Ravenscroft Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ravenscroft Primary School Carson Road, London E16 4BD

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Outcome

Ravenscroft Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and inclusive learning community. Pupils are proud of their school. They appreciate all that the school provides for them. One pupil, summing up the views of many, told us that: ‘The school supports all our needs. Our teachers are amazing.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming here and work well together. They know that teachers care about their well-being. Leaders use many strategies to support pupils’ emotional and mental health. For example, pupils can share their worries through a ‘problem box’ if they are not quite ready to speak with an adult. Pupils can also attend a lunchtime club rather than play outside. This means that pupils can sit quietly, draw or read with their friends. Pupils like having this choice.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils in all areas of their learning. The provision for art is particularly strong and contributes well to pupils’ wider development. All pupils in Years 3 and 4 learn a musical instrument. Pupils enjoy this, including the opportunities they have to perform regularly for the wider school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is positive. Pupils are considerate and kind to each other. Pupils said that, on the rare occasions that bullying happens, staff deal with it quickly.

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

All pupils study a wide range of subjects throughout Years 1 to 6. Leaders and staff know what knowledge they want pupils to acquire in each topic. They choose content carefully so that pupils can be successful in their future learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers check pupils’ understanding accurately and adapt planning so that it meets pupils’ needs.

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

Children in the early years are well prepared for key stage 1 and beyond. Reading is a priority as soon as children join the school. Leaders are clear that this will help children to learn successfully in all subjects. The phonics programme is well structured and 19–20 November 2019

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ambitious. By the end of Year 1, most pupils develop the phonics knowledge they need to read confidently and accurately. Pupils with SEND follow this programme and do well. Therefore, they too develop the knowledge they need to be fluent readers.

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Most subjects are planned and taught carefully. Teachers select activities so that pupils revisit and remember important ideas and information. Pupils’ achieve highly as a result, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6, their results in national tests are above average. This includes pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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Nevertheless, pupils’ achievement in history and computing is not as strong as it could be. The content that pupils study is not as ambitious or clearly defined as that found in other subjects. Teachers sometimes lack the subject knowledge to deepen pupils’ understanding effectively. Leaders are aware of these shortcomings. They are taking clear steps to strengthen how well pupils learn in these subjects.

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Leaders and staff provide effective support for pupils with SEND, including those pupils who attend the resource base. Teachers make sure these pupils learn and develop the knowledge necessary to make strong progress. They are well prepared for the demands of secondary education by the end of Year 6.

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The school is keen for pupils to live up to its motto of ‘explore, achieve, fly’. Subjects such as art and physical education (PE) offer pupils opportunities that go beyond the national curriculum. For example, in art, pupils study a range of female artists from Africa, Asia and Europe in addition to classical artists.

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The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage. Leaders are determined that pupils have rich cultural experiences to support their wider development. During the school day, pupils in Years 1 to 3 enjoy taking part in chess. Staff also provide pupils with plenty of after-school activities including debating, cooking and yoga. Pupils enjoy attending and exploring different interests. However, leaders do not check which pupils attend these clubs. This means they do not have a sharp sense of whether any pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are missing out on all that the school provides.

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Pupils show high levels of maturity in their learning. They behave well in classrooms, and lessons are free from low-level disruption.

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Leaders and governors help staff to manage their workload. They promote staff well- being with great thought. For example, leaders have reduced the amount of assessment data that teachers need to produce each term. Staff and families said that they appreciate the supportive and determined leadership of the headteacher. 19–20 November 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher, together with staff and governors, ensures that the safety and well- being of pupils are a priority. In lessons and assemblies, pupils learn about staying safe in person, as well as when online.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work with a range of external agencies to support pupils’ needs. Leaders have developed mentoring and counselling support in school. Pupils told us that staff are approachable if there is something that troubles them or that they need to share. Staff follow the school’s systems carefully and receive appropriate training on how to keep pupils safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils achieve very well across a range of subjects. However, pupils could do even better in computing and history. Leaders should strengthen the way these subjects are planned and taught so that pupils acquire a deep understanding of important knowledge and concepts.  Leaders think carefully about the activities they provide to support pupils’ personal development. Leaders should find out which pupils attend after-school clubs and activities. They should make sure that no pupils are missing out on the high-quality experiences that the school provides.

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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, Ravenscroft Primary School, to be good in June 2013. 19–20 November 2019

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 19–20 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10121551 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Boleyn Trust.  Ravenscroft Primary School converted to become an academy school on 1 April 2017. When its predecessor school, Ravenscroft Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding and pupils with SEND. We also met with representatives of the trust board and local governing body, as well as the chief executive officer of the trust.  We had informal conversations with pupils and staff. We visited a range of classes jointly with members of the senior leadership team, across all key stages.  We analysed documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and aspects of the development plan, and school policies and procedures. We checked the information on the school’s website.  We considered the views of parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted online 19–20 November 2019

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questionnaire.  We looked closely at a number of subjects. This included discussions with leaders and teachers of the subject, visits to lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils about the subject. The particular subjects we focused on were reading, mathematics, art and PE.

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Inspection team

David Boyle, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kanwaljit Singh Ofsted Inspector 19–20 November 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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