Stillness Infant was strong in all seven areas. Cooper's Lane and Downderry hit six, while two Bellingham schools must lift results and attendance.
Stillness Infant School in Brockley Rise has been judged to reach a strong standard in every one of the seven areas on its new Ofsted report card.
It is one of five Lewisham primary schools whose report cards were published between 11 September and 6 October. These are the first inspections the five have had since 2022, and the first under Ofsted’s new report card system.
Two more schools came close. Cooper’s Lane Primary in Grove Park and Downderry Primary in Downham were strong in six areas out of seven.
The other two, Athelney and Elfrida, are both in Bellingham. Each was told that achievement and attendance need attention.
All five met Ofsted’s safeguarding standards.
The five report cards
Ofsted now grades schools on a five-point scale in each area, from exceptional through strong standard, expected standard and needs attention, down to urgent improvement. No Lewisham school in this batch was graded exceptional or urgent improvement in any area.
| School | Area | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Inspected | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillness Infant | Brockley Rise, SE23 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 July | 17 Sept |
| Cooper’s Lane Primary | Grove Park, SE12 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 July | 6 Oct |
| Downderry Primary | Downham, BR1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 30 June | 29 Sept |
| Athelney Primary | Bellingham, SE6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 23 June | 11 Sept |
| Elfrida Primary | Bellingham, SE6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 14 July | 22 Sept |
The seven areas are inclusion, curriculum and teaching, achievement, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, early years, and leadership and governance. Each school’s name links to its full report card.
Stillness Infant: strong across the board
Stillness Infant School has 293 pupils. Inspectors said its results in the Year 1 phonics check “remained above national averages” over time, and that attendance has stayed above the national average.
They described behaviour as “exemplary”. Pupils with special educational needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds “make rapid progress from their starting points”, the card says.
The school is now federated with a junior school under a single governing board. Leaders are “managing this change successfully while maintaining the school’s strengths”, inspectors wrote.
Cooper’s Lane and Downderry
Cooper’s Lane Primary on Pragnell Road is the largest of the five, with 665 pupils. Its one area at expected standard was achievement. Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and maths combined is “close to” the national average, and leaders are now focused on getting results above it.
Attendance there “shows a year-on-year increase and is above average”, the card says, including for pupils with special educational needs.
Downderry Primary is on Downderry Road in Downham. It has a Bromley postcode but sits in the borough of Lewisham. Its Year 6 results in reading, writing and maths combined are “consistently above the national average”, and the same is true for disadvantaged pupils, inspectors said.
Its one area at expected standard was attendance and behaviour. Behaviour is “excellent at all times of the school day”, but overall attendance is “close to the national average”. Inspectors noted the school offers families practical help, including a “grab and go” breakfast.
Athelney and Elfrida: results and attendance
Both Bellingham schools were told to improve achievement and attendance. In both, inspectors also recorded that leaders’ work is starting to make a difference.
At Athelney Primary, the card says Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and maths has been “well below” national standards over time. Too many pupils “miss too many days of school”. But inspectors found that work to improve teaching is “having a clear impact” on current pupils, and that absence is falling, though this has “not yet been sustained over time”. Personal development was graded strong.
At Elfrida Primary, attainment “remains below the national average in key areas”, and so does the Year 1 phonics check. Some pupils do not attend regularly. Inspectors said recent improvements in attendance are real but “not yet sustained”, and that inclusion “is a strength of the school”.
Both have a far higher share of pupils eligible for free school meals than the other three. Each report card lists the figure:
- Elfrida: 42.8%
- Athelney: 42.2%
- Downderry: 28.9%
- Cooper’s Lane: 20.0%
- Stillness Infant: 4.6%
What it means for you
- If your child is at one of these schools: the full report card is linked from each school’s name above. Every area has a written explanation, so you can see what inspectors found in more than a single grade.
- If you are choosing a primary for September 2027: the council’s page on applying to start primary school in September 2027 explains how to apply and what happens after the closing date. Read a school’s report card alongside a visit.
- Older reports still exist: each school’s previous inspection, from 2022, sits on the same Ofsted page. The old single-word grades are not directly comparable with the new report cards.
For term and holiday dates across the borough, see our Lewisham school term dates page.
Have your say