Ongar Place Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ongar Place Primary School Milton Road, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 1NY

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

Ongar Place Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are rightly proud of their vibrant school, where everyone feels included and happy. They feel safe, valued and cared for. Strong and respectful relationships exist between all members of the school community. The school’s values of ‘passion, determination, self- belief, honesty, respect and teamwork’ reflect pupils’ everyday experience of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, particularly those who are disadvantaged. Staff expect pupils to work hard. Pupils rise to the school’s high expectations well. Right from the start of early years, pupils are keen to learn and are confident to join in. They are well prepared for the next stages of their education because they build generally secure knowledge, particularly in areas like reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Almost all pupils behave well, both in lessons and around the school. They are polite, friendly and welcoming. A few pupils struggle to behave as the school expects but are supported by staff effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is very well considered. All pupils benefit from cultural activities, such as trips to the opera and Shakespeare’s Globe. Many pupils enthusiastically attend a wide range of clubs, including sports, music and dance. Regular sessions in the forest school help to pique pupils’ curiosity about the living world.

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

The school has ensured that an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum is in place. The knowledge and skills that pupils should acquire have been set out from Nursery to Year 6. In most subjects, these are precise and clear. For example, in physical education, pupils develop their techniques when passing in netball with increasing accuracy. Teachers 14 and 15 January 2025

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explain ideas well and check on pupils’ learning regularly. This means that pupils across the school, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), build and connect the important facts over time and so achieve well. However, in a couple of subjects, the knowledge that pupils should learn and remember has not been identified as precisely. This leads to a confused experience for some pupils, who do not remember their learning clearly.

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Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve well in English and mathematics. From early years, children start to learn sounds and regularly enjoy reading books together. Staff are experts in teaching phonics. They quickly spot anyone who needs extra help and put this in place. Pupils’ reading books are well matched to the sounds that they know. Older pupils relish the ambitious texts that they study in class, including Shakespeare and novels with themes around diversity and equality. As a result, pupils read with confidence and fluency. In mathematics, children in early years have regular opportunities to learn to count and to understand numbers. However, in a few areas of the school, the mathematics curriculum is not taught as fully as intended. For example, some pupils do not have enough opportunity to solve problems or explain their reasoning. Consequently, they do not have enough practice to deepen their understanding in

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Pupils behave well because the school’s policy is clear, and expectations are high. During lessons, pupils are keen and attentive learners. Routines are well established. Pupils themselves play a part in the smooth running of the school, for example setting up equipment for assembly. In early years, children are well supported to take turns and play together. They quickly gain confidence and independence. A few pupils need help to manage their behaviour and emotions. Staff provide sensitive and well-judged support.

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Pupils generally attend school well. The school monitors attendance and punctuality closely. Where there are barriers to attending regularly, the school supports families and pupils effectively.

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The school carefully reviews the quality of its well-considered personal development provision. It ensures that pupils have opportunities to take on important positions of responsibility, such as ambassadors and digital leaders. Pastoral support is in place for all pupils. Pupils value the time to discuss any worries that they have with staff. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe at home, in the community and when online. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain, showing respect and empathy towards people of different faiths and cultures.

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Governors support school leaders well to maintain a high-quality education. Staff are unanimously positive about working at the school. As one member of staff commented, ‘It’s a privilege to work with our pupils.’ Staff feel involved, respected and well supported, particularly with workload and well-being. Most parents and carers also appreciate the work that the school does, with one parent summing up the views of others when saying, ‘This is such a caring and nurturing school.’ 14 and 15 January 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority )

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What does the school need to do to improve?

 In a couple of foundation subjects, the school has not identified precisely enough what knowledge they want pupils to learn. This means that pupils’ learning can be confused because they do not build their knowledge in a logical and clear manner. Therefore, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff know exactly what knowledge they should teach and when.  In mathematics, the curriculum is not taught as fully as the school intends. This means that pupils do not have enough opportunities to problem-solve and explain their reasoning. The school should ensure that all staff teach the mathematics curriculum as intended so that pupils make strong progress through all aspects of it.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2015. 14 and 15 January 2025

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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of the governing body Sherry Husselbury and Carol Harrower (Co- chairs) Headteacher Tracy Good

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school established an on-site nursery in April 2022, following the closure of the previous on-site, committee-run pre-school. This change happened under Section 27 of the Education Act 2002.

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Information about this inspection

 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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in this evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with a range of school staff and leaders. The inspector also met with three members of the governing body and spoke to a representative from the local authority. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s parent and staff surveys.  The inspector talked to staff to gather their views about the school, including their workload and well-being. The inspector met several groups of pupils and spoke to pupils during lessons and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Maria Roberts, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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