Sebright School

Sebright School Audrey Street, Goldsmiths Row, London E2 8QH

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders, including governors, know the school extremely well. Their commitment and aspiration ensure that all pupils develop into successful learners and well-rounded citizens. Leaders’ vision for every pupil to have the very best care and education is at the heart of all decisions made.  Leaders have carefully designed a thematic curriculum, which is based around pupils’ interests. In most subjects, it provides pupils with the skills and knowledge they need. However, there are insufficient routine opportunities to deepen pupils’ understanding.  Leaders provide wide-ranging enrichment opportunities. These are valued by pupils and contribute to their strong preparation for the next stage of their education.  Respectful and positive relationships between pupils and adults are a noticeable strength throughout the school. These relationships result in clear boundaries for exemplary classroom behaviour. When learning together

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pupils are articulate and inquisitive .  Children get off to a flying start in early years and make outstanding progress from their starting points. This is because leadership is excellent and teaching is highly effective.  Teachers use a range of challenging and stimulating texts to promote reading across the school. Consequently, in 2018, pupils’ progress in reading was well above average at the end of key stage 2.  Teachers appreciate the excellent professional development they receive. As a result, pupils receive high-quality, purposeful teaching that supports, challenges and extends their learning. This ensures that pupils make strong progress across the curriculum.  Pupils develop into confident and considerate individuals. They are given many opportunities to take on responsibilities and have a voice in how things are done at school. They enjoy making a real contribution to their school.  Partnerships with parents and carers are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

outstanding. Parents receive plentiful opportunities to learn alongside their children. Almost all parents have very positive views of the school.  Teachers provide highly effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The nurture group in key stage 2 makes a strong contribution to their learning. As a result, these pupils make very good progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on existing plans to enhance the wider curriculum by extending and deepening pupils’ subject-specific knowledge, skills and understanding, so that these are strong in all areas.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 Leaders demonstrate a clear and accurate understanding of the quality of teaching and learning. They use this to empower teachers to improve their practice, and offer precise and clear guidance. They use highly effective coaching sessions to ensure that colleagues learn from each other. Teachers constantly reflect on what works and, more importantly, what does not work, and take a lead in improving the school. As a result, the quality of teaching is of a very high standard and continues to improve.  The executive headteacher, well supported by senior leaders, has created a culture of continual improvement. As a result, staff are resilient. They see everything as an opportunity to make school even better for pupils.  Middle leaders are skilled and highly motivated. They make changes to the school that are closely aligned with the school’s priorities and are confident that senior staff will support them. For example, middle leaders are adapting the curriculum in humanities

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

to meet the needs of all pupils.  Leaders coordinate and develop comprehensive plans to support and challenge pupils who are disadvantaged. They review these plans effectively to ensure that these pupils receive the right support. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make excellent progress, and many attain the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.  The curriculum is broad and interesting. Pupils speak enthusiastically about their experiences in a range of subjects, such as music, physical education and computing. They use their skills in English and mathematics to improve and enhance their outcomes in other subjects. In science, pupils learn to plot and interpret graphs. They then use this data to make assumptions about the results in experiments. In history, they write vividly and at length. The well-considered programme of trips and visitors helps pupils to understand what they are learning and bring topics to life.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

Consequently, pupils make substantial and sustained progress throughout the curriculum.  Leaders’ actions to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are strong. Pupils use the school’s ‘Sebright standards’ successfully to guide them in how to behave. They display extremely high levels of resilience and sensitivity towards each other. Pupils have worked hard in partnership with the local community to enhance the area around the school. It has recently been designated a traffic-free zone as a result of their efforts. Pupils explore a range of faiths and cultural backgrounds. They then produce high-quality writing and displays to celebrate them, which reflects their caring and tolerance for others.  Funding from the government to promote sport and increase physical activity is used successfully. Pupils have ample access to competitions and sporting activity. During the inspection, pupils were seen working with a specialist physical education teacher. They

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

enthusiastically developed skills in athletics, in preparation for their upcoming sports day.

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Governance of the school

 Governors recognise the difference leaders make to the life chances of pupils in the school. They are highly committed to sustaining the success of the school, while remaining inclusive and ensuring that everyone is cared for and looked after.  Governors use their individual skills and experience to support and challenge leaders. They are effective in holding leaders to account about all aspects of the school’s work. They use time effectively in meetings and on visits to do this.  Governors value the opportunity to work with teachers and leaders. They understand the rationale behind the work the school has undertaken recently on communication, mental health and well-being.  Governors undertake a range of monitoring and evaluation activities, including governor visits. This enables them to have a first-hand understanding of the work of the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders have created a culture of vigilance, which keeps pupils safe. They ensure that all adults who work in the school are thoroughly checked to ensure that they pose no threat to pupils.  Staff receive regular training and updates in safeguarding. As a result, they know how to recognise signs of possible abuse and neglect. They are very clear about how to report signs of abuse, using the school’s agreed procedures.  Records show that leaders take appropriate action in relation to concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. Leaders work closely with outside agencies to provide effective support for vulnerable pupils.  Pupils feel very safe in school. They said that their teachers look after them well and there is always someone to talk to if they have any worries. This was echoed by the vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

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Safeguarding

Parents have real confidence in the school’s ability to keep their children safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding. This is because teachers have extremely high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Teachers ensure that pupils throughout the school are highly motivated to learn. These high expectations ensure that all groups of pupils make excellent progress from their different starting points.  Teachers swiftly address any misconceptions pupils may have. This approach helps pupils to make strong progress. Probing questions encourage pupils to overcome any difficulties by using their reasoning skills. For example, in a mathematics lesson, pupils solved complex word problems after the teacher had skilfully guided them to consider what they might be able to infer from other subjects to help them complete the task.  Teachers work collaboratively to develop their professional practice. Working in partnership, they carefully consider the impact of a range of different approaches. For

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

example, they have explored different ways to assess pupils’ attainment in humanities and science to ensure that the curriculum is having the desired impact. As a result, changes have been made so that teaching is even more effective, leading to even stronger progress for pupils.  Teaching assistants support pupils exceptionally well. They work closely with teachers to make sure that all pupils make very good progress. Teaching assistants use their strong subject knowledge to provide very effective support. This enables lesson time to be used effectively for all groups of pupils.  Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning. They like it when teachers challenge them with harder work. As one child said, when describing a piece of writing on a complex social issue, ‘I don’t know the answer now but I will do soon, when I have had time to think about it.’ Pupils are motivated to work independently to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

complete tasks and often collaborate to find a solution. Pupils are keen to complete tasks to a high quality and take pride in their work.  Mathematics is taught well throughout the school. Pupils develop secure basic skills in arithmetic that provide them with a firm foundation from which they access more complex mathematical tasks. Teachers routinely expect them to solve problems and explain their reasoning. Pupils have a secure understanding of mathematical concepts. They apply this knowledge in other subjects, such as science and geography, which enhances their outcomes in these areas.  Pupils with SEND are very well taught in lessons and in the school’s excellent nurture provision. Teachers take these pupils’ needs into account when planning lessons. Teaching assistants provide just the right amount of support. They ensure that pupils can do the work set and they encourage pupils to work independently. If pupils with

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

SEND begin to fall behind, teachers and teaching assistants provide timely additional support that helps them to catch up. As result, these pupils make strong progress from their starting points.  Science teaching across the school excites pupils and has made them consider a range of different related professions for the future. Experiments motivate and engage pupils, and they particularly enjoy learning outdoors in the school’s green spaces. They demonstrate their understanding of science knowledge when considering the natural world, such as different materials, rocks and soils and space.  Pupils read confidently, and are equipped with a wide range of approaches to help them understand more challenging vocabulary and phrases. Children in the early years get an excellent start to learning phonics. High-quality support continues in Years 1 and 2, so that pupils develop into fluent readers. By the end of Year 6, inspectors

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

judged that their reading skills were exceptional.  Parents are very confident that their children work hard and achieve well across the curriculum. Parental confidence in teachers is high.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Teachers have established an ethos where each child is valued. The school has a warm and caring atmosphere where pupils feel safe. It is a lovely place to learn.  Pupils show the highest levels of respect and courtesy towards each other and adults. They treat everyone equally. From an early age, teachers raise pupils’ awareness of equality and of the importance of having high aspirations.  Pupils said that bullying is extremely rare, and are confident that adults would address any unacceptable behaviour. All pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they had an adult they could talk to if they had a concern.  Leaders help pupils to develop healthy lifestyles. They ensure that healthy food and snacks are provided and encourage pupils to take regular exercise. Pupils are able to demonstrate a mature understanding of the need for good nutrition when describing

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Personal development and welfare

initiatives such as ‘No meat Mondays’ and their benefits.  Leaders are aware of the importance of supporting pupils’ mental well-being. They have worked hard to give pupils a lexicon for this challenging subject. Pupils have clearly embraced this learning, with the majority responding positively to the question about well-being in the pupil online survey.  Leaders work with pupils to develop an awareness of personal safety. In discussion, pupils spoke about some of the hazards they could face online and how to avoid them. Pupils from all year groups were very clear about their understanding of this.  Parents’ responses to questionnaires showed that many are highly appreciative of the support and care of all staff. They describe their children as happy and enthusiastic about their learning. One parent reported that they ‘feel cherished as part of the school community’, another that they would ‘have no hesitation in recommending this school

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Teachers encourage positive behaviours from the early years through clear and positive systems that run consistently throughout the school, known as the ‘Sebright standards’. Pupils embody these at all times and are highly considerate in their learning and play. They work very well together in all areas of school life, inside and outside of the classroom.  Pupils demonstrate pride in their achievements through the excellent presentation and standard of work seen in their books. These are of equally high quality in all curriculum areas, reflecting the high expectations teachers have instilled in them for all subjects.  Pupils enjoy their learning and work hard in all lessons. There were no incidents of any type of disruption seen during the inspection. Behaviour was impeccable at all times. If pupils join the school during the year with standards of behaviour that do not meet the

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Behaviour

school’s high expectations, teachers and teaching assistants work sensitively with them to support their transition. The school is a highly inclusive community.  The vast majority of pupils attend well. The school works well in partnership with parents to ensure that this remains the case. Staff anticipate need and offer solutions that support families. As a result, attendance is above the national expectation.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Outcomes at the end of key stage 1 are high. In 2018, at the end of Year 2, the proportions of pupils who reached the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics were well above the national averages. The school builds on the strong progress these pupils make in the early years, and consolidates it during this phase. This preparation ensures that pupils have the skills they need to be successful in key stage 2.  In 2018, pupils’ progress by the end of Year 6 was well above the national average in reading. The proportions of pupils who attained the expected standards and higher standards in all three subjects were markedly above the national averages.  In the Year 1 phonics screening check, pupils consistently achieve above national expectation. This is because of the excellent transition arrangements from Reception to Year 1, and the systematic and consistently high-quality teaching of phonics.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points. This is due to the highly effective work of the inclusion leader and other staff. Skilled support in lessons and through specialist interventions ensures that these pupils make at least good, and often very strong, progress from their starting points.  The school is mindful of its responsibility to support pupils from vulnerable groups. As a consequence, pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds make strong progress as they move through the school. Their outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are very strong in reading, writing and mathematics.  Across the wider curriculum, pupils’ outcomes in music, Spanish and physical education are strong. Pupils’ outcomes in some history, geography and art topics are not as strong as those in English, mathematics and science. Leaders have planned steps to address this area.  Pupils have many opportunities to write at length and in a range of different genres.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

This starts in Reception Year, with adults’ high expectations and a rich writing environment. As pupils move up the school, they are provided with meaningful opportunities to apply and extend their writing skills. For example, some pupils were writing manifestos for the upcoming elections with real understanding and thoughtfulness. They were clear about what was important to improve the quality of people’s lives and showed great empathy.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 The early years environment is highly engaging and stimulating, inside and outdoors. No opportunities for learning are missed. During the inspection, children were observed chalking out lily pads to write numbers in, and leapfrogging to count. This was inspired by the book the class had been reading. They recalled the story effectively and were able to talk about the main themes, while also demonstrating their growing confidence with number.  Children play well together. Strong routines are in place and enable children to understand how to keep safe and cooperate. They access all areas of the outdoor space with glee and enthusiasm, but know that ‘you must be wearing the right kind of shoes to play in the tree house, so you are safe.’  Relationships between adults and children are extremely caring and skilfully facilitate learning. Adults use thoughtful questions to develop children’s understanding. Children

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Early years provision Outstanding

choose to take part in a range of interesting and well-considered activities, which they help to plan and resource themselves. As a result, children’s personal and academic development is outstanding.  From the very start of their children’s time at school, parents are encouraged to be partners in their children’s learning. Parents appreciate the school’s support for their children and the high levels of communication they receive. One parent who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire wrote, ‘the team has been so supportive and understanding’, so that her child now comes home ‘with happy memories and is confident in expressing herself’.  Phonics is very well taught in this setting. In the Reception classes, children quickly learn to identify the sounds letters make and to blend sounds to form words. Staff take every opportunity to use high-quality texts to instil a love of books and entice children

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Early years provision Outstanding

to read.  Leadership of early years is strong. In common with the rest of the school, leaders are clear about what they want the provision to provide. They constantly reflect on its success, making changes when necessary. For example, leaders identified issues with language and communication among some children. As a result, leaders made changes to the learning environment and planned structured interventions to address this need. Consequently, children make strong progress in language and communication.  Safeguarding is effective. All adults are well trained, vigilant and ensure that children are safe.

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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 admin@sebright.hackney.sch.uk

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Information about this school

 Sebright is larger than an average primary school. The school is formally federated with two other local schools, and they share one governing body.  The school is led by the executive headteacher, supported by a head of school.  The school manages a children’s centre, which was not part of this inspection.  Children attend Nursery both full and part time. They attend the Reception classes full time.  Most pupils are from an ethnic minority; this is much higher than average. Approximately one fifth of the pupils are of Bangladeshi heritage. African, any other White, Caribbean and White British heritages form the other significant groups. Nearly three quarters of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is much higher than average. Almost half the pupils are supported by these funds.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups, including some with school leaders.  Inspectors examined a range of documents, including information about pupils’ attendance, improvement plans, self-evaluation information, safeguarding records, curriculum planning and staff training records.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day and during the inspection. They took account of 77 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and 43 free-text responses. Additionally, they took account of 38 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 27 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  An inspector met with a representative of the local authority, which is the school’s improvement partner.  An inspector met with the chair of the governing body and three other governors.  Inspectors talked with pupils informally at playtimes, visited the dining hall at lunchtime and observed pupils’ movement around the school. Formal meetings also took place

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Information about this inspection

with pupils.  Inspectors looked at behaviour at the start and end of the school day and during breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors undertook a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work and talked to pupils about their learning. They listened to pupils read and talked to them about the books they enjoyed and those that they are currently reading.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher and senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors carried out a detailed scrutiny of progress and attendance information for all groups of pupils.  Inspectors analysed the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Karen Matthews, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Lloyd 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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