Myatt Garden Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Myatt Garden Primary School Rokeby Road, Brockley, London SE4 1DF

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

Myatt Garden Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a true community school. The school builds warm and supportive relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils are well cared for. One parent, reflecting the views of many, said, ‘Children are at the heart of this school.’ Pupils feel secure and can take risks. For example, they readily share their ideas and recognise that mistakes provide a good opportunity to learn something new.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils across the school regularly talk about how to be respectful of others. From the early years, adults provide strong modelling of how to treat others with kindness and consideration. This helps children to learn important social behaviours.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils to be knowledgeable about the curriculum. The school ensures that they are well prepared for their next steps. They read with insight and have confident mathematical understanding. Pupils achieve well in national assessments at the end of Year 6.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school places importance on developing pupils’ character. For example, older pupils take responsibility for helping younger children to play safely and confidently in the playground. Special experiences build pupils’ confidence, such as a residential stay in Year 6 where pupils try abseiling and dragon boating. Clubs, such as cheerleading and drama, develop pupils’ talents and interests.

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

The school provides a broad, rich curriculum. It sets out ambitious content in a logical order to help pupils build on what they have studied previously. Teachers encourage pupils to make links in their learning. For example, when studying dinosaurs in Reception, 25 and 26 February 2025

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children learn that some were carnivores and others were herbivores. In Year 1, pupils revisit this knowledge when they learn about living animals and food chains.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge and expertise. They promote pupils’ curiosity with interesting content and experiences that extend pupils’ learning. For example, pupils remember the properties of rivers, which they see first hand when wading in the Thames tributary. Teachers check that pupils have understood key content, such as the terms ‘numerator’ and ‘denominator’ to help pupils talk accurately about their understanding of fractions.

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The school effectively identifies and meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff take account of how individual pupils want to be supported. They help pupils with SEND to be successful in the school environment. For example, they ensure that pupils can communicate effectively and well.

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The school makes reading a priority. From the early years, children regularly hear and read quality texts. Teachers support pupils’ understanding of the key meanings in texts. As a result, pupils learn to read with insight. The phonics curriculum is clearly set out. Staff deliver it in a logical order. The school identifies gaps in pupils’ knowledge and addresses them. Pupils typically recognise letters and the sounds they make. They can blend sounds together to read words. However, sometimes, staff move on to new learning before pupils have grasped some sounds fully.

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The curriculum focuses well on teaching pupils to compose writing for effect on a reader. Pupils have a strong understanding of the purpose and audience for their writing. They use rich vocabulary to express their ideas clearly. However, the curriculum for writing transcription, including the way pupils form their letters, is less carefully designed. As a result, pupils’ writing sometimes is less controlled, fluent and confident than might be expected for their stage of education.

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Pupils know what makes a healthy life and a healthy relationship. They are taught well how to recognise online and offline risks to their well-being. The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. For example, the school promotes the importance of respect for the differences that make people unique. Pupils are knowledgeable about characteristics, such as different religions. This helps pupils to understand what it means to be tolerant of others’ beliefs and backgrounds.

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The school is a calm, settled environment. Staff establish secure routines to help pupils to focus on learning in the classroom. When pupils occasionally need support to meet the school’s high expectations, staff are quick to identify the best ways to help them. This includes considering any additional needs a pupil may have. The school’s work to support pupils’ attendance is swift, well-considered and effective.

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Leaders take a conscientious approach. They routinely question what impact the school’s work is having on its pupils and whether decisions are in pupils’ best interests. They thoroughly understand the school’s strengths and its potential to improve further. Staff are well supported, and leaders take careful account of their workload. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some instances, staff do not check systematically that pupils at the early stages of reading can confidently recognise and read some of the sounds they have been taught. As a result, some pupils struggle to accurately read words containing those sounds. The school should ensure that staff make systematic checks on pupils’ phonics knowledge and address any gaps in their understanding before they move on.  Some pupils at the early stages of writing do not form letters well. The school has not broken down the curriculum content for writing into smaller parts, particularly for transcription. As a result, the school does not teach pupils all they need to know about forming letters in a clear sequence to address gaps in their skills for writing. The school should identify all of the knowledge it intends for pupils to know in order to write letters accurately.

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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 to be good 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2014. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of 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 meetings with the headteacher. The inspector also met with leaders with responsibility for SEND, behaviour and attendance, early years and pupils’ personal development.  The inspector met with representatives from the local governing body.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents, staff and pupils.  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.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Iles-Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 February 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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