Kensington Avenue Primary School

Kensington Avenue Primary School Kensington Avenue, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 8BT

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, governors and other leaders are united in driving the school forward. They are having a positive impact on teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Leadership and management at all levels are effective in identifying next steps and securing improvement. Leaders have established a school where pupils are keen to succeed.  Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Teachers make effective use of information on how well pupils are doing to provide motivating work for pupils of differing abilities.  Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good. Pupils are polite and friendly and keen to learn. They feel safe at school and know how to stay safe.  Pupils’ outcomes are good. Pupils of differing abilities make good progress from their starting points and are prepared well for the next stage of their education.  Children make good progress in the early years provision. They become confident learners and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are enthusiastic about trying out a wide range of activities.  Pupils in the enhanced learning provision (ELP) make good progress. They benefit from clear questioning and the positive use of praise.  Teachers do not always make sure that the most able pupils are moved on in their learning so that they can work at greater depth.  Some opportunities are missed to encourage the pupils, especially the boys, to practise and extend their writing skills when learning in other subjects.  Leaders do not ensure that a few hard-to-reach families send their children to school regularly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the pupils’ progress by: – making sure that teachers move the most able pupils on in their learning as soon as they are ready to work at greater depth – ensuring that pupils, especially the boys, make best use of the skills they have learned in literacy to support their writing across the curriculum.  Work more effectively with the hard-to-reach families so that they send their children to school regularly.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and governors have grown in their roles since the previous inspection. They have high expectations and are ambitious that the school should continue to improve. They communicate their vision for the school well, and have created an atmosphere where pupils and members of staff are keen to develop further.  The headteacher and other senior leaders have an accurate understanding of how well the school is doing and are clearly focused on the right next steps. They monitor pupils’ progress carefully so that additional support can be provided as needed.  Performance management and the monitoring of teaching are rigorous and as a result, teaching and learning have improved since the previous inspection.  The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used productively to ensure that they have the same opportunities to make good progress as the other pupils.  The special funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

spent well, including in the ELP. Most of this funding provides enhanced staffing so that the pupils’ differing needs can be met.  The curriculum is well designed to promote the good progress of pupils and it is frequently reviewed. It provides a good balance between the teaching of basic skills and the coverage of other subjects. It provides a breadth of learning through answering ‘The Big Question’ in topic work, learning Spanish and the opportunity for pupils to attend various clubs and additional activities.  Physical education and sport funding is spent well on providing specialist coaching for the pupils and training for members of staff. For example, during the inspection, pupils in Year 5 improved their hand to eye coordination when learning skills to play rounders.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is covered comprehensively in lessons and in assemblies. Pupils learn about various religions and cultures and celebrate the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

range of languages spoken at the school. They develop good public speaking skills during shared assembly. For example, Year 4 pupils demonstrated how well they could perform their rap about ‘Oi Caveboy’.  Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. They learn about British values through activities such as the school rules, elections for the school council, themes in assembly and everyday lessons. For example, in English, pupils in Year 6 learned about Fair Trade. They were respectful when discussing why paying too little for our clothing can have a negative impact on the wages of overseas workers.  Most parents are supportive and positive about the work of the school. They are especially pleased that their children are happy at school. For example, parents typically make comments such as, ‘My children are happy to attend’, and, ‘The school has made us feel very welcome’. A small minority of hard-to-reach families do not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

ensure that their children attend school regularly.

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Governance of the school

 Governance is effective.  Governors have increased their level of skills through training. As a result, they monitor the school’s work rigorously and provide good challenge for school leaders.  They are knowledgeable about what works well and what remains to be done to make the school even better.  Governors are supportive, at the same time as being aware that the drive for improvement must continue.  Governors make sure that leaders carry out their responsibilities, including in performance management, spending funds wisely and in keeping the pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a safe culture within the school and leaders work with parents and other agencies to help keep the pupils safe. For example, pupils have recently learned that ‘Your privates are private’ as part of the NSPCC Talk PANTS campaign.  Leaders make sure that all members of staff are checked for suitability for working with pupils. All members of staff are up to date on training and know what to do if a pupil comes to them with a concern.  Members of staff are caring and know the individual needs of pupils well. There are detailed and thorough records on pupils who are causing concern.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers manage the pupils’ behaviour well because they have positive relationships with them. They ensure that pupils are clear about what they are to learn. For example, in mathematics in Year 6, clear explanations were given about how to calculate service charges on a bill.  Good-quality resources are used well to ensure that pupils are supported in their learning. For example, in mathematics, counting equipment provides good support, especially for those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Members of staff share and explain important vocabulary with the pupils, helping them to understand their work. This is especially helpful for those who are learning to speak English as an additional language. For example, in Year 5, pupils were helped to use their phonics to help spell new words for their exciting stories.  Pupils who attend the ELP are given sensitive support in their classes and are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

integrated well into mainstream classes when this is suitable for their needs. Members of staff in the ELP provide a calm environment so that these pupils are confident and clear about what is expected from them.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers make sure that basic skills in literacy and numeracy are taught well. They use probing questions to encourage pupils to explain their reasoning and understanding. For example, in mathematics in Year 2, pupils could explain the strategies they were using to solve money problems.  Some opportunities are missed across the school for pupils to practise and extend their writing skills when they are working in other subjects. Boys in particular do not always try to do their best work at these times.  Teachers make effective use of assessment information to provide tasks that build on what pupils already know. Tasks vary in difficulty (mild, hot and spicy), and in most classes, pupils are guided well to make the right choices for their level of ability. Occasionally, teachers do not move pupils on in their learning quickly enough when they are ready to work at greater depth. This is especially true for the most able pupils.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils work well with each other, sharing resources and taking turns without fuss. As one pupil stated, ‘We help each other here.’ Pupils know that these activities help them to be successful learners. Older pupils are aware that when debating they need to be able to justify their opinions.  Members of staff work well to support the pupils’ physical health and emotional well- being, enabling them to be confident and happy at school. Pupils take part in sports and are learning about healthy food so that Year 5 can run a healthy tuck shop.  Pupils know how they can keep safe and talk knowledgeably about the various types of bullying and how to avoid them. As one pupil said, ‘We talked about what bullying means and how to be a good friend.’ Consequently, instances of bullying have reduced considerably and are now rare.  Pupils have a clear understanding of other potential hazards in life because they learn

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Personal development and welfare

about topics such as road safety, e-safety and parts of the body that are private.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils and their parents are pleased with behaviour at the school and pupils describe the school as being ‘calm’ and ‘friendly’. Pupils understand the way the behaviour ladders work and consequently there is very little disruption in lessons, including in the ELP.  Pupils demonstrate positive behaviours such as kindness, friendliness, politeness and helpfulness. They are enthusiastic about carrying out responsibilities such as being playground buddies and junior traffic ambassadors.

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Behaviour

 Leaders have been successful in improving punctuality by providing the popular ‘early morning challenges’. Rates of attendance are improving, although they remain lower than those found nationally. Persistent absence remains a concern because a few hard- to-reach families ignore the school’s policy and continue to take extended term-time holidays. Leaders are seeking more effective ways of convincing these parents of the importance of regular attendance.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 School progress information and samples of pupils’ work demonstrate that pupils make good progress from their differing starting points. Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education because their attainment is broadly average across subjects and their personal development is good.  Pupils enjoy reading and are doing well. They make good use of their phonics to support their reading and writing. They read fluently and have a good understanding of the books they are reading.  The school makes effective use of the pupil premium funding. Disadvantaged pupils are now making at least as much, and in several cases more, progress than other pupils at the school. Consequently, their attainment is rising and they are doing well at the expected levels for their ages.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who are being taught in the ELP, are provided with effective support in class, enabling them to

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Outcomes for pupils Good

make good progress.  Pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language do so quickly. They are supported well in their speaking and understanding by members of staff and other pupils.  The most able pupils, including the disadvantaged most able pupils, are now making good progress overall. However, some opportunities are missed to move their learning on when they are ready to work at greater depth.  Pupils have opportunities to use their literacy and numeracy skills in their science and topic work. Girls do better than boys in their writing, because not all boys demonstrate and extend the breadth of their writing skills at these times.

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Early years provision Good

 Children make good progress from their differing starting points. Teachers and teaching assistants ask probing questions as the children work, and promote new vocabulary well. For example, when making pictures from two-dimensional shapes, children were encouraged to describe the shapes they were going to use.  Teaching has a positive impact on the children’s learning and outcomes. Teachers provide a wide range of interesting activities that motivate the children to want to learn. As a result, children try hard and persevere with their learning. For example, during the inspection, children were keen to help in the ‘car wash’.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well and as a result children behave well, feel safe and know how to stay safe. Clear routines and guidance with their learning enable children to become confident.  Members of staff are clear about the children who are being supported through the

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Early years provision Good

special grant for disadvantaged children. They make sure that these children are given the right level of support according to their needs and capabilities. There are few and diminishing differences between the attainment and progress of disadvantaged children and those of others.  Progress is evident in the children’s workbooks, although girls are doing better than boys in their writing. Leaders have a clear understanding of what works well and what needs to be developed further. They are currently working on promoting writing activities indoors and outside that will attract the interest of both girls and boys, especially for the Nursery children.  Members of staff have good relationships with the parents and work well with parents and other agencies to help support and challenge the children. The children’s good progress, knowledge of phonics and personal development prepare them well for joining Year 1.

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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

Website www.kensingtonavenueprimary.co.uk

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School details

Email address office@kaps.croydon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5–6 February 2015

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Information about this school

 Kensington Avenue Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There have been many changes in staffing since the previous inspection.  There is a Nursery and three Reception classes in the early years provision.  Pupils come to the school from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is high, with many different home languages being spoken by the pupils.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The school has an enhanced learning provision (ELP) for 15 pupils who have the autistic spectrum disorder.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its

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Information about this school

website.  The school shares a site with a children’s centre that is managed by the school’s governing body. The children’s centre is subject to separate inspections.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 26 lessons, most jointly with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or assistant headteacher.  Discussions were held with leaders, other members of staff, a member of the local authority and members of the governing body.  Inspectors held informal discussions with several parents and scrutinised 78 responses from Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and 28 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Pupils in Years 2 and 6 were heard reading and samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised.  A range of information supplied by the school was checked, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents and checks on the quality of teaching. The inspectors also looked at the school development plan and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lou Anderson 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

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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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