The Merton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at The Merton School are encouraged to be 'the best that they can be'.

They are given the confidence to develop their talents and interests. Pupils access a range of opportunities, such as taking part in the school's basketball team or being part of science club. Pupils are proud to represent their school in sporting competitions and other events.

Staff have high expectations of pupils. Pupils live up to these expectations. Most pupils achieve well.

The school continues to work on curriculum improvements. Staff are developing their understanding of how best to teach this curriculum so that pupils know and remember more.

Pupils feel safe in sch...ool.

Bullying is rare. Pupils know who they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns. Behaviour around the school is calm and respectful.

Many parents and carers commented on the fact that their children enjoy attending the school and it is a happy environment for them.

Older pupils enjoy supporting younger pupils. They are role models who demonstrate to their peers how to be successful.

For example, the school's reading ambassadors enjoy reading stories to children in the early years. They talk with enthusiasm about how they encourage younger children to love reading.

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

The school's curriculum sets out what pupils should learn and when, from the early years to Year 6.

Teachers help pupils to think in increasingly sophisticated ways about the subjects they study. For example, in mathematics, pupils can talk about the strategies they use to solve problems. Across the curriculum, pupils learn subject-specific vocabulary, which helps them to explain their thinking well.

Pupils can share their knowledge of tectonic plates in geography and of different types of balance in relation to physical education. This ensures that across the majority of subjects, pupils build their knowledge over time. However, sometimes, the strategies that teachers employ to help pupils recall their prior learning are not as effective as they could be.

On these occasions, pupils struggle to recall their learning connected to some subjects.

The school checks pupils' learning in most subjects to identify gaps and address misconceptions. This helps pupils to develop secure knowledge in these subjects.

In a minority of subjects, the checks on pupils' previous learning do not precisely identify gaps in their knowledge. Pupils do not consistently receive guidance about how to deepen their thinking and address areas of learning in which they lack confidence.

Reading is prioritised.

The school has thought about the different ways in which children learn to read from the moment that they start school. Pupils access a range of different texts. Pupils who need extra help with their reading receive effective support and keep-up with their peers.

There has been careful consideration given to how the school develops pupils' enjoyment of reading. This includes ensuring that children have regular opportunities to read and that they are involved in reading events. These include author visits and opportunities to write book reviews.

The school uses clear strategies to identify pupils that may require additional help and support. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from adaptations made to some aspects of the curriculum. Most teachers know the pupils in their classrooms well.

However, at times, the targets that are set for pupils with SEND do not identify clearly enough what pupils should be trying to achieve. This means that some pupils with SEND do not make as much progress as they could.

Pupils benefit from an effective personal development programme.

They are able to talk about their learning connected to online safety and staying physically healthy. Pupils are able to identify the fundamental British values and how they relate to aspects of their life. They do not always recall their learning connected to different religions and cultures.

Pupils also access a range of different clubs and trips. They talk with great enthusiasm about the trips that they have been on, including residential visits for both younger and older pupils.

Classroom environments are calm and orderly.

Pupils, including those in the early years, enjoy coming to school. They make friends quickly. Children benefit from positive relationships with staff.

The trust works with the school to ensure that staff have the confidence to lead their areas of responsibility well. However, in a small number of areas of the school's provision, leaders have not ensured that they have the information that they need to identify what is going well and what needs to improve. Some leaders new to their roles have not had the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of some areas of the school's work.

Trust leaders work with the school to support staff in developing their confidence connected to the different areas that they lead. Staff appreciate the different professional development opportunities that they receive and the opportunities that they have to work with other teachers across the trust.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some of the targets designed for pupils with SEND do not define clearly what pupils should achieve. As a result, there are times when it is difficult for staff to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge to set targets for pupils with SEND and that it provides teachers with the information they need to adapt their teaching to help pupils with SEND achieve well.

Sometimes, the school does not have detailed oversight to identify what is going well and what needs to improve. This means the impact of actions taken to improve are not fully understood, which slows the pace of progress. The school needs to ensure that there are processes in place to evaluate the effectiveness of its provision and make improvements when necessary.

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