St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School

Inspection of St Mary’s CofE (Aided) Primary School Church Lane, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2DH

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 September 2022

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 28 and 29 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils are polite and courteous. Staff are caring and nurturing. This motivates pupils to want to do their best. Pupils enjoy learning in a range of subjects. They move calmly and in an orderly way around the school. Pupils respond positively to the high expectations staff have for how they learn and behave.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know about different types of bullying. They know what to do if they experience or witness any bullying. Any incidents of bullying are few and dealt with appropriately by staff. Pupils are safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The governing body demonstrates a commitment to providing pupils with opportunities to fulfil their potential. They have appointed senior leaders who have developed the curriculum effectively. Leaders are knowledgeable about how to improve the school. Leaders’ pursuit of improving pupils’ achievement is having a positive impact on what pupils learn and know.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of educational outings and after-school clubs that staff provide. Parents and carers are generally positive about the school. Leaders are working to strengthen partnerships with parents further.

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better?

Leaders have high expectations of what they want pupils to achieve. They have worked to organise and improve the curriculum. Leaders’ curricular thinking builds pupils’ knowledge in a sequential way. However, the knowledge that pupils learn is not as well embedded in all subjects. Leaders work effectively to make teaching consistent across the school. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They recap knowledge pupils have been taught. Pupils use what they know to support their learning of new content. Leaders focus on supporting pupils to understand important vocabulary. This starts in Reception and builds in complexity as pupils go through the school. For example, in art, pupils in Year 5 used subject-specific words to explore accurately their use of composition.

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better?

Teachers use resources well to help pupils to learn. For example, in mathematics, teachers use practical models to support pupils’ understanding of number. Teachers check on pupils’ knowledge and understanding and clarify misconceptions. Children in Reception follow routines and settle well. In mathematics, they learn how to sort, match and compare objects, such as clothes on a washing line. They practise counting, which prepares them for more complex content later in Year 1.

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better?

Staff identify early the needs of children. Teachers use pupils’ assessment information to provide bespoke support to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to keep up with their peers. They ensure that pupils with SEND are well supported in lessons. 28 and 29 September 2022

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Leaders prioritise reading across the school. Teachers encourage pupils to practise and rehearse the sounds they know. They use books matched closely to pupils’ stages of reading. Leaders train staff to support pupils who need to catch up in learning the sounds they do not know. Pupils read with excitement. They apply their phonetic knowledge when decoding unknown words.

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Leaders are diligent in overseeing the implementation of the behaviour policy. Staff manage low-level incidents well and do not allow them to interrupt the flow of learning. Pupils show keen interest in sharing what they have learned, know, and understand.

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Pupils are taught about healthy relationships as part of the school’s personal, social and health education programme. Pupils across the school respond well to adult instructions. Pupils have many opportunities to talk about their feelings. Pupils spoke with pride about their future goals and ambitions. They aspire to pursue different professions, including archaeology and physiotherapy.

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Pupils know the school values, such as forgiveness and honesty. They learn about respecting people’s rights and responsibilities. They are taught about other faiths and beliefs, such as Buddhism, Sikhism and Judaism.

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There have been some significant changes to the school’s leadership and staffing since the last inspection. Members of the governing body have a secure evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They use this information to inform a well-planned programme of development for leaders. Newly appointed leaders bear a lot of the load of leadership responsibilities. They are relentless in driving improvements but this work impacts on the workload and capacity of senior leaders. Leaders take timely actions to make meaningful changes.

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Staff appreciate the positive impact that leaders have made on the school’s work. Leaders’ work, together with that of staff, is improving the quality of education and pupils’ achievement. Staff feel well supported and said that workload is manageable and purposeful.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are strongly committed to safeguarding pupils. They train staff in identifying the potential risks pupils may face. Clear reporting procedures ensure staff notify leaders of any concerns. Leaders take swift action in accessing help to manage the needs of pupils and families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught to stay safe in school and online. They know that they can speak to any adult if they feel uncomfortable about anything. Adults teach children in Reception about the importance of ‘trusted adults’. Parents felt assured that staff keep children safe. 28 and 29 September 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curricular thinking in some subjects is not developed as well as in others. This means that the key content that pupils need to know is not as equally well sequenced over time in these subjects. Leaders should continue to put in place their plan of key actions and priorities to develop the curriculum. They must ensure that in all subjects the progression of content and knowledge pupils learn is well structured and embedded.  Leadership roles are limited to the senior leadership team. This is impacting on the workload and time of senior leaders. The governing body and leaders must continue to develop wider leadership further, and distribute responsibilities more widely.

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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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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. 28 and 29 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241137 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 6 and 7 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in the senior leadership of the school since the last inspection.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2021 and the deputy headteacher in September 2022.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in January 2020.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the chair of governors, members of the governing body, the headteacher, senior leaders, a range of staff and a local authority representative. 28 and 29 September 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspector considered information provided about safeguarding arrangements. This included a scrutiny of safeguarding records and the single central record. Inspectors reviewed safeguarding procedures and processes by talking to leaders and staff, and through discussions with pupils.  Inspectors considered the views of parents, pupils and staff through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Meena Walia Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 September 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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