St George's Church of England Primary School

St George's Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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100827 Unique Reference Number Southwark Local Authority 276397 Inspection number 13 °14 July 2006 Inspection dates Grace Marriott Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Reverend Nicholas Elder Chair Mrs T Nouri Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Coleman Road School address Camberwell London SE5 7TF

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02077034772 Telephone number 02072771937 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 13 °14 July 2006 Inspection dates 276397 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St George's is a fairly small primary school which serves several Anglican parishes. Most pupils come from families of West African origin with a few from other ethnic groups. About one pupil in five is at an early stage of learning English and a similar proportion has special educational needs. Many pupils come from relatively disadvantaged backgrounds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 7 Inspection Report: St George's Church of England Primary School, 13 °14 July 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

* Raise the quality of some aspects of teaching, making better use of assessment and increasing the pace of lessons, particularly in mathematics. * Improve pupils' concentration and listening skills to help them make faster progress.

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Grade:

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. The teaching of the youngest pupils is good but the teaching in some older classes has been affected by staffing difficulties. The best teaching was seen in Year 6. The school has worked hard to minimise the impact of staff disruptions but nevertheless they have hampered the progress of some pupils. The best teaching is lively and interesting. Pupils are very keen to succeed and are eager to share what they have learned. In one class pupils applauded spontaneously when a classmate read out a very engaging letter. In the less effective lessons, the pace of work is slower, pupils' concentration is not as good and they do not achieve as much. Teaching assistants are well trained and support learning effectively, particularly for pupils with learning difficulties or those at an early stage of learning English. Teachers keep records of pupils' achievement systematically,

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Grade:

but this information is not used consistently enough to plan more challenging work. Similarly, some marking is very good and gives pupils a clear indication of what they need to do to improve, but this is not consistent across the school.

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Grade:

The school provides a good curriculum and changes are being planned to improve it further. The curriculum is enriched for older pupils, through the teaching of French and this will be extended to younger pupils from September 2006. Pupils' ICT skills are developed systematically and used well. A good range of visits and visitors are used effectively to widen and enrich pupils' experience. Good initiatives promote healthy lifestyles and pupils are to benefit from specialist teaching in tennis and dance. The good range of after school clubs are well attended. These include sports activities, computer club and music. Very good opportunities are provided for pupils to go on residential visits. In Year 4 they go to the Isle of Wight and in Year 6 they visit France. Activities are planned which help promote team building and pupils' interpersonal skills. 4 of 7 Inspection Report: St George's Church of England Primary School, 13 °14 July 2006

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Grade:

Pupils' care and welfare have a high priority. Adults know the pupils well and treat them as individuals. The school succeeds in creating a safe environment where pupils know that they can trust adults and go to them for help should they need to. Procedures for risk assessments and child protection are secure and well understood by staff. The provision for personal, social and health education supports pupils well, including those who are more vulnerable. Teachers deploy teaching assistants effectively to help pupils having particular learning difficulties make progress in lessons. Where appropriate, the school also uses outside agencies successfully to support these pupils. Assessment of pupils' achievement is improving and in some classes is used well to set targets, but this is not consistent enough across the school. The school keeps parents well informed about their children's progress. Most parents are happy with the level

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Grade:

of consultation but a few do not feel that they are sufficiently involved.

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Grade:

5 of 7 Inspection Report: St George's Church of England Primary School, 13 °14 July 2006 .

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Grade:

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 7 Inspection Report: St George's Church of England Primary School, 13 °14 July 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils We really enjoyed meeting you and listening to your views and ideas about the school. You were polite, friendly and were keen to let us know how much you like school. Thank you for your help during our time with you. We think that many things about your school are good. Your attendance is excellent, you behave well, want to learn and join enthusiastically in lots of interesting activities. You know that a healthy lifestyle is important and how to stay safe. You learn to take responsibility for yourselves and others and the work of the school council in helping to improve the playground facilities in the school is impressive. The adults are good at caring for you and you trust them. Teachers and other adults want you to do well, and in many lessons expect you to work hard and achieve high standards, but we think that some of you, particularly the older pupils, could be making faster progress and achieving higher standards, especially in mathematics. This

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

means that we think that the education you are receiving is satisfactory. The leaders of the school know that some of you could be doing better. They are working together to see that teachers use what they know about your progress to plan lessons which will challenge you to achieve higher standards. You could also help by concentrating better and listening more carefully in lessons. Yours sincerely Grace Marriott Lead inspector 7 of 7 Inspection Report: St George's Church of England Primary School, 13 °14 July 2006

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