Tudor Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Tudor Primary School Queen’s Road, Finchley, London N3 2AG

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Outcome

Tudor Primary School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for in this school. Staff have created a strong community feel, where each child’s uniqueness is valued. Pupils are safe. They are happy at school. They are very supportive of each other. The newly implemented school values, such as kindness, are well understood by pupils. Bullying is not an issue. Pupils are confident that any member of staff would help them resolve concerns swiftly. Pupils play cooperatively together on the playground.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education is variable. There have been many changes to leadership and staffing in recent years. This has resulted in the school losing its way. Staff want pupils to do their best but initiatives to improve reading and other subjects have not always been seen through. Consequently, pupils have not achieved as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The new executive headteacher has a clear vision of the improvements needed at the school. He is making sure that everyone is working together. Parents, carers and pupils recognise the positive changes. However, work still needs to be done to ensure that expectations rise and that pupils are given the best possible chances.

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

Leaders, including governors, have high ambitions for pupils. They have set their sights on improving pupils’ reading and knowledge. Staff are developing the skills and subject knowledge needed to plan and teach the full range of subjects. However, many subject leaders are new to their posts. Their work is in the early stages of development.

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

Leaders have planned some subjects well to help pupils remember more subject-specific knowledge. For example, in mathematics, pupils have secure mathematical understanding. Teachers plan work that builds on what pupils already know. Young children develop a strong understanding of number. They learn to write numbers 29–30 January 2020

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accurately. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 use different ways to count on and add different amounts. Pupils have lots of opportunities to use their mathematical skills to solve problems. When pupils find something difficult, teachers give them enough help and support.

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Leaders have not prioritised reading well enough. A strong start to reading in the early years is not continued in Years 1 and 2. Phonics and reading teaching are not consistent. Not all pupils keep up or catch up quickly if they fall behind. Reading books are not always matched to pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds. Leaders want older pupils to read more regularly and with greater understanding. They have made some useful changes to the teaching of reading to meet these ambitions. However, not all teaching helps pupils to understand the texts that they read.

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Leaders support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. However, the activities chosen in some subjects are not always matched to their specific needs.

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Leaders provide a range of extra activities for pupils, for example visits to museums and planned environmental activities in the school grounds. Leaders have ensured that pupils learn to respect people’s differences well.

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Most pupils follow their teachers’ expectations for good behaviour. They are eager to comply with the school values and ethos. Pupils display polite behaviour around the school. They behave well in lessons because they want to learn. This leads to very few disruptions in pupils’ learning. Pupils’ attendance has improved because pupils and parents understand leaders’ expectations.

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Governors know the strengths of the school and the areas the school needs to improve. They have prioritised safeguarding and ensuring that the website meets requirements. They ask the right questions to ensure that leaders continue to develop the school. However, they have insufficient knowledge of the curriculum to challenge leaders effectively.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They work well together. Staff appreciate that the new leadership is bringing a clear sense of direction. They value leaders’ interest in their professional development and well-being. They described examples of leaders reviewing and adapting their workload.

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Most parents recognise the positive changes being made. They value events such as ‘Welcome Wednesdays’, where they can meet staff and share concerns.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know their safeguarding responsibilities. They have developed systems to respond swiftly to any concerns about a child’s welfare. Staff know when and how to 29–30 January 2020

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report worries about a child. There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Most parents say their child is safe and happy at this school.

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Governors regularly review safeguarding practice to ensure that it remains effective. Governors check the school’s procedures for employing staff to confirm they are completed as necessary.

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Leaders support vulnerable pupils and their families responsibly. They work well with other agencies to help these pupils and their families receive the support they need. Leaders are tenacious in ensuring the safety of these pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils who find reading difficult do not get enough support to help them to read well. These pupils do not achieve well as they cannot read accurately or fluently. Leaders must ensure that these pupils get effective support and consistent teaching of phonics, and are able to practise reading regularly. Reading books should consistently match pupils’ reading ability so that struggling readers are able to practise the sounds they learn.  Leaders of many of the foundation subjects are new to their posts. The new subject leaders are yet to grow into their roles. Leaders should make sure that subject leaders know what knowledge and skills pupils need to gain so that they can understand and enjoy their subjects. Further training and support are needed to ensure that this aspect of leadership successfully improves the curriculum and teaching across subjects.  Leaders have ambitious plans to develop the curriculum. They have improved the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

quality of education in mathematics and history. However, leaders have not planned all subjects well enough. Some subjects are not planned to help pupils know and remember more, including pupils with SEND. Leaders need to ensure that all subject areas are planned logically to help pupils build on what they have previously learned.  Many governors are relatively new to the school and are well placed to support the school. They need to ensure that they have accurate information about the curriculum to challenge leaders effectively.

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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. 29–30 January 2020

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 8–9 June 2016.

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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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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 .

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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. 29–30 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121597 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Simon Jebreel (executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8–9 June 2016

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher joined the school in September 2019. The deputy headteacher joined the school in January 2020.

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Information about this inspection

 I held meetings with senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers.  I did deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and history. I discussed curriculum design with subject leaders, carried out a series of lesson visits, scrutinised pupils’ work and spoke to pupils and teachers about the curriculum.  I met with five governors.  I took account of 54 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and the additional 55 free-text responses.  I spoke to staff to gather their views of the school and took into account the views of 18 members of staff who responded to Ofsted’s staff survey.  I met with a representative from the local authority. 29–30 January 2020

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 29–30 January 2020

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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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