Glebe Primary School

Inspection of Glebe Primary School Creswick Avenue, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9HG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 22 and 23 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attending Glebe Primary School build warm, supportive relationships with one another and staff who want the best for them. This ensures pupils feel happy and safe. However, pupils do not learn as much as they should. The delivery of the curriculum does not consistently ensure pupils learn what they need to achieve well. Also, some pupils do not attend school regularly, so they miss out on aspects of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave respectfully because expectations are woven seamlessly from leaders to staff to pupils. As such, bullying occurs rarely. Pupils talk assuredly about staff solving problems. Pupils feel encouraged by the clear system of rewards. They share happily about the ‘catch me’ cards and postcards home from the headteacher. They say it makes them and their parents proud when their achievements are celebrated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a wide range of extracurricular activities on offer to pupils. Pupils may choose to attend the arts and crafts club, cross-country running, or the signing choir – where pupils use British Sign Language while singing - to name but a few. Year 6 pupils spoke excitedly about a recent residential trip, where they developed their teamwork skills and took part in activities many had not experienced before.

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better?

The phonics programme is not working well. Staff have not received training that ensures they understand how best to teach phonics. They arrange misguided activities, such as those that promote pattern finding instead of practising reading sounds in words. Some pupils receive books they cannot read, while others receive books that are too easy for them. These flaws affect the weakest readers most.

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better?

The curriculum, including in the early years, is developing. Leaders aim for curriculum plans to state what knowledge pupils learn from the Nursery Year to Year 6. This work is not complete. Leaders are exploring systems for assessment. Presently, teachers do not know how best to check and respond to what pupils know. Also, not every leader has had the training or opportunity to drive improvements in the curriculum. This means weaknesses in staff practice are not identified and addressed efficiently.

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better?

Although subject to the same issues in the curriculum, the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) helps them thrive in other ways. Leaders oversee clear processes for identifying pupils’ needs and appropriate support. Leaders involve parents and pupils well. Staff are suitably trained to support pupils’ needs and they monitor the support on offer effectively. As some pupils at the school have a hearing impairment, all pupils have the opportunity to learn British Sign Language. This is one of the many ways staff and pupils ensure an inclusive environment. 22 and 23 March 2022

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Pupils behave eagerly and kindly. Leaders have ensured clarity in how staff support pupils’ behaviour. Staff share expectations clearly, so pupils know how to show they are ready to learn. The positive relationships between staff and children in the early years help to embed an eagerness to learn and play kindly. Pupils try hard to reach the ‘golden choices’ on the behaviour chart. Any pupils needing extra help receive timely support about how to manage their feelings.

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Attendance is not as strong as other aspects of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes. It is lower than it should be, even in the context of the pandemic. Leaders have focused on offering encouragement rather than more firmly holding parents to account for their children’s attendance. While there is some evidence of this working, there remain too many pupils with low attendance. Consequently, time missed in school affects how well some pupils achieve, particularly in reading.

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The school’s approach to personal development is well thought out. Pupils learn sensitively about the ways people are the same and different. Pupils of all ages can share kindly and maturely in this regard. Pupils may take on responsibilities in school that teach them to be ambitious, active citizens. For example, monitoring the library, school council or being ambassadors for children’s rights.

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Leaders, including those responsible for governance, have worked well to build respectful relationships with parents and staff. Those parents who completed the on-line survey, Ofsted Parent View, were overwhelmingly positive about the school. They commented gratefully on the support they and their children receive from staff. Equally, staff are keen to do their best where leaders have created a happy environment in which to work. Trustees and governors challenge and support leaders to effect change. They accept some areas of the school and the curriculum need their attention. Leaders at all levels welcome external evaluation in their desire to improve the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff overseeing the checks on adults working or volunteering in the school do so carefully. Leaders ensure they and their staff receive regular training. Staff find the weekly bulletin helpful in keeping them alert to the signs a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff report any concerns readily. Leaders demonstrate tenacity in how they manage support for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure staff and outside agencies teach pupils about how to stay safe on and offline. Because of this, pupils can share clearly and confidently about how to protect themselves and others. 22 and 23 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s chosen early reading scheme has not been implemented well. Staff are not fully deploying the scheme’s teaching techniques and leaders have not ensured that reading books match the sounds that pupils have been taught. This means pupils are not being given the best possible chance to learn how to read. Leaders must ensure that the chosen reading scheme is implemented with fidelity. This includes supporting all staff to learn the teaching techniques, and ensuring resources, such as reading books, support pupils to make the best start in reading.  Leaders have not completed the work to implement an ambitious curriculum. Subject leaders have not fully identified the training and resource needs of staff. Leaders must ensure that staff training needs are identified and addressed, so that subject leadership and the implementation of the new curriculum improves the quality of education, including in the early years.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have yet to introduce a system of assessment that accurately checks pupils’ retention of knowledge. This means that staff are unable to adapt teaching sequences to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Leaders must implement a system of assessment and train teachers to carefully check pupils’ retention of knowledge.  Leaders have offered support to families whose children are persistently absent. However, attendance for these pupils remains low. Alongside the support that leaders provide to families, leaders must equally implement a rigorous system of challenge to ensure their expectations are clear about all pupils attending school regularly.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 22 and 23 March 2022

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 22 and 23 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212045 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Glebe Primary School is one of two schools that are part of the Rayleigh Schools Trust. The other school is The Sweyne Park School, a secondary school with sixth form provision.  Glebe Primary School has a specially resourced provision for pupils with a hearing impairment.  The school has a high proportion of pupils with an education, health, and care plan.  Glebe Primary School does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with leaders, including the chief executive officer, two trustees, three governors, the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant 22 and 23 March 2022

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headteacher, key stage 1 lead, and head of the specially resourced provision. The lead inspector also met with a school effectiveness partner working on behalf of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education.  For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors reviewed a range of other school documentation and policies, including records of meetings, external evaluation of the school, and training materials.  To inspect safeguarding, the lead inspector spoke to the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed records. The lead inspector reviewed the single central record

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of recruitment and vetting checks. Inspectors also spoke with teachers, support staff and pupils.  Inspectors spent time observing and speaking to pupils, including in and out of lessons, during a before-school club, and at lunchtime.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by reviewing the 100 responses and 66 free- text responses submitted to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also spoke with several parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors gathered staff members’ views by speaking to several of them. Inspectors also took account of the 43 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Daniel Short, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Hannah Stoten Her Majesty's Inspector 22 and 23 March 2022

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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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