Montgomerie Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Montgomerie Primary School Rushbottom Lane, New Thundersley, Benfleet, Essex SS7 4LW

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 February 2023

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Outcome

Montgomerie Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at Montgomerie Primary School. They benefit from a supportive environment where everyone is respected and welcomed. Relationships between pupils and staff are warm and caring. Staff know the pupils and their families well. Pupils respond well to staff’s high aspirations for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values are important for everyone in the school. Pupils understand that these values prepare them for adult life. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They understand the behaviour and rewards system. Staff use this consistently. Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning. They are keen to succeed, and most achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to express their thoughts and feelings through personal, social and health education lessons. This helps them to manage their emotions and develop positive relationships. As a result, bullying is exceptionally rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to develop both academically and personally. They enjoy attending a range of clubs. They take part in local sports competitions. Many pupils are involved in a national award scheme, and their successes are celebrated in assemblies. Posts of responsibility include those of anti-bullying ambassadors, school counsellors and play pals. Trips and visits enrich pupils’ learning.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. The curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge and skills from early years to Year 6. In most subjects, leaders have identified the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn. However, in a few subjects, leaders have not fully identified all the important information pupils need to know. This means that teachers do not make appropriate choices about what to teach when planning their lessons in these subjects. They sometimes try to cover too much, so pupils do not learn knowledge in the right depth. As a result, pupils do not successfully build their knowledge on what has been previously learned. 21 and 22 February 2023

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In most subjects, pupils can practise their knowledge and skills so they are able to remember and do more. For example, in mathematics, pupils practise different methods of solving calculations.

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Teachers receive high-quality professional development. As a result, they have strong subject knowledge. They make careful checks on pupils’ learning in lessons. Teachers change their plans, so that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are revisited to help pupils have a secure understanding.

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Leaders and staff promote a love of reading. Pupils enjoy reading. As soon as children join the school, they start to learn phonics. Well-trained staff deliver daily phonics sessions using a consistent approach. Staff are quick to identify pupils who fall behind. These pupils receive targeted support and soon catch up. Pupils take home reading books that are carefully matched to the sounds they know. This helps them to become fluent, accurate readers.

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Leaders are equally ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND have full access to the curriculum. Teachers adapt their teaching and the resources used effectively, so that pupils with SEND can learn the same things as their classmates. As a result, pupils with SEND make good progress.

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Children in early years quickly learn the school routines. This leads to a calm and purposeful learning environment. Adults carefully plan interesting learning activities. Children develop the knowledge and attitudes needed for successful learning. They are well prepared for Year 1.

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Pupils model the school’s values. They show that they are ‘respectful, responsible, resourceful, reflective, resilient and ready’. Pupils are proud to hold posts of responsibility. They run a range of activities. For example, the anti-bullying ambassadors recently ran a successful ‘respect day’ to raise awareness of difference. Leaders promote pupils’ well- being effectively. They make sure that pupils can get help and have someone to share any worries with.

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Staff feel supported in their role. They appreciate the consideration leaders give to staff workload when introducing changes to procedures. Staff are proud to be members of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise pupils’ safety and welfare. They provide regular training to ensure that staff are aware of any signs that may suggest pupils might be at risk of harm. Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They report concerns immediately and appropriately. These are swiftly followed up. Leaders work closely with external agencies to support pupils and their families. 21 and 22 February 2023

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Leaders ensure that the appropriate pre-employment checks are carried out on staff and volunteers. Governors regularly check that safeguarding procedures are being carried out effectively and in line with the most recent guidance.

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Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when online and offline.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, for example history, leaders have not identified the most important knowledge that pupils should know and remember. As a result, teaching does not always cover important knowledge in the right amount of detail. This means that, in these subjects, pupils do not always build their knowledge from their prior learning. Leaders should ensure that their curriculum plans for all subjects identify the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember to help teachers plan lessons that build on pupils’ previous learning.

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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 school to be good in July 2017.

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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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 21 and 22 February 2023

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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. 21 and 22 February 2023

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School details

Website www.montgomerieprimary.essex.sch.uk

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Date of previous inspection

4 and 5 July 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club.  The school does not make use of 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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. The inspector also listened to a selection of pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and other staff to discuss safeguarding. This included looking at pre-employment checks for staff and other safeguarding documents and evaluating safeguarding arrangements. 21 and 22 February 2023

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 The inspector held meetings with leaders, including the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and two members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the Robus Multi Academy Trust.  Inspection activities included observing pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime. The inspector spoke with groups of pupils formally and informally.  The inspector reviewed the 32 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, along with 20 free-text comments. Inspectors considered the 23 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Caroline Pardy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 February 2023

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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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