John Burns Primary School

John Burns Primary School Wycliffe Road, Lavender Hill, London, SW11 5QR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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.  Pupils achieve well. They make good progress from low starting points to achieve average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is good and therefore drives good achievement. Leaders support teachers well to develop their practice and governors keep a close check that the overall quality of teaching continues to improve.  Senior leaders, including governors, are highly ambitious for the school community and have established an inclusive ethos with values and respect at its heart.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They apply themselves exceptionally well in lessons and are courteous, punctual and attentive.  This exceptional behaviour is driven by a well- thought-out policy which is consistently followed by all staff. Pupils are therefore in no doubt about what is expected of them and consequently rise to the high expectations adults have.  Attendance has risen since the previous

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

inspection because the school uses a range of highly effective measures to ensure pupils and parents and carers understand how important it is to come to school regularly.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults do not always use questioning effectively enough, or take advantage of opportunities to build on children’s interests. This stops some children making the rapid progress of which they are capable.  Not enough teaching is outstanding to ensure all pupils make and sustain the most rapid progress possible, especially pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium.  Teachers mark pupils’ work diligently but pupils are not always given the time to respond to the comments teachers make. Nor are pupils encouraged sufficiently to evaluate their own work against given criteria.  Occasionally, it takes too long for pupils to get down to independent tasks and this limits the amount of work they are able to complete.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons or parts of lessons, including some jointly with senior leaders. They observed the teaching of a range of subjects, in particular mathematics and English. They listened to pupils reading and watched the teaching of phonics (letter patterns and the sounds they represent).  Inspectors held meetings with pupils, staff and representatives of the governing body and local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 34 responses to the online Parent View survey, as well as other correspondence from, and conversations with, parents and carers during the inspection. They also considered the views of the 30 staff who completed questionnaires.  Inspectors looked closely at pupils’ work in lessons as well as work they have completed over time in their books.  The inspection team scrutinised a range of documents, including those related to safeguarding and child protection, the governing body minutes, information regarding pupils’ academic

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Information about this inspection

performance, documents showing how the quality of teaching is evaluated and logs relating to behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Noureddin Khassal Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a slightly smaller than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is slightly above the national average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is nearly double.  Half the pupils are entitled to the pupil premium, additional funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and the children of service families. This is nearly double the national average. No pupils in the school are looked after or from service families.  The school serves a diverse community. Three-quarters of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, almost three times the national average, with 12 different ethnic groups represented in varying proportions.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is double the national

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Information about this school

average, and a small number 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.  There has been a high turnover of staff since the previous inspection, including the appointment of a new headteacher.  The school has achieved the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award at Level 1.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage in order that more pupils exceed expected progress, by ensuring that adults:  use questioning and discussion to promote children’s learning  take advantage of opportunities to build on children’s interests.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in order that more pupils, especially those for whom the school receives the pupil premium, make and sustain rapid progress by:  ensuring teachers create further opportunities for pupils to respond to comments in marking  building in time for pupils to evaluate their own work against given criteria  always ensuring pupils get down to independent tasks quickly so that they have time to complete enough work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills at lower levels than expected for their age, especially in literacy and communication. By the end of Key Stage 2, the good teaching they receive ensures they have caught up and leave with standards that are at least in line with the national averages in English and mathematics.  The school ensures pupils become fluent, confident readers. The pupils inspectors heard reading had clearly made good progress from their starting points, could talk about the books they had chosen and recognised that reading was an important skill for life, communicating this through such comments as ‘reading leads to all other things’.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well because their needs are carefully met through a range of effective, individualised programmes.  The school uses delegated funding effectively to improve the achievement of pupils who are

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The achievement of pupils is good

entitled to the pupil premium. Last year, the gap between them and other groups in school was narrowed by the equivalent of a term, when measured in average points scores gained in national tests in English and mathematics. Although the gap is now much smaller than the gap nationally, it has not yet been eradicated.  Pupils make good progress in a range of subjects because subject leaders ensure teachers know how to check that pupils are acquiring skills rapidly enough.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve well in school because the strong focus on developing the vocabulary of all pupils enables them to acquire a high level of English quickly. When pupils who are at the early stages of learning English join the school, staff are quick to identify their strengths and use this knowledge to provide language support that builds on their interests. As a result they make rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds do equally well because the school is fully committed to promoting equal opportunity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because it ensures that pupils make good progress. In the best lessons, pupils learn exceptionally well. For example, pupils were highly involved in a mathematics lesson requiring them to investigate how many combinations they could make only using odd numbers because they felt it was a great challenge.  Following a recent overhaul, phonics is now taught even more effectively than before. The school tracks pupils very accurately so that they can be grouped according to the precise phonics skills they need to develop. Lessons are fast paced and pupils are very interested. The school’s own data show that pupils are set to exceed national figures in the screening check at the end of Year 1 by even more this year than they did last year.  Teachers mark pupils’ work with great care and thought. They also write useful comments so that pupils know what they need to do to improve. However, the effectiveness of these

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The quality of teaching is good

comments is limited because pupils are not given sufficient time to respond to them.  Pupils know the levels they are working at and what they need to do to reach the next level. Opportunities are missed to involve them in assessing their own work against given criteria which would give them a greater level of awareness of and responsibility in their own intellectual development, particularly when undertaking independent activities.  Teachers use a range of effective strategies, such as group work, discussion and practical activities, to ensure lessons are interesting. High-quality questioning is central in many lessons and is used to prompt and extend pupils’ thinking. However, in the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults do not always use questions well and this limits the progress children make. Furthermore, opportunities are sometimes missed to build on children’s interests and therefore extend their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The curriculum supports pupils’ good progress because it enables links to be made between different subjects. For example, in a music lesson, pupils had the chance to develop mathematical thinking and Year 6 pupils were using information technology to make short films from the perspective of characters in the book they were studying.  Pupils make good progress in a range of subjects. For example, weekly clarinet lessons and extended opportunities such as steel pan drumming ensure pupils develop a broad understanding of music.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils treat each other, adults and the school environment with the utmost courtesy. Older pupils are proud of the roles they have in ensuring that playtimes and lunchtimes are cordial. Pupils play and work together in harmony and mutual respect.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. They work hard, quickly settle to the tasks they are set and enjoy rising to the high expectations teachers have of them.  Good attendance is celebrated and pupils are very proud to receive such awards. This, along with strong home-school links, has driven a year-on-year improvement in attendance so that it is now above average.  Incidents of bullying are uncommon because respecting others’ rights is at the heart of the school’s value system. Pupils understand clearly the kind of language and attitudes that lead to bullying and are confident that, on the very rare occasions that it does occur, it is dealt with

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

highly effectively.  Behaviour is managed exceptionally well. Staff give consistent messages linked to the school’s values and its commitment to respecting individuals’ rights. They are very successful in tackling discrimination and fostering good relationships. Pupils throughout the school are taught to deal with potential conflict in a mature and reasoned way and this has had a significant impact on reducing the number of incidents of poor behaviour, especially for those pupils who have particular behavioural needs. This approach has reduced the number of exclusions, which several years ago was much higher than average, to zero.  Parents and carers have a very positive view of behaviour and safety as expressed both through the online survey, Parent View, and directly to inspectors over the course of the inspection.  Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe. They talk confidently of how to stay safe

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

in a range of situations such as on the internet, on the roads and when using equipment and tools.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are good because they are effective in ensuring good outcomes for pupils. They are not yet outstanding because despite, for example, a number of highly successful initiatives which have improved progress for pupils in the current Year 6, there are still pockets where progress is not yet as rapid as it could be.  Leaders, including governors, are highly aspirational for the school community. It is clear that academic aspirations are high. A board in the hall encourages pupils to think about a university career, and staff’s graduation pictures, with relevant commentary, complement photographs of pupils in mortar boards and gowns talking about their academic dreams.  Teachers’ performance is managed well. Teachers at different stages of their careers are given the support they need to enhance their practice, due to a well-thought-out cycle of improvement and monitoring and a comprehensive programme of training and development. Those staff who

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The leadership and management are good

completed the questionnaire were unanimous in agreeing that the school supports them well.  Regular checks are made on pupils’ progress and leaders analyse the results of those checks to shape any specialist support needed. Discussions support teachers to ensure that they meet the exacting targets they are set in relation to the academic performance of the pupils they teach.  Senior leaders work together continually to evaluate the school’s performance and ensure that planned actions are in the best interests of driving improvement for all pupils. For example, improving attendance has ensured more pupils are in school more often to benefit from the good teaching on offer.  Leaders and governors quite rightly identified that behaviour needed improving, having deteriorated since the previous inspection. They introduced a clear, straightforward policy and ensured all staff had the training necessary to enable them to implement it effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Trips enhance learning, assemblies reinforce the school’s values and topics cover local, national and global issues. Positions of responsibility, such as promoting environmental sustainability in the Green Team, further enhance pupils’ personal development.  The local authority spotted that outcomes had dipped when analysing performance information for pupils currently in school and has provided some successful support to help the school overcome this dip.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a clear understanding of how the school performs compared to similar schools and use these comparisons to pinpoint areas for improvement. Governors have a clear picture of the quality of teaching, and understand the link between the performance of teachers and how responsibilities are allocated and pay progression. They attend regular training and

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The leadership and management are good

ensure that individual members are in roles that make the best use of their existing skills and experience. Governors offer the right balance between providing support yet asking questions that challenge senior leaders to think deeply about outcomes for pupils and groups of pupils. For example, governors make sure that the funding spent on pupils entitled to the pupil premium is narrowing the gap between them and other groups in school. Safeguarding requirements are fully met.

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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 101014 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 413220

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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 201 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dominique Ryder-Davison Headteacher Julie Davies Date of previous school inspection 13 December 2007 Telephone number 020 7228 3857 Fax number 020 7801 0036 Email address head@johnburns.wandsworth.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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