Parkgate House School

Inspection of Parkgate House School 80 Clapham Common, Clapham Common, Northside, London SW4 9SD

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils here show great care, kindness and respect towards each other. Staff model these behaviours and ensure pupils receive any support they may need. As a result, pupils are safe and know their views are heard. Pupils are excellent role models for their younger peers and eagerly take on leadership opportunities. For example, peer mentors support others to follow the school ‘virtues’ and reading ambassadors read with younger pupils. Pupils behave extremely well at all times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of all pupils and their learning. Pupils delight in working through the ambitious work they complete. They remain focused during their lessons. Pupils achieve highly and build a deep body of knowledge across the broad curriculum. From the Nursery onwards, pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff ensure that pupils’ experiences go far beyond the academic. For example, all pupils take part in regular horse-riding and swimming lessons. All pupils choose to participate in a weekly club, including skateboarding, chamber choir and chess. A wide range of educational visits enrich the taught curriculum. These include outings to the House of Lords, the fire station and the neighbouring Clapham Common.

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better?

Pupils follow a highly ambitious curriculum. In many subjects, it exceeds what is expected nationally. For example, children in the Nursery develop their communication skills by beginning to learn a modern foreign language. Across the curriculum, the school has carefully identified the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn. This is effectively sequenced from early years onwards and enables pupils to build their learning cumulatively. Teachers use multiple opportunities to revisit and build on pupils’ prior knowledge. For example, in mathematics, staff in the early years use shapes to introduce children to the idea of simple fractions. Over time, pupils develop an increasingly complex understanding of fractions, including how to convert these into decimals.

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better?

Teachers benefit from a range of subject-specific training and meet regularly with each other to share and build expertise. As a result, teachers have a rich knowledge of their subjects and present information clearly. Staff spend a significant amount of time with individual pupils, checking their understanding. This ensures any misconceptions that pupils may have are identified and immediately addressed.

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better?

Staff are exceptionally well trained to effectively deliver the school’s chosen phonics programme. The school regularly checks where pupils need extra help with their reading and ensures that any tailored support needed is quickly put in place. As a result of this work, pupils read with increasing accuracy and fluency. Books are appropriately matched to the sounds that pupils know. In addition, pupils read a range of complex and high-quality texts across the curriculum. This helps them to build and apply an ambitious vocabulary. 3 to 5 June 2025 Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported to flourish. Highly effective processes ensure the needs of pupils with SEND are identified swiftly. Staff understand pupils’ different needs and put appropriately personalised support in place. The school ensures this support is regularly reviewed and adapted. Staff take great care to prepare pupils with SEND when they move to

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better?

Staff have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. These expectations are well understood by staff and pupils alike. From the Nursery onwards, pupils learn to show highly focused attitudes to their learning. They respond quickly and appropriately to any instructions. Across the school, pupils listen respectfully to their peers, for example when discussing new ideas or when taking part in school performances. High attendance rates illustrate pupils’ enthusiasm towards their education and the school’s successful engagement with parents and carers.

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better?

The school’s programme of personal, social, health and economic education is carefully thought through. Pupils are taught to stay safe online and when exploring the local area. Pupils eagerly discuss other topics such as rights, responsibilities and British values. They are encouraged to stay physically and mentally healthy. A variety of external speakers also visit the school. For example, a dental nurse recently spoke to the Nursery children about the importance of dental hygiene. In addition, the school puts bespoke support in place to address any specific personal development needs for individual pupils. Pupils participate in the school’s rich music programme, with older pupils having a weekly recorder lesson. A strong focus on singing supports pupils to learn to perform increasingly complex songs with accuracy.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at this school and know their views and ideas will be heard. They appreciate how well their professional development is prioritised. Staff feel their workload is well considered and managed. The proprietor knows and understands the school well. Leaders and the proprietor together ensure that nothing is left to chance here.

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better?

Through effective oversight and aspirational direction of the school’s work, the proprietor continues to ensure that the independent school standards are met in full. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The school meets the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 to 5 June 2025

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 3 to 5 June 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 101091 DfE registration number 212/6397

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School details

Inspection number 10341984 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Proprietor Catherine Shanley (Principal)

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £6,450 to £24,798

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School details

Email address office@parkgate-school.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 to 3 March 2022 3 to 5 June 2025

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Information about this school

 The school consists of an early years section (Nursery and Reception classes), a pre-preparatory section for pupils in Years 1 and 2 and a preparatory section for pupils in Years 3 to 6. The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the proprietor, headteacher and other senior leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, music and personal, social, health and economic 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 curriculum in other subjects was considered as part of the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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Information about this inspection

considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The school’s safeguarding policy is published for parents on the school’s website.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils, parents and carers and staff through both discussions and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys, including Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Hannah Glossop, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau His Majesty’s Inspector 3 to 5 June 2025 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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