The Clinton Church of England Primary School in Merton has been told in their recent Ofsted inspection that their pupils “do not receive an acceptable standard of education”.

The primary school, run by the Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust, was inspected by Ofsted on July 15 and 16 and scored inadequate in the quality of education and in leadership and management and requiring improvement in behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision.

The Ofsted report highlighted that “pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the support they require to enable them to learn successfully and confidently”.

“While the school does identify and assess the needs of pupils with SEND accurately, this information is not used effectively to inform teaching.

“The lack of tailored provision means that these pupils are unable to access the curriculum fully and do not make the progress through the curriculum of which they are capable.

“As a result, pupils with SEND are not appropriately supported in lessons and do not achieve well.”

Despite Clinton Church of England Primary School requiring improvement, the school is a “welcoming, calm school where pupils feel safe.”

“Pupils know they can speak to a member of staff if they have any concerns. However, many pupils report feeling unsettled due to ongoing changes within the school, such as Key Stage Two pupils having to relocate to another school pending the appointment of a new teacher.”

Clinton Church of England Primary School has 41 pupils aged two to eleven.

In the school’s last inspection in 2022, it was labeled as ‘requiring improvement’ but scored outstanding in personal development and good in early years provision and in behaviour and attitudes.

The report from 2025 said: “Since the previous inspection, the school’s actions to improve the quality of education have been too slow and ineffective.

“Furthermore, the turbulence in staffing, within the school and the trust has contributed to a lack of consistent and effective oversight. As a result, pupils experience an inadequate standard of education and do not achieve well.”

“Trust leaders have not done enough to develop staff expertise or manage their workload effectively. As a result, pupils’ education and staff well-being have suffered.

Despite this, “The school provides a range of opportunities to support pupils’ personal development. Visits to museums and the zoo enrich pupils’ learning experiences. The school also celebrates its strong military links, including visits from serving soldiers. These experiences help pupils to develop an awareness of potential future careers.

“However, too many pupils cannot communicate and read sufficiently well for their age which means pupils do not build confidence and resilience effectively.”

The report says that children in nursery “learn to listen to stories and are keen to share their ideas with staff”.

“However, the quality of provision in the early years is inconsistent and lacks effective oversight from the school and the trust. As a result, some children do not have access to appropriate or sufficiently ambitious learning activities. This limits their ability to develop the essential skills and knowledge needed for future learning. Consequently, children in the early years are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they could be.”