Albion Primary School

Inspection of Albion Primary School Albion Street, Rotherhithe, London SE16 7JD

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 30 and 31 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to the unwavering high ambitions that leaders promote. The school wants all pupils to achieve their possible best. Pupils access a broad curriculum. They enjoy being taught new things. Staff encourage children in the early years to take risks with their learning and play. Pupils show a willingness to share and take turns. Staff develop pupils’ reading and communication skills well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s approach to behaviour is built on a set of core values that threads through the school ethos, such as kindness and responsibility. Pupils know and follow well-established rules and routines. Staff consistently apply high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Parents and carers share positive views about the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a highly coordinated approach to enriching the curriculum. They enjoy taking part in the extensive range of clubs, educational visits and wider opportunities provided. This includes tailored activities for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils extend their knowledge of the local area and beyond through visits to different places of interest, including museums, historical landmarks and through geographical fieldwork. Pupils are taught about other religions and beliefs. They strengthen their understanding by visiting places of worship, such as churches and mosques.

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better?

The school has ambitious goals for all pupils. Those responsible for governance work closely with leaders and staff in identifying key priorities for school improvement. Staff value the opportunities they receive to develop, including those in the early stages of their careers or leadership. Staff feel that leaders are approachable and supportive.

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better?

Leaders make sure that they identify important content that teachers should teach and when. For example, in mathematics, pupils learn how to use a range of methods when solving mathematical problems of increasing complexity. This leads to pupils’ high outcomes in mathematics. Leaders have introduced recent initiatives in some subjects. Leaders have not had sufficient time to embed all the recent developments to the curriculum. This means that the consistent implementation of these new initiatives is not secure. Leaders are determined in their drive for further improvements with accurate and well-considered plans.

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better?

The learning environment is spacious, attractive and stimulating. Resources are well organised and readily available to support pupils’ learning and independence. Children feel secure in the well-resourced early years setting. Adults provide meaningful activities that develop children’s skills in all areas of learning.

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better?

The school swiftly identifies pupils with SEND. Leaders take appropriate measures in addressing pupils’ barriers to learning. The school considers how to support all pupils so that they can succeed. Teachers adapt teaching to enable pupils to 30 and 31 January 2024

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successfully access the curriculum. Adults support pupils effectively to access curriculum content.

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Staff build pupils’ knowledge of sounds through the consistent delivery of the phonics programme. Teachers carefully track the sounds that pupils learn. Staff provide suitable prompts and scaffolding for pupils who struggle with segmenting and blending sounds. Pupils enjoy reading to adults. They show perseverance when they meet challenges. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. The school suitably prepares pupils for transition to the next stages of education.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They listen attentively. Low-level disruptions in the classroom are extremely rare. This is because staff enable pupils to understand the value of learning. Leaders have developed systems to encourage pupils to attend school regularly. They support parents and carers to establish consistent attendance routines with their children. Despite this, some pupils continue to be persistently absent, particularly pupils with SEND.

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The school has an exceptional personal development offer for its pupils. It is well thought out and supported by weekly assemblies on a range of themes such as anti- bullying, discrimination and autism awareness. Pupils can confidently speak about issues relating to racism, homophobia, and sexism. Staff teach pupils about the importance of tolerance. Pupils are taught that the differences between people is never a reason to judge or be unkind. The school’s relationships and sex education is thoughtfully and sensitively delivered in an age-appropriate way. Leaders place strong emphasis on supporting pupils’ mental health. Pupils feel safe to discuss their feelings. Staff make sure that pupils can manage their emotions confidently.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, leadership is at an earlier stage of development. This has limited the school’s work to embed changes to curriculum implementation. The school should continue to develop subject leadership so that teachers are supported to gain the expertise they need to deliver the intended curriculum consistently and securely in all subjects.  Rates of persistent absence for pupils, including those with SEND, continue to be high. This means pupils miss valuable learning and building their learning securely over time. The school should continue its work with parents to support them to improve pupils’ attendance so that they attend school regularly. 30 and 31 January 2024

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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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Vice-chair of governing body Jacqui Lawrence

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 and 12 October 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one alternative provision.  The chair of governors resigned the week before the start of this inspection.  Two assistant headteachers and a special educational needs coordinator were appointed to their roles in September 2022.

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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.  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 met with the vice-chair and members of the governing body, a local authority representative, the headteacher, senior leaders, and a range of staff. 30 and 31 January 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, computing and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and considered 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 Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jennifer Bax Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 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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