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The following is an extract from the 2013 Ofsted report:

Waterman Primary School
The Boulevard, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1QF
 
Inspection dates  6–7 March 2013
 
Overall effectiveness                    Previous inspection:      Good  2  
                                                 This inspection:             Good  2
 
Achievement of pupils              Good  2  
Quality of teaching                   Good  2  
Behaviour and safety of pupils  Good  2  
Leadership and management    Good  2  


Summary of key findings for parents and pupils  

This is a good school  

- The school continues to provide a good standard of education for its pupils.
- Pupils achieve well. They start school with skills well below age-related expectations, and make good progress overall so that they get similar results in national tests to other 11 year olds.
- Pupils entitled to additional funding make good progress. Those entitled to free school meals often make faster progress than their peers.
- The quality of teaching is good. Over time, it has enabled pupils to make good gains in their learning. Sometimes teaching is outstanding.
- Pupils behave well. They are polite, courteous and work hard in lessons. Pupils say they feel safe and their parents agree.
- The school is well led and managed. The head teacher and staff work effectively to ensure that pupils receive good teaching and make good progress. The school is well placed to improve further.
- Governors are very committed to the school. They visit the school regularly, meet with pupils and teachers, and work hard to support the head teacher with her plans for improvement.
- The school has strong links with parents and carers. ‘Home-school’ books are used regularly to keep in touch and record progress. This means that everyone works together to help pupils to achieve well.
 
 It is not yet an outstanding school because  

- Not enough teaching is outstanding, and a minority requires improvement.
- Sometimes teachers do too much talking in lessons and pupils do not always have enough opportunities to find things out for themselves.
- Tasks and teachers’ questions do not always match pupils’ different ages and abilities.
- Neither governors nor teachers with responsibilities for subjects make full use of information about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching, to promote further improvements in achievement.

Information about this school

- The school is much smaller than the average primary school with 73 pupils on roll. The number of pupils on roll has increased since the previous inspection.
- The large majority of pupils are of White British ethnic origin. There are no pupils who speak English as an additional language.
- The proportion of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils including those who are known to be eligible for free school meals) is much higher than the national average.
- The proportions of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action, school action plus, and with statements of special educational needs, are above average.
- The number of pupils is too small for valid comparisons to be made against the government’s floor standards (the minimum standards expected for attainment and progress).
- Since the previous inspection, there have been a number of changes to staffing in the school. A substantive head teacher has since been appointed and a new deputy head teacher was appointed and took up post in September 2012.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Improve the quality of teaching further, so that more is outstanding and none requires improvement by:
- making sure that lessons always move quickly enough to keep pupils interested and less time is spent listening to the teacher
- increasing the opportunities for pupils to think and find things out for themselves in lessons
- ensuring that teachers plan activities and questions for pupils which are exactly at the right level for them.
Develop the role of teachers with additional responsibilities by making sure that they check and monitor how well pupils are learning in lessons and over time.
Develop the role of governors by increasing their use of information about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching in the school.