King's Oak Primary School

Inspection of a good school: King’s Oak Primary School Dickerage Lane, New Malden, Surrey KT3 3RZ

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Outcome

King’s Oak Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils treat each other with kindness and care at this school. At breaktimes, pupils play sensibly together. If anyone were to get upset, pupils would help them feel better and encourage them to join in their game. Pupils are happy and proud of the school. They share ideas with elected pupil school council representatives to make the school even better. For example, pupils are excited that their suggestion to paint the playground wall will soon be realised.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Typically, pupils achieve well here. The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision) receive the specialist help and support they need. This includes therapeutic and language support from trained experts. The school ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access all that the school has to offer. This includes the broad curriculum and the wide range of opportunities and activities that leaders organise beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils enjoy the weekly ‘golden time’ activities, including origami, sports and art. The school supports all pupils to access the range of educational visits and extra- curricular clubs that the school organises.

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

The school takes account of pupils’ starting points when they join the school. The school places high importance on developing pupils’ spoken language and early reading from when they join the school. Pupils who need additional support with communication and language, including pupils at the early stages of speaking English as an additional language (EAL), are supported to help them develop their spoken and written English quickly. Published outcomes for phonics are weaker than national averages. However, the school’s approach to teaching early reading is well structured and effective in helping pupils catch up. Phonics teaching begins in the early years and continues for as long as pupils need it. This includes pupils with SEND and pupils who speak EAL. The school checks pupils’ knowledge of phonics when pupils start part way through their primary 22 and 23 May 2024

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education. Teaching is carefully matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge. Where needed, additional support is put in place to help pupils keep up. Pupils enjoy reading and develop the confidence and skills to read fluently.

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There is a broad and ambitious curriculum in place. Pupils learn a range of subjects in line with the national curriculum. Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision learn most of the curriculum alongside their peers in the main school. The school makes effective adaptations to teaching and resources for pupils with SEND so that they learn the full curriculum. The school works together with parents, carers and a range of experts to understand and meet pupils’ specific needs. Teaching staff receive appropriate training from specialists. Pupils with SEND receive strong help and support.

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In all subjects, the school sets out the most important knowledge for pupils to learn and remember from the early years onwards. Knowledge is sequenced logically to ensure that pupils build on content that they have already learned. For example, in the early years, children use and learn the names of primary colours, red, yellow and blue. In Year 1, pupils mix colours together to make secondary colours and use them in their artwork. The school checks that pupils remember important knowledge and use this information to adjust teaching and learning opportunities. However, sometimes gaps in pupils’ knowledge of foundation subjects are missed and therefore not addressed. As a result, some pupils sometimes struggle to remember what they have learned previously and link it to current learning.

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The school’s curriculum includes teaching about a range of religious traditions and beliefs. Pupils are taught about diverse types of families and the importance of showing respect for others and their differences. The school encourages pupils to keep themselves safe, including when online, and to look after their physical and mental health. Pupils are taught age-appropriate information about relationships. Pupils are encouraged to reflect calmly, think about their feelings and regulate their emotions.

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Parents and pupils receive messages from leaders, including via weekly newsletters and assemblies, emphasising the importance of attending school regularly. The school analyses the reasons for pupils’ absence and provides practical help for pupils and their families if absence is a concern. The governing body provides effective support and challenge, including on issues that may impact pupils’ welfare. Leaders and the governing body consult school staff regularly on issues that may have an impact on their workload. Pupils know what the school expects of their conduct and attitudes. Lessons and learning the curriculum are rarely interrupted by low-level disruption.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 Sometimes, gaps in pupils’ knowledge and recall are not routinely identified and addressed in foundation subjects. Where this is the case, some pupils sometimes struggle to remember what they learned before and link it to current learning. The school must ensure that checks of pupils’ recall of the most important prior knowledge identify and address any gaps.

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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 December 2018.

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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). 22 and 23 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 December 2018 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher joined the school in 2021. Since the previous inspection, there have been changes to the governing body, including the chair.  The school has a pre-school provision for children from age two.  Many pupils join or leave the school part way through the school year.  The school has a specially resourced provision for up to 31 pupils with social communication needs and/or autism and fall in the category of mild to moderate learning needs. The school also has temporary provision for pupils with severe and complex behavioural and learning needs. Pupils resident in the local authority are placed in the provision temporarily until a permanent school place is sourced.  The school makes use of four registered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 22 and 23 May 2024

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 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 and other senior leaders. The inspector also met with representatives of the governing body and an advisor from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector visited the dining hall and playground to observe behaviour.  The inspector reviewed parent, staff and pupil responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau 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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