John Scurr Primary School

Inspection of John Scurr Primary School Cephas Street, Stepney Green, London E1 4AX

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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 Good 13 and 14 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils and their future career possibilities. They guide pupils to be respectful, resilient, resourceful, reflective and ready to learn. Pupils demonstrated these values in the way that they behaved, and the pride with which they spoke about their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have established a positive place for learning here. Teachers embed strong routines that pupils know well and follow. This ensures that no learning time is wasted and supports teachers to deliver an ambitious and well-designed school curriculum. Pupils are polite and considerate. They are safe here. They can speak to a trusted adult if they wish to. Leaders and teachers address and resolve any incidences of behaviour that do not meet their high standards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders arrange a wide variety of outings and extra-curricular activities for pupils, both inside and outside of the school. For example, staff have created a forest school and edible garden where pupils are taught to grow and harvest herbs and vegetables. Some pupils play competitive chess. Leaders organise a variety of clubs to develop pupils’ interests and which change each term. All pupils are taught to debate sensitive and important issues. Some pupils represent the school in local and national debating competitions. Many pupils run a mile each day between classes to support their fitness, physical and mental health.

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better?

Leaders have recently introduced new curriculum thinking across many subjects. The subject curriculums detail the knowledge and skills that pupils need to know, and the order in which pupils need to learn it. In some subjects, this work has taken place over a sustained period and the impact is evident in the quality of pupils’ academic achievement. Leaders of subjects in these areas know how the curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge over time. This clarity provides teachers with the information that they need to teach the curriculum effectively.

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better?

For example, in history in Year 1, pupils learn about their local community and how it has changed within living memory. In Year 2, they explore the difference between the community now, and the London community at the time of the Great Fire of London. In Years 3 and 4, pupils are taught about the stone age and Anglo-Saxon farming communities. They then study the ancient Greek and Mayan civilisations in Years 5 and 6.

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better?

However, in a small number of subjects, where new curriculum improvements may be recent, the curriculum is not as equally strongly embedded. It is not as clear how different areas within the curriculum connect to build pupils’ knowledge over time.

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better?

Leaders ensure that children from age two upwards are well cared for and engage in purposeful learning throughout the day. In the early years, leaders have thought 13 and 14 March 2023

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carefully about children’s vocabulary development. This is reflected in the books that leaders have chosen to support children’s language development. However, leaders have not ensured that children learn key knowledge and skills throughout their time in Nursery and Reception. Leaders have identified this and have plans in place to address this.

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Leaders have recently implemented a new and improved phonics programme for pupils in Reception to Year 3. Well-trained staff consistently deliver this programme and make sure that pupils have the knowledge required to become fluent readers. Pupils regularly practise reading books that match to their current reading level. Leaders ensure that through assessment checks, teachers identify pupils who need help to catch up. Teachers provide these pupils with the support that they need to improve their reading. Leaders have also established a culture of reading for pleasure among pupils in older years.

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Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. Leaders ensure that pupils that may require additional support are identified rapidly. Leaders have created a class where some pupils with SEND receive specialist teaching. This is to help pupils with SEND to learn as effectively as possible.

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Pupils behave maturely and sensibly in class and during breaktimes. Leaders have high expectations of pupils that are commonly understood by all. They are working to sharpen procedures to improve pupils’ attendance. They have recently updated the school’s attendance policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Leaders have crafted an extensive personal development curriculum. For example, all pupils have the opportunity to sing, to learn to play instruments and to perform in events outside of school. The pupil-voice committee contributes to decision-making in school on topics including health and the environment. Pupils also fundraise for local and national charities.

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The governing body has an accurate view of leaders’ performance. This is because they have the appropriate expertise to hold leaders to account. They also seek the views of teachers, and parents and carers regularly. Staff are complimentary about school leaders. Staff said that leaders have worked successfully to reduce workload in recent years, and that the staff’s well-being is treated as a priority. Leaders also make a concerted effort to engage with all parents in the community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Staff report any concerns that they may have, however small. Leaders have clear systems to report potential concerns, which all staff follow. Leaders are also aware of the local risks that pupils may face. Leaders work closely with external partners to ensure that those who may need help get it quickly. Pupils are taught to keep themselves 13 and 14 March 2023

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safe online. Leaders also provide guidance and support for parents to help them to keep their children safe online at home.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not made sure that children learn key knowledge across all learning areas in the early years as clearly as in other phases. This means that children do not systematically build the knowledge and skills that they need in all learning areas in preparation for key stage 1. Leaders should follow through with their plans to ensure that children learn all necessary knowledge and skills required throughout the early years.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents 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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255397 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.johnscurr.towerhamlets.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision providers.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.

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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 held meetings with the governing body, headteacher and other senior leaders. Inspectors met with leaders with responsibility for SEND, personal, social and health education, behaviour, early reading and pupils’ wider development.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, geography, early reading, music and science. 13 and 14 March 2023

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 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.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors considered the school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding. Inspectors looked at documentation related to safeguarding, including the school’s record of pre-employment checks.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Guy Forbat, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Samantha Ingram His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 March 2023

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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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