Morningside Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Morningside Primary School Chatham Place, Hackney, Morningside Primary School, London E9 6LL

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Outcome

Morningside Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very proud of their school. They enjoy school enormously. This is because the school provides a highly effective curriculum, which gives pupils the knowledge and experiences they need to succeed and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard to live by the values of the school. They are incredibly polite and caring towards each other. Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable in lessons and when moving around the school. This is because staff have high expectations of them, which start in the two- year-old provision. Pupils have positive, respectful working relationships with adults. Pupils know that staff will listen to them and quickly sort out any problems that might arise. This means they feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on positions of responsibility. This includes acting as well-being ambassadors and members of the sustainability squad. Well-being ambassadors are valued by their classmates because they help them to share their feelings.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values pupils’ opinions. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to debate and consider the views of others. For example, pupils debated whether litter is Hackney’s biggest issue. They wrote letters to the Mayor of London expressing their views. These experiences help pupils to develop their own ideas and share their opinions.

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

The curriculum is ambitious and has been structured effectively. The school has identified the important knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to secure and remember. They have also decided the order concepts should be taught in from the two-year-old provision to Year 6. For example, pupils in Year 2 confidently order multiples of 10 on a number line because they have previously been taught the value of each digit. Adults in the nursery effectively reinforce mathematical language, such as ‘empty, full’, and ‘more’, when helping children pour water into different sized containers. This supports children’s early mathematical skills. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They explain new content clearly. Teachers regularly check what pupils know and remember and correct misconceptions quickly. As a result, pupils link what they have learned before to their current learning.

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Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Staff teach children to read as soon as they join Reception. This is because they want every child to read fluently and without delay. Staff read to pupils daily. Pupils visit the school library and their local library regularly. These experiences develop a love for reading. Children in the early years learn songs and action rhymes, which they perform with enthusiasm.

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Pupils read books that are closely matched to the letters and sounds that they know. They read with increasing fluency and confidence. Staff are well trained in the teaching of phonics. They check the sounds that pupils know regularly. Pupils who find reading difficult are swiftly given the help they need to keep up.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are effectively and accurately identified. Staff adapt their teaching and resources well, so that these pupils can access the curriculum successfully. This means that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. They show excellent attitudes to their learning. Consequently, learning is not interrupted by any silly behaviour. Pupils manage their emotions well. They explain how mindful breathing techniques help them to regulate their feelings. Leaders do all they can to encourage good attendance.

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Leaders think carefully about the wider curriculum offer. For example, pupils are taught singing across the school, starting in Nursery. This is because leaders value the ‘voice’ of all pupils. Weekly singing assemblies promote ‘togetherness’. Pupils sing in unison with musicality, control and expression.

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The curriculum is effectively enhanced by a range of trips, visiting speakers and after- school activities. Leaders ensure that all pupils who wish to join a club can do so.

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Personal, social, health and economic education is well structured. Leaders aim for pupils to become responsible, kind citizens. Pupils are taught about the importance of respect and the rule of law. They are taught about healthy and unhealthy relationships and consent in an age-appropriate manner. Pupils have been taught that families may look different. They explain with clarity that the most important aspect of a family is that they love and care for each other. Pupils are given opportunities to improve their world. For example, the sustainability squad invite families to donate and swap household items to save money and build enthusiasm around sustainable living.

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Leaders have created a very caring, happy environment for both pupils and staff. Staff are proud of the school and value the support they receive from leaders to fulfil their roles. Leaders ensure that teachers’ workload is manageable, and that staff and pupil well-being are a priority. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in June 2017.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Morningside Primary School is part of the Primary Advantage Federation consisting of 8 schools.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss school development. 19 and 20 September 2023

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 The inspector met with representatives of the local governing body and the executive principal. She also met with a representative from the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to pupils’ personal development and behaviour. She also met with groups of staff and pupils to discuss these aspects of the school’s work.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 19 and 20 September 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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