Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School Grand Avenue, Surbiton, Surrey KT5 9HU

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Outcome

Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like coming to Grand Avenue and are proud of their school. They are enthusiastic in lessons and work hard, whether on their own or with their friends. Pupils feel safe here. They are well behaved and are usually kind towards each other. Pupils told inspectors that when misbehaviour or bullying occurs, staff ensure that it is sorted out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love to read and to be read to. Pupils enjoyed a recent project where they interviewed authors online about the books they had read in school. Leaders want all pupils to achieve well. They have identified the knowledge they expect pupils to learn across the full range of subjects studied. Subject plans are typically well organised, which helps pupils to use their knowledge and learn more.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy visits that enrich the curriculum and provide them with new experiences. These include a recent trip to a wildlife centre for Reception children and a Year 6 visit to an outward bound centre. Pupils like the range of clubs and activities that are on offer. They appreciate opportunities to take on extra responsibility and take their work as ‘play buddies’ or ‘peer mediators’ seriously.

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

Leaders are ambitious about pupils’ development as confident and independent readers. This begins in the early years. Children start to learn phonics straight away in Reception. Pupils develop their reading fluency well. This is because the books they read are well matched to the sounds they are learning. Staff are well trained. They identify mistakes in pupils’ reading and address them quickly. Regular assessments identify pupils that are falling behind. Pupils are supported well and so continue to keep up with the phonics programme. Pupils enjoy reading and respond enthusiastically to the stories they have read to them. 15 and 16 June 2021

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Importance is placed on developing pupils’ vocabulary. In early mathematics, this is well established in the curriculum. For example, children use precise language to describe time and shape. Adults model language well and give children well-planned opportunities to talk about their learning.

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When planning different curriculum subjects, leaders include the essential vocabulary they want pupils to know. This helps pupils to learn and use a range of words. Occasionally, however, teaching does not focus on ensuring that pupils fully understand the meaning of subject-specific vocabulary. For example, in science, although pupils can recall some of the concepts they have learned, they find it difficult to explain these ideas using the vocabulary they have been taught.

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Pupils follow a full curriculum that matches the scope and content of the national curriculum. Leaders have identified the knowledge they expect pupils to learn. In some subjects, pupils’ learning is very well sequenced. This enables pupils to use what they have learned previously to understand more difficult ideas. For example, in computing, pupils have been introduced to the concept of coding and debugging in key stage 1. Pupils use this knowledge to create looped sequences before creating their own games in Year 6. Similarly, in history, pupils talk confidently about monarchy and government. This is because they have learned about these concepts in different periods of history.

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However, in science and religious education (RE), some aspects of curriculum plans do not fully factor in ways for pupils to deepen their understanding. Sometimes, pupils are not given the same opportunities to revisit ideas and extend their knowledge as they are, for example, in history. In RE, for instance, pupils remember stories they have been told. However, they find it more difficult to explain the importance of these stories.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff are trained to understand pupils’ needs. In classrooms, adults support pupils by modelling the language and ideas being learned. This helps pupils to tackle their work with increasing independence and confidence.

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Pupils typically behave well in lessons and out in the playground. They enjoy working and playing together. Almost all parents and most pupils who responded to the online survey stated that behaviour was well managed.

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Pupils enjoy the clubs and activities that are on offer. Although the range is currently narrower due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions, leaders have found different ways of providing additional experiences. For example, local competitions have been launched in school through the London Youth Games. Pupils are encouraged to take on extra responsibility in school. Many apply for roles as ‘school champions’ and are proud of the work they do.

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Staff feel valued and trusted by leaders. They said that workload was well managed and that they were supported to progress as teachers and as leaders through the professional development they receive. 15 and 16 June 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and raise any concerns they have quickly. Leaders work well with the local authority and other agencies to safeguard pupils and ensure that they receive the support they need.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum has been designed to help keep pupils safe. For example, pupils are taught about ‘appropriate touch’ and how to travel safely to and from school. Pupils could describe different ways of keeping safe online. Pupils told inspectors they feel safe and knew whom to go to if they felt unsafe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have identified the key knowledge pupils should learn. The planned sequence of learning typically supports the development of pupils’ knowledge very well. Pupils revisit ideas and deepen their understanding progressively. This includes learning and understanding subject-specific vocabulary. However, these strengths are not fully embedded in RE and science. In these subjects, leaders should develop subject planning further. They should make sure that teaching enables pupils to acquire a deep and secure understanding of all essential subject content and vocabulary.

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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 or outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good 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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 15 and 16 June 2021

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

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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 here .

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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. 15 and 16 June 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 March 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Grand Avenue is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspection team completed deep dives in these subjects: reading, computing, history and science. To do this, inspectors met with subject leaders, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered leaders’ plans for the physical education and RE curriculums.  Inspectors considered early mathematics in the Nursery and Reception classes.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ priorities for improvement. 15 and 16 June 2021

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 Inspectors spoke with a representative of the local authority. They met with five governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising records and through discussions with staff and pupils.  The views of pupils, parents and staff, as gathered through discussions and Ofsted’s surveys, were considered.  During the inspection, one class was being educated remotely as these pupils were isolating under the current COVID-19 restrictions.

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Inspection team

Nick Turvey, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sam Ingram Her Majesty’s Inspector 15 and 16 June 2021

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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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