William Morris Primary School

Inspection of a good school: William Morris Primary School Recreation Way, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 1PJ

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Outcome

William Morris Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school that sits at the heart of the community. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They work hard and behave well. Pupils are safe and are well cared for. Leaders celebrate individuality and diversity through their vision of ‘strength through difference’. They have created an environment with high ambitions for every pupil. Pupils respond to these expectations very well. They say that adults have ‘a great influence on us to have a positive future’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils always display positive attitudes to their learning and get on with their work quickly. They work hard and achieve well. Pupils get on with each other when discussing their work and in the playground. They know what bullying is and say that it does not happen. They know that the adults will listen to them and help if they are worried about anything.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of opportunities to be involved in school life. Their opinions are important to leaders. Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities and are proud of the work they do to help others. The head girl and the head boy led the design of a healthy lunch menu that is very popular. Eco-warriors make sure everyone knows about the recycling of plastics and paper. There are a range of clubs beyond the school day, such as Taekwondo and gymnastics. Pupils also have residential trips that enhance their learning in class.

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

Leaders have developed an engaging and ambitious curriculum, including in the early years. This helps most pupils to achieve the best that they can. Leaders are clear about what they want pupils to learn. They provide clear sequences of knowledge for different subjects, meeting the requirements of the national curriculum. Teachers use the expertise and support from curriculum teams across the federation of schools well. Lessons are taught in an engaging way to deepen pupils’ knowledge. At the beginning of each new lesson, pupils revisit prior learning. Teachers are clear that they can move on to new 1 and 2 March 2022

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learning. For example, Year 3 pupils used their previous geographical knowledge about oceans of the world to support them with their new learning about rivers.

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Leaders have made reading a key curriculum priority. Leaders have identified a core set of high-quality texts to be shared in each year group that spark pupils’ interest and imagination. As soon as all children join the early years, they practise their phonics knowledge each day by following the school’s chosen phonics scheme. The youngest children read books that are matched closely to the sounds that they are learning. Those pupils who struggle with reading are identified quickly by staff and receive appropriate support to help them to catch up. Almost all pupils become confident, fluent readers by the end of Year 2. Older pupils thoroughly enjoy the books that they read in class and have been read to them by adults. Older pupils describe how the adventurous stories they read in class allow them to escape into a magical world.

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In the early years, children settle well because staff establish routines swiftly. These routines form firm foundations on which to build. Pupils know that they are expected to behave well. The high expectations of behaviour are consistent throughout the school, and pupils meet these expectations because they feel safe and supported. As a result, all classrooms are calm learning environments. Pupils understand the importance of democracy, tolerance and respect for others. Pupils can apply for positions of responsibility in school. Leaders want pupils to have an important voice in the school. This is realised by pupils. Pupils say that everyone is treated equally and their opinion matters.

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Leaders ensure that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified as early as possible. Most pupils with SEND benefit from appropriate support from staff. Occasionally, opportunities are missed to ensure that pupils with SEND always receive what they need to achieve as well as they could. On these occasions, adults spend a disproportionate amount of time making notes about pupils rather than helping them. Staff liaise effectively with parents and carers and outside agencies to organise additional expertise. Through regular meetings, teachers check carefully on how well all pupils, including children in the early years, are learning and remembering the intended curriculum.

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Members of the governing body are knowledgeable and provide an appropriate level of challenge and support for leaders. Staff are positive about the support that they receive from leaders and governors. Staff appreciate the consideration that leaders and governors give to their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out appropriate checks when appointing staff. Thorough records of concern about individual pupils are maintained and leaders follow up any concerns with external agencies swiftly to ensure that action is taken when needed.

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Safeguarding

Because staff know about likely local risks to pupils, safeguarding is threaded through the school curriculum. Furthermore, the school is in regular contact with different agencies 1 and 2 March 2022

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that work together to keep pupils safe. Through lessons, assemblies and newsletters, the school shares important safety messages with pupils and parents.

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Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online. They know which adults they can trust. All parents and carers who completed the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, reported that their children feel safe in school and are well looked after.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, pupils with SEND do not get enough individual support during whole class sessions to be clear about their learning. Occasionally, this can prevent pupils from learning the knowledge and skills that leaders expect. Leaders should share examples of good practice in school more widely and, in turn, help pupils overcome barriers to 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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2017.

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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 .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 1 and 2 March 2022

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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. 1 and 2 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.bedifferent-federation.org.uk/ Date of previous inspection 8 and 9 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a federation with two other primary schools. All three schools share the same executive headteacher.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, the acting head of school, senior leaders, the inclusion leader, the safeguarding team, a range of staff, two members of the governing body and a local authority representative.  The inspector carried out three deep dives in early reading, science and geography. For each deep dive, he 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.  The inspector sampled the curriculum plans for art and physical education and scrutinised the school development plan and the minutes from governors’ meetings. 1 and 2 March 2022

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 The inspector reviewed the safeguarding arrangements by scrutinising documentation, checking the single central record and talking to leaders, staff and pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents and staff through Ofsted’s online surveys, including 30 responses to Ofsted Parent View and eight staff responses. He spoke to parents in the playground.

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Inspection team

Neil Harvey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 March 2022

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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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