West Drayton Academy

Inspection of a good school: West Drayton Academy Kingston Lane, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 9EA

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Outcome

West Drayton Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They said that they learn a lot and that teachers make it fun. Leaders are ambitious for pupils to do the best they can.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand their school’s values. These represent ‘head, heart, hands and health’. Everyone at the school agreed these values. They run through everything pupils do and learn. Pupils love explaining what the values mean. They know they must have high expectations, do their best and take care of each other. They leave the school well prepared for secondary education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are important priorities for leaders. Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils know what is expected and understand the school behaviour policy. Good conduct in lessons is an important reason why pupils learn well at this school. Pupils show respect for their teachers and to each other. Well-organised activities are provided in the playground, where behaviour is also positive. Pupils are confident that any problems are sorted out quickly. They feel happy and safe.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and governors are highly aspirational for all pupils. With subject leaders and teachers, they have reviewed the curriculum and agreed what pupils need to learn. Most subjects are planned in a way that helps pupils know and remember more. The way that learning is planned is particularly strong in history, science and reading.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The phonics programme is well organised and well resourced. In the early years, although teachers are knowledgeable, they do not move children on quickly enough when they have learned new letters and sounds. However, by the time they take the phonics screening check in Year 1, most have caught up.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have promoted the importance of reading throughout the school. Children are 16–17 October 2019

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given books to read that match their ability. This has the dual benefit of helping them to read fluently and enjoy their reading. When pupils fall behind, they get effective additional reading support to ensure that they catch up quickly.

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All pupils read every morning for 15 minutes before the start of the day. Leaders provide high-quality books and stories, often linked to other subjects. Teachers read stories to their classes every day. Pupils are able to use complex vocabulary in speaking and in their writing.

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Pupils do well in mathematics. The curriculum is planned carefully to make sure that pupils build up their mathematical knowledge and vocabulary. Pupils achieve well in mathematics at the end of Year 2. Leaders are improving the mathematics curriculum in reasoning and problem-solving. This is particularly the case in Years 3 and 4, where they have correctly identified these aspects are not being taught as well as they could.

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Along with science, geography, mathematics and English, the history programme has recently been reviewed and revised. It is well organised in chronological order. Work in pupils’ history books is of high quality. Pupils learn about important historical events and periods in good depth. They talked to us about what they have learned and remembered with accuracy and confidence.

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Other subjects, such as art, music, design and technology, and modern languages, are undergoing review. Work on these subjects is not as advanced as it is in history.

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Staff work closely with families and provide courses and activities for parents and carers. This helps them feel more confident and a valued part of school.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well. The school assesses their needs accurately. Leaders provide a wide range of support according to the help each pupil needs. This is always linked to the school curriculum and adapted when necessary.

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A variety of after-school clubs are popular. Classes go on exciting trips, usually linked to what they are learning about in class. Leaders make sure that all pupils can enjoy these enriching opportunities. They provide financial help where necessary.

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Staff are positive and love working at the school. They benefit from professional development within the trust. They said that leaders listen when they feel overloaded and make adjustments to their workload wherever they can.

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Safeguarding

 The school has a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff at all levels receive regular safeguarding training. They know how to identify pupils who are potentially at risk. Staff understand and follow leaders’ guidance for reporting any safeguarding concerns. Leaders ensure that safeguarding concerns are properly recorded. They are thorough in making sure that any concerns are dealt with appropriately. Records are well organised and well maintained. Leaders work well with representatives from other 16–17 October 2019

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agencies. As a result, the most vulnerable pupils are kept safe and free from harm.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Across the school, the teaching of reading is effective. The school’s work to get pupils reading fluently and with enjoyment is working. However, some children in the early years do not make enough progress with their phonics learning. This is because teachers do not move them on quickly enough when they have mastered new letters and sounds. Leaders should ensure that teachers in Reception identify when children are ready to move on and provide them with more challenging reading tasks.  Curriculum programmes have been reviewed and revised in English, mathematics, science, history and geography. Pupils’ work in history shows that these changes have been effective. In other areas of the curriculum, changes are at an earlier stage and are still being phased in. Leaders should ensure that, through these changes, pupils are able to make strong progress in learning more and remembering more.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, West Drayton Primary School, to be good in July 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 16–17 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10124671 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body and board of trustees

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 West Drayton Academy is much larger than the average-sized primary school. It is an expanding school and now has three forms of entry up to Year 6, where there are two classes. The school became an academy and part of The Park Federation in 2016. The school runs a breakfast club and hosts an after-school club which is run by an external provider.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited most classes with senior leaders.  We met with leaders with responsibility for reading, history, mathematics, SEND and safeguarding.  We met with the chair of the governing body and the chief executive officer of the academy trust, other leaders and teachers. We also met with the family support officer and the learning mentor.  We scrutinised a range of documentation, including attendance information, the curriculum planned for pupils, information relating to safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour records. 16–17 October 2019

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 We met with a wide range of pupils in class and in other meetings. We looked at books and the work the pupils were doing. We heard children read and met with members of the school council.  We met with parents in the playground and took account of 20 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.  The school’s work in mathematics, history and reading were the deep focus of the inspection. We looked at these subjects across different year groups to check that the curriculum is helping pupils to know and remember more. We also wanted to check that the curriculum goals are clear.

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Inspection team

Susan Ladipo, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sahreen Siddiqui Ofsted Inspector 16–17 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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