Ealdham Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ealdham Primary School Ealdham Square, Eltham, London SE9 6BP

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

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Outcome

Ealdham Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to ‘shine like a diamond’ in all that they do. Adults have high expectations of them, and pupils respond well to these. Pupils behave sensibly, both in and out of lessons. They take pride in their achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly school. Pupils are confident that if they have any concerns, their friends and adults in the school will help them. Pupils are polite and courteous. Staff said that this makes the school a delightful place to work. If any bullying occurs, leaders deal with it promptly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff expect all pupils to achieve highly. Over the last few years, leaders have made improvements to the curriculum. For example, they reviewed the sequence of learning in most subjects. Pupils talked about their learning with enthusiasm. They love it when they learn new things.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and governors ensure that there are additional activities to enrich the curriculum. For example, pupils enjoy going on outings, watching performances and attending art or historical exhibitions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at school. They trust the adults who look after them.

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

Leaders have put in place a curriculum with a wide range of subjects. They have ensured that it matches the requirements and ambition of the national curriculum. Leaders and governors are committed to ensuring that it is a curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This group of pupils learn as well as other pupils in the school.

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

The teaching of reading is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. Children learn how to read as soon as they start school. Leaders have invested time and resources so that 19 and 20 October 2021

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members of staff are expert teachers of reading. As a result, pupils develop their reading very well.

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Because of the disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, some pupils’ reading is behind where leaders expect it to be. Leaders use assessment accurately to identify and address any gaps in pupils’ reading. They use this information to put effective plans in place to help pupils to catch up.

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Across the school, pupils are engaged in their learning and behave well so that the curriculum is not interrupted. This includes in the early years. Curriculum leaders are experts in the subjects they lead. They provide advice to teachers on how best to teach the curriculum. As a result, pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage in their education in most subjects. This includes children in the early years, who are beginning to learn about history, science and mathematics. In Reception classes, for example, children develop an understanding of the past through talking about their older family members. However, in some instances, pupils find it harder to remember the most important content. This occurs when curriculum plans do not identify as sharply the key knowledge that pupils should know and remember.

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Leaders and teachers think deeply about the assessment materials they use to check what pupils already know and can do. They use what they find out when assessing pupils’ learning to help them adjust the curriculum. Typically, teachers revisit what pupils have learned to help them remember it. In history, for example, pupils regularly recall facts about periods which they have already studied. However, sometimes they get stuck when facing new learning. This occurs when they do not have a deep understanding of what has been taught before.

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Governors and leaders encourage pupils’ learning to go beyond the formal academic curriculum. Leaders constantly seek opportunities to enrich pupils’ knowledge. They have partnered with institutions like The Royal Observatory, Greenwich, to encourage pupils to develop their wider interests.

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Through the curriculum, leaders teach pupils how to respect their own and other pupils’ privacy. They work to develop pupils’ understanding of healthy relationships as well as teach pupils how to keep themselves safe from online harm and abuse.

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Staff appreciate leaders’ efforts to ensure that their workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are approachable and this has created a culture of openness. Adults and pupils alike are confident that if they raise any concerns or worries, they are heard. Pupils talked about how they can depend on adults and friends to keep them safe. There is a genuinely warm, professional relationship between and among staff and pupils. 19 and 20 October 2021

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Leaders and staff know pupils and their families really well. They work effectively with other agencies to ensure vulnerable pupils and those who may be at risk receive the support they need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few instances, leaders have not identified precisely the most important content that they want pupils to know and remember. As a result, pupils do not remember all the key knowledge that they need for their future learning. Leaders should refine curriculum plans so that teachers know exactly what knowledge should be emphasised when delivering the curriculum in all subjects.  In some subjects, pupils occasionally get stuck when faced with new learning. This is because they do not have a solid understanding of the knowledge that has been taught before. Teaching should ensure that pupils do not move on to new learning before they have fully secured previous learning.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 19 and 20 October 2021

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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. 19 and 20 October 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 October 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been no relevant changes since the previous inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders, members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and the head of the local authority’s school improvement services.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 19 and 20 October 2021

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 The inspector also looked at other curriculum plans and spoke to the school’s special educational needs coordinator.  When inspecting safeguarding, the inspector looked at the single central record, analysed safeguarding records and referrals, observed pupils in and out of lessons, spoke to parents, met with a range of staff and explored governors’ understanding of their safeguarding roles.  The inspector considered 17 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey, 43 responses to the pupil survey and 22 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Edison David, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 October 2021

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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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