Lancasterian Primary School

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

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Mr Paul Murphy Headteacher Lancasterian Primary School King’s Road London N17 8NN

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 16 May 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 June 2013.

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

The school has been through a period of change, with four headteachers over two years. This had contributed to a reduced focus on maintaining the highest quality of education in the school. Consequently, pupils’ achievement had begun to fall. Since your arrival in September 2015, you have brought clear direction and stability. As a result, pupils’ achievement has significantly improved, and continues to do so. Once again, staff, parents and pupils strongly believe in the success of the school. Teachers are more effective in using teaching, learning and assessment to develop the well-being and achievement of pupils. Staff clearly understand their roles and responsibilities and their contribution to improving the school even further.

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

Parents, pupils and staff overwhelmingly agree that the school is welcoming and inclusive. Pupils say that they enjoy school. Most pupils learn well and some pupils make exceptionally good progress. This is partly due to the revisions you have led to the school curriculum, which has a greater focus upon key skills and essential knowledge and understanding. High expectations and ambition are consistent throughout the school because school systems and procedures are well understood by staff, pupils and parents. Staff work hard and are motivated because leaders invest time and energy in them through a range of training opportunities.

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

At the previous inspection, the school was asked to provide more challenging learning opportunities for higher attaining pupils. Pupils say that they are now given harder work to do in lessons and they choose activities that provide different levels of challenge. However, they also say that the work provided could be even harder. You are aware of this and have plans in place to make sure that this happens. Teachers now have more precise information about how well pupils are doing. They use this information to make sure that pupils do not fall behind in their learning by providing timely opportunities to fill any gaps in understanding. Senior leaders have worked effectively to ensure that teachers’ plans are well matched to what pupils need to understand and do better. As a result, lessons are well structured, most pupils are involved in their learning and the vast majority make better progress than

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

in the past in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. In other subjects, such as science, teachers provide effective opportunities for pupils to practise the important skills of reading, writing and mathematics. A few staff are less skilful in promoting strong progress across all subjects. They are well supported by middle and senior leaders in order to help them maximise learning for all pupils. Although you have plans in place, the roles of middle leaders are not yet sufficiently developed to enable them to match the impact of senior leaders on improvements in teaching and learning.

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

Pupils and staff understand how to keep themselves and others safe. All staff understand how to report any concerns about pupils’ safety. Training is followed up with regular updates about safeguarding issues. This ensures that staff have an up- to-date understanding of risks to pupils. For example, they understand the dangers associated with the internet, radicalisation and pupils who miss school.

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. Incidents are dealt with in a timely manner and leaders are tenacious about ensuring that referrals and concerns are resolved as quickly as possible. Frequent sharing of information reinforces staff’s understanding that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep pupils safe. Governors are aware, through visits and reports from leaders, of how school leaders ensure a secure understanding of safeguarding issues. This collaborative focus on safeguarding contributes to a secure culture of safety.

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Short inspection of Lancasterian Primary School

Pupils say that they feel safe in school because staff listen to and act upon concerns raised. The vast majority of parents agree that their children feel safe at school. Cases of bullying are rare and school records show that concerns are followed up. Leaders have arranged further opportunities to deepen pupils’ understanding of how to keep themselves safe from risks in the wider community.

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Inspection findings

 You recognise that disadvantaged pupils did not make as much progress as other pupils nationally last year in reading, writing and mathematics. However, differences between the rates of progress made by disadvantaged pupils in the school and others nationally are diminishing. Teachers’ planning and checks carried out by leaders make sure that these pupils are helped to catch up. The full impact of this has yet to be felt across the whole school due to small variations in the quality of teaching.  Published data about pupils’ outcomes indicates that by the end of 2016, pupils had not made sufficient progress in reading. Progress was better in writing and mathematics. Leaders have ensured that moderation activities within the school and externally with local Haringey schools have raised staff expectations of good- quality writing and mathematics. Pupils’ progress in these areas continues to improve.

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Inspection findings

 Results of the phonics screening check in Year 1 have improved. Pupils are able to make links between letters and sounds to learn to read earlier. They have more opportunities to do so in a wide variety of lessons, and most also regularly read at home. Pupils say that they enjoy reading because the school provides a wide choice of books. Your checks on how well pupils read confirm significant improvement. Nevertheless, the most able pupils are ready for harder work so that they make even better progress.  The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving and becoming more even between those requiring additional support and those who have education, health and care plans. Staff better understand the needs of these pupils because teachers work well with support staff to make sure that teaching provides the level of challenge and support these pupils need. Parents are happy with this support and have worked with the school to improve

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Inspection findings

the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Staff and leaders know this school well and also recognise that it can be even better. Your strong focus upon professional development opportunities has built an aspirational and increasingly skilled body of staff who share your ambition and belief about how well pupils can learn. You have a wide range of clear information about how well the school is performing. It is well understood by leaders across the school, including governors. Middle leaders provide guidance to staff, but recognise the need to extend their subject-focused support further so that learning across the school sustains a strong impetus to improve.

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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

 teachers plan activities that extend the level of challenge available for the most able pupils to deepen and broaden their learning  middle leaders are developed further so they have the necessary skills to check on the quality of teaching in their subject areas and offer appropriate advice and guidance to staff. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Haringey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I met with you and your senior leadership team, five governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body, eight teachers and the adviser from the local authority. I had a discussion with pupils. I met with parents as they left their children at school and considered the 61 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. We jointly visited lessons in all year groups. During these visits, we also examined pupils’ books. I evaluated the effectiveness of your safeguarding arrangements by checking documentation, your school website and through discussion with you, pupils, senior leaders, governors and with other staff during the day. I examined additional documentation related to your monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning, your self-evaluation, and governance, assessment and tracking of pupils’ progress and improvement plans.

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