Stanford Primary School

Inspection of Stanford Primary School Chilmark Road, Norbury, London SW16 5HB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 21 and 22 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and kept safe in school. Leaders have created a caring and inclusive environment. Pupils model the school’s ‘keys to success’, including being organised, confident, resilient and cooperative. Pupils behave well and enjoy positive working relationships with staff and each other. Bullying is rare. Any incidents that do arise are dealt with promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. Leaders have designed a typically broad and ambitious curriculum. However, they have not made sure that it is implemented with consistency or precision. This means that, in several subjects, pupils do not secure the knowledge and understanding that they need to be sufficiently prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership skills and take on additional responsibilities. For example, pupils take on roles as eco-captains and house captains. They can also become part of the pupil leadership team or student council. Pupils contribute regularly to the life of the school. For instance, pupils have recently organised a bake sale to raise funds for wet-play games. Parents and carers value the opportunities to take part in school activities, such as taking part in a Mother’s Day lunch.

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better?

The curriculum broadly meets the ambition of what is expected nationally. Leaders have identified the important knowledge that they expect pupils to learn and remember. This is sometimes well sequenced, so that pupils are supported to practise and embed ideas over time. For example, in mathematics, children in early years practise counting and number recognition. This solid foundation is built on when pupils learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide. When pupils get older, they use this knowledge to convert fractions, decimals and percentages.

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better?

However, in several other subjects, the planned curriculum is not well implemented. Teaching does not routinely focus on the important concepts that pupils need to secure and remember. As a result, pupils do not develop a sufficiently deep body of knowledge in different subjects. In some subjects, teachers check pupils’ understanding of what they have learned. This ensures that any errors are picked up and dealt with promptly. However, in subjects where teachers are not focusing sufficiently on the important ideas that pupils need to understand, they are not routinely identifying pupils’ misconceptions. This further inhibits pupils’ understanding in these areas.

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better?

A structured phonics programme is in place to help pupils learn to read. The books pupils use to practise are well matched to the sounds they have learned. While most staff have received up-to-date training to deliver the agreed programme, they do 21 and 22 March 2023

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not consistently model sounds with precision. Leaders recognise that further training is a priority.

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Pupils who struggle to read are identified. Extra support is provided to help these pupils to catch up. However, some of this support is not delivered with precision or in a timely way. It is not focused sufficiently on developing pupils’ reading fluency and accuracy. This means that some pupils do not secure the phonic knowledge that they need in order to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. A love of reading is encouraged across the school. For example, teachers read to pupils regularly, and the youngest children enjoy voting to select the book that they read.

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Leaders swiftly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are well supported to make appropriate adaptations to activities, so that these pupils access the planned curriculum. Pupils who attend the additionally resourced provision learn a broad and ambitious curriculum that meets their needs well.

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Behaviour around the school is calm and orderly. Pupils are respectful towards one another. Leaders have worked hard to tackle the increased level of absence since the pandemic restrictions. Leaders have adopted appropriate systems to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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A range of experiences and opportunities aims to enrich pupils’ broader personal development. For example, all pupils take part in a careers and aspirations week, during which they meet and talk with people from different professions. Pupils debate current affairs and complex topical issues. Leaders have also designed a well-being curriculum. This has been planned to support pupils’ understanding of the importance of physical and mental health, as well as what constitutes safe and respectful relationships.

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Staff receive a range of training to develop in their roles. They appreciate the efforts made by leaders to manage workload and well-being.

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Those responsible for governance understand their responsibilities and meet their statutory duties. The trust has provided additional capacity to support school leaders. Appropriate systems are in place to hold leaders to account. However, there has been insufficient focus on checking how well the foundation curriculum is implemented and the impact of this on pupils’ learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Frequent and up-to-date training ensures that staff understand how to identify and report any concerns that arise. Leaders make timely and appropriate referrals to outside agencies. They seek advice and guidance when needed and follow up on any continued concerns that they may have. 21 and 22 March 2023

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The curriculum has been designed to help all pupils, including those with SEND, understand how to keep safe. This includes teaching pupils about an age- appropriate understanding of consent, online safety and healthy relationships.

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Leaders ensure that appropriate and relevant pre-employment checks are carried out.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The phonics programme and interventions designed to support weaker readers are not implemented with sufficient accuracy and precision. This means that pupils do not consistently secure the sounds that they need in order to become fluent readers. Leaders must ensure that staff are routinely applying the training they receive when implementing the phonics programme. This will support pupils to read with greater accuracy and confidence.  In several foundation subjects, teaching does not routinely focus on ensuring that pupils secure the most important knowledge that they need to learn and remember. This means that pupils do not deepen their understanding over time. Leaders must ensure that teachers implement the planned curriculum and check pupils’ understanding of what they have learned.  Leaders and those responsible for governance have not checked how well foundation subjects are implemented. As a result, they are unaware of the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

inconsistencies identified as part of this inspection. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, need to ensure that the foundation curriculum is implemented consistently across year groups. This will better support pupils to learn and remember more.

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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Stanford Primary School converted to become an academy school in October 2018. It is part of the PACE Academy Trust. When the predecessor school, Stanford Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. This specialises in support for pupils with autism spectrum disorder. There are 26 pupils who attend this provision. All these pupils have an education, health and care plan.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  There have been several changes to staffing in the last 18 months.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 21 and 22 March 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The 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 members of staff.  Discussions were held with those responsible for governance, including the chair of the local governing body. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, geography, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and

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priorities for improvement.  Inspectors reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising records and through discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered both through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Sophie Healey-Welch, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Jackson Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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