Sunnyfields Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Sunnyfields Primary School Hatchcroft, Off Greyhound Hill, Hendon, London NW4 4JH

p.1

Outcome

Sunnyfields Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly school. Pupils love attending every day. Staff and pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. Pupils are safe. They say that bullying does not happen, but adults would sort it if it did. They all know an adult they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns. The school describes itself as, ‘a small school doing big things’.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is well planned and organised to ensure that pupils learn a wide range of knowledge and skills. This supports all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of all pupils. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in lessons and at playtimes are of a high standard and embody the school’s values. Respect and tolerance are at the heart of this community.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are highly positive about the school. Many parents describe the school as being like a family.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum supports pupils’ wider personal development. This includes visits to museums, galleries, local parks, residential trips, concerts, ballet and a wide range of sporting opportunities.

p.1

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

Leaders, staff and governors are highly ambitious for every pupil to achieve well. They set high expectations and ensure that the school provides an interesting, enjoyable and exciting curriculum. The national curriculum is used as the starting point for all subject areas. Leaders have addressed all the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

p.1

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

The school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced. The curriculum in mathematics is particularly well developed and is a major strength of the school. Children in the early years learn about numbers and counting. They apply their learning practically. For 28 and 29 June 2022

p.1

2

example, children in the Nursery Year were using money to purchase ice creams in the ‘parlour’. In the Reception Year, children learn about capacity in the outdoor provision. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 learn to apply their skills in solving problems around angles, geometry and coordinates. Older pupils are skilful in reasoning and problem-solving.

p.2

2

Leaders place high priority on reading across the school. They introduced a new phonics programme in January 2022. Staff are being trained to teach this new approach. Children learn phonics from the beginning of the early years. Pupils learn to read with books that match the sounds they know. If pupils are falling behind their teachers provide catch-up lessons. Older pupils develop a love of reading in the wider curriculum. They can access a wide range of high-quality texts.

p.2

2

In geography, work begins in the early years with children learning to understand the world and going on local walks. In Year 1, pupils were using digital maps to plan for a visit to the seaside. Year 6 pupils were able to maturely discuss the use and purpose of maps in a digital age. In early years, children learn to mix colours. This helps them choose a wide range of colours in their artwork as they move up the school. Art sketchbooks show a wide range of skills being applied. Year 2 pupils learn about and create drawings of Australian indigenous art. Painting and drawing skills are developed using water colours and pastels to interpret the works of Georgia O’Keefe in Year 4 and Picasso in Year 6. Pupils said how much they loved doing art.

p.2

2

Teachers and leaders use assessment well in all core subjects. In some subjects, such as mathematics and science, this is particularly effective. However, in some foundation subjects, teachers are not consistently checking what pupils remember.

p.2

2

Leaders and staff work effectively to ensure that all pupils make progress through the curriculum, including those with SEND. Leaders ensure that they experience the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Planning is thorough to meet a wide range of complex needs and leaders work well with outside agencies to ensure that pupils receive the best advice and support.

p.2

2

Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils behave consistently well and there is no low-level disruption in lessons. Leaders provide many opportunities to encourage pupils’ wider personal development, including through whole-school assemblies, debating, and taking responsibility as school councillors, travel ambassadors and library monitors.

p.2

2

Governors are committed to and ambitious for the school. They are well informed, know their responsibilities and provide good challenge and support for leaders.

p.2

2

Staff, including teachers in the early stages of their career, feel well valued and supported. Their well-being is always considered, and systems are adapted to reduce workload.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 28 and 29 June 2022

p.2

3

Leaders know their responsibilities for safeguarding. Staff and governors ensure that their training is kept up to date. Staff are vigilant, and monitoring systems ensure that concerns are identified and acted upon swiftly. This ensures that appropriate support is put in place as quickly as possible to help vulnerable pupils and families.

p.3

3

Leaders use lessons and assemblies to help pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. They work closely with external agencies so pupils learn about local dangers in the community. For example, workshops are delivered to key stage 2 pupils, raising their awareness of knife crime and gang culture.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, pupils are not able to recall their prior learning. This is because staff are not consistently checking what pupils remember. As a result, some key disciplinary knowledge is not being learned. Leaders need to review assessment procedures so that pupils know more and remember more in some foundation subjects.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2017.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.3

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 . 28 and 29 June 2022

p.3

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. 28 and 29 June 2022

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10211176 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 17 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Sunnyfields Primary School is a one-form entry school in the London Borough of Barnet.  The school has an on-site nursery.  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.

p.5

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 the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation.  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 authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, 28 and 29 June 2022

p.5

6

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 also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects such as art, design technology and history.  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 wide 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 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

p.6

6

the responses to the staff survey and the pupil survey.

p.6

Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 June 2022

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