Walton on the Naze Primary School

Inspection of Walton on the Naze Primary School Standley Road, Walton on the Naze, Essex CO14 8PT

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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 Good 9 and 10 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at the Walton on the Naze Primary enjoy school. They know that learning is important, and they work hard to reach leaders’ high expectations of what they can do. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive, and they are interested in their lessons. They follow routines well and settle down quickly to their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well throughout the school day. Staff recognise pupils’ good work. Pupils aim to get their name in the ‘Golden Book’. Pupils’ positive effort and achievement are celebrated through ‘rainbow rewards’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A range of support is available to help pupils receive helpful guidance about how to manage their emotions. This helps them to maintain positive attitudes even when experiencing negative feelings. Pupils feel safe at school. Bullying is rare but when it happens adults deal with it quickly. Pupils know who to go to for help if they need support or have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in early years get off to a good start to their education. They are well cared for and follow the clear routines which are in place. They learn and play happily with each other.

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better?

Leaders have worked with teachers to review and improve the school’s curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious and covers the expectations of the national curriculum. Overall, it is well planned. Curriculum plans start from early years to Year 6. Leaders have thought carefully and ensured that the knowledge pupils learn builds on year on year in most subjects.

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better?

Most subject plans are helpful to teachers in showing them what to teach and when. Teachers choose interesting activities that support pupils’ learning well. Teachers check regularly to see where there are gaps in learning or misunderstandings. Teachers help pupils to catch up quickly. Leaders have recently changed the curriculum design in all subjects. In a small number of subjects, the plans have not had time to be fully established in teachers’ practice.

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better?

Reading is taught well. Starting in early years, pupils learn their sounds in a logical order. Teachers ensure that pupils read books matched to their reading knowledge. Staff are well trained and identify any pupil who may be falling behind in reading. Adults support those pupils to catch up quickly and become confident readers. Pupils in older years read a wide range of books which they choose from their class and school library. Pupils are developing a love of reading.

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better?

Leaders focus closely on the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They identify pupils’ needs accurately, using external support when necessary, and those pupils make as good progress as their peers. Staff 9 and 10 June 2022

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make effective use of information about pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils with SEND are well-supported.

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Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports pupils’ personal development effectively. Staff provide pupils with many opportunities to take responsibility for themselves. The personal, social health and economic education curriculum is well planned. Pupils reflect on their own beliefs and have respect for other people’s feelings and values. They understand that the others may come from different backgrounds and have varied experiences.

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Leaders have clear systems in place to manage behaviour. Staff know and consistently apply the new approach. Pupils behave well. Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors and to each other. They listen well during lessons and follow teachers’ instructions.

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There have been fewer opportunities for parents to visit the school. Although leaders have taken positive steps to improve communication, not all parents feel this is the case. A small number of parents feel less confident that leaders listen to their views and concerns.

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Leaders have an extensive range of strategies to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. A small number of pupils are still persistently absent. This is often linked to anxiety following the pandemic. Leaders diligently work with parents to help build up pupils’ confidence in attending. Despite this work, some pupils’ attendance is lower than leaders want it to be. These pupils are not benefiting from the effective curriculum offered.

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Staff are supportive of the school’s leadership. Leaders continue to ensure that staff workload is reasonable as they make changes in the curriculum. Governors have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They challenge leaders to make further improvements, so the quality of education continues to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders effectively manage the records of concerns about vulnerable pupils. Staff understand the context and challenges of the local area. Leaders take timely and appropriate actions to help pupils get the support they need. Leaders work well with external agencies.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained. They know how to report their concerns quickly and appropriately.

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Safeguarding

Leaders manage safe recruitment effectively. They complete all necessary checks to ensure that adults are suitable to work with children. 9 and 10 June 2022

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Staff teach pupils to keep safe. For instance, pupils spoke knowledgeably about the dangers of county lines and how to report their concerns to adults.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in foundation subjects has recently changed and in a small number of subjects it has new leadership. This means that some subjects areas are not as well established. Pupils are not benefiting from the changes. Leaders need to work with new subject leaders to ensure that all curriculum areas are effectively led and taught.  While leaders have many ways to communicate with parents, a small number of parents, including those with children with SEND, do not consider communication is effective enough. Leaders need to find ways to engage all parents to ensure that they feel part of the school community.  While attendance in the school is improving, not all pupils are attending as regularly as they should. This means that pupils are not benefiting from the good curriculum on offer. Leaders need to work with parents and the local authority to improve attendance for all pupils.

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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. 9 and 10 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10199615 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 February 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates a breakfast club.  The school is part of South Tendring Primary Partnership.  The school uses 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 COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited the sample lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to range of pupils read. 9 and 10 June 2022

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 Inspectors considered the curriculum design in art and design technology.  Inspectors spoke with a range of senior leaders, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher and special education coordinator.  Inspectors met with members of the local governing body and spoke with a local authority representative.  To inspect the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the single central record and reviewed safeguarding systems and processes. They spoke with leaders, teachers, governors and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors considered the 66 responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 35 free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Bozena Laraway, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Rachael Judd Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 June 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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