Drew Primary School

Inspection of Drew Primary School Wythes Road, Silvertown, London E16 2DP

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 25 and 26 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Drew Primary School is an inclusive and welcoming school at the heart of its community. Pupils are happy, safe and enjoy their learning. They are friendly and behave well in lessons. Pupils demonstrate the core values of the school, such as showing respect and being responsible. Bullying is rare. If any bullying happens, leaders deal with it effectively. Parents and carers value the education and support for pupils that leaders provide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ achievement. Pupils get the help they need to meet these expectations. Leaders continue to improve the quality of education to give pupils a good chance of educational success. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the different activities on offer. They particularly enjoy visits, including to outdoor activity centres. Leaders encourage all pupils to take part in a wide range of high-quality activities. These include sports, chess and music. Pupils have valuable opportunities to take responsibility, for example as school councillors and prefects.

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better?

Leaders have revised the curriculum so that it is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. They have a clear vision about what they want pupils to achieve. Leaders identify pupils’ needs accurately. They provide staff with the training they require to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff meet these needs well.

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better?

In most subjects, leaders are clear on what they want pupils to learn and by when. This starts with children in the early years. In many subjects, content is well sequenced and broken down into manageable steps. As a result, pupils become skilled and confident learners as they build new knowledge on what they already know and can do. This helps pupils to deepen their knowledge over time. However, in some subjects, leaders do not identify precisely the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn.

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better?

In lessons, staff check how well pupils are learning. In early years, staff develop children’s communication and language skills well. Staff help children to name shapes and count up to 10 accurately. Children in Nursery learn about locations in an inviting outdoor play area. By Year 6, pupils build on these secure foundations to be able to understand different time zones in the world and the prime meridian in Greenwich.

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better?

Reading is a key priority for leaders. Staff are skilful in the teaching of phonics. From the start of Nursery, all pupils learn to read using phonics. Pupils read books that are matched to the sounds that they know. This helps to improve pupils’ confidence and fluency. Leaders quickly identify pupils who need extra help and assess the reading of these pupils accurately. Leaders ensure that they provide appropriate support to 25 and 26 January 2023

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enable weaker readers to catch up quickly. Leaders promote a love of reading well. Books and authors feature prominently in all areas of the school. Pupils enjoy daily story times in class. They also enjoy using the school library, a converted red bus in the playground.

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Leaders maintain a close focus on pupils’ mental health and well-being. Pupils appreciate this. They know that there is always a trusted adult to talk to. Teachers support pupils to understand and regulate their emotions from an early age.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and as they move around the school. Lessons continue without interruption. Leaders are working to ensure that pupils’ behaviour in the playground is more orderly. Pupils welcome those new to the school and help them to settle quickly into school life.

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Pupils enjoy a wide range of experiences to support their personal development. For instance, residential visits help pupils to develop curiosity about the world around them. Leaders ensure pupils have regular trips to places of worship, such as local mosques, churches and temples. This supports pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different religions and beliefs.

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Staff said that senior leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. The academy trust provides effective challenge and support for leaders and staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff receive regular and up-to-date safeguarding training to fulfil their roles and responsibilities. Thorough checks are in place for any adults working or volunteering in the school. Staff use effective procedures for reporting and recording any concerns. The safeguarding team swiftly follows up and addresses any issues that staff or others report to them. Leaders ensure pupils and their families receive timely support, either from school staff or external agencies.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the local concerns and risks pupils attending the school may face. Pupils are taught how to stay safe, including when they are online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not identified fully the knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that teachers are sometimes unclear about the essential knowledge they need to teach. As a result, in these subjects, teaching does not build up pupils’ knowledge in a logical and sequential way. Leaders should ensure that teachers know, precisely, the essential knowledge they need to teach and in what order. 25 and 26 January 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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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. 25 and 26 January 2023

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School details

Headteacher James Johnson (Executive Headteacher) Dulcie Sharp (Head of School) Website www.drew.newham.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Learning in Harmony Trust in January 2017.  The executive headteacher and the head of school have been in post since September 2022. There have been significant changes in leadership at the school over the past year.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the chief executive officer of the Learning in Harmony Trust. They also met with members of the local governing body, including the chair. 25 and 26 January 2023

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 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, other school leaders and subject leaders.  Inspectors carried out four deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in a range of other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, as they moved around the school and at playtimes. They also listened to what pupils had to say about their school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation related to safeguarding. They scrutinised the records the school keeps in relation to safeguarding, attendance and welfare. Inspectors looked at the single central record of pre-employment checks and at records of staff training.

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 Inspectors spoke to parents. They considered the responses of staff and parents to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Ruthven Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 January 2023

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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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