Wellington Primary School

Wellington Primary School Sutton Lane, Hounslow, London TW3 4LB

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governance of the school is effective. Governors have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They are ambitious for pupils and have a broad overview of the strengths of the school.  The headteacher, senior leaders and those responsible for governance have created a positive culture where staff feel valued and pupils, parents and carers are happy.  Staff benefit from a range of training which supports them in developing their skills and practice.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. In the very best teaching, effective planning supports pupils’ good progress and staff use skilful questions to challenge pupils and deepen their understanding. However, this is not yet consistent across the school.  The curriculum gives pupils opportunities to explore subjects in a creative way. Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities and enrichment opportunities.  The teaching of writing is a strength of the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school. In 2018, pupils’ attainment was well above the national average at the end of key stage 2. Pupils currently in the school make rapid progress and attain very high standards in writing.  Behaviour is good. Pupils are well cared for; staff promote their personal development well and pupils feel safe.  Occasionally, teachers provide insufficient challenge for the most able pupils and do not check systematically when pupils need more support in their learning or when they are ready to move on. Consequently, some pupils do not make as much progress as they could.  Children in Reception have an excellent start to education. They make rapid progress from low starting points, particularly in phonics, writing and number.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – teachers’ questioning is consistently effective so that it probes pupils’ thinking, challenges understanding, deepens learning and encourages responses that are clear and detailed – teachers check pupils’ understanding systematically, promptly and effectively in lessons, particularly in mathematics – teachers reshape tasks to provide the appropriate support and the right level of challenge to help pupils make rapid progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have a strong vision for the school, summed up in the school’s motto, ‘Right Start, Bright Future’. Staff are supportive of the leaders’ vision.  Middle leaders are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. They play an important part in developing the school curriculum. Subject leaders support staff well in improving provision in their areas of responsibility. They focus on securing consistency of practice across the school.  The staff appreciate the range of opportunities to learn from others within the school and through the partnerships the school has established across the local authority and beyond.  Newly qualified teachers feel well supported by their school leaders and mentors. They, alongside all staff, develop their skills and practice as educators through a well- structured programme of effective professional development.  The school makes good use of all additional funding it receives. Pupil premium and the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

physical education and sports premium are targeted well. Sports coaches are utilised to offer a range of sporting activities such as judo, gymnastics and cricket.  Leaders carefully plan for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).  The school’s curriculum is creative and designed to give pupils opportunities to explore a range of topics and subjects. In addition, leaders provide a wide range of extra- curricular activities and trips which include visits to museums and places of interest. Together, these provide pupils with a rich wealth of learning experiences. Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development across the curriculum.  The curriculum also plays its part in keeping children safe, both through the range of subjects taught and particularly through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education lessons.  Pupils understand that they should treat all people with respect and equality. They are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

well prepared for life in modern Britain as a result of the successful promotion of British values.  Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working in the school. They are hard-working and feel valued. Parents are highly positive about the school. They state that their children feel safe, enjoy coming to school and are extremely happy.

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Governance of the school

 Governance is effective. Governors have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They are skilled and well trained in all aspects of safeguarding.  Governors visit the school regularly and meet with school leaders. They understand the school’s context and know the most significant important strengths and areas for improving the school. Governors are developing their capacity to challenge and hold leaders to account.  Detailed records of the training undertaken by governors are kept. Governors make sure that they are up to date with current guidance.  Governors monitor the spending of additional funding closely and are focused on improving the provision for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils. They are also tracking carefully the attainment and progress of pupils as the school expands in size.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe, and the headteacher and safeguarding leads work tirelessly and effectively to achieve this. Leaders are vigilant and ensure that the welfare and well-being of pupils are priorities of the school.  Leaders share information swiftly, and staff have detailed knowledge of pupils in need or who are vulnerable. Clear systems and robust procedures are in place for reporting concerns, following up actions and making appropriate checks.  Leaders and staff receive regular training in all aspects of safeguarding. Staff use this knowledge to keep themselves aware of risks such as domestic violence, road safety and acceptable use of the internet.  Leaders make sure that they challenge external agencies and the local authority to obtain help and support for pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good.  Teachers have strong subject knowledge that secures good outcomes for pupils.  The learning environment is calm and pupils have positive attitudes to learning. There are strong relationships between the staff and pupils.  Most teaching demonstrates high expectations of what pupils can achieve, but this is not fully consistent. The result of this is seen, for example, when pupils are not focused on their learning or do not take care with the presentation of work.  Whereas most pupils are keen to learn and self-motivated, there are occasions when pupils sit waiting for the teacher to tell them what to do next. Some pupils are still developing the skill of self-directing their learning, developing independence and applying self-help strategies.  Pupils are consistently encouraged to use ‘thinking skills’ to assess their learning. They use the school’s approach of ‘thinking hats’ to decide what they have done well or what

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

they need to do to improve their work. This is developing well.  Where teaching leads to good or better progress, systematic checking of pupils’ understanding is frequent and skilful questioning probes pupils’ thinking. This is not yet consistent across the school, and pupils are not always challenged to think deeply about their learning and respond with detail, depth and fluency. Pupils said that they welcome more challenging activities.  Well-targeted additional support is provided, particularly in the early years and key stage 1. Teachers and support staff are skilled in supporting pupils with SEND to help them make good progress.  The teaching of reading is improving. The school has invested in high-quality texts. Leaders are exploring various ways of developing pupils’ reading skills, with growing success. Teachers promote a love of reading for meaning and understanding.  The teaching of phonics is of very high quality in the early years and key stage 1. As a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

result, pupils make excellent progress in their understanding and use of phonics to support their reading and writing.  The teaching of mathematics is good. Teachers have implemented the new mathematics curriculum successfully. Occasionally, teachers do not pick up that some pupils are ready to move on in their learning or that some need further consolidation of skills in order to progress.  Work in lessons generally matches the needs of pupils. Subjects such as history and geography are taught in a creative way. There is a high productivity of work in these subjects and writing across the curriculum is of a very high standard.  Homework set is appropriate for the age of pupils and consolidates learning in lessons. Homework tasks are provided to help close gaps in pupils’ understanding. These are suitably challenging and are completed regularly.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are proud of the school and are keen talk to about it.  Pupils have a strong sense of their rights and responsibilities in this Rights Respecting School. They know the rules and follow instructions well. Pupils appreciate being given responsibilities such as school councillors; they carry out their roles with pride and diligence.  Pupils have a strong sense of respect. They appreciate and celebrate different cultures and backgrounds. There is a harmonious atmosphere in the playground, and pupils play cooperatively.  Pupils feel safe at school and know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. They know whom to talk to if they have any concerns and are well aware of the dangers of the internet and social media.  Pupils know the forms that bullying can take and, as one pupil stated, ‘we have no tolerance for bullying at our school.’ School behaviour records show that bullying is rare.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are taught about risks, including, for example, local risks and the threat of extremism.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in lessons, and learning takes place with very little interruption. Occasionally, some pupils show a lack of self-directed learning and sit waiting for the teacher to tell them what to do next in order to complete the task.  Pupils are well supervised and move in an orderly way around the school when accompanied by an adult. This is less secure at times when pupils are unsupervised during unstructured times of the day, such as playtimes and lunchtimes.  In 2018, pupils’ attendance was below the national average for similar schools. School leaders are carefully monitoring attendance and a wide range of actions have been taken to address this. Attendance information presented during the inspection shows that attendance is improving. Persistent absenteeism is below the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Good teaching of phonics ensures that, by the end of Year 1, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in the phonics check is well above the national average.  In key stage 1, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected and higher standards are well above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2018, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard for reading, writing and mathematics combined at the end of Year 6 was broadly in line with the national average. The proportion attaining the higher standard for these subjects combined was above the national average.  In 2018, pupils left Year 6 with attainment that was well above the national average in writing. This is an area of strength across the school. Pupils make rapid and sustained progress in writing and are well supported in producing descriptive and imaginative pieces of writing across the curriculum.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 In mathematics in 2018, the attainment of pupils at the end of Year 6 was in line with national averages. Most pupils currently in the school are making good progress in this subject. However, the most able pupils are not consistently challenged to make the rapid progress of which they are capable. Pupils’ understanding is not always checked systematically to determine whether they are ready to move on in their learning or need further teaching to secure what they need to know. This limits the progress that the pupils make.  In 2018, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in reading at key stage 2 was below the national average. Some pupils are reading books that are not suitably challenging and do not expose them to the breadth and richness of vocabulary needed to improve their comprehension. School leaders are addressing this, and the system used is developing pupils’ understanding of reading skills and promoting a

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Outcomes for pupils Good

deeper passion and enthusiasm for reading. This is helping pupils to develop fluency skills and confidence in their understanding of the text.  School leaders have identified gaps in the progress of boys in reading. Currently, this is improving as a result of the wide range of activities to inspire boys’ reading, which includes purchasing gender-specific texts, using visual technology, holding ‘readathons’ and inviting authors to the school. These exciting strategies are also supporting girls in improving their reading.  Pupils benefit from personalised support from staff that helps them to develop independent skills. Pupils with SEND make good progress because of the early identification of their needs and the support they receive in lessons.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 The provision in early years is outstanding. Leadership of the early years is very strong and characterised by high expectations of and aspirations for all children, irrespective of their starting points.  The learning environment is vibrant, attractive and highly stimulating. The outside area is spacious and used thoughtfully, with excellent resources available and carefully tailored to meet the children’s needs across all the areas of learning.  Staff know the children very well and use this deep knowledge to plan and deliver exciting creative learning opportunities. Staff make learning fun and imaginative, which captures and holds the children’s interests.  A high proportion of children enter Nursery and Reception with skills that are below those typically expected for their age. Teachers and adults use accurate and detailed assessments to carefully track the progress of the children. Teachers use the

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Early years provision Outstanding

information they collect about children’s progress to plan next steps in learning extremely well. As a result, children, including disadvantaged children and those with SEND, are making substantial progress and are very well prepared for Year 1.  There is a strong emphasis on developing children’s early reading, writing and number skills. Highly skilled adult questioning and teaching enable children to make rapid progress in these areas.  Children use their understanding of phonics to help them in their reading and writing, which are of a very high standard. Adults interact with children well and model language correctly, so helping them to develop their vocabulary.  Children are keen to talk about their learning and show great pride in their achievements. They show a keenness to find out new things, make choices and enjoy exploring the well-planned learning opportunities.  Children’s behaviour and attitudes are excellent. The caring relationships fostered by

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Early years provision Outstanding

adults allow children to thrive and grow in confidence. They select activities with assurance, concentrate well and join in with the rich activities prepared for them. Children cooperate positively with each other and show high levels of self-control, independence and respect for themselves, others and the environment.  Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the provision in early years. One parent summarised the views of others in saying: ‘My child is happy and enjoys learning in Reception; parents very much appreciate the training provided by teachers, particularly in supporting their children with reading.’  Children have a deep knowledge and understanding of the world around them. They are able to talk about different types of technology in the home, countries around the world and people who help and care for them. One child’s explanation of a refugee was ‘someone who had to leave their home or country and go to another one’.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 Children are well cared for by the highly qualified staff. Policies and procedures are applied effectively, and safeguarding requirements in the early years are met.  The work in children’s ‘learning journals’ shows the rapid progress they make, often from very low starting points. By the end of the Reception Year, the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development is in line with national averages.

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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 office@wellington.hounslow.sch.uk

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Information about this school

 Wellington is larger than the average-sized primary school and is expanding from two forms to four forms of entry, over two sites.  The majority of pupils come from Asian or Asian British backgrounds.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is below average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.  The children in the early years are taught in Nursery and Reception classes.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning across a range of subjects and year groups. All of the lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, other staff and governors.  The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in lessons and around the school. They also met formally with groups of pupils and listened to pupils read.  Inspectors reviewed pupils’ books with several school leaders.  Inspectors spoke with parents during the inspection and considered the 16 responses to Parent View and free-texts.  There were 33 responses to the staff questionnaire. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed during lessons, around the school and during break and lunchtimes.  An inspector visited the school’s breakfast club.  A wide range of documentation was reviewed, including information available on the

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Information about this inspection

school’s website and records relating to pupils’ attainment, progress, behaviour and attendance.  Information on governance, including minutes of governors’ meetings, was examined. The school’s self-evaluation summary and school development plans were scrutinised, along with records of the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe.

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Hall 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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