Clapham Manor Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make friends quickly here.

They enjoy learning different subjects and have fun together at playtimes.

Leaders have high expectations for how pupils behave towards each other in lessons and around the school. They encourage strong character traits, including empathy and openness, kindness and team spirit.

Typically, pupils' behaviour is orderly and considerate. Teachers respond swiftly and effectively if there are any rare instances of bullying and if any pupils need extra support with managing their behaviour.

Leaders set out to ensure pupils are 'world ready'.

Pupils gain an understanding of issues such as environmental change and di...versity through global-learning classes. Leaders work in partnership with parents, carers and the local community to support pupils' learning. Leaders encourage pupils to think carefully, express their views, to value differences and build social harmony.

Pupils have opportunities to join clubs to develop their sporting, artistic and musical interests and skills. Pupils showcase their learning in performances and regular singing assemblies. Educational excursions include visits to museums and residential journeys.

Pupils are kept safe in school. There are plenty of ways for pupils to tell staff if they are concerned or unhappy. Pupils appreciate the 'worry monster' box in every classroom, knowing that their teacher will help them.

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

Senior leaders have designed a well-considered curriculum across all subjects. They have clear expectations for how pupils' knowledge and understanding will build up, from the early years onwards, ensuring that the breadth and depth of the national curriculum are matched.

Teachers help pupils to regularly revisit and recap on prior learning and develop their use of technical vocabulary.

They help them to make connections with other subjects and learn through their teachers' examples. Common routines across all subjects help pupils to remember more over time.

Leaders' revised curriculum has rapidly become established over the last academic year.

Leaders have identified the key facts and skills they expect pupils to learn. They have systems to identify when pupils are achieving well and where they might need more support. Subject leaders are refining the curriculum further, drawing on information from reviews carried out last year.

Leaders have identified where some aspects of how a subject is assessed can be sharpened in order to inform leaders about how well pupils achieve in different aspects of the subject. New systems are in the process of being introduced this year.Staff promote a love for reading throughout the school.

Pupils take home books to read for pleasure and enjoy regular story times. Leaders carefully selected a new scheme for the teaching of phonics during the last academic year. They have provided training for staff so that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of reading from the early years onwards.

Leaders regularly check that pupils are receiving the right support to develop their reading skills swiftly. Staff ensure that pupils read books that are matched to the phonics they are being taught and pupils have plenty of opportunities to apply and practise their phonics knowledge.

Staff are vigilant to identify when a pupil needs additional support with their learning.

Teachers use a range of effective strategies and resources to enable pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and pupils who are in the early stages of speaking English as an additional language, to cover the same curriculum content as others. Adults support the specific needs of children in the early years who need to improve their fine motor skills and speech, language and communications.

Leaders have revised the school's behaviour policy and have introduced several strategies to support pupils to manage their behaviour.

Pupils are generally settled in lessons and listen well to their teachers and to each other so that learning proceeds uninterrupted. Pupils conduct themselves sensibly around the school. Pupils respond to their teachers' expectations and engage swiftly with opportunities to develop their learning to more complex ideas.

Relationships and sex education is integrated throughout the school's programme of personal, social and health education. Leaders encourage pupils to understand and respect different types of relationships. A wide range of themes such as healthy lifestyles, finance and online safety helps pupils to recognise how to avoid risks to their well-being and safety.

Staff are well supported by leaders. Leaders provide training to support staff in their roles. Leaders have taken effective steps to reduce staff workload.

Equality of opportunity is a priority for leaders. They keep a close eye on pupils' take up of enrichment activities. Staff provide support and encouragement to all pupils to participate in the range of opportunities on offer, including school clubs and trips to enhance their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that a culture of safeguarding is promoted and maintained in the school. They ensure that staff know the latest guidance, giving regular updates and reminders so that everyone knows the signs to look for if a pupil might be vulnerable.

Training has raised staff awareness of safeguarding risks such as county lines and harmful sexual behaviour. Staff know the appropriate processes if they have any concerns.

Staff work closely with outside professional agencies to source the support that pupils need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, leaders are continuing to develop systems for checking how well pupils learn knowledge and skills. In these subjects, gaps in pupils' knowledge and where pupils' learning is secure are not identified swiftly. Leaders should embed their new and revised systems for reviewing pupils' achievement and use this information to inform curriculum planning and identify where pupils and teachers need further support.

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