Shaw Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Shaw Primary Academy Avon Green, South Ockendon, Essex RM15 5QJ

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Outcome

Shaw Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Shaw Primary Academy enjoy coming to school. They have lots of friends and get on well with each other. Parents agree that their children love school and that teachers and school leaders look after their children and care about them. Pupils enjoy play and lunchtimes because they feel safe. They know that they can talk to adults if there is a problem. They say that the ‘grown-ups will help to sort it out’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children behave very well in school. Adults have high expectations of them. There are clear routines in lessons, when moving around school and when outside. Adults intervene quickly in any behaviours that are unacceptable or against the rules.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work well with their classmates. They have good manners and understand the importance of respecting each other and the adults in school. Pupils work hard and take care to record their work well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents say that they are included in their children’s learning. They value the openness of the headteacher and staff. Parents are confident that school leaders care about them and their children. Parents describe the school as being like a family as everyone works together to achieve the best for the pupils.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The headteacher, staff and governors have a clear vision for the school. Leaders focus their time and energy on what all pupils need to learn. They are ambitious for all pupils and work well as a team to plan new learning. This includes very specific learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All staff are determined to help develop pupils’ character and ‘life skills’ as well as improving their academic skills.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and teachers plan learning carefully. Teachers teach new vocabulary across the curriculum and encourage pupils to use the new words that they are taught in their writing. Leaders have prioritised and promoted the importance of reading. They are clear 19–20 November 2019

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that they want all pupils to be good readers and are making effective strides to ensure this. Subjects link well with each other so that learning in one area reinforces learning in another. For example, work on climate change feeds into the next term’s work on water.

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Pupils read a lot in lessons including in science when they read facts about the topics that they are studying from carefully chosen books. This increases their confidence in reading and their scientific vocabulary.

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Phonics is well taught and sequenced so that all teachers and support staff are clear about the sounds that pupils must learn at every stage. Consistent systems and resources are used to teach the sounds. This means that when pupils move groups or classes or need extra support to catch up they don’t have to get used to new ways of learning. Most pupils learn to read well. Pupils are not always given reading books that match their ability. This means that these pupils are not developing as confident readers as quickly as they could.

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Teachers have good knowledge of the subjects that they teach. Pupils can remember things that they have been taught recently. However, although curriculum plans specify previous learning, teachers do not yet always take this into account sufficiently well across the subjects. As a result, pupils do not consistently build on their previous knowledge so that they make strong links and deepen their learning in all subjects. For example, pupils were able to talk about their learning on Skara Brae and Stonehenge but could not always link this new knowledge with previous learning on settlements.

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Leaders place the personal development of pupils at the heart of all they do. Pupils and parents like the fact that pupils are required to apply for ‘jobs’ in the school. This gives pupils a taste of what it is like to apply for a job and be successful. Teachers also ensure that pupils persist if they are not successful. Leaders celebrate the diversity of their parent community and parents appreciate the fact that the variety of languages are celebrated in the school.

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Staff are proud to work at Shaw Primary. They feel part of an effective team. The vast majority of staff feel that their well-being and workload is considered when new initiatives are planned.

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Children in the early years get off to a good start. Staff teach children the skills of learning including listening carefully and being good friends. Adults also ensure that children are taught how to count accurately and form their letters correctly. As a result of this focus on basic skills pupils are well prepared for the next stage when it is time to move Year 1.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe. Parents agree that the school is a safe place for their children. Relevant safeguarding checks are made before new staff are employed at the school. School staff have regular training to help them keep their pupils safe. This includes prevent training. Staff are clear about the processes that are in place to report any 19–20 November 2019

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concerns. Safeguarding leaders work well with other agencies to ensure that pupils and families receive timely support. School leaders have developed a positive safeguarding climate based on good relationships and mutual trust. School staff know pupils and families well and can spot early signs of concern.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Most pupils achieve as well as other pupils nationally in reading. However, for some pupils, books that pupils use to learn to read are not well matched to the sounds that they know and are learning. This slows their reading and their confidence. All pupils who are still learning to read must have access to appropriately pitched reading materials which are matched to their phonic skills.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, other than English and mathematics, teachers do not always ensure pupils are given enough opportunities to build on their prior learning. Leaders need to ensure that all the curriculum subjects, are developed as well as the others so that pupils know and remember more across all curriculum subjects.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged Shaw Primary Academy to be good on 5–6 December 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 19–20 November 2019

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 March 2016

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Information about this school

 Shaw Primary converted to academy status on 1 February 2013.  The school has a nursery for three-year-olds.  The number of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium is above average.  The number of pupils with special educational needs is in line with the national average. The number of pupils with education, health and care plans is slightly above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection the lead inspector met with the headteacher, the senior leadership team, teachers, parents, governors and pupils.  Reading, phonics, science and history were considered as part of the inspection. The lead inspector spoke to subject leaders of these subjects, observed teaching and spoke to teachers and groups of pupils across the school. Leaders and the inspector looked at pupils’ work together to understand the quality of education being provided in the school.  Reponses to surveys of pupils, staff and parents were examined. 19–20 November 2019

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Inspection team

Debbie Rogan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19–20 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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