Lockdown gave school ‘a chance to reflect and refine plans’
THE nationwide coronavirus lockdown gave education bosses a chance to “reflect and refine plans” after being told by inspectors their school must improve in all areas.
Ofsted inspectors, who visited Horsenden Primary School on February 25 and 26, warned the quality of education was “not strong” and that incidents of bullying, such as repeated name calling, had been an “issue” at the Greenford site.
The report recognised the school had undergone a period of “significant change” with an overhaul of staff and leaders who were working on improvements, but “these are not fully embedded yet”.
Moves to work on subject plans that “lack ambition” and the school’s behaviour systems have been going ahead and inspectors urged for this to go further.
The report added: “A small number of bullying incidents, particularly around repeated name calling, still exist. Leaders have begun to deal with these.
“They must ensure that they continue to work with pupils and parents, so that incidents of bullying are effectively managed.
“Pupils learn about being respectful and are tolerant of those with differences. However, pupils do not learn about homophobic bullying. This limits their understanding about different types of prejudice. Leaders should ensure that they have clear plans for pupils to learn about homophobia.”
The school, in Horsenden Lane North, was given a ‘requires improvement’ rating, despite previously being rated ‘good’ in all its full inspections since 2010. Inspectors also noted that pupils at the school are a “delight to talk to, they are confident and articulate”. They found most pupils enjoyed learning and thought their teachers are caring.
The report added: “They love opportunities for visits, workshops and to use the school’s swimming pool. They shared that staff were quick to deal with any serious incidents should they occur.
“Pupils feel safe and are able to speak to the many adults who they trust.”
A spokesperson for Horsenden Primary School’s governing body said: “Considering our inspection took place six months into introduction of a new Ofsted framework, we were pleased inspectors recognised the hard work and significant improvements the new leadership team had already made.
“This was particularly in the teaching of writing, which was found to be effective, and in maths, where pupils showed strong knowledge and understanding.
“Inspectors also recognised that leaders and governors know what improvements need to be made and have a clear, robust plan for implementation.
“The lockdown period has provided leaders with time to reflect on and refine our plans as well as appoint to some key roles.
“Now that pupils are back in school we are confident that we can continue raising expectations for all pupils.”