Claremont Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Claremont Primary School Claremont Road, Cricklewood, London NW2 1AB

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Outcome

Claremont Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The head of school is Sally Neaves. This school is part of The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Hugh Greenaway, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tim Coulson. There is also an executive headteacher, Daniel Hawkins, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils interact respectfully and in a friendly way with each other here. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum that is ambitious for all the pupils in the school, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and they are enthusiastic to learn. They are safe here. Leaders encourage pupils to build strong relationships with their peers and resolve conflict when it occurs. In the early years, children develop their independence and behave sensibly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In addition to teaching knowledge that pupils need for their next steps, leaders also foster pupils’ creativity, and their physical and emotional well-being. This is achieved, in part, through the leadership opportunities available to pupils. For example, learning champions contribute towards learning in class, well-being ambassadors support pupils’ mental health and eco-warriors help the school community to take care of the environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school also organises educational visits to enhance pupils’ learning. For example, in Year 2 pupils went to a park to apply their map reading and compass skills in geography. In Years 5 and 6, pupils attended a spoken word workshop to develop poetry skills and enhance their oracy. Pupils in Year 6 visited Kew Gardens to deepen their understanding of different plant types. 17 and 18 April 2024

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

The school has recently revised and improved the curriculum in many subjects. In a few subjects, curriculum changes are new or ongoing. In these subjects, the school is still deciding exactly the skills and knowledge that pupils will learn. In some subjects, such as reading and mathematics, curriculum changes have been firmly in place for some time. Staff said that leaders are mindful of their well-being. Most staff said that the school considers their workload when it makes decisions.

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

Teachers have a secure knowledge of the subjects that they teach. In class, teaching engages pupils and sparks their imagination. Often, teaching provides plenty of opportunity for pupils to practise and consolidate new skills. Typically, pupils show a strong understanding of key knowledge, for example significant periods throughout history, such as the Roman Empire and the Anglo-Saxons. Where curriculum changes are more recent, occasionally work pupils are set in class does not support pupils to learn the curriculum as securely as they could. Generally, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of key learning is checked in class.

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

Leaders have successfully adapted their approach to early reading to meet the needs of all pupils at the school. This includes appropriate support for pupils in the additionally resourced provision (ARP) and for pupils who join the school each year at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language. This effective work that the school does to teach pupils how to read is not therefore fully reflected in the school’s published academic outcomes. Teachers read to pupils daily and inspire pupils’ love of reading. Staff also organise daily catch-up sessions for pupils who require extra help to improve rapidly their reading fluency and confidence. In the early years, the school provides selected children with targeted support to build their speaking confidence.

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

Pupils with SEND in the ARP receive strong support. Leaders have designed specialist curriculums and activities that are appropriately ambitious and tailored to the needs of each pupil. Pupils with SEND in the ARP are widely included in the life of the school. The school also supports pupils with SEND in the mainstream to access the curriculum by adapting teaching and resources.

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

Pupils are eager to learn new facts. They contribute keenly to classroom discussions. They work together in class diligently to solve problems. Staff apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently and fairly so that learning the curriculum is rarely interrupted and disruption is resolved effectively. In the Reception Year, children get along well with each other and make friends easily.

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

Leaders closely track the attendance of pupils. They identify and address the reasons that pupils miss school. As a result, attendance rates are improving.

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

Many pupils attend the wide variety of clubs. These include football, gymnastics and cooking. In Slime Club, pupils learn about different scientific chemical reactions while the make their own slime to take home. The school choir sings at concerts in external venues, including a major concert venue. 17 and 18 April 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Where curriculum improvements are new, sometimes work selected for pupils to do does not support pupils to learn and remember key knowledge and skills securely in the long term. This means that, occasionally, pupils cannot remember key knowledge that they have been taught and they do not build curriculum knowledge as securely. The school should ensure that teaching checks that all pupils know and remember key learning and that work routinely supports pupils to learn and understand the curriculum securely.

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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 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 good in January 2019.

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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 17 and 18 April 2024

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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). 17 and 18 April 2024

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School details

Headteacher Daniel Hawkins (executive headteacher) Sally Neaves (head of school) Website www.claremontprimary.barnet.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school is part of The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust (TEFAT).  The school has an additionally resourced provision for up to 12 pupils with autism. This provision is new since the last inspection.  The proportion of pupils who join the school at the early stages of speaking English as an additional language is well above average.  The school is informally federated with Childs Hill Primary School, also a member of TEFAT. Both schools are overseen by the same executive headteacher.

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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 his evaluation of the school. 17 and 18 April 2024

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 During the inspection, the inspector met with the chief executive officer, the executive headteacher, the head of school and other senior leaders. The inspector met with leaders with responsibility for pupils with SEND, behaviour and attendance, early reading and pupils’ wider development.  The inspector met with representatives from the board of trustees, including the chair of trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the respective responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents and carers, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Guy Forbat, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 April 2024

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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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