Greensted Primary School & Nursery

Inspection of Greensted Primary School & Nursery Kirby Road, Basildon, Essex SS14 1RX

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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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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The headteacher of this school is Shiven Chetty. This school is part of Lee Chapel Multi- 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), Sue Jackson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Craig O’Callaghan. 22 and 23 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Greensted is a happy and friendly school. A typical comment from a pupil is, ‘It is really nice at Greensted. New people are always welcome here and treated with kindness.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievements. Pupils rise well to these. Their successes are celebrated and rewarded. Pupils appreciate gaining house points and receiving certificates and ‘golden tickets’ in celebration assemblies. They respond with enthusiasm to their ‘quest books’, providing challenges from Reception to Year 6 as they journey through the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. They embrace the school’s golden rules of success, kindness and honesty. Pupils have positive relationships with each other and with staff. In early years, children are happy, confident and achieve well. Bullying is rare, and pupils feel that if it did happen it would be addressed swiftly. This means that pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like how the school has joined the infants and juniors together and that all children have a voice in the school. Older pupils are excellent role models for younger children. They enjoy leadership and ambassadorial roles such as the Year 6 ‘Blazer Squad’ and being members of the ‘school parliament’.

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

The curriculum is ambitious and accessible to all pupils. The school identifies, assesses and meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

Learning is brought to life in lessons and through trips and visiting speakers. Learning in the early years is outstanding. Children enjoy explaining their work, for example sharing that they can order numbers from 0 to 5 forwards and backwards. Teachers challenge pupils’ thinking. In religious education in Year 2, pupils engage with key questions such as, ‘Why is light an important symbol for Jews, Christians and Hindus?’ In Year 5, complex connections are made when pupils compare different religious theories. However, in some subjects, the curriculum does not identify the precise knowledge that pupils should learn. This means that pupils cannot always build on their knowledge and move on to more complex learning.

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

Teachers check how well pupils understand their learning and support their next steps. In the early years, staff use their checks on children’s understanding to personalise their teaching and accelerate children’s learning so that they are ready for Year 1. However, in some subjects, checks on pupils’ knowledge do not always link precisely to what pupils have been learning. Some ‘dive-deeper’ questions do not build on what has been learned and do not challenge pupils’ thinking. This means that pupils do not always achieve as highly as they might.

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

A joy of reading pervades the school. Pupils appreciate the wide selection of books available from classics such as ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to new titles like ‘Super Ghost’. For younger readers, careful consideration has gone into selecting the phonics programme 22 and 23 October 2024

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and matching pupils’ books with the sounds they are learning. There is a sharp focus on supporting readers who have fallen behind, so they quickly gain the knowledge and skills needed to become confident, fluent readers.

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Parents of children in Reception are encouraged to be involved in workshops where teachers model supporting children’s reading. ‘Have your cake and read it’ mornings across the whole school reinforce a love of reading.

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Pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to school are worthy of sharing. Pupils attend well and are proud of their school and their achievements.

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Pupils appreciate the exceptional character-building opportunities on offer. These are woven into the curriculum and designed to develop pupils’ confidence, independence and resilience. Residentials at scout camps and Year 6’s visit to Belfast are highlights enjoyed by pupils. There is also a plethora of clubs and teams, for example cheerleading, elite choir and eco warrior club. Participation, excellence and achievement are rewarded with house points from the early years to Year 6.

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Pupils’ personal development is outstanding. They are taught to think about their futures with careers days. Pupils also learn important life skills such as how to stay safe and healthy. Pupils celebrate diversity and understand British values with events such as ‘best of British’ week.

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Governors and trustees are ambitious for Greensted School’s pupils. They are passionate about providing an education based on the school’s motto ‘Excellence for all’.

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Staff appreciate the support they receive for their training, workload and well-being. This helps to improve the experience for pupils. Parents are positive about the school. A typical comment from a parent is, ‘Both of my children have flourished at this school and absolutely love attending.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The knowledge that pupils should learn and remember is not precisely defined in some subjects. This means that pupils are not always able to build on previous learning and deepen their understanding. The school should ensure that the important knowledge that pupils should learn from the early years to Year 6 has been identified precisely in each subject.  Assessments do not always link accurately to what pupils have been learning. This means that gaps and misconceptions are not always identified in some subjects and 22 and 23 October 2024

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that teachers cannot check what pupils have learned, understood and remembered. Pupils are therefore not achieving as well as they might. The school should design assessments to what pupils have been learning, providing opportunities for them to revisit and remember important knowledge, ready for future learning.

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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, 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

Type of school Primary school and Nursery

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 July 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Greensted Primary School and Nursery is one of six schools that are part of the Lee Chapel Partnership Trust.  Greensted Junior School and Greensted Infants merged in September 2022.  The new headteacher joined the school in 2023 after its previous inspection.  The school currently uses one unregistered 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 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.  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, history, mathematics and religious education. 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. Inspectors listened to some pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 reading to a familiar adult.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of records relating to behaviour and attendance.  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

Nicola Shadbolt 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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