All Saints' CofE Nursery and Primary School N20

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

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Mr Luke Bridges All Saints’ C of E Primary School N20 116 Oakleigh Road North Whetstone London N20 9EZ

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Short inspection of All Saints’ C of E Primary School N20

Following my visit to the school on 16 October 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 September 2014.

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Short inspection of All Saints’ C of E Primary School N20

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Parents and carers speak highly of the committed staff and the welcoming, friendly atmosphere which underpins the school’s work. One parent, summarising the views of many, explained that she felt lucky that her child had gained a place at the school, and that her child was eager to arrive at school promptly each morning. Staff said that they are proud to work at the school.

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Short inspection of All Saints’ C of E Primary School N20

Pupils leave the school well prepared for secondary school. They attain well in English and mathematics. Outcomes in the national Year 1 phonics screening check have increased steadily and are now well above the national average. Governance is a strength of the school. Governors are very well informed about pupils’ performance and about the school’s effectiveness. They play a significant role in challenging you and your team in order to continually improve pupils’ outcomes.

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Short inspection of All Saints’ C of E Primary School N20

You and other leaders know the school well. You are clear about its strengths and weaknesses. You are highly reflective and routinely explore how to improve provision and outcomes for pupils.

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Short inspection of All Saints’ C of E Primary School N20

There have been significant changes to the school’s leadership team since the previous inspection. You have introduced a new curriculum to increase pupils’ interest and raise the level of challenge in subjects across the curriculum. However, you are aware that the curriculum needs development in order to fully meet pupils’ needs. A number of staff previously employed in support staff roles have trained to become teachers and now have teaching posts at the school. Safeguarding is effective.

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Short inspection of All Saints’ C of E Primary School N20

Staff are trained regularly in how to keep pupils safe. They know about the prevailing safeguarding risks in London and about their duties to report concerns promptly. Pupils are familiar with the numerous strategies that the school has to keep them safe, for example the security arrangements to deter and prevent uninvited visitors entering the school. Leaders carry out robust pre-employment checks on all staff. The headteacher and governors monitor the school’s record of employment checks regularly. Leaders keep secure records of actions taken to address concerns and they ensure that appropriate action is taken in a timely manner.

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Inspection findings

 My first line of enquiry related to outcomes for pupils in writing in 2018. The end of key stage 2 provisional results indicate that the proportions of pupils attaining the higher standard in reading and mathematics were above the national average. However, the figure for writing was lower than average. In particular, pupils with high prior attainment did not make strong progress.  You and your team have acted quickly to identify the reasons for this and to address it. You identified that expectations were not high enough to enable pupils to reach the higher standard.  Together we visited each classroom and considered the writing in pupils’ books. You accurately assess the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching of writing. The learning points you identify to improve teachers’ practice are relevant and accurate.  The pupils I spoke to have clearly made strides in their writing this term. They have learned several techniques which have deepened their understanding of

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Inspection findings

what constitutes highly effective writing. Importantly, they now have opportunities to apply what they have been taught. You intend to capitalise on this as you develop the wider curriculum so that pupils have opportunities to apply their skills and knowledge in new and different contexts.  My second line of enquiry related to bullying. The school’s own survey of parental opinion in April 2018 highlighted that some parents did not have confidence in the way that the school deals with bullying. Similarly, Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, indicated this as an area with lower levels of parental satisfaction than others.  The parents I spoke with at the start of the school day told me that children behave well at the school. The few that told me about historical incidents explained that, having told staff about them, they were addressed promptly and that there have been no repeat occurrences. Pupils explained that there are

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Inspection findings

several options for reporting concerns, including posting them in class ‘worry boxes’ or speaking with school staff. Scrutiny of bullying records shows that bullying is rare and that action is taken to address reported concerns. The majority of staff who completed Ofsted’s survey during the inspection said that the school deals with any cases of bullying effectively.  Leaders use a variety of strategies to establish a secure culture to prevent bullying, including an annual anti-bullying week. You have taken numerous steps in response to the results of the school’s parental survey. These include reviewing the behaviour and anti-bullying policies, and making sure that the school’s values, which include friendship, respect, honesty and fairness, are central to life in school. You have also increased the breadth of opportunities pupils have to express their views about the school. Despite this focus, a small

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Inspection findings

proportion of parents remains unconvinced about the effectiveness of the school’s approach to bullying.  My final line of enquiry related to the effectiveness of the school’s early years provision. This was identified as an area for improvement at the previous inspection.  During our joint visit to the early years, we noted that children were gainfully occupied and concentrating on the activities that had been provided. They retained high levels of focus on the tasks in hand. This indicates that the activities provided were well judged to meet children’s needs.  Where relevant, activities incorporated opportunities for children to write. For example, children created labels for radishes, peppers and carrots to display in the vegetable shop in the outside area. Children’s learning journals show that they have made strong progress in the short time they have been at school. In 2018, a greater proportion of children was assessed as exceeding the writing

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Inspection findings

expectations at the end of the academic year than in 2017. Since the previous inspection, staff have increased the degree of challenge presented through activities. For example, one member of staff capitalised on the opportunity to explore the meaning of the word ‘compass’ and the associated vocabulary during an activity about maps.  Teachers add detail to the instructions for activities. This enables adults and children to understand the different levels of difficulty built in to activities so that children experience the challenge they need.

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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

 the development of the curriculum, combined with teachers’ high expectations, results in greater proportions of pupils reaching the higher standard in their writing  the wider school community shares an in-depth understanding of the arrangements to deal with bullying on the rare occasions when it occurs.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the Director of Education for the Diocese of London, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Barnet. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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Information about the inspection

You joined me during my visits to each class. I reviewed the writing in pupils’ books, including in the early years. I held meetings with you, leaders, governors and a representative of the local authority. I reviewed the 19 responses to the Ofsted staff survey and met with a group of teachers and support staff. I spoke with parents on the playground at the start of the school day, reviewed the 49 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and considered the 31 associated free-text comments. I scrutinised a range of documentation, including that about staff pre-appointment checks and safeguarding. I observed pupils on the playground, in corridors and during visits to lessons. I spoke informally to pupils during these observations, and formally to two groups of pupils. I spoke to one of the groups of pupils about their experiences of school and to the other about their writing.

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