New Monument Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: New Monument Primary Academy Alpha Road, Maybury, Woking, Surrey GU22 8HA

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Outcome

New Monument Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Mandy McDowall. This school is part of Bourne Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Alex Russell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andy Field.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a welcoming place to be. Pupils enjoy coming to school and live up to the very high expectations that adults have for them. The positive culture is built on a shared commitment to the school’s values of ‘Thrive, Aspire, Achieve’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well throughout the school. They follow the rules of ‘be ready, be respectful, be safe’. Pupils have an admirable attitude towards education. They are attentive in lessons, respect their teachers and engage positively with learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between adults and pupils are strong and caring. Pupils are happy and feel safe. The school prioritises pupils’ pastoral support. Pupils know that there are always adults who can help them with their mental health and well-being if they have a problem or concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is committed to broadening pupils’ horizons and aspirations. The ‘BET Guarantee’ provides a variety of opportunities to support learning about life in modern Britain and to develop pupils’ interests. This includes a well-planned programme of trips and visitors to the school. A recent example, which made an impression on pupils, was their visit to a Victorian classroom as part of their trip to a local museum.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious. Pupils study a broad range of subjects. The school has carefully mapped out the important knowledge it wants pupils to know. This has been sequenced so that it builds cumulatively from the early years onwards. 5 and 6 December 2023

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Overall, the curriculum is taught well. Teachers present new learning clearly, making appropriate adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), whose needs are identified in a timely way. This includes providing additional resources or breaking down the learning into smaller steps when needed. Where teaching is most effective, teachers use assessment to check carefully what pupils remember, including new and ambitious vocabulary. Pupils have regular opportunities to recall content, concepts and ideas that they have learned previously. This helps pupils to remember more over time. However, in the nursery and in some foundation subjects, checks on learning are not used as well as they could be. This means that, sometimes, future learning activities do not build as well as they could on what pupils already know.

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Reading is a high priority in this school. A rigorous phonics programme is taught from the Reception Year, where children get off to a promising start in learning to read. All staff get the training they need to be experts in teaching reading. They quickly identify and support pupils who struggle with reading, helping them keep up. High-quality texts, poetry competitions, a book vending machine, book corners and the school’s library all positively encourage and inspire pupils to read for pleasure. As a result, pupils develop a love for reading.

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Pupils behave well. Staff model positive behaviour and have established clear routines. Pupils know what is expected, and they rise to the challenge. As a result, social times are harmonious, and pupils enjoy disruption-free learning. Pupils attend well, and staff work positively with families to ensure everyone understands the importance of ongoing good attendance at school.

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The curriculum for personal, social and health education is detailed and effective. Pupils learn about discrimination, respect and democracy, and about different faiths and religions in modern Britain. As a result, they show an inclusive attitude towards differences and contribute actively to the harmonious culture in this school. There are several opportunities for character development. This includes positions of responsibility, where pupils can serve on the school’s pupil parliament, as prefects or as eco-leaders. This helps them to develop leadership skills and an understanding of democracy.

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The trust and the school share the same high ambitions for all pupils. Everyone believes that all pupils deserve the best from their time at school. Leaders understand the school’s strengths and act effectively to improve any relative weaknesses. Trustees and governors provide appropriate support and challenge to leaders. The trust has made sensible decisions about how responsibilities and workload are shared out. It ensures that staff receive useful and relevant training. As a result, staff feel well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 5 and 6 December 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, assessment is less well developed than in the rest of the school. Consequently, staff are less clear about what pupils have learned and what they need to learn next. The school should ensure that checks on learning consistently enable teachers to identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning across the curriculum.  In the nursery, learning activities do not always match the intended curriculum well enough. This means that children do not learn and develop as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the school’s curriculum consistently well across all parts of the early years provision.

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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 June 2018.

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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. 5 and 6 December 2023

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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 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). 5 and 6 December 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school is part of Bourne Education Trust (BET).  The headteacher is also the headteacher at Broadmere Primary Academy, which is also part of BET.

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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 the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other school leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, teaching staff, members of the local governing committee, a trustee and a representative from the multi-academy trust. 5 and 6 December 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including those relating to behaviour, attendance and SEND.  The inspector considered the views of pupils, parents and staff through discussions during the inspection and through the Ofsted surveys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

James Stuart, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 December 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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