Griffin Primary School

Inspection of Griffin Primary School Stewarts Road, London SW8 4JB

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2023

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The principal of this school is Nicholas Read. This school is part of The Elliot Foundation Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Hugh Greenway, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Tim Coulson. 15 and 16 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly and welcoming school. Pupils treat each other kindly. For example, at breaktimes, pupils make sure no one is left out of games. Pupils are happy here. School staff foster positive, professional relationships with pupils. Pupils have a range of ways to communicate any concerns to staff. The school prioritises safeguarding. Pupils are safe, and they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave maturely and responsibly. They are taught to be helpful and respectful. Many pupils are of the view that the ‘Griffin learner traits’ help them to behave responsibly and to learn. For example, some older pupils take on the responsibility of helping children in the early years to understand the importance of sharing and taking turns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Senior leaders have high ambitions for pupils’ achievement. They are taking swift and effective action to address gaps that they have identified in pupils’ knowledge. Some actions have been put in place recently, and others have not started. As a result, some gaps in pupils’ knowledge persist.

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better?

The school’s curriculum includes a broad range of subjects in line with those in the national curriculum. Recently appointed senior leaders have identified gaps in pupils’ subject knowledge. The school has made changes to the way some subjects are taught. When the most important knowledge for pupils to know and remember is identified clearly, key content and vocabulary are sequenced appropriately from the early years onwards. Elsewhere, work on developing the school’s curriculum thinking and on what pupils need to know and remember has not started.

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better?

School staff receive training and support to develop their subject expertise and approaches to implementing the curriculum. However, when tasks and resources do not support pupils to learn the required knowledge, pupils struggle to remember important information and to connect this to what they learned previously.

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better?

The school fosters a love of reading. Pupils read widely and often in school. Pupils at the earlier stages of learning to read receive effective phonics teaching. This starts in the Reception Year or whenever pupils join the school, if they need it. Teaching staff recognise when pupils struggle to keep up with their phonics learning. Pupils receive additional phonics teaching if required. They read books carefully matched to their knowledge of phonics. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils receive appropriate support to help them become competent readers. Pupils with SEND receive effective support. The school ensures adaptations to teaching and resources enable pupils with SEND to learn alongside their peers. Leaders are sensitive to pressures on staff. The school communicates and consults regularly with staff on issues that impact their workload. School staff

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better?

are supportive of leaders’ decisions and enthusiastic about the school. 15 and 16 November 2023

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Typically, pupils are attentive in class and eager to learn. This includes children in the early years. Mostly, lessons take place uninterrupted by off-task behaviour. Pupils are encouraged to use a range of ways to recognise and talk about their emotions. They are taught about the importance of maintaining a healthy mind and body. Pupils receive guidance to keep themselves safe, including online. The school works with a range of organisations to promote pupils’ wider development. This includes the emergency services, local community groups and charities. Currently, pupils in Year 5 are working with theatre experts to write and perform a play. Pupils benefit from the wide range of extra-curricular clubs. These include rock climbing, music and sports. The school supports all pupils to access all that the school has to offer.

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The school has a sharp focus on the areas that it needs to improve. School leaders work together with leaders of the trust, other schools in the trust and subject experts to provide support for the school’s improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not identified or sequenced the most important knowledge for pupils to know and remember in all subjects. As a result, pupils have some gaps in their knowledge. The school must ensure that the subject knowledge that pupils need to know is clearly identified and sequenced in all subjects.  Sometimes, tasks and resources are not well chosen to support pupils to learn the required subject content. As a result, pupils struggle to remember important information and to connect this to what they learned previously. The school should implement plans to support teaching staff to embed the new approaches to curriculum delivery.

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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. 15 and 16 November 2023

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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). 15 and 16 November 2023

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CEO of the trust

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The principal took up the post in September 2023. Other senior leaders have joined the school after the previous inspection.  Since the previous inspection, the number of pupils on roll has reduced.  Leaders organise and manage a breakfast club for pupils who attend this school.  The school does not make use of 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 15 and 16 November 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the principal, other senior leaders and leaders of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors spoke to parents in the playground before school.  Inspectors visited the playground and dining hall to observe pupils’ behaviour.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rekha Bhakoo Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 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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