Marsh Green Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Marsh Green Primary School South Close, Dagenham, Essex RM10 9NJ

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 September 2023

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Outcome

Marsh Green Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and welcoming and kind to one another here. Children in the early years play well together. Pupils take on roles of responsibility as pupil buddies for new pupils or as friendship monitors at breaktime. Pupils know that the staff keep them safe and will help them if they are worried or upset.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for pupils’ academic and wider development. Leaders ensure that all pupils are supported to do well in their learning and in developing character and confidence, for example through performing in talent shows and celebrating one another’s achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know what is expected of them and behave sensibly. Expectations are built on the school’s values, such as resilience and pride. As a result, pupils are engaged in their learning and take pride in demonstrating the school’s values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers praise the school. ‘The staff are all thoughtful and do what they can so my child feels listened to and be who he wants to be,’ was a typical comment from one parent. The school encourages pupils to be proud of their cultural heritage and to treat everyone with respect.

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

The school has in place an ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is designed so that, from the early years upwards, pupils build on what they know year on year. Curriculum leaders have identified the important knowledge, vocabulary and skills they want pupils to know and remember. Leaders ensure that staff work together to develop their knowledge and expertise to improve curriculum thinking.

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

New learning is delivered confidently and with clarity. Staff are skilled in addressing misconceptions as they arise in most lessons. However, sometimes the specific skills that pupils need to develop in order to deepen their subject understanding are not taught as 20 and 21 September 2023

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routinely clearly. This means that, sometimes, pupils have important gaps in their knowledge.

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Children begin to learn phonics when they start the Reception Year and are taught through a systematic approach. All staff are trained to teach early reading and pupils typically learn to read well. The school has not ensured that support for some pupils who struggle with early reading is as systematic in its approach. This means that, sometimes, these pupils are not helped to practise their decoding skills and build up confidence and fluency as effectively.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of the school. Teachers adapt and adjust teaching resources to help pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders work well with other professionals to ensure that the right provisions are in place for pupils’ individual needs.

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Leaders place high emphasis on providing opportunities for all pupils to prepare them for their future lives in modern Britain. Pupils are taught about a wide variety of faiths and concepts including equality. They are encouraged to think about a wide range of career opportunities and to be ambitious for their futures. Pupils visit places of worship, go on overnight residentials and make presentations at conferences about social and racial justice.

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Pupils know and follow the school’s rules, which are applied fairly. Disruption in class is rare and does not impact on the learning of others. Children in the early years settle and follow routines and expectations quickly. As pupils move up through the years, they are trusted with and proud to take on roles of responsibility, including as reading ambassadors and librarians.

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The school has strong working relationships with parents. They work together to ensure that pupils attend school regularly, celebrating and rewarding improved attendance rates and regular attendance.

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The governing body visits the school and finds out about the school’s work, what pupils are learning and holds school leaders to account.

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Staff said that workload is manageable and that everybody works together as a team, which they appreciate. They said that their well-being is supported by leaders and that they are proud to work here. The school benefits from a stable staff team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 and 21 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has identified the essential knowledge, disciplinary skills and vocabulary that pupils should learn. However, sometimes the specific knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn are not delivered routinely clearly. The school should ensure that all teachers have the expertise to teach the subject-specific disciplinary skills and vocabulary as the subject curriculum intends.  The school has ensured that all staff have had training in the school’s systematic synthetic phonics scheme. However, not all staff demonstrate secure understanding and the expertise needed to develop fluency for weaker readers. The school needs to ensure that all staff have the depth of expertise, and apply a consistent approach, to support pupils who need help to catch up in early reading.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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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.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium 20 and 21 September 2023

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funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 and 21 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection 1 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and religious education. To do this, they met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects as part of this inspection.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record of pre-employment checks; took account of the views of leaders, staff and

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pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met with senior leaders and with a selection of subject leaders, teachers and wider school team.  Inspectors met with the chair of the governing body and other governors.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Kieran Bird, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 September 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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