Three Bridges Primary School

Three Bridges Primary School Melbury Avenue, Norwood Green, Southall, Middlesex UB2 4HT

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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 Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teaching, learning and assessment are excellent. Teachers have high expectations for the pupils and provide very strong support for their learning.  Leaders, managers and governors have an outstanding impact on the curriculum, teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  The headteacher constantly inspires staff and pupils to want to review and improve their work.  Leaders at all levels are very clear about the school’s aims. They work collaboratively to ensure that developments are consistently applied across the school.  High-quality training for teachers, including visiting teachers from other schools, enables them to strengthen the quality of teaching.  Pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare are exemplary. Pupils are very enthusiastic about learning and are respectful.  Pupils are kept safe at school and say that they feel very safe. They are happy that their views are listened to.  Pupils’ outcomes are outstanding. Pupils make

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

excellent progress from their starting points, including in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils’ attainment is high by the end of Year 6. Mathematics is especially strong. Pupils demonstrate a wide range of skills and knowledge that help them with their mathematical reasoning.  Parents and carers are delighted with the work of the school and are very pleased with the progress their children are making.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very effectively. Pupils are prepared very well for life in modern Britain. They are aware of their responsibilities in looking after each other and the world around them.  Provision in the early years is outstanding. Children start learning quickly as soon as they arrive in the Nursery. Core skills and knowledge in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics are taught extremely effectively.  Although pupils make excellent progress across

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

subjects, reading is slightly less well developed than writing and mathematics. Pupils have better opportunities to extend their mathematics and writing knowledge and skills when learning in other subjects.  Not all parents provide frequent help at home with their children’s reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen opportunities for pupils to extend their reading skills and knowledge when learning in other subjects, and at home.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 The headteacher, with the support of other leaders and managers, has established a supportive culture in which teachers and pupils can excel. As one parent put it: ‘The learning environment is safe, happy and harmonious. My children progress socially and academically year-on-year.’  Expectations for pupils’ outcomes are high and, consequently, they make excellent progress from their starting points.  Leaders provide highly effective training and support for teachers. This provision is also extended to many other schools. Teachers all say that they are proud of the school. They are highly motivated and support each other in improving the way they work with pupils.  There is a continuous cycle of school improvement. Leaders are accurate in their assessment of school effectiveness and clear about the few remaining next steps for development.  The curriculum is frequently reviewed to ensure it has maximum impact on pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

learning. There are many additional activities to increase pupils’ life experiences. Additional funding for sport enables pupils to take part in a variety of activities, including canoeing and exploring in the ‘forest school’.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported very well. The school’s core values of ‘joy’, ‘family’, ‘adventure’, ‘integrity’ and ‘humility’ are evident in all aspects of school life. Pupils have strong opportunities to prepare for life in modern Britain and consider their impact on the world. For example, pupils in Year 5 recently looked at the problems surrounding global warming.  Specific funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. These pupils are given the right teaching support to enable them to succeed at least as well, if not better, than their peers.  Parents are very positive about the work of the school. They typically make comments

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

such as: ‘You are part of a family,’ and ‘Teaching is fantastic.’  Although attendance is monitored very rigorously, several families continue to take term-time holidays. In addition, parents do not always support their children frequently enough with reading at home.

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Governance of the school

 Governance is highly effective.  Governors are very knowledgeable about the school and provide a well-judged level of challenge and support. They carry out their responsibilities diligently and constantly evaluate the effectiveness of their work. They ensure that they make very good use of training to keep abreast of any changes in requirements. They share the school leaders’ commitment to providing the very best for the pupils and help to monitor how well the school is performing.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school commissions external specialists to help carry out checks on safeguarding. Members of staff are very well- trained and are checked for suitability for working in the school. Parents and staff who responded to the Parent View questionnaire agree that pupils feel safe and are kept safe at school.  Posters around the school remind visitors and members of staff about their duties towards keeping pupils safe. Pupils know what to do should they have any concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 Pupils learn very rapidly across the school. Teachers have excellent relationships with pupils and motivate them to want to achieve. Every classroom provides a happy and industrious working environment. Teachers use praise effectively to promote success.  Teachers have very strong subject knowledge, including in teaching reading, writing and mathematics. Professional development is high on the school’s agenda, and this enables teachers to deliver the curriculum very effectively.  Phonics is taught systematically from when children start school in the nursery. Teachers ensure that the teaching of phonics is used effectively to support reading and writing. Pupils learn a wide range of strategies for carrying out mathematical calculations.  Teachers lead by example so that pupils, including those who are learning to speak English as an additional language, are very clear about what they are to learn in each

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

lesson. Teachers demonstrate specific knowledge and skills very clearly to pupils.  Expectations for pupils’ behaviour are high and, as a result, pupils are not easily distracted from their work or disturbed in their learning.  Pupils are given excellent opportunities to share their learning, views and ideas with the teacher and each other. Special ‘anchor’ charts are made to remind pupils of the most important aspects of their learning.  Questioning is used most effectively to assess learning and to ensure that pupils are given the right level of challenge for their differing abilities.  Parents are very positive about teaching at the school and how well their children are learning. One parent spoke for others by saying: ‘The teachers’ support is really good.’  Although reading skills are taught very well, pupils do not always have enough opportunity to make use of these skills when learning in other subjects across the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

curriculum. In addition, not all parents support their children by reading with them frequently at home.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are very confident because they are clear about what they are learning and what they need to do to improve their work.  Pupils are extremely enthusiastic about school and keen to explain what they are doing. They typically make comments such as: ‘You learn a lot and you make friends,’ and ‘Teachers notice what you struggle with and help you.’  They appreciate the work of the ‘well-being ambassadors’ and ‘cyber mentors’, who help to keep them safe and happy. Pupils are kept safe and know how to stay safe. For example, they learn about water safety when canoeing on the canal and have the confidence to get back into the canoe safely when they fall out.  Pupils understand about various forms of bullying. Those pupils who spoke with inspectors are happy with the way instances of bullying are dealt with.  Pupils have very good opportunities to keep physically fit in lessons, clubs, at sporting

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are very responsive and enthusiastic. Their behaviour is exemplary in lessons and around the school.  Parents who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire all agree that behaviour at the school is consistently good or better.  Pupils are very keen to learn and work sensibly as individuals, in small groups and as a whole class.  The school has a clear attendance policy and takes every opportunity to promote the value of good attendance. Rates of attendance are rising but remain below the national average. Some families continue to take term-time holidays despite being fined. The school has planned its staff development days to coincide with religious festivals, and this has boosted attendance over the past term.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Pupils of all abilities and backgrounds make outstanding progress during their time at the school, including those who arrive part way through their schooling. As a result, attainment is high by the end of Year 6, including in reading, writing and mathematics, and pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Disadvantaged pupils make similar or better progress than others nationally. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the right level of individual support to enable them to make rapid progress from their starting points. The most able pupils progress very well because teachers have high expectations for all pupils and ensure that they complete challenging work.  Pupils make excellent progress in learning phonics. The vast majority of pupils meet the expected standard by the end of Year 1. By the end of Year 2, pupils read fluently

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

with excellent expression. They talk knowledgeably about what they have read and clearly enjoy reading.  Pupils make most progress in mathematics. Teachers are highly trained in the subject and equip pupils with a wide range of strategies that help them to tackle a variety of mathematical problems confidently. Pupils are resilient and persevere even when faced with difficult work.  In writing, pupils develop their handwriting and spelling well from the start of their schooling. They benefit from teachers demonstrating skills and knowledge effectively. Pupils share their good ideas with others to improve their knowledge and skills, including their vocabulary. Their achievements in spelling, grammar and punctuation are of a high standard.  Pupils’ progress in reading is strong, but pupils do slightly less well in this subject than in writing and mathematics. They learn a wide range of skills in English lessons.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

However, there are fewer opportunities for them to extend their reading skills when they learn in other subjects. Opportunities for pupils to extend their writing and mathematics skills in other subjects are much stronger and this enables pupils to make even better progress.

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Early years provision Outstanding

 Children are very settled and happy in the early years provision. Teachers have high expectations for the children and, as a result, children make excellent progress in their learning and development. Phonics is taught effectively, including in the nursery, where children already can read and spell simple words.  Teachers ask probing questions to encourage children in their learning and provide demonstrations for new skills. For example, handwriting is taught meticulously, and children delight in correcting the teachers’ ‘mistakes’ in forming letters.  Learning is set in meaningful contexts and activities are exciting and inviting. For example, children enjoy counting when sharing the story of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and using tweezers to pull out numbers hidden in a ‘spider’s web’.  Children are extremely confident in leading their own learning. Children who are at the early stages of learning to speak English are very well supported to make excellent

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Early years provision Outstanding

progress. Funding for disadvantaged children and those with SEND is spent effectively on specific needs.  The early years is led and managed extremely well. Self-evaluation is accurate and used to continually improve the quality of teaching and learning. Children’s progress is monitored carefully, and assessment information is used highly effectively to plan next steps.  Children’s health and safety are promoted very well. Teachers work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that children’s safety and well-being are given the highest priority.  Children are prepared very well for joining Year 1, with most reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year. Very occasionally, the most able children could be challenged to extend their learning further.

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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@threebridgesprimary.co.uk

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Information about this school

 Three Bridges is much larger than an average-sized primary school. There is one Nursery class and two Reception classes in the early years provision.  Pupils come to the school from a wide range of heritages, and most speak English as an additional language. A small minority are at the early stages of learning to speak English. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is also well above average.  The proportion of pupils joining the school after the early years is higher than the national average.  Leaders at the school provide support and training for several schools and receive many visiting teachers, including from abroad.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all classes, most jointly with the headteacher or another senior leader.  Discussions were held with leaders, pupils, other members of staff and members of the governing body.  Inspectors held informal discussions with parents and scrutinised the 19 free-text comments made and 20 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View.  Pupils in Years 2, 4 and 6 were heard reading, and samples of pupils’ work from across the school were scrutinised.  A range of information supplied by the school was checked, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents and checks on the quality of teaching. Inspectors also looked at the school development plan and records related to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Clementina Aina 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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