Shawley Community Primary Academy & Nursery

Inspection of Shawley Community Primary Academy Shawley Way, Tattenham Corner, Epsom Downs, Epsom, Surrey KT18 5PD

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Kate Ashworth. This school is part of LEO Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Phillip Hedger, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Dean Clark. 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils greet everyone with a warm welcome to this friendly, inclusive and forward- thinking school. Pastoral care and well-being are valued highly, ensuring that pupils feel cared for, joyful and safe. Parents say that staff ‘go above and beyond to ensure that pupils are happy and fulfilled’. This is seen in cheerful playtimes, calm classrooms and pupils’ active involvement in a rich offer of opportunities beyond the academic. Pupils proudly represent the school in a wide range of experiences. They learn to be aspirational through careers events and links with businesses and universities. The school is passionate that pupils see no limits to their potential. Outdoor education, residential activity weeks, trips and visits enrich pupils’ lives beyond the classrooms.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour starts well in early years, where high expectations are established for all. Conduct throughout the school is positive, so learning time is never lost. This helps pupils to achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Trustees and leaders are driving innovative curriculum developments. Technology is harnessed to enable rich learning opportunities for all. Every pupil has their own device, accessing software to help them with their learning. This approach benefits all, particularly pupils who are disadvantaged, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

The school’s curriculum has been developed with clearly defined knowledge, skills and language, with staunch support from the trust. Teachers’ subject expertise has been boosted by a wealth of training opportunities and collaboration with partner schools. Teachers design lesson activities to engage, include and inspire pupils, often using technology. Online resources and digital tools help pupils to be inquisitive and independent. Staff check pupils’ understanding routinely and work together to identify where extra help is needed for pupils with SEND. Provision is then planned and reviewed to ensure equity, with all pupils accessing the full breadth of learning. Foundation subjects, such as modern foreign languages, are highly valued, ensuring a broad curriculum for all. Since joining the trust, the school has introduced a range of new curriculum approaches. However, there remain minor inconsistencies in

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better?

teaching. This means that while pupils generally achieve well, sometimes their recall of key content is not secure.

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better?

Reading starts strongly in early years. Staff teach the phonics programme well, and children show sustained concentration and engagement. Pupils learn to become fluent and confident readers as they progress through the school. Staff provide effective support for anyone who struggles. The school helps pupils practise the sounds they need to work on by using precisely matched texts. Early mathematics also starts well in Reception. Pupils learn vital number skills successfully through a breadth of opportunities in the caring and well-resourced early years environment. 2 and 3 July 2024

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Children learn to write accurately, make music, solve problems and develop agility skills by using equipment safely.

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Behaviour is good across the school. Everyone understands and fulfils the clear and high expectations of the school’s behaviour policy. Relationships are nurturing and supportive, reflecting mutual compassion and respect. Pupils who need help to manage their emotions benefit from a rich pastoral provision. Attendance is better than the national average as a result of impressive work by the school to challenge absence.

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Pupils’ personal development is enriched with a range of responsibilities. Through roles such as digital leader, eco-squad and pupil ambassador, pupils learn to make a tangible difference to school life. Pupils say that everyone is equal and that differences should be celebrated because ‘they make us unique’. Pupils study a range of faiths, and links with the local church enhance spiritual development further. A diverse offer of free clubs ensures something for everyone. A superb range of sports opportunities are greatly appreciated by pupils and parents. Music and theatre experiences provide wider enrichment, celebrating and nurturing pupils’ individual and shared talents. The school prepares pupils well for modern Britain with effective personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils develop a secure understanding of healthy relationships, fundamental British values and online safety.

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Trustees and governors fulfil duties with expertise and diligence, providing impactful support and challenge. Many parents describe seeing impressive improvements since the school joined the trust, citing positive impact on pupils’ learning, welfare and behaviour. Staff well-being is excellent. Everyone is happy and proud to be part of the school and the trust. Teachers, including those early in their careers, are thriving with professional development. Well-being and workload are managed well, so everyone feels valued and supported. Leaders are deeply caring, dedicated and reflective. They have led successful improvements across the school, with pupils at the heart of their decisions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the recent curriculum improvements are not fully embedded across the school. As a result, some pupils do not make strong progress through the curriculum to achieve highly. The school must secure consistency of teaching across all subjects to support pupils achieving highly across the whole curriculum. 2 and 3 July 2024

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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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Shawley Community Primary Academy converted to become an academy in March 2022. When its predecessor school, Shawley Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be requires improvement.  The school currently uses no alternative provision.  The school offers before- and after-school clubs, overseen by the trust.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 Inspectors met with the principal, the vice-principal, the assistant headteacher, subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the local governing body, the CEO of the trust, and the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and geography. For deep dives, inspectors 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.  Inspectors also discussed and evaluated pupils’ work across wider foundation subjects, including computing.  The lead inspector listened to a range of pupils read. The inspector observed catch-up interventions to learn how staff provide extra support to pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke to a range of pupils to learn their views about the school. Inspectors also took account of responses to the pupil survey.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  Inspectors spoke to a range of parents and took account of responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Scott Reece, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Zoe Harris Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 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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