A Croydon primary school has retained its outstanding Ofsted rating after inspectors praised how it includes pupils’ families in the community.
In its recent inspection, conducted throughout late October, Ofsted agreed the school had taken effective action to maintain the standards.
During its recent inspection, Chestnut Park Primary School, on St James’s Road in West Croydon, maintained top marks across all assessment areas. The report notes how staff set clear expectations for pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, fostering an environment where children excel.
The school is also praised for its strong sense of community, with families playing an active role through events like the annual summer carnival. Ofsted inspectors found this celebration brought together diverse student-based music, dance, and food, creating a vibrant atmosphere for pupils and their families.
Inspectors cited extracurricular activities as one of the school’s key strengths. Performing arts students were said to benefit from visits to the Royal Albert Hall and the school’s rap club.
The school was said to have improved its support for students whose first language is not English.
SEND students are also supported at the school, with inspectors noting teachers made adaptations to the curriculum to ensure learning was catered to each student’s needs.
Inspectors said: “Leaders swiftly identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, pupils in the school learn the curriculum well, although pupils who left the school at the end of Year 6 in 2023 and 2024 had not had time to benefit from this approach.”
The report added: “Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders teach pupils about how to stay safe and healthy, including how to notice their feelings and look after their mental health. For example, pupils are taught how social media could affect their mental health.”
Safeguarding the school’s 598 pupils, aged 4-11, was also found to be effective. However, inspectors from the government’s education watchdog also outlined a number of areas where they felt the school must make improvements.
It found that teachers do not ‘routinely support pupils to revisit the prior knowledge’ they learnt as part of the school’s ambitious curriculum. It read: “As a result, pupils sometimes struggle to recall prior learning, including important vocabulary, and use it to help them to understand new ideas deeply.”
Furthermore, the school was called to ‘ensure that teachers check children’s learning systematically in the early years and correct any misunderstandings swiftly so that gaps do not open up in their knowledge’.
After the report was published yesterday (December 5), Executive Headteacher Rachel Jacob and Head of School Sarah Rumbol expressed their pride in the school’s successes.
They said: “We are exceptionally proud of the whole school and the achievements that have been recognised during the inspection, particularly the positive attitudes our children show towards learning every day and the partnership with our parents, carers and wider community.”
Chestnut Park Primary School opened in 2015. It is one of 23 primary and secondary schools within the GLF Schools group, an academy trust based in the South East.
The school received an “Outstanding” rating following its inaugural Ofsted inspection in June 2018.
As of September 2024, Ofsted no longer issues state schools with an overall grade such as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate; however, colleges and other further education establishments still get a one-word overall grade. Schools, meanwhile, will get a rating in four sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
