Glebe Primary School

Inspection of Glebe Primary School Creswick Avenue, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 9HG

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

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The headteacher of this school is Martyn Clarke. This school is part of Rayleigh Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Katharine Dines, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jo Wincott. 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud ambassadors of Glebe Primary School. The school is a welcoming and happy place. This means pupils enjoy attending school. Pupils work hard and embrace Glebe School’s core ‘LEARN’ values such as leadership, excellence and ambition. Pupils enjoy positive working relationships with staff, who keep them safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and achievement. Pupils rise well to these. Pupils enjoy learning and are ambitious to achieve well. They talk with enthusiasm about their learning, such as ‘Groovy Greeks’ and reading books about espionage. Pupils from early years through to Year 6 are rewarded for good attitudes to learning and enjoy receiving awards such as certificates and points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the wide range of teams and clubs the school offers. They celebrate successes together, such as being district sports champions. Pupils take on leadership responsibilities, for example as team captains, prefects and well-being ambassadors. Older pupils work with children in younger year groups, for example as librarians, and act as positive role models. This helps to create a culture of kindness and respect.

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

Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum from Nursery through to Year 6. They aim to take pupils ‘on a journey of learning, growth, and endless possibilities.’ This journey starts in early years where, for example, children in Reception learn about nature and discover the ‘bug hotel’. By Year 6, older pupils develop their knowledge of scientific language. They learn, for example, how to use fossils to observe how living species have evolved. Pupils enjoy lessons and can talk in detail about the things they have learned. Teachers adapt teaching effectively for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including the deaf pupils who attend the school, so they can access the same ambitious curriculum. In some subjects, the implementation of the curriculum is not entirely effective. Teachers’ assessment and feedback approaches do not always provide pupils with clear guidance on how to improve work and develop ideas. This

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

means that some pupils do not deepen their learning and achieve as well as they might.

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

A passion for reading pervades the school. A typical comment from a pupil is, ‘I literally grew my love of reading. I love the books here.’ Reading for pleasure is promoted and pupils are encouraged to take books home to read with their families. The school has invested in a wide range of new books in the library. Pupils enjoy the new book vending machine and the choice of books available. Younger pupils read books that match the sounds they know. This helps to build their fluency, confidence and enjoyment in reading. However, at the early stages of reading, there are some inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics. This means that some pupils who have fallen behind might not develop their fluency and language comprehension quickly enough.

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

Pupils behave well. Behaviour policies are clearly understood and implemented consistently. This means that pupils feel safe and enjoy positive relationships with staff 8 and 9 October 2024

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and with each other. The school’s high expectations and clear routines are established in the early years. Younger pupils look up to pupils in older year groups and see them as excellent role models. Bullying is rare. Any issues are dealt with quickly and effectively.

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Leaders are tenacious in their work to ensure that pupils attend school well. They set clear expectations and work closely with families and other agencies when attendance needs to improve.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is well thought out and effective. Pupils are taught about healthy lifestyles and mental health. They also begin to learn about careers and enterprise, for example with projects such as ‘Little Big City’. Pupils have opportunities to learn about and celebrate other cultures. They enjoy participating in events such as the African drumming workshops. Pupils are taught about fundamental British values and understand the importance of tolerance and respect. This helps to create an environment where everyone feels valued and where difference is celebrated.

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Leaders at all levels are ambitious for the school. Trustees and local governors have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They hold leaders to account and provide expert support to ensure that the school continues to improve. Staff appreciate the action that leaders take in relation to their workload. This helps staff to provide a high-quality provision for pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

n Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to deepen pupils’ learning. This means that pupils do not achieve as highly as they might. Leaders should provide staff with the support and training they need to assess more accurately and give precise guidance so that all pupils can achieve the ambitious aims of the school’s curriculum. n There are inconsistencies in the teaching of early reading. This means that some pupils in the early stages of reading do not get the focused support they need. The school should ensure that all staff deliver the chosen phonics programme effectively.

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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. 8 and 9 October 2024

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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 October 2024

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 March 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

n Glebe Primary School is one of two schools that are part of the Rayleigh Schools Trust. The other school is The Sweyne Park School, a secondary school with sixth-form provision.  The school has a specially resourced provision for deaf pupils, which 21 pupils attend.  The new headteacher joined the school in 2022 after its previous inspection.  The school does not currently 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 of their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector listened to some pupils reading.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of records relating to behaviour and attendance. n Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Jason Carey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Nutman Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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