Leigh North Street Primary School

Inspection of Leigh North Street Primary School North Street, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 1QE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 23 and 24 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and hard-working at Leigh North Street Primary School. Relationships between pupils and adults are friendly and respectful. Leaders have made reading a high priority. As a result, most pupils quickly become confident and fluent readers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying is. Incidents of bullying are incredibly rare. Pupils know that adults will address any concerns they raise. Pupils’ positive attitudes and good behaviour ensure that classrooms are purposeful and productive places to learn. Pupils are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from an ambitious curriculum. They enjoy learning to play musical instruments, having swimming lessons in the school’s large pool and choosing books from the outdoor library. Pupils enjoy the many extra memorable experiences they receive such as dressing up days where they re-enact The Great Fire of London.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are given a wide range of responsibilities. Jobs such as friendship ambassadors, prefects and recycling monitors allow them to make a useful contribution to the life of the school.

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better?

Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils. They have created a curriculum based on ‘aspire’ values, which aim to raise pupils’ aspirations. Leaders have created a well- understood behaviour policy which is applied consistently. As a result, pupils behave well. Pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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better?

Leaders ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge they need to teach early reading effectively. When children start school, they are taught how to match letters to sounds accurately. Teachers make regular checks to see how well children are doing. The books that children read are matched to the sounds that they are taught. Pupils with SEND receive the additional support they need to be successful with learning to read. They often benefit from additional and effective small-group work, one-to-one reading with an adult and a computer-based reading system. Older pupils enjoy reading. They read widely and with enthusiasm. Teachers choose texts carefully to broaden pupils’ understanding and introduce them to different cultures and lifestyles.

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better?

The mathematics curriculum is well planned and is a strength of the school. Teachers present mathematical knowledge to pupils in a logical way that builds on previous learning. This helps pupils to remember what they have been taught. As a result, pupils achieve well and become confident mathematicians. Pupils with SEND access work that is accurately matched to their needs. 23 and 24 March 2022

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In subjects such as history, science, and physical education (PE), leaders have carefully considered the order in which learning is introduced to pupils, so that it is well sequenced. Teachers present new ideas which build on previous learning. Pupils can talk in detail about the things they have learned.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They check on what pupils have understood. Assessment is used well in English and mathematics. However, in some other subjects, such as science and PE, assessment systems are still being developed.

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Children in the early years learn in an engaging and well-organised environment. Adults are well trained. They ask children challenging questions to help children to think about their learning. Adults have planned the curriculum around well-chosen books, which results in children being taught new and exciting vocabulary. Children who were drawing their favourite animals used the word ‘predator’ and explained that their animal was hiding in a tree to avoid being caught. Children learn the important knowledge and skills they need in the regular reading and mathematics lessons. Leaders plan plenty of opportunities for children to practise their newly learned skills while they play. However, some parts of the early years curriculum are very new and are still being refined. Leaders are making sure that teachers plan work that fully equips children for Year 1.

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Pupils have a secure understanding of British values, such as democracy and respect. They reflect these values in the way they treat one another. Leaders have prioritised pupils’ physical and mental health. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. A wide range of extra-curricular clubs encourage pupils to stay active. Singing in the choir, performing in local theatres, and taking part in residential visits all help build character.

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Staff are proud to work at Leigh North Street Primary School. They appreciate the consideration from leaders about workload and the help leaders provide to manage it. While their visits have been reduced due to COVID-19, governors know the school well. They provide appropriate challenge for leaders. Parents appreciate the work of all staff. Most parents feel that their children are happy, safe, and well cared for.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that all staff have regular training. They provide safeguarding updates, so that the procedures for reporting concerns are well known. All staff understand the risks their pupils face. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep detailed records about safeguarding and use the information well to help any pupils or families who need support. Where appropriate, leaders involve other agencies to work with families in need. 23 and 24 March 2022

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Governors check that the systems in place to keep pupils safe are working.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Procedures for checking pupils’ learning in some foundation subjects are not fully developed. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills are not being constantly identified to enable all pupils to learn as well as possible. Leaders should continue improving their approach to assessment, so that pupils’ knowledge and skills in all curriculum areas are checked accurately and the information used well to improve pupils’ learning.  While effective overall, leaders’ intentions for the whole early years curriculum are very new. This means that some children may not be as well prepared as they could be to make the transition to Year 1 across all areas of learning. Leaders should ensure that this work is completed. They need to ensure that the early years curriculum is taught in line with the school’s wider curriculum map as they intend to enable more children to be fully ready for Year 1.

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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 .

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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. 23 and 24 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10207085 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.leighnorthstreetprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22–23 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average primary school.  The school runs a breakfast club and after-school childcare.

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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 COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and members of the school’s leadership team.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, history and PE. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at pupils’ work. 23 and 24 March 2022

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 Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator. Inspectors met with leaders who have responsibility for disadvantaged pupils, the curriculum, assessment, and personal development. They also met with members of the pastoral team.  Inspectors met with the chair and two members of the governing body.  Inspectors looked at the single central record of pre-employment checks. They spoke to leaders, school staff, governors, and pupils to review the school’s arrangements for safeguarding.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day. They considered the 164 responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 138 free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the 45 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and the 29 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Nick Rudman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Sutton Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 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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