Stanhope Primary School

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

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Mrs Sahreen Siddiqui Headteacher Stanhope Primary School Mansell Road Greenford UB6 9EG

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 2 July 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in June 2015.

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

This is a welcoming and inclusive school. Leaders and staff work hard and to prepare pupils for life in the wider world. They provide diverse opportunities for pupils to develop confidence, self-esteem and aspirations. Pupils rise to the challenge of high-quality learning. Leaders and staff are determined not to let pupils fall behind. As soon as pupils join the school, they are helped to settle quickly, understand school values and to experience and consolidate successful learning.

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

Staff value the diverse range of training opportunities that utilise expertise from within the school. Staff know how to check pupils’ work and understand expectations of national assessments. Leaders make use of external expertise to make sure that pupils make very strong progress. For example, curriculum plans reflect guidance from specialist organisations, which lead on subjects such as history, physical education (PE) and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

Inspection evidence confirms that leaders have responded well to recommendations in the previous inspection report. A detailed review of the mathematics curriculum has strengthened the teaching and learning of this key subject across the school. The higher level of staff expertise and ambition has ensured that most-able pupils are provided with more challenging learning opportunities. This has yielded additional benefits for many other pupils who have risen to the challenge of more demanding activities, and now make stronger progress.

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose, and that records are detailed and of high quality. The school’s safeguarding management board, made up of governors and school staff, makes sure that pupils feel safe and are kept safe in school. They oversee training, communication and all procedures relevant to safeguarding. This ensures that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. Regular training includes induction, updates and ongoing discussion about any concerns that arise. This helps to keep staff’s understanding of possible risks and preventative measures up to date. Staff are confident and clear about how to report concerns. Leaders take prompt and effective action in response to issues, including keeping systematic records of discussions and actions taken.

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about safe and effective use of the internet and computers. The school’s focus on maintaining pupils’ well-being encourages them to learn with confidence, and without excessive worry about risks.

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Short inspection of Stanhope Primary School

Governors have a strong understanding of the school’s duty to safeguard pupils. For example, they understand about risks that exist in the local area. They check how well staff use the school’s procedures, and the quality of record-keeping. Pupils, parents and carers indicated through discussions and surveys that they have no significant concerns about safeguarding. This includes from bullying and other discriminatory behaviours.

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Inspection findings

 Our first agreed focus for the inspection was to evaluate the extent to which progress in the wider curriculum is as strong as that in English and mathematics. There is less information about this in published data about the school, and in your improvement plan.  Leaders have used their own and external expertise well to provide professional development opportunities for all staff. As a result, they plan and provide very high quality learning opportunities. For example, in history, pupils in Year 5 compare Egyptian and Greek civilisations, and learn how they are relevant to their lives today.  Staff across the school use engaging ideas in lessons and activities outside the classroom to stimulate pupils’ enthusiasm and imagination. This leads to some very detailed and precise writing from pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. Still, leaders know that further improvement is possible. For example, teachers do not

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Inspection findings

routinely help pupils build key concepts and ideas in science as skilfully as they do in history and geography.  Our second focus for this inspection was to find out how effectively leaders have managed to help pupils to become accomplished readers. Your evidence showed this a strength of the school.  As soon as they join the school, children use their reading skills to gain confidence and interest in reading. They use these skills to develop a deep understanding across the curriculum. For example, in Year 2, pupils we spoke to could describe, at length, the importance of parts of a plant in its life cycle. They compared this with an animal life cycle. In later years in the school, pupils strengthen their language skills through effective study of classical poetry and plays.  Opportunities to read are wide-ranging. Staff and an increasing number of parents use stories to build pupils’ reading skills. Most pupils read widely. The

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Inspection findings

rewards they receive for the number of texts they read demonstrates this.  Our final focus of the inspection was to find out how well disadvantaged pupils progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Published attainment data for 2018 showed some differences and shows that their progress had been slower in the past.  You spend the additional funding received for disadvantaged pupils in very productive ways. The school provides structured and tailored support for these pupils. This helps them to develop confidence, enthusiasm and aspiration. Pupils benefit from a range of enrichment activities that broaden their horizons. These include overseas travel, participating in public debates, and performance opportunities in sport, music and the arts. As a result, these pupils make the same and, sometimes, better progress than other pupils, nationally.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the teaching of science is improved so that pupils’ learning matches the high standard seen in the best subjects.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Ealing. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, I met with you and the senior leadership team, your chair and vice-chair of governors, and a group of staff that included middle leaders. Additionally, I met with a group of pupils. We considered five responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and 65 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey. We also considered your own parents’ survey. We visited lessons, jointly with school leaders, to observe learning, and reviewed pupils’ work in books. We checked a range of documentation related to safeguarding. We evaluated further documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, monitoring information and the school’s assessment information.

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