Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.1

Ms J Mitchell Executive Headteacher Christ Church SW9 Primary School Cancell Road North Brixton London SW9 6HN

p.1

Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 2 May 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

p.1

Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in November 2016. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Primary School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

p.1

Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with you and your deputy headteacher, the leader for science and computing and the leader for the early years to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I also met with two governors and a representative of the local authority. The school improvement plan was evaluated. I looked at a range of information about pupils’ current progress, their behaviour and attendance. I reviewed records of governors’ work, monitoring records of teaching and the school’s response to its external review of governance. I spoke with pupils and observed them during a playtime. I visited a number of classrooms with your deputy headteacher and sampled a range of pupils’ work.

p.1

Context

Since the last inspection, four teachers, including your assistant headteacher, have either left the school or are about to leave. Governors have appointed a new head of school, who will take up post in September 2017. The soft federation with Saint Andrew’s Church of England Primary School has continued. A senior leader manages the early years of both schools. Governors have agreed to relocate your Nursery class to the main school premises from September 2017.

p.2

Main findings

Your plans for improvement have been effective in bringing the school’s weaknesses into the open so that they can be tackled honestly and effectively. You have taken steps to improve the accuracy and use of assessment information. Senior leaders have obtained the evidence they needed to decide on priorities for improving the quality of teaching and challenge underperformance. As a result, there are early signs that the progress of pupils with different abilities is improving. Now that the breadth and accuracy of information have improved, you recognise that some of the measures of success in your plans for improvement need to sharpen further. For example, reference to the impact of these plans on the progress of the most able pupils is currently too limited.

p.2

Main findings

Leadership of the early years is improving the quality of teaching. This has resulted in more effective questioning of children and improvements in how precisely members of staff model spoken English. Your use of ‘talk tables’ to help children whose speech and language is at an early stage of development is proving effective. You have also made a wise decision to relocate the Nursery next to the Reception class. The outdoor area provides more sharply focused opportunities for children to develop their skills. There is still much more potential for further development in the large space available. These improvements have led to increased progress. The proportion of children on track to achieve a good level of development has increased since the last inspection.

p.2

Main findings

Senior leaders have organised information about pupils’ progress in a way which allows teachers to evaluate how effectively they are deepening pupils’ learning. As a result, the progress of the most able pupils in particular is improving. The school’s information indicates that the proportion of pupils working at greater depth at the end of key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics has improved in the current year. However, you know that there remain inconsistencies in how effectively teachers adapt lessons to support pupils of different abilities. For example, in mathematics, pupils typically remain better at finding the answers to calculations than explaining why their answer is correct.

p.2

Main findings

The sharpening of the accuracy of assessment checks has revealed some variations in teachers’ subject knowledge. This evidence has been helpful in helping to decide on training and support. Senior leaders have been effective in reviewing the school’s behaviour policy. You have made sure that teachers implement the changes consistently. As a result, the number of disruptions to lessons is diminishing. Pupils say they have noticed how behaviour is improving.

p.2

Main findings

Middle leaders have focused their plans for improvement sharply on checking how well teachers consider the progress of pupils across a range of subjects. Revisions to schemes of work and the support middle leaders are giving to teachers’ professional development are strengthening the curriculum. For example, in science, current pupils are looking deeper into scientific topics and acquiring more knowledge. You recognise that more work is needed to strengthen pupils’ skills in carrying out scientific investigations.

p.3

Main findings

Governors have acted promptly to organise an external review of their work and consider its recommendations. They have wisely decided to reorganise the structure of their meetings. Governors have been successful in recruiting new colleagues. Written records of recent meetings demonstrate improvements in the way governors are probing leaders about outcomes for pupils. However, there is a need for governors to insist on more specific measures of success for groups of pupils and indicators, such as behaviour incidents, as plans for improvement develop further.

p.3

External support

The local authority has offered effective support in recruitment, moderation of assessments and challenge for senior leaders. The federation with Saint Andrew’s Church of England Primary School has provided examples of good practice and leadership, subject development and the organisation of assessment information. The early years lead, who shares her time between the two schools in the federation, has added a coherence and impetus to driving forward improvements in the early years. An independent consultant for mathematics has provided important advice in tackling weaknesses in the teaching of this subject.

p.3

External support

I am copying this letter to the executive board, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Lambeth. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3