St John Fisher RC Primary School

St John Fisher RC Primary School Grand Drive, London, SW20 9NA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Teaching is good throughout the whole school and some is outstanding. Teachers’ planning is very secure and resources engage pupils well so that learning is interesting and fun.  Acheivement is good and pupils learn well across the curriculum. Pupils’ reading is above average because there is an effective whole school focus.  The Early Years Foundation Stage provides well for the children, who make good gains in their early reading and numeracy skills.  Pupils feel cared for and report that their views are welcomed. They feel very safe and secure because of the highly effective sytems which are in place to help pupils to settle in quickly and to make friends. Their behaviour is exemplary at all times.  The headteacher has a clear vision for the development of the school. She is well supported by a strong leadership team that works together effectively. The team understand and follow through on what

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

needs to be done to further improve the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are a few lessons where work is not always set at the right level and where marking is not explicit enough to ensure that pupils know clearly what they can do to improve.  Although effective whole-school systems are in place for monitoring the work of the school, middle leaders are not always clear about the progress pupils make in their subject areas.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons, of which 9 were jointly observed with senior staff. Inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, a representative from the local authority, four members of the governing body and school staff, including senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors took account of the 63 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents. These included the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents related to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Emma Merva, Lead inspector Additional inspector Peter McCarthy Additional inspector Theresa Mullane Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than average.  The proportion of pupils who are from minority ethnic groups is above average, but the largest groups are those of White British and other White heritages.  An above average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average.  The proportion of pupils at school action, school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the current government’s floor standards.  The school has gained the Rights Respecting Quality Mark.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring all pupils are given sufficient opportunities and guidance to develop their ideas fully  ensuring that pupils have time to review their learning and clear feedback to help them improve their work.  Further strengthen leadership and management by:  enhancing the professional development of middle leaders to enable them to monitor more rigorously so that they are clear about the progress pupils make across their subject areas .

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards of attainment are above average in English and mathematics by the time pupils leave Year 6. All groups make good progress from their starting points. During the inspection pupils in a Year 6 lesson, for example, were highly engaged in complex problem solving for situations involving both positive and negative numbers. This was the result of well planned materials and effective questioning.  Similarly, in Year 3, pupils confidently articulated ways of counting the biggest coin they needed to decide which three coins made sixty pence. As a result of effective visual prompts and the skilful drawing out of their understanding by the teacher, they made good progress.  Mostly, children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge that are expected for their age. Increasingly, however, the skills and knowledge profile of the children on entry to the Nursery is below that expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ learning needs are well catered for through good teaching and an engaging curriculum which promotes children’s understanding and ensures children make good gains across all areas of their learning. Almost all parents report that their children are making good progress at school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with statements and at school action or school action plus, make good progress because of the effective small group and one-to-one support. This was evident in a Year 2 literacy lesson where pupils worked well in groups with an adult, developing ideas about their imaginative seaside stories by discussing them and preparing a planning sheet.  Standards in reading at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are above average as a result of well developed whole school strategies for teaching sounds and letters. There is a systematic approach throughout the school and this is well supported by the daily reading programme.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Those from White British and other White heritages, including those who speak English as an additional language, also make good progress as a result of well planned teaching resources, such as home language dictionaries which are used to enable the pupils to progress as well as their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching over time is good and there is some outstanding practice. Almost all parents commented that their children are well taught at school. Behaviour for learning in lessons is a strength and, as a result, pupils are very well engaged and focused to achieve.  Teachers mostly make effective use of planning but sometimes this does not always develop fully the thinking of some of the most able pupils. In this respect activities are not always sharply matched to the pupils’ needs.  Pupils work exceptionally well together in groups and are very cooperative with adults and each other. This exemplary behaviour results in very positive attitudes to their learning. For example, pupils in Year 1 showed their passion for learning as they worked really well together, practising subtraction by using passengers on a bus to figure out how many spaces were left for the journey.  In the outstanding lessons teaching is characterised by excellent planning, targeted

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The quality of teaching is good

questioning and extremely high expectations. For example, in a Year 5 French lesson pupils were engaged through the excellent use of pictures, sounds and actions and behaviour was exemplary. As a result, pupils’ learning and progress were excellent and all pupils could form sentences verbally in French in a very short period.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is a strength. There is good use of additional adult support to guide and help disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Occasionally, teachers talk for too long which slows learning because pupils have too little time to work independently.  The teaching of reading is good and there are many whole school programmes for pupils to access and practise their reading skills. For example, in a corrective reading session pupils made good progress as a result of well planned lessons, a good pace and the targeted focus on individual sounds such as ‘o’, ‘u’ and ‘ee’. Similarly, in Year 2, pupils’ progress in

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The quality of teaching is good

reading is good because of their good understanding of letters and sounds to decode challenging words.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that the outstanding behaviour observed in lessons is typical. They state that they get on very well together and that they ‘love learning, their lessons and writing’.  Pupils say they feel extremely safe at school and enjoy learning. Parents have few concerns about behaviour or bullying and, on the infrequent occasions when it does occur, pupils comment that it is dealt with well. Pupils say that any form of prejudice-based bullying, such as homophobic comments, are rare. They understand how to stay safe, for example, when using information and communication technology (ICT). There have been no exclusions.  The welcoming atmosphere and the religious ethos permeates every aspect of school life. As a result, pupils from a variety of backgrounds get on extremely well together and racist incidents are rare.  Pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is strong. For example, during the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

inspection pupils were observed sharing the ball space in the playground so everyone received a turn. Pupils comment that they really enjoy the musical instrument tuition they receive and the trips and visits on offer to them.  Pupils with behavioural difficulties are exceptionally well managed in class through systems such as cushions for sitting and wobbling on. There are clear systems for managing pupils with behaviour needs and they receive excellent support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have developed a strong team of staff. Their evaluation of the school is accurate and they have a clear drive and focus for success. Parents comment positively about the good leadership. The local authority provides light touch support for this good school.  The school has clear systems and procedures in place to monitor its work. However, sometimes middle leaders are not clear enough about pupils’ progress in the subjects they are responsible for.  Equality of opportunity is at the heart of the school’s work and it does not tolerate any kind of discrimination. The school develops good relationships with all of its pupils and an accurate tracking system highlights any underperformance.  The leadership and management of teaching and learning are good. Leaders’ judgements about the quality of teaching are accurate and, as a result, teachers have been offered

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The leadership and management are good

training individualised to their needs. The school leaders manage the performance of staff well. The school has sustained the quality of teaching across the different curriculum areas and this has linked closely to performance management. Improved behaviour and safety, consistently good teaching and sustained achievement demonstrate the capacity to improve further.  The curriculum is broad and balanced, it is enhanced by subjects such as French and the wide variety of extra-curricular activities, ranging from gardening club to street dance.  The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led and managed. The curriculum provides a good balance between adult-led and child-initiated activities, providing good learning opportunities.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have provided senior leaders with a clear mandate to drive

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The leadership and management are good

improvement and speed up pupils’ progress.  Governors take their responsibilities very seriously and with careful thought for all in their care. They ensure that the school has clear and effective procedures for risk assessment. They meet all statutory requirements for safeguarding.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 102671 Local authority Merton Inspection number 402898

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3−11 Number of pupils on the school roll 458 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Deacon Tom Kavanagh Headteacher Ursula O'Byrne Date of previous school inspection 19 March 2008 Telephone number 020 8540 2637 Fax number 020 8540 2988 Email address admin.officer@st_johnfisher.merton.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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,

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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