Gascoigne Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Gascoigne Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. Leaders and governors have created a strong sense of community across the school's two sites.

Staff teach pupils to be tolerant and inclusive of others. Pupils enjoy learning about and celebrating each other's languages, cultures and traditions. Leaders strive to enable pupils to be independent and confident learners.

Their success in this is evident throughout the school.

Pupils understand the school rules and behave well. They are motivated to do their best because their teachers have high expectations of what they can achieve.

...>Pupils are highly engaged in their lessons. They are keen to share their ideas and opinions and do so with confidence. Pupils feel safe and are kept safe in school.

They understand what bullying means and said that incidents of bullying are rare. When they do occur, staff resolve them quickly and effectively.

Pupils appreciate the varied experiences and opportunities the school offers them.

They enjoy visits to London museums, local places of worship, and theatres. Pupils are encouraged to become responsible citizens. They relish taking on responsibilities, for example being librarians, play leaders and school councillors.

Through their activities, pupils apply their learning about democracy and helping each other.

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

Leaders make sure that pupils study the full range of national curriculum subjects. They have designed a curriculum that is broad and ambitious for all pupils.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In all subjects, leaders have thought about the key knowledge that teachers must teach and when. Pupils' learning is organised logically, and teachers know how to build pupils' understanding over time.

For example, in religious education, leaders have identified precisely the subject-specific knowledge and skills pupils will learn in each topic. This helps teachers to check that pupils are gaining knowledge and remembering what they should be.Leaders also think about how they will make sure that what children learn in the early years will help them succeed in Year 1.

In mathematics, for example, children in Reception quickly secure their knowledge of number. They also master subject-specific mathematics vocabulary. This prepares them well for the demands of the Year 1 mathematics curriculum.

Typically, teachers have strong knowledge of the subjects that they teach. They teach the subjects as intended in leaders' plans. However, at times, teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to revisit the knowledge they have studied previously.

Sometimes, this means that new knowledge does not become fully secure in pupils' long-term memories. In art, for example, pupils have learned about techniques and skills used by famous artists in the past. However, their fluency in recalling and using these to build deeper knowledge and skills is not fully secure.

Teachers use a range of assessments to check pupils' knowledge and understanding. They use these checks regularly and adapt the planned learning to address misconceptions and make sure pupils achieve well. For instance, teachers check that pupils have gained the required important knowledge at the end of a teaching unit.

Leaders prioritise teaching reading across the school. The reading curriculum is carefully planned. In the Nursery, staff read a range of stories, rhymes and other books with the children.

They also introduce children to the initial stages of the school's phonics programme. This focus on learning to read continues into Reception and beyond. Through careful checking of pupils' phonics knowledge, leaders identify pupils who fall behind.

They use the information to ensure those pupils receive extra support to catch up quickly. The books that teachers give pupils to read match the sounds that they are learning. Pupils have access to books that interest and excite them.

Staff read to pupils daily. Older pupils said they enjoy reading. They understand the importance of being able to read, and they talk enthusiastically about reading for pleasure.

As a result, as pupils move through the school, they become fluent and confident readers.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, including those who attend the additional resourced provision. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and carers, and other agencies, as well as pupils themselves.

They ensure that pupils with SEND have access to the full curriculum on offer. Leaders have detailed knowledge of the needs of individual pupils. Learning plans are sharply focused, supporting teachers to meet pupils' needs in the classroom effectively.

Pupils listen attentively to teachers and work hard. Children in the early years concentrate well and happily take part in the learning and development activities on offer. These positive attitudes and behaviours help pupils to gain new knowledge.

Leaders provide pupils with a range of opportunities that support their wider development. Staff teach pupils about the important issues within their local community, such as the impact of knife crime and how to keep themselves safe. They also help pupils to understand how to build healthy relationships.

Leaders have also developed a programme of character development that supports pupils to build resilience, for example. Staff promote pupils' emotional and physical well-being in a well-considered manner.Staff said that leaders care about their well-being and are considerate of their workload.

For example, leaders made changes to the marking and feedback policy with the aim of giving staff more time to concentrate on planning their lessons.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that there is an effective culture of safeguarding in the school.

Leaders are aware of potential local safeguarding risks. Staff receive regular training, which is kept up to date. All staff know how to identify signs that pupils may be at risk.

They pass on their concerns promptly and leaders keep detailed records of information received and action taken. Leaders make sure that pupils, and their families, get the help that they need in a timely fashion.

Through the curriculum, pupils learn about risk and how to keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet.

Pupils are clear that they should tell a trusted adult if they are worried about something.

Leaders follow the proper procedures for vetting candidates' suitability to work with pupils.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, in a few subjects, teachers do not make sure that pupils remember long-term important key knowledge.

This limits pupils from being able to build upon their prior knowledge to master new and deeper knowledge and understanding. Leaders should make sure that teachers help pupils to revise key subject knowledge well enough to embed the information securely in their long-term memories.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2013.

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