Mayflower Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Mayflower Primary School Upper North Street, Poplar, London E14 6DU

p.1

Outcome

Mayflower Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly, inspiring and thoroughly inclusive place to learn. Pupils are rightly proud of their school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about what they study. Leaders use well-planned strategies to support pupils’ learning and development. They focus on encouraging pupils to think deeply about the subject content that they are taught, for example by solving problems.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders prioritise developing pupils’ ability to express themselves clearly. They also emphasise the importance of considering the views of others. Pupils are given carefully designed opportunities to explore ideas in depth and to clarify their thinking. This approach helps pupils when they come to record their ideas in writing. Overall, pupils achieve exceptionally well and are well prepared for their next steps at secondary school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils in all aspects of their education. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They show consistently mature attitudes towards their learning. Pupils understand their responsibility to behave with kindness and respect. On the rare occasions that bullying does happen, staff deal with it quickly. Pupils are kept safe and feel safe in school.

p.1

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

All pupils study a curriculum that matches the breadth and scope of the national curriculum. Leaders identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities with precision. Staff make necessary adjustments to help these pupils to learn successfully. Leaders’ curriculum thinking is not static. They review the curriculum continually to ensure that all pupils have the best chance of success.

p.1

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

Leaders have considered the knowledge that they want pupils to learn, including for children in early years. The curriculum is well designed and coherent. It builds in opportunities for pupils to revisit and remember important knowledge and skills. In 6 and 7 December 2022

p.1

2

mathematics, for example, pupils regularly recap prior learning. As a result, pupils have the required knowledge to tackle more complex ideas.

p.2

2

Leaders provide teachers with well-planned training to support them to deliver the curriculum. This enables teachers to have secure subject knowledge. Staff think carefully about how to enthuse pupils about their learning and help them to understand and remember what they have been taught. For example, pupils in Year 2 enjoyed working with a storytelling group to recap and explore further what they had been learning in science and geography. Teachers check pupils’ understanding regularly. They identify any misconceptions and are quick to address these. Pupils achieve highly across the curriculum.

p.2

2

Leaders prioritise reading from the moment children start in Nursery. The approach to early reading is well structured and ambitious. Pupils develop the phonic knowledge they need to read confidently and accurately. Leaders make sure that books and other reading materials are carefully matched to pupils’ phonic knowledge. Staff assess pupils’ reading needs accurately. They quickly put in place effective support for those pupils who struggle with reading.

p.2

2

Pupils enjoy reading very much and access a wide variety of books and texts. Staff use a range of ways to support parents and carers with helping their children to read at home. Leaders make ambitious decisions about the texts pupils read. They are currently in the process of widening the diversity of these texts as part of their aim to ensure that pupils are ready to be ‘global citizens’.

p.2

2

Staff apply the behaviour policy clearly and consistently. This helps to ensure that classrooms are calm and positive places to learn for all pupils.

p.2

2

Leaders provide a carefully planned and ambitious range of cultural experiences to support pupils’ broader development. These experiences often link to the wider curriculum. For instance, the recent World of Work Week enabled pupils to visit places of work and hear from a range of speakers. Pupils said that they felt inspired by this. Staff offer a broad selection of after-school activities, including sports and creative clubs. Pupils enjoy attending these. Pupils know that staff care about their well-being. Pupils are keen to help each other, with some pupils training to be mental health ambassadors to support their peers.

p.2

2

Leaders and governors help staff to manage their workload effectively. They promote staff well-being with great thought and care. One teacher summed up the view of many colleagues, stating, ‘This is the best school community I have ever worked with’.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

Staff and governors ensure that the safety and well-being of pupils are a priority. Staff receive appropriate information and training on safeguarding. They use the school’s systems to raise and follow up on concerns. Pupils who may be vulnerable are identified 6 and 7 December 2022

p.2

3

and supported promptly. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to further understand and support pupils’ needs.

p.3

3

Pupils learn about staying safe in their day-to-day lives, including safe behaviour when online. They know whom they can speak to if they feel worried or have concerns.

p.3

Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding 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

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.3

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. 6 and 7 December 2022

p.3

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.4

School details

Website www.mayflower.towerhamlets.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 31 January and 1 February 2017

p.4

Information about this school

 The school has Nursery provision for three-year-old children.  Leaders do not use alternative provision for their pupils.

p.4

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 school leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding. He also met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and computing. These involved discussions with curriculum leaders and teachers, visits to lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils. Other subjects were also considered.  The inspector analysed safeguarding documentation, including the single central record of pre-employment checks. He also reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ development plans and school policies.

p.4

5

 The inspector considered the replies to Ofsted Parent View and the online surveys for pupils and staff.

p.5

Inspection team

David Boyle, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 December 2022

p.5

6

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.6

6

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.6

6

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.6

6

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

p.6

6

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

p.6