Clapham Terrace Community Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their parents say they are lucky to be a part of Clapham Terrace, which is a thriving community in both name and nature. Pupils are happy to be in school, and they feel safe, cared for and included.

Staff teach children to be good learners, as soon as they join school, through a well-constructed curriculum. Pupils learn to explore, have a go, and keep trying. They develop skills for life through the curriculum and the wide variety of opportunities on offer.

Learning to run the 'Snack Shack' is just one of the many opportunities available at the school. Pupils are very proud of their charity work and of their choir, with which they have performed at Young Vo...ices.

Pupils play and work well together.

Behaviour is excellent in lessons, in assemblies, and out on the playground. Pupils say that bullying does not happen. They know what to do if it starts because they have a system that helps to stop it.

Bullying is not tolerated.

Pupils enjoy their learning. They are very focused in lessons and know and remember a lot of what they have been learning about recently.

They can also recall a range of knowledge from what they have learned in the past.

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

Leaders, including governors, are ambitious for all pupils. They have established an inclusive culture and a broad curriculum that provides lots of exciting opportunities.

Led by the headteacher, staff make sure that all pupils get the help and support they need to make the best start to their education, academically and socially.

Children make an excellent start in early years. Staff and parents work very well together to make sure that children are supported at home.

The curriculum is well planned and carefully sequenced to develop children's knowledge and ability to learn. There is a clear and deliberate focus on vocabulary in all areas of learning. Children make a quick start to learning to read, write and count.

They concentrate on what they are learning, and they keep trying even when it is difficult.

Reading is central to the curriculum. Staff have the expert knowledge they need to teach phonics and early reading well.

They use assessment thoroughly to quickly identify when children start to fall behind. A range of extra support and interventions, including hearing children read regularly, are used to help pupils keep up. As a result, all pupils develop the skills they need to be able to read fluently and confidently.

Leaders make sure that pupils learn to read and love to read. Pupils engage in a range of events to promote reading, including regular workshops with a reading patron, who is a children's author. The majority of pupils say they love reading and enjoy stories by a wide range of authors.

The mathematics curriculum identifies the knowledge and skills pupils learn. Curriculum plans sequence the learning to build on this knowledge lesson by lesson. Most pupils know and understand what they are learning.

Staff have used a range of assessments to identify the gaps in pupils' knowledge and target these gaps. Pupils are rebuilding their ability to apply what they know, and to use what they have learned before to help them.

Plans for all subjects outline the end points pupils are working towards.

They also map out the skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn. In most subjects, plans also identify the precise knowledge that pupils should know and remember to build towards these end points. As a result, pupils build their knowledge in a wide range of subjects and can link learning across the curriculum.

In a small number of subjects, parts of the curriculum do not identify the precise knowledge pupils need to know. Pupils' knowledge in some of these areas is not as secure.

Leaders, governors and staff are ambitious for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

They adapt the delivery of the curriculum and provide well-chosen additional support to meet pupils' needs. As a result, pupils learn the curriculum well. Some pupils have made rapid progress in a short space of time.

This is because leaders take a very personalised approach when needed. They go beyond what is expected to make sure that every child has the best chance to succeed.

The school's work to develop pupils' understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen is exemplary.

Many pupils carry out roles that give them leadership experiences. The work of the UNICEF steering group, and the Including Children Everywhere committee, are just two examples of how pupils contribute to the school and wider community. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain, and they understand the importance of values such as acceptance and democracy.

An overwhelming majority of parents would recommend the school to others. They are highly positive about leaders and staff. They value the close working partnership between home and school.

Staff are also highly positive about leaders. This is because leaders consider their well-being and workload. Leaders offer effective support to other schools in the local area.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders, governors and staff use robust systems to keep pupils safe. They check that all staff are suitable to work with children.

All staff receive regular and varied safeguarding training. Staff are vigilant and know when to raise a concern. Leaders respond immediately to any concerns raised.

They work with outside agencies to make sure that pupils and their families get the right help and support at the right time. They follow up concerns rigorously, until there are no longer any concerns. The school teaches pupils how to stay safe in a range of situations, including online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum plans do not identify the precise knowledge that pupils must learn. As a result, pupils' knowledge is not as secure in some aspects of these subjects. Leaders must ensure that all curriculum plans make clear the precise knowledge that pupils need to know and remember.