The Deenway Montessori School

The Deenway Montessori School 3–5 Sidmouth Street, Reading, Berkshire RG1 4QX

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Inspection dates 30 January–1 February 2018

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders care deeply about the success and well-being of all pupils. They work hard to make sure that the school meets the needs of every child.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and, with staff, create a hard-working and harmonious atmosphere.  Children in the early years make strong progress. Good teaching, planning and assessment ensure that children achieve well in all areas of learning.  The school provides a very effective curriculum. Teachers’ planning and assessment are thorough and pupils use their skills confidently across the curriculum. As a result, pupils enjoy their learning and make exceptional progress in many areas.  Parents and carers are very happy with the school. They value the skills and attitudes their children develop. All of those asked said they would recommend the school to other parents.  Pupils make at least good progress in reading,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

writing and mathematics. However, the progress that pupils make in writing is not as strong as it is in other areas.  Although leaders understanding the strengths and weaknesses in the school, they do not use this information effectively to identify the key aspects of the school that need to improve.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen outcomes in writing by: – ensuring that writing activities contain sufficient challenge to stretch the most able pupils – making sure that leaders use assessment and tracking information to accurately identify pupils who should be making more progress.  Leaders should further develop their knowledge and oversight of the school’s performance to more precisely identify areas that need to improve.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher has a compelling vision for the school. This has guided the thoughtful development of both the curriculum and the ethos of the school, which are intrinsically linked. The result is a school that skilfully develops pupils through high expectations, a stimulating curriculum and excellent relationships.  The curriculum is strong and has been carefully thought out. It follows a Montessori approach through the primary years and moves on to follow a Liberal Arts curriculum for older pupils. The curriculum covers a wide range of subjects which pupils experience at a deeper level than is typical. Pupils enjoy the subjects they cover at school and make good progress.  Pupils have good opportunities to learn about British values, and for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Lessons ensure that pupils consider all aspects of life in modern Britain. For example, the discussion of the heroic qualities of ‘Beowulf’ seen

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

during the inspection considered gender equality and generated high-quality thinking. Pupils also have the opportunity to be involved in local civic activities, such as the current garden design competition.  Teachers and other staff are well trained. They value the professional development opportunities they get and make good use of new knowledge in their teaching. For example, the recent tennis training has improved teacher’s confidence and knowledge.  The systems for tracking what pupils know and can do are used effectively to ensure that all pupils make at least good progress. However, the information that this work generates is not effectively used to identify those areas and subjects where progress is not as strong, for example in writing.  Leaders have a thorough understanding of what works well in the school and aspects that need to improve. The headteacher ensures that the independent school standards and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

other requirements are met. As a result, leaders have an accurate overview of the performance of the school. However, this work is not systematic and lacks organisation. Consequently, leaders are not able to identify the most important priorities for improvement or easily identify when their work has been successful.  The last inspection recommended that the school set up an advisory board to act as a critical friend to review all aspects of the school’s work. The fact that this is still not fully in place reduces the headteacher’s ability to easily oversee the effectiveness of the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The headteacher ensures that pupils are safe and well cared for. A suitable safeguarding policy is in place and available on the website. The headteacher ensures that his own knowledge is up to date and that all the relevant independent school standards are met. The headteacher works closely with staff to monitor the well-being of every pupil through the daily focus on their learning. This contributes significantly to the work to maintain the positive mental health and well-being of pupils.  Staff have a good understanding of both their collective and individual responsibility to safeguard pupils. Staff have a wide range of suitable training and are clear about what to do to protect pupils and keep them safe. Where necessary, they are prompt to consult with other professionals.  Thorough checks are carried out to determine the suitability of staff and volunteers to

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Safeguarding

work in the school. Systems to ensure that visitors are checked and monitored are thorough and effective. The single central register is very well ordered and goes beyond statutory requirements to also record other checks and training.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Pupils are passionate about the quality of education they receive and are proud to attend the school. They value the opportunities they have to become skilled learners who are responsible for their own learning. Pupils develop an impressive ownership of their learning that is evident across the school, from young pupils working to their own plan to the very effective independent study of older pupils. A good example of this is the Years 7 and 8 pupils who requested an additional mathematics lesson. They knew what they needed from their teacher to successfully move their learning on.  Pupils develop the skills and confidence they need to express their ideas fluently as they move through the school. They are taught to question what they hear to deepen their own understanding. The results of this are clear in the older pupils’ interactions with each other. For example, the understanding of pupils practising a physics presentation was

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

deepened by the questioning of a pupil in the audience.  Pupils and parents value the rich curriculum on offer. The broad and balanced curriculum has been carefully developed by the headteacher. Pupils experience a wide range of subjects from an early age. The skills and attitudes pupils need to become thoughtful, independent learners are embedded in the plan. Consequently, the curriculum engages and stimulates pupils, giving them plenty of opportunities to practise and develop their learning skills.  Teachers monitor and assess pupils’ learning on a daily basis. They skilfully use this information to ensure that pupils are challenged to stretch their learning. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to identify and rectify any misconceptions that pupils may have. This ensures that pupils make at least good progress in all subjects.  Expectations of pupils’ written work are not consistently high across the school. Although

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

the basic skills are well taught, pupils do not get as many opportunities to test and try out their writing skills as they do in other areas of learning. As a result, pupils do not make the rapid progress in writing that they make in other subjects.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Every parent who responded to Parent View said that their children are happy and well looked after. Parents particularly value the focus on developing every aspect of their child, not simply academic success. One comment, typical of many others, stated that the school gave children ‘the foundation to succeed in their personal and professional endeavours’. Inspectors agree with these positive views.  Pupils and parents value the skills pupils develop to manage their own learning. The level of concentration and application pupils display in lessons result in a tangible air of concentration. Consequently, pupils make a very significant contribution to the good progress that they make.  Pupils felt that bullying is rare but that it would be tackled if it happened. Pupils are very

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Personal development and welfare

reflective, and the school’s culture encourages them to think about what they can do to have positive relationships with each other. This can be seen in the regular opportunities pupils get to engage in debate. An excellent example of this was the gender and equality issues discussed by older pupils as part of their work on ‘Beowulf’.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils manage their own behaviour extremely well. This is because of their exceptionally positive attitudes to learning and the excellent personal development they experience. Whether outside, in lessons, working independently or during breaktimes, all pupils behave extremely well.  Pupils are courteous and polite at all times. Pupils of all ages understand how they are expected to behave in the school. They are encouraged to reflect on any issues that arise. As a result, they are forgiving and very considerate of the feelings of others. They take pride in their good conduct.  Pupils attend regularly.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils make good progress from their starting points in a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics. Each stage of the school successfully builds on pupils’ skills and knowledge. Consequently, in every class, pupils develop an exceptionally wide and varied range of skills, knowledge and understanding.  Where there are academic comparisons, most pupils’ outcomes are at least in line with similar-aged pupils nationally. Often they exceed these standards. The most able are well challenged and achieve high standards. The progress of all pupils is closely monitored to ensure that they do well.  Pupils enjoy reading. They are enthusiastic about the wide range of challenging texts they have access to. Pupils learn to read fluently, and with expression and understanding. As a result, pupils enjoy reading and make good progress in this subject.  Pupils make particularly strong progress in mathematics and the sciences. Learning in

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Outcomes for pupils Good

these subjects is often at a more advanced level than is typical for the pupils’ ages. Pupils develop a secure understanding of the concepts they are learning. This is because pupils regularly explore and explain their work and teachers assess what they know and understand every day. Pupils are rightly proud of their work and achievements.  Since extending the age range of the school up to 16, a small number of pupils have taken GCSE qualifications. At this stage, the full success of the school in preparing pupils for their post-16 futures is unknown.  Skills in writing are taught consistently well. However, pupils do not have the same frequent opportunities to practise and extend these skills as they do in other subjects. Consequently, the quality of pupils’ written work is not consistently high across the school.

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Early years provision Good

 Children make good progress as a result of the well-targeted activities that they experience. Teachers’ regular, accurate assessment of what children know and can do ensures that issues are quickly identified so that pupils make good progress in their learning. As a result, children start Year 1 with levels that are either in line with, or higher than, the national average.  Children enjoy the activities on offer. Teachers skilfully engage children in their learning through very effective questioning. Ongoing assessment ensures that teachers always stretch children’s learning. Consequently, children are making good progress.  Outcomes for children are good across all areas of learning. This is because teachers closely monitor the progress of each child and plan carefully for each child individually.  Teachers maintain positive relationships with parents. Parents are well informed about the progress of their children and have regular opportunities to talk to teachers.

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Early years provision Good

 Leaders track the progress of each individual child closely to ensure that they make good progress. However, this information is not effectively used to identify aspects of the curriculum and teaching, learning and assessment that need to be strengthened to ensure that children make rapid progress. Consequently, provision in the early years is not yet outstanding.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £5,700 to £6,120

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2–4 February 2014

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Information about this school

 For primary-aged children, this is a Montessori school, led by Montessori principles and practice, following the training and guidance of the Association Montessori Internationale. From the age of 11, pupils follow a Liberal Arts curriculum.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place on 2–4 February 2014. Since then, the school has had two further monitoring visits.  This is an Islamic school.  Currently, there are no pupils in the school who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took into account 21 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including 19 free-text comments.  A range of documents was considered, including: the school’s self-evaluation information; records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safety; and the school’s information about pupils’ achievement.  Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 11 lessons and parts of lessons, four of which were carried out jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors also scrutinised work in pupils’ books.  During this inspection, meetings were held with senior leaders, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Phil Minns, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Bragg 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

Parent View 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

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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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