Stamford Hill Primary School

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

p.1

Ms Julie D’Abreu Supporting Headteacher Stamford Hill Primary School Berkeley Road London N15 6HD

p.1

Short inspection of Stamford Hill Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 24 April 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 July 2014.

p.1

Short inspection of Stamford Hill Primary School

Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I have identified some priorities for improvement which I suggest the school addresses. In light of these priorities, the school’s next inspection will be a full section 5 inspection.

p.1

There is no change to the school’s overall effectiveness grade of good as

The leadership team has undergone some significant changes, including the recent departure of the headteacher. The local authority commissioned your support for the school during this turbulent period. You have already been instrumental in helping senior leaders evaluate the school more accurately and you are well aware of the areas that need to improve. While recognising senior and middle leaders’ work to improve the school, you have identified that their self-evaluation was too generous. For example, although in 2017 Year 6 pupils made broadly average progress in reading and writing and above average progress in mathematics, there is some underachievement among current pupils, which has gone unnoticed. You and the senior leadership team are in the very early stages of working to address this.

p.1

There is no change to the school’s overall effectiveness grade of good as

Governors are supportive of the changes that are being made and are aware of the urgent need to finalise the school’s budget. They report that a significant amount of time has been spent working with the local authority to stabilise the school since the recent departure of the headteacher. As a result, some aspects of the school’s work have gone unchallenged. However, governors are clear about their statutory responsibilities and the need to hold leaders to account for the impact of their actions.

p.1

There is no change to the school’s overall effectiveness grade of good as

On the day of the inspection, pupils were well mannered and willing to talk to the inspector. Pupils spoke about the school as a community in which everyone looks after each other. For example, one pupil said that he felt ‘teachers are always happy to help you learn and get better’. Pupils discussed the various opportunities that are being provided for them so that they can improve their reading. It is not possible to report on the views of parents and carers as very few responded to Ofsted’s online survey.

p.1

There is no change to the school’s overall effectiveness grade of good as

Safeguarding is given high priority across the school. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Systems for checking the suitability of adults who work in the school are in place. Records relating to the safeguarding of pupils are detailed and well organised. Training for staff and governors is provided so that all pupils, especially those who are vulnerable, can be supported well. As a result, adults understand the procedures to follow if there are any concerns. For example, you are supporting school leaders to work closely with a neighbouring school and the local authority so that additional support can be provided for vulnerable pupils when necessary.

p.2

There is no change to the school’s overall effectiveness grade of good as

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves and others safe. They report that they feel well cared for and know who to talk to if they have any concerns. Pupils told me that the ‘road safety assemblies’ help them to learn about the dangers on the roads and how to look after themselves. They also report that they are taught about internet safety in lessons and apply this knowledge at the school and at home.

p.2

Inspection findings

 Together, we agreed to focus on three key lines of enquiry.  The first area of focus was to determine the effectiveness of leadership in driving the improvements that are needed across the school. The senior leadership team has recently undergone significant changes and some leaders have not yet received appropriate training to develop their skills.  Your initial focus has been on supporting the leadership team to use available information to accurately analyse and evaluate the quality of education provided and pupils’ outcomes. Together, you have prioritised actions to improve pupils’ reading and their attendance throughout the school. You told me that staff are supportive of the changes that you are beginning to make. For example, you have enabled them to focus more effectively on improving their teaching.  Middle and senior leaders are now clear about their roles and responsibilities and are beginning to check more effectively on the quality of provision at the

p.2

Inspection findings

school. For example, regular ‘pupil progress meetings’ are used to determine how well pupils are achieving. However, there is limited evidence that leaders are accurately checking the quality of assessments or providing challenge and support where assessment practice is weak. You have therefore given priority to training, so that leaders are more accurate in their evaluations of assessment and pupils’ achievement across the school.  Another focus for the inspection was to check the systems that are in place for monitoring attendance across the school. For the last two years, overall attendance in the school has been lower than national figures. In addition, persistent absence has been much higher than found nationally.  While there is a system in place for tracking and monitoring attendance, it is still not having the desired impact. Figures provided by the school indicate that attendance remains stubbornly below the national figure.

p.2

Inspection findings

 You and your leadership team are aware of the need to reorganise the procedures for checking which pupils repeatedly miss days at school and acting upon this information. You are working to address this, but the work is still in the early stages and has not yet had the impact that is needed.  The final area of focus was pupils’ achievement in reading. This was chosen because, in 2017, the proportion of children reaching the reading early learning goals was below average and the proportion of Year 1 pupils who met the expected standard in phonics, while improving, was well below average. Although progress was stronger in key stage 2, pupils’ attainment in reading by the end of Year 6 was well below average.  From the review of work in books and in discussions with pupils, it is clear that there is now a greater emphasis on reading, and pupils are given a range of opportunities to read more widely and often. Pupils are provided with books

p.3

Inspection findings

that challenge them, and teachers are now regularly assessing their skills. Leaders report that a new reading scheme has been in place since last September, and it is now beginning to make a positive difference across the school.  You have identified some areas of the teaching of reading that are improving. These include daily sessions that incorporate whole-class modelling of good reading, so helping to build a culture of reading for pleasure and purpose. However, there is still work that needs to be done so that pupils can apply these skills to reading independently. In addition, leaders and staff need to make much better use of assessment information to support the progress of all pupils in their reading.

p.3

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  senior and middle leaders are better supported to develop their understanding and use of attendance and assessment information so that they can provide a more accurate evaluation of the school  there are effective actions to improve pupils’ attendance  appropriate systems are put in place for checking the impact of actions to improve pupils’ reading  governors challenge and hold school leaders to account effectively for the work they are doing.

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

p.3

Information about the inspection

I carried out the following activities during the inspection:  I had meetings with you, governors, senior and middle leaders, and the school improvement officer from the local authority.  I undertook joint visits to classrooms with you and other senior leaders.  I scrutinised pupils’ work, held discussions with a group of pupils and heard pupils read.  I carried out a scrutiny of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, monitoring, evaluation and safeguarding records and policies, and data relating to pupils’ performance and attendance.  I reviewed the school’s website.  There were too few responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, to support analysis.

p.4