Berrymede Junior School

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

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Mrs Lubna Khan Headteacher Berrymede Junior School Osborne Road Acton London W3 8SJ

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 9 January 2019, 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 January 2015.

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

You are proud of the inclusive nature of the school. Leaders and governors work in partnership with staff to serve a diverse community. You have created a supportive environment in which pupils’ creativity and passion for learning flourish. This is based on high expectations for pupils’ achievements and recognition of the vital role that parents play in their children’s development. Workshops are used to improve parental support for their children’s reading. A recent workshop, led by pupils who act as reading ambassadors, was attended by 70 parents. This high level of parental involvement reflects the school’s inclusive nature. A number of parents told me how much they appreciate the school’s emphasis on literacy, especially reading; how well staff keep their children safe; and how straightforward they find the school’s electronic communication systems. They also told me that the school is an integrated community, citing the annual international day as a particular way in

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

which pupils learn about each other’s cultures when they share food, for example.

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

Recent changes to the governance structure mean that governors are more able to concentrate their efforts on the needs of the school. Governors now receive better information about pupils’ progress and they must continue to use this effectively to hold leaders to account.

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

The areas identified for improvement at the previous inspection have been addressed successfully. Subject leaders use progress information well to identify gaps in pupils’ skills and knowledge, and take action to support improvement. Lessons are designed to provide pupils with the right level of support and challenge to match their needs and abilities. In mathematics lessons, pupils regularly learn through problem-solving; this has built up their resilience and confidence when meeting new topics. Teachers set high expectations to promote greater depth of study.

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

Leaders have promoted approaches to learning that foster independence and enjoyment. For example, the involvement of pupils in assessing their own mathematics work has helped pupils to understand not just what they are learning, but how best they learn themselves. Teachers encourage pupils by sharing exemplar pieces of work called ‘what a good one looks like’; pupils use these to improve their own writing. For example, pupils were engaged by thinking about spoonerisms, which gave them a sense of fun with their writing.

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Those leaders responsible for safeguarding take appropriate actions to protect pupils. Policies for keeping pupils safe reflect the latest guidelines. When a safeguarding issue is identified, referrals are made quickly. Leaders liaise well with outside agencies and hold them to account. Staff receive appropriate training and regular updates to keep them informed. They are vigilant and follow procedures closely so that safeguarding leaders and, if necessary, external agencies are informed in a timely manner.

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Short inspection of Berrymede Junior School

Leaders understand the safeguarding issues for the local area; when incidents happen outside of the school they react quickly to provide pupils with the support they need. Pupils feel safe and know how to respond when they feel threatened, both at school and online. If pupils have an issue, they know they have the option of consulting their peers who act as ‘cyber-mentors’. Pupils also understand when to inform an adult. Parents agree that the school keeps their children safe.

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Inspection findings

 At our initial meeting we agreed on two lines of enquiry. The first was to evaluate pupils’ progress in reading, as this has been lower than that in writing and mathematics.  Leaders had identified and taken action to address the underperformance in reading. This included a school reading action plan which resulted in changes to the curriculum and the resources available. Emphasis has been given to improving pupils’ involvement in their reading. The plan’s central theme is to instil pupils with the joy of reading through projects based on reading for pleasure.  Leaders have raised the profile of reading. Reading records are kept and pupils receive prizes for their efforts. Pupils told me that they are encouraged to read and that their personalised reading plans help them to understand what they are capable of. They also said that the plans help them to be independent readers, and how much they enjoy reading.

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Inspection findings

 Across the curriculum, teachers use ‘star words’ to highlight subject specific vocabulary for use in pupils’ writing. The benefits of this are seen in pupils’ books. For example, in mathematics, pupils referred to ‘the inverse’ when analysing their checking mechanisms. In science books pupils regularly use accurate terminology to refer to parts of the human body, such as the oesophagus.  Leaders hold weekly meetings to review pupils’ progress and provide extra support where necessary, including the employment of a speech therapist. Computer packages have been introduced to improve pupils’ stamina and vocabulary when reading and comprehending meaning. The long-term gains of this have yet to be measured.  The school assesses pupils’ reading to build up an accurate profile of their progress over time. To validate these assessments, leaders compare standards in reading with schools locally and nationally. The school’s internal pupil information

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Inspection findings

shows that the majority of current pupils are now making above the expected progress in reading.  The second line of enquiry was based on outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. This was chosen because disadvantaged pupils’ progress in reading by the end of Year 6 was significantly below that of their peers nationally in 2018.  Leaders have identified specific weaknesses in the reading skills of some disadvantaged pupils. This has led to targeted interventions, funded through the pupil premium. Leaders scrutinise the impact of every intervention to assure themselves that these actions are effective. More broadly, leaders track the progress of disadvantaged pupils carefully.  Inspection evidence suggests that these actions are having a positive impact. Teachers have the same high expectations of disadvantaged pupils as others. In both reading and writing, disadvantaged pupils were seen to be working at a

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Inspection findings

similar standard to their peers. Both internal and external assessments show that the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is now in line with that of their peers.

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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

 progress in reading improves, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, so that they make similar progress to that in writing and mathematics  governors sharpen their monitoring of school processes still further, making effective use of the information available to them

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

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Information about the inspection

I held meetings with school leaders, staff and pupils. I spoke to a number of parents at the beginning of the school day. I looked at a range of pupils’ work, together with teachers and middle and senior leaders. I met with governors. Leaders accompanied me on visits to lessons, where we observed teaching and learning, spoke with pupils and looked at their work. I examined a range of documentation relating to safeguarding, including the single central record.

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Information about the inspection

I scrutinised Ofsted’s online survey for parents and associated commentary (nine comments) and the staff survey (22 responses). I examined the school’s website and reviewed information about pupils’ progress, attainment and attendance. I also considered the school’s evaluation of how well it is doing, its improvement priorities and assessment information for current pupils. I also had a conversation, over the telephone, with the school’s improvement partner.

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