Kenmont Primary School

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

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Ms Julie Howarth Headteacher Kenmont Primary School Valliere Road London NW10 6AL

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Short inspection of Kenmont 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 September 2012.

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Short inspection of Kenmont Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You and your team have an accurate understanding of how children learn and work closely with teachers to monitor their progress.

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Short inspection of Kenmont Primary School

The previous inspection recommended increasing the proportion of outstanding teaching by fostering pupils’ enquiry and investigation skills in lessons. In our visits to classes, we saw pupils asking questions about their activities, reflecting their interest to find out more. There was evidence in pupil’s work, particularly in science, that they are investigating through experimentation. These activities enhance their learning and enable them to make good progress. However, we noted that this good practice was not consistent across all years.

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Short inspection of Kenmont Primary School

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in the leadership of the early years. During our time spent in the Nursery and Reception classes, we observed children being actively engaged and enjoying their learning. We were able to see the very positive start to the day when children and members of their families learned together. This is clearly enjoyable for all and creates a climate of warmth with a genuine partnership between home and school.

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Short inspection of Kenmont Primary School

The school is at the heart of its community. Pupils and families value being part of a small school where everyone is known and there is individual care. All parents I met with spoke positively about the teaching, care and management of the school. One parent reported, ‘I cannot sing their praises highly enough.’ Pupils told me about the values they celebrate throughout the year. They were keen to speak about peace, this month’s value, and perceived this to be one of the fundamental British values. Equally, they recognised the spirituality of the chimes sounding at the end of the day for reflection time. The calmness throughout the school, balanced with the buzz of children socialising well with adults and peers, creates a positive learning atmosphere. Pupils show great respect for each other, and I saw them consistently behaving well in and beyond the classroom. Pupils also have strong cultural experiences through a wide range of visits and activities. For

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Short inspection of Kenmont Primary School

example, in drama and music pupils have the opportunity to work with musicians in school and to perform at the Royal Albert Hall.

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Short inspection of Kenmont Primary School

Leaders and governors have ensured that safeguarding is a shared responsibility, which is clearly understood by staff. The recruitment of staff follows systematic procedures with thorough checks that are then carefully recorded on the single central record. Staff and governors have received regular up-to-date training and, in addition, workshops on the ‘Prevent’ duty and female genital mutilation. There is a clear referral process, which is used by staff to follow up any concerns about a child’s well-being, and records kept are detailed and timely. Leaders work very closely with parents to keep their children safe. They appropriately link with a child’s previous school to ensure that any work with external agencies is maintained through the transition period.

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Short inspection of Kenmont Primary School

Pupils unanimously told me throughout the day that they feel safe. They receive workshops on how to stay safe online and have a good understanding of any dangers regarding social media. Pupils were also confident about how to evacuate the building and positively referred to fire drill practises. Parents were strong in their responses about safety, and 99% said that their child is safe in school. The parents I spoke to confirmed that everyone feels very safe.

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Inspection findings

 We first agreed to look at the quality of the teaching of writing at key stage 1 and, in particular, how disadvantaged pupils are supported to develop their skills. This was because, in 2017, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils fell below the national average at the expected standard and greater depth.  You have experienced some success at improving children’s writing outcomes. Our visits to the classrooms showed that there are stimulating activities to engage pupils and motivate them to write. We saw an example of this in a session in which pupils were re-telling favourite parts of a story with a focus on using new vocabulary. Pupils confidently experimented and were then keen to read aloud their writing to the class and to me individually.  Your work on strengthening writing outcomes has included developing opportunities across the curriculum to improve pupils’ writing skills. In science books, we saw that pupils developed both their informative and creative writing

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Inspection findings

skills well when learning about animals. Well-planned teaching has enabled pupils to practise their writing skills on a daily basis. As a result, writing in pupils’ books, including those of disadvantaged pupils, shows that they are making good progress. However, the expectations for writing are not consistent in all subjects, and the quality of pupils’ work can vary across the school day.  We next looked at the achievement of key stage 2 middle-prior-attaining pupils, including boys and the disadvantaged, in reading and writing. In 2016, statutory assessments showed that these groups of pupils were below the national average for expected standard and greater depth. You have rightly identified that achievement in reading and writing for these pupils could be better. In particular, middle-attaining pupils need more challenge to develop their skills to read and write in greater depth.  In classrooms, I found that pupils take pride in their writing. Pupils know how to

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Inspection findings

proof read and edit their work. They also receive very specific advice about how to improve their vocabulary. This approach has led to all groups of pupils consistently improving their writing. Your current assessments show that most pupils, including middle attainers, boys and disadvantaged pupils, are on track to achieve the expected standard or above in writing.  Pupils who read to me were enthusiastic about their reading experiences and were able to speak confidently about their current reading book. Pupils routinely read in school and at home. My visits to classrooms and work in books show that pupils have a good understanding of the texts they read. Teachers’ questioning ensures that all groups of pupils think in depth about what they are reading. This contributes to pupils successfully making progress in their reading skills.  Finally, we considered how effective leaders have been in improving pupils’

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Inspection findings

attendance. Overall attendance is broadly average. However, the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities has been lower than that of their peers nationally.  You have worked very effectively with your team to reduce levels of absence. The introduction of specific support bought in from the local authority, to give families extra support, is making a difference. Parenting classes are providing further help by enabling families to ensure that their children attend school every day. Families and pupils also receive a weekly newsletter in which excellent attendance is celebrated, weekly reports are given for every class and visual and written information highlights the importance of attending school each day.  This work by leaders is beginning to have an impact. The attendance of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has improved, particularly of those who were

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Inspection findings

persistently absent. However, you recognise that this is over a relatively short period and continued work is needed to ensure that positive attendance rates are maintained.

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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

 writing is consistently developed with disadvantaged pupils at key stage 1 across all subjects  persistent absence continues to reduce, in particular of those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, so that days missed do not affect progress.

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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 Hammersmith and Fulham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

The following activities were carried out:

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Information about the inspection

 meetings with senior staff, the safeguarding administrator and three governors, including the chair and vice-chair  listening to pupils in Years 2,3,4 and 6 reading  visits to classes with the headteacher  scrutiny of pupils’ work, including the disadvantaged and boys  discussions with pupils in a group and informally in the playground  an evaluation of documents provided by the school including the school improvement plan, the school self-evaluation form, safeguarding records, information about attendance and exclusions, and information about current pupil achievement  analysis of the 71 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.

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