Richard Atkins Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Richard Atkins Primary School New Park Road, London SW2 4JP

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Outcome

Richard Atkins Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud members of the school community. They are happy and safe here. Pupils celebrate each other’s differences. They have great respect for each other, which is rooted in the school values. Pupils have many responsibilities around the school, such as being members of the Young Leaders and School Council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is calm and orderly, in class and around the school. There is no low-level disruption to lessons. Pupils say that this is because staff have high expectations of them. Teachers follow the school behaviour policy consistently and fairly. Bullying is extremely rare and is not tolerated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy termly trips linked to the curriculum such as visits to museums and the theatre. Older pupils really benefited from a project this year which involved visits to some London universities. They explored potential routes into different careers and commented on how this opportunity has helped raised their aspirations. Whole-school events such as the Jubilee Picnic and Sports Day bring the community together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils attend at least one after school club. There are many clubs on offer such as music, mathematics, cricket and football. Pupils also take part in several competitions and events such as the cluster multi-skills competition.

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

Leaders have carefully designed an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. They have made sure that teachers know what to teach and when. They have planned for key themes to be re-visited in each subject every year. Staff help pupils make links and build on their knowledge. As a result, pupils can remember what they have learned. Pupils can give examples of how they have improved their knowledge and skills over time. Although the early years programme is well planned in itself, little consideration has been given as to how it fits in with the whole school curriculum. With the exception of mathematics, the early years planning is separate to that of the whole school. In Reception, children begin 5 and 6 July 2022

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to learn the methods and use the same concrete resources in mathematics lessons as the pupils in Year 1. This prepares them for when they move up the school. No time is lost, and progress is easy to track. However, it is not clear how other subjects develop as pupils move from early years to Year 1. These subject leaders do not have an ownership of how their subject is taught in Nursery and Reception.

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Teachers have good subject knowledge and break learning down so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) understand. They make appropriate adaptations and use resources well. Teachers routinely assess what pupils know and identify misconceptions. This helps them plan the following lessons. Pupils learn from their mistakes. They are shown where they went wrong and what to do to improve.

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In music, younger pupils learn to play simple rhythms with percussion instruments. In early years, children use percussion to create a beat to accompany a familiar song. Older pupils get to choose an instrument that they wish to learn. A wide choice of instruments is available such as trombone, clarinet, flute and trumpet. Pupils start learning in Year 5 and develop musical knowledge through this instrument until the end of Year 6. This instrument is made available for them to take home. By the end of the year, they play their instrument as part of a whole class ensemble. As their confidence increases, pupils view themselves as musicians. Year 6 pupils are keen to continue with these instruments at secondary school next year.

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Leaders have prioritised reading. They have carefully chosen a programme to ensure there is a consistent approach and rigorous systems in place. Any pupils who fall behind in their reading quickly catch up. Books chosen for pupils to read match their decoding level. Teachers actively promote the love of reading. Leaders have carefully chosen texts that are representative of their pupils.

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Leaders make sure that all pupils with SEND make good or better progress. They work closely with outside agencies and with parents. Due to high expectations, behaviour is never disruptive in lessons. Some pupils who struggle to regulate their emotions spend time in the school’s enhanced provision. Here, skilled staff teach them how to manage their feelings so that they can access their learning and not fall behind.

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Staff develop positive relationships with all pupils. They are proud to work at this school. They feel supported by leaders in school including personal matters and say that workload is manageable and that appropriate adaptations are made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know their families extremely well. They make sure that they provide families with the support needed. They are fully aware of the local context. They engage well with outside agencies including charity groups who are equipped to support families in the way they need. They make sure that in school support and interventions are in place to support vulnerable pupils during the school day. 5 and 6 July 2022

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Governors are fully aware of their statutory duties and take them very seriously. They are involved in the safer recruitment of staff.

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Pupils confirm that they all have a trusted adult they can talk to if they are worried about anything. They are well informed on how to keep safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum does not always include what is being taught in early years. This means that it is not clear how the learning journey continues from Reception to Year 1. Subject leaders do not have a good understanding of how their subject is being taught to the youngest children. Leaders must make sure that they include early years in their whole-school curriculum. They must decide on how they will build on what children learn as they move up the school.

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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 March 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 . 5 and 6 July 2022

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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. 5 and 6 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211140 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The number of pupils on roll has reduced and the school now has one and a half forms of entry.  This 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 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with all senior leaders, including the safeguarding team. They met with most teaching staff and some support staff. They met with some governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke to a local authority advisor.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. 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.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.

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 The inspector reviewed arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising records and through discussions with staff and pupils.  The inspector took account of the views of pupils, parents and staff, as gathered through discussions and Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Aliki Constantopoulou, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 July 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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