Evergreen Primary School

Evergreen Primary School 9 Swan Mews, London SW6 4QT

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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 Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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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

 The quality of teaching is still too variable. Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ learning are not high enough. The use of assessment, by leaders and teachers, is not consistently effective. As a result, work is not always well matched to pupils’ needs.  Pupils do not make consistently good progress in reading, writing, mathematics and all other subjects. Opportunities for pupils to acquire reasoning skills in mathematics and apply their writing skills across the curriculum are inconsistent. Handwriting is not taught consistently well throughout the school.  Teaching in the early years is not consistently good. The use of assessment is variable. Children do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Leaders do not evaluate all aspects of the school’s work well enough. Their plans for improvement do not focus securely on the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes. The current curriculum is not implemented

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

consistently well.  Record-keeping, including for safeguarding, is disorganised and not sufficiently rigorous.  Leaders’ monitoring of teaching is not consistently effective in helping teachers to improve their practice.  Pupils’ behaviour is variable. Teachers do not manage pupils’ behaviour consistently. The presentation of work in pupils’ books varies considerably.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils enjoy school and say that they feel safe. The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective.  Overall, the teaching of phonics is good.  Parents are very positive about the school. They are particularly pleased with the changes new leaders have made.  The proprietor ensures that the school meets the independent school standards. Compliance with regulatory requirements

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that: – leaders’ plans for improvement sufficiently focus on the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes – procedures for self-evaluation are strengthened so that all aspects of the school’s work are evaluated thoroughly – the curriculum is planned and implemented effectively so that pupils make progress in all subjects taught – assessment procedures are embedded and used consistently well by all staff to monitor pupils’ progress across the curriculum and identify gaps in their learning – record-keeping, including for safeguarding, is rigorous and well organised – leaders evaluate the quality of teaching effectively and provide teachers with feedback that helps them to improve pupils’ learning.  Improve pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching by ensuring that: – teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are consistently high

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– teachers use what they know about pupils’ learning to adapt lessons appropriately in order to meet the needs and abilities of all pupils – teachers provide consistently good opportunities for pupils to practise writing skills in English and across the curriculum – learning in mathematics includes opportunities for pupils to develop reasoning skills.  Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by ensuring that: – all staff follow a consistent approach to managing pupils’ behaviour – pupils’ behaviour during social times and between lessons is well managed and consistently good or better – the presentation of pupils’ work is consistently of the highest quality.  Improve the early years by ensuring that: – staff are consistently effective at monitoring children’s progress and that observations of children’s learning are used to identify their next steps in learning – during large-group activities, the needs of all children are considered, particularly

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

when nursery- and reception-aged children work together – all adults use the correct pronunciation of phonemes so that children hear and use sounds accurately in their reading and writing.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 In September 2018, leadership and ownership of the school changed. The school’s name changed from Al-Muntada Primary School to Evergreen Primary School. The new proprietor took over the running of the school during the autumn term and appointed a new team of staff, including leaders, many of whom started in January 2019. The school no longer has associations with the previous charitable trust or the mosque.  Since taking over the school, the proprietor has improved the site’s security. The entrance to the school has been relocated. This means that access to the mosque is no longer available and the school is separate from the other parts of the building. Parents are pleased with these changes. Many report that their children now feel safer.  Although leaders have worked hard to make these changes, they do not have a secure enough understanding of all aspects of the school’s work. Their plans for improvement do

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

not focus on pupils’ outcomes or the quality of teaching. Self-evaluation procedures are inconsistent. Leaders have not taken the views of pupils and parents into account when evaluating the impact of their work. Plans for improvement are not sufficiently rigorous.  Leaders’ organisation of policies, procedures and other documents is haphazard. Although leaders keep all the documents that are required, these are not of the highest quality and record-keeping is not consistently effective.  Leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching is not consistently effective. Leaders conduct informal visits to lessons and have completed one scrutiny of pupils’ work since the start of the year. Although these activities identified key areas for improvement and actions for teachers, they have not been addressed or checked. Therefore, the impact of leaders’ actions to improve the quality of teaching is not strong.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The curriculum is not planned or implemented consistently well. Teaching usually relies on plans that have not been adapted to the specific needs and abilities of pupils in each class. In some subjects, the sequence of lessons and the order in which concepts are taught are confusing. Often, pupils do not have opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding.  Pupils told inspectors that since January, opportunities for them to enjoy extra-curricular activities such as sports and arts have ceased.  Pupils take part in educational visits to enrich the curriculum. For example, pupils have visited sea-life centres, the zoo and the Houses of Parliament.  The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Teachers make good use of lessons and school assemblies to teach pupils about the world around them. Pupils have a range of opportunities to learn about different religions

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

and the many cultures that exist within their school and beyond.  Leaders place a strong emphasis on values and helping pupils to understand the importance of democracy, rules and respect for others. Pupils have good opportunities to think about their future careers. They are ambitious for the future and understand the value of education.  The headteacher has a clear vision for the future of the school. She wants the very best for the pupils and the community.  Leaders have established a new curriculum that will be introduced in September 2019. Plans are in place for all staff to undertake training and work alongside teachers in a different school to share ideas on how to improve pupils’ learning.

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Governance

 The proprietor has ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  The proprietor understands her duties in relation to safeguarding pupils. She ensures that the headteacher and other staff undertake the necessary training to keep pupils safe and to recruit new staff appropriately.  The proprietor monitors leaders’ actions. She meets regularly with the headteacher to keep up to date with what is happening in the school.  The proprietor chooses not to have a governing body. Instead, she draws on the expertise of an external consultant. Leaders were not able to provide evidence of this work during the inspection. While the proprietor has worked effectively to oversee changes to the school’s security, in particular moving the school’s entrance and closing all access to the mosque, she has not ensured that school improvement planning focuses strongly on the quality of teaching, pupils’ behaviour and pupils’ outcomes.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The designated safeguarding lead has a secure understanding of her role in keeping pupils safe. She has ensured that staff are well trained in identifying pupils who may be at risk. Staff understand the procedures to follow to report concerns and how to deal with allegations against the headteacher or other staff.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. They learn how to keep themselves safe online and enjoyed the school-wide collaborative project to create a display of key messages about online safety.  Leaders have created an ethos where pupils feel safe to report any concerns they have. The headteacher has worked proactively with other professionals to support parents’ understanding of the ‘Prevent’ duty. Leaders have a secure understanding of their community and have plans in place to ensure that the curriculum continues to incorporate all aspects of pupils’ safety and well-being.

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Safeguarding

 Although the designated safeguarding leader responds to any concerns promptly and works well with other agencies, including social workers, to keep pupils safe, record- keeping is insufficiently rigorous and organised.  The school’s safeguarding policy meets requirements and is available for parents on request.  Parents who spoke to inspectors said that their children are safe in school. They appreciate the changes made to the school’s entrance and feel confident that leaders support their children’s welfare at all times.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is still too variable. Throughout the school, inconsistencies remain. Teachers’ expectations of pupils vary. Overall, they are not high enough. Furthermore, classrooms and corridors do not demonstrate consistently high expectations of pupils’ work. Sometimes, these are scruffy and the celebration of pupils’ achievements is inconsistent throughout the school.  As a result of the inconsistencies in the planning of the school’s curriculum, teaching does not always build on what pupils already know and can do. Learning is not always sequenced sensibly and this leads to gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding across the different subjects taught.  Leaders’ and teachers’ use of assessment is not fully effective. In some lessons, teachers do not use what they know about pupils’ prior learning to set tasks that meet their different needs and abilities. Often, work is too easy for pupils and they become bored.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

Sometimes, teachers use questioning well to extend pupils’ learning, but this is not a consistently strong feature of teaching throughout the school.  Pupils have good opportunities to study a range of writing techniques. They write diaries, newspaper articles, poems and stories, for example. However, teachers do not provide good enough opportunities for pupils to apply their spelling, grammar and punctuation skills to extended pieces of work across a range of subjects. Teachers agree with inspectors that handwriting, throughout the school, needs to improve. It is not taught consistently well and this affects pupils’ fluency and progress in writing.  Pupils develop increasingly secure calculation strategies in mathematics. They learn a range of written methods and apply these well to solve problems. Pupils cover a range of mathematics concepts and most use mental arithmetic well to answer questions quickly.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

However, teachers provide too few opportunities for pupils to develop good reasoning skills and explain their answers.  The teaching of phonics has improved. Teachers ensure that pupils work in groups that match their abilities. They check that reading books are appropriate and provide regular opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge of phonics to written words and sentences. Pupils read regularly and use phonics well to segment and blend words.  The teaching of reading is developing and has some strengths. Pupils read regularly and take books home to share with their parents. Teachers have started to embed group reading lessons throughout the school. Pupils who read with inspectors demonstrated a generally good understanding of the texts they were reading. They read fluently and with good expression, using phonics well to tackle difficult words.  Pupils are pleased that teachers have started to introduce new ways of working in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

lessons. For example, they really enjoy working in groups. They liked working as a class to produce an end-of-term presentation to an audience, including singing and storytelling.  Parents praise the recent improvements to the school’s homework policy. Teachers set homework regularly and parents appreciate the opportunities to work with their children at home and to contribute to their learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  At the start of the academic year, pupils were excited about the prospect of being elected as school councillors. They learned about the process of democracy, wrote manifestos and enjoyed the elections. Since then, the school council has not met. Pupils are frustrated by this. Leaders have not maintained some of the routines that were well established before they took over. They do not provide sufficiently good opportunities to hear pupils’ views and ideas.  The school’s reward system is not implemented consistently well. Although teachers praise pupils’ efforts and encourage them to complete their work, opportunities are missed to celebrate their achievements as a school. For example, during the absence of the headteacher, the ‘wow’ display in the hall has remained empty for weeks.  Because teachers’ expectations of pupils’ presentation vary considerably, sometimes

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Personal development and welfare

pupils do not take pride in their work. Some of their workbooks are very scruffy and this is not addressed by teachers or leaders.  Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles. They are encouraged to eat healthy snacks. In science lessons, for example, they learn about the effects of exercise on their bodies.  Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of the different forms that bullying can take and understand how to report concerns. Pupils feel confident in asking all members of staff for help. They feel that staff will deal with their concerns well.  The curriculum includes a range of opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe. For example, visits from community police officers have been used effectively to support pupils’ awareness of staying safe outside school. Pupils are well supported to understand the potential dangers of using the internet, social media and the risks of extremism.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Teachers’ management of pupils’ behaviour is inconsistent throughout the school. Leaders have not ensured that all staff share a common understanding of the behaviour management procedures. This has resulted in confusion. Leaders do not monitor or analyse behaviour incidents well enough.  Behaviour in lessons varies. Sometimes, pupils lose interest because lessons are not well planned to meet their needs and do not challenge them to think and work hard. When this happens, low-level disruption ensues and this distracts pupils’ learning.  Although pupils like the new changes to the outdoor play area, breaktimes can sometimes become boisterous. Pupils playing large ball games dominate a small space and this excludes pupils who do not want to play such games, or those who want somewhere quiet to play.  Sometimes, transitions between lessons are noisy. This is particularly the case where

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Behaviour

some pupils do not respond quickly or appropriately to their teachers’ instructions. Where behaviour is managed well and positively, pupils listen carefully to the teachers and remind their friends to listen and pay attention.  When lessons are interesting and engaging, pupils display positive attitudes to learning. They enjoyed talking to inspectors about their learning. In some lessons, pupils have great fun sharing their work with their peers and coming to the front of the class to demonstrate or model their work to the others.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their attendance is high.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 As a result of the inconsistencies in teaching, outcomes for pupils are too variable. Overall, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable in all subjects taught.  Work in pupils’ mathematics books shows that they do not make strong and sustained progress. Pupils do not develop secure reasoning skills to be able to explain and justify their answers. Often, pupils repeat work they have already grasped. Sometimes, they make mistakes which are not addressed by teachers. This hinders their achievement over time.  Work in pupils’ writing books varies in quality. In most classes, pupils have the opportunity to write for a range of purposes and learn about the key features of different texts. However, this is not the case in all classes. Throughout the school, pupils do not develop fluency in handwriting, because teachers do not pay enough attention to teaching letter formation and handwriting. Furthermore, pupils do not consistently

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

practise their spelling, punctuation and grammar in extended pieces of writing and in a range of subjects. This holds back their progress in writing.  Pupils’ progress in other subjects, such as science, history and geography, is also variable. Sometimes, learning is not well planned to provide pupils with the opportunity to gain a deep understanding of the different concepts taught.  Phonics is taught well. It is well organised so that pupils learn in a systematic way. Pupils use phonics well to read and write words and sentences. This contributes well to the progress they make in reading. Pupils read often and develop increasingly secure decoding and comprehension skills.  Leaders do not use assessment information consistently well. This means that they are not clear about the progress and attainment of different groups of pupils. Although they have used different assessments to find out what pupils know and can do, this

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

information is not used efficiently to help pupils make the progress of which they are capable. This means that pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for the next stage of their education.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 The weaknesses reported in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in Years 1 to 6 also exist in the early years. The quality of teaching varies and, as a result, children do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Activities are not consistently well planned to meet children’s different needs and abilities. For example, sometimes during large-group activities, activities are too difficult for the youngest children and they become restless. Some activities in children’s workbooks and ‘learning journals’ demonstrate that teachers’ planning is not consistently effective at providing activities at the right level.  Leaders and teachers do not use assessment information consistently well. Although staff in the early years make observations of children’s achievements, these are not used well enough to plan for children’s next steps or identify gaps in their learning.  Staff assess children’s attainment in each area of learning at the end of each term. This

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Early years provision Requires improvement

information is not collated or analysed well enough to identify the progress made by different groups of children.  The key person system is not fully effective. This means that staff are not always clear about children’s targets and next steps.  Although children develop some of the skills needed for the move to Year 1, there are gaps in their learning. The teaching of writing and mathematics in particular is not consistently strong and this hinders children’s progress.  Although the teaching of phonics is effective, some members of staff do not provide an effective role model for the pronunciation of different phonemes. This leads to some children repeating sounds incorrectly.  Leaders and other staff have worked effectively to create a bright and engaging environment which promotes all areas of learning. They acknowledge that, although the provision for outdoor learning has improved, there is still room to enhance it further so

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Early years provision Requires improvement

that it is consistently of the highest quality.  Children are happy, safe and settled. The positive atmosphere in the early years enables children to behave well and enjoy their learning. Children make new friends, learn to take turns and share sensibly. They enjoy it when learning is interactive and respond well to the range of resources and activities available to them.  Staff are kind and nurturing. They offer children regular praise and encouragement. Staff know children well and are responsive to their needs. Lunchtimes are well organised and children enjoy eating their lunch alongside staff. Staff provide good opportunities for children to learn about healthy lifestyles and the benefits of healthy eating.  Staff have developed positive and productive partnerships with parents. Parents’ workshops have taken place to introduce the teaching of phonics and early literacy. Parents speak positively of the early years and the changes that are starting to take

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Early years provision Requires improvement

shape.  Leaders ensure that the statutory requirements for the early years foundation stage are met.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Website The school does not have a website

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School details

Email address admin@evergreenprimary.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 to 14 September 2017

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Information about this school

 In September 2018, Al-Muntada Primary School was renamed Evergreen Primary School when the new proprietor took over. Since this time, most of the staff have changed. There is a new headteacher in post. At the time of this inspection, the headteacher was absent from school. One of the two deputy headteachers was also absent from school. The proprietor, who is also the executive headteacher, was present throughout the inspection.  The school caters for boys and girls of Islamic faith, aged between 3 and 11. Currently, the pupils are taught in four classes. The first class is for children in the early years, the second class is for pupils in Years 1 and 2, the third class is for pupils in Years 3 and 4 and the fourth class is for pupils in Years 5 and 6.  The school’s last full standard inspection took place in September 2017, where it was judged to require improvement. At that time, all the independent school standards were

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection took place with one day’s notice.  Inspectors visited all classes to observe pupils’ learning. Inspectors spoke to staff and pupils at appropriate times throughout the inspection.  Inspectors held meetings with the proprietor and all teaching and support staff. Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ workbooks across all subjects taught and in all year groups. They met formally with two groups of pupils. Pupils accompanied inspectors around the school to discuss their learning and talk about their school.  An inspector heard pupils in Year 2 and Year 5 read. Inspectors observed breaktimes and lunchtimes and observed pupils as they moved around the school.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including the single central record of staff suitability, records related to safeguarding, and other policies and procedures. Inspectors

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Information about this inspection

toured the school and reviewed information to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.  There were no responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gary Rawlings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Davies 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

Parent View 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

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Inspection team

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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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