St Luke's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Luke’s Church of England Primary School Saunders Ness Road, Isle of Dogs, London E14 3EB

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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 1 and 2 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils are polite and caring towards others. Pupils like coming to school because adults help them to learn and they have kind friends to play with. Pupils are well behaved in lessons and during social times. Most pupils focus well and produce work of a good quality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff form positive relationships with pupils. Pupils are confident that if they have a worry, staff will listen and help them. This means pupils feel happy and are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides opportunities for pupils to take on positions of responsibility. For example, older pupils who are digital leaders led an assembly on cyber-bullying. Pupils are taught to look after others. Pupils in Year 6 made cards and biscuits for members of the community attending a night shelter.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to visit different places of worship and to learn and celebrate events from different cultures. These opportunities help pupils to understand and respect people with different customs and beliefs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a range of clubs, including gymnastics, yoga and robotics club. Pupils speak enthusiastically about learning the recorder, cello and violin. These activities help pupils to develop their talents and pursue their interests.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Pupils visit the school library regularly and staff read to them daily. Pupils read texts which are ambitious, and adults prioritise the teaching of new vocabulary. For example, pupils in Year 6 learn words such as ‘solitude’, ‘grindstone’ and ‘covetous’. Teachers make sure pupils have opportunities to apply these words in meaningful ways. These experiences develop pupils’ love for reading.

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better?

Children are taught to read right from the start of Reception. This is because leaders want pupils to learn to read fluently. Leaders train staff to teach phonics well. The sounds that letters make are taught in a logical order. Staff typically check the sounds that pupils know regularly. If any pupils fall behind, staff give them the help they need to catch up. Books are closely matched to the sounds that pupils know. This means they read with increasing fluency and success.

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better?

The school has a well-structured and ambitious curriculum in place. This starts in the early years. The school has identified what pupils should learn and when, across subjects. For example, in computing, pupils in Year 5 are able to program a device to make a fairground model move. This is because they have previously been taught about algorithms and sequencing. Most teachers address pupils’ misconceptions quickly and explain concepts clearly. However, sometimes this is not the case. When explanations lack clarity and errors are not swiftly identified and tackled, pupils develop gaps in their learning. 1 and 2 November 2023

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Staff typically have the subject knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum well. In the early years, staff help children to learn new vocabulary across areas of learning. For instance, in mathematics adults help children to develop their understanding of ‘more than’ and ‘fewer than’ when comparing a number of objects. This supports pupils’ understanding of basic mathematical knowledge.

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Staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. The school arranges for external professionals such as speech and language therapists and behaviour support services to provide training and support for staff. As a result, staff generally adapt their approaches so that pupils with SEND work alongside their peers and can access the curriculum.

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Most pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. Learning is not interrupted by inappropriate behaviour and this means the curriculum can be taught without interruption. This is because staff routinely have high expectations for behaviour. Pupils manage their feelings well. Children in the early years share and collaborate well and are taught to ask for help and support. Leaders take effective action to improve attendance.

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The school aims for pupils to be kind citizens who value others and contribute to the community. The personal, social, health and economic curriculum is well structured. Pupils are taught how to block people online and how to report any concerns that might arise. Pupils learn about consent and boundaries in an age-appropriate manner.

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Leaders, including governors, are ambitious and committed to giving pupils the best education possible within an environment ‘overflowing with truth and love’. Staff are proud to work here. They value the support they receive from leaders to fulfil their role and support their well-being. This includes staff at the early stages of their teaching career.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, adults do not explain concepts clearly, and sometimes pupils’ misconceptions are not picked up quickly and addressed. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning and cannot recall key knowledge. The school needs to ensure that pupils’ understanding is regularly checked, and that teaching consistently helps pupils to learn, remember and use knowledge securely. 1 and 2 November 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 1 and 2 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-lukes.towerhamlets.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 October 2021 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school has a Christian religious character. It is a Church of England school in the Diocese of London. The school’s most recent Section 48 inspection took place in December 2017.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss school development. 1 and 2 November 2023

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 Inspectors met with representatives of the local governing body. They also met with representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to pupils’ personal development and behaviour and attendance. They also met with groups of staff and pupils to discuss these aspects of the school’s work.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers,

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spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Bryant Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 November 2023

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