Granard Primary School

Inspection of Granard Primary School Cortis Road, Putney, London SW15 6XA

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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 23 and 24 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a kind and caring school community. The school’s motto, ‘growing together achieving together’, underpins the school’s direction. Leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils. Leaders work hard to involve and engage parents and carers in the life of the school. The curriculum is well planned and inclusive for all pupils. Leaders ensure that the early years curriculum creates the building blocks for future success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe in school and value the friendships they make. Leaders have created a climate of trust and support. Any pupils who join the school part way through the school year are quickly made to feel welcome. Teachers know individual pupil’s needs well. Bullying rarely happens. If it does occur, then staff take rapid action.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils take part in weekly swimming lessons, which enables them to build their stamina. Educational visits, including to Kew Gardens, help to strengthen pupils’ understanding of the curriculum for science. Leaders create opportunities for pupils to work together. For example, the paired reading programme allows pupils to share a love of reading. The local library is well used and complements the school’s robust reading curriculum.

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better?

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is broad and matches the aims and ambition of the national curriculum. As a result, pupils achieve well across the curriculum. All pupils study the same curriculum, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders make careful adaptations and work alongside therapists so that the pupils in the specially resourced provision access a balanced and personalised curriculum. Throughout the school, teachers support pupils with SEND appropriately.

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better?

Leaders ensure that most subjects are sequenced in a way that allows pupils to build their knowledge over time. For instance, in mathematics, children in Reception begin using hands-on resources to help them understand concepts such as ‘whole’ and ‘half’. Pupils use and build on this knowledge and develop a secure understanding of number as they move through the school. However, in a very few subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking is not as well developed as in others. In these subjects, pupils are not helped to deepen their subject knowledge as securely.

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better?

Early reading is a real strength. In the Nursery, children begin to develop an early understanding of rhyme and song. Children use this foundational knowledge when they start to learn to read. Leaders have a sharp focus on reading and are determined for all children, regardless of their starting point, to learn to read quickly. All teachers and support staff have received training in the school’s phonics programme and are skilled in its delivery. Pupils read books that closely match the phonics sounds they have learned. They have time to practise reading these books 23 and 24 May 2023

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at home. Teachers are robust in their checks and act swiftly if any pupils need extra support in early reading. Leaders encourage pupils’ love of reading. Teachers carefully choose high-quality books to read to pupils. Pupils receive visits from local authors. These activities help to make reading habitual and enjoyable.

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Leaders think carefully about what they want pupils to know and remember from the curriculum. Teachers are knowledgeable and present subject content clearly to pupils. They break complex information down into smaller chunks so that pupils can access and remember key knowledge. For instance, in geography, teachers help pupils to remember the essential information about locational or physical geography over time. However, occasionally, teaching does not address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This is because, sometimes, teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning are too generalised. When this happens, pupils’ understanding of key concepts and vocabulary is less secure.

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Teachers create planned opportunities in class for pupils to discuss their learning. This encourages pupils to use subject-specific language and helps pupils to embed their learning. Teachers establish clear classroom routines and expectations. Pupils behave well and are respectful to others. They understand the school’s values and support each other in their learning.

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Leaders provide a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities that both support and enhance what is taught in school. These range from vocal projects to chess and several sporting clubs. To further extend the personal development offer, leaders have fostered links with partners in the local community. For instance, pupils work with pupils in a local secondary school on an oracy project to provide opportunities for public speaking. Leaders create opportunities for pupils to develop a sense of character and to contribute to society through setting up charity events.

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Leaders and the governing body support staff in their well-being and workload. Staff appreciate this support and the opportunities for professional development that they receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. A highly trained safeguarding team ensures that any concerns are acted on in a timely manner. Leaders know the local context well and work to reduce any potential safeguarding risks. Leaders are relentless in ensuring the right support is put in place for vulnerable pupils.

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Safeguarding

The personal, social and health education curriculum is well planned so that pupils are encouraged to keep themselves safe. For example, teachers instruct pupils how to travel safely on public transport in preparation for moving on to secondary school. 23 and 24 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a very few subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking is not as well developed as in other subjects. This means that pupils do not build and deepen their knowledge in some areas of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that, in all subjects, the curriculum is designed and sequenced coherently so that pupils enhance and extend their knowledge over time.  Occasionally, checks on what pupils have understood are too generalised, and teaching does not identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. When this happens, pupils’ understanding of key concepts and vocabulary is less secure. Leaders must ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding systematically and ensure that all pupils are secure in their learning.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268718 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 5 December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision, funded by the local authority, for up to 14 pupils with autism spectrum disorder. The provision opened in September 2022.  Leaders do not currently make use of any alternative provision.

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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 met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the 23 and 24 May 2023

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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 visited a sample of other lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work in English.  Inspectors met with those responsible for governance, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktime.  Inspectors reviewed the effectiveness of the school’s work on safeguarding by meeting with the safeguarding team, reviewing the record of pre-employment checks for staff and speaking to staff, the governing body and pupils.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including free-text comments, as well as responses to the online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Lucy Bruce, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Newby Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 May 2023

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