Christ Church Primary SW9

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Christ Church Primary SW9 Cancell Road, North Brixton, London SW9 6HN

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Outcome

Christ Church Primary SW9 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?

The school has high expectations of all its pupils, both academically and in terms of behaviour. Pupils respond to these well, and as a result achieve well. The curriculum is well structured and ambitious. Pupils follow the school’s well-established routines assiduously. They focus and concentrate in lessons and join in enthusiastically in singing assemblies. Playtimes are particularly pleasurable, with pupils enjoying games, chatting or building with construction bricks.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a lovely place to work and learn. Pupils explain that it is happy because joy is one of their school values. Parents and carers are equally effusive. They love how the school is at the centre of the community. There is a strong focus on promoting pupils’ emotional and mental well-being. Pupils say bullying is rare and that adults would sort it out, were it to happen. Pupil well-being ambassadors also help to sort out problems and create a convivial atmosphere.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school capitalises on taking full advantage of giving pupils wide-ranging experiences. Pupils enjoy many trips to places of interest that link to their learning. The school utilises the generous amount of outdoor space available to it skilfully. Pupils love growing their own produce, which they harvest and eat. This really supports their understanding of nutrition and sustainability.

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

The school has designed a vibrant curriculum that supports pupils well. This starts from the early years, where children secure strong foundations. By the time pupils leave at the end of Year 6, they are ready for secondary school. 4 and 5 March 2025

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The school ensures that pupils’ learning builds over time. For example, across key stage 2 in history, pupils learn about the Roman Empire, then about various monarchs. In Year 6, pupils recalled confidently whether Benin was a kingdom or an empire, using their previous knowledge.

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The school shows a strong commitment to ensuring its pupils learn to read. Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme skilfully. They pay close attention to pupils who struggle, and provide the support needed to help them keep up. Right from the early years, children take home books that match the sounds they know. This enables them to practise their reading skills so that they become fluent.

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The school ensures that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are carefully identified. This enables staff to put any additional support in place swiftly with effective adaptations to pupils’ learning. In this way, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Staff use a range of strategies to check that pupils are learning the curriculum as intended. For example, they ask incisive questions or review pupils’ work regularly. Generally, these checks provide the school with clear information about how well pupils understand and remember what has been taught. However, on occasion, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not identified. When this is the case, pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could.

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Routines are well embedded and lead to a calm atmosphere, conducive for learning. For example, as families arrive on the playground, the morning starts with the familiar hand in the air gesture, signifying silence. All pupils, staff and parents follow suit and a hush falls. This creates a really smooth, serene start to the day. In lessons, pupils are equally quick to respond to instructions. They take pride in their work.

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The school takes positive and effective steps to ensure that pupils come to school regularly and on time. Staff work closely with families to help remove the barriers to pupils attending well.

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The school prioritises the well-being of its community, providing support for pupils, families and staff alike, for example through access to a psychotherapist. Pupils also get to understand how to look after their physical health through the many sporting opportunities and learning about healthy food.

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Pupils develop a very clear understanding about the school’s values and what these mean in practice. They learn about the importance of human rights across the curriculum. This supports their personal development well. For example, through focusing on kindness, pupils develop a strong sense of respect for others.

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Staff are very positive about working at the school. They say rightly that there is a supportive atmosphere where their well-being is considered. The school provides effective training and professional development designed to help staff fulfil their roles. 4 and 5 March 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, the school does not identify accurately pupils’ understanding and whether they have gaps in their knowledge. This means that gaps in pupils’ understanding are not addressed as quickly as they could be. The school should ensure that checks on pupils’ understanding are timely and effective so that pupils are fully ready for new learning.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 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. 4 and 5 March 2025

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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Jayne Mitchell (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Southwark. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was carried out in January 2017. The next one has been scheduled for March 2025.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders as well as members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She held telephone calls with a representative from the diocese and from the local authority. She also 4 and 5 March 2025

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spoke to a selection of staff, including administration and bursarial staff, teachers and teaching assistants.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their work 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 met with parents as they dropped their children off in the morning and took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View online survey.

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Inspection team

Jeanie Jovanova, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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