St Peter's Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Peter’s Primary School Normanton Road, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 7AR

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Outcome

St Peter’s Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like their school very much. They think it is a friendly place and they enjoy their learning. Pupils particularly value the wide range of activities outside lessons, such as clubs for dance and football. Leaders make sure that no pupils miss out on these experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils said that their behaviour in classrooms has improved a lot. Adults make sure that pupils try hard and focus on their work. The school’s values also encourage pupils to aim high and make sensible choices. Pupils’ positive attitudes help them all to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At breaktimes, pupils play together happily. They can choose whether to sit in a quiet place, play games and sport, or join an indoor club. Pupils like having this choice.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe here. They know that adults will listen to them if they have any concerns. Pupils said that bullying is not a problem. Pupils said that the lessons and events where they talk about bullying help with this. If bullying does happen, adults make sure that it stops.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

St Peter’s has experienced several changes since the last inspection. Many new staff, including subject leaders, have joined the school. The trust and headteachers provide strong and ambitious leadership. They have managed the school through a period of change and raised expectations of pupils. Their work has made sure that pupils continue to receive a good quality of education.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils achieve well in in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders also ensure that what pupils learn in other subjects is well planned and interesting. In early years too, children develop their skills and knowledge effectively. They are well prepared for Year 1. 2–3 October 2019

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Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to know and be able to do. Teachers introduce pupils to new subject content in a logical order that helps pupils to build their understanding and remember important knowledge. Teachers adapt teaching skilfully to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are included fully in lessons and study the same content as their peers. Leaders and teachers discuss and decide which teaching approaches work best to help pupils to learn in different subjects. Sometimes, subject plans do not set out clearly how pupils should develop and build their knowledge over time as they progress from one topic to the next. Consequently, pupils do not deepen their understanding as well as they could.

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Children learn phonics as soon as they join the school. Teachers make sure that the youngest pupils practise their phonics knowledge regularly. Pupils read books that match the phonics sounds that they know, as well as texts that they enjoy reading. Staff are well trained to teach early reading. They identify pupils who fall behind and help them to catch up. By the start of Year 3, nearly all pupils read fluently and understand what they read.

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In the past, pupils did not achieve well enough in writing. Leaders have improved the way this subject is planned and taught. Teachers know what pupils should learn in each year. They make sure that pupils understand how to use grammar and punctuation accurately. They also ensure that pupils understand the features of different styles of writing. Teachers choose interesting topics for pupils to write about. This motivates pupils to try hard and apply what they have been taught. Pupils told me that they enjoy writing much more now than in the past. Despite these improvements, a few pupils still struggle to write at the standard expected for their age by the end of Year 6.

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Leaders have high expectations for disadvantaged pupils. They know what individual pupils find hard and provide them with plenty of extra help. Sometimes, this help is not focused sharply on strengthening pupils’ achievement across the full range of subjects.

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Subjects such as physical education (PE) are planned and taught well. Pupils develop physical and sporting skills and knowledge progressively. Leaders have invested in resources and training for staff. This too has improved the quality of PE. Teachers encourage pupils to link what they learn in PE with the school’s values, such as perseverance. Teachers also stress to pupils that keeping active can help them to lead a healthy lifestyle. Pupils are enthusiastic about PE. They told me that their lessons encourage them to take part in the additional sports activities on offer.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. Well-planned experiences and activities enable pupils to explore what it means to be a good citizen. The school’s values underpin this work. Pupils rightly said that this is an important part of their education here. Poor behaviour rarely gets in the way of pupils’ learning. In early years too, children are ready and keen to learn.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 2–3 October 2019

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Staff understand and follow the school’s systems for reporting concerns about pupils’ welfare. Staff receive regular training and identify concerns promptly. The trust provides effective support for leaders who have specific responsibilities for safeguarding pupils’ welfare.

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Leaders respond quickly to any safeguarding concerns. They work with several external agencies, including the police, to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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Leaders work with outside organisations to help pupils understand e-safety, the dangers related to gang membership and how to build positive relationships. Pupils said that this helps them to understand how to look after themselves.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils achieve well in writing. This is due to the improvements that leaders have made to planning and teaching in this subject. However, some pupils still find writing difficult by the end of Year 6. Leaders should maintain their focus on strengthening pupils’ achievement in writing so that all pupils write to a high standard by the time they leave for secondary school.  Extra help for disadvantaged pupils is not sharply focused across all curriculum subjects. Leaders should strengthen the quality of additional support that these pupils receive so that their work is of a consistently high quality across all subjects.  Leaders have made sure that teachers have subject plans that tell them the important content that pupils should be taught and in what order. However, these plans do not routinely set out how pupils should build on and use what has been taught before in other topics and subjects. Therefore, leaders should underline how new knowledge and

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

skills build on what has been taught before.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Peter’s Primary School, to be good. 2–3 October 2019

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 2–3 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10121550 Type of school Primary

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School details

Co-Headteachers Caroline Barriball and Samantha Sandle

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Peter’s is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school became an academy within the Folio Education Trust on 1 April 2017. The school has a local advisory board appointed by the trust.  The co-headteachers were appointed in June 2019. Prior to this, they had carried out their roles on an interim basis.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school does not have a Nursery class. Children join the school in Reception Year.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with school leaders, including subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. I visited lessons with leaders in early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2 and looked at examples of pupils’ work. I spoke with different groups of pupils and teachers and listened to pupils read.  I met with the chair of trustees, members of the local advisory board and the chief executive officer from the trust. I spoke to an adviser from the local authority.  I considered the views of the 134 parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View 2–3 October 2019

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survey.  I focused deeply on the quality of education in reading, writing and PE. I also considered the quality of pupils’ learning in other subjects.

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Inspection team

Nick Flesher, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 2–3 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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