John Perry Primary School

Inspection of a good school: John Perry Primary School Charles Road, Dagenham, Essex RM10 8UR

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Inspection dates: 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Outcome

John Perry Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

John Perry is a welcoming and inclusive school which pupils are happy to attend. They know they can talk to staff if they are worried about anything. Pupils behave well. In lessons, they listen carefully and work well with their peers. Bullying is rare and pupils know leaders will deal with any incidents swiftly. As a result, pupils feel safe and are kept safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is designed so it offers breadth and opportunities to enrich pupils’ learning and their awareness and appreciation of diversity. For example, in religious education (RE), pupils visit different places of worship. Outings to places such as Tower Bridge and Eastbury Manor House enrich the curriculum and help pupils to further understand the topics they study.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the contributions they make to the school. They enjoy helping others find friends in their role as playground buddies and representing pupils’ views as school councillors. Pupils benefit from attending different activities that enhance their talents and interests. These include netball and American football as well as learning to play different musical instruments.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious, matching what is expected nationally. In most subjects, leaders have identified what pupils should learn and have sequenced this so that concepts are revisited and embedded over time. This helps pupils to secure important ideas and apply their understanding to more complex learning. For example, in mathematics, pupils learn a broad range of subject-specific vocabulary. They go on to use this effectively when solving problems and explaining their reasoning. Similarly, in RE, pupils learn about the customs and practices of different world faiths. This enables older pupils to compare and contrast what different people believe. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Leaders are in the process of further refining the curriculum. In a few subjects, assessment is not used as carefully to check what pupils have learned. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge, along with any misconceptions they may have, are not sufficiently identified and addressed. This limits the depth of knowledge some pupils secure in these subjects.

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Reading is prioritised from the time children start school. In the Nursery, children are introduced to letter sounds through listening to and joining in with familiar rhymes and stories. This helps children in their Reception Year to begin learning phonics. The school’s chosen phonics programme is consistently implemented. Pupils practise reading books that are closely matched to the sounds they have learned. Staff check pupils’ reading carefully. This helps to ensure any pupil falling behind is identified and offered help to catch up. As a result, pupils develop as confident and fluent readers. A love of reading is fostered by regular visits to the school library and teachers reading a rich range of literature to their classes, including from texts chosen by pupils.

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Pupils with SEND are accurately identified. Leaders work closely with external agencies and provide helpful training to staff. As a result, pupils receive timely support to access the planned curriculum wherever this is possible. The curriculum for pupils attending the specially resourced provision is well designed and logically structured to help pupils meet their individual targets. These pupils also attend mainstream classes to work alongside their peers.

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Pupils behave respectfully to each other and to staff. Low-level disruption to learning is rare and any incidents are quickly dealt with. Pupils understand the importance of the school values. They appreciate the rewards they get for good behaviour and work, such as house points and headteacher awards. Effective systems are in place to manage pupils’ attendance. Leaders work closely with families to identify any barriers that may exist and have put in place effective strategies to support families where attendance needs to improve. This includes signposting external agencies that provide additional support.

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The school provides pupils with a broad range of experiences designed to support their wider development. The curriculum is enhanced through a programme of visits and visitors, including the fire service and police force. Pupils take on additional responsibilities by helping out in the local community, including selling produce they have grown at the local market. Similarly, pupils from the specially resourced provision visited a local care home with food baskets for the harvest festival.

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Staff are positive about the school and feel well supported by leaders. They appreciate that leaders have introduced specific initiatives that have supported workload and well- being. Those responsible for governance have received appropriate training and have a secure understanding of their statutory duties. Parents and carers are positive about the school and the care offered by leaders and staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, assessment is not used as precisely to check what pupils learn and remember. In these instances, pupils do not consistently develop the same depth of knowledge and understanding as they do in other subjects. The school should ensure that assessment is used consistently well across the curriculum to identify any errors or misconceptions in pupils’ learning.

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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 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 April and 1 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a designated specially resourced provision for pupils with autism spectrum disorder. There are currently 13 pupils on roll in this provision.  The school does not currently make use of 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. They also held meetings with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke 30 April and 1 May 2024

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with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 pupils, parents and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Eleanor Ross, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Hatchett Ofsted Inspector 30 April and 1 May 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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