a school not in a category of concern of William Edwards School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Simon Bell Headteacher William Edwards School Stifford Clays Road Stifford Clays Grays Essex RM16 3NJ

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Edwards School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 30 April 2025, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school meets the monitoring threshold as set out in the Monitoring Inspection Handbook .

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Edwards School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Edwards School

During the inspection, I discussed with you, other senior leaders, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust and the chair of trustees the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also reviewed school improvement documents, spoke to groups of pupils in different year groups, looked at a sample of pupils’ books and assessments, visited lessons, held meetings with other staff and discussed safeguarding practices with leaders. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but some aspects of the

The school should take further action to:

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but some aspects of the

 Ensure that assessment information is used effectively to inform teaching and learning.  Ensure that low-level disruption is not tolerated so pupils’ learning is not disrupted.

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Main findings

Since the previous inspection, leaders have made changes to the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for all pupils. Robust quality assurance processes are in place to check that the curriculum is delivered as intended. Support for weaker readers is now well established. Leaders have a clear understanding of staff’s professional development needs. A well-structured mentoring and coaching programme is in place to support staff at all levels. This is contributing to greater consistency in the quality of teaching. As a result, many pupils benefit from a strong learning experience across the curriculum and receive work that is well matched to their needs.

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Main findings

Leaders have improved how assessment is used to check what pupils know and can do. Staff have a secure understanding of how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum. Increased moderation of pupils’ work has helped to strengthen this understanding. However, further work is needed to ensure that assessment information is used more precisely to support pupils’ learning. Pupils do not always receive the guidance they need to respond effectively to teachers’ feedback. This is particularly the case when pupils are given more complex tasks requiring extended responses and deeper thinking.

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Main findings

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, have a clear and accurate understanding of the school’s context and the challenges faced by pupils and families. They have identified appropriate priorities for improvement and are taking effective action to address them. As a result, the quality of education is improving.

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Main findings

The trust provides well-targeted and effective support. For example, the ‘well-being charter’ is helping to attract and retain staff, which has led to greater stability and consistency in the classroom. This support is valued by leaders and is having a positive impact on staff morale and pupils’ experience of school life.

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Main findings

Pastoral care is a strength of the school. Pupils speak very positively about the support they receive from staff. They behave well during social times, and incidents of bullying or unkindness are rare. Leaders have worked closely with staff to ensure the behaviour policy is applied consistently. As a result, behaviour in classrooms has improved. However, low-level disruption still occurs in some lessons, which interrupts learning for some pupils. While most pupils behave well and respond positively to staff expectations, a minority do not consistently demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Further work is needed to ensure that the school’s behaviour expectations are applied consistently by all staff and that pupils are fully engaged in their learning across all subjects.

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Main findings

Leaders benefit from the support provided by external partners. They appreciate the objective evaluations offered by individuals who are not based in school, which help inform their ongoing improvement work.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, and the CEO of South West Essex Community Education Trust, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Thurrock. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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