St John's Walham Green Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St John’s Walham Green Church of England Primary School Filmer Road, Fulham, London SW6 6AS

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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 Good 22 and 23 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The shared values of ‘courage, compassion and wisdom’ run through the life of the school. Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable. Beginning in early years, children are taught to manage any disagreements and how to be an emotional ‘first-aid kit’ to others when they need help. Bullying is rare, and pupils understand how to raise concerns if needed. Pupils know who their trusted adults are, and they are taught how to stay safe, including when online. As a result, pupils feel safe and are kept safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the wide extra-curricular offer. All pupils can develop their talents through the musical clubs available, which include two choirs and five school bands. Pupils enhance their leadership skills through a range of roles as worship leaders, class representatives, travel ambassadors and playtime guides. Pupils contribute to their local community through fundraising for initiatives such as the ‘sweater swap’, promoting the importance of reducing waste.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are very ambitious for pupils, and they are motivated to achieve these goals through the positive approach to learning at the school. Pupils work hard and achieve highly. Their successes are reflected in the outcomes they reach across the curriculum, including in national assessments.

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better?

Pupils follow a rich and broad curriculum that matches, and in places exceeds, what is expected nationally. In each subject, and the areas of learning in early years, leaders have set out what pupils need to know and can do towards ambitious end goals. This helps pupils build a depth of secure understanding in different subjects that they draw upon when tackling new and more complex ideas. For example, in music, pupils learn to write down rhythms using the correct notation for quavers, crotchets and minims. Pupils then apply this knowledge when reading music to play the recorder. This means that older pupils can confidently play chords on the ukulele, reading from tab notation. Similarly, in computing, by Year 6, pupils confidently apply what they have learned about coding to debug more advanced programming and design their own games. Assessment is used effectively. Teachers are alert to gaps in understanding that may arise and address these swiftly so that

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better?

Children in early years are safe, happy and secure in a stimulating and caring environment. The curriculum is well designed and enables children to practise and embed important knowledge, skills and understanding. The outdoor area is specifically designed to provide opportunities for children to develop strength, stamina and courage. For example, the climbing frames get progressively higher over the course of the year, supporting children to develop their core and gross motor skills. Adults interact with children positively, extending their language at every opportunity. The focus on songs, rhymes and rhythm when drumming a beat, for example, supports children’s wider learning as well as the development of social awareness such as turn-taking and self-control. 22 and 23 May 2024

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Reading is at the heart of the school. Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum so that pupils read classical as well as contemporary texts. Older and younger pupils enjoy and benefit from the regular opportunities to read to each other. Children in Reception begin learning to read as soon as they start school. All staff receive training to support them in teaching the phonics programme with precision. Leaders swiftly identify pupils who are not keeping up with the programme and provide appropriate support. As a result, pupils become accurate and fluent readers, helping them to fully access the broader curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are swiftly identified. Staff are ambitious for pupils and receive training to support them to make appropriate adaptations to their teaching. Some pupils receive a more bespoke curriculum to help them secure the foundations they need. As a result, these pupils make strong progress against their personalised targets and achieve well from their different starting points.

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Pupils’ wider personal development is exceptionally strong. The curriculum is designed to help pupils to understand important concepts such as equality. They learn about different families, cultures and communities. For example, through links to a school in Zambia, pupils consider similarities and differences and understand the importance of being global citizens through the environmental choices they make. Extra-curricular opportunities are carefully chosen to help pupils embed their learning across the curriculum. For example, the school’s choirs give pupils opportunities to perform at prestigious London venues, and all pupils have opportunities to share their learning in the termly ‘showcase’.

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Behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent. Pupils’ interactions with adults and their peers are respectful and courteous. The outdoor area provides a range of activities to encourage creative play, including ball games, music and a vegetable garden. As a result, pupils feel happy at school and enjoy attending. Leaders have worked hard to ensure that attendance and punctuality continue to be high so that pupils do not miss any learning.

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Those responsible for governance fulfil their statutory duties well and are united in the school’s vision of being ‘change makers’. Staff, including those at the start of their careers, are incredibly positive about their work. They value the support they receive from leaders to develop professionally, including securing accredited qualifications.

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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 22 and 23 May 2024

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Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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). 22 and 23 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Barbara Wightwick (Headteacher) Hannah Abu-Ghaida (Co-Headteacher) Website www.stjohnsce.lbhf.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St John’s Walham Green Church of England Primary School has a religious designation and is part of the Diocese of London. The last section 48 inspection was in 2016. Its next inspection is due this academic year.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, co-headteacher, senior 22 and 23 May 2024

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leaders, teaching and support staff, as well as groups of pupils.  The lead inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also spoke to the local authority and diocese advisers.  The inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: reading, music, computing and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record of pre-employment checks; 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 inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by leaders,

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including their priorities for improvement.  The inspectors considered the views of parents, pupils and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Matea Marcinko, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julian Grenier His Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 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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