Emmer Green Primary School

Inspection of Emmer Green Primary School

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Grove Road, Emmer Green, Reading, Berkshire RG4 8LN

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since February 2012. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 22 and 23 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a highly ambitious school where pupils benefit from an excellent quality of education. The school has very high expectations of pupils, who strive to meet them. Pupils achieve exceptionally well. They benefit hugely from the warm and respectful relationships that they have with staff. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are consistently thoughtful, kind and considerate towards each other and adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From the time they start in Reception, children learn to communicate effectively and share problems they might have. For example, pupils write down their worries in each class and discuss any concerns with a trusted adult. Skilled staff help pupils think about the feelings behind their behaviour. This helps pupils to focus effectively on their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace roles of responsibility and make meaningful contributions to the school community, for example by becoming reading ambassadors or part of the litter picking team. Pupils are proud of their roles because they understand the value of helping others. Pupils know that their views contribute to making their school a better place, for example through the newspaper club where pupils write articles about what matters to them. The school ensures pupils visit different places of worship. This helps to develop pupils’ tolerance towards people with other beliefs and faiths.

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

The school has designed a highly ambitious curriculum that identifies the important knowledge that must be taught and when. From Reception to Year 6, pupils learn in well- ordered steps, which builds their understanding of each subject securely. Pupils learn important technical words for every subject. This starts in the early years where expert staff support pupils to develop strong language skills. Pupils practise vocabulary with talk partners and in class discussions. This helps to deepen their understanding of the vocabulary further.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) flourish at this school. Staff make sure that they identify the specific needs of each child. They then make suitable changes to help pupils with SEND achieve extremely well. These adaptations are highly effective in helping pupils to overcome barriers to learning. Teachers use assessment well. They regularly check what pupils have remembered and what needs to be retaught.

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

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. The teaching of phonics is clear, systematic and precisely matches pupils’ needs. Teachers teach reading expertly. They identify any pupils falling behind in the phonics programme and provide precise and effective support when required. Pupils practise their phonics by reading books that contain sounds that they know. The school fosters a real love of reading and books in pupils.

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

As soon as children start school in early years, staff ensure that they develop their early writing skills really well. Across the school, staff model how to write accurate sentences 22 and 23 October 2024

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expertly. They give pupils across the year groups many opportunities to practise writing the modelled sentences using their spelling knowledge. This helps pupils to develop their writing confidence across the whole curriculum. Pupils then use and build on this knowledge further as they move through the school.

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Pupils have impressive attitudes to learning. All pupils know and live up to the school’s high expectations. In the Reception class, children learn to play cooperatively. They move from one activity to another seamlessly and develop strong social and emotional skills. Pupils show high levels of motivation to learn more. The school works positively with families to ensure pupils come to school regularly. As a result, all groups, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, have high attendance.

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The detailed programme for personal development helps pupils thrive. It provides pupils with new experiences and develops their aspirations for the future. For instance, pupils have a university week, which helps them hear about different jobs and learn new skills. There is an impressive range of ways the school ensures it nurtures pupils’ talents and interests. These include school clubs attended by all groups of pupils, for example yoga club and school choirs for both younger and older pupils.

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Leaders at all levels share an ambitious vision for the school. Staff work together to realise the compelling vision. The school ensures that staff benefit from high-quality training. This enables them to teach the curriculum exceptionally well. This creates consistently high standards in the school. Staff appreciate that leaders prioritise their workload and well-being. As a result, staff at the school feel extremely well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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.

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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, 22 and 23 October 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 22 and 23 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Laura Purser and Sarah Phelps-Jones (Co- Chairs)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 November 2012, 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.  There have been changes to the governing board since the last inspection and there are now co-chairs of the governing board.

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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. 22 and 23 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the school’s governing board and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, art and design and science. For each deep dive, 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 considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the confidential online staff

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survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including leaders’ plans for improving the school, minutes from governing board meetings, records of attendance and behaviour incidents.

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Inspection team

Neil Pilsworth, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mrs Fisher-Pink Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 October 2024

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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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