Monks Orchard School

Monks Orchard School The Glade, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey CR0 7UF

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Inspection dates 28 February – 1 March 2018

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders’ actions to secure consistently good standards of teaching and learning need more time to embed.  Leaders’ difficulty in recruiting teachers has had a negative impact on the progress of some pupils. Consequently, standards of achievement are not yet good.  Although teachers have improved the challenge for pupils, this is not yet evident in the outcomes of the most able.  The standard of pupils’ work in subjects other than mathematics and English is not high enough. Teachers’ planning for topic work does not focus on pupils’ next steps.  Weaknesses in provision for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities have resulted in some pupils not having appropriate work.  The standard of attainment for pupils in upper key stage 2 requires improvement. New methods of teaching mathematics have yet to increase the progress of some middle- and low-attaining pupils.  Teachers’ feedback is not yet consistently

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

focused on pupils’ next steps and often fails to have an impact on progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher and governing body have worked diligently to establish an effective leadership team and a more stable teaching staff.  Leaders’ accurate understanding of the school is used to make noticeable improvements. Leaders are precise in how they use support from the local authority and a local trust.  Leaders’ effective systems identify pupils needing extra help. Better-trained staff now provide pupils with the right support.  The early years provision gives children a good start to their education. The nursery is well managed and a strength of the school.  There is now a greater emphasis on problem- solving and the development of reasoning. This has improved teaching and learning in mathematics across the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Secure greater consistency in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils achieve better outcomes, over time, by ensuring that: – teachers and additional support staff, give pupils good-quality feedback across the curriculum and plan pupils’ next steps with more precision – pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities undertake tasks that are matched appropriately to their needs – middle- and low-attaining pupils are challenged appropriately in mathematics – teachers provide pupils with well-targeted next steps for learning across all subjects, with a particular focus on ensuring challenge and stretch for the most able – pupils are able to deepen their learning by practising English and mathematics skills across the curriculum.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher leads with determination and ambition. He is developing a culture of high expectations. The school’s values are promoted visibly around the school and are understood by its community. He has inspired a sense of common purpose among all leaders to pursue the best possible outcomes for every pupil. He has taken bold actions to address the impact of historically weak teaching.  The headteacher and governors have worked tirelessly to secure a stable and effective staff, and have ensured that staff access high-quality training. Most of the newly formed senior leadership team have, or are completing, national leadership qualifications. Their expertise is having a positive impact on the standard of teaching and learning across the school, particularly in phonics, writing and mathematics.  Senior leaders, many of whom are new to their roles, have taken effective action to ensure that teaching staff follow the school’s policies and systems. They monitor

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

teaching regularly and give good support. However, issues with teacher recruitment have hampered the school’s efforts to secure consistently good teaching. As a result, the progress and attainment of some pupils, particularly those in key stage 2, are not yet good enough.  Senior leaders have specific responsibilities for curriculum subjects. They have put in place effective systems that are having a positive impact upon the standard of mathematics and writing, particularly for the disadvantaged. As a result, some classes, that were previously doing less well than pupils nationally, are catching up and making better progress. This progress is evident in pupils’ books and during lessons.  The school’s evaluation of its own performance is accurate. Teachers are held to account for the progress that pupils make. Leaders’ and teachers’ performance management targets are linked to the school’s improvement priorities and are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

rigorously monitored. Effective collaborations with the local authority and a local trust school ensure that the judgements that staff make about pupils’ progress are accurate. This helps to drive continuous improvement.  Leaders are constantly looking at ways to improve outcomes for pupils. The newly appointed phonics teacher has introduced a new approach to the teaching of phonics. This is being implemented consistently across early years and key stage 1. As a result, standards in reading and writing are improving.  The leader for mathematics has introduced increased opportunities for pupils to undertake problem-solving. Pupils in every class were observed developing and extending their reasoning skills. As a result, many pupils are making progress that is at least good. However, in some classes observed, middle- and low-attaining pupils were not always challenged appropriately as a result of weaker teaching.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils say that they appreciate the new and interesting topics. Leaders are currently redesigning aspects of the curriculum so that it is more closely aligned to the context of the school. Pupils learn to respect diversity and think deeply about a range of moral and social issues. They learn about life in modern Britain.  The standard of work in pupils’ topic books is not as good as that seen in their writing and mathematics books. Teachers do not provide pupils with well-targeted next steps in their learning, using enough precision, in every subject. As a result, the most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged.  The recent appointment of an inclusion manager has made a big improvement to the way in which vulnerable families are supported. This has led to improved attendance. The inclusion manager has initiated well-targeted training for support assistants and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

this is having a positive impact on the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. There are times, however, when some support staff do not match the learning to individual pupils precisely enough. As a result, a few pupils are moved on too quickly and others could be challenged further.  Pupil premium funding is used well and is having a positive impact on the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Well-targeted additional support is enabling pupils to move closer to national standards, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the progress of most-able disadvantaged pupils across the curriculum is not yet good enough.  Additional government funding to promote sport and physical education, the primary PE and sports premium, is spent effectively. It is used to provide additional opportunities for physical education and promote health and well-being. Pupils feel that they have a wide breadth of sporting opportunities available to them. The school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

engages Olympic champions to inspire pupils to aim high.  The vast majority of parents are positive about the school. Parents say that their children are happy and safe. Parents are content with the amount of information that they receive about their child’s progress. Many speak highly of the improvements made by the current headteacher and the new leadership team. They appreciate the accessibility of teachers. Some parents talked about an art project that is helping to bring the community together.

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Governance of the school

 Governors know the school well and are appreciative of the well-targeted information that they receive from the headteacher.  The chair of governors provides good leadership. Governors are clear about their aims for the school and are both forward- and outward-looking. They make effective use of their expertise when holding the school to account. Minutes from committee meetings show that they ask leaders pertinent questions, designed to improve outcomes for pupils. They take every opportunity to attend training, for example, on child protection and safer recruitment. They check the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe rigorously.  Governors hold specific roles that enable them to link with leaders across the school and gain valuable insight. They visit the school regularly and provide some effective support and challenge. This helps them to monitor the impact of extra government funding for disadvantaged pupils and sport carefully, ensuring that it is well spent.

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Governance of the school

 Governors are fully involved in overseeing arrangements for performance management, including that of the headteacher, and ensure that good or better performance for all staff is rewarded appropriately.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school site is safe and secure. All visitors are welcomed through the secure entrance, their authorisation is checked and they are shown information about the school’s safeguarding procedures.  The school is vigilant in carrying out safeguarding checks to assess adults’ suitability to work with children. All staff are trained annually and there is an online programme for those who are new to the school mid-year.  The systems for making referrals to the designated safeguarding lead are rigorous and thorough. Staff and governors have a detailed understanding of local dangers and know what to do if they have a concern about pupils’ safety or welfare. The inclusion manager is proactive in sharing information with the local safeguarding board in order to protect pupils who might be at risk.  Pupils spoke confidently about the range of adults who provide support. They also

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Safeguarding

know how to stay safe and have a secure understanding of the dangers associated with social media and the internet.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet consistently good. Although most of the teachers are effective, there are some who do not yet know pupils’ abilities and interests well enough to plan as effectively as they should or give the same quality of feedback. As a result, progress is slower for some pupils.  Phonic lessons in Year 1 are well structured and are having an impact on pupils’ ability to decode new words. Consequently, the standard of most pupils’ reading, writing and spelling is improving across key stage 1.  Pupils in key stage 1 read texts that are appropriate for their age and ability. They enjoy books and are keen to read aloud. Most of the pupils who read to inspectors, read with confidence and expression. This was not always the case in key stage 2, where pupils’ individual reading books were not always matched to their ability. Some pupils said that they do not read regularly to an adult.  In a Year 4 lesson, pupils were being taught to develop their comprehension skills

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

through the teacher’s skilful questioning that referred to high-quality illustrations in the whole-class text. Pupils’ understanding of the text deepened as the lesson progressed.  When reading aloud, the most able pupils demonstrated fluency and the middle- and low-attaining pupils used a wide range of strategies to gain understanding. However, not all pupils in lower key stage 2 were as secure as they could be, because of the lack of consistently high-quality teaching.  There was evidence of some strong progress in writing books across the school and for most groups of pupils, including the disadvantaged. Pupils are learning to use punctuation for effect and are beginning to organise and present their ideas well. Where teaching is good, pupils have time to rehearse their ideas before writing them down. They learn how to develop their writing through drafting and redrafting in order to structure their ideas and improve their vocabulary. Some good examples of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

writing were displayed around the school. However, the quality of writing is uneven across different subjects because not all teachers have consistently high expectations.  In mathematics lessons, all teachers used problem-solving as a vehicle for applying mathematical skills. Where teaching was effective, pupils were given opportunities to explain their thinking and develop their reasoning skills. In a Year 6 higher-level mathematics lesson, the teacher used skilful questioning techniques to deepen and extend pupils’ understanding. Pupils were able to find the mean, using a set of numbers from a recent science investigation. Pupils were absorbed because they had to think hard and the learning was relevant. This was not the case, however, in all key stage 2 classes.  In the most effective mathematics lessons, teachers delivered well-structured lessons with clear learning intentions that built upon prior learning. Teachers responded to the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

needs of pupils and consolidated and extended concepts. In Year 1, pupils were using mathematical equipment to help them grasp difficult concepts. However, some middle- and low-attaining pupils in upper key stage 2 were not sufficiently challenged. Some teachers in lower key stage 2 did not check pupils’ understanding regularly enough, so misconceptions were not addressed quickly. When pupils were asked to choose their own level of challenge, some pupils selected problems that were either too difficult or too easy.  Teaching assistants are having a positive impact in classes where teachers make clear their expectations for pupils’ learning. In two of the Year 3 classes observed, teaching assistants effectively supported pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to work at the same standard as the rest of the class. In a key stage 1 intervention group, skilful questioning by teaching assistants improved pupils’ responses and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

deepened their learning. There were a few occasions, however, when support staff gave pupils answers too readily and did not challenge pupils enough during interventions. At times, the disadvantaged higher-attaining pupils could have been challenged further.  Pupils learn about topics in history and geography that are interesting and they demonstrate an enthusiasm for new learning. However, not all teachers provide the same level of detail when giving pupils feedback about their learning. Progress is slow because next steps are not made as precise as they are in English and mathematics. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to practise and embed their writing skills across other subjects. As a result, the quality and presentation of pupils’ work in topic books is not at the same standard as seen in English books. The topics in history and geography across both key stage 1 and key stage 2 lack opportunities to challenge the

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are friendly, welcoming and proud of their school.  Pupils demonstrate a clear understanding of the school’s values. They say that they learn to respect everyone and that adults in the school respect them. During the course of the inspection, all pupils were polite and respectful.  Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and all of the extra-curricular activities that are on offer. They collaborate well during lessons and demonstrate good attitudes to learning.  Pupils speak positively about the way in which the school cares for them. An example of this is called ‘Place 2 Be’, which is a project that enables vulnerable pupils to talk to trained mentors when they have concerns. One pupil said that, ‘Children go in sad and come out happy and smiling.’  The pupils that inspectors spoke to emphasised the importance of caring for one

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Personal development and welfare

another and for respecting differences in cultures and faiths. They demonstrated a clear understanding of British values and what life is like in modern Britain.  Pupils are proud of their work and are learning to improve their presentation skills. However, some of the presentation of work seen in books was not always of sufficient quality. This reflects inconsistent teaching and expectations.  Pupils and the vast majority of parents say that school is a safe place. They say that adults sort out concerns quickly. Pupils are able to speak confidently about how they keep themselves safe when online because of training they receive in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  No disruptive or unkind behaviour was seen during the lessons observed or at other times, when pupils were moving around the school.  The headteacher has made significant changes to the way that lunchtimes are supervised and these have had a positive impact on lunchtime behaviour. As a consequence, pupils return to classrooms ready to learn.  A small minority of parents expressed concern about the poor behaviour of some pupils during lessons and at playtimes. No poor behaviour was seen during the course of the inspection. The school has clear systems for dealing with poor behaviour and bullying, which pupils say are effective.  Overall attendance is in line with the national average. The amount of persistent absence has reduced because of the sustained effort made by senior leaders in partnership with the educational welfare officer. There is a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude to

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Behaviour

term-time absence. However, persistent absence is still too high.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Pupils’ starting points when they join Monks Orchard Primary School are low. Many join the school with skills and abilities in reading, writing and mathematics that are below those typical for their age.  From their low starting points, children make good or better progress in early years. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development is consistently in line with the national average. However, this rate of progress has not been sustained throughout the school, particularly across key stage 2. As a result of past teaching that was not consistently good, the progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2, in 2017, was not as good as Year 6 progress in 2016.  In 2017, the writing progress of Year 6 pupils, at the end of key stage 2, was in the bottom 20% of all pupils nationally. Mathematics progress was in the bottom 10%. This makes pupils’ progress a high priority for the school.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 The school’s data, which has been validated by the local authority and a successful local multi-academy trust, confirms that the proportions of current pupils making progress towards the expected standards are increasing. However, despite the positive impact of leaders’ actions to counteract historical weak teaching and staff turbulence, pupils’ books confirm that the rate of improvement for some pupils has been too slow. This is particularly the case for pupils in upper key stage 2.  The proportion of pupils on track to meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 is increasing. It is expected to be close to the national average by June. As a result, pupils’ reading and writing skills have improved.  Work seen in pupils’ writing and mathematics books show evidence of more rapid progress. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged, middle-attaining pupils and the

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

most able. However, despite improvements, the proportion of the most able pupils on track to achieve greater depth is below that of other schools nationally.  There is evidence in mathematics books across Years 5 and 6 that the emphasis upon problem-solving and reasoning is underpinning some better progress. This is not always the case for the middle- and low-attaining pupils, because teaching is sometimes less than good and lacks challenge.  The progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is improving and is sometimes good. However, it is hindered by expectations that are not always well matched to their needs.  Where teachers are clear about pupils’ next steps of learning, pupils make good progress. This is evident in pupils’ writing and mathematics books but less so in their topic books, where opportunities to make better progress are sometimes missed.

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Early years provision Good

 The early years provision at Monks Orchard is well led. The early years leader is a moderator for the local authority and is committed to gathering a wide range of information for every child.  Teachers assess the children’s attainment accurately on entry to the school. This provides useful information from which the school can gain a clear understanding of children’s needs and plan effective learning activities.  Many children, whether they join in Nursery or Reception, arrive at the school with skills below those typical for their age, particularly in the areas of language and communication. A significant number of children speak English as an additional language. These children make rapid and sustained progress. Even those who do not attain a good level of development by the end of Reception have made good progress in the early years and are well prepared for Year 1.  The quality of teaching in the Nursery is a strength of the school. Children learn how to

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Early years provision Good

build positive relationships and follow established clear routines. The curriculum meets their needs extremely well and responds to children’s developing needs. It encourages creative thinking. Children have access to stimulating activities, both inside and outside, and are inspired to rise to challenges. One example is the ‘I can count’ chart, which contains pictures of the children that correspond to their counting ability. Children are encouraged to count beyond 10.  The early years curriculum captures the children’s developing needs and interests well. In the Reception classes, children learn to rehearse what they want to write, in order to check that it makes sense. They have good opportunities to write by themselves. Children were observed making up their own number sentences and learning how to explain their learning, either orally or visually using objects. Evidence of good progress across all areas of learning was seen in the children’s learning profiles.

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Early years provision Good

 Most adults use skilful questioning techniques to enhance children’s responses and deepen their learning.  In the Reception classrooms, learning environments display words and numbers to which children can refer. Children are given a wide range of well-planned learning activities. The outdoor learning area is adequate but not as inspiring as the outdoor provision for the Nursery. Children would benefit from outdoor activities and resources that are more stimulating. This would encourage children to remain fully engaged.  Phonics teaching is effective in early years and provides a solid foundation for further development in Year 1.  Positive relationships with parents and carers are established right from the start. There are many opportunities provided for meetings with parents to ensure that staff have a full picture of the needs of the children. Parents are kept well informed of the progress that children make and they speak highly of the staff.

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Early years provision Good

 Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and there are no breaches of the statutory welfare requirements. All the effective aspects of safeguarding seen in the school as a whole are evident in early years.

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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

Date of previous inspection 25 – 26 February 2014

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium is higher than the national average.  The school represents a diverse community and has a significant number of pupils from a range of ethnic minority backgrounds. This proportion is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of key stage 2.  There have been a significant number of changes in staffing since the last inspection. The current headteacher was appointed in 2016, following a period of two years during which there was an acting headteacher, a headteacher who was in post for

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Information about this school

less than one year and an executive headteacher who was also in post for less than one year.  There are two classes in Reception Year, two in Year 6, and three classes in Years 1 to 5. Due to a falling birth rate in the area, the school is gradually moving from three to two forms of entry.  The school has submitted its application to become an academy within a local multi- academy trust.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club on the premises.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons in every class and took the opportunity to scrutinise pupils’ work when in class and at other times.  Some of the lesson observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders. The inspectors also attended an assembly.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, other leaders, the chair of governors and two representatives from the local authority.  A wide range of documentary evidence was scrutinised. This included: the school’s own self-evaluation; the school development plan; minutes of governing body’s meetings; records of the assessments of pupils’ work; and information about their progress. Documents relating to safeguarding and child protection were also checked. Detailed records of external reviews were also scrutinised.  The inspectors spoke informally with parents and pupils throughout the inspection to seek their views. They listened to a selection of pupils read.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors also took into account 91 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View, 30 responses to the pupil survey and 28 responses to the confidential staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Anna Bosher, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Donovan 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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