Christ Church CofE Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 27–28 February 2012 Inspection number 376503 Christ Church C of E Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 101035 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 376503 Inspection dates 27–28 February 2012 Lead inspector Sue Rogers

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 201 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Father Geoffrey Owen Headteacher Mrs Colette Morris Date of previous school inspection 22 June 2009 School address Batten Street Battersea London SW11 2TH Telephone number 020 7228 2812 Fax number 020 7228 0747 Email address info@christchurch.wandsworth.sch.uk 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 Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, 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

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors observed 19 part- lessons, taught by nine teachers. They also made shorter visits to all classes to look at displays and observe individual pupils and groups at work. At these times they heard younger pupils read. Inspectors also scrutinised planning, talked to pupils and looked at their work. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body and school leaders. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at safeguarding records, monitoring files on progress and the school development plan. They met with parents and carers at the school gate and analysed survey responses from pupils and staff, as well as 65 questionnaires returned by parents and carers.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller-than-average primary school with a Nursery class. Nearly 90% of the pupils are from differing minority ethnic heritages, with the largest proportions being Black African and Black Caribbean. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language and who are not fluent in English when they enter the school is treble the national average. The proportion known to be eligible for free school meals is also three times higher than the national average. The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have decreased over recent years and are in line with the national average. Their main needs are moderate learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural problems. The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Key findings

 This is a good school. Achievement in English and mathematics has improved considerably since the previous inspection. The quality of education provided is good and pupils respond well. The school is not outstanding as pupils’ achievement in mathematics does not match that in English because there are too few opportunities for them to practise mathematical skills in all subjects. Although teaching has improved, its quality is not yet consistently outstanding in all subjects.

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Key findings

 All groups of pupils are making good progress and achieve well. Action to improve writing and develop literacy across the curriculum by adapting the timetable has enhanced progress in English. Similar opportunities for pupils to consolidate their mathematical skills in other subjects are being developed.

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Key findings

 Teaching has improved because of the successful drive to improve it in English and mathematics. Pupils enjoy their lessons and achieve well because they respect and like their teachers and are experiencing success as a result of good, and sometimes better, teaching.

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Key findings

 Staff have worked effectively to make sure that pupils feel secure. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school, reflecting the good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils of all ethnicities play harmoniously together.

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Key findings

 The headteacher is the driving force behind the school’s improvement. She has built an effective team of staff who all share her priorities and organisation to improve achievement and teaching. Leaders have been very successful in raising attainment by effective concentration on improving the teaching of English and mathematics through close monitoring and effective management of performance. There is less emphasis on identifying common areas for development in teaching generally, so teaching in other subjects is not consistently as strong as it is in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate the closure of the narrowing gap between results in English and mathematics by providing further opportunities for pupils to practise and apply mathematical skills across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching through: – leaders and managers taking more of an overview when monitoring to identify whole-school aspects for development – identifying common competencies for the development of teaching in other areas of the curriculum.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the school in both Nursery and Reception classes with skill levels that are substantially below those expected typically of children of that age. Although they make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, their attainment remains below average when they join Year 1. All groups of pupils, irrespective of social backgrounds, have made increasingly good progress over recent years. This is because improvements in teaching have taken effect. Consequently, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 has risen year on year and is broadly in line with national averages.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs are especially well supported because their learning and behavioural needs are clearly identified and staff know what to do to support them in lessons. Some pupils of Black Caribbean origin were previously making slower progress than their peers, but the school has closed the gap with well-planned individual attention for them. Pupils from all ethnic heritages achieve equally well. Topics studied are of interest to all groups of pupils, and boys, especially, are given incentive to write. For example, one class was basing diary writing on a football-themed book, Billy the Kid, which greatly motivated boys. The school is successful in increasing the proportion of pupils who achieve the higher Level 5, especially in reading. More-able pupils now make good progress in all subjects, as teachers put more thought into challenging extension activities.

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Achievement of pupils

The enthusiasm with which pupils talk about their school and show this in lessons is a key feature of Christ Church. Pupils and parents and carers believe that progress is good, and inspection findings fully endorse their views. Pupils become animated as they explain what they have been learning and are, invariably, very keen to do better. This positive attitude to learning is apparent across the school. Reception children, for example, were seen excitedly competing to explain how they had extended their vocabulary by looking at, and talking about, flowers. Year 6 pupils were motivated by helpful feedback on how to improve their play scripts. They responded well to both positive comment and improvement advice; all clearly knew specifically what they had to do to improve and acted positively to do so. They were all looking forward to sharing the finished product with their ‘reading buddies’ in Year 1. When they did so, the process improved their own speaking and writing skills and

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Achievement of pupils

helped develop the reading of their younger peers as well.

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Achievement of pupils

Reading and writing have improved from opportunities to practise these skills across the curriculum. Nearly all pupils have a solid basis in early reading skills, and attainment in reading at the end of Years 2 and 6 is in line with national averages. The strong emphasis on making sure that pupils know their letter sounds (phonics) is particularly effective in assisting the many pupils for whom English is an additional language to gain confidence with the language to enable them to successfully access the full curriculum. Mathematics has been developed well through the use of a new practical scheme of work that has helped learners understand how to calculate more effectively. The school knows that there is not yet enough problem-solving in real-life contexts planned in all subjects to ensure that progress in mathematics fully matches that made in English.

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Quality of teaching

School leaders have made improving teaching a priority. They have gone about this by analysing where there were gaps in pupils’ subject knowledge and where progress was not secure. Effective training in using more active methods and approaches has also generated useful new resources. For example, whole-school training has concentrated on giving the curriculum increased impact on learning by teaching time, shape, space and measurement more effectively, and teachers have reinforced each other’s good practice. All teachers have adopted a challenging, practical approach that complements their new mathematics scheme and engages pupils fully in their learning. Year 3 pupils, for example, were observed as they excitedly began to comprehend the challenging concept of negative numbers by filling in holes while gardening. This was a small-group task, well managed by a teaching assistant. It demonstrates the effective way in which teachers are using their staff to move

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Quality of teaching

learning on as swiftly as possible. However, mathematical investigations that would prompt pupils to practise and apply their skills are lacking in some other relevant contexts.

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Quality of teaching

These practical activities, adapted to pupils’ learning needs, help them to enjoy their learning. Teachers usually make it very clear what learning is intended. Their effective feedback on what can be improved, especially in English, gives learners confidence. As a result, pupils trust their teachers and listen very carefully to what is said. Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent. Teachers are especially good at reinforcing the difference between right and wrong, as well as giving pupils insight into understanding and respecting differences in others. Consequently, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is much enhanced by teaching. Pupils are, rightly, very positive about their teachers and the quality of teaching, as are most parents and carers. As one pupil said, ‘Teaching is 99.9% good.’

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Quality of teaching

All teachers plan carefully in order to meet the needs of pupils of all abilities and needs. They invariably check that those pupils who are in the early stages of learning English understand what is wanted. Pupils with special educational learning needs are provided with resources well adapted to their needs.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school is a very cohesive community because teachers work hard and effectively to promote strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in the pupils. The ‘green team’ and the school council work hard to help their school improve and stay eco-friendly. Pupils are very enthusiastic about their school gardens as many do not have opportunities to grow plants and learn about nature and the environment at home. Parents and carers particularly value the approachability of the staff and the small, intimate sense of community. Most parents and carers, and the majority of pupils, think that behaviour is good and has improved over recent years. Inspectors agree. The teachers’ consistent approach has resulted in pupils who are very polite and helpful. For instance, they courteously hold doors open for visitors. They understand and support the school’s high expectations of their behaviour.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils behave well in class, are very attentive to teachers and work very well with each other. They persevere with their work, even when they find it difficult. The small group of pupils with special educational emotional and behavioural needs is well managed. There are very occasional disturbances to lessons, but incidents are very few and disruption is kept to a minimum. Behaviour is improving through the enforcement of increasingly rigorous policies and procedures and the development of pupils’ self-esteem.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe and say they feel very safe in school. They also have a good awareness of different types of bullying. For example, pupils are very informed about avoidance of, and ways to deal with, cyber bullying. They say that any form of bullying is rare and that any incidents will be dealt with quickly and effectively by the school. Pupils’ attendance has improved considerably, thanks to the school’s rigorous procedures, and is now above average.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher is dedicated to improving the school and has worked effectively with middle leaders and staff to improve all major areas of school practice. The school has improved the curriculum, which has supported improved achievement and teaching in mathematics and English. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strongly promoted. For example, the headteacher led a very moving assembly in which she made a Lent call for water aid in Africa, and pupils responded sensitively and reflectively.

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Leadership and management

Leaders have focused on driving up standards by improving the quality of teaching. Effective programmes support new teachers and enhance their skills as quickly as possible. More-experienced teachers are deployed alongside new staff to model good practice and give advice and encouragement. Senior leaders are influential in monitoring staff and in helping to model learning strategies. For example, senior leaders have trained other teachers on how to give effective feedback. Leaders make good use of assessment information to track progress made by individual pupils and to set challenging targets. Accurate self-evaluation has helped them improve the teaching of mathematics and English, by developing teachers’ skills and subject knowledge. Monitoring ensures that teachers are very well supported and developed at an individual level. There is not yet enough time spent in identifying, and focusing on, the common areas for training across the school that will move teaching from

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Leadership and management

The school promotes equality and tackles discrimination effectively. Leaders have worked hard to ensure that all groups of pupils achieve equally well. Sustained improvements to teaching quality and to achievement and the maintenance of pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and good behaviour since the previous inspection show the school has strong capacity to improve still further.

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Leadership and management

Governors are knowledgeable about the school and are very supportive as well as challenging. Arrangements for safeguarding children, including child protection policies and procedures, are robust. Statutory requirements for safeguarding are met.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons, and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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SW11 2TH

I am writing to thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school to carry out our inspection. Thank you also to those of you who filled in questionnaires, and special thanks to those of you who gave up time to speak to us. We enjoyed talking to you. It was delightful to hear how much you like your school and to see how hard you try in your lessons.

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SW11 2TH

Here is what we decided about your school:

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SW11 2TH

 This is a good school and there have been good improvements since the last inspection.  All of you make good progress in your lessons in both English and mathematics. Progress in English is slightly better than progress in mathematics.  The teaching is good and you really enjoy your lessons.  You all behave well and feel very safe at school.  You have a good headteacher and the leaders and governors manage your school well.

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SW11 2TH

Although your school is a good one, we think that you and the teachers could make it still better by:

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SW11 2TH

 teachers giving you more opportunities to practise mathematical skills in other lessons  leaders organising training for groups of teachers so as to improve teaching still more and so there are more outstanding lessons

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SW11 2TH

With best wishes for your continued success

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SW11 2TH

Sue Rogers Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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