Galleywall Primary, City of London Academy

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Galleywall Primary, City of London Academy Galleywall Primary, Galleywall Road, London SE16 3PB

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

Galleywall Primary, City of London Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Martin Blain. This school is part of the City of London Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mark Emmerson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Catherine McGuinness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, inclusive school. Pupils enjoy coming to school every day because they are looked after well. It is a safe place for them. They are confident that they can seek help if they have any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants its pupils to be aspirational. Its commitment to providing pupils with the best possible experience permeates the excellent curriculum. Pupils respond to this by working hard in lessons. They succeed highly across all subjects and achieve exceptionally well in writing by the end of Year 6.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for behaviour. It sets out clearly how pupils should behave, in and out of lessons. Pupils follow the school rules consistently. In lessons, they are focused and engaged. They treat adults and each other with respect and follow instructions promptly. Throughout the school day, pupils are polite, courteous, and confident. In very rare cases where bullying occurs, leaders deal with it quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take pride in the many responsibilities that they are trusted with, including electing and acting as representatives to the pupil parliament. The school considers the views of pupils and acts on them. For example, suggestions from pupils led to the school making 14–15 January 2025

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improvements to playtimes. House captains support their respective houses to earn rewards. These are awarded for acts of kindness or outstanding achievements.

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

Children in this school receive an excellent start to their education. Before children start in the early years, leaders and staff gather information about them from parents and carers. They also work closely with local feeder nurseries. This enables the school to identify children’s needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school uses this information well to put suitable provisions in place to meet these needs. This, together with the ambitious early years curriculum, ensures that, right from the outset, children get timely and well-focused support with their learning and development.

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

Pupils are supported to learn how to read as soon as they start at school. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. Pupils practise their phonics by reading books which contain the letter sounds that they already know. Those who are falling behind receive effective support and they catch up quickly. As a result, by the time they get to Year 2, many pupils in this school are reading fluently.

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

The school has put in place a curriculum that is carefully considered. It has been designed with purpose so that pupils continually build on prior knowledge. In mathematics, for instance, pupils in the early years receive plenty of high-quality opportunities to develop their understanding of numbers. For example, they learn how to look at a set of objects and instantly know how many there are without counting them. This prepares them for Year 1, when they learn more about how to add and subtract numbers.

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

The curriculum is delivered to a high standard. Subject matter is presented clearly. For example, teaching makes use of effective illustrations and examples to help pupils to understand new concepts. When misconceptions arise, staff are quick to address them. Pupils with SEND benefit from effective adaptations. These include carefully selected resources and effective support from additional adults. As a result, pupils are learning the curriculum exceptionally well. A rich range of extra-curricular activities, including, for example, poetry, debating and ‘mathematics masterclasses’, also help pupils’ academic learning to flourish.

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

Opportunities for high-quality cultural enrichment are abundant and varied. Performances at St Paul’s Cathedral, along with projects like puppetry workshops, enrich the curriculum. During careers week, parents and carers come into school to talk about their professions. This helps pupils to learn about the world of work. The school teaches pupils to show mutual respect, including by exploring different faiths, beliefs and abilities. Teachers take pupils to visit various places of worship to deepen their understanding. The school ensures that all pupils, including those deemed disadvantaged, access these opportunities fully. 14–15 January 2025

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Pupils attend school regularly. The school intervenes promptly if pupils’ level of absence becomes a concern. It does what it reasonably can to support them and their families, and, in most cases, attendance does improve.

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Leaders take clear actions to improve the school and address issues quickly if they arise. Pupils’ well-being is a priority, and support and opportunities are provided for the whole school community. Staff are proud to be a part of this school. They appreciate that processes are streamlined to help with their workload.

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The support of the multi-academy trust has been instrumental in the school’s success. The local governing board perform their delegated responsibilities diligently. They provide clarity of purpose and strategic direction to the school. Experts from the trust provide advice and purposeful challenge to leaders and staff. The result is a school that is making a clear difference to the pupils it serves, regardless of their background or their starting points.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in May 2019.

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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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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). 14–15 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the City of London Academies Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The inspector held discussions with the chief executive officer, the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.  The inspector also met with the board of trustees, including the chair of trustees. Members of the local governing board were also present in this meeting. 14–15 January 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 also considered the views of parents through their responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Edison David, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14–15 January 2025

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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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