Stanford-Le-Hope Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teachers match the work to pupils’ abilities more accurately, particularly for the most able in mathematics and writing.
• Strengthen the effectiveness of leadership and management by developing the quality of middle leaders’ monitoring to assess the impact of progress in key areas for improvement more precisely.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The school is well led by the head of school, who has a relentless focus on improving the achievement of all pupils. She is highly ambitious for the pupils in her care and has built a team that is committed to achieving the best for them.
• Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. There is a strong sense of teamwork across the school with a clear focus on improvement. Consequently, standards in English and mathematics have improved in recent years. Leaders know the school’s many strengths and are not complacent about what still needs further improvement. As a result, the school continues to evolve and improve.
• School leaders make sure that teachers receive the support and training they need to become increasingly effective. Leaders make good use of the information they collect about the quality of teaching and teachers’ own reflections on their performance to ensure that support and training are effective. Staff value the training they receive.
• Leaders have planned the ‘cornerstones’ curriculum well. Pupils receive a wide range of enrichment activities which deepen pupils’ understanding. For example, the ‘mad science’ day was well received by pupils and staff. The role of middle leaders, though, is not as well developed. Their monitoring work is not as rigorous and precise as it could be and does not have the same impact on improvement as in areas led by senior leaders.
• Leaders promote equality of opportunity extremely well and tackle discrimination of all kinds highly effectively. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They have numerous, useful opportunities to discuss their views through the ‘big question’ which stimulates discussion. During the inspection, pupils were discussing questions such as, ‘Is it better to celebrate a birthday or Christmas?’ and ‘Is it better to work on your own or with friends?’
• Pupils understand the importance of tolerance and respect for those with characteristics different to their own. They learn about these from the academy trust’s cooperative values. As a result, pupils are extremely respectful of each other and demonstrate a significant enthusiasm for learning. Leaders have developed the spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences for pupils exceptionally well.
• Leaders use funding to support special educational needs effectively to provide help and intervention for pupils who require additional support. For example, pupils in the visual impairment unit are fully integrated within the main school and are making exceptional progress from a wide range of starting points. As a result of leaders’ intervention, the needs of pupils are superbly met and they do well across a range of subjects. The progress of all pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well monitored and tracked by the special educational needs coordinator.
• Leaders use additional funding well for disadvantaged pupils. Progress made by these pupils is similar to that of other pupils nationally for English and mathematics. Governors are clear about the ways that funding has been spent to tackle pupils’ barriers to learning.
• Leaders’ use of additional sports funding to enhance the school’s promotion of health and physical education is extremely effective. Spending has contributed to specialist coaching, additional equipment and further professional development for all staff. Pupils participate in a wide variety of sporting activities and have a strong understanding of how to stay healthy.
• The head of school, supported by other senior leaders, has worked tirelessly to improve parental engagement, which is now extremely effective. Parents reported that there is an ‘open door’ policy at the school and that the school is a ‘different place now’. Parents value the weekly newsletters and regular communication from the school.
• Leaders ensure that teachers’ performance management is closely linked to pupils’ progress and the school’s development plan. Good-quality professional development is carefully planned to link with whole-school priorities as well as individual teachers’ needs. As a result, teaching is improving.
• The school’s membership of the trust has been an important factor in its successful development. Trustees provide valuable strategic advice to the school and hold very accurate views about its performance, strengths and areas for development. Senior trust staff provide the school with effective support for the improvement of leadership and teaching. Equally, the school shares its strengths with others within the trust and this mutual relationship has been of considerable benefit.

Governance of the school

• Governors share the vision and the expectations of the head of school and the trust and have contributed significantly to the improvements made since the last inspection.
• Governors have a good understanding of how well the school is performing. They are clear about the progress pupils are making through their knowledge of performance measures. They receive regular updates on pupils’ progress and they challenge senior leaders to ensure that pupils are doing well across the school.
• Governors make good use of the training opportunities provided by the local authority and the trust to improve their own knowledge and understanding. As a result, they are better prepared to support the head of school in leading the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The caring culture established among staff and pupils creates a climate where concerns are identified and reported. Staff know the possible signs of abuse to look out for and use school systems for passing on concerns. Leaders act on information in a timely and effective way.
• Leaders have made sure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. Checks on the suitability of staff are rigorous. Leaders make sure staff receive appropriate training and are up to date with the latest government and local requirements.
• Leaders liaise with other agencies when needed to make sure that any pupil at risk of harm receives a suitable level of support.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching has improved across the school as a result of the head of school, and other leaders, undertaking effective monitoring and subsequent action. This has ensured that leaders have a clear view of the quality of teaching, learning and areas for improvement, which has enabled them to provide targeted support to some teachers.
• Teachers’ expectations are generally high throughout the school and questions asked of pupils deepen their understanding and develop their knowledge and skills. Teachers were observed asking pupils in a Year 6 science lesson, ‘How do you know that?’ and ‘Explain to me why that happened.’
• Teachers know their pupils well. As a result, lessons are generally planned well and experiences provided are tailored to match pupils’ abilities. Where this is not the case, work provided for a small group of more able pupils is sometimes too easy at the start of a unit of work, and these pupils are not provided with effective challenge. This is particularly the case in mathematical reasoning and writing.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. There is a consistent approach used across the school. Staff have a good level of confidence and skills. This has led to improved outcomes for pupils over recent years.
• Teachers are skilled in helping pupils to understand what they are learning, reflect on successes, acknowledge mistakes and seek ways to improve. Teachers’ high expectations, good subject knowledge and attention to detail rub off on pupils. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils paid great attention to calculating the missing angles in quadrilaterals and triangles. They knew where they had gone wrong in the previous lesson and displayed the determination needed to get it right the second time around.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and a secure understanding of how pupils learn. Teaching is precise. Teachers know what skills and knowledge pupils are expected to develop and what pupils are expected to achieve at each age. New learning is explained carefully so that pupils understand.
• Teachers and teaching assistants manage the behaviour of pupils very well and this helps to create the calm atmosphere that is seen in all classes. The pupils are eager and enthusiastic participants in lessons, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds. The pupils’ attitudes to their learning rarely slip.
• Pupils’ handwriting and presentation have improved since the previous inspection. They are proud of their work and were keen to show inspectors what they had learned.
• Teachers plan writing lessons that place a heavy focus on the development of grammar skills in response to gaps that have been identified in pupils’ prior learning. The recent adaptations that leaders have made to the writing curriculum, in an attempt to ensure that more pupils are developing a love of writing through the curriculum, are not fully embedded yet. However, analysis of workbooks shows that pupils’ writing in the foundation subjects, since the introduction of extended writing, is becoming a strength.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are extremely keen to learn and they develop the significant habits needed to succeed at an early stage in their education. They pay attention to the teacher and other adults when needed. Pupils make a sustained effort and show resilience in the face of mistakes. Older pupils, in particular, show high levels of confidence as they discuss and explore ideas with one another.
• Pupils have an extremely well-developed understanding of how to stay safe online and told inspectors in great detail what they should and should not say online. Regular reminders throughout the year, as well as a specific focus on the issue during ‘internet safety week’, help keep e-safety at the forefront of pupils’ minds. Pupils also learn to stay safe beyond school, for example when using the road and when out and about in the community.
• Pupils are very proud of their school and its values of self-responsibility, equality, equity, democracy, solidarity and self-help. They can explain what they mean and why excellent attitudes towards learning are of value. Pupils also show great kindness, respect and consideration to one another, and to adults.
• Leaders have ensured that the curriculum provides a range of opportunities to learn about food and healthy eating. Assemblies and school dinners reinforce the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Pupils’ physical health is promoted extremely well through sports activities and clubs.
• Pupils say bullying is rare in the school. They understand what bullying is and what they should do if they feel they are being bullied. They can describe the different forms bullying can take in great detail. They informed inspectors that when bullying does take place staff quickly make sure that it stops.
• Parents are supportive of the school and several commented on the extremely positive relationships that are created between staff and pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ conduct around the school and at different times of the day is of a consistently high standard. Pupils are courteous and thoughtful towards each other, adults and visitors to the school. Year 6 pupils spoke highly of the school’s behaviour system and its impact on reducing disruptive behaviour in lessons, name-calling and other forms of disrespect between pupils or towards adults.
• Low-level disruption is extremely rare because adults manage the behaviour of pupils effectively. Routines have been established that are understood and valued by the pupils. In class, pupils focus on learning. This is because of effective teaching, a highly engaging curriculum and their own positive attitudes towards learning.
• Pupils follow the positive examples set by the teachers and teaching assistants. They work collaboratively, listening to their classmates and respecting different opinions in a mature manner. Pupils feel safe and this enables them to express their opinions and challenge each other’s ideas without fear of ridicule or embarrassment.
• Incidents requiring fixed-term or permanent exclusion are extremely rare. Racism or similar conduct is very rare and pupils state that these incidents are managed effectively by the school.
• Pupils’ attitudes towards learning are exceptional. In lessons, they are highly committed to trying and succeeding. They are eager to learn, sensible and show high levels of interest in all their work. Pupils’ books are kept in excellent condition and they present their work with pride.
• Pupils’ attendance has been rising over time. Attendance for the majority of pupils was not good enough previously and this affected outcomes. Since attendance has risen, so have outcomes.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ work and the school’s accurate records point to improvements in both pupils’ attainment and their rates of progress this year. Consequently, more pupils are now working at the standard expected for their age.
• Pupils are achieving increasingly well in most subjects and developing the skills and attributes needed to be well prepared for secondary school and the wider world. Leaders and teachers track and monitor progress not only in English and mathematics but also in other subjects such as science and computing. Leaders’ tracking of pupils’ progress shows that for the majority of subjects across the majority of year groups progress is at least good for all groups of pupils.
• Pupils enjoy reading and make good use of their reading skills to learn in other subjects. Pupils write with increasing sophistication and accuracy as they progress through the school. They learn to edit their work and make sure it is fit for its intended audience, be it fiction or non-fiction writing. This promotes good learning across academic subjects.
• Pupils are provided with ample opportunities to apply their mathematical understanding to solve problems and demonstrate their reasoning. This helps them to develop into confident mathematicians although, at the start of a unit of work, some more able pupils find the work set too easy.
• Pupils are making good progress from their starting points. This is a result of consistently good teaching. However, in the past, too few pupils reached greater depth at the end of key stage 1 or the higher standards at the end of key stage 2. Work was not sufficiently challenging, especially for the most able pupils. This is being addressed and workbooks show that a higher proportion of most-able pupils are now reaching the higher standards of attainment.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well in lessons and through targeted interventions. Pupils’ progress is discussed during pupil-progress meetings and interventions identified as required. Interventions are closely monitored and reviewed regularly to evaluate the progress pupils make from their different starting points. Pupils in the visual impairment unit make extremely positive progress from their range of different starting points. This is because work and learning opportunities provided match the needs of this group of pupils exceptionally well.
• The pupil premium funding is used effectively to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. While their outcomes were below those of other pupils nationally in 2016, the school’s own pupil tracking information suggests that the progress of the majority of disadvantaged pupils, including the most able, is currently similar to, or higher than, that of other pupils nationally in 2016. This reflects senior leaders’ increasingly close scrutiny of disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes and the rising levels of accountability leaders place on class teachers.
• Progress of pupils who have joined the school at different times in the school year is good. They are carefully assessed on entry and provided with effective support to help them settle. Pupils’ work and the school’s accurate tracking information show they are making good progress.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership and management of the early years are good. Staff work well together to develop individual children’s sense of wonder and curiosity. For example, a group of Reception children were keen to tell inspectors about how they were going to meet the local fire brigade and what firefighters do.
• Children in the early years make a very good start to their education. Teachers and support staff establish routines that enable children to settle quickly into their learning. As a result, children are confident, inquisitive learners who are eager to explore new ideas and challenges.
• Children rapidly become immersed in the culture of the school, showing care, consideration and kindness to each other. Links with parents are strong and this aids the children’s transition into school.
• Teachers plan topics and lessons that inspire and engage the children. Teachers are alert to the developing learning needs of the children, often responding quickly to the children’s suggestions and emerging interests. During the inspection, children were keen to show inspectors their work and read it back confidently.
• Teachers and teaching assistants are adept at assessing children’s learning, and this ensures that activities are usually effective in supporting children’s next steps. Teachers regularly adapt activities in the areas of learning around the classroom to ensure that children can extend their learning without direct adult supervision. However, within writing, there are fewer opportunities for children to practise their emerging skills. As a result, children’s writing development is not as strong as in other learning areas.
• Staff questions are well thought out to challenge children’s thinking. For example, a group of Reception children were encouraged to think where firefighters obtain the water to put out fires. Staff were not content with simple answers and probed further, thus deepening children’s understanding.
• Children enter the Nursery at levels of development that are usually below those which are typical for children of their age. They make good progress and this continues during their time in the Reception class. By the time they leave the early years the majority of children are well equipped for Year 1, having achieved a good level of development.
• Children are provided with a wide range of resources and good-quality activities that are planned both indoors and outdoors. Children engage fully in their learning and remain on task for long periods of time, exploring their own ideas as well as those which are planned.
• Children are extremely well cared for and kept safe. They are supervised carefully by all adults. Children’s curiosity and willingness to play and work with others contribute well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Teachers and teaching assistants make good use of children’s learning journals to record children’s progress against different aspects of the early years curriculum.
• Safeguarding procedures are effective and all statutory responsibilities are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139566 Thurrock 10031367 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 434 Appropriate authority Chair Head of school Telephone number Website Email address Academy trust Dawn Mummery Joanna Bray 01375 672066 www.stanfordlehopeprimary.co.uk admin.sps@stcleres.coop Date of previous inspection 12–13 March 2015

Information about this school

• Stanford-Le-Hope Primary School became a sponsor-led academy on 1 June 2013 as part of the St Clere’s Co-operative Academy Trust.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards.
• Stanford-Le-Hope Primary School is larger than the average primary school.
• Children in the Nursery classes attend part time. Children in the Reception classes attend full time.
• Pupils are taught in two classes per year group.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average compared to similar schools nationally. The school hosts a specially resourced provision for up to seven pupils of primary age who are visually impaired. Most of these pupils come from Thurrock. Six of the seven designated spaces are currently filled.
• Several Nursery spaces are reserved for children who have complex learning and behavioural needs who are placed at the school on an observation and assessment basis by the local authority. The children are subsequently directed to schools that are best placed to meet their needs.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is close to the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils learning in 28 lessons. They also made a number of short visits to lessons with the head of school and acting deputy headteacher.
• The inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They met groups of children to gain their views of the school, as well as speaking to pupils informally. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime, at the start of the school day and in lessons.
• The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the following: assessments and records of pupils’ progress; the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding, child protection and attendance; records of how teaching is monitored; and the school’s improvement plans.
• Inspectors held meetings with the head of school, the acting deputy headteacher and middle leaders. The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body. There was also a meeting with the trust’s chair and chief executive officer.
• Inspectors met with parents during the inspection. They took account of 55 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and written comments.

Inspection team

Joseph Figg, lead inspector Sue Cox Liz Cornish Wayne Harris

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector