John Burns Primary School

Inspection of a good school: John Burns Primary School Wycliffe Road, Lavender Hill, London SW11 5QR

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Outcome

John Burns Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend John Burns. Leaders have worked hard to build a united community. They have created an exciting environment, full of opportunities for learning, collaboration and play. Pupils are kept safe and feel safe because there are strong systems in place to support them if any problems arise. Incidents of bullying are rare. Staff deal with any such incidents effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers expect pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to do well. The curriculum typically helps pupils to develop a depth of knowledge in different subjects. Most pupils produce work of good quality, preparing them well for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, polite and caring. Most of the time, they enjoy learning and try hard in lessons. Pupils appreciate opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities within the school, such as prefects, sports mentors or anti-bullying ambassadors. These positions come with extensive training, meaning that pupils are very effective in their roles and make a real impact across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From early years onwards, pupils have opportunities to learn outside the classroom. This includes having access to different clubs, sports tournaments and visits. For example, pupils found the recent outing to Stonehenge particularly memorable as it captured their imagination and helped them visualise historical events they had studied.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils learn to read fluently. This is because there is a carefully designed curriculum and staff have been well trained to teach phonics. Teachers check carefully the letters and sounds pupils know and remember. Pupils who struggle to keep up receive extra support. Pupils read books which are well matched to the sounds they learn. This supports pupils’ accuracy and confidence. Leaders recognise that pupils need a broad vocabulary to 27 and 28 June 2023

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become fluent readers. This is developed from early years onwards by having dedicated reading sessions with a focus on learning new and ambitious vocabulary.

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The curriculum matches the scope and ambition of what is expected nationally. In most subjects, leaders have thought carefully about what pupils learn and when. Important ideas are well sequenced so that pupils build their knowledge over time. For example, in history, children in early years start to recognise past and present. This helps pupils as they get older to build a more complex chronology of events across different historical periods. However, in some other subjects, the tasks pupils complete do not match the ambition of the designed curriculum. In these instances, pupils do not build as secure knowledge and understanding over time.

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Teachers use assessment effectively to check what pupils have learned. Appropriate time is given to practise and embed key ideas before new topics are introduced. Pupils with SEND are supported to learn effectively. This is because teachers and support staff know them well and understand what helps them learn. Staff make meaningful adaptations to activities so that pupils are well supported to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils interact well together. At breaktime, they enjoy taking part in different activities. The sports mentors lead games and make sure everyone gets an opportunity to participate. The school values are known and understood by all. Staff use these to remind pupils to behave well and reward them when they do. If a pupil is struggling in school, staff put extra support in place to ensure that they are calm and ready to learn. The school has introduced a system to help pupils reflect and act on how they are feeling. Pupils understand that this helps everyone recognise if someone is dysregulated. However, there are a few occasions where low-level disruption in some lessons prevents pupils from learning as well as they could.

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There is a strong focus on pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn to respect and value all faiths and cultures. For example, during ‘back to my roots’ week, pupils relished the opportunity to explore the diversity within their own community.

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The school is well led. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, recognise the school’s strengths and have identified appropriate areas for improvement. Sound plans are in place to secure these priorities. Leaders have created an environment where staff are happy in their work. Staff recognise the extensive initiatives in place to manage workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to spot signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. They know how to report any concerns they have. Leaders refer cases swiftly to the appropriate external agencies. 27 and 28 June 2023

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Staff and leaders know the community well. They make sure that families benefit from any help that they might need. Leaders work closely with pupils to help them understand how to stay safe in public places and maintain healthy lifestyle choices.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the tasks teachers provide do not match the ambition of the curriculum. In these areas, pupils do not sufficiently develop the necessary subject- specific knowledge or skills. Leaders should check that the activities provided help pupils to learn and remember more over time.  There is some low-level disruption in lessons that interrupts pupils’ learning. Leaders should continue their work to support teachers to ensure that all pupils are focused on their learning.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2018.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 27 and 28 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268764 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.johnburns.wandsworth.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 November 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and curriculum leaders. The inspector also met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and the school improvement partner from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, music and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Other subjects were considered as part of the inspection. 27 and 28 June 2023

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 To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with leaders and spoke with pupils and staff. The inspector examined a range of safeguarding documents and records, including the school’s record of pre-employment checks.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation during the inspection, including school development plans and behaviour and attendance records.  The inspector gathered the views of pupils, parents and staff through discussions and by considering their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Amy Jackson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 June 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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