Fitzjohn's Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Fitzjohn’s Primary School 86A Fitzjohn’s Avenue, London NW3 6NP

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Outcome

Fitzjohn’s Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Fitzjohn’s Primary School is a harmonious community of happy pupils and adults. The school’s values of resilience, respect, curiosity, excellence, individuality and responsibility are well embedded. Pupils know the importance of the school’s values, and they are lived out in how pupils behave towards each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults manage behaviour in a consistent way. As a result, the school is calm and orderly. Leaders are alert to instances of bullying and deal with these swiftly. Relationships between pupils and adults are warm and caring. Pupils know who to talk to if they have any worries and, as a result, they are kept safe in school. Most parents are very positive about the school, its inclusive atmosphere and welcoming environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In most subjects, the school has designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Pupils are proud of their school and show enthusiasm for learning. They understand how to use the school’s values such as ‘responsibility’ to be better learners. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get kind, patient and effective support from well-trained staff.

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

As soon as pupils start at Fitzjohn’s, reading is given a high priority. Staff are highly skilled because they have regular training and support to help them to implement the agreed phonics programme with precision. Pupils are given regular opportunities to practise reading with books containing sounds they have learned. This helps to ensure they read with increasing accuracy and fluency. Staff use assessment effectively to identify those who may need extra support to catch up. Pupils are passionate about reading and enjoy being read to each day. For example, children in Reception enjoy voting for the books they will listen to next. The ‘Fitzjohn’s Fabulous Favourites’ motivates pupils in all year groups to read a diverse range of high-quality books. 17 and 18 April 2024

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In most subjects, the school has developed a curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils from early years through to Year 6. In these areas, the curriculum is designed to ensure pupils build their knowledge over time and make connections between past and present learning. Teachers model precise language and use questioning successfully to challenge misconceptions and extend pupils’ ability to reason and deepen their learning. For example, in mathematics, Year 1 pupils are taught to use a range of sentences to help them explain how many groups of 10 beads they have altogether. In Year 4, pupils can explain how to convert improper fractions into mixed numbers. Year 6 pupils confidently articulate their methods for short division as well as explain different ways they could represent their answers according to the context of the question.

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Staff have been fully included in these developments and appreciate the freedom they are given to adapt lessons to ensure pupils learn successfully. Staff enjoy working here because they feel valued as professionals and appreciate that leaders and governors ask for their views when making decisions that might affect their workload. Governors know the school well and understand their strategic role in holding leaders to account for curriculum developments.

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Leaders have rightly identified that some subjects need further development. In these areas, the subject-specific knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember are not as clearly identified. As a result, the activities chosen do not consistently help pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding over time.

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The school has high expectations for pupils with SEND to develop as confident, successful, independent learners. Pupils receive effective support and participate in all aspects of school life. This is because their needs are swiftly identified and addressed. Adaptations to the curriculum and environment help pupils access learning alongside their peers, wherever this is possible.

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Attendance is a high priority for leaders, and all staff understand their role in promoting this. Leaders monitor and analyse attendance thoroughly. They work closely with individual families and because of the many strategies they have put in place, attendance is improving.

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Pupils enjoy the range of wider opportunities that the school offers. For example, every year group goes on a wide range of visits each year. Pupils particularly enjoy being part of the school council where they can raise money for their chosen charities as well as take part in the annual stakeholder meeting.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 17 and 18 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some subjects is at an earlier stage of design and implementation. In these instances, the subject-specific knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember are not as clearly defined. This means that the activities pupils complete are not consistently helping them to deepen their understanding of important ideas. The school should ensure the curriculum is coherently designed and sequenced in all subjects and that the tasks pupils complete match the ambition of the intended curriculum.

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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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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 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). 17 and 18 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Ruth Schocken Katz

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School details

Website http://www.fitzjohns.camden.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of 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 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 meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, teachers and pupils. Discussions were held with members of the board of governors, including the chair of governors. The inspector also held a meeting with the school’s improvement partner.  Deep dives were carried out in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and design and technology. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. The lead inspector

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Information about this inspection

listened to some pupils read to staff. 17 and 18 April 2024

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 The curriculum in other subjects was also considered.  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 took account of a range of other information, including the school’s improvement plans, policies and minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspector took account of the views of pupils, parents and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Sabrina Edwards, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 April 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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