Marlborough Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Marlborough Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 26 February 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2014.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your ethos of achievement for all is reflected throughout leaders' work, and inclusion underpins your plans for school improvement.

Leaders use pupil-progress information to inform school priorities and resources are appropriately d...irected to those pupils who need the most support. Pupil mobility is high. For example, there are 67 new pupils so far this academic year, and 36 leavers.

Leaders and governors understand the issues associated with pupil mobility, and appreciate that, once the school is full, there will be greater stability. Leaders support new pupils and their families well. Leaders have employed an extensive package of support for new parents.

They and the teachers engage quickly with new families to familiarise them with the school and prepare pupils for their lessons. You regularly elicit the views of parents, and use every means to do so. For example, at a recent parents' evening, you used computers to capture their views.

Parents told me that staff are accessible to parents and children, and that they have noticed a lot of improvements at the school. Your specialist resource base, Anstruther House, is well resourced. Leaders are responsible for the safety and educational outcomes for its pupils, all of whom have a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

The expansion of the resource base had been carefully managed, with due regard for the needs of current pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Pupil-performance information is carefully checked in school.

Leaders use a variety of methods to produce a rounded view of pupils' progress. Arrangements include teachers working with teachers from local schools, working with the local authority and using national standardised tests. Teachers know their pupils' abilities well and plan for them to make progress.

The areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection have been addressed successfully. The school's emphasis on reading is visible across all year groups. In the early years, children's progress in writing is visible in improvements made in their early mark making and handwriting.

Older children, including those children with SEND, engage well in early phonics learning. Parents are encouraged to support their children's reading at home, and appropriate rewards are in place to promote this. In key stages 1 and 2, reading records are shared between school and home.

Teachers use this information to monitor pupils' progress in reading and to provide texts that stretch and improve pupils' reading skills. Those pupils who speak English as an additional language make strong progress in their reading. You use your new school building well.

The local community and pupils at the school benefit from the extra-curricular activities offered on-site. For example, the take-up for ballet is high, and local community groups use the school in the evenings and at weekends. Safeguarding is effective.

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Leaders and governors regularly check the compliance of safeguarding records, and ensure that procedures and policies are followed. Leaders with responsibility for safeguarding feel well supported by the local authority.

Leaders and governors consider safeguarding pupils to be the most important part of their work. For example, in all staff meetings, safeguarding is mentioned so that teaching staff are up to date with safeguarding issues. Pupils told me that they feel safe in school, on school trips and that they know how to stay safe online.

Pupils also told me that the use of derogatory language is very rare, and that they know who to speak to should they have a concern. Inspection findings ? At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed on three lines of enquiry. The first was based around outcomes in writing for key stage 2 pupils.

This was identified because recent progress in writing has been below that in other core subjects. ? Teachers and other adults in the classroom demonstrate excellent subject knowledge. They use their skills to support pupils to make progress in their writing.

For example, in lessons on frontal adverbials, adults supported learners to identify a range of sentence starters and their appropriate use. Pupils with SEND receive additional support that enables them to understand more challenging concepts. Pupils naturally refer to resources around the room to support their writing.

For example, they were observed using lists of sentence starters, verbs and adjectives to help them improve the quality of their writing. ? Frequent opportunities for extended writing were seen in pupils' books. By editing and improving shorter pieces, pupils build up to a longer piece of writing.

This culminates in high-quality pieces that showcase their writing. The profile of writing has been raised across the curriculum. For example, some pupils have recently written an extended piece of writing on a 'cosmic treasure hunt', which incorporates elements of their science curriculum and their knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

• Teachers share their high expectations with pupils. They give accurate feedback to pupils on how to improve their writing, in line with the school's expectations. Year 6 pupils told me what they needed to do to improve their writing.

When looking through their own books, pupils reflected well on previous work and told me how their handwriting and sentence structures had improved. ? Teachers plan lessons based on outcomes and progress measured from pupils' most recent learning. They use this approach to address pupils' misconceptions and resolve any misunderstandings.

For example, pupils received support on their punctuation following a lesson on writing. Work in pupils' books shows sustained progress since the beginning of the academic year. ? Teachers have strong skills in assessing pupils' writing, and use them to plan ahead for pupils' progress.

Current progress information shows an improving picture across key stage 2 in writing. ? The second line of enquiry was based on outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. This was agreed because recent outcomes were below leaders' expectations.

• Leaders have researched how best to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils. They concentrate interventions on improving pupils' speaking skills, their use of vocabulary and the wider curriculum. The school, through concentrating on ensuring high-quality teaching, is having a positive impact on improving outcomes for pupils.

• Disadvantaged pupils' books show improvement in their writing. They know how to improve their work and make the same good progress as their peers. This was evident in their books and in lessons.

They engage confidently with their peers and those adults supporting them. ? Termly pupil-progress meetings are thorough, and ensure that leaders have a good understanding of each pupil's academic and personal achievement. Leaders and teachers work together to examine pupil information, including work in their books.

This information is used to focus support on particular pupils who are identified as needing additional help. ? The third line of enquiry focused on attendance. This was agreed because recent attendance rates were below similar schools nationally.

• Pupils' attendance is affected by high mobility rates, medical needs and some parents taking pupils out of school for family holidays. Leaders' introduction of new reward systems and the use of appropriate sanctions has improved attendance. Current attendance rates are close to similar schools nationally.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should make sure that: ? the continued emphasis on writing, in key stage 2, ensures outcomes that are in line with other core subjects ? outcomes for disadvantaged pupils continue to close any gaps with their peers, nationally. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Kensington and Chelsea. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Jason Hughes Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I met with the co-headteachers to discuss the priorities for the school. I looked at a range of pupils' work, together with middle and senior leaders. I met with governors.

Leaders accompanied me on visits to lessons where we observed teaching and learning, spoke with pupils and looked at their work. I examined a range of documentation relating to safeguarding, including the single central record. I scrutinised Ofsted's online survey for parents (21 responses) and associated commentary (15 comments), as well as responses to the staff survey (17 responses) and the views of pupils (63 responses).

I examined the school's website and reviewed information about pupils' progress, attainment and attendance. I also considered the school's evaluation of how well it is doing, its improvement priorities and assessment information for current pupils. I spoke on the telephone with the school's improvement partner.

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