St Margaret's Lee CofE Primary School

School report St Margaret’s Lee Church of England Primary School Dacre Park, Lewisham, London, SE13 5SQ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership, including governance, is outstanding at all levels. When pupils leave the school all aspects of their learning and well-being have been extremely well developed. They are very well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Teaching is consistently outstanding in all areas of the school. Excellent subject knowledge and a deep understanding of what pupils can do enable teachers to plan very precisely for all groups of pupils.  Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. They make rapid progress in all year groups and reach high standards of attainment at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils love coming to school and have outstanding attitudes to learning. The school knows pupils and their families extremely well and provides an exceptional level of care. Pupils feel very safe and their behaviour is impeccable in lessons and around the school.  Provision for pupils whose circumstances makes

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

them vulnerable or who are disabled or have special educational needs is outstanding. This results in them making rapid and often faster progress than their classmates.  The school’s curriculum is vibrant and exciting. All aspects of pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development are catered for extremely well. As a result pupils are mature, deep thinking and confident when they leave school.  The provision in Nursery and Reception is outstanding both inside and outside the classroom. Adults know children extremely well and plan activities closely matched to their interests and abilities. This ensures that all children make very fast progress across all areas of learning.  The whole school community – pupils, staff and parents and carers – are totally committed to what the school is doing. Teachers love working at the school and are tireless in their efforts to become even better at what they do.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governors have an excellent understanding of the school. This enables them to challenge the school effectively and make significant contributions to the school’s plans for the future.  The school’s procedures for ensuring that pupils are safe and secure are outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors made 17 visits to classrooms to observe pupils learning. Senior leaders accompanied inspectors on a number of classroom visits. Inspectors also spent time examining pupils’ workbooks. They also observed other aspects of the school’s work including visiting an assembly.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body, as well as with teachers and school leaders. An inspector also had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  Pupils took inspectors on a tour of the school. Inspectors listened to pupils read and spoke with them about their reading and their work. They spent time in the dining hall and on the school playground where they also spoke to pupils.  Inspectors took account of the 88 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the school’s own parent survey. Inspectors also spoke to parents and carers at the school gate. Inspectors reviewed

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Information about this inspection

25 questionnaire responses from staff.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information relating to pupils’ achievement, and the school’s self-evaluation summary and plan of action. They considered records relating to behaviour and attendance and checks on teaching and documents relating to safeguarding. The inspectors also visited the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Martin Marsh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  About one in five pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding which supports pupils eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority). This is average.  One in 16 pupils is disabled or has special educational needs. This is below average.  Just over a half of pupils belong to ethnic groups other than White British. About one in five are from Black African or Black Caribbean families. About a quarter of pupils do not have English as their first langauge.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  There is a wide range of before- and after-school clubs which are managed by external providers. They were not looked at as part of this inspection.  Children attend Reception on a full-time basis and Nursery children attend on a part-time basis.

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Information about this school

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is recognized as exceptional provision by the local authority. The headteacher is providing training to schools in the computing part of the new National Curriculum. The school has also provided training to schools in increasing the proportion of pupils achieving Level 6 in reading.  Just over three years ago, following the resignation of the then headteacher, the current headteacher and deputy headteacher took up their posts.  The school appointed two teachers who are new to the profession in September 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Share more widely the outstanding expertise in provision, teaching and leadership to promote improvement in other schools and settings.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The inspiring, passionate and tireless energy of the headteacher and the deputy headteacher are the key reasons for why all aspects of the school’s work are outstanding. The whole school community – pupils, staff and parents and carers – fully subscribe to the vision that every child will achieve the very best they can. ‘Fantastic teachers! Fantastic school!’ was how one parent described it, echoing the views of the overwhelming majority of parents and carers spoken to during the inspection.  Outstanding communication between the school and home enables leaders to have an exceptional understanding of the needs and interests of pupils. Parents and carers receive excellent information about how well their children are doing and work closely with the school especially if a pupil is falling behind. This very strong partnership makes a significant contribution to pupils’ rapid progress.  Middle leaders feel trusted and value the opportunity they are given to attend training and to plan for

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The leadership and management are outstanding

improvements. They share the vision of senior leaders and have the same tireless drive and determination to improve still further. ‘No child will go under during our watch’ was one middle leader’s comment to inspectors. Middle leaders make significant contributions to improving the quality of teaching, working closely alongside other teachers in their classrooms.  Teachers new to the profession receive excellent help and support. This helps to ensure that the standards of teaching and the rate of pupils’ progress remain very high.  Funding for disadvantaged pupils is extremely well used to ensure they make the same and, in many cases, faster progress than their classmates. The level of support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is exceptional. As a result, these groups of pupils reach standards that are well above those of similar pupils nationally. Their attendance is very good which means they can take full

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The leadership and management are outstanding

advantage of all the school has to offer. The school is highly effective in providing equality of opportunity for all.  The school is rigorous in the checks that it makes on pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. Pupils who are capable of doing better are put on short six-week or 12-week support programmes. These almost always improve their progress and learning. Teachers value the regular checks on their teaching, both formal and informal, and have an excellent understand of how to improve. Areas for improvement are carefully followed up and new targets are set which mean that the quality of teaching is continuously improving.  The school provides a wide range of exciting opportunities to learn in lessons through visitors to school and the trips that are organised. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the trips to activity centres, museums and the Tower of London to ‘see all the poppies’. The school provides extremely well for pupils’ social,

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The leadership and management are outstanding

moral, spiritual and cultural development.  During the inspection an assembly explored how conflict can be avoided through showing respect for other people’s beliefs. Later in the day, Year 2 used mobile technology to produce and edit a film to explain what Remembrance Day was about using a combination of pictures, audio and video. Year 6 debated whether a television newsreader was wrong to choose not to wear a poppy when she read the news, thus developing their ability to present a persuasive argument and consider other people’s viewpoints. Activities such as these foster excellent relationships, help to tackle discrimination and promote British values very well.  The additional government funding for school sport is being used very effectively to widen the range of sports and clubs that are offered and to provide further training for teachers. Pupils understand how important exercise is to good health and participate very energetically in the morning workout after

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The leadership and management are outstanding

assembly. The school holds the Sainsbury’s School Games gold award.  The school has started to use its expertise to support other schools. It takes a lead for developing the computing curriculum in the borough and provides training for schools in how to get more pupils to Level 6 in reading. It also shares its expertise in Early Years Foundation Stage. However, the school also has significant strengths in teaching and leadership which are not currently being shared with other schools.  The local authority provides an appropriate level of support for this outstanding school. It provided advice and support when the headteacher and deputy were first appointed.  The governance of the school:  Strong leadership from the governing body has made a significant contribution in moving the school from good at the previous inspection to outstanding. The leadership appointments governors made have proved to be very successful.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors have an excellent understanding of all aspects of the school’s work. They know exactly how well the school is doing relative to other schools and about the overall quality of teaching. Governors visit the school regularly and use the excellent information they receive from senior leaders to challenge the school’s performance very effectively.  Governors understand how the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is helping the achievement of this group and how the sports funding is increasing participation in sport. They also challenge the school to account for how teachers’ performance is rewarded through their pay through the appraisal process.  Governors bring a wide range of skills to support the school from within the business sector, education and other fields. They understand the importance of good training and new governors are sent on local authority induction programmes. All governors receive training regularly from the school or external

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The leadership and management are outstanding

providers.  Governors make an excellent contribution to ensuring pupils are safe and in meeting statutory requirements for safeguarding and the recruitment of staff.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils have outstanding attitudes to learning and work very hard. This contributes significantly to their outstanding progress. Pupils are impeccably behaved both in lessons and around the school. Pupils are smart and wear their school uniform proudly. There is no litter or graffiti and pupils are aware of the importance of recycling, especially biodegradable items.  Pupils love coming to school and are extremely happy. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded on Parent View strongly agreed with this. ‘I could not be happier at school. It is perfect.’ was one pupil’s comment.  The school cares for its pupils extremely well and this is reflected in the way pupils care for one another. They are very well mannered and polite and delighted in talking to inspectors about their work. They gave thoughtful and considered answers to questions. This demonstrates their total commitment to what the

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Behaviour

school offers them and how pleased they are to go to the school.  Pupils are extremely proud of their school and want to take an active part in its work. Pupils aspire to serve on the school council. There are five committees: school improvement, religious education, fund raising, entertainment and eco-school. The work of each is well known by the pupils and is seen in a variety of improvements and displays around the school. Even if they are not elected to these councils, pupils show their sense of responsibility by caring for each other. For example, older pupils watch out for younger pupils who may be unhappy in the playground. Year 6 are involved in a ‘junior citizen’ scheme, one of many examples of how the school prepares pupils very well for life in modern Britain.  Pupils’ attendance is above average and they are typically on time for school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. The school takes all aspects of safety extremely seriously. It makes sure that all adults are trained in recognizing signs of possible child abuse and what to do if they have concerns.  Pupils understand about the different forms of bullying including cyber bullying and what to do should it happen. Bullying in the school is very rare and dealt with highly effectively.  Pupils know that any prejudice-based language will not be tolerated and therefore it does not happen. ‘We are one big family’ was one pupil’s comment. This shows the school is successful in fostering good relations and tackling discrimination.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of the potential dangers of being online. Older pupils have produced posters to communicate how to keep safe using electronic technology which are on display around the school.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is consistently outstanding over time in all classes in the school and in a wide range of subjects. Teachers know pupils extremely well and have excellent relationships with them. This, together with their excellent subject knowledge, enables them to plan activities that interest and meet the needs of different groups of pupils very well.  Teachers use questioning extremely well. They routinely probe pupils’ thinking, helping them to acquire a deeper understanding of what they are learning. In a Year 4 history lesson, pupils were learning about Tudor times. Pupils were asked to consider why particular objects might have been useful to a Tudor explorer. The teacher valued the ideas of the pupils and through searching questions helped them to realise why exploration was so important in Tudor times.  Teachers use a wide range of strategies to engage and motivate pupils. In a Year 5 and Year 6

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

mathematics lesson pupils were using video material produced by the teacher to show how to add and subtract fractions. This was available to them on tablet computers. If a pupil got stuck they watched the video again to resolve their difficulties themselves. This enabled them to complete the written exercise successfully and thus make rapid progress. Further challenge was provided through additional video material for more-able pupils. All the videos are available through the school’s website and so pupils can watch them at home or when they want to revise a particular topic.  Marking is very thorough and gives pupils excellent guidance as to how they might improve their work. Marking of writing is often done by both the pupil and their teacher and also by other pupils. Pupils have a very clear understanding of what they are expected to learn in lessons. This means they can very accurately assess both their own work and that of other pupils. In written work pupils routinely edit and

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

improve their work following the feedback they are given. In mathematics, they are often given additional questions to try or a problem involving the topic they are learning and so consolidate and deepen their learning.  Additional adults provide excellent support, particularly for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. This enables them to take an active part in all lessons and learn very well as a result. They also make a very good contribution to the additional programmes arranged for pupils who are falling behind or who could make more rapid progress.

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is outstanding

 Pupils make consistently outstanding progress in every class. This enables them to reach standards of attainment that are well above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave in Year 6.  Children quickly learn to read because of well-planned programmes that help them to learn letters and the sounds they make (phonics). They are above national averages on the Year 1 phonics screen check and in reading assessments at the end of Key Stage 1. Every pupil reached the government’s expected standard for Year 6 pupils in 2014 unvalidated Key Stage 2 statutory assessments. Almost nine out of 10 pupils reached Level 5 which represents a standard well above national expectations. Reading is extremely well promoted throughout the school. There are attractive and well-stocked book corners in every classroom. Pupils read avidly and have a real passion for books.  Pupils have an excellent ability to calculate in their heads and so can complete written calculations very

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is outstanding

quickly and accurately. More-able pupils are confident in doing calculations involving fractions. Lower- ability pupils know their multiplication tables and can add a series of three numbers accurately in their heads. Pupils confidently apply their calculation skills in problems.  More-able pupils are given a high level of challenge in both content they are taught and in the problems they are expected to solve. This enables a very large proportion of them to reach standards that are well above average at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. This represents outstanding progress from their starting points.  In the 2014 end of Key Stage 2 statutory assessments, disadvantaged pupils were six months ahead of other pupils nationally in mathematics, a year ahead in reading and nearly a year ahead in writing. Compared to their classmates they were four months ahead in reading and writing and eight months

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is outstanding

behind in mathematics. Their progress overall was faster than their classmates’ because their starting points were a lot lower, particularly in mathematics. The exceptionally good support both in lessons and out of lessons is quickly closing the gap throughout all areas of the school.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs make outstanding progress. Their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is well above that of similar pupils nationally. In reading, attainment is above that of other pupils nationally.  All groups of pupils, including those from Black African and Black Caribbean backgrounds and those from the wide range of different ethnic groups and those whose first language is not English, make similarly outstanding progress. This shows the school is highly successful in providing equal opportunity of learning for all.

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is outstanding

 Children enter Nursery and Reception with skills that are in line with those of similar aged children nationally. The increasing proportion whose first language is not English mean their ability to communicate in English is generally lower. The proportion of children that reach a good level of development by the time they leave Reception is well above the national average. This represents outstanding progress through both Nursery and Reception. All groups of children make similarly outstanding progress. They are very well prepared for Year 1.  As in the rest of the school, adults know the interests and abilities of all the children very well. They plan activities both inside and outside the classroom that are exciting and motivating. Children at an early stage of learning to read and write record themselves saying individual letter sounds on tablet computers and then put the sounds together to make words. They also write the words using the tablets. This is helping

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is outstanding

them to make rapid progress with reading and writing. Both inside and outside the classroom there are books for children to read and enjoy. This develops their love of reading very early.  Adults interact with children extremely well. They ask challenging questions which make children think and give them every opportunity to speak and communicate their ideas. As a result children concentrate intently for long periods and really enjoy their learning.  Children’s behaviour is outstanding. Routines are very well established and very little time is wasted. Children were observed by inspectors playing a ‘musical statues’ game after an adult observed some children composing music on an interactive whiteboard. All pupils followed the rules and the children were very proud that their composition had been used to play the game.  Leadership is outstanding. Adults communicate very well with parents and carers and make it easy for

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is outstanding

them to communicate with the school. These relationships are formed in the initial visits that the school makes to the children’s homes. Assessment of children’s progress is detailed and accurate.  All statutory welfare requirements 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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 100724 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 448728

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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 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 220 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Maria Parker Headteacher Ian Wilson Date of previous school inspection 2–3 December 2009 Telephone number 020 8852 3151 Email address info@stmargaretslee.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 and 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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