Perrymount Primary School

Perrymount Primary School Sunderland Road, Lewisham, London, SE23 2TX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils, including those who are disabled or special educational needs, are supported well so that they make good progress, with large proportions meeting or exceeding the nationally expected levels of attainment.  Although pupils join Nursery and Reception classes with skills and abilities below the expected age, they are extremely well nurtured and taught so that they acquire skills quickly, particularly in reading and mathematics.  Since the previous inspection, the quality of teaching has improved greatly so that it is at least good. Teachers create a nurturing learning environment where all pupils are exceptionally well cared for. The quality of marking is excellent.  Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school.  Strong relationships exist between adults and pupils and between pupils and their peers; this ensures that all thrive in a stimulating environment.  Pupils are happy at school. They feel safe and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

attend school regularly. Since the last inspection, attendance has improved from below average to above average.  The headteacher and governors communicate clear vision and a strong commitment to school improvement, which are shared by all staff. The headteacher checks the school’s performance carefully and identifies priority areas for further improvement accurately.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not always have the opportunity to develop their writing skills across different subjects.  There are few opportunities for pupils to assess each other’s work so that they learn from each other.  Occasionally, teachers do not check the levels of pupils' progress in lessons often enough so that they can help pupils to make even better progress.  Teachers do not always use information and communication technology skilfully to support pupils’ learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 18 lessons taught by 13 teachers. Five of the lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders of the school. Inspectors scrutinised the work in pupils' books and listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors held several meetings with the headteacher, subject leaders and other managers, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. In addition, they held discussions with a number of staff and met two groups of pupils to gather evidence on their perceptions of the school.  Tracking data on pupils’ achievement, the school's evaluation of its work and the school's development plan were examined.  The school's monitoring records on teachers’ performance were scrutinised, as well as safeguarding policies and subject development plans.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at break and at lunchtimes, was observed.  Inspectors took account of the 22 responses to the Parent View, the Ofsted on-line

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Information about this inspection

questionnaire survey, and the views of parents and carers who spoke to inspectors at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Samuel Ofori-Kyereh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter Wibroe Additional Inspector Patricia MacLachan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Perrymount is an average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils come from minority ethnic heritages with no dominant group. The proportions of pupils who speak English as an additional language and those at the early stage of learning English are higher than found nationally.  A larger than average proportion of pupils is known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium, additional funding provided by the government.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below the national average, but the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. Most of these pupils have physical disabilities, autism, and speech, language and communication needs.  Since the previous inspection, a number of teachers has left the school and new teachers have joined.  The school has physiotherapy and sensory therapy resources to meet the needs of some pupils

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Information about this school

who are disabled and have special education needs.  The school works in partnership with a local university and has gained the Healthy School status.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement across the school and in all subjects, especially in writing, by:  providing more opportunities to develop writing skills across all subjects  ensuring that pupils assess each other’s work in lessons so that they can learn from each other and make even better progress.  Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching across the school by:  ensuring that teachers check constantly the levels of progress made by all pupils and provide prompt feedback so that pupils can improve on their learning and make even better progress  developing the skills of all teachers so that they can use information and communication technology more effectively to support pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress that all groups of pupils make across the school, including those from minority ethnic heritages and those learning English as an additional language, is at least good. Attainment in all subjects and across the school has risen since the previous inspection to be in line with the national average at Key Stage 1 and above the national average at Key Stage 2.  The school has successfully addressed weaknesses in the quality of teaching identified so that pupils make faster progress in their learning. As a result, pupils’ attainment is improving rapidly across the school with no identified groups of pupils making less than expected progress.  Although pupils’ achievement in writing is good, it is not as good as that in reading and mathematics. This is because, until recently, there has not been enough emphasis on providing opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills across the different subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Changes to the numeracy programme have helped pupils to develop good problem solving and calculations skills that help them to apply mathematical concepts in other areas of their learning. Consequently, all groups of pupils make good progress in mathematics.  The school’s new literacy programme enables pupils to develop a range of strategies to enable them to learn phonics (letters and sounds) effectively. As a result, pupils’ standards in reading across the school have risen rapidly. For example, in a good Year 6 lesson, pupils were well supported to read different books according to their abilities, and to identify the meanings of difficult words, which helped them to widen their vocabulary.  Pupils show great enjoyment in reading a range of books and texts. They talk passionately about why they read books by specific authors. Pupils use several strategies such as sounding out and breaking up of words to help them pronounce difficult words. These strategies help pupils at the

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The achievement of pupils is good

early stages of learning English to develop reading skills rapidly and make good progress.  Many children arrive at the Nursery and Reception at different times of the school year and with skills and abilities that are well below those expected for their age. The children are supported and taught exceptionally well and they make rapid progress in almost all the areas of learning, so that by the time they join Year 1 their attainment is at least in line with the national expectations.  The school plans very well to meet the learning needs of all groups of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Effective provision including therapeutic sessions with a musician, physiotherapists and other specialist teachers enables these pupils to make good progress in their learning. The pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium are well cared for in lessons and in tailored support sessions so that they make progress at a similar rate

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The achievement of pupils is good

to their peers.  Pupils do not always have the opportunity to assess each other’s work so that they learn from each other and make even better progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has worked to improve the quality of teaching across all year groups so that almost all lessons are good or better. Teachers have received training to enable them to improve on their skills and the subjects they teach. Lessons are rigorously checked to ensure that they are well planned to take account of all pupils’ varying learning needs.  The pace of lessons is brisk. Imagination, flair and fun are used effectively to engage the interest of pupils and motivate them to challenge themselves further and make good progress. In some lessons, however, teachers fail to check all pupils’ level of understanding and rates of progress so that they can adjust activities and support pupils in making even better progress.  Pupils are supported well to read widely and frequently through the whole-school programme to improve achievement in reading. Pupils at the early stages of learning English are supported

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The quality of teaching is good

particularly well so that they acquire strategies quickly to read fluently.  Teachers use a wide range of resources to support pupils, especially disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, so that their speaking, listening and mathematical skills are developed well and they achieve highly. However, information and communication technology, including interactive whiteboards, is not always used well by all teachers to deepen pupils’ understanding.  Pupils have opportunities to make links with what they have learnt in other lessons. They discuss each other’s views, which helps them to develop their key skills in literacy and numeracy. These discussions contribute greatly to the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.  Teachers and other adults create a highly stimulating learning atmosphere and establish warm relationships with pupils so that all are enthused and strive to achieve well. Pupils are motivated

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The quality of teaching is good

and they are able to cooperate well with each other, as well as working independently to complete tasks assigned to them.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and provide comments on how well pupils have done and what they can do to improve. Pupils respond to teachers’ comments and this helps to extend their learning. Marking seen across the school is exemplary.  Teachers set homework in the form of home learning projects to enable parents to take an active part in their children’s learning. Pupils’ achievements in the home learning projects are recognised and celebrated and samples of their work are displayed on the walls across the school. Parents indicate that the home learning projects have helped their children to be focused on learning at home and they achieve well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes towards their learning, and each other, are positive. Pupils recognise the differences that exist amongst them and they are sensitive and kind to each other. In lessons and at playtimes, pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, take up responsibilities to manage activities and establish routines to ensure harmony.  The whole school atmosphere is typified by ‘respect’, the motto of the school. Pupils, including the different minority ethnic groups, are considerate, accept differences and respond politely to adults and to each other.  A strong feature of the school is the family spirit and the care for each other. Adults are effectively deployed to look after all children and to ensure that they are protected. Pupils indicated that they are ‘known and treated as individuals’.  The school has worked well with parents to raise pupils’ attendance from below the national

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

average to above average. Additionally, the school’s strategy of offering medical care for pupils on site has ensured that pupils do not miss school for medical appointments. This strategy has helped to improve pupils' attendance and almost all pupils are punctual to school.  Pupils indicate that they like coming to school because learning is fun and they feel safe because they are well looked after by teachers and other adults. Pupils have been taught about various dangers and they know how to keep themselves safe. For example, they are taught about how to respond to fire because of regular fire drills in school, as well as what to do when crossing the road.  Pupils say that bullying in any form, including racist or cyber bullying, is not an issue. The overwhelming majority of parents, carers and staff indicate that the school’s systems for eradicating bullying have been effective and that pupils feel safe at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, managers and governors have worked extremely well together to establish a clear vision and ambition to improve on teaching and to raise pupils’ achievement. All staff, pupils and a large majority of parents indicated through survey questionnaires and face-to-face meetings that they have full confidence in the leadership and the drive to improve standards.  The school evaluates its performance rigorously and plans actions to secure further improvements across the school. The school’s success in bringing about improvements is measured and regularly reviewed to ensure that the actions taken are addressing any weaknesses identified.  The school’s professional development programme is focused on supporting teachers to develop their skills, ensuring that teaching meets the needs of all pupils. Teachers willingly engage with lessons observations, systems for supporting each other, and induction programmes to enable

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The leadership and management are good

them to improve on their practice. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved considerably since the last inspection and is now at least good.  Leaders and other managers have systems for checking on the quality of teaching on a regular basis. When necessary, they challenge weaker teaching promptly to bring about improvements. The outcomes of lesson observations inform individual teachers’ performance targets. These are reviewed regularly to ensure that teachers are on track in achieving them. The targets must be achieved before any request for promotion and pay rise is considered.  Learning activities are now based on themes to create opportunities for pupils to learn different topics across different subjects. Consequently, pupils have made rapid progress in developing reading, mathematics and communication skills. However, opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills across different subjects have only recently been introduced and are yet to

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The leadership and management are good

have a marked impact on their progress.  The school upholds the principle of equal opportunity and works to eliminate all forms of discrimination by ensuring the pupils who are at early stages of learning English, those who are disabled and those with special educational needs have access to educational resources and opportunities that meet their learning needs.  Leaders have worked extremely well with the parents and/or carers of pupils who are identified as potentially vulnerable to provide medical and social facilities that meet their educational needs. The school works well with medical professionals and other therapists to provide services that enable these pupils and their families to cope with difficult circumstances.  The school welcomes parents to participate in school events. Parents respond positively and attend several of the school’s events including pantomime, educational trips and nativity plays.

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The leadership and management are good

The school provides effective support to the parents and pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium through the use of new educational materials and additional adults to meet pupils’ learning needs.  The school supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through several activities within the different subjects, assemblies, seasonal events and through personal, social and health education lessons. There are several after-school activities, including sports, arts, music and drama, which provide many opportunities for pupils’ social and cultural development.  The local authority has effectively supported the school to improve on the quality of teaching through lesson observations and subject reviews. The local authority has now limited its visits to the review of the school’s self-evaluation and the school’s requests for extra support as appropriate.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 The governors support the headteacher and provide challenge to ensure that all pupils are well cared for and receive a good education. The governors have received several training sessions, including those on safeguarding and child protection, to enable them to perform their roles well. Governors fulfil their statutory duties by ensuring that school leaders and all school staff have received training in child protection and safeguarding in order to keep all pupils safe. Governors ensure that the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans are focused on addressing key issues that improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s performance compared to other schools. The Chair of the Governing Body visits the school regularly to undertake reviews and collect information about pupils’ learning. Data on pupils’ achievement are regularly analysed and, where necessary, governors request extra data to ensure that they

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The leadership and management are good

fully understand the progress that all groups of pupils make. The Chair of the Governing Body organises computer clubs for pupils. Other members visit the school at agreed times to look at the school’s work and participate in events. The governors do not visit lessons but they scrutinise the outcomes of lesson observations and ask critical questions about how to improve lessons further. The members of the governing body ensure that all forms of underperformance are challenged through rigorous procedures where necessary. Teachers’ salaries are well aligned with pupils’ good and improving achievement. The school’s finances are carefully scrutinised and audited by a member of the governing body who has a professional background in school finance. As a result of this, the school’s finances are effectively deployed. Governors ensure that the pupil premium is spent on recruiting staff to provide one-on-one support and additional learning resources for pupils who require extra

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 100715 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 404730

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Paschoud Headteacher Christine Keen Date of previous school inspection 24  25 May 2011 Telephone number 0208 699 4522 Fax number 0208 291 9502 Email address admin@perrymount.lewisham.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, please

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School details

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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