St Michael's CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Michael’s CofE Primary School Granville Road, Southfields, London SW18 5SQ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 14 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 14 and 15 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. They take part in an extensive range of visits and clubs. Many pupils have opportunities to follow their interests, including to learn musical instruments. Staff encourage pupils to take on responsibilities. Pupils speak positively about undertaking a variety of roles. For instance, they are proud to be monitors, ambassadors and eco-warriors. Leaders encourage pupils to collaborate and show respect for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers praise the ‘family feel’ of the school’s community. Leaders and staff work together to ensure that expectations are high for all pupils, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, adults’ expectations of what children can achieve in their learning are not as high in the early years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults’ support and guidance helps pupils to behave positively. Expectations of pupils’ behaviour are high. This begins right from the start in Nursery where teachers promote good manners. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and adults. They are confident and articulate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and know who to talk to should they have a concern. Bullying at the school is extremely rare. Leaders and staff deal with any concerns quickly.

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better?

Pupils learn a broad curriculum. Subject content is identified clearly in most subjects. This is sequenced well over time so that pupils build on what they have previously learned. For example, pupils in Year 5 applied their previous learning when playing notation on the keyboard. However, curricular thinking in history, geography and design and technology (DT) is not as well developed. In these subjects, the key knowledge that pupils need to learn is not identified clearly.

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better?

Teachers develop pupils’ vocabulary consistently. They check that pupils understand their work. Pupils have well-planned opportunities to extend their learning further. For instance, in mathematics, pupils in Year 6 used their knowledge about percentages when solving problems about profit and loss.

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better?

Adults have strong subject knowledge and use this to deepen pupils’ learning. However, in the early years, adults’ subject knowledge development has not been a priority. In Reception, adults do not use their interactions with children to broaden their learning and vocabulary. Staff do not implement the intended curriculum well. Too often, staff focus on organisational tasks rather than on extending children’s learning. In particular, children who require additional support to develop their language skills do not consistently experience rich opportunities for dialogue. 14 and 15 June 2022

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Leaders have successfully implemented a new phonics approach. Adults are trained well and teach phonics consistently. Pupils now read books that are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. Teachers use regular checks to identify pupils who may struggle with phonics. Leaders ensure that these pupils receive additional support. This helps pupils to build their reading fluency effectively. However, in Reception, children who struggle to decode and blend new sounds are not helped to catch up quickly.

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Pupils with SEND are fully included in school life. They receive strong support from well-trained adults. Leaders are knowledgeable about how to provide specific support to meet pupils’ needs. They work proactively with external specialists and parents.

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Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes. They actively and sensibly take part in lessons. Adults encourage pupils to share their views which helps to build their confidence. The school is a calm and orderly environment. Pupils settle quickly and do not waste learning time.

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Leaders have a well-thought-out enrichment programme for pupils. A wide range of visits, workshops and competitions give opportunities to all pupils, including those with SEND. Pupils value these experiences. They enjoy the sporting events and speak confidently about how to keep themselves healthy. Pupils learn about different cultures, celebrations and beliefs. They speak enthusiastically about visiting places of worship.

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Members of the governing body provide a strong balance of support and challenge. They are knowledgeable about leaders’ work and reflect on the difference that initiatives make. For example, members of the governing body worked closely with leaders to ensure staff well-being was a high priority. Staff value how leaders consider their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand their safeguarding responsibilities well. Staff receive regular training related to safeguarding. For example, ‘safeguarding challenge’ is used to keep staff up to date with the latest statutory requirements. As a result, leaders and staff know how to manage concerns, including using external agencies if required. Leaders follow up concerns in a timely manner. Governors are well trained. They know how to support and challenge leaders’ work in safeguarding.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They know how to manage online risks. The school’s work on ‘banter’ and ‘consent’ helps pupils to know about appropriate boundaries. 14 and 15 June 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Children who struggle with phonics in Reception do not receive consistently strong support. As a result, they do not make the progress they should do to become fluent readers. Leaders should ensure that adults working with children who need extra help with phonics have the appropriate expertise.  In Reception, adults do not implement the intended curriculum well. As a result, children do not deepen their learning across all areas of learning. Children with less-developed language skills do not receive effective support. Leaders should ensure that all staff in the early years have the appropriate training so that their interactions with children develop learning further.  The knowledge that pupils need to learn in history, geography and DT is not identified clearly. Subject planning does not identify the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and when. However, it is clear from leaders’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

action that they are in the process of bringing this about and making the necessary amendments. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. Leaders should ensure that curricular thinking in these subjects identifies the key content that pupils need to learn.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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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. 14 and 15 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10229033 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stmichaels.wandsworth.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 October 2008

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Information about this school

 The majority of senior leaders were appointed during the current academic year.  There is a new chair of governors since the previous inspection.  The school has a Church of England religious character. The school’s previous section 48 inspection took place in 2019.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in the evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with: the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, a representative from the local authority, a representative from the Southwark Diocesan board of education, and members of 14 and 15 June 2022

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the governing body. The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with the head of school performance from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in four subjects: reading, science, music and mathematics. Other subjects were also considered as part of this inspection. Inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and listened to pupils read. Meetings with pupils and teachers to gather their views were also held.  During the inspection, inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to safeguarding, pupils’ personal development and behaviour. The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Noeman Anwar, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Brinkley Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 June 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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