Schools & FE · School inspection (2012 framework)
St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School
Summary
Gulshanbir Kayembe (lead), Ann Sydney, Michael Jude
What we read, and from where
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- Inspection date verified
23 Mar 2012
- Inspectors verified
Ann Sydney, Gulshanbir Kayembe, Michael Jude
- Overall effectivenesssingle source
Satisfactory
- Name on report verified
St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School
- URN verified
100830
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
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- OverallSatisfactory
Tone of the report
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In line with other reports of this type graded Satisfactory.
Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.
How the report reads, start to finish
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Strengths
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- Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. p.9
- An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. p.9
- Enjoyment of, and regularity in, their reading contribute to pupils' good progress. p.6
- Teaching in the resource base is exceptionally good and provides pupils with the skills and confidence to work for most of the time in mainstream p.6
- Pupils make good progress in their reading and their progress in mathematics is improving. p.4
Concerns
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- However, activities that children work on by themselves are not always demanding enough and questioning of children about their work does not always aid learning. p.4
- Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. p.9
- An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. p.9
Next steps
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- Improve the progress made by children in the Early Years Foundation Stage by: providing activities that are well structured to enable children to develop their thinking and their skills of independent learning giving children time to consider their answers when being questioned. p.5
- Develop and strengthen the quality of leadership and management by: giving subject leaders more opportunities to monitor teaching in their areas of learning developing the skills of all leaders in evaluating the impact of new p.5
What the report dwells on
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Anatomy of the report
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- Pages
- 12
- Words of findings
- 2,744
- about usual (typical 3005)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 45, typical 44
- Average sentence
- 18 words
- Next steps
- 2
- typical 3
- Hedged sentences
- 17%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 22–23 March 2012 Inspection number 376471 St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School Inspection report
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Unique reference number 100830 Local authority Southwark Inspection number 376471 Inspection dates 22–23 March 2012 Lead inspector Gulshanbir Kayembe
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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 418 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Joe Booth Headteacher Sarah Alexander Date of previous school inspection 18 June 2009 School address Adys Road Peckham London SE15 4DY Telephone number 020 7525 9210 Fax number 020 7525 9208 Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 2 of 12
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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 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
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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 Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 3 of 12
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Introduction
This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors saw 27 lessons taught by 24 staff. In addition, inspectors made a few shorter visits to classrooms and heard groups of pupils read in Years 1, 2 and 6. They held meetings with groups of pupils, staff and governors. Members of the team also spoke to a number of parents while they were dropping off their children for school. The team took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at relevant documents, plans and records related to behaviour, safety and pupils' achievements. As part of the inspection, the team analysed questionnaire responses from staff, pupils and 226 parents and carers
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Information about the school
The school is a larger than average primary school. About 45% of pupils are White British with the remaining majority coming from a wide range of other ethnic backgrounds, of which the largest is Black Caribbean at about 20%. About a tenth of pupils speak English as an additional language including some who are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with disabilities and special educational needs is a little above average and many of these pupils have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The school has a specially resourced provision, the resource base, for pupils with hearing impairment, although for most of their time the five pupils currently registered for this provision are taught in mainstream classes. A broadly average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. The school meets the current floor standard for pupils' achievement. The school has had a new headteacher since its last inspection and there have been
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Information about the school
many changes to staffing since then. A number of staff were in temporary positions covering maternity leave or short-term illness during the inspection. Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 4 of 12
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Information about the school
Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms
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Key findings
This is a satisfactory school. Although improving, it is not yet good because inconsistencies in teaching, the curriculum, and in leadership and management result in satisfactory rather than good progress. Achievement is satisfactory across the school including in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 is broadly average. Pupils make good progress in their reading and their progress in mathematics is improving. Pupils with hearing impairment are making satisfactory progress. The quality of teaching is satisfactory across the school and including for pupils with hearing impairment. It is improving, but inconsistencies remain in meeting the needs of all groups of pupils, especially challenging the more able, and in using lesson time productively. Marking is regular but does not always provide pupils with clear enough guidance for improvement. Teaching assistants often
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Key findings
provide good support across the school. Teacher-led sessions in the Early Years Foundation Stage help to build children's confidence and skills. However, activities that children work on by themselves are not always demanding enough and questioning of children about their work does not always aid learning. While most pupils behave well, the behaviour of some remains challenging. The rates of fixed term exclusion are high, although have fallen since the last inspection. Most parents and carers feel positive about their children being safe in school, and pupils agree. Attendance is high. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school's most senior leaders have a sharp focus on improving teaching and both school and staff performance. This is having a positive impact. The roles of other leaders in evaluating teaching and assessing the impact of new initiatives and interventions are less well developed. Challenging questioning from the
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Key findings
governing body is contributing to sharper analysis of data to inform future actions. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 5 of 12
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Key findings
Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms
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What does the school need to do to improve further?
Raise achievement through improvements in teaching by: ensuring that work is well matched to the needs of different groups of pupils in all lessons and challenging for all especially the more able making sure that time is well spent in all lessons with pupils being actively engaged and fully on task providing pupils with written comments that help them to understand their next steps in learning. Improve the progress made by children in the Early Years Foundation Stage by: providing activities that are well structured to enable children to develop their thinking and their skills of independent learning giving children time to consider their answers when being questioned. Develop and strengthen the quality of leadership and management by: giving subject leaders more opportunities to monitor teaching in their areas of learning developing the skills of all leaders in evaluating the impact of new
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Achievement of pupils
Children begin in Reception with skills and knowledge that are broadly in line with national expectations. They make satisfactory progress in their first year in school developing their skills and knowledge further especially in literacy and numeracy. Many, especially girls, are beginning to gain a firm grasp of letters and the sounds they make. They enjoy being actively engaged though the tasks provided when children are working independently do not always provide them with sufficient opportunities to challenge their thinking. Consequently, they are at times more playing than exploring ideas or being creative. Many children are keen for more demanding work. A group of boys, for example, devised their own game of sorting objects in the sand area by colour.
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Achievement of pupils
Pupils begin Year 1 with attainment that is in line with age-related expectations. They make satisfactory progress overall to reach broadly average standards by the end of both key stages. However, progress in reading in particular is good and attainment is higher than in writing or mathematics at the end of both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, although still within the broadly average range. Pupils' progress in mathematics is improving and lower attaining pupils in particular are benefiting from more practical approaches. For example, a group of Years 3 and 4 pupils developed a good understanding of three-dimensional shapes by undoing packaging and using the layout to successfully construct their own cuboids and square-based pyramids.
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Achievement of pupils
Pupils' understanding of letter sounds in Key Stage 1 is developing steadily. Most can Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 6 of 12
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Achievement of pupils
Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms
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Achievement of pupils
break down words and sound them out to help with reading and writing, but some lower attaining pupils are less secure. Older pupils demonstrate a good developing understanding of text. By Year 6, they discuss effectively the characters they are reading about and most read between the lines. Enjoyment of, and regularity in, their reading contribute to pupils' good progress.
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Achievement of pupils
Pupils with disabilities, including those with hearing impairment, and special educational needs make similar progress as others. When supported by teaching assistants, their progress is more secure and it is often good when these pupils are taught in small groups. However, the inconsistencies in teaching over time mean that their overall progress remains satisfactory.
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Achievement of pupils
Some pupils within particular groups, such as Black Caribbean, those with special educational needs, particularly behavioural, and those known to be eligible for free school meals in the past have achieved less well than others. Special groups and other interventions have been effective in addressing gaps in achievement between these groups and pupils nationally. Consequently there is now no significant difference in the achievement of different groups.
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Achievement of pupils
Pupils' learning in lessons is mixed. In some, pupils make good progress but often their progress is largely satisfactory because work is not challenging enough, especially for the most able, or they do not remain focused on completing tasks. In these instances, the pace of learning slows. Where teaching is good, pupils engage well with tasks and are keen to answer questions and think for themselves. Most parents feel that their children are making good progress and pupils agree. While this is increasingly the case, the overall evidence points to satisfactory, rather than good, progress over time.
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Quality of teaching
Teaching is rarely less than satisfactory and many lessons are good or better. Teaching in art and music is particularly strong. Most parents feel that their children are taught well and pupils agree. While this is increasingly the case, the inspection evidence points to satisfactory teaching because it is not yet consistently good or better. Children in Reception are given good support to help them develop new skills and knowledge. Adult-led sessions are usually good at enabling children to work well and grasp new ideas, although they are not always given time to think before answering questions. The curriculum for Reception children does not provide enough challenging opportunities for children to work on their own which, on occasion, slows their progress. Teaching in the resource base is exceptionally good and provides pupils with the skills and confidence to work for most of the time in mainstream
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Quality of teaching
classes. Daily sessions in guided reading support the good progress pupils make in their reading.
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Quality of teaching
Teachers identify relevant general learning objectives and manage classes and resources reasonably well to achieve these. However, where teaching is satisfactory, work is often not well matched to the needs of different groups of pupils. It is not Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 7 of 12
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Quality of teaching
Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms
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Quality of teaching
challenging enough for many, and especially the more able, to promote good progress. Sometimes teachers talk for too long, reducing the time for pupils to engage actively in tasks, and this also slows their learning. It also reduces the opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of independent learning. Marking does not always provide sufficient guidance to pupils on how to improve.
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Quality of teaching
Where teaching is good or better, tasks are well structured to promote pupils' thinking. Pupils have good opportunities to work in groups and pairs to discuss ideas and learn from one another. Their personal and social skills are well developed in these lessons. There are some good opportunities for developing pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson on angles, a picture by Kandinsky was given to pupils to identify all the different geometric constructions, especially the different types of angles, they could see. However, pupils do not always have enough opportunities to reflect on their work.
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Behaviour and safety of pupils
Behaviour is satisfactory and pupils behave well in and around the school most of the time. Pupils' behaviour sometimes deteriorates when lessons do not engage and motivate all, but not to the extent of causing any major disruption. Exclusion rates are lower than at the time of the last inspection but still high compared to other primary schools. The butterfly room, where pupils who find it difficult to manage their behaviour in class are supported, is a good initiative that is helping to reduce exclusions further. Parents, carers and pupils are mostly positive about behaviour and safety. A very small number raised concerns about the time taken to resolve a bullying issue. However, almost all parents express confidence that their children are safe in school, and most pupils agree. Trained peer mediators, another recent initiative, are active during lunch times helping other pupils to resolve problems and
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Behaviour and safety of pupils
fallings out with friends. Most children in the Reception class behave well and enjoy their learning.
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Behaviour and safety of pupils
The school teaches pupils about the dangers of drugs and gangs alongside other risks so that they have a good awareness of how to stay safe, including on the internet. Pupils are also aware that bullying, including racism and other prejudice- based bullying, are wrong. Ongoing work includes raising awareness of homophobic bullying. Attendance has been improving since the last inspection and very few pupils are persistently absent.
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Leadership and management
The headteacher provides good leadership and sets a firm and clear direction for development that is well focused on raising achievement. She is well supported in this by her deputy and assistant headteachers, and governors. Systems for tracking pupil progress are well established and challenging targets for pupils are effectively monitored. Data analysis is used well to challenge performance, where necessary, by both the school's most senior leaders and governors. They also evaluate the many initiatives and interventions to raise achievement and check what works best. Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 8 of 12
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Leadership and management
Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms
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Leadership and management
However, not all leaders are as confident, or have the skills, to examine the impact of specific programmes or provision on pupils' learning and progress. This means that their contribution to the school's self-evaluation is more limited. In addition, subject leaders are not involved enough in checking the quality of teaching in their areas, although this is thoroughly done by senior staff. Nonetheless, the improvements over time in mathematics, the performance of different groups, attendance and behaviour demonstrate the school's capacity for continued improvement.
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Leadership and management
The school promotes equality of opportunity satisfactorily. The appointment of an assistant headteacher to oversee inclusion has been very positive. A wide range of strategies are being used to address the needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The butterfly room is successful in keeping pupils who have transgressed in school so that they can continue to work. This, together with small group work for targeted pupils and well focused adult support, helps to promote equality of opportunity. Proactive work with parents is also helping to address issues of behaviour and underachievement. The school addresses discriminatory behaviour, such as occasional racist behaviour from pupils, decisively. The school's procedures for keeping pupils safe are robust. Thorough checks ensure that adults in school are suitable to work with children.
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Leadership and management
Governors provide good strategic oversight of the school and have developed their communication with parents well. They are now looking at improving their communication and active engagement with staff.
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Leadership and management
The school's main curriculum is satisfactory and well supported by a wide range of extra-curricular activities and visits. Art and music make a very positive contribution to pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as do activities such as circle time and assemblies. The teaching of phonics is being developed satisfactorily, although some younger children remain uncertain of their letter sounds. The school is also effectively promoting the use of mathematics and its application to problems in the real world. Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 9 of 12
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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. Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 10 of 12
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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. Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 11 of 12
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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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School, London SE15 4DY
Thank you for giving us such a friendly welcome when we visited your school recently and for sharing your views with us. We really enjoyed talking to you, being in your lessons, and hearing some of you read. Your school is giving you a satisfactory education and helping you to make appropriate progress in your learning. We were pleased to learn that you enjoy reading and read regularly at home as well as at school. As a result, you are making good progress in making your reading better. You are also getting better at mathematics.
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School, London SE15 4DY
Staff look after you well and adults give you lots of good help in lessons. Good relationships are a positive feature of the school. Children in Reception enjoy the range of activities provided both inside and out. Pupils with hearing needs, from the resource base, are well integrated into classes and the butterfly room is a good place for pupils when they need a calm and quiet space.
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School, London SE15 4DY
Your headteacher is working hard with other staff and governors to improve the school, and together they are making a positive difference. We have asked them to focus especially on:
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School, London SE15 4DY
improving teaching so that the work you are given makes you think hard, making the best use of the learning time in lessons and to make sure that you are given useful guidance on how to make your work better providing those of you in Reception with more opportunities to explore ideas and solve problems when you are working on activities by yourselves, and plenty of time to answer any questions you are asked helping all leaders to check your work and the work of the school and identify what works best in helping you to learn.
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School, London SE15 4DY
To help your school improve, continue to do your best work at all times. We wish you all every success in the future.
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School, London SE15 4DY
Gulshan Kayembe Lead inspector Inspection report: St John's and St Clement's Church of England Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 12 of 12
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School, London SE15 4DY
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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