Ofsted conducted a short inspection of Maybury Primary School on 25 April 2019, following its previous judgment of good in May 2015. The inspection confirmed that the school continues to maintain a good quality of education. The leadership team, under Mrs. Alison Grantham, has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing a high standard of care and education for pupils. The school is well-organized, with clear routines and high expectations evident in the displays throughout the premises. The leadership team is ambitious and dedicated to ensuring that pupils receive a broad and engaging curriculum, with notable success in music, as evidenced by pupils' achievements in local music festivals.
Assessment information is utilized effectively to monitor pupil progress, allowing leaders to identify and support those who may be falling behind. The leadership team has a clear understanding of areas for improvement and has developed detailed plans to address these. The staff is supportive and appreciates the leadership's focus on their well-being while striving for school improvement. Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent, and parents overwhelmingly express satisfaction with the school, feeling that their children are safe and enjoy their lessons.
The inspection highlighted that previous recommendations regarding the presentation of pupils' work have been successfully addressed, with teachers providing guidance that has led to improved standards in handwriting and overall presentation. Additionally, the school has made strides in enhancing spelling instruction, resulting in improved average spelling scores that now exceed the national average.
Safeguarding measures are effective, with staff trained to recognize and respond to concerns regarding pupil safety. The designated safeguarding leader monitors incidents to identify patterns and ensure appropriate support for pupils. Pupils report feeling safe and confident that any issues will be addressed promptly.
However, the inspection identified areas for further development. The proportion of pupils achieving higher standards in writing and mathematics has been below the national average for the past two years. While progress in writing is generally good, there are instances where the most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged. In mathematics, although there have been improvements, similar challenges exist for the most able pupils. The school recognizes the need to enhance the planning of activities to ensure all pupils, particularly the most able, are adequately challenged.
In the early years, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has also been below the national average. While children make good progress from their starting points, there is a need for more purposeful planning of independent activities to better meet the needs of all children, especially the most able.
The inspection concluded with recommendations for the school to ensure that all teachers provide sufficiently challenging work for the most able pupils in writing and mathematics, to give all pupils opportunities to improve their writing quality, and to enhance the planning of independent activities in the early years to ensure they are purposeful and appropriately challenging. The leadership team is committed to addressing these areas to further improve the quality of education at Maybury Primary School.
