Singlegate Primary School

Inspection of Singlegate Primary School South Gardens, Colliers Wood, London SW19 2NT

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2023, and 23 and 24 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 15 and 16 November 2023, and 23 and 24 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a vibrant and highly exciting place to learn, and pupils are proud to attend. Leaders have exceptionally high expectations for pupils’ academic and social development. This enables all pupils to succeed and thrive. The school has a highly coordinated approach to help prepare pupils to become upright global citizens. Pupils are ready for their future education and for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have worked hard to build a community where everyone works together. Diversity and differences are actively celebrated. Pupils have excellent behaviour. This begins in the early years, where staff develop children’s resilience and routines expertly. Leaders are highly committed to pupils’ safety, which ensures that the school is a highly welcoming place.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy school. They are highly motivated in lessons and relish the rich opportunities on offer. The school places a sharp focus on pupils’ character development. Staff encourage pupils to appreciate their social responsibilities. Pupils are taught about key themes such as conflict, discrimination, tolerance and respect. They take part in a wide range of clubs, visits and competitions. For example, pupils spoke highly of the school’s sports day.

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better?

The school’s curricular thinking is carefully planned and aspirational. Leaders and governors understand the demands placed on staff and work effectively to support and celebrate staff’s work. Teachers highly value the professional development and support that they receive across the federation. This enables teachers to know how to break down important content into manageable steps for pupils to learn. Leaders build on pupils’ knowledge and skills expertly. For instance, in music, pupils learn about texture, pitch, tempo and timbre progressively over time.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils develop their confidence and skills consistently across all subjects. In the early years, children learn key words in mathematics and have ample opportunity to practise their number skills. Staff enable children in early years to develop very well across all areas of learning.

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better?

Teaching makes sure that pupils have the necessary building blocks needed to access new content. Teachers deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding skilfully. They check and address any misconceptions carefully. Pupils’ work is of a high quality. Teachers support pupils to access subject content very well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use well-chosen resources to help pupils to access new content.

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better?

Teachers focus sharply on helping pupils to understand and master key subject content. For example, in history, pupils in Year 6 understood about the role of triangular trade when learning about transatlantic slavery. Teachers ensure that pupils recall and revisit prior knowledge regularly. 15 and 16 November 2023, and 23 and 24 January 2024

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Staff make sure that pupils learn their phonics very well. Teachers are well trained to teach phonics consistently. They check pupils’ progress regularly. If pupils fall behind, trained staff provide expert support so that they catch up quickly. Pupils read books that are matched to their phonics knowledge. Leaders prioritise pupils’ language and communication from the early years. This helps pupils to broaden their vocabulary, become fluent readers and to learn well across the curriculum.

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Pupils with SEND thrive. This is because staff know them well and understand what helps them to learn. Staff are well trained to understand pupils’ particular needs. This begins in Reception, where children with SEND are identified early so that timely support can be put into place.

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The school ensures that pupils explore themes relating to their health and well- being. Staff support pupils to understand about relationships in an age-appropriate way. Leaders place a high priority on pupils learning about equality and diversity. There are many opportunities for pupils to be active citizens. For example, pupils are enthusiastic about the opportunity to be part of charity events and to work on the eco-council. Parents and carers spoke positively about the range of clubs available.

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Pupils conduct themselves very well. In lessons, they are focused and keen to do their best. Pupils are rarely disrupted from their work because everyone concentrates on their learning. They treat each another and adults with courtesy. Working relationships are very positive between pupils and staff. This supports a strong culture of respect and tolerance that sits at the heart of leaders’ ambition. In early years, staff make sure that children follow instructions carefully. Pupils are happy and extremely well cared for. Leaders make sure that pupils’ attendance is carefully monitored. They work closely with families when pupils do not attend.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 15 and 16 November 2023, and 23 and 24 January 2024

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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, and 23 and 24 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Nathalie Bull (executive headteacher) Helen Hart (head of school) Website www.bedifferent-federation.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 and 7 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a federation with two other local primary schools. All three schools share the same executive headteacher.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors initially visited the school on 15 and 16 November 2023. On 23 and 24 January 2024, two of His Majesty’s Inspectors returned to the school to gather further evidence. The evidence gathered from all four days was used to inform the final judgements. 15 and 16 November 2023, and 23 and 24 January 2024

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 Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, the head of school, senior leaders, the inclusion leader, the safeguarding team, a range of staff, two members of the governing body and a local authority representative.  Inspectors carried out six deep dives in early reading, geography, music, history, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered 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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the views of parents, pupils and staff, including through

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Inspection team

Sarah Murphy His Majesty’s Inspector 15 and 16 November 2023, and 23 and 24 January 2024

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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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