White Bridge Primary School

Inspection of White Bridge Primary School Greensted Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 3DR

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is James Kenyon. This school is part of Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Peter Tidmarsh, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Christopher John White. 8 and 9 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at White Bridge Primary School are kind, caring and curious. From the very start of Reception, they build strong relationships with adults and learn how to manage their emotions. Pupils feel safe and behave well. They focus in lessons, talking to their peers, asking questions and responding to teacher feedback. Pupils interact with their peers in a respectful way. They understand that everyone is different.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From early years, pupils enjoy their learning. They know learning is important so that they can be successful in later life. They learn to love reading. Pupils learn a varied curriculum and benefit from clear examples from their teachers. They make good use of the exciting and challenging activities that staff plan, and as a result, pupils achieve well. Sometimes pupils find it hard to recall their prior learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to take on responsibility. They are enthusiastic about the leadership roles they have. These include being reading ambassadors, school council members and prefects. They enjoy representing their school at local, county and national competitions and proudly talk about their achievements. Pupils attend a range of clubs, including dodgeball and cyber-kids, and the choice of clubs is growing.

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better?

Leaders, including governors and trustees, have worked at pace to improve the quality of education for all pupils. There is a focus on ensuring pupils feel safe, happy and ready to learn.

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better?

The school has developed a curriculum that is broad, well balanced and ambitious. What pupils need to learn and when has been set out for staff in most subjects. Staff teach the curriculum well. They have the expertise and resources they need to match learning to pupils’ needs. Teachers revisit what pupils have learned recently before moving on to new learning. However, this does not extend to what pupils have learned over time. In a few subject areas, leaders are not regularly checking that the curriculum is having the impact they want and that pupils are remembering key content over time. As a result, pupils are confident in talking about what they have learned recently but struggle to recall what they have learned in previous lessons.

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better?

From early years, learning to read is a priority. All pupils learn phonics. There is a strong emphasis on ensuring that pupils are confident and fluent readers. Where pupils are not keeping up with the programme, staff promptly identify their learning gaps and provide the precise teaching they need to keep up with their peers.

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better?

The established reading curriculum in older year groups helps pupils to confidently talk about the genre of books they like and dislike. Pupils who are learning phonics have books that are well matched to their reading stage. However, once pupils move on from the programme, this is not always the case. Older pupils do not have books 8 and 9 May 2024

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that are well matched to their reading stage. This means that they are not as fluent in their reading as they should be.

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Staff quickly identify pupils who need extra help with learning and managing emotions and behaviour. They put in effective support to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have what they need to learn the curriculum in line with their peers. Staff know pupils well. Well-trained adults help pupils access learning effectively. Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) are well catered for. They get the targeted help they need to successfully transition back to their own school.

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The school has reviewed how it manages behaviour. Staff have made changes to their behaviour approach to create a calm and nurturing environment for all pupils to learn and achieve their best.

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Personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils have a strong understanding of tolerance. They respect those who have different faiths, cultures and beliefs. They are confident in sharing their opinions and know that their voice matters. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe with road safety and online safety.

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Pupils attend a range of trips that enrich their learning such as to museums and outdoor adventure settings. They enjoy the clubs on offer such as choir, netball and rugby. They appreciate the opportunity to compete against other schools in a range of sporting activities.

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Leaders, including governors and trustees, have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They check what is happening in the school and hold staff to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not check well enough that older pupils have books that are well matched to their reading stage. This means that the books they are reading are not always well matched, and they are not as fluent in their reading as they should be because they do not get enough practice. The school needs to ensure that staff check that the books that pupils are reading are suitable for their reading ability.  Leaders are unclear if the curriculum in some areas is having the desired impact. Leaders need to ensure that they carry out checks on the curriculum to ensure 8 and 9 May 2024

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that pupils are achieving well throughout the curriculum.  In some subjects, staff do not systematically check what pupils have learned over time. They do not always know if pupils are ready for new learning or if they have retained prior learning. This means that pupils struggle to recall prior learning and make connections with learning that have come before. The school needs to ensure that staff are supported well to be able to accurately check what pupils know and remember.

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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). 8 and 9 May 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 July 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005,

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The current headteacher was recently appointed.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued 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 these subjects: English, mathematics, 8 and 9 May 2024

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geography, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum information in some other subjects, including personal, social and emotional education.  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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other leaders, including those from the trust. Inspectors also met with leaders with responsibility for pupils with SEND, behaviour and attendance and pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors met with representatives from the trust board, the chief executive

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officer and members of the local governing board.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Nerrissa Bear, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lucille Pollard Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 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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