Oak Lodge Primary School

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

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Mr Matthew Apsley Headteacher Oak Lodge Primary School Chamberlain Crescent West Wickham Kent BR4 0LJ

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 11 July 2018 with Raj Mehta, Ofsted inspector, 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 your predecessor school was judged to be good in March 2013.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

Oak Lodge Primary School is a thriving, inclusive, happy place to be. You, your governors, staff and pupils have the highest expectations of what can be achieved in all aspects of school life. Your visionary approach has ensured that pupils and staff exemplify the school ethos and make every effort to be ‘the best that they can be’.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

You have created a climate of self-reflection across the school. Staff exemplify this by using technology to video themselves teaching so that they can identify precisely how to improve their skills further. In turn, pupils reflect openly about their learning and challenge themselves and each other to improve.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

Parents are highly positive about the work of the school. A typical comment described the school as a ‘great school with dedicated teachers and a community feel’. You have dealt effectively with issues raised by a small number of parents. Together with governors, you have put effective actions in place to address concerns about behaviour in one year group. Pupils’ conduct and behaviour around the school, in assemblies and in the playground was exemplary during the inspection. Pupils were friendly and approachable, and were very proud of their school. As one pupil put it, ‘the teachers make learning fun’.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

There was a wonderful sense of community during an assembly which you led. Pupils responded with emotion and spontaneity to your focus on the school values of cooperation and collaboration. They were clearly inspired by the content, and ended the assembly by singing from the heart about a ‘world in union’. Pupils at Oak Lodge are respectful, tolerant, young British citizens.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

Pupils achieve highly at the school. They make progress across a range of subjects which is in line or above that seen nationally. They leave the school in Year 6 with attainment that is above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at Oak Lodge. Staff and governors talk confidently about how they keep children safe and protect them from harm. Referral systems are understood and used effectively by all staff.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

Governors and staff receive appropriate training on all aspects of safeguarding and are highly vigilant in their work to identify and support vulnerable pupils. Support from the family worker is particularly strong, and parents and pupils receive individualised and highly effective support to improve the quality of their lives.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

Pupils said that they feel safe and well cared for at school. They value the ‘worry boxes’ in classrooms, which give them the opportunity to voice any concerns they may have. Pupils express confidence that any concerns will be promptly addressed.

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Short inspection of Oak Lodge Primary School

Leaders recognise that the systems for keeping and maintaining records for vulnerable pupils are unwieldy and in need of reviewing and fine tuning.

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Inspection findings

 Our first agreed focus for the inspection was to explore the progress pupils make in mathematics. This was because pupils who left the school at the end of Year 6 made very strong progress in reading and writing but slightly less progress in mathematics. Inspection evidence shows that current pupils in all year groups are making strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Professional development for teachers has had a marked impact on their teaching of reasoning and problem-solving skills. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress, which is especially evident in Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils are given a range of ways to help them to reflect about and articulate their learning during mathematics lessons. Pupils use a range of physical actions to signal their different responses to learning. Teachers are alert to these actions and adjust their teaching accordingly. In some classes, this process is very well established

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Inspection findings

and, as a result, pupils are making very strong progress. In other classes, leaders have identified that this process is not fully embedded.  Our next focus for the inspection was to consider the progress that pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding make across the school. Our observations, analysis of performance data and a review of work in books show that disadvantaged pupils make similar strong progress to their classmates. Leaders support teachers in reviewing each pupil’s progress so that their needs are identified, and effective actions are taken to support them.  Governors and leaders prioritise a range of actions to support the personal development of disadvantaged pupils. This has a good and lasting impact on their self-esteem and helps them to approach academic learning positively.  Leaders’ and governors’ evaluation of the impact of pupil premium funding across the school lacks precision. The evaluation and impact of different interventions

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Inspection findings

on pupils’ attainment and progress are not consistently rigorous. As a result, leaders cannot identify those interventions that have the strongest impact on pupils’ achievement.  We agreed to review how well children in the early years and in key stage 1 progress in their phonics development. The proportion of pupils who attain the expected level in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 has been above national since the school became an academy. While still above national in 2017, there was a slight dip in attainment. Children in the early years and in key stage 1 currently achieve very high standards in their phonic development. Children in the Reception classes are working at a level which is typical of the end of Year 1, and Year 1 pupils are set to achieve very highly in the phonics screening check. Pupils confidently apply their phonics skills to reading and writing and, as a result, produce work which is above the expected standard for

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Inspection findings

their age.  Our final focus for the inspection was to consider how the curriculum motivates pupils to learn across different subjects. The curriculum is rich, and pupils benefit from a broad range of subjects which inspire, enthuse and motivate them. Inspectors found many unique and special features of the curriculum. For example, the school’s radio station is used creatively to develop pupils’ speaking skills. Motivational speakers are guests on the radio. For example, the first woman to climb Everest spoke on the radio, and pupils were delighted when they interviewed Millwall football players. This motivates pupils to work hard so that they can be successful in their future lives.  Technology is a key strength which is being developed across the school. During the inspection, key stage 1 pupils were captivated when they were designing and making a racing car.  The woodlands area is used well to support learning across a range of topics and

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Inspection findings

themes. For example, pupils designed and made homes for hedgehogs. Hence, leaders and teachers ensure that pupils achieve extremely well in reading, writing and mathematics. Equally, they develop a love of learning in a range of subjects, because teachers strive to make learning meaningful, enjoyable, challenging and related to real-life contexts.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 systems for recording actions taken to support vulnerable pupils are reviewed and refined  the best practice which supports pupils to reflect on and articulate their learning is fully developed in all classes  governors and leaders evaluate the impact of the pupil premium funding more precisely on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils across the school.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the chair of the board of trustees, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bromley. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors met with you, governors, a trustee and senior leaders. They visited classrooms with you and other leaders to observe and talk to pupils about their learning. We reviewed samples of pupils’ books and assessment information to evaluate pupils’ outcomes over time. A range of safeguarding documentation was reviewed. I considered the 143 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, the 43 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 173 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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