Mount Stewart Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Mount Stewart Infant School Carlisle Gardens, Mount Stewart Avenue, Kenton, Harrow HA3 0JX

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and kept safe here. This is because there are always adults around to help. Pupils know who their ‘safeguarding team’ are, and who they can talk to should they need help. Pupils enjoy coming to school and love to learn. This is reflected in their behaviour, which is consistently strong in lessons, when moving around the school and at play time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of inspire, achieve and learn are consistently realised through the high ambition demonstrated by all staff. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access a broad and interesting curriculum which helps them deepen their knowledge over time. Pupils talk confidently about their learning, achieve well and are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are given opportunities to have a say in their school. For example, they vote on a range of classroom decisions and responsibilities. They appreciate the wide range of activities on offer at lunchtime and after school, including football, drama, cricket, dance and friendship club.

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

Reading is given high priority. All staff are well trained and deliver the agreed phonics programme with precision. Children begin learning letter sounds as soon as they start school. They practise phonics using books that are carefully matched to the sounds they know. This helps them to become fluent readers quickly. Those at risk of falling behind are swiftly identified and supported through carefully designed interventions to help them catch up. A love of reading is evident across the school. For example, older pupils from the linked junior school support their younger peers with reading. 16 and 17 July 2024

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All pupils follow an ambitious curriculum which matches, and sometimes exceeds, expectations nationally. The curriculum sets out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to know. Learning is broken down into very small steps that pupils revisit and practise over time. This helps them to embed important concepts that they can more easily apply to future learning. Careful thought has been given to the curriculum content in early years to help address potential barriers to learning later on. For example, leaders have identified that some children enter school with weaker core strength. Through the curriculum, carefully crafted opportunities are provided to help children build the core strength they need to master pencil control and writing later on.

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Staff receive high-quality support and training to deliver the curriculum with consistency. Teachers use assessment well to check pupils’ understanding and address any errors or misconceptions that arise. This helps pupils to build their knowledge systematically, making connections between what they are learning now and what they have learned before. For example, in geography, children in early years learn to locate things in their immediate environment. Older pupils apply this knowledge when making maps using symbols and keys. Similarly, in mathematics, children in Reception practise sorting and counting numbers on a 5 and 10 frame. This helps them to explore number patterns that prepares them well for interpreting data and using tally charts by the end of Year 2.

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Pupils develop a real depth of understanding in the different subjects they learn. This includes pupils with SEND. Needs are swiftly identified, and communicated to staff, so support can be tailored to pupils’ different starting points. Staff make appropriate adaptations that help pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers, wherever possible.

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Leaders extensively promote pupils’ personal development. The school demonstrates complete commitment to overcoming any barriers to learning that may exist. The curriculum and ethos of the school ensure pupils get the help they need to prepare them for future learning and life in modern Britain. For example, pupils are encouraged to develop resilience and strength of character through understanding that success means they ‘try and try again’.

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Behaviour in lessons and around the school is harmonious and focused on learning. Pupils know the rules and are committed to following them. Most have good attendance and punctuality. Leaders have rightly focused on further improving attendance and reducing persistence absence. Highly effective support is in place for this work and is having a positive impact.

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Staff well-being is prioritised. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive to manage their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 16 and 17 July 2024

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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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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2015.

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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 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). 16 and 17 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Gillan Barnard and Kishan Parshotam (co-chairs) Headteacher Sally Newing

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized infant school.  The school is part of a hard federation with Mount Stewart Junior School, which is on the same site. Both schools share the same leadership team and governing body.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs.  The school does not currently use 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.

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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 this evaluation. 16 and 17 July 2024

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers and members of staff. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority and met with three governors, including the vice-chair of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and PE. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The inspector also considered the curriculum in 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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ priorities for

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improvement.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Samantha Ingram, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 16 and 17 July 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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