Park Walk Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Park Walk Primary School Park Walk, King's Road, Chelsea, London SW10 0AY

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Outcome

Park Walk Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a real sense of community at this school. Relationships between staff and families are very strong. This means that they all support each other to help pupils to learn. Teachers expect all pupils to do well. Leaders understand the impact adverse experiences can have on families and children. They use their training on attachment and trauma to help pupils stay focused in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, energetic and enthusiastic. They enjoy all aspects of the school day, including their lessons and playtime. Many opportunities are given to learn outside of the classroom, including trips and after-school clubs. Pupils behave well in lessons, and at break and lunchtimes. They are polite in the way they talk to each other and to staff. Pupils value learning and try hard in their lessons. They feel safe in school. Pupils are taught negotiation skills and enjoy the opportunity to resolve minor problems between themselves. If problems are more complex, they will talk to their teachers, who will put great effort into making things right. Children learn what bullying means and trust their teachers to deal with it if it does occur.

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

Leaders focus successfully on nurturing and supporting pupils to achieve as much as possible. They have thought about what pupils should learn in each subject and how they can link knowledge from different subjects together. Teaching programmes cover everything required by the National Curriculum. Leaders have recently introduced a new timetable where pupils learn subjects other than English and mathematics in larger blocks of time, in turn. This is a new approach, and as such it is not yet known how this will bring further improvement to pupils’ long-term knowledge and understanding. It is important that leaders carefully monitor the impact of this curriculum change.

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

Younger pupils learn their phonics quickly. Teachers are well trained to use the chosen programme. New teachers also get support so that they can teach phonics accurately. Teachers check pupils’ progress regularly. Pupils are put into groups so they are always 3 and 4 November 2021

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taught at the right level. If they fall behind, teachers or teaching assistants give extra support. Pupils read books which are matched to the stage they are at. Leaders recognise that pupils need a broad vocabulary to become fluent readers. They address this through ‘whole-class’ reading sessions, ‘word of the week’ and role-modelling complex vocabulary.

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Children are safe and happy in the early years. Teachers and early years’ practitioners are knowledgeable about what they teach. They make sure that lessons help children to build their knowledge and understanding. Staff give children lots of opportunities to play, explore and explain their learning. Parents can come into school to read, play and learn with their children. This helps parents understand the phonics programme and strengthens the relationships with teachers and school leaders. Such is the success of the programme, that is continued as the children progress through the school. Some cross-disciplinary skills are underdeveloped. For example, in mathematics and science, key stage 2 pupils’ presentation of results tables and graphs is not as accurate as it could be. More generally, pupils’ drawing skills could be sharper. Leaders have recognised this and have plans in place to bring about improvements.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/ or disabilities do well. This is because teachers and support staff get to know them and understand what helps them to learn. The school is currently working closely with the local authority to provide education for a class of children who are refugees from Afghanistan. Leaders are working hard to support these young people and are beginning to integrate them into the school.

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Pupils’ experiences go beyond what they learn in lessons. Trips are linked to classroom topics but also give pupils a broad range of cultural experiences. For example, every pupil attends a live artistic performance each year. Low-level disruption is extremely rare. Pupils are taught to recognise and address changes in their own emotions but, if they cannot manage these themselves, teachers are trained to provide support. As a result, learning is consistently purposeful and focused.

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The headteacher, her senior leadership team and governors understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Teachers and other staff feel well supported by leaders. They have lots of help to manage their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to spot signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They know what to do if they have any concerns. Leaders get to know pupils and their families well and have a caring approach. They work with external agencies and the local authority to make sure that pupils and their families get the support they need. While action is taken in a timely way and appropriate records are kept, there is room for improvement in the way these are organised so that information is more readily available when needed. 3 and 4 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in all subjects is well sequenced and sets out everything pupils need to know. This term, the school timetable has been changed so that foundation subjects are taught for longer sessions over the course of a week or a fortnight. A rotation system is in place so that each subject is covered, in turn. It is important that leaders and governors monitor and evaluate the success of this arrangement, to ensure that it maintains and improves the good quality of pupils’ learning.  While the curriculum in science and mathematics is generally well taught, the quality of pupils’ recording of results and plotting graphs is not as good as it could be. The same applies to their quality of drawing across the curriculum. Specific focus should be given to these skills across the curriculum, to sharpen pupils’ ability to work with precision and accuracy

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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 January 2012.

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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 . 3 and 4 November 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. 3 and 4 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200172 Type of school Primary

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form

Date of previous inspection 6 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.

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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 have taken that into account in my evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the school business manager, governors, including the chair of governors, and curriculum leaders. The inspector also met with teachers and support staff and the school improvement partner from the local authority.  The inspector did deep dives in these subjects: reading, science and design technology. The inspector discussed these subjects with pupils, teachers and leaders. The inspector 3 and 4 November 2021

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visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. This included discussions with leaders of the subject, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers about the subject, scrutiny of pupils’ work in the subject and discussions with pupils about the subject.  The inspector also looked at the curriculum plans and pupils’ work, and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the school’s safeguarding procedures. The inspector scrutinised the school’s register of checks made on staff and their safeguarding records. The inspector also talked with parents, pupils and staff to hear their views on the safety of the pupils, and considered responses to Ofsted’s inspection surveys.

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Inspection team

Amy Jackson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 November 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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