Edith Neville Primary School

Inspection of Edith Neville Primary School 85 Polygon Road, London NW1 1HQ

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 June 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their families have a deep affection for Edith Neville Primary School.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community lives and breathes the shared values identified by leaders. For example, leaders and staff consistently encourage pupils to be empathetic and to collaborate. This helps pupils build and sustain strong relationships and behave very thoughtfully. There is an aura of positivity. Pupils love coming to school and feel extremely safe. Bullying almost never occurs. Pupils trust staff to deal with any rare instances.

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What is it like to attend this school?

An ambitious and solution-focused school culture means that pupils persevere and achieve well. Indeed, when learning to read, pupils routinely keep trying until they successfully sound out unknown words. Across different subjects, pupils learn and remember the content of the school’s carefully crafted curriculum. Pupils are very well prepared for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ support for parents and carers is excellent. The family centre, which is run by the school, helps create a strong, trusting partnership between the school and families. This enhances pupils’ learning, personal development and behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a variety of before- and after-school clubs. Staff make sure that activities are accessible to everyone.

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better?

The school’s curriculum sets out the knowledge that pupils need to be successful in the next stage of their education. Pupils build well on what they know because of the order in which key parts of the curriculum are taught. For instance, pupils learn about the parts of a plant and seed growth in Year 2, the conditions of growth in Year 3, and plant reproduction in Year 5. Community visits enrich pupils’ learning.

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better?

Teachers present new information with clarity and a strong emphasis on the meaning of important words and ideas. This helps pupils to learn well, including those that are new to English and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are adept at checking what pupils know, deepening knowledge and correcting any misconceptions. For example, pupils increase the knowledge they have acquired when teachers ask them to ‘spot the mistake’. They enjoy the success they experience in their learning. Due to an extremely well- thought-through curriculum, pupils remember what they have learned in the long term. Their work across the whole curriculum is first class.

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better?

Leaders prioritise the teaching of reading so that pupils become confident, fluent readers. Leaders have made sure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to teach reading effectively. Pupils quickly gain the strategies they need to read well. Indeed, pupils in Reception use letter sounds to help them spell. The books that pupils read match their phonic knowledge. During daily story time, teachers help 14 and 15 June 2023

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pupils to connect and strengthen their knowledge. For example, a teacher asked, ‘Why is he collecting dung for his garden?’ A pupil said, ‘It helps plants grow.’ Another pupil said, ‘Dung has nutrients.’

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As a result of the school’s culture, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. The youngest children learn the language they need to describe their feelings by listening to stories. This is built upon as pupils learn to recognise and respond to their feelings. Staff help pupils to reflect meaningfully after rare incidents of emotional upset. Pupils consider what they could do differently next time and how other people may have felt. The school’s values drive both strong behaviour and learning.

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Alongside the curriculum, a range of further opportunities support pupils’ wider development. For example, the youngest pupils perform in front of each other. As they get older, pupils perform in front of pupils from other primary schools. In Year 5, pupils perform at the Royal Albert Hall. Opportunities like these help pupils develop their talents and interests as well as their character. Leaders prepare pupils thoughtfully for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about a range of faiths so they understand the similarities and differences that exist in people’s beliefs.

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Staff ensure that pupils with SEND learn and remember the full curriculum. For instance, pupils get the right support with their learning. This support is reduced at the right time so that pupils can achieve more independently. From the very start, staff work with families and other agencies to identify and meet pupils’ needs.

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Leaders support staff workload and well-being effectively. They understand the community they serve extremely well. Governors fulfil their role effectively, including talking to pupils about their school experiences. These conversations have helped assure governors that pupils know how to stay safe.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that staff, at all levels, are trained and vigilant in spotting safeguarding concerns. Leaders identify when families need additional support and ensure that this is provided. They work with safeguarding partners and other agencies as appropriate.

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Safeguarding

Through the curriculum, staff raise awareness of safeguarding risks to pupils. For example, through considering various scenarios, pupils learn to make sensible choices. Pupils know how to keep safe, whether at school, in the community or online. 14 and 15 June 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. 14 and 15 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a nursery class. There is no provision for two-year-olds.  The school uses one registered 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects. 14 and 15 June 2023

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 Inspectors spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about safeguarding. Inspectors sampled records and documentation about pupils’ welfare.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day, including at lunch and breaktime.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body and a representative from the London Borough of Camden.  Inspectors considered the views of staff, parents and pupils, including through the responses that were received to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Barney Geen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Olly Wimborne Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 June 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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