Staples Road Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Staples Road Primary School Staples Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1HR

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2022

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Outcome

Staples Road Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and they feel happy and safe. Pupils like having responsibilities as this makes them feel independent. They carry out their roles with commitment and enthusiasm. At playtime, pupils can play with a wide variety of equipment. This means that all pupils can find something they would like to do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations and pupils respond positively to clear rules and boundaries. Pupils learn a broad curriculum and enjoy visiting the forest to learn outside when they can. Pupils enjoy learning. They show this by listening well and trying hard with their work. Pupils learn the knowledge they need to be ready for the next stage in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind to each other. They are accepting of each other’s differences and interests. Older pupils enjoy helping younger pupils. They like to support other pupils, including those who are new to the country. Newcomers and visitors are made to feel welcome. Pupils say that bullying is rare but that when it happens, staff help to stop it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to look after themselves physically and mentally. They enjoy the weekly well-being sessions. Pupils enjoy reading and relaxing in the recently opened forest- themed library.

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

Leaders have considered carefully the important knowledge and understanding they want pupils to learn from Reception to Year 6. Teachers plan lessons that build on what pupils have learned before. This helps pupils to secure important knowledge in each subject. Children in Reception learn the knowledge, routines and behaviours that enable them to be successful in school. They develop their language, communicate well with adults and with their peers and gain a good understanding of numbers and mathematical concepts through thoughtfully planned activities. Subject leaders are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They support staff to teach the curriculum well. Staff assess the pupils at 9 and 10 November 2022

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regular intervals. If they need to, staff adapt the curriculum to meet pupils’ needs. Pupils make good progress in most curriculum areas and are ready for the next stage in their learning.

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Leaders have made fostering a love of reading a priority. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start in Reception. They enjoy learning familiar stories and rhymes. Pupils like having stories read to them, as it helps them to understand and enjoy the story. Teachers model how to read with fluency and expression well. Pupils in key stage 2 read various texts that enrich their learning and capture their interest.

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Staff have the knowledge and expertise they need to teach reading effectively. Teachers plan opportunities for pupils to practise using their phonics knowledge. They check regularly on pupils’ learning. Teachers try to ensure that the books pupils read are matched to the sounds pupils know securely. This is not the case for a few pupils. This makes it harder for these pupils to progress with their reading as quickly as they could. Staff use their regular checks on pupils’ reading to spot any pupils who are falling behind. They provide extra help so that most pupils catch up and become accurate, fluent readers. However, for a small number of pupils in key stage 2 this extra help does not link precisely enough to their existing phonics knowledge. They do not learn all of the sounds that they need to read accurately and with understanding.

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Teachers ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same broad curriculum as other pupils. Teachers adapt the curriculum so that many pupils with SEND make strong progress in their learning and independence. The special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinator makes sure that staff have the expertise necessary to support pupils with SEND effectively.

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Pupils understand how they can help themselves and others to stay calm and be ready to learn. Staff use the whole-school behaviour strategy consistently and pupils like being rewarded for good behaviour.

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Leaders promote pupils’ personal development and well-being through the curriculum. Pupils have opportunities that help them to be thoughtful, responsible citizens. They learn how they can help themselves to be happy and healthy. Pupils enjoy having responsibilities. They recognise how to be good role models and show compassion for others.

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Governors check the work of leaders to ensure that staff well-being is maintained. Leaders and governors make sure that there are a range of training opportunities to help staff in their roles. Governors assure themselves that leaders’ work to improve the school is making a positive difference for all pupils. Parents and staff are positive about how the school is led.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 9 and 10 November 2022

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Leaders are tenacious about ensuring that the pupils get the support that they need. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training so that their knowledge of safeguarding is up to date. Staff identify pupils that may need help or are at risk of harm and pass on concerns promptly. Leaders act on concerns appropriately to keep pupils safe.

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Governors make regular checks to assure themselves that the arrangements for safeguarding are robust. This includes staff recruitment and pre-employment checks

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They talk knowledgeably about how important it is to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few pupils read books that are not accurately matched to their current phonics knowledge. A small number of pupils in key stage 2 who receive extra help with reading do not learn the graphemes and phonemes that they need to know to catch up. These pupils do not improve the fluency and accuracy of their reading as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers use their checks on pupils’ reading so that reading books and any additional support are precisely matched to all pupils’ phonics knowledge.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Staples Road Primary School, to be good in April 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 9 and 10 November 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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240375 Type of school Primary

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School details

Chair of local governing body Marwen Mikdadi

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Staples Road Primary School converted to become an academy school in July 2018.  The predecessor school had a short inspection in 2017 which determined that the school remained good.  The school is part of the Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust.  The current headteacher was not at the school at the time of the last inspection.  The school has a separately registered breakfast club and after-school club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 other school leaders to discuss the quality of education and safeguarding for pupils. 9 and 10 November 2022

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 The lead inspector met with the local governing board chair and six members of the governing body.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders and pupils about the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector met with the designated leaders for safeguarding and reviewed records of safeguarding. Inspectors spoke to staff about the training they have received and how this helps them identify potential safeguarding concerns. Inspectors spoke with pupils to establish the extent to

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which they feel safe in school.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at playtime. Inspectors reviewed the support and training that staff receive to help pupils manage their behaviour. The lead inspector reviewed records of behaviour, including bullying.  Inspectors took account of the 99 responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors spoke with parents when they were collecting pupils at the end of the school day.  Inspectors considered the 69 responses to the pupil survey and the 28 responses to the staff survey. Inspectors spoke to a range of pupils to find out their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Jessie Linsley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jackie Mullan Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 November 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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