Pelham Primary School

Pelham Primary School Southey Road, London, SW19 1NU

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Pupils achieve well. They make good progress in English and mathematics so that the majority reach standards above those expected nationally at the end of Year 6.  The quality of teaching has improved in key areas. For example, leaders and managers have successfully reorganised the teaching of phonics (the sounds letters make) to ensure that more pupils reach nationally expected levels by Year 1 than is the case in most schools.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and say they feel safe. This is reflected in their above average attendance and punctuality.  Pupils behave well. Playtimes are harmonious and pupils treat each other, adults and the school environment with courtesy and respect.  Leaders and managers, including governors, are vigilant in ensuring pupils make at least expected progress across the school. They continually refine the ways in which they measure this, which is driving up rates of progress.

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This is a good school

 The governing body supports the school effectively in ensuring the needs of all pupils are met as well as they can be.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not yet enough outstanding teaching to ensure pupils make and sustain rapid progress in all subjects.  In some lessons, pupils are not encouraged to develop independent thinking and learning skills and this sometimes limits the progress they make.  Marking in mathematics is not as effective as it is in other subjects. There are not always opportunities for pupils to respond to the comments teachers have made to help them improve, and this hinders their achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons or parts of lessons, six of which were joint observations with senior staff. All teachers were observed.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and held meetings with pupils, staff and representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 47 responses to the online Parent View survey and other communications from, and conversations with, parents and carers during the inspection.  Inspectors looked carefully at pupils’ work in lessons, as well as the work pupils have completed over time in their books.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including those related to safeguarding and child protection, the governing body minutes, the school’s self-evaluation and development planning, information relating to pupils’ academic performance, documents showing the checks made on the quality of teaching, logs of behavioural incidents and attendance figures.

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Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Wolfson Additional Inspector Fatiha Maitland Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a slightly larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for looked after children, those entitled to free school meals and the children of service families, is less than half the national average.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. A range of minority ethnic groups is represented in smaller numbers.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is double the national average. A few of these pupils are at the early stages of learning English.  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?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching so that pupils make and sustain the most rapid progress possible across all subjects by ensuring pupils:  are given opportunities in all classes to come up with their own ideas and are encouraged to develop the skills they need to become independent learners  have the same opportunities to respond to, and act on, the useful comments made by teachers in their mathematics books as they do in their English books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The majority of children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with basic skills that are close to the level of development expected for their age in most, but not all, areas of learning. In particular, a growing minority enter with limited skills in mathematics.  Pupils make good progress in English to leave at the end of Key Stage 2 with standards of attainment significantly above those found nationally. Standards in mathematics are slightly lower than in English. The very large majority of pupils reach the national average and over half reach the higher levels. This represents good progress from their low starting points. However, opportunities for pupils to make more rapid progress by responding to teachers’ marking are not always taken.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has improved since the previous inspection.  Pupils develop a range of key skills, such as communication, reading and writing, highly

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The achievement of pupils is good

effectively across many subjects.  Pupils enjoy reading and are confident in using a range of strategies to help them tackle increasingly complex texts.  Leaders track the progress of individual pupils carefully and ensure that any pupils falling behind are helped to get back on track.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well because the school works hard to ensure they find the appropriate approach to individual needs, involving outside agencies to great effect where necessary.  Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium achieve well. Leaders carefully evaluate their attainment and progress against, among other measures, average point scores gained in national tests. This shows leaders that they are spending the pupil premium funding effectively because, when comparing scores of different groups of pupils, they can see that the gap in attainment is closing for all and, for a few, being eliminated.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language, including those at the early stages of learning English, achieve well because the school places great emphasis on language development and supports pupils accordingly to reach the high standards expected.  The needs of pupils who are currently on part-time placements are well met. Consequently, they are learning more effectively when they are in school and benefitting greatly from the provision they receive elsewhere.  Pupils from different backgrounds achieve equally well because the school is an inclusive, cohesive community committed to ensuring all have an equal chance of gaining success.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved through effective use of a range of training opportunities, which teachers welcome. In particular, working with a local cluster of schools provides the chance to share ideas and develop classroom practice.  The teaching of phonics is now extremely well organised. Pupils are taught in small groups so that lessons can be matched to their specific needs and this ensures pupils make at least good, and in some cases exceptional, progress. For example, in an outstanding lesson, the teacher constantly checked that pupils understood as she introduced new ideas so that they all achieved the learning objective quickly. This meant the class was able to move on to further learning and make even greater gains.  Teachers create opportunities to help pupils develop skills across a range of curriculum areas. For example, the writing pupils produced as a result of a trip to Hampton Court was detailed and

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The quality of teaching is good

accurate, both in terms of its historical content and the vocabulary, grammar and sentence construction used.  Teachers often ask questions which require detailed and precise answers. In this way, pupils are helped to think independently, develop enquiring minds and reach a deeper level of understanding. On occasions, however, this is not the case and this limits the progress pupils make.  Marking in many subjects is detailed and useful. Pupils are given time to read comments teachers have made and respond to them. Pupils say this really helps them know how to improve their work. However, in mathematics, it is not always possible for pupils to follow up those comments, and this means teachers’ marking has limited impact in terms of pupils’ progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe at school. They are very clear about how to keep themselves safe and understand what constitutes bullying. For example, they know about keeping safe when using the internet and that bullying can take many forms, including using text messaging. However, they stress that bullying is extremely rare because staff deal with issues in a timely and effective way.  Pupils move safely and sensibly around the school and lunchtimes are calm and well organised. Older pupils are given the responsibility of ensuring playtimes are harmonious and everyone is included in the range of activities on offer.  The overwhelming majority of parents and carers are positive about behaviour and say their children feel safe at school.  Behaviour in lessons is positive, if, occasionally, a little over-enthusiastic. Pupils are interested and engaged and enjoy contributing. They speak highly positively about learning which they see

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

as ‘fun’ and ‘just hard enough to make our brains work’.  However, on occasion, pupils are not helped to become independent at knowing what to do in certain situations, such as when they have finished their work, or if someone else is sitting in their seats or using the equipment they want. This means some learning time is wasted and the chances of them making better than expected progress are hindered.  The school fosters good relationships with families to encourage good attendance, which is above average for all groups as a result.  The school places great importance in ensuring that behavioural issues are dealt with effectively in order that academic progress is not compromised. Consequently, it works well with pupils who have particular behavioural needs. The most appropriate solutions for the individual child are sought, often involving outside agencies to great effect.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They set ambitious targets for teachers in terms of how much progress pupils are expected to make and are clear that salary progression and promotion are dependent on meeting these.  Senior leaders are skilled at managing the performance of teachers. They highlight individual teachers’ strengths through accurate observations and checking of pupils’ work. Areas for improvement are identified and development planning shows the range of measures used to ensure the quality of teaching overall is improving swiftly. However, this has been less effective in securing rapid progress in mathematics than it has in English.  Leaders at all levels work together to forge links across different subjects and check their areas of responsibility carefully to enable pupils to make good progress.  Leaders ensure the curriculum provides opportunities for discussing deep philosophical

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The leadership and management are good

questions. Certain subjects lend themselves to debating issues of morality, such as the rights and wrongs of how Tudor society dealt with criminals. Topics studied are supplemented by trips to relevant places of interest, and visitors bring learning alive. In this way, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well provided for.  Senior leaders are effective in ensuring all pupils take a full part in the school’s activities and that there is no discrimination.  The local authority provides light-touch support as appropriate to this good school, such as specialist guidance to help the school work effectively with pupils with particular behavioural needs.  The governance of the school:  Governors work closely with senior leaders to ensure all have an accurate view of how the school compares to similar schools nationally. They enjoy attending training which keeps their skills up to date because they recognise this makes them more effective at supporting school

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The leadership and management are good

leaders to sharpen their practice. Governors make sure that funding, including the additional monies received from the pupil premium, is spent effectively so that it drives good progress for all pupils. They know, for example, that extra staff supporting pupils in Key Stage 1 last year resulted in pupils eligible for this funding achieving considerably higher average point scores than all pupils nationally in tests. They analyse pupil performance information and understand that the quality of teaching is paramount in improving pupils’ progress. They discuss improvements in teaching regularly with senior leaders and support plans that include targeted development opportunities. They are keen to reward good teaching but equally understand that there must be measures in place to tackle poor performance. They ensure safeguarding procedures are robust and clearly understood by all staff.

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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 102642 Local authority Merton Inspection number 402895

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 274 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Graham Kellas Headteacher Maria Keenan Date of previous school inspection 4–5 March 2008 Telephone number 020 8542 2005 Fax number 020 8540 7580 Email address headteacher@pelham.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, 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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