Grange Primary School

Grange Primary School Welbeck Road, South Harrow, Harrow, Middlesex HA2 0RY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have not ensured that the school has remained good since its last inspection. It requires improvement because the quality of teaching varies widely, and too many pupils are underachieving.  Leaders’ plans for improvement are not linked sharply enough to pupils’ attainment and progress to help drive more rapid improvements. Leaders’ use of additional funding is not as effective as it could be.  Middle leadership is not yet fully established and effective in raising standards.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent.  Teachers’ assessment, especially in mathematics, has been inaccurate. As a result, pupils who were expected to do well have gone on to underachieve.  Teachers’ expectations of the quality and quantity of pupils’ work are inconsistent. Some teachers do not check how well pupils are learning often enough. They do not adapt work so that pupils can make good progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teachers do not have equally high expectations for the presentation of pupils’ work.  The governing body does not effectively hold leaders to account for improving pupils’ outcomes or for the impact of additional funding.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The recently appointed headteacher, ably supported by his senior leaders, is leading improvement. He is establishing a culture of higher expectations. Standards are improving in English.  Leaders have provided a range of support for teachers and introduced many initiatives. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving especially in phonics, reading and writing.  Leaders ensure that children get off to a good start in the early years foundation stage.  Some of the latest assessment information indicates that the school has the capacity to improve.  Pupils feel that the school is a friendly and safe place to be. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to improve pupils’ progress and raise their attainment by ensuring that all teachers: – have high expectations of what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and/or who are disadvantaged, can achieve in mathematics and other subjects – regularly and accurately check how well pupils are learning and use this information to reshape tasks – provide more opportunities for pupils to apply and develop their numeracy skills in problem-solving activities and develop their reasoning skills.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that: – leaders improve the accuracy of assessment information in mathematics – leaders develop a strategic approach to improving the quality of teaching, learning, assessment and pupils’ outcomes to include measurable targets to enable leaders and governors to better hold staff to account for performance

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– pupil premium funding is targeted more effectively to enable disadvantaged pupils to achieve at least as well as all pupils nationally and to improve their attendance – middle leaders are clear about their roles and responsibilities and take effective action to bring about improvements in their areas of responsibility, including the outcomes of pupils with SEND.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The recently appointed headteacher has an accurate grasp of the school’s strengths and aspects which need to improve. He is effectively addressing a legacy of low expectations and pupils’ underachievement. Leaders have introduced a range of actions to improve behaviour and standards, many very recently. However, the pace of improvements in some areas is not as rapid as it could be.  Pupils’ attainment and progress are inconsistent. In key stage 2, too many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, pupils with SEND and the most able pupils, do not achieve the standards expected for their age in mathematics and in other subjects. Overall, pupils’ progress in mathematics is too low.  Governors have not been effective enough in holding leaders sufficiently to account for school improvement. Governors are relatively new to their roles and have insufficient accurate information to challenge leaders about pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders’ use of the pupil premium has had some impact on raising achievement of disadvantaged pupils and has led to some improvements in disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and progress. However, these pupils’ progress is not as rapid as it could be.  Leaders have not ensured that the pupils with SEND in all key stages are sufficiently challenged and supported to achieve their best. Improvement planning has identified these weaknesses. However, plans are not as sharply focused on these pupils’ progress as they need to be. As a result, leaders’ and teachers’ use of assessment information has been too slow in identifying where the most urgent concerns lie.  Leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning have not resulted in ironing out several inconsistencies across the school. Procedures to manage the performance of teachers are not sufficiently robust. Leaders do not have an overall strategy, clear enough timescales or measurable targets with which to enable them

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

and governors to gauge improvement.  Newly appointed middle leaders are growing in their effectiveness but have some way to go. Subject leaders have not been checking pupils’ progress regularly enough to help pupils improve or fully demonstrate the impact of leaders’ work. The support these leaders have received from senior leaders, including early years advice and joint moderation exercises, has been helpful in ensuring that monitoring and evaluation are in place and increasingly accurate.  The curriculum includes an appropriate range of subjects and contributes well to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, pupils speak with knowledge and warmth about fundraising activities to recognise the people who died in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The curriculum is complemented by a range of enrichment activities, including debating clubs and university visits.  The physical education (PE) and sport premium is used effectively to pay for a sports

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

coach to teach PE lessons alongside staff and provide additional sporting activities at other times of the day. These activities motivate pupils to become physically active.  Responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, during the inspection confirm that most parents and carers are supportive of the school and its leaders.

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Governance of the school

 Although governors are supportive of the school and are committed to its improvement, they do not have sufficiently accurate high-quality information to gauge the pace of school improvement. Therefore, they are not able to hold leaders sufficiently to account for the progress and attainment of pupils.  Leaders are working increasingly effectively with governors to ensure that they all have a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses within the school. Governors have the capacity to better use the current information that leaders provide. However, governors’ regular visits to the school are not sufficiently focused on the areas that need to improve quickly. Records suggest that governors have not asked enough searching questions or provided sufficient challenge about school performance in these areas.  Governors have not ensured that additional funding for the most vulnerable pupils is effectively used to ensure that these pupils make good progress both academically and

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Leaders act upon any concerns about pupils’ welfare rapidly. The site is safe, and access to school buildings is controlled effectively.  All staff receive annual training in safeguarding, including training on the ‘Prevent’ duty.  All the necessary checks are made when recruiting new staff to work with children. The single central record is suitably maintained and checked periodically.  Policy and procedures to protect pupils from harm are well established. All concerns are followed up appropriately with outside agencies and recorded systematically.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching varies widely. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils, especially in mathematics. Some pupils commented that they would ‘like our work to be harder’. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Where teaching is stronger, teachers use a variety of strategies to make sure that pupils understand their learning. Where pupils are struggling or need to move on, these teachers are confident to adapt their teaching to meet the different needs of individuals, especially in English. Too often, especially in mathematics, pupils are left to steadily work at their own pace, without clear timescales or expectations as to how much work they are expected to complete and by when. Not all teachers make regular checks as pupils work on tasks, to see whether pupils’ work is correct or if they are working hard enough.  In mathematics, pupils learn well when teachers model different methods of calculation

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

and provide work matched to pupils’ abilities. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their numeracy skills in problem-solving activities or to develop their reasoning skills.  The teaching of phonics is effective. Pupils in the very youngest classes apply their phonic knowledge well in their early reading and writing, making sensible guesses at unfamiliar words.  Pupils have regular opportunities to study different subjects and write in different styles. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their writing and reading skills or write at length. Consequently, writing in other subject books does not match the quality of work found in English books.  Pupils with SEND do not always receive effective support, especially those with complex needs and/or emotional needs. Teaching assistants, when working with these pupils, do not always have a good enough understanding of how to support them.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

Consequently, these pupils have made slow progress and on occasion have poor attitudes to learning.  Most teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well. Good relationships and lots of praise are evident in these classes. However, weaker teaching results in low-level disruptive behaviour. Some pupils do not concentrate. As a result, their attention wanders and their progress is slow.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  This is an inclusive school that welcomes pupils from a range of backgrounds and with a range of different needs. This includes pupils with complex and high levels of special educational need. Most staff go out of their way to provide a safe, stimulating and vibrant environment in which to learn. As a result, most pupils settle quickly to their learning and enjoy coming to school, saying that it is ‘a good school’.  Pupils know how to treat each other courteously. Positive relationships are evident throughout the school, supported by a clear set of values which are prominently displayed around the school, of which the pupils are proud.  Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including online. This is because leaders ensure that pupils are taught how to be safe. Pupils feel valued and listened to, sharing their views at school council, for example. Pupils have developed sufficient

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Personal development and welfare

independence and resilience to learn effectively on their own. Often pupils will work independently to a high standard and complete work without adult help and guidance.  Leaders ensure that British values and being part of modern Britain are taught well. The qualities of equality and respect feature in cross-curricular work and displays. These and other enrichment activities add significantly to pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils display positive attitudes in lessons. Most pupils remain on task, but when teaching fails to retain their interest, a few pupils, especially pupils with SEND, lose interest and can disrupt the learning of other pupils. These pupils’ progress slows as they disengage with learning.  Pupils are taught how to stay safe, including online safety. They said that some bullying does occur, mostly boisterous playtime behaviour. However, these incidents are uncommon. When they do occur, pupils say that adults help to stop it.  Throughout the inspection, pupils behaved well and were pleasant and well mannered around the school. Pupils know each other well and look after each other. At playtimes, a range of organised activities effectively ensure that pupils play well together.  Last year, rates of overall absence were slightly above the national average. Leaders and welfare officers work successfully to tackle persistent absence. However, it remains

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Behaviour

a priority to improve attendance further.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Leaders have not ensured that all pupils achieve well enough. Overall outcomes at the end of key stages 1 and 2 have been highly variable. The progress of disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and pupils who speak English as an additional language in particular has not improved significantly.  Progress from key stage 1 to key stage 2 has also been variable over time, resulting in below-average progress across key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics in 2018. Progress of pupils currently in the school varies within year groups and between subjects. However, it is clear from the work in pupils’ books this term that, very recently, an increased proportion of pupils, especially in upper key stages 1 and 2, are making better progress, especially in writing.  Scrutiny of pupils’ work in their mathematics books shows that teachers’ expectations of the progress that pupils can make are not consistently high enough. For example,

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

pupils’ progress has been slow because there has not been enough emphasis on the development of reasoning, fluency and problem solving. This is now slowly improving.  Over the past two years, disadvantaged pupils have not made enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics. For example, very few of the most able disadvantaged pupils have exceeded expected standards. Leaders have recently undertaken detailed research which has guided their introduction of more effective provision for disadvantaged pupils. This has led to some improvement. However, not enough has been done with the additional funding received to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils.  Attainment in phonics has improved in the last three years and is now above the national average. The pupils in the school acquire and use good phonic skills, which enable most pupils to develop fluency in reading and writing.

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Early years provision Good

 The school operates its own Nursery on site making the transition into Reception for the majority of children a smooth one. Children are welcomed by an established team of support staff and teachers.  Children are kept safe. Staff know them well. The children’s behaviour is good. The classroom and outdoor area are bright, stimulating and safe environments for children to learn and play together.  The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year was slightly below the national average in 2018. However, these children were well prepared for their move into Year 1.  Children show enthusiasm and interest in the various activities that adults provide. For example, well-organised outside activities develop children’s confidence, concentration and ability to work together. Children move quickly from one activity to another in the Reception class. On occasion adults intervene to ensure that learning is completed and

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Early years provision Good

vocabulary is developed and fully consolidated.  Adults use their skills well to ask children appropriate questions about what they are learning or doing. Girls and boys are all drawn to construction and performance activities and work well independently. Activities are appropriate and interventions by staff ensure that children are making good progress.  All staff establish positive, warm relationships with children, which parents say they welcome. As a result, children are confident to approach visitors and tell them about their classroom and their achievements.  Currently, children make good progress, especially disadvantaged and the most able children. Adults provide challenging work which ensures that children improve their writing or can explore a subject independently. Children’s writing books show some evidence of good progress, including early development of sentences and cursive letter formation. Some children also know how to use capital letters.

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Early years provision Good

 Good links with parents ensure that they are well informed about their child’s development and well-being. This includes regular and ongoing information from parents that is used effectively to inform teachers’ planning for children’s individual needs.

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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

Chair Katie Atkinson and Stephanie Armstrong

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School details

Email address office@grange.harrow.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4–5 June 2015

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Information about this school

 Grange Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school, which includes a Nursery.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above average. The overall proportion of pupils with SEND is slightly above average, as is the proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed all the teachers at work in lessons; some of these observations were carried out with school leaders. Inspectors carried out learning walks to gauge the quality of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.  Inspectors held meetings with leaders and teachers, including recently qualified and experienced teachers, two members of the governing body and different groups of pupils.  Inspectors observed the school’s work. They looked at safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures, self-evaluation and improvement planning, minutes of the governing body, records of pupils’ attendance and other information provided by school leaders.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books. They considered 23 free-texts sent by parents during the inspection and responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. They also considered responses from staff.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim McLoughlin 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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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