St Richard's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Richard’s Church of England Primary School Ashburnham Road, Ham, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7NL

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Outcome

St Richard’s Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this calm, friendly, and welcoming school. They are quick to point out their extensive playground area, where they enjoy playing with their peers. Pupils feel safe, as they trust the adults around them to support them if they have concerns or worries. The school is a tight-knit community, and staff at all levels know their pupils well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school aims for all pupils to be ‘bold, bright, and beautiful’. Leaders and staff aspire for all pupils to achieve their best in their learning. Pupils rise to these high expectations. In recent years, the outcomes of pupils at the end of Year 6 have been strong, particularly in mathematics. The school is working hard to ensure that pupils make similar achievements in all areas of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very well behaved. They display great respect for each other and adults. They are polite, confident and courteous. They behave well, both in and out of lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with opportunities to know about, and to engage with, their local community. The school choir regularly performs in community events, including at local care homes. Pupils are encouraged to think about the needs of others and how they might offer help. For example, the school has a food store, which is open to anyone who finds themselves in need.

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

The school’s curriculum is, overall, carefully planned and well arranged. The long-term goals for what pupils should learn are ambitious and match those of the national curriculum. In most subjects, the curriculum is clear about expectations for what pupils should learn at different points in the year and over time. This includes the key concepts and the vocabulary that teaching needs to focus on. In a few subjects, however, the significant knowledge and vocabulary that pupils are expected to know and remember are not as clearly thought through as they should be. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils do not build up and remember subject content as fluently. 1 and 2 November 2023

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In most instances, teaching helps pupils to recall what they already know and can do. In mathematics, for example, pupils practise their number and calculation skills before the start of each lesson. This helps to secure their understanding and fluency. In the Nursery, for example, children are introduced to key ideas and vocabulary, such as the names of numbers. Both in the classroom and outdoor learning areas, they get lots of practise with these ideas through well-chosen activities and resources.

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Sometimes, pupils receive large amounts of new ideas or information in one go. When this happens, pupils find it hard to process and grasp what they are expected to learn.

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The school uses many effective tools to identify pupils with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND). These include information gathered from home visits and advice from professionals. The school uses this information to adapt how the curriculum is taught. As such, pupils with SEND are able to learn well.

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The school prioritises the teaching of early reading. As soon as children join the early years, they begin to explore books and learn about reading. The school has worked with reading specialists to train staff in delivering the school’s phonics programme. The school’s approach to the phonics curriculum is well planned and carefully arranged. Staff deliver it effectively.

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Pupils get to practise their phonics by reading books containing the letter sounds that they already know. Those who are falling behind in their phonics knowledge are identified at the earliest opportunity. Staff use assessment information effectively so that these pupils receive prompt support and catch up quickly.

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Pupils participate in discussions in lessons. They collaborate well with each other. Pupils with SEND often choose resources to help them with their learning. They do so independently and sensibly. Disruptions to learning are rare. Leaders analyse information on pupils’ attendance and take well-targeted and timely actions to support those pupils who are not attending school as regularly as they should be.

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Pupils relish opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Elections for school council representatives help pupils to find out more about how democracy works in action. Pupils put themselves forward to positions of responsibility such as house captains, prefects, or as travel ambassadors. The curriculum is complemented by a wide range of educational visits, which pupils enjoy. The school also offers a variety of after-school clubs. Take up of these is high.

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Staff are proud to be a part of this school. The school considers the impact of any new initiatives on staff workload. Staff appreciate the time given to them to complete tasks, and they appreciate that deadlines are clearly set well ahead of time.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 1 and 2 November 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the significant knowledge and the important vocabulary that pupils are expected to learn are not as clearly set out in the curriculum as they should be. As a result, in these subjects, pupils are not as well supported to know and remember more of the subject content. The school must set out very clearly the significant knowledge and the vocabulary pupils must learn and recall to achieve well in these subjects.  Sometimes, teaching delivers too much information in one go. When this happens, it hinders pupils from being able to secure and retain as much learning as they should. The school should ensure that teaching considers how much information pupils can process and retain at any one time. It should also ensure that pupils are consistently enabled to learn the curriculum well.

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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 May 2014.

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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’ 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 1 and 2 November 2023

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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

Dates of previous inspection 19 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school’s last section 48 inspection of its religious character was in May 2019.  The school offers provision for two-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.  The inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 1 and 2 November 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history , and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Other subjects were considered as part of this inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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. The inspector also considered the views of parents through their responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection Team

Edison David, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 November 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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