St Mary's Church of England Primary Norwood Green

Inspection of a good school: St Mary’s Church of England Primary Norwood Green 26 Tentelow Lane, Norwood Green, Southall, Middlesex UB2 4LE

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 October 2022

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Outcome

St Mary’s Church of England Primary Norwood Green continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive and happy school. Leaders’ vision of ‘good ground grows well’ accurately describes pupils’ positive attitudes. Pupils enjoy lessons and are keen to learn. They take part with enthusiasm in the many extra-curriculum opportunities provided. These range from learning musical instruments and singing in the choir to taking part in sporting competitions. A range of visits aim to enhance pupils’ learning across the curriculum. For example, pupils go on trips to Windsor Castle and London Zoo.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils take pride in their work and try their best. They are proud of their school. Parents and carers are also positive about the school. Many commented on how the school’s strong communication and sense of community help to provide their children with an enjoyable education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave sensibly in their classrooms and around the school. They have positive working relationships with adults. The school is a calm and orderly place. This helps ensure that pupils are safe and feel safe at school. They know to speak to adults should they have a concern. Pupils trust staff to listen if they have any worries. Bullying is rare and adults are quick to deal with any issues if they occur.

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

Pupils learn to read well. This is because leaders have ensured that reading is a priority. Staff receive regular training on how to teach phonics effectively. From the early years onwards, children read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they know. This helps them to read with increasing accuracy. Pupils enjoy reading a variety of books and speak enthusiastically about reading. Weaker readers are identified and receive effective support. On occasions, however, extra help with phonics is not finely tuned to aspects that these pupils need to practise and embed. 11 and 12 October 2022

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The curriculum in the early years has been well designed. It ensures that children are provided with a secure foundation for later learning. For example, children in Reception explore a range of dance movements. This helps them to develop their whole-body movement and control, in readiness for the physical education curriculum in Year 1 and beyond.

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In other year groups too, the curriculum is ambitious and organised effectively in most subjects. Leaders have planned learning with a focus on ensuring that pupils learn and practise important ideas in a subject. For example, in physical education, pupils practise throwing, catching and dribbling skills before applying these in games of rugby and basketball. However, in a few subjects, leaders have not identified as clearly the concepts pupils need to learn, practise and remember.

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Teachers typically check that pupils understand their work. They ensure that pupils build on their prior knowledge. They also make learning new ideas manageable for pupils. However, sometimes teachers do not check that pupils have fully grasped these new ideas. This leads to misconceptions in pupils’ understanding.

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Leaders have ensured that pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and receive the specialist support that they need. Staff are knowledgeable about these pupils. They ensure that pupils with SEND are helped to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils are supportive of each other and are confident to share their views and opinions. They try hard to embody the school’s values of ‘love, faith, respect, perseverance and service’ in their behaviour and through their positive attitudes to learning.

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The wider development of pupils is prioritised. Pupils enjoy visits to museums and places of interest. Leaders organise these with the aim of bringing learning to life. Leaders and staff also organise many enrichment activities in school. Provision in sport and music is rich and well planned. For example, pupils can learn the piano and ukulele. Pupils are also proud to represent their school in sports competitions.

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The board of trustees, with the support of the diocese, has worked quickly to ensure the school has stable leadership. This has kept staff morale high. Staff work well together and are a strong team. They feel that school leaders are mindful of their well-being and have made positive changes to manage workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils’ well-being and safety are a priority. The whole staff team is trained and skilled in helping to keep pupils safe. Appropriate pre-employment checks are carried out on adults who work in the school. 11 and 12 October 2022

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Staff are vigilant in identifying signs that a pupil may need help. They know how to report concerns and the procedures they need to follow. Systems in place are robust and ensure that leaders and staff identify and support any pupils at risk of harm.

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The curriculum is designed to help pupils know how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils learn about the potential dangers they could come across when they are using the internet. They have received regular online safety training and know how to report any issues or concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In most subjects, leaders have identified the important ideas that pupils should learn. However, this is not the case in a small number of subjects. Where these ideas have not been clarified, pupils do not develop a rich and deep body of knowledge. Leaders should ensure that they are explicit about what pupils should learn and remember in all subjects. They should ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding of important ideas across the curriculum, and when needed, address pupils’ misconceptions.  Weaker readers receive regular extra support, but in a few instances this support is not sharply focused on the things that pupils need the most practise with. This affects how well pupils are able to strengthen their reading fluency. Leaders should ensure that all weaker readers have well-targeted opportunities to revisit and practise their phonics in order to support their early reading.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 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. 11 and 12 October 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. 11 and 12 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240786 Type of school Primary

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 July 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been several changes in the leadership team since the previous inspection. The executive headteacher, along with other leaders, took up their posts in September 2022.  The school is a free school within the Diocese of London. It had its most recent section 48 inspection on 28 September 2017.  The school does not currently 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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and other staff.  The inspector met with trustees, a representative from the London Diocesan Board for Schools and a representative from the local authority. 11 and 12 October 2022

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 The inspector conducted deep dives in reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to some pupils reading.  The inspector considered other subjects as part of the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised a wide range of information, including a selection of the school’s records. The inspector also spoke to the designated safeguarding lead about the recording and reporting of safeguarding incidents.  The inspector reviewed the responses from pupils, parents and staff to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Nicholas Cornell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 October 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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