Khalsa Primary School

Inspection of Khalsa Primary School Wexham Road, Slough, Berkshire SL2 5QR

p.1

Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 15–16 January 2020

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to Khalsa Primary School. They relish their learning and they excel here. As one parent reflected, ‘It is like winning the lottery having your child attend this school.’

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The five Sikh virtues of love, compassion, contentment, humility and truth underpin all that the school does. Pupils flourish in an exceptionally caring and inclusive learning environment. Secure, trusting relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils feel very well supported. In turn, pupils’ outstanding behaviour and their impeccable manners make this a very special place to be.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Visionary and inspiring senior leadership underpins the shared high aspirations and first-rate academic standards here. The highly dedicated team of staff ensures that all pupils get a wonderful range of experiences and learn a wide range of subjects. Pupils respond to teachers’ very high expectations with gleeful enthusiasm and give all activities their full commitment and concentration. They become confident learners, achieve exceptionally well and are very well prepared to become exemplary citizens.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Senior leaders make sure that all pupils are safe. Pupils and families are supported particularly well if they feel anxious or have worries.

p.2

better?

Since his arrival, the headteacher has boosted the capacity of senior leadership, raised standards and reinvigorated the curriculum. Together, his new team of senior leaders have certainly made their mark on the school and its community. They have ensured that pupils achieve exceptional standards across a full range of subjects. Parents and carers enthuse about how much the school offers their children. They have nothing but praise for the headteacher and his team.

p.2

better?

Right from their first days in Nursery and Reception, adults expertly support children’s language skills, encouraging their imaginations and confident communication. Highly effective communication with families and expert teaching ensure that pupils who speak English as an additional language are supported particularly well. Teachers ensure that sequences of lessons build upon and challenge what pupils already know, understand and can remember. Engaging themes and thought-provoking questions stimulate pupils’ curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills. Skilled planning and bespoke interventions ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support and challenge that they need. All groups of pupils at Khalsa Primary School achieve exceptionally well.

p.2

better?

The teaching of reading is first class. Pupils in Year 1 and children in Reception carefully practise the sounds they have learned and relish forming simple sentences. They learn to read very well and delight in stories. The well-equipped library 15–16 January 2020

p.2

3

provides access to a wide range of stimulating fiction and non-fiction books. All pupils have regular opportunities to read to staff and visiting parents in school. Older pupils develop a strong understanding of how writers convey characters, ideas and themes in texts. Consequently, they achieve very well in reading by the end of key stage 2.

p.3

3

Pupils become talented writers, diligently drafting and refining their work to make it the best it can be. Pupils enjoy using an extensive vocabulary. Staff make explicit links between the high-quality books pupils read and their writing skills. As one Year 3 pupil told me: ‘It’s really motivating. I read much more and can see that this helps my writing to be more expressive and show my emotions.’

p.3

3

Similarly, pupils enthusiastically and articulately recall their achievements in mathematics, sports, art, music, language, humanities and science. Pupils’ books, displays of work and newsletters clearly demonstrate exceptional achievement across the curriculum. Leaders are striving for even better and are currently refining the sequence of learning across science and the foundation subjects to improve learning still further.

p.3

3

Spirituality underpins the academic standards here and Khalsa Primary School contributes exceptionally well to pupils’ character development. The promotion of equalities, tolerance and respect underpins all that the school does. During regular heart-warming ‘super citizen’ assemblies, pupils delight in celebrating the academic achievements and positive character traits of their peers. Pupils make a big impact on their community. They willingly take on positions of responsibility and engage in charity work. Pupils’ physical and emotional health are promoted very well. Pupils greatly value the uniqueness of their education here, praising the school’s holy meditation space and the opportunities for music, sport and games.

p.3

3

Governors know the school well and share the headteacher’s vision. They use frequent visits to the school to pose effective challenge. Staff are unanimous in their praise of the school. They feel exceptionally well supported and really value their roles. Staff, parents and pupils described the school to inspectors as a family.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders have up-to-date expertise in all aspects of safeguarding. Appropriate checks are made on all adults who work with the children in school. Leaders maintain meticulous recording systems and ensure that a comprehensive package of training is available for all staff. Safeguarding leaders work well with external agencies and act determinedly should any pupils require extra help.

p.3

Safeguarding

Teaching staff know their pupils and the local community very well. Teachers modify the curriculum to ensure that what they know about local and national risks becomes included. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when outside of school and when online. 15–16 January 2020

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 15–16 January 2020

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10111449 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 19–20 October 2011

p.5

Information about this school

 Khalsa Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school with a nursery.  The current principal has been in post since April 2015, and the vice-principal and two assistant headteachers have been appointed since that time.  Over 90% of the pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is slightly below average.

p.5

Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 We held a series of meetings with the principal and senior leaders. We conducted a variety of meetings with other leaders, including those responsible for the early years, attendance and pupils with SEND. 15–16 January 2020

p.5

6

 I met with three members of the governing body and had a telephone call with the chair of governors. We held telephone conversations with two representatives of Slough local authority.  We met with a range of teaching and support staff. We held meetings with groups of pupils and had informal conversations with pupils during breaks and lunchtimes.  We conducted deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, art and physical education. As part of this, within each subject, we met with subject leaders, visited lessons, talked to pupils about their work and met with teaching staff to discuss the school’s approach to curriculum delivery. We also held separate meetings with leaders of other subjects to discuss their curriculum plans and reviewed pupils’ work across the curriculum.  We reviewed safeguarding records, including the single central record of recruitment checks on staff.  We spoke to parents dropping their children off at the school at the beginning of

p.6

6

both days. Although there were too few replies to the online survey, Parent View, to analyse, we did consider the views of parents in the school’s own surveys of parents and pupils.

p.6

Inspection team

Matthew Newberry, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Catherine Davies Ofsted Inspector 15–16 January 2020

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

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 .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7