St George's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St George’s CofE Primary School Corunna Road, Battersea, London SW8 4JS

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Outcome

St George’s CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and are kept safe at this friendly, nurturing school. The pupils know there is someone they can talk to if they are worried about anything. Pupils behave well because they understand and appreciate the school’s system, which is focused on positive rewards. Bullying is rare, pupils know any incidents will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school makes sure that all pupils are valued and included in the wide range of school activities. Everyone is treated equally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils are engaged in their learning and can express themselves clearly. They are taught to politely challenge and support the views of others during debate and discussions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ time at the school is enriched in many ways. For example, there are trips to places like the National Gallery and the Imperial War Museum and visits from the police and a local magistrate to discuss the rule of law and how the pupils can keep themselves safe. There are also opportunities for pupils to take part in special events, such as weekend dance workshops and a cricket festival.

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

Reading is given a high priority here. Learning begins in Nursery as children identify sounds and enjoy songs, poetry and rhymes. As soon as they enter Reception, children progress on to having more formal lessons from the phonics scheme. Progress is constantly checked by the staff in lessons. If pupils are falling behind, they receive effective support to help them catch up with their classmates. Pupils use their phonics skills to blend sounds and read words successfully. They read books that are at a level matched to their ability. 5 and 6 June 2024

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Teachers demonstrate clear subject knowledge and use assessment effectively to pick up quickly on any misconceptions and ensure they are corrected. For example, in phonics teachers quickly check that pupils have understood how to construct specific words before moving on to the next stage of the learning.

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Pupils learn to think things through and can express their thoughts and ideas appropriately. For example, in mathematics they use mathematical vocabulary to discuss the different ways that fractions are represented.

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In most subjects the curriculum ambition is high, teachers deliver the new knowledge clearly and pupils listen well. Leaders are refining the curriculum in some subjects and when asked about their learning, sometimes pupils struggle to remember or discuss what they have studied. Leaders’ changes to the curriculum are still embedding and it will take time for the impact of the new approach to become apparent.

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The school ensures that pupils with SEND are identified as swiftly as possible. Pupils benefit from a wide range of support. For example, they may receive bespoke learning activities, extra one-to-one support or access to drama or music therapy.

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Pupils show positive attitudes and learning is not often interrupted by inappropriate behaviour. Pupils are taught how to manage their feelings, to collaborate and be kind to each other.

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The school is doing all it can to improve its rates of attendance and deal with persistent absence. Staff carefully monitor absence and try to find out the reasons behind it to see if they can intervene to help out. These measures have started to be successful, and attendance is improving gradually.

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The school promotes pupils’ wider development well. Pupils help in different ways around the school, such as becoming a librarian or being a member of the pupil parliament and representing the pupil voice. The school ensures that all pupils have access to activities in or out of school time, including those with SEND. Pupils enjoy the after-school clubs, such as cookery, computing and the police cadets.

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Staff appreciate the training provided for them both online and in person and say that their workload and well-being are taken into account by leaders.

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Governors understand the school’s safeguarding systems. They are ready to challenge leaders in meetings and check on staff workload and well-being through formal and informal conversations with staff.

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Parents and carers praised the school for the support it offers to both the pupils and the wider community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 5 and 6 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are making changes to the curriculum in a few foundation subjects. These changes are not fully embedded. This means pupils are not consistently able to recall important ideas, make links to prior learning or discuss more complex concepts in these subjects. Leaders should continue to develop staff expertise, ensure key knowledge and skills are identified, and that these curriculum refinements are securely in place across all subjects.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2019.

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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, 5 and 6 June 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 5 and 6 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-georges.wandsworth.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England school in the diocese of Southwark. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection was in June 2017.  The school does not use any alternative provision for its pupils.

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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.  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. 5 and 6 June 2024

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 The inspector spoke with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. They also held meetings with the members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The inspector also spoke with groups of staff and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work in other subjects.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys completed by parents, pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Eleanor Ross, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 June 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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