Joseph Hood Primary School

Joseph Hood Primary School

Address: Whatley Avenue, Raynes Park, London, SW20 9NS Unique reference number (URN): 102634

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Attendance remains high, including for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders rigorously track pupils' attendance and provide extensive support so that families understand the importance of coming to school regularly. For example, the school offers time to pupils with Pip and Peanut, the school guinea pigs, to help pupils start the day. Pupils value school highly and do not want to miss their learning or time with peers. Leaders celebrate and reward positive attendance, and pupils show strong motivation to earn a place at the celebration breakfast.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Behaviour across the school is exemplary. Pupils consistently show care and respect for one another. Older pupils actively support and encourage younger peers while modelling the school’s values and expectations. During playtimes, pupils enjoy a vibrant environment and take part enthusiastically in a wide range of activities organised by pupil leaders. In lessons, pupils remain highly motivated; they engage fully, focus intently, and demonstrate perseverance in their work.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Unkind behaviour and bullying rarely occur because pupils consistently treat each other with respect. Leaders respond swiftly to any concerns and ensure pupils learn from any incidents. For example, they deliver workshops to strengthen pupils’ understanding of inclusion and diversity. Staff actively teach pupils to recognise their emotions and provide effective strategies to regulate them. When some pupils need additional support, staff implement tailored adaptations that help them succeed in managing their behaviour and fully participate in their learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

This is a highly inclusive school where every pupil thrives. Staff fully integrate all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders deliver the highest quality support for those with the greatest needs through identifying and removing any barriers to pupils' learning immediately and effectively.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders meticulously track each pupil’s progress, ensuring support and interventions are exceptionally precise, highly responsive, and deeply impactful. They provide excellent emotional and wellbeing support, enabling pupils to be fully ready to learn. Consequently, pupils facing barriers, including those known to social care, make remarkable progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders collaborate expertly with external specialists to gain the deepest understanding of pupils’ individual needs. They use this insight to design highly bespoke plans, which staff implement consistently to ensure that every pupil succeeds in every lesson. Carefully selected and highly effective adaptations enable pupils with the greatest needs to access the full curriculum alongside their peers. Precise and rigorous tracking of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) allows teachers to address language gaps swiftly and effectively, such as through targeted work on tense accuracy in both speaking and writing.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use pupil premium funding extremely well, ensuring the very best outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Highly trained staff and high-quality resources maximise learning at every opportunity. Leaders guarantee that all pupils benefit from rich enrichment and wider learning experiences, securing true equity and the highest standards of inclusion.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and governors hold unwaveringly high expectations for all pupils and work strategically to realise these ambitions. They maintain a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Leaders provide extensive professional development so that staff continually improve teaching and learning in line with school priorities. Leaders also monitor the impact of their actions carefully to ensure that every decision serves the best interests of pupils.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders create an inclusive environment where every pupil accesses the full curriculum and enrichment offer. They know their children, families and contexts well, and they provide extensive academic and pastoral support to meet individual needs. For example, they offer a wide range of workshops to help parents understand the curriculum and teaching approaches. As a result, pupils thrive and feel well prepared for the next stages of their learning. Parents express overwhelmingly positive views about the learning, opportunities and support provided for their children.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff feel proud to work at the school and value their contribution to the highly effective school community. They engage fully in professional learning opportunities and collaborate across the federation. Staff appreciate the strong consideration leaders give to managing workload and supporting wellbeing. Leaders base all their actions on robust evidence, value professional learning opportunities, and engage actively with support from the local authority. They also share their expertise by supporting other schools and contributing to local authority forums.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governors maintain a deep understanding of the school's progress. They share leaders’ strong commitment to improving education for all pupils. Governors fulfil their statutory duties effectively, including rigorously checking leaders’ monitoring of safeguarding.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders deliver an extensive personal development offer that positively impacts pupils. Pupils confidently recall key knowledge from the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum. For example, they show a strong understanding of saving money and can explain the additional costs associated with credit cards compared to debit cards. They demonstrate their deep understanding of the relationships curriculum through the respect they show to their peers. Pupils understand the importance of protected characteristics and British values, and they show a strong awareness of cultural diversity. They value each other’s differences and consistently show care and compassion for others.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders prioritise keeping pupils safe. Pupils show a high level of awareness of safeguarding risks, both online and offline. For instance, pupils spoke confidently about how to communicate online safely and to follow road safety rules.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils thrive because leaders place a strong emphasis on their emotional wellbeing. Trained staff support all pupils and provide tailored provision to meet individual needs. Leaders

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Expected standard

extend this support to families, offering help to improve life beyond the school environment. Leaders demonstrate high ambition through a well-planned careers programme. Parents and local professionals regularly speak to pupils about different jobs, and teachers integrate career discussions into subject learning.

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Expected standard

Leaders enhance the curriculum through a wide range of trips and visits, which they plan meticulously. For example, pupils visit museums to deepen their understanding of history and attend theatre trips to experience music and drama. Leaders also work closely with secondary schools to provide additional curriculum opportunities and support pupils’ transition into Year 7 with great care.

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Expected standard

Leaders ensure that ‘Change Makers’ roles represent all pupils and year groups. Pupils take pride in the positive impact they have on the school community. For example, they have helped improve the playground environment and introduced food waste bins across the school. Pupils understand how these roles help develop their confidence and character. The wide-ranging extra-curricular offer allows pupils to try new activities, with many developing lasting interests and talents. Leaders ensure that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, fully access the enrichment opportunities available.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils typically achieve well in national tests and make secure progress from their individual starting points. Leaders keep a close check to identify any issues and take decisive action. For example, prioritising the improvement in writing, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Through careful planning and effective teaching, staff ensure that pupils build strong foundations, leading to sustained improvement and readiness for the next stages of learning. Staff support pupils so that they produce high-quality writing, fluent handwriting, and accurate spelling and grammar.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils with special educational needs (SEND) and those with English as an additional language (EAL) make sustained progress from their starting points. Leaders maintain high aspirations for all pupils and actively remove barriers to learning. Across the school, pupils confidently articulate their knowledge and understanding in depth, making meaningful links between areas of learning, such as comparing different historical periods. Their work consistently meets a high standard and demonstrates a secure understanding of what they have learned.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school has an ambitious curriculum. Staff inspire and motivate pupils to learn. Leaders ensure that clear steps in learning support pupils to develop their subject specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary. Staff enable pupils to know and remember important subject content confidently. Leaders prioritise developing secure foundational knowledge to support pupils’ continued success in learning. Highly effective phonics teaching ensures that all pupils learn to read and access the wider curriculum. Staff ensure that pupils build fluency in number and writing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers use their extensive subject knowledge to model learning and support pupils. They use precise questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding or challenge them to discuss concepts with peers. Teachers regularly check what pupils know and remember and usually provide targeted support to address any gaps in learning. On occasion, teaching does not ensure that assessment is used with precision so that pupils are fully ready for more challenging learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers provide resources to make learning accessible for everyone. For example, staff use visuals to support the learning of new vocabulary, enabling pupils who are new to English to build their early language skills. Staff provide targeted in-class support to meet individual pupils’ needs. These skilful adaptations enable all pupils, regardless of their starting points, to access the curriculum successfully.

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Early years Expected standard

The expertly planned curriculum ensures that all staff know the small steps of learning that children need to make progress from their starting points. Leaders identify gaps in children’s learning and adapt the curriculum to address weaker areas. In most cases, staff provide targeted support to address these gaps. Leaders recognise the need to ensure that this support remains consistently precise.

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Early years Expected standard

Children love the exciting activities that enable them to practise their learning. They focus for sustained periods and demonstrate independence and perseverance. Reading is a high priority, and children immerse themselves in books at every opportunity. Secure teaching of phonics enables children to read and apply their phonic knowledge in their writing.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders prioritise the development of children's communication effectively. Staff engage children in high-quality interactions. They expertly extend children’s vocabulary and support them to explain their thinking and understanding. Leaders work closely with families before children start school, which enables them to identify individual needs quickly and put bespoke support in place from the outset. For example, they provide speech and language interventions or support children's fine motor development to improve pen control.

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Early years Expected standard

Children are extremely happy and feel safe and confident. They follow class routines, such as forming a circle for carpet time or tidying away when asked. Children build positive relationships by taking turns and sharing resources.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils thrive at this school. They approach learning with enthusiasm and motivation, and they engage fully in every lesson. They love learning and want to attend school, which leads to high levels of attendance. The school fosters a happy and vibrant environment that pupils describe as ‘their family’, where each child feels valued as part of the community. When pupils join midyear or arrive from other countries, their peers warmly welcome them and help them settle quickly into routines. Staff ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) participate fully in class life and learning by skilfully adapting teaching. As a result, pupils typically achieve well in national tests.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Staff maintain consistently high expectations. They create a positive, calm, and nurturing environment that pupils value, which contributes to exemplary behaviour across the school. Pupils trust that adults will resolve any worries or concerns, and they feel safe. They describe staff as having ‘superpowers’ for noticing and addressing concerns without prompting. Pupils report that bullying does not occur because they treat one another with respect. They demonstrate a strong understanding of equality and appreciate differences. The school prepares pupils well for the next stages of education and for life in modern Britain.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school enhances learning through a carefully planned enrichment programme. Teachers organise class trips that bring subjects to life, such as exploring Stone Age life at a farm and developing knowledge of Matisse while visiting a museum. Democratically elected ‘Change Makers’ actively improve the school community. For example, Reading Ambassadors promote reading through engaging library activities and by sharing books with younger pupils. The wellbeing team creates a calm playground space and organises events for mental health week. Through these opportunities, pupils develop valuable life skills, grow in confidence when speaking publicly, and share their views effectively with school leaders.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that assessment is used consistently and effectively across the curriculum so that teachers identify any gaps in learning so that pupils are ready for more challenging curriculum content.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Jenni Lau.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called The Cherrywood Federation.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, governors and a representative from the local authority during the inspection.

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Lead inspector:

Sacha Husnu-Beresford, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Ann Pratt, Ofsted Inspector Dave Collins, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 9 June 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The inspector(s) confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

The school provides a breakfast and afterschool club.

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What does this mean?

Executive Headteacher: Anita Saville The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2024/25 (final) 63% 62% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 57% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 61% 60% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 73% 74% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 77% 73% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (final) 67% 72% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 68% 72% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 73% 71% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2022/23 (final) 77% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2022/23 (final) 33% 44% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 55% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2022/23 (final) 47% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2022/23 (final) 53% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 4.7% 5.2% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 10.6% 13.0% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 14.2% 16.2% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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