Sunnymede Primary School

Inspection of Sunnymede Primary School The Meadoway, Billericay, Essex CM11 2HL

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 18 and 19 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love school. They are pleased to see friends in the morning at breakfast club. They play happily and safely together at break times. They enjoy everyone’s company. Older pupils make lasting friendships. They reflect on how much they will miss their school and friends when they move on to secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn in a calm, friendly and ambitious school. Adults have high expectations. They expect good behaviour and focused learners. Pupils respond positively by working hard and behaving well. They have confident attitudes to learning and are polite, considerate members of the community. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school values of Kindness, Determination, Honesty, Independence, Resilience and Respect, and they demonstrate these values in their learning and relationships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust staff to help and support them if they have worries or concerns. They respect that everyone is different and include everybody. They know staff care about their well- being and safety. Consequently, they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to develop personally. They are proud to receive the ‘good egg’ reward for the positive deeds they do. They learn about a range of cultures and people and how to be mentally and physically fit. They are well prepared for life beyond school.

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

The school has experienced, in recent times, the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools. The school has worked quickly and effectively to ensure there is an aspirational, logically sequenced and interesting curriculum starting in the early years. Staff are well trained to teach the curriculum. As a result, they use regular routines, phrases and resources as they teach, which pupils are familiar with. Staff teach important vocabulary that pupils need to know. They have the same high expectations of all pupils, including those in the early years. Pupils learn and achieve well. Staff allow pupils time to discuss and fix errors in their work. They keep careful checks on what pupils know and can do so that they can adapt future learning. However, this practice is more secure in some curriculum areas than others. It is not yet clear in all areas of the curriculum what pupils must know and remember. As a result, the checks that staff make are not as helpful as

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

they could be in identifying and addressing gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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

Learning to read is a central priority of the school, starting in the early years. The phonics curriculum is very well planned and implemented. Staff teach reading consistently well. All pupils enjoy learning new sounds and words. They practise their reading regularly. Staff routinely check what pupils know and can do. Pupils who need additional time to keep up receive it in well-planned and effectively delivered teaching. Older pupils discuss the new vocabulary they are learning. They enjoy time reading and are inspired to write their own 18 and 19 March 2025

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stories by the books they read and those that are read to them. They become confident, fluent and reflective readers.

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Pupils enjoy coming to school. They attend regularly and on time. The school has high expectations of pupils’ conduct. There are clear rules that pupils mostly follow. Older pupils show high levels of respect to everyone they meet. They have positive attitudes to their learning. All pupils take pride in their work, listen carefully in lessons and work effectively with each other. As a result, lessons are rarely interrupted by poor behaviour, and relationships are kind and supportive.

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The school is inclusive. Staff understand pupils’ strengths and individual needs. They identify the support pupils with SEND need quickly. They provide appropriate adaptations in learning for pupils who need this. They work closely with other specialists beyond the school to identify additional support that may be required. Pupils receive the correct resources to help them meet their individual targets. Pupils with SEND make effective progress through the curriculum and achieve very well.

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The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. They want all pupils to be well rounded, healthy, fair and aware members of their community. Pupils learn about the importance of democracy in visits to parliament and justice in mock court scenes. They take their responsibilities as school and eco-councillors very seriously. They are proud to help and contribute to the school community. Pupils have opportunities to develop their talents and skills through performing publicly and competing in teams. They enjoy the range of clubs and events the school provides. Pupils become thoughtful, responsible and independent. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Leaders work effectively to ensure the aims and ambitions they have are met. They work in close partnership with staff, parents and pupils to ensure their views are considered when deciding next steps for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of the curriculum, it is not clear what the most important information is that pupils need to know and remember. As a result, the checks that staff make on pupils’ learning are not sufficient to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The school should ensure that the curriculum information and checks that they make on pupils’ learning are clear enough to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge so that all pupils can deepen their knowledge of the whole curriculum over time. 18 and 19 March 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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Sunnymede Primary School was established on 1 September 2023 after the amalgamation of Sunnymede Infant School and Sunnymede Junior School.  The school runs a breakfast club for the pupils who attend the school.  The school does not use alternative provision for its pupils.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, history and religious education. During the deep dives, inspectors held discussions with the school, visited a sample of lessons, looked at pupils’ work, spoke to pupils about their work and spoke to staff. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff, parents and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school had created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that put pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors examined a range of documents provided by the school. They looked at records related to attendance, behaviour, safeguarding and pupil movement.

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 Inspectors met with senior leaders, subject leaders and a section of teaching and support staff.  The lead inspector held a meeting with a representative of Essex local authority.  The lead inspector met with the chair of governors and members of the governing body.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took account of the online survey for staff and parents.

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Inspection team

Debbie Rogan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Laura Hewer Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 March 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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