Iqra Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Iqra Primary School 127 Park Hill, Off Clarence Avenue, Clapham, London SW4 9PA

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Outcome

Iqra Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an exceptional school with a strong commitment to its community. The school prioritises helping pupils to have a sense of belonging. Kindness and respectful behaviour extend throughout daily school life. This ensures that pupils feel welcome, safe and well supported to achieve highly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets the highest aspirations for every pupil. Pupils are supported to be curious and resilient learners. They enjoy and value their education, producing a consistently high quality of work across all subjects. In class, pupils work hard and are encouraged to be inclusive of others. Pupils achieve exceptionally well, reaching standards that are higher than those found nationally. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are taught to be polite and respectful towards each other and towards adults. The maturity and self-discipline that pupils demonstrate is impressive. Pupils and parents and carers value the high-quality education here. This is one of the reasons why attendance is high. The school takes timely and appropriate steps to support those pupils at risk of non-attendance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value difference and embrace diversity, both through the curriculum that they are taught and through the many experiences the school organises in the wider community. The school places emphasis on developing pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values. Pupils enjoy learning about how to be active and inclusive citizens.

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

The school is ambitious for its pupils, delivering a rich, carefully sequenced body of knowledge across the subjects taught. Learning is skilfully embedded so that pupils’ understanding builds over time. Pupils apply their knowledge with increasing confidence. As a result, they make excellent progress through the intended curriculum. 5 and 6 June 2024

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The curriculum is delivered by highly skilled teachers who receive regular professional development. The school prioritises the teaching of key vocabulary so that pupils are able to tackle concepts with increasing complexity. For example, in mathematics, Year 3 pupils explore the properties of lines and shapes, identifying obtuse, acute and right angles. In Year 5, they use this knowledge to explore more-complex geometrical concepts of position and movement, using mathematical vocabulary to talk about what they know. Children in early years are also well supported to understand and use key vocabulary. For instance, children learn to identify oceans and continents when exploring features of our planet.

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Subject content is delivered through carefully devised themes that promote deep learning experiences. Teaching consistently uses approaches to securing pupils’ understanding of the knowledge taught. For example, teachers use ‘fluency five’ at the start of lessons so that pupils can recall prior learning fluently and in detail. Continuous assessment of pupils’ understanding ensures that gaps are quickly identified and addressed.

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The school is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff know the needs of these pupils well and adapt learning so that all pupils are well supported to make strong progress through the curriculum. Staff receive regular training so that they are confident in providing these adjustments to teaching, ensuring it is both accessible and demanding.

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Reading is prioritised as soon as children join the school. In early years, communication and language development is at the heart of children’s learning. Through a well- structured phonics curriculum, the school also places a sharp focus on making sure that those who are at the early stages of learning to read quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. This includes effective work to identify and support those pupils who fall behind in the school’s expectations for phonics learning.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary because they value their education and want to work hard. They attend school very well. The school sets high expectations, and uses strategies and routines that empower pupils to manage their own behaviours. Pupils value the support and encouragement that they receive. They interact with adults and each other with great levels of maturity.

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The school’s work in promoting pupils’ wider development is exceptional. Pupils appreciate the range of trips, clubs and community-focused activities offered. They visit local theatres and the choir performs at national events, for example. Pupils learn about their place in the world and how they can be active citizens. This includes opportunities for pupils to learn how to lead healthy lives, to navigate challenges and manage risk. For example, pupils study philosophy and they learn about road safety and safety online. Pupils are taught to understand the importance of respecting and embracing diversity.

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The school regularly engages with staff to ensure that workload is reduced and manageable. Staff are proud to be part of this community. 5 and 6 June 2024

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The school is systematic and meticulous in its oversight of all areas of its work. The governing body fully participates in this rigorous approach to ensuring the school’s aspirational vision is consistently realised.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 outstanding in October 2017.

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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). 5 and 6 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has a Muslim faith-based character. The last section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in 2016.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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 sampled the curriculum in other subject areas. 5 and 6 June 2024

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 The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also considered the responses of pupils and staff to Ofsted’s online surveys.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils during lessons and social times.  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 met with senior leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector met with some members of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Sophie Cavanagh, lead inspector Ofsted 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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