Stambridge Primary School

Inspection of Stambridge Primary School Stambridge Road, Stambridge, Rochford, Essex SS4 2AP

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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 8 and 9 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Stambridge Primary School. Children in early years settle into school life quickly. All pupils across the school understand the high expectations for behaviour set for them. Pupils feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils uphold the school values of respect and responsibility. Pupils contribute through the different leadership roles the school offers. These include running the library, acting as school ambassadors and being part of the eco-team. Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities offered to them, such as participating in visits to London, residential stays and local walks. This ensures that pupils are confident, mature and well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils, including children in the early years, behave well and respect each other. Pupils of all ages are focused and purposeful in lessons. Pupils feel confident that if they report a concern to a member of staff, it will be dealt with effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets clear boundaries for what is acceptable and unacceptable conduct. Pupils pride themselves on working within these. They are also aware of the importance of keeping themselves healthy and safe, including when online.

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better?

The school is determined that all pupils achieve well. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a well-organised curriculum. This helps pupils to remember knowledge they need to be successful learners.

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better?

The school’s curriculum starts in the early years. In each subject, leaders have broken down into small steps the most important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn to deepen their understanding. In most subjects, individual lessons are well planned and delivered. However, this is inconsistent. Some activities do not build on what pupils already know. In these lessons, pupils do not understand what is being taught because it is not explained clearly enough to them. This hinders some pupils from fully developing the knowledge across all subjects that they will need in future learning.

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better?

Reading is prioritised. Staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well, enabling pupils to develop fluency and confidence quickly. Pupils take home books that closely match their reading ability. Teachers carefully check that pupils can remember previously learned sounds. The school helps parents to be effective partners in this programme. Skilled staff support pupils who struggle to read to catch up quickly. The school has cultivated a love of books in all pupils by ensuring they have access to and read a variety of different texts and stories. Pupils particularly enjoy having stories read aloud to them by staff. 8 and 9 November 2023

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The needs of pupils with SEND are identified quickly and accurately from the moment pupils join the early years. Pupils are encouraged to work independently and to not become over-reliant on the adults who help them. This continues as they move through the school. Staff provide pupils with SEND with well-planned support that enables them to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Staff use the clear behaviour systems consistently and fairly. Pupils respond to this positively. As a result, there is very little, if any, disruption to learning.

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The school promotes pupils’ personal development effectively. The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is well designed. It ensures that pupils develop a sound understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and maintain positive relationships.

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Pupils are well prepared for adulthood. They learn about budgeting and financial skills, designing and building items for sale at the school events. Assemblies and careers weeks include visits from key members of the local community and the police. Older pupils are taught about the potential risks they may face in the future. The school has put in place a deliberate plan, the ‘HEARTS promise’, which covers the wide range of experiences and visits every pupil will receive by the time they leave the school. As a result, pupils are enthusiastic and positive about their school experience.

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The members of the local advisory board (LAB) know the school well. They are well supported by the trust in identifying and tackling priorities for improvement. They check that staff have the training and resources they need to keep the pupils safe, and they ensure that pupils achieve well.

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Staff feel that the school and the trust help them to keep their workload manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have constructed a well-sequenced curriculum across all subjects. On occasion, however, it is not implemented well enough. This means that, in some lessons, the important steps of learning are not taught well enough in order to ensure pupils know more and remember more. Leaders need to check carefully and thoroughly how well pupils understand the planned curriculum, to ensure they develop their knowledge, vocabulary and skills. This will allow leaders to consider where further improvement can be made. 8 and 9 November 2023

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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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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 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 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). 8 and 9 November 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the HEARTS Academy Trust.  The school runs a breakfast and an after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, head of school, the SEND coordinator, and other leaders, including some trust leaders, and staff at the school. 8 and 9 November 2023

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 The lead inspector met with members of the LAB, the CEO of the trust and members of the trust board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, music and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors heard some pupils read to a trusted adult.  The inspectors also examined curriculum plans and spoke to groups of pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff, pupils and parents; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors took into account the views of those who responded to Ofsted Parent View, and parents’ free-text comments were considered.

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 Inspectors also took into account the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Michael Thomas, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Fykin Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 November 2023

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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