Setting

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

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Ms Janice George Headteacher Bruce Grove Primary School Sperling Road London N17 6UH

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Following my visit to the school on 10 October 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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The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection.

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You are an effective headteacher who has the confidence and support of staff and parents. Parents speak highly of your leadership skills and of the warm and welcoming school community you have created. You have a realistic understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development and you have a strong determination and ambition for the school’s future.

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You include your governors in all school development planning. They are knowledgeable and offer the correct level of challenge to support senior leaders. They also make regular visits to school to discuss curriculum development.

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All classrooms are bright, attractive and stimulating and the outdoor areas greatly enhance pupils’ learning. Pupils feel a strong sense of pride in their school and that they are valued and listened to. The school nurtures pupils well through its positive ethos and values. One pupil reported: ‘In our school, we have values that include respect for all faiths and beliefs and it is important that we are friends with everyone’. Pupils can also explain and understand the importance of British values in their everyday lives.

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At the time of the previous inspection, it was reported that lessons did not sufficiently take into account pupils’ range of learning needs. The school has responded well to this in its approach to planning; and also in the way in which teachers explain carefully what is expected of pupils by the end of the lesson. In 2012 inspectors also noted that attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 1 was below the national average. The school has been successful in addressing this and results have shown significant improvement. Outcomes at the end of the Reception Year and at the end of key stage 1 are now above the national average in all subjects. Inspectors also reported that a small number of pupils were absent too often. You and the education welfare officer have put systems in place to improve pupils’ attendance.

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You have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of a high quality. Staff and governors receive regular and appropriate training on safeguarding and are confident in assessing potential risks. All staff know to whom any causes of concern should be reported and the school has clear systems in place to make referrals. The school works well with outside agencies and has established a strong working partnership with the local authority safeguarding forum and the local designated officer for safeguarding. All pre- employment checks are in place and safer recruitment procedures are followed.

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The behaviour of pupils around the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils show strong levels of respect for and understanding of the needs of others. Their attitudes to learning are positive. Parents report that their children feel safe and are well cared for.

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Inspection Findings

 To confirm that the school remains good, one of my key lines of enquiry was whether pupils are making sufficient progress in reading. In recent years, outcomes for reading have been below the national average and the school has identified this as a key priority.  Senior leaders have reviewed the early years curriculum to ensure that children are involved in a wide range of reading activities using rich reading materials. The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) is effective and offers challenge for all children. The majority of children enter Nursery at low starting points but, by the end of the Reception Year, outcomes for reading are above the national average.  In key stage 1 pupils are confident in using a wide range of strategies to support their reading. All pupils who have attended the school since the Reception Year achieved the expected score in the 2017 Year 1 phonics screening check. Pupils

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Inspection Findings

who are new to the school in Year 1 and Year 2 receive additional support to give them time to rehearse and practise key skills. Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils are strong and key stage 1 outcomes in reading are now higher than the national average.  Pupils across key stage 2 reported that they were sometimes unsure as to what they needed to do next to improve their reading skills. Senior leaders had identified that reading skills in key stage 2 could be developed further. A new commercial reading scheme has been introduced to support the progression of reading skills across year groups. There is a strong focus on reading comprehension and pupils are encouraged to make personal responses to text using the key skills of inference and deduction. Even so, work remains to be done so that pupils make the progress of which they are capable in reading by the end of key stage 2.  My second line of enquiry was to examine the level of challenge for pupils in

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Inspection Findings

subjects beyond English and mathematics. The school has added breadth and balance to the curriculum through the teaching of science, history, geography, art and design and technology through a topic based approach and French, music, physical education, religious education and computing are taught in discrete, separate sessions. The curriculum is enhanced by extra-curricular provision for creative arts, sports, historical and geographical enquiry and outdoor activities.  While the curriculum now has breadth, and appropriate challenge can be seen across year groups, this is not yet the case for science. Curriculum planning for science follows a commercial scheme which provides for the full coverage of the programmes of study and the progression of key skills but pupil outcomes remain variable.  My final line of enquiry concerned pupils’ attendance. The most recent data available indicated that absence and persistent absence has been high for

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Inspection Findings

particular groups of pupils.  The school has worked in close partnership with the education welfare officer to develop strategies to improve pupils’ attendance. All parents are contacted on the first day of a pupils’ absence. For pupils with repeated absences, interviews are held with the parents and home visits take place.  The school has issued fixed-penalty notices to discourage extended holidays overseas during term time. The school keeps detailed records to monitor and improve attendance and medical absence is tracked carefully.

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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

 strategies to improve pupils’ reading skills in key stage 2 are consolidated and carefully evaluated to ensure that all pupils make strong progress in reading  pupil outcomes for science needs to provide clear continuity and progression of key skills across year groups.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of children’s services for Haringey. This letter will also be published on the Ofsted website.

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Ofsted Inspector

 During this inspection, I held meetings with you, the deputy headteacher, the attendance leader, education welfare officer and school business manager. I met with parents informally as they arrived at school with their children. I met with three school governors and had a telephone conversation with the local authority school improvement adviser.  I visited all classrooms with senior leaders, spoke to pupils and looked at pupils’ books. I listened to pupils read from Years 2 and 6 and I met with members of the school council.  I viewed 13 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. I also viewed the responses of 12 staff questionnaires.  I scrutinised a range of documents including those relating to self-evaluation and planning, the school’s assessment information and safeguarding policies and procedures.

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