Melissa Chandler at Abacus Belsize Primary School

A PRIMARY school which has been in a temporary building two miles away from its catchment area for a decade is celebrating an “outstanding” inspection report.

Abacus Belsize Primary head Melissa Chandler spoke to the New Journal about life in the Jubilee Waterside Centre since the school moved to a small cul-de-sac in Camley Street, King’s Cross, in 2015.

In a highly unusual set-up, there are now 170 pupils in seven classes that are bussed-in-and-back from NW3 every day.

Ms Chandler spoke about the impact of the long-running impasse over finding a permanent home, her mixed feelings about Ofsted’s inspection regime, the admissions crisis in Camden and the wide-ranging role teachers play each day.

Ms Chandler, who has been running the secular school for two years said she had felt “equal parts calm, equal parts terrified”, adding: “When you think of other careers where you have these high stakes inspections… Ofsted have tried to make changes since the Ruth Perry investigation. But I think people still underestimate the gravity of an Ofsted inspection. A lot still rests on it.”

Ruth Perry was a headteacher who took her own life following a devastating Ofsted inspection report, triggering a review by the government.

Ms Chandler said: “It is still very high stakes. It is still people coming and seeing a real quick snapshot of your school over two days. People are nervous.

“But they picked up on lots of really lovely things. It’s nice to have some recognition. It was important to get the validation that what we are doing is right for our children and for us.

“Being a teacher is difficult. People in education are responsible for a lot. When someone says you have done a good job, it’s nice to hear.”

In a strange quirk, the Ofsted inspector was named “Mr Flood” – a source of amusement in the school that had its library recently destroyed by a flood from the neighbouring Regent Canal.

A ceiling also collapsed from a heavy downpour earlier this year.

Abacus was founded in 2013 after parents protested that there were not enough secular state-funded school places in Belsize Park.

It moved into its temporary home in 2015 on the understanding that it would one day be moving into the former Hampstead Police Station.

But that plan fell apart after a long-running planning dispute with Camden Council and the police station – according to new plans submitted – is now due to be turned into flats.

Ms Chandler said: “We have this building for as long as we need it, but the plan is to be a community school in our community, in Belsize. There is still a need for a school there.”

The well-publicised issue of falling birth rates leading to closures and funding crises at Camden primary schools was not yet affecting Abacus which had a full reception class and waiting list, she said, adding: “There are areas of Camden where the birth rate and admissions are still quite stable.”

She said fortnightly meetings still took place about finding a permanent new home for the school.

“We still bus all the children in and back. It doesn’t work for all families,” she said.

“They don’t get to see their class teachers at the classroom door. Those kind of organic conversa­tions you would have every day, don’t happen.

“It is a real want for our families. We should have a school in our catchment area. Our children should be able to walk or scoot to school, families should meet at the school gates in the same way that all the other Camden families do.”

She added: “We put on extra events where parents can come and meet the teachers. The teachers will do some of the buses in the week, but they can’t be on every bus.”

The academy school is run by Anthem, which has five primary schools in London and five more in the East Midlands.

She spoke about the difficulty coping with utility bills and bin services and the cost of provision for growing numbers of pupils with complex special education needs.

Young children were learning their first words of Mandarin, maths and analysing differences between various religions, when the New Journal got a classroom tour on Monday.

Ms Chandler said: “The children love learning and go to secondary loving learning. We want that hunger for more, and knowing if they work hard they will get things back. A lot of that came through in the Ofsted report.”