John Keats Primary School

Inspection of John Keats Primary School 391 Rotherhithe New Road, Rotherhithe, London SE16 3FN

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2023

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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 Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 22 and 23 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this warm and welcoming school. Working relationships between adults and children are respectful and caring. As a result, pupils say they feel well looked after. They trust adults to deal with any issues or worries they have. Bullying is rare. If it does happen, pupils know that adults will deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, staff and pupils are guided by the school’s core values of communicator, resilience, enquire, thinker, risk taker and empathy. Adults show pupils how to put these values into practice. Pupils enjoy getting a ‘value’ sticker to recognise and celebrate when they have been seen using them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can and will achieve and this begins as soon as they start school in the early years. This is reflected in the curriculum that has been created. Leaders also make sure that routines and expectations for behaviour are clear. Pupils are polite, friendly and follow the school’s rules. Classrooms are calm and pupils are able to concentrate on their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of extra-curricular clubs on offer, such as cookery, dance, coding or arts and crafts. These are all planned to provide pupils with the opportunity to develop their talents and interests.

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better?

Leaders have put in place a broad and balanced curriculum that matches the expectations of the national curriculum. Subject leaders have clearly identified the end goals that they want pupils to achieve. They focus on making sure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well, and that teaching introduces new knowledge in clear, manageable steps. However, in some subjects, leaders are still thinking through the exact order in which knowledge and vocabulary should be taught and progressively built up over time. This means that, in these subjects, pupils are not able to build as effectively on their previous learning.

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better?

Teachers have good subject knowledge and explain things clearly to pupils. Across the curriculum, they make sure that pupils have regular opportunities to recall and revisit prior learning. Teachers know their pupils’ needs well. In most subjects, they find out exactly what pupils know and can do, and then build pupils’ knowledge in a progressive manner. In the subjects where curriculum thinking is still being refined, checks on pupils’ understanding are not as helpful in identifying when pupils have not grasped important ideas in a subject. This means that gaps in pupils’ learning and misconceptions are not being picked up or swiftly addressed.

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better?

The teaching of reading is a priority for leaders. All staff have been trained to deliver the school’s new phonics programme, which is having a positive impact on how well 22 and 23 February 2023 pupils learn to read. Starting in Reception, staff have the expertise to deliver the programme consistently. They make sure that pupils have lots of opportunities to practise the sounds that they have learned, including with books that are well matched to their reading abilities. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils who are falling behind are quickly identified and given the support that they need to catch up and keep up. Pupils have positive attitudes towards reading. They enjoy story time sessions and regular visits to the local library.

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better?

From the moment children begin school in the early years, leaders and staff provide effective support for pupils with SEND. Pupils’ additional needs are quickly identified, and appropriate help is put in place. Pupils with SEND are included in all aspects of school life and learn alongside their peers. Leaders work successfully with external agencies to ensure that pupils with SEND are getting the right support.

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better?

Leaders have thought carefully about the provision for pupils’ personal development. They make sure that pupils are taught about themes and topics that will help to prepare them for life in modern Britain. For example, pupils learn about what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like, including the importance of consent. They are taught that not all families look the same. Pupils understand the importance of equality and that everyone has the right to be treated with respect. Helping pupils to understand how to keep physically and mentally healthy forms a key part of the curriculum. Mental health is a high priority for leaders. Pupils enjoy the half-termly well-being days that aim to provide pupils with lifelong strategies for managing their mental health.

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better?

Trustees and governors provide an effective balance of challenge and support. Leaders especially value the opportunities that they now have to work with other schools across the trust to share practice and get support.

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better?

Staff are proud to work here. They feel that leaders are supportive and take account of their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Trustees, governors and staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training. This ensures that they know and understand the signs of abuse and harm. Staff report any worries that they have quickly through the clear reporting system in place. Leaders work with other agencies where needed to ensure that the right support is put in place for pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Trust and school leaders ensure that the appropriate checks on new staff are completed and recorded.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum helps pupils to learn about how to keep themselves safe, including online. 22 and 23 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not explicitly defined the small sequential steps that pupils need to take in their learning in order to ensure that they achieve the identified end goals. This affects how well the curriculum enables pupils to recall and remember subject content. Leaders should make sure that the curriculum is designed to support pupils to acquire and remember knowledge in a logical manner.  In the delivery of some curriculum subjects, checks on what pupils know do not pick up and respond to gaps in pupils’ learning or misconceptions. This means that, at times, teaching does not build successfully on what pupils already know. Leaders should support subject leaders and teachers to check what pupils know and identify and address misconceptions or gaps in a timely way.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 22 and 23 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255284 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 John Keats Primary school opened as a free school in September 2018. The school currently has pupils up to Year 4.  The school is part of the Nexus Education Schools Trust.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative providers.

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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 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum 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. They listened to pupils read. Other subjects were also considered as part of this 22 and 23 February 2023 inspection, including art, design and technology, religious education, geography and science.  Inspectors met with the chief executive officer, headteacher, deputy headteacher, and members of the governing body.  Inspectors spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about safeguarding. Inspectors also

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Information about this inspection

checked safeguarding records and documentation.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s confidential online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and spoke to a number of parents informally during the inspection.  Inspectors also considered staff survey responses.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in the playground.

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Inspection team

Julie Wright, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Kieran Bird His Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 February 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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