Houndsfield Primary School

Houndsfield Primary School Ripon Road, Edmonton, London N9 7RE

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and governors have not maintained a good standard of education since the previous inspection. The de-federation of the school has led to unstable leadership over time. This has resulted in inadequate teaching, learning and assessment. Standards have declined to the point that pupils’ outcomes are inadequate.  Leaders have not ensured that all teachers implement the assessment policy effectively. As a result, pupils do not make enough progress. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are lower than the national averages.  Not all adults who teach phonics have the necessary subject knowledge or skills to do so effectively. As a result, pupils in Year 1 are underachieving.  Pupils lose focus in lessons when teaching fails to interest them or meet their needs.  The early years provision is inadequate. Children make weak progress from their starting points because teaching is too variable.  Teachers do not have high enough

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

expectations for what the most able pupils can achieve.  Leadership and management requires improvement. Leaders do not have a shared, accurate view of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school. Because of this, they have not tackled weak teaching promptly enough to secure good teaching and learning in all year groups.  Leaders and governors do not routinely monitor the impact of the pupil premium funding on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.  Pupils’ progress is hampered by poor attendance.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, supported by the recently restructured governing body is reflective and aware of what needs to be done to make improvements. They are beginning to have a positive impact on stabilising the school and moving aspects of its work forward.  Pupils show interest in the broad curriculum.  Pupils are confident socially. They are friendly and happy at school. They play well together. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare and followed up rigorously by staff. Staff ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for at school.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management so that: – leaders support teachers in using the assessment system effectively to plan for the needs of all pupils and help them to make strong sustained progress in reading, writing and mathematics – governors build on their good work to challenge and support leaders at all levels to halt the current decline in pupils’ achievement – leaders, including governors, rigorously monitor the impact of pupil premium spending on the progress that disadvantaged pupils make – staff responsible for teaching phonics are given appropriate training, support and feedback to ensure consistency in the quality of teaching across the school – middle leaders develop their skills in monitoring the quality of teaching, learning and assessment – senior leaders tackle weak leadership and weak teaching swiftly and with rigour.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment across the early years provision by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– ensuring that teaching practice is consistently good – developing teachers’ subject knowledge to ensure that children’s basic writing and number skills improve.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment by: – raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve – ensuring that teachers follow the school’s policy on assessment, and monitor the impact of their feedback on the progress that pupils make – ensuring that all staff responsible for teaching phonics are given appropriate training and support to teach children to read and spell words effectively – ensuring that teachers encourage pupils’ positive attitudes in their learning.  Ensure that all pupils attend regularly so that learning time is not lost. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Senior leaders faced considerable challenges in a turbulent period prior to the dissolution of the Field federation in 2017. The instability following the de-federation has had a negative impact on the school’s work. As a result, pupils’ outcomes have declined significantly since the time of the previous inspection. The school does not offer a good standard of education. Leaders and governors know what to do to improve the school, but their actions are in the very early stages of making the differences needed. There are too many weaknesses within the school.  Some leaders with key responsibilities in the school have an inaccurate view of pupils’ achievements. They do not have the skills or expertise to improve key aspects of the school’s work swiftly.  Leaders track the progress that all pupils make within year groups and support teachers to identify the progress that individual pupils make. However, leaders are not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

effectively evaluating the progress of groups of pupils across year groups and key stages, including those who are disadvantaged. Leaders are at the early stages of evaluating the progress made by disadvantaged pupils or those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.  Many pupils join and leave the school at different times during the year. This is a significant challenge for leaders to manage. Leaders do not analyse carefully enough the assessment information of these pupils, so their specific needs are slow to be identified. Leaders’ evaluation of the impact of teaching, learning and assessment for all pupils, including those who are admitted during the academic year, lacks precision and accuracy.  Leaders’ priority for improvement is, rightly, to increase the proportion of pupils who achieve expected standards for their age. However, leaders do not set high enough expectations for the most able learners across the school. As a result, provision for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

these pupils is weak.  Middle leaders have developed a new method of offering guidance and support to pupils to help them understand their next steps in learning. This has led to a small number of pupils making better progress, but is yet to show impact across the school because not all teachers are following the policy.  The leadership of phonics lacks consistency and cohesion. Leaders do not share a clear understanding of what constitutes good phonics teaching. The recent swift change to the phonics programme has left some leaders, teachers and pupils confused. This has led to a further decline in attainment for Year 1 pupils in particular.  The headteacher, new senior leaders and new governors have recently brought stability to the school. The headteacher has swiftly tackled some of the inadequate teaching with the support of the chair of governors. The headteacher has a clear vision for improvement which is shared by staff. However, there is much still to be done to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

eradicate inadequate teaching and weak leadership in order to improve pupils’ achievement so that it is good.  Pupils’ attendance is in line with the average for all pupils nationally. However, a small number of pupils miss too much time at school, despite the substantial efforts made by leaders to improve this.  The curriculum is broad and it promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. There are clear strengths in some subjects. Pupils achieve well in sports and physical education. Leaders ensure that the primary physical education and sport premium funding is used successfully to provide pupils with experiences of sports and events beyond the school. Pupils benefit from strong music teaching, and the art specialist teaching enables them to create work of a very high standard. Displays around the school are interesting, engaging and celebrate pupils’ successes very well. The learning hub (library) is well resourced, inviting and is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

managed very well. Pupils are given good guidance and support on selecting books which challenge and interest them. This is helping to develop their love of books and reading.  The headteacher provides middle leaders with helpful support and training so that their leadership skills are developing. Subject leaders for English and mathematics have strong subject knowledge and are supporting teachers to improve their practice. As a result, there are pockets of good progress for pupils in some year groups. The school’s special educational needs provision is managed well on a day-to-day basis. Pupils are well supported in classrooms and in intervention sessions.  Pupils are taught about all the world’s religions. They show understanding of faiths and beliefs that are different to their own. Through this work, the school helps to develop British values, such as tolerance and respect.  There were few responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

carers. As a result, conclusions could not be drawn from this evidence. However, the majority of parents who expressed their views in person to inspectors during the inspection were positive about the school’s work.  Staff feel well supported by the new leadership team. Teachers who are new to the profession value the support and training they receive.

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Governance of the school

 The school de-federated in 2017 and this caused instability to the governing body. The recently appointed chair and vice-chair of governors are bringing their significant expertise in education to their roles. The chair is working effectively with the headteacher to stabilise the community after this period of significant change.  Having recently stabilised the workforce, governors are beginning to offer a good level of challenge and support to leaders. As a result, most leaders are reflective, responsive and willing to review and change their practice to improve the school.  Governors fully acknowledge that they have not been sharp enough in their evaluation of the use of the pupil premium funding since the de-federation. They plan to prioritise this aspect of their work. Governors are incisive in their understanding of what the school needs to do to improve rapidly. They add strong capacity to the leadership

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Governance of the school

team.  Governors are appropriately trained to ensure that they meet requirements with regards to safeguarding.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders make sure that all necessary checks are made when new staff are recruited to the school. Governors monitor that these checks are undertaken.  All staff receive appropriate, regular training on safeguarding. This includes training on spotting the signs of radicalisation, extremism and female genital mutilation. New staff receive a thorough induction.  Staff understand and use the school’s referral systems effectively. They are vigilant and care deeply about the pupils they work with. Senior leaders and the pastoral support team have all been accredited as designated leads for safeguarding. Staff and pupils know who to go to if they have any worries or concerns.  Parents who spoke to inspectors expressed confidence in the school’s ability to keep their children safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate because it is inconsistent and leads to variable progress. Teaching since the previous inspection has not secured good outcomes for pupils.  Teachers who are using the new assessment processes do not ensure that pupils act consistently on the guidance they are given on how to improve their work. Not all of the teachers use recently introduced methods for providing feedback. Where teachers are using the new methods for providing feedback effectively, pupils’ progress is stronger. However, new practices and routines are not being implemented consistently to enable enough pupils to make progress across the school.  The teaching of phonics is weak and lacks consistency of approach. Some adults who lead phonics sessions have poor subject knowledge and model inaccurate sound enunciation to pupils. As a result, the pupils in Year 1 have made little progress this

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

year. Books show that their progress in writing has regressed and they are now working at levels well below those typical for their age in writing. Assessments are under way to identify appropriate texts for pupils to read. However, leaders are not acting quickly enough to ensure that appropriate resources are in place to support the teaching of phonics. Books to help pupils apply their early phonics skills are not currently available to pupils.  Teachers are consistent in teaching the school’s mathematics programme, which meets the requirements of the national curriculum. The programme gives pupils the opportunity to develop problem solving and reasoning. However, pupils’ books show great variability in pupils’ progress. The presentation of pupils’ work in books is generally good.  Provision for pupils with SEN and/or disabilities is carefully planned and supported well by leaders. Pupils benefit from the support they receive in all aspects of their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

development in the inclusion room (caterpillar group). Pupils enjoy the inclusive ethos in the school and teachers plan well to secure inclusion.  There are pockets of good teaching in the school which lead to pupils making stronger progress. Teachers in these classes use effective questioning skills and discussion to support pupils’ thinking. They also show pupils how to be successful in their reading, writing or mathematics by demonstrating skills and knowledge, in line with school policies. Leaders rightly intend to share this practice more widely across the school. Teachers are developing a love of reading in pupils. Pupils from Years 2 to 6 read confidently to inspectors with texts which were appropriate to their age.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Overall attendance has recently improved and is broadly in line with the national average. However, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is well above the national average and is not improving. This affects the progress that these pupils make and their confidence and attitudes as learners.  Pupils are happy at school and know how to keep themselves safe in and out of school. They are proud of their school and confident to talk about their lives. They do not always show such confidence when they talk about their learning.  When teaching is weak and fails to meet pupils’ needs, they lose focus and display less than positive attitudes to their work.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well on the playground and around the school. There have been no exclusions this year. Pupils take on ‘members of parliament’ roles to ensure that all pupils have the right to play safely, without fear of bullying. Pupils told inspectors that there is still some bullying but that it is dealt with effectively by staff. Records kept by leaders show that this is rare.  Leaders monitor pupils’ behaviour carefully and ensure that any minor incidents are dealt with swiftly and effectively.  Pupils show that they are tolerant of people who have different beliefs to their own. They respect differences and exemplify these key British values. The school is helping to nurture them in becoming caring young British citizens.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Standards have declined at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics since the previous inspection.  Over two years, pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics in Year 6 has been significantly below the national average. Progress in writing improved slightly at the end of 2017, but the progress of the most able pupils remained significantly below average.  For the past two years, pupils’ attainment in reading and writing at the end of Year 6 was in the bottom 20% of all pupils nationally. This meant that these pupils were not well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Pupils’ attainment in phonics has been below the national average for the past three years. Pupils’ current achievement in Year 1 shows that this underachievement is set to continue. The current quality of phonics teaching is not strong enough to ensure that pupils make the speedy progress required to meet the national expected standard.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 The achievement of disadvantaged pupils over time has been weak and progress declined further in 2017 for these pupils.  The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has declined since 2015. Current information and children’s work show that there is little sign of improvement for the current cohort because teaching fails to meet their needs.  The school’s assessment information presented by leaders shows an improving picture of progress in some year groups. Books indicate that there is some strong progress evident in some classes but there is still too much variability.  Leaders articulate a clear rationale to improve the proportion of pupils who meet expected standards for their year group. However, leaders and staff are not sharply focused on improving the achievement of the most able pupils in this school. Books show that they are underachieving as teaching does not help them to make sustained

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

progress, achieve greater depth in learning, or meet the higher standards.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils evidenced in books is also variable. Prior to the inspection, leaders did not routinely monitor the progress of this group of pupils in the school.  Inspection activities showed that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their various starting points because provision matches their needs well.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Children are not well prepared to meet the requirements of the Year 1 curriculum when they leave the Reception classes. They leave with levels of development which are well below those typically seen for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy. They make inadequate progress during the Reception Year. Current work in books and assessment information show that, from their various starting points, children’s progress is weak and their outcomes are not set to improve.  The quality of teaching across this phase is extremely variable. Practitioners in the provision for two-year-old children are highly skilled and help children make rapid progress in their language acquisition, through modelling sentences and explaining vocabulary. In this provision, children benefit from an exciting range of activities which they attempt with real gusto. Adults delight in the children’s enthusiasm and

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Early years provision Inadequate

achievements, which motivates the children to learn. Typical of interactions in the room for two-year-old children was a session using the sand tray. Children confidently asked inspectors if they would like some ‘pretend’ tea or some rice and peas. The meal was delivered with diligence and pride.  Nursery staff have recently been recruited who are beginning to have a positive impact on the quality of the learning environment. They have quickly established warm, caring relationships with the children.  Teaching in the Reception classes fails to meet children’s needs. Poor subject knowledge negatively impacts on the progress children make. Teachers do not ensure that children’s early writing and number skills develop well. However, children enjoy and benefit from songs, stories and rhymes. Young learners are not inspired or motivated to use the book areas as the books there are shabby and of poor quality.

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Early years provision Inadequate

Some staff show confidence in teaching early phonics skills but others do not. As a result, progress in this area is variable and much of it is weak.  Leadership of the early years provision is developing. Leaders understand the challenges they face to improve teaching, learning and assessment. They have the skills needed to make the necessary changes and improvements. Changes to staffing have been a constant challenge for leaders in securing strong teaching across this phase.  Children across the early years provision are happy and well cared for by all adults. Parents agree that their children are happy at the provision. Children are kept safe and enjoy being at school. The learning environment reflects all the areas of learning within the early years foundation stage.

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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

Email address office@houndsfield.enfield.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15–16 January 2013

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Information about this school

 Houndsfield Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school. The early years has provision for two-year-old children, two part-time Nursery classes and three Reception classes.  The school de-federated from the Field federation in April 2017. This required a restructure of the leadership team and the governing body.  The school has a higher than average mobile population, with pupils joining and leaving the school at different points throughout the year.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is larger than average.  Pupils represent a diverse range of backgrounds and a high proportion of them speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is average.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all year groups. Observations were undertaken with the headteacher, the two deputy headteachers, the assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the early years coordinator.  Inspectors met with the chair and vice-chair of the governing body and two other governors.  Meetings were held with pupils to discuss their learning and their views on the school.  Inspectors met with a group of teachers to discuss their work and their experience at the school.  All leaders met with inspectors to discuss their roles and the impact of their work.  Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to pupils in the lunch hall, and as they moved around the building.  Inspectors examined a range of school documents, including information on pupils’ progress across the school, improvement plans, curriculum plans and checks on the quality of teaching. They also examined school records relating to safeguarding and

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Information about this inspection

behaviour.  Inspectors scrutinised a large sample of books to see what progress pupils make across a range of subjects.  Inspectors took account of the three responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and of information gathered from discussions with parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Ruth Dollner, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rani Karim 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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