West Ewell Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of West Ewell Primary School and Nursery Ruxley Lane, West Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 0UY

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Inspection dates: 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Mia Bennett. 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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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected West Ewell as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a clear understanding of the school’s values of respect, resilience, reflection, responsibility and resourcefulness. They work hard to show these values. Pupils demonstrate this through their excellent conduct and their exceptional attitudes to learning. Pupils feel happy and safe in the school. They know that staff work hard to address any worries that they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have very high expectations of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff design a range of engaging activities and match them to pupils’ individual needs thoughtfully. This ensures that pupils achieve well. Those with SEND integrate seamlessly into classes and achieve well alongside their peers. Pupils participate in lessons excitedly and purposefully. This starts in Nursery, where children show exceptional levels of concentration for their age.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to manage their emotions well and are taught about positive physical and mental health. For example, older pupils learn how to identify and manage stress as part of getting ready for secondary school. The school provides high-quality pastoral support for pupils. This ensures that pupils feel that they are looked after exceptionally well.

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better?

Leaders know their pupils well. They use this information to plan an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that meets the needs of pupils, including those with SEND. Pupils learn important skills and knowledge, including a rich vocabulary. They revisit prior learning to deepen their understanding. Pupils in the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND access high-quality personalised programmes that align carefully to the whole school approach.

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better?

Staff identify the individual needs of pupils accurately. They design a range of well- considered activities and adaptations to enable pupils with SEND to learn the whole curriculum. For example, in key stage 2 English, pupils access amended texts with support from skilled adults to answer a range of comprehension questions alongside their peers.

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better?

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They use this to select engaging resources and to create a text-rich environment that helps pupils to achieve well. For instance, staff ensure that pupils in a dance lesson have access to a learning and vocabulary wall that helps them to select appropriate moves to create a sequence and then describe the moves that they selected. Teachers in Early Years use their detailed knowledge of children to design activities that are matched extremely well to pupils’ needs.

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better?

Leaders monitor pupils’ learning carefully. They identify any gaps in learning quickly and plan various interventions to narrow these gaps. Teachers check learning 30 April and 1 May 2024

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thoroughly and address any misconceptions appropriately. This begins in Early Years, where staff use their conversations with children as vital learning opportunities.

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Pupils produce a range of high-quality work that shows their development of knowledge and skills through the curriculum. However, pupils did not achieve well enough in last year’s national tests in writing and mathematics. Leaders recognise this and have made changes to the curriculum. Despite this, pupils’ opportunities to develop their writing are not yet effective across the curriculum.

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The school has prioritised reading. Leaders ensure that well-trained staff deliver phonics consistently well. Most pupils become confident readers quickly. Staff identify pupils who are not keeping up and plan support to help them catch up. Leaders select inspiring stories that motivate pupils to enjoy reading.

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The school is a calm and purposeful place, where pupils’ conduct is excellent. Pupils demonstrate high levels of courtesy and respect. Leaders instil a warm and caring ethos that is clear in the high-quality relationships that staff foster with pupils. They attend frequently and punctually. Leaders have a detailed knowledge of attendance trends and patterns and use this to plan a range of support for pupils. As a result of this, pupils’ attendance is improving.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Pupils have a mature and sensitive understanding of diversity. They learn about this through carefully chosen texts and older pupils engage in rich debates with each other. Pupils discuss views that differ to their own confidently. The school offers opportunities to develop pupils’ skills and talents. For example, younger pupils take responsibility for tidying classrooms and looking after resources, and older pupils become sports leaders. They enjoy a wide range of clubs and activities that are open to all. Pupils represent the school in sporting competitions and perform an annual school play in a local theatre.

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Trustees and governors hold the school to account well. They work with leaders to improve the school still further and share leaders’ high expectations. Staff are very positive about the school. Their workload is well managed and high-quality training has a positive impact on their work. Parents and carers are supportive of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not have enough high-quality opportunities to practise and develop their writing skills. As a result, pupils do not become sufficiently confident writers and 30 April and 1 May 2024

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do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that all pupils are taught how to write well in all curriculum areas.

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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 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). 30 April and 1 May 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 April 2010

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Information about this school

 The school manages a specialist resource provision for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties. There are a total of 16 pupils who are taught in the provision and mainstream classes.  The school does not use 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 the 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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher as well as with other leaders and staff. The lead inspector also met with leaders from the Bourne Education trust and held remote meetings with governors and the chair of trustees. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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 The inspection team carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, religious education, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector considered the views of parents and carers through their responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors spoke to staff and pupils during the inspection and took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors 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

Gavin Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Joyce Lydford Ofsted Inspector 30 April and 1 May 2024

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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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