St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School

SS Peter & Paul Catholic Primary School Cricket Green, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 4LA

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher, ably supported by his senior leadership team, has brought a new energy and sense of purpose to the school. Leaders at all levels are clear about their roles. Together they have turned the school around, so that it is now good.  Leaders work in close partnership with governors. They know their school well. They have learned lessons from the previous inspection, and have made good use of its recommendations to improve their school.  Regular checks ensure that the quality of teaching is good across the school and that pupils achieve well. Results are on a rising trend.  Governors are helping to drive forward school improvement. They have a strong understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They ask searching questions when checking the work of the school.  The school is popular with parents. They appreciate its strong Christian values.  Leaders and governors effectively use the

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This is a good school

additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils and for sport in primary schools.  Teachers’ questioning successfully helps pupils to think for themselves. Feedback, oral and written, helps pupils understand how to improve their work.  Pupils want to learn. They are friendly and confident. They respect others and are polite to visitors. They know the school’s values and take them to heart. The school keeps pupils safe and looks after them well.  Pupils’ outcomes are consistently good. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well, and there is little difference between their achievement and that of other pupils. Pupils with a range of additional needs achieve well.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes are looked after caringly and taught well. The indoor and outdoor play areas are stimulating. Adults prepare many imaginative activities for the children, helping them to learn a range of skills.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Adults do not consistently stretch pupils, particularly the most able, by expecting the most from them and setting them sufficiently demanding tasks.  Leaders do not regularly ensure, in their checks on teaching, that the quality of teaching is as high as possible.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that the teaching expects the most from pupils, particularly the most able, and provides them with demanding tasks, so that they make the most rapid progress they can.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders at all levels secure a higher proportion of outstanding teaching by insisting on the highest quality of teaching from the staff.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders and governors have responded purposefully and well to the recommendations of the previous inspection. They have looked long and hard at their school, and their self-evaluation is honest and robust. They have met the recommendations from the previous inspection to improve the quality of teaching, leadership at all levels, and governance. As a result, the school has, in the words of one parent, ‘improved massively’. It is well placed to continue its journey of improvement.  Leaders have brought about changes by reorganising the leadership team. The headteacher and the three assistant headteachers work in effective partnership, ensuring that all bases are covered and that no areas of the school’s work are neglected. For example, there are new and effective ways of checking pupils’ progress. These enable all parties – teachers, parents and pupils themselves – to understand how much progress pupils are making and what they need to do to improve further.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Subject leaders are clear about their roles, and are driving forward improvement in effective partnership with senior leaders.  Leaders’ plans for the future, drawn up with governors, have clear priorities, based on strong self- knowledge. Plans are detailed, ambitious and achievable. They are a useful tool for school improvement.  Staff responses to the Ofsted survey of their views indicate that they welcome the school’s energetic upward progress. Those who have been in post since the previous inspection agree that the school has improved a great deal. One member of staff commented, ‘We have worked our socks off and have moved the school forward together.’  The school engages well with parents. For example, the Parents’ Forum provides an effective link between the school and parents, giving confidence to those who might otherwise be reluctant to approach the school with any concerns. Parents who spoke to inspectors or who responded to the Ofsted

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

online survey of their views were mostly positive about the school. There were, however, a very few concerns expressed to inspectors or through comments on Parent View. Inspectors explored these with the school and were satisfied that leaders are responsive to parents’ concerns. Parents told inspectors that they feel part of the school community and appreciate its strong Christian values.  The local authority contributes to school improvement effectively. Representatives visit the school often to see its work for themselves. Their evaluations are astute and helpful to leaders.  Additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well to provide effective support in class. Leaders also make sure that disadvantaged pupils never miss out on any activities to enrich their learning. They get a good start in the morning, with a breakfast club that provides nourishing food and a good range of activities. As a result of these initiatives, there is very little difference between the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

achievement of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils.  Leaders and governors make good use of additional government funding to promote primary sports and physical education. This has resulted in a wide take-up of new sports, such as dodgeball, to attract pupils who might otherwise have been reluctant to participate. Leaders ensure that the benefits of the funding will continue in the future by providing high-quality coaching for class teachers in the skills needed to deliver good sports teaching.  The curriculum has a strong focus on literacy and numeracy. A particularly effective feature of the curriculum is that it provides pupils with a rich variety of topics to learn and write about. For example, pupils’ English books contain a great deal of information and research into science, history and geography themes. This enables pupils to write imaginatively and informatively about dinosaurs or the Romans.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The curriculum has good coverage of additional subjects that give pupils a wide understanding of the world around them. For example, science topics promote their curiosity well. Tuition from a specialist French teacher develops their language skills effectively. Pupils also benefit from specialist music tuition. Inspectors enjoyed hearing pupils singing together, in their hymn practice session, with enjoyment and musical skill.  Pupils enjoy a variety of activities in the classroom and beyond, which promote learning and develop their social skills. For example, the Year 6 pupils’ residential trip to the Gower Peninsula in Wales enables them to explore a range of experiences and to build individual and team skills.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The school’s values underpin the whole school community and bring it together. Pupils understand these values and do their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

best to live by them. Pupils told an inspector that the most important value to them was ‘treating others as you would like them to treat you.’ Their good behaviour is a clear outcome of such values, promoted by all the adults.  The school encourages pupils to grow up confidently in modern, democratic Britain. It ensures that all aspects of the curriculum provide opportunities for British values to be explored. For example, a Year 5 topic on Islam enabled pupils to explore Islamic art and the history of Islam, including its contribution to science, in preparation for exploring the impact of Islam on the modern world.  Leaders manage the quality of teaching well. They expect teachers in promoted positions to help improve the overall quality of teaching, and this is happening. Pupils’ outcomes are now good. Teachers told inspectors that they are encouraged to develop their skills through further training, including studying for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

masters’ degrees. Teaching is now consistently good. However, leaders have not secured the highest- quality teaching to enable pupils’ learning to be exceptionally challenging, particularly for the most-able pupils. Leaders do not consistently ensure that their good advice to teachers is rigorously followed.  The governance of the school – Governance has benefited considerably from external reviews of its performance following the previous inspection. Governors have ensured that their work now has a sharper focus on planning strategies to help the school to improve. – Governors have a robust and informed understanding of the strengths of their school and what remains to be done to make it outstanding. This enables them to provide valuable support to leaders and to ask searching questions to ensure that school improvement continues. – Governors have a detailed understanding of how pupils are achieving compared with those nationally.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

They visit classes and look through pupils’ books to see for themselves how well pupils are learning. Governors secure good value for money from the teaching force. They understand the processes by which staff are appraised, and are prepared to approve or deny applications for promotion, where needed. In this way they ensure that there is a close link between teachers’ movement along the pay scales and pupils’ progress. – Governors check carefully to ensure that the additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils and for sports provision is used well. Their vigilance enables disadvantaged pupils to perform well, and pupils throughout the school to benefit from a wide range of sports and physical activities. – Governors are well trained in safeguarding. In this way they keep pupils safe and secure. They ensure that the school’s culture is free from intolerance or extremism of any kind, and that pupils grow up

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

with strong values, prepared for life in modern Britain.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The background of those who work with children is carefully checked, and records are up to date. Parents’ comments to inspectors and responses to the online questionnaire show that they are confident that their children are safe and looked after well at school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Good teaching enables pupils to make effective progress in their learning in reading, writing and mathematics, and in other subjects as well.  Teachers have good questioning skills. These enable pupils to think deeply about topics and find out the answers for themselves. In one Year 3 class, for example, pupils researched rivers of the world, inspired by a riverboat trip on the Thames. The teacher asked them if the murky water of the Thames was dirty or could it possibly be clean. This promoted a good amount of discussion among the pupils, and stimulated them to undertake their own investigations.  Teachers plan lessons well, so that pupils learn well and make good progress. For example, in one Year 2 mathematics class, pupils were provided with paper and asked to fold it into three pieces of the same size. This apparently simple task was used effectively to encourage pupils to explain how they could be

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

sure the pieces were equal, and what one third meant and how to write it. In this way, pupils quickly grasped the concept of numerators and denominators.  Teachers’ feedback, whether oral or written, is helpful to pupils. It clearly establishes what pupils have learned well, and suggests ways they can improve their work. Pupils show through their oral and written responses that they pay close attention to the comments and use them constructively.  Teachers make sure that pupils keep their books neat and tidy, and that classrooms are pleasant places in which to learn. Key information and technical vocabulary are prominently shown and used successfully by the pupils to help them help themselves. Pupils’ work is displayed effectively in the classrooms, so that they can take pride in what they have accomplished.  Teaching assistants are deployed well to support all pupils, but particularly those who are in danger of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

falling behind. As a result, they have a good impact on the learning of pupils they support, enabling them to make good progress in line with the others.  Most pupils are challenged well with interesting tasks. However, the level of challenge is good rather than exceptional. There are occasions when too little is expected of pupils, particularly the most able. In these cases, the pace of learning slackens, and pupils do not receive the demanding tasks they need to help make the most rapid progress they can.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are looked after well. Pupils told inspectors that they know whom to turn to if they have any worries. They are clear about the school’s reward systems, and this enables them to take responsibility for themselves and helps them to build self-reliance.  Pupils have a good awareness of what bullying means. They understand that it can take different forms, including cyber bullying. They were, therefore, knowledgeable when they told inspectors that there is no bullying at the school. A scrutiny of the school’s behaviour logs confirms that incidents of unkindness between pupils are few and far between.  Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe at the school. The school gives pupils the skills to keep themselves safe. Pupils told inspectors that they benefit from advice from visits to the school by the police and fire services. As a result, they feel able to protect themselves from strangers or when using

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Personal development and welfare

computers.  Pupils take the school’s Christian values to heart. They are considerate to others when playing in the playground or moving around the school. This is because the school encourages them to think of others.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite to visitors, holding doors open and being friendly and ready to speak of their love of their school. They respect the views of others and get on well together.  Pupils’ attendance is average. Through determined action by the school, persistent absenteeism has fallen.  When pupils are assembled in large numbers, for example when coming into the hall together, they are quiet and considerate. Playground behaviour is also good. Pupils who let off steam by playing football and running energetically keep to their side of the playground, so that quieter pupils do not get hurt. Pupils come quickly to order after play, and line up quietly before going into class.  Behaviour in lessons is generally good. Pupils take pride in their work. They have good attitudes to learning and are cooperative. Occasionally, however, particularly when the pace of learning slows, some

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ outcomes are good across all groups of pupils. Inspectors examined school figures on the progress of current pupils in each year group. They also looked at pupils’ work and talked to pupils about their learning. The inspection team judged that pupils throughout the school are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Outcomes are not outstanding because the most-able pupils need more challenge in their learning in order to achieve as well as they can. The school provides additional activities for the most able that develop their interests. For example, the most-able mathematicians receive additional tuition from a local secondary school. On a day-to-day basis, however, tasks given to the most-able pupils sometimes lack the challenge they need to stretch them.  Published data shows that, since the previous inspection, there has been a steady rise in pupils’ attainment and progress. This rise is evident in both key stage 1 and key stage 2. The upward trend is

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Outcomes for pupils are good

evident in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils achieve well in each phase of school life. Children enter the Nursery class with skills that are generally below those typical for their age. By the time children leave the Reception class, their language, number and social skills are above those typical for their age. Pupils also attain well in Years 1 and 2. Year 1 pupils generally gain above-average scores in the Year 1 check of their ability to recognise familiar and invented words. Year 2 pupils attain well in reading, writing and mathematics, and scores have been on a rising trend since the previous inspection. Attainment is also rising for Year 6 pupils, and the progress of Year 6 pupils from when they were in Year 2 is strong.  Pupils’ good literacy and numeracy skills prepare them well for the next stage of schooling. They receive a good grounding in other subjects such as history, geography and science. In this way they are well

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Outcomes for pupils are good

prepared for secondary school.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve well at the school. Published data and school figures show that the attainment and progress of these pupils at least match, and sometimes exceed, those of other pupils. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well because leaders and governors put in place academic and pastoral support to ensure that disadvantaged pupils do not miss out on any aspect of learning.  Pupils who are at an early stage of learning English are given swift support that enables them to learn the language quickly. One parent commented, ‘I am amazed at the progress my child made in learning English after only three months at the school.’  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are given effective support in lessons and in small groups. A typical comment from one parent of a pupil on the special needs register was, ‘I have received a great deal of help, support and advice.’ As a result, these pupils make good progress in line with others.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The school provides effectively for pupils at risk of falling behind in their learning. These pupils are supported well by teachers and teaching assistants, and make good progress in their learning.

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Early years provision is good

 The early years provision gives children an enjoyable start to their schooling. Children in both the Nursery and Reception classes are looked after well. The adults are caring and know the children well.  The provision is led well. Leaders understand the strengths of the provision, and what needs to be done to make it outstanding. Since the previous inspection leaders have improved ways of checking children’s progress. This enables adults to provide the right support for any children at risk of falling behind in their learning.  Adults maintain a calm atmosphere, and this has a settling effect on children. They teach children right from wrong. As a result, children’s behaviour is good. They are ready to take turns and to share the play equipment. They are considerate towards others when driving wheeled vehicles in the outdoor play spaces.  Children who have special educational needs are quickly identified. Additional support is put in place to

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Early years provision is good

help them, and the school works in effective partnership with external agencies to support these children.  Teaching in the early years provision is good. Adults understand the importance of stimulating children’s speaking and listening skills, and encouraging them to think deeply about topics. For example, children were absorbed in drawing up a story map, based on their reading of ‘Jasper’s beanstalk’, in which a cat plants a bean in the hope of finding a giant. The children were able to put in order the events of the story, and to talk about them. Their learning was extended by the opportunity to make marks on the story map, as a precursor to writing.  Children learn language and number skills well. They begin to learn phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) in the Nursery class, and their skills are further developed in the Reception classes. As a result, many children in the early years provision are beginning to read and write words and even simple

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Early years provision is good

sentences.  Early number skills are also given good attention. Children are encouraged to count, add up and take away. For example, continuing the topic of beanstalks, children had planted their own beans in pots. Adults helped them to measure the height of their plants, and to talk about whether their beans were longer or shorter than others.  Children’s learning, though good, is not outstanding. Not all independent learning activities for children have a sharp enough focus on promoting language and number skills. In these cases, learning is not as rapid as it might be, particularly for the most-able children who need extra challenge.  Children’s outcomes are good in the early years. Children learn well in the attractive and inviting play areas in both the Nursery and Reception classes. Adults go to a great deal of trouble to find imaginative ways of stimulating children’s learning. For example, children enjoyed passing real vegetables over a toy

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Early years provision is good

supermarket till, and making a beeping sound. This activity was then extended to promote children’s number skills.  Children make good progress in the early years provision from their starting points. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception has been above average for the past three years. Predictions for children currently in the early years indicate that this is likely to continue.  The additional early years funding for disadvantaged children is used well, so that they make similar progress in their learning to other children.  There are effective home-school links, starting with the home visits that new Nursery children receive. Parents of children in the early years provision told inspectors that they are welcomed into school and helped to find out what is going on and how their children are learning.  Transition arrangements are strong. By the time children move into Year 1, they are already familiar with

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Early years provision is good

their new teacher and classroom, and have already sampled their new routines.

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School details

Unique reference number 102667 Local authority Merton Inspection number 10011928

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School details

This inspection 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 471 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen Arnold Headteacher David Hennessey Telephone number 020 8648 1459 Website www.sspp.merton.sch.uk Email address office@sspp.merton.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19–20 June 2014

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Information about this school

 SS Peter & Paul Catholic Primary School is larger than average for a primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for additional government funding, known as the pupil premium, is a little smaller than average. The funding is used to support pupils who are eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  Most pupils come from a wide range of minority ethnic heritages, with no one group predominating. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much higher than average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is a little higher than average.  The school runs a breakfast club for pupils eligible to receive the pupil premium. An outside organisation provides morning and after-school care provision; this is subject to separate inspection.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited classes throughout the school, apart from Year 6, who were on a residential trip. Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in a range of subjects. The headteacher and the assistant headteachers joined inspectors on most of their classroom visits.  Inspectors spoke to a number of pupils, listened to them read and looked at samples of their work. An inspector met a group of pupils to hear how they felt about the school. Inspectors took into account 21 responses to the Ofsted online survey of pupils’ views, together with the school’s impromptu survey of Year 6 pupils’ views, telephoned in from their residential visit.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, including those who hold responsibility for specific subjects.  A meeting was held with the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. Four governors attended the final feedback meeting.  A meeting was held with a representative from the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 A telephone interview was held with a representative from the archdiocese. A different diocesan representative attended the final feedback meeting.  Inspectors spoke to a number of parents during the inspection. There were 57 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, and inspectors took these into consideration. An inspector met representatives from the Parents’ Forum.  Inspectors took into consideration 36 responses to an online questionnaire for members of staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents. These included the school’s own views of how well it is doing, its plans for the future, and minutes of meetings of the governing body.  Inspectors considered a range of evidence on pupils’ attainment and progress. They also examined safeguarding information, and records relating to attendance, behaviour and safety.

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Inspection team

Natalia Power, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Richard Barnes Joanna Brinkley Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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