Sir John Heron Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Sir John Heron Primary School School Road, Manor Park, London E12 5PY

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Outcome

Sir John Heron Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy here. They love coming to this welcoming and thriving school every morning. They show courtesy and respect towards each other. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As a result, behaviour in lessons and at playtimes is of a high standard. Partnerships with families and the local community are strong.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to do well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils know and are proud of their school motto: ‘Together we learn. Together we achieve.’ Leaders ensure that the quality of education, pupils’ well-being and the wider curriculum are their key priorities. Pupils leave this school well prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff ensure that pupils are safe and are listened to. Pupils reported that incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils said, ‘This is a non-bullying school.’ Records show that when incidents do occur, staff are quick to act.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum supports pupils’ wider personal development well. Pupils take on a wide range of jobs and responsibilities, including library monitors, playground helpers and anti- bullying ambassadors. Pupils are proud of their school grounds, including their forest school and outdoor reading area, together with the rich opportunities for learning they provide.

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

Pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum programme which matches the requirements and ambition of the national curriculum in all subjects. Leaders are committed to ensuring that it meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

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

The teaching of early reading is a strength. Children learn how to read as soon as they start school in the Nursery. The structured phonics programme helps children learn to read at the earliest opportunity. In Reception and key stage 1, reading books are carefully matched to the sounds pupils know. Assessment of early reading quickly identifies those 18 and 19 May 2022

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who are at risk of falling behind. These pupils are then supported by expert teachers to become confident, fluent readers.

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Teachers are passionate about pupils developing a love of reading and read to their pupils every day. Both daily storytelling and the careful choice of reading materials encourage pupils’ love of reading. The school’s well-stocked library is very popular with all pupils.

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Early years children get off to a strong start in both language and mathematics. In Nursery, children learn about numbers through songs and rhymes. In Reception, children use counters and cubes to add and count to 14. By Year 6, pupils work confidently to create and apply algebraic formulae. Leaders ensure plans encourage pupils to use their mathematical skills regularly. In art, the school has used a wide range of visitors and visits to develop skills and a love of drawing and painting. Work seen around the school in celebration of the upcoming Platinum Jubilee is of a very high standard. However, pupils’ recall of recent learning in some subjects is weak. Teachers do not always use assessment well enough to check what pupils have learned.

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Leaders and staff work together effectively to support pupils with SEND and those who join the school part way through the year. In the specialist resource provision for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), learning activities are skilfully planned to develop pupils’ communication and language skills and also to promote their physical development.

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Pupils behave well. There is a calm and orderly environment in lessons and right through the school. Pupils cooperate well together and clearly enjoy their learning. Bullying is rare and pupils are taught to be resilient. In computing, pupils learn how to stay safe from bullying and harm when online. Personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons are carefully planned to promote the school’s core values.

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Leaders and governors are committed to the school and to their local community. They want the school to improve the life chances of all pupils and be fully inclusive.

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Staff feel well supported by leaders. They particularly appreciate the way leaders consider their workload and provide the time for training and development.

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Leaders provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils’ wider development. They ensure all pupils have opportunities to participate in the wide range of clubs that the school organises. The provision for sports and physical education is of a very high standard in this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture at the school. Leaders make sure that rigorous pre- employment checks are carried out on everyone before they start working in the school. They make sure that all staff receive regular training in safeguarding. 18 and 19 May 2022

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Leaders and staff know pupils and their community well. They work effectively with other agencies to ensure vulnerable pupils and those who may be at risk of harm receive the swift support they need. Pupils told the inspector that they feel safe at school, and could all name an adult they would speak to if they were worried or had any concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not always use assessments well enough to check pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils do not always know and remember as much as they could. Teachers need to review assessment procedures to ensure pupils can fluently recall their recent learning. Staff should regularly assess what pupils know in all subjects. Leaders need to provide more opportunities for pupils to speak about and discuss their own learning. This should not, however, have any impact on staff’s workload.

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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, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as 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 November 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 . 18 and 19 May 2022

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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. 18 and 19 May 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Sir John Heron Primary School is a two-form entry school in the London Borough of Newham.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2018.  The school has a specialist resource provision for pupils with PMLD.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers and subject leaders. The inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke with a representative from the local education authority. 18 and 19 May 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. He heard pupils read and observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector visited the specialist resource provision for pupils with PMLD.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects, such as physical education and PSHE.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at playtimes and listened to what pupils had to say about their school.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. The inspector scrutinised the records the school keeps in relation to safeguarding and welfare. The inspector looked at the single central record of pre-employment checks and at records

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of staff training. He spoke with staff and pupils to understand the school’s culture of safeguarding.  The inspector reviewed the responses submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including free-text responses. The inspector also reviewed the results of the responses to the staff survey and spoke with parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 May 2022

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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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