Little Ealing Primary School

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

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Mrs Caroline Hodges Headteacher Little Ealing Primary School Weymouth Avenue Ealing W5 4EA

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Short inspection of Little Ealing Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 28 November 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 Little Ealing Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning. You have also focused on improving pupils’ behaviour in lessons. This is because you identified that increasing pupils’ participation in lessons helps them to learn well.

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Short inspection of Little Ealing Primary School

The impact of your work to develop pupils’ positive learning behaviour is evident in classrooms across the school. Pupils are engaged and focused on their learning. They are confident and approach their learning with commitment and enthusiasm. They learn in a calm, friendly atmosphere. The school is a positive and welcoming place. Staff and pupils demonstrate respect for each other. Pupil ambassadors greet visitors confidently and talk enthusiastically about their learning.

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Short inspection of Little Ealing Primary School

Governors and senior leaders are clear about the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. You have also rightly focused on developing the teaching of reading, phonics and mathematics. High levels of attainment in the early years, phonics and key stage 1 demonstrate the positive impact of this work. However, you acknowledge that there is still more to do to improve outcomes for some groups of pupils at key stage 2, and this is a focus for your improvement plans for this year.

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Short inspection of Little Ealing Primary School

Records related to safeguarding are detailed and accurate. The designated safeguarding lead works effectively with other staff and external agencies. Staff and governors are knowledgeable about safeguarding because training takes place regularly, including on the ‘Prevent’ duty.

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Short inspection of Little Ealing Primary School

Pupils feel safe in school and are clear about who they can approach if they have any concerns or problems. They understand how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils, parents and staff consider this to be a safe, happy and welcoming school, where bullying is rare and concerns about a pupil’s well-being are dealt with effectively. Parents are positive about the school and the majority said that their children enjoy school and they would recommend the school to others.

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Inspection findings

 Since the last inspection, leaders have prioritised improving the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders’ use of the pupil premium funding to do this has been an area of focus for school. As a result, this was a line of enquiry for the inspection.  Leaders have planned and implemented a wide range of strategies to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes are improving. Pupils’ work in their books demonstrates strong progress in literacy skills and accurate use of grammar and punctuation. Booster groups funded by the pupil premium grant have secured very strong progress for targeted pupils, particularly in reading. The school’s assessment information shows a significant increase in the number of disadvantaged pupils who are on track to achieve their end-of-year targets in English.  Leaders demonstrate the impact of the funding most effectively where their

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Inspection findings

strategies are clear and evidenced based. However, leaders have not fully evaluated the impact of all their spending decisions. Leaders acknowledge the importance of consistency in evaluating all activities supported by the additional funding.  Provisional key stage 2 outcomes in 2017 indicate that middle-ability pupils are not making the same rates of progress in reading as their peers. We therefore agreed that the progress of middle-ability pupils across key stage 2, particularly in reading, would be a line of enquiry for the inspection.  Our classroom visits to key stage 2 lessons showed that teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge. The teaching of reading is lively and engaging. Teachers include a range of strategies that leaders have identified as effective, for example teacher-led group reading. Teachers’ effective leadership of these strategies has resulted in clear evidence of improvements in pupils’ reading.

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Inspection findings

Middle-ability pupils now read a wider range of challenging texts and enjoy reading. As a result, more of these pupils are making good progress towards their end-of-year targets.  Teachers also use effective questioning to check pupils’ understanding of what they have read. However, although middle-ability pupils are able to read texts fluently, at times they do not always demonstrate full understanding of what they were reading. Teachers address this through questioning in group and whole- class sessions. However, some pupils still need further support in tackling independent activities.  Our third line of enquiry looked closely at how leaders ensure that pupils are safe in the school, and how they improve pupils’ attendance.  Pupils’ overall attendance is in line with the national average. However, last year the attendance of pupils eligible for free school meals was lower than other groups of pupils. Leaders have taken effective action to improve the attendance

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Inspection findings

of this group of pupils. Leaders have emphasized the importance of regular attendance. Leaders also work closely with the local authority to enable additional support for pupils who are persistently absent.  Governors play an important role in holding leaders to account to ensure improvements in attendance. Governors’ continuing focus is to ensure that leaders analyse attendance information rigorously, in order to take effective action where needed, particularly when pupils are persistently absent.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:

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Next steps for the school

 sharpen evaluation of strategies for spending additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, particularly focusing on the success of strategies to improve progress at key stage 2  analyse and evaluate attendance information rigorously in order to further reduce rates of persistent absenteeism

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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 Ealing. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

 Inspectors visited lessons to observe learning jointly with members of the school’s senior leadership team.  While in lessons, inspectors reviewed pupils’ work and discussed their learning with them.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors held meetings with a variety of leaders, staff, pupils and governors in order to explore the key lines of enquiry and the progress made by the school since the last inspection.  The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed documentation including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s performance, improvement plans and a variety of safeguarding documentation.  Inspectors evaluated the views of 128 parents who completed Parent View, of 148 pupils who completed Ofsted’s pupil survey and of 40 staff who completed the staff questionnaire.

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