pupils are making good progress.  The school has high expectations and provides challenge for all of its pupils. This starts when children enter the school in the Nursery. As a result, children make accelerated progress across the early years. The special needs coordinator ensures

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Inspection findings

that the provision for those pupils who have been identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. Consequently, they make good progress given their starting points and capabilities. Good support is provided for those pupils who speak English as an additional language. For example, late entrants to the school are taught the phonics programme and make good progress.  Pupils know the ‘magic’ habits of learning and apply these consistently in their work. The enthusiasm of teachers helps them to learn and where teachers demonstrate how to improve a piece of work, pupils respond positively and make improvements.  All staff are supported well through a programme of professional development that helps them improve their practice. For example, as a result of this programme, the use of additional adults in the classroom is effective in supporting the needs of identified pupils.  My second line of enquiry focused on the actions that leaders have taken to improve

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Inspection findings

attendance. You have continued to prioritise attendance and have robust systems in place to monitor pupils’ absence. Good attendance is celebrated. Your work with families and other agencies has led to improvement over time for some pupils. The school has in place a full range of ways to improve attendance, but there is a lack of rigour in the analysis of specific groups of pupils, linked to attainment. Attendance for some pupils remains too low.  My third line of enquiry considered the actions that leaders have taken to ensure that all pupils make similar progress in writing to that in reading and mathematics. The recently introduced system for tracking the progress of pupils is helping the school to ensure that the needs of pupils are met in all subjects. This is reflected in the school’s most recent assessments which show that the progress in writing broadly matches that in reading and mathematics in all year groups, apart from Year 6. There

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Inspection findings

is no significant difference in the progress of specific groups of pupils. Evidence from the learning walk and book scrutiny supports the school’s assessment that pupils make good progress given their starting points and capabilities.  Leaders track the progress of pupils well. However, there are inconsistencies in how some teachers address misconceptions at the earliest opportunity, effectively monitor pupils’ writing and use writing targets to inform the next steps in their learning. This limits the amount of progress some pupils make. Leaders are aware of these issues and have implemented more rigorous systems to check pupils’ progress.  The deputy headteacher has ensured that there are greater opportunities for pupils to write, not just in English lessons but across the curriculum. There has been a greater emphasis on speaking and listening and grammar, punctuation and spelling. The most able pupils are challenged to use a wider range of vocabulary. This has

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Inspection findings

better prepared pupils to write well. As pupils develop their writing skills they are challenged to complete extended pieces of writing. This follows good modelling by teachers of how writing can be improved through editing. Along with the special educational needs coordinator, teachers provide good support for specific groups of pupils who are targeted for additional help. Good use of additional funding is used to inspire pupils to write; for example, a visit to a West End theatre to see ‘The lion king’ for pupils in Years 5 and 6.  In the Nursery, many children arrive with skills that are below what is typical for their age, particularly in language and communication and personal development. Staff ensure that children practise their early writing skills through a wide range of planned activities. Both in the Nursery and Reception Years, children have daily individual support. In the Nursery, evidence from ‘special books’ shows that children make good

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Inspection findings

progress. For example, the most able children can write their names. In Reception, children write frequently. They apply the skills they have learned so that they are able to write with increasing confidence and independence.  In key stage 1, pupils make good progress in their use of phonics. Lessons are well organised to meet the needs of all pupils including those who speak English as an additional language. Teachers place high emphasis on the good use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. They use examples of pupils’ writing to help all pupils further improve their work.  In key stage 2, the modelling by teachers of how to edit a piece of writing helps pupils to improve their work. Older pupils are motivated to develop an extended piece of writing to demonstrate their skills. The most able pupils improve their writing as a result of the teachers expecting them to use more challenging vocabulary.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 inconsistencies in the quality of teaching are reduced  overall attendance improves and persistent absence reduces  more rigorous monitoring and interventions result in outcomes improving, particularly in writing.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Newham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I met with you, other senior leaders, middle leaders and support staff. I met with members of the governing body, including the chair, and a representative from the local authority. I scrutinised a range of documentation and the school’s website, including the school’s self-evaluation of its own performance , school development plan, school policies, information on the progress of pupils and the single central record. I spoke informally to a number of pupils, listened to pupils read and visited all year groups in the school in order to gather evidence on particular aspects of teaching, learning and assessment .

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