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Seven Sisters Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.
What is it like to attend this school?
This is a warm and nurturing school where pupils thrive.
Pupils are polite, respectful and well mannered. Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils behave well and focus on their learning.
They work hard and make progress through the curriculum well. At break times, pupils from different classes and of all ages play happily together. Trusted adults in school listen to and respond to any worries pupils may have.
Pupils are happy and safe.
Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND...) are fully included in all aspects of school life. In the specialist resource provision staff identify pupils' needs carefully and provide skilful support.
The school makes exceptional provision to support pupils with sometimes complex SEND needs.
Pupils are proud of their school. They appreciate the wide range of opportunities that leaders provide for them to contribute to school life.
They speak enthusiastically about their roles in supporting the headteacher by acting as personal assistants and library and assembly monitors. Pupils enjoy taking part in the after-school activities that staff organise for them, such as netball, cycling and choir. Enrichment activities supports pupils learning such as recent trips to the National Gallery and the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The curriculum is broad and well designed so that learning in all subjects is broken down into small steps. This approach helps pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding. In mathematics, for example, starting from the early years, the curriculum is well structured.
The curriculum ensures that pupils securely understand number and can solve mathematical problems. In art and design, staff model the skills they want pupils to learn and apply. Pupils produce high-quality artwork using shading with charcoal and painting with water colours.
Staff use assessment well to spot any gaps in pupils' learning. They use effective strategies to revisit learning so that pupils can recall prior knowledge and build upon it. Children get off to a good start in the early years in all areas of learning.
Support for pupils with SEND is well structured and is a strength of the school. Staff plan approaches to meet the specific needs of each individual pupil. They deliver high-quality support so that pupils with SEND make the best possible progress socially and academically.
Leaders have designed a reading curriculum that teaches pupils how to read while also developing a love of reading. Older pupils enjoy reading books by different authors and about different cultures. Most pupils learn to read well and also read for pleasure.
The school teaches phonics and has given some training to staff. However, there is variability in the teaching of early reading. The school's approaches in phonics are not used consistently.
As a result, some pupils who find it more difficult to learn to read are not getting the help they need to read as quickly and fluently as they could. This impacts on pupils' reading a variety of books with confidence and their deeper understanding in different subjects.
Children in the early years respond well to routines that are in place and focus on their learning.
Pupils' calm and attentive behaviour in lessons demonstrates the value they place on their education. Pupils support one another and work well together. Playground time gives pupils the opportunity to socialise and join in with planned activities.
Their attitudes towards each other demonstrate the school's values of respect, resilience, inclusion, positivity and tolerance.
The wider curriculum, which develops pupils' skills, talents and interests beyond the academic subjects, is broad and well planned. Pupils are eager to join the 'pupil leadership team' to support the school's values.
This helps pupils to understand the importance of those values and prepares them well for life in modern Britain.
The school provides support to families to overcome barriers to regular attendance. Recent work on improving school attendance is having a positive impact.
However, persistent absence is high and some pupils still do not attend school regularly. This means that they miss out on valuable learning and other important aspects of daily school life.
Those responsible for governance are ambitious, well informed and effective.
The school has benefited from the oversight and support of the local authority education partnership. Staff, including those new to teaching, feel well supported in their workload and are proud to work at the school.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
What does the school need to do to improve?
(Information for the school and appropriate authority)
• Some pupils are not being taught the phonics knowledge they need in order to be able to read well. This means that they are unable to segment, blend or pronounce sounds with confidence. The school needs to ensure that all staff are well trained to teach phonics so that all pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need to read fluently.
• Pupils' absence is still too high. As a result, some pupils do not attend school regularly and miss out on important learning. The school needs to continue the work it is doing to improve the attendance of pupils who are persistently absent.
Background Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.
This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.
We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.
Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.
This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2016.
