Shaftesbury Park Primary School

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

p.1

Mrs Oshunbunmi Richards Headteacher Shaftesbury Park Primary School Ashbury Road Battersea London SW11 5UW

p.1

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 27 February 2018, 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 November 2013.

p.1

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

You and your senior team have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Highly effective leadership and management at all levels of the school, including governance, have improved the quality of teaching and learning. You and your colleagues share a strong sense of purpose in your commitment to achieving the very best for all of your pupils. Leaders have an accurate understanding of what is working well and what needs to improve. This is because systems to check the quality of learning, pupils’ progress, attendance, behaviour and other aspects of the school’s work are robust and accurate. You strengthen this further through regular evaluations from local authority consultants. As a result, changes are made quickly to address any shortcomings. Governors know the school well and hold you closely to account for the impact of your actions.

p.1

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

Senior leaders hold regular meetings with teachers to review the progress of pupils in their classes. These reviews provide a detailed breakdown of the progress of pupils with different abilities and needs. Teachers use these meetings and additional reflections to modify their teaching and interventions to address any areas of underachievement.

p.1

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

The majority of parents and carers I spoke with were very positive about the school. One parent commented, ‘My son loves coming here and is well looked after.’ Another commented, ‘This school is a home away from home for my children.’ The large majority of parents who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, feel that their children are well looked after and make good progress. Almost all reported that they would recommend the school to another parent. However, a few parents commented that the school could do more to improve its communication with them. You and your team have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. You have been particularly successful in increasing the opportunities for pupils to work independently. Visits to classrooms showed that this is an integral element of teaching and learning in the school. This is because you are

p.1

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

encouraging your team to consider more carefully how work is pitched towards pupils of differing abilities. You have ensured that assessment of pupils’ work across both key stages is helping them improve their learning, and that all pupils are fully involved in lessons.

p.2

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

You have established an imaginative and creative curriculum that inspires pupils to learn and achieve well. For example, one class in each year group up to Year 4 is taught in French and English. This initiative in bilingual teaching is designed to promote pupils’ skills of communication across the entire curriculum. It provides rich opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their writing skills in a range of contexts.

p.2

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

Leaders, including governors, ensure that a culture of safeguarding is embedded among all staff, who are scrupulous in meeting their duty to keep pupils safe. They challenge the local authority if they are not satisfied that enough has been done in response to a concern. This culture is reflected in the positive attitudes and confident manner of the pupils, who report feeling very safe at all times. They have full trust in the adults who look after them, alongside those pupils acting as ‘buddies’ on duty every day. The curriculum supports pupils well in maintaining their own safety, including keeping themselves safe online and when travelling to and from school.

p.2

Short inspection of Shaftesbury Park Primary School

Policies, procedures and records are of a high quality and fit for purpose. Staff training, often by trainers from outside the local authority, is thorough and up to date. This includes training to ensure that pupils are kept safe from the risk of extremism and online dangers. Registers of staff training are completed diligently. Staff have access to well-written policies and guidance and, as a result, have a very secure understanding of their individual responsibilities for safeguarding pupils.

p.2

Inspection findings

 We first agreed to look at how leaders had secured consistently strong progress in writing at key stage 2. Evidence from visits to classrooms, scrutiny of pupils’ books and work on display around the school, showed that the quality of writing in the school is strong. Leaders have introduced a school-wide approach that helps pupils build an understanding of narrative structure and writing. The importance of editing is emphasised with the purpose and the audience in mind. Leaders supported this by introducing new writing resources and training for staff.  The impact of this work is evident right across the school, starting in the Reception Year. When I visited classrooms with you, I saw pupils working together to critique and improve each other’s writing. Work in pupils’ books showed a sophisticated use of grammar and the encouragement of each pupil’s distinct personal style so as to bring to life events, emotions and explanations. Pupils write in a range of genres,

p.2

Inspection findings

developing skills specific to the tasks they are set.  We next looked at why pupils’ overall progress in reading and mathematics in the 2017 national curriculum tests appeared to be weaker than progress in writing. Careful analysis has been done to determine why a few pupils did not perform as well as expected. While some of this was outside your control, well-considered measures have been put in place to prevent it from happening again.  You have introduced new strategies to improve teaching in mathematics. The school’s information shows that these strategies are leading to improved outcomes. Pupils have numerous opportunities to consolidate their understanding of algebra, ratio and measurement earlier in the curriculum. Teachers are enhancing this by providing increasing opportunities to develop pupils’ reasoning skills and apply them to problem- solving tasks.  New strategies have recently been introduced to improve pupils’ reading skills. You

p.3

Inspection findings

are working with a university to improve pupils’ inference and deduction skills, providing them with the tools to consolidate their understanding of texts when reading. While there is some improvement, progress remains variable, particularly for the most able pupils and the most able disadvantaged pupils.  Finally, we looked at the impact of the school’s bilingual class, reflecting the considerable number of French speakers in your community. You told me that this makes the school special and ‘prepares pupils for global learning’. The parents I spoke to agreed. French is evident in developing many aspects of the curriculum, including adding to the strength in writing that I observed. For example, in a Year 1 class, pupils were taught primarily in French and explicit teaching of French phonics ensured that they were adept and confident in answering using key words. In a Year 2 class, pupils’ work included an analysis, in French, of light and shade in Vermeer’s ‘Girl with

p.3

Inspection findings

the Pearl Earring’.  There is emerging evidence that pupils in the bilingual class are making better progress. Consequently, leaders have introduced a theme for the other class in each year. This focuses on education about enterprise, careers and business. Now in its second year, this work is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ performance. However, it is not yet as developed as the work in the bilingual class.

p.3

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.3

Next steps for the school

 teaching enables all groups of pupils to make consistently strong progress  the development of the enterprise curriculum provides rich and exciting opportunities for pupils.

p.3

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

p.3

Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, your leadership team, middle leaders and the link inspector from the local authority. I also met with two governors.

p.4

Information about the inspection

I met with a group of Year 6 pupils and talked with pupils at lunchtime. I spoke to a number of parents at the school gate. I looked at a range of pupils’ work. You accompanied me on visits to classrooms, where we observed teaching and learning, spoke with pupils and further looked at their work. I listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 5 read. I examined a range of documentation relating to safeguarding, including the single central record of recruitment checks, child protection records and professional training certificates.

p.4

Information about the inspection

I took into account 72 parent responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and 68 text comments. I looked at reports from the local authority evaluating the work of the school. I examined the school’s website and reviewed information about pupils’ progress, attainment and attendance. I also considered the school’s self-evaluation of how well it is doing, its improvement priorities and assessment information for current pupils.

p.4