Christ Church CofE Primary School

Christ Church Church of England Primary School 1 Robinson Street, London, SW3 4AA

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils make significant progress in their learning and achieve outstandingly well. By the end of Year 6, their attainment is usually above average.  The strong teamwork amongst staff means teachers and support staff work together in the most effective way and get the best out of pupils. Teachers are particularly good at helping to bridge pupils' learning as they move from one class to the next.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils and challenge all groups to achieve the very best that they can.  The school promotes a strong sense of community. Hence, pupils develop an equally strong sense of belonging. They feel safe, happy and secure, and grow in confidence to become self-assured and independent youngsters who can think for themselves.  Behaviour is exemplary around the school and in lessons. An extensive range of learning experiences makes a strong contribution to pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

development.  Children in Reception are given a robust foundation in early literacy and numeracy. The supportive but stimulating atmosphere within which they work enables children to thrive and develop resilience as learners.  The headteacher provides outstanding leadership and is supported exceptionally well by her very capable deputy. Together they have established strong leadership right across the school. As a result, middle and senior leaders work actively with all staff to continuously improve and refine the quality of teaching. A high level of professional debate takes place daily on how well teaching meets the needs of individual pupils and how it can be better still.  The school has not stood still since its last inspection and has more than kept pace with developments and improvements nationally.  Governors provide a strong steer for the long- term development of the school. They successfully achieve a highly effective balance

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

between supporting staff and holding them to account for the school's performance.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 10 lessons and most of these were jointly seen with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. In addition, shorter visits were made to lessons to focus on specific aspects such as the support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.  Inspectors held meetings with a group of pupils and listened to some reading.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, other senior and middle leaders and a representative from the local authority. The lead inspector met with a small group of governors, including the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body.  The inspection team took account of 85 responses to the on-line questionnaire for parents and carers, Parent View, as well as 38 responses to a survey for school staff, in informing the inspection findings. One of the inspectors also spoke to a sample of parents at the school gate to gather their views about the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked closely at a range of documentation, including information on pupils’ performance, the school improvement plan, safeguarding and behaviour policies as well as policies on teaching and learning, and documents relating to the school's self-evaluation and management of teachers' performance.

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Inspection team

Gulshan Kayembe, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kewal Goel Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an averaged-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British but about 40% come from a wide range of other ethnic backgrounds, which is much higher than in most schools.  An above average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language though most are fluent English speakers.  A broadly average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which is extra government funding given to the school on the basis of the numbers known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is similar to the national average. However, the proportion at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. In particular, a comparatively high percentage of pupils have statements for autism spectrum disorders.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s floor targets for pupils' progress and attainment in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils are always given sufficiently clear guidance on how to improve and that they respond to teachers' comments.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children begin school with a wide range of skills and knowledge. While some join with high levels of attainment, on balance, children's overall skills and knowledge, especially in early reading, writing and numeracy, are lower than expected for their ages.  From these overall low starting points, children make rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are exceptionally well prepared for Key Stage 1 especially because of their strong social skills and team work.  Teachers build very successfully on pupils' early reading, writing and number skills when they begin Key Stage 1. They pick up exceptionally well on the next steps that pupils need to take to help accelerate their learning. For example, those pupils who have only just started to write independently by the end of their Reception Year are supported to extend these skills and become confident writers.  Pupils' reading and writing benefit from their quickly developing knowledge of letters and sounds

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

(phonics) - they grasp the rudiments of phonics in Reception and build increasingly well on this through Key Stage 1. Current Year 1 pupils are on track to improve on last year's results in the Year 1 phonics test which matched national averages.  Pupils' standards of work are usually above average by the end of Year 6 though, in 2012, atypical results in National Curriculum tests were average rather than above. Nonetheless, these results are very creditable when pupils' starting points, as well as a variety of other factors such as the numbers who joined the year group late in Key Stage 2 from other schools, are taken into account.  Progress across Key Stage 2 is outstanding too. Current Year 6 pupils have made exceptionally good progress since the end of Key Stage 1 and demonstrate good skills in English and mathematics. Their writing is confident and expressive. As required by school tradition, Year 6

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

pupils are preparing their Shakespeare production for the end of term. Their skills in dramatic performance and delivery of complex language are strong.  An extensive range and variety of work is covered in every class. Books show that highly effective skills in reasoning and problem-solving are developed by pupils. Art and music are of a high standard and pupils make very wide ranging use of computer technology to support their learning across all subjects.  Pupils' literacy and numeracy skills support them exceptionally well across subjects. They enjoy reading and readily discuss their favourite books and authors. Very effective development of number skills across all key stages means pupils tackle number problems with increasing confidence as they move up the school.  Different groups of pupils make similarly outstanding progress. Those eligible for support through pupil premium funding are making rapid strides in their learning. Within the school,

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

there is no significant gap between the achievement of these pupils and others or how rapidly they improve. This is due to the skilled use of data and assessment to identify any key gaps in learning and highly effective one-to-one tuition and/or extra support in small groups.  In the current Year 6, pupils supported through pupil premium funds are on track to attain above average standards and a good proportion are working at the highest level, Level 6, in reading, writing and mathematics. This is a much improved picture from 2012, when pupils eligible for pupil premium support made significant progress from their starting points in English, but made less progress than others in mathematics. Their overall attainment at the end of Year 6 was about two years behind that of others in the school.  Pupils with English as an additional language perform particularly well across the school. No significant difference is evident in the attainment or progress of pupils based on their ethnicity or

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

gender.  Excellent support for, and very early identification of, special educational needs or disability means that these pupils do exceptionally well. The skilled input from staff means that pupils with autism spectrum disorders thrive.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Much of the teaching is outstanding across subjects and key stages. It is consistently at least good. Consequently, pupils' learning is also outstanding and they make great strides in their knowledge, skills and understanding across a wide range of subjects as they move through the school.  Teachers plan work very effectively and ensure that it is closely tailored to the capabilities of individual pupils in their classes. Support staff are deployed with great care so that they work with specific individuals or groups in a very focused way, which ensures that all pupils are highly engaged and involved in the work provided. In one lesson, for example, an adult worked closely with a partially sighted pupil to provide work in Braille.  Work is varied and teaching methods exciting and interesting. Teachers ensure that pupils have excellent opportunities to work with, and to learn from, one another. In the Reception class,

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

practical activities capture children's imaginations and they are keen to get stuck in.  Time is used very well in lessons partly because teachers are very clear what they want to achieve and they therefore move learning along briskly. It is also because teachers have established highly effective routines and 'trained' pupils exceptionally well to follow these. Hence, pupils waste no time in lessons either.  Pupils' learning and levels of understanding are checked regularly so that, where necessary, teachers tweak or adapt their teaching where pupils may not have fully grasped a key idea or important learning point.  Work is marked very thoroughly and, most of the time, teachers provide useful and carefully developed points for improvement to feedback to individual pupils. However, very occasionally, the guidance for pupils' next steps is not as rigorous as it could be or, sometimes, pupils do not

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

respond to such guidance. In the main, though, teachers are working hard to follow up suggestions and targets for improvement to check that pupils are acting on these.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are extremely positive about learning and want to do their very best. Their behaviour in lessons is excellent and they work readily with others to make the most of their learning.  Parents agree that their children are happy at school and this is reflected in the high rate of attendance. The school works very hard to ensure all come to school regularly. It has enabled some pupils with low levels of attendance to make significant improvements.  Relationships are excellent both amongst pupils and between pupils and adults. Pupils interact amiably with one another and their varied social, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds do not get in the way of friendships or their ability to mix and interact meaningfully.  Bullying is not considered by pupils to be an issue. They are entirely confident, as are the vast majority of parents, that the school will deal with any issues should they occur. Race issues or

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

bullying based on any other type of prejudice are rare.  Pupils say they feel safe at school and nearly all parents responding on Parent View agree. Staff provide a very caring and supportive atmosphere within which pupils are extremely well looked after. In addition, pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. External agencies and partners, such as the local police, come in to talk to pupils about a broad range of issues.  The very positive atmosphere in the school nurtures pupils' personal development and helps them to develop into mature and reflective youngsters. They learn a great deal from one another about the different lives others have and enjoy finding out about different cultural and religious groups.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher has set a clear direction for development and all staff are working on a set of commonly agreed and understood aims and goals. Pupils are at the heart of all that the school does and the whole school community, including governors, are ambitious for the school to be even better.  The success of the school lies in the strong systems and procedures that facilitate and guide its work. Self-evaluation is incisive and probing so that no opportunity is missed for improving the school's work.  The information from self-evaluation activities, such as checks on teaching or examination of pupils' work in their books, is used with great skill alongside analysis of pupils' progress, to pinpoint any weaknesses and promote viable solutions.  A major strength of the leadership is the way in which senior and middle leaders work together to improve the knowledge and skills of the teaching staff in order to continuously enhance

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The leadership and management are outstanding

pupils' performance. Staff on higher pay make a significant contribution to the development of others and, hence, the school.  Equality of opportunity is successfully promoted, for example through the diligence with which the progress of different groups of pupils is examined to ensure that all are reaching challenging targets. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Staff questionnaire returns indicate that staff are very happy to be working in this school and many are fulsome in their praise.  Engagement with parents is excellent and this is reflected in the highly positive responses of parents about the school and what it provides for their children.  The local authority provides excellent support for school improvement and local authority consultants work in very close collaboration with those from the local diocese to the benefit of the school and its pupils.  Pupils also benefit from an extensive range of visits and visitors to the school, including artists

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and authors. French lessons add to the wide range of subjects taught.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors are actively involved in the school's work and have established a strong working relationship with staff. They ask searching questions based on a very good understanding of how well teachers and pupils are performing. Their frequent and extensive visits to the school are well structured and purposeful so that these inform the work of the governing body exceptionally well. The governing body is well trained and has strong systems to manage the school's finances so that money is spent in the best way possible to support pupils' learning. It assesses and evaluates the spending of the pupil premium to make sure this has the desired impact and ensures that decisions about pay are linked to performance. Governors ensure that statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding, are 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 100489 Local authority Kensington and Chelsea Inspection number 412550

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair The Reverand Brian Leathard Headteacher Avis Hawkins Date of previous school inspection 29 January 2009 Telephone number 020 735 25708 Fax number 020 782 33004 Email address info@chch.rbkc.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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