Water Leys Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by making sure that:
  • leaders use the outcomes of their monitoring to address and eliminate the remaining pockets of weaker teaching
  • the recent improvements in progress and attainment at the end of key stage 2 are sustained.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers give clear instructions and use questioning precisely, so that pupils are clear about what is expected of them and apply themselves with confidence.
• Raise attainment in reading to be at least in line with the national average at the end of key stage 2.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have an ambitious vision for the school. By means of some astute appointments, the headteacher and governors have strengthened the leadership team since the last inspection. There is good capacity for this renewed team to ensure continued improvement.
• Leaders have high expectations for staff and pupils. They have put in place a thorough system for checking the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Consequently, leaders have an accurate and up-to date overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the school’s performance. The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection, in most year groups.
• Middle leadership is strong. Those middle leaders who spoke with inspectors gave clear examples of the impact of their work on teaching and standards. Staff morale is high, and staff say that they are proud to work at the school and value the range of training opportunities available to them.
• The leadership of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is effective. The special educational needs coordinator makes sure that pupils’ progress from their starting points is carefully monitored. Parents gave positive feedback to inspectors regarding the quality of care and teaching their children receive. As a result of this well-coordinated approach, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress.
• Leaders and staff effectively promote pupils’ understanding of the fundamental British values and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are regular opportunities to respect and celebrate a wide range of cultural differences. For example, pupils spoke enthusiastically about decorating their classrooms through a ‘Diwali doorstep’ theme and participating in the national ‘Spirited Arts’ competition. In addition, the extensive programme of visits, visitors and assemblies promotes cultural diversity effectively. Pupils demonstrate a well-developed sense of moral purpose; they understand the concepts of right and wrong and consequences. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The school’s broad and balanced curriculum has been devised jointly by leaders and staff in response to the school’s context. For example, themes are planned in order to counteract the historical underperformance of boys. This is having an increasingly positive impact on progress and attainment. Pupils with whom I spoke recalled with enthusiasm memorable learning in a range of subjects, especially in science. For example, they spoke confidently about gravity, the solar system and electricity and could describe the differences between solids, liquids and gases.
• Leaders have not used the outcomes of their monitoring to successfully eliminate the small pockets of weaker teaching which persist.

Governance of the school

• After the last inspection, the governing body commissioned additional training and a voluntary external review of its performance. This has resulted in significant improvements in governance.
• Members of the governing body do not shy away from asking pertinent questions. They regularly challenge leaders and hold them to account for the school’s performance.
• Individual governors make regular visits to school as part of their joint monitoring programme. They meet with senior and middle leaders to discuss their roles, speak with pupils and carry out a range of activities, alongside leaders, to check on the quality of teaching and learning.
• Governors receive regular and precise information about the plans for spending the additional funding received through the pupil premium and the physical education and sport premium. Regular meetings take place with the deputy headteacher to review the impact of the school’s work to raise standards for disadvantaged pupils. Governors are aware that, currently, disadvantaged pupils are making better progress in reading, writing and mathematics than their peers in school at the end of key stage 2.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All parents and staff who responded to the online survey and those who spoke with inspectors stated clearly that the school is safe. Pupils could describe several ways in which the staff keep them safe. For example, they appreciate the personal ‘handover’ at the end of the day.
• During the inspection, a range of teaching and support staff confirmed that they receive regular and thorough safeguarding training. They are knowledgeable about the school’s procedures for raising any welfare or child protection concerns.
• Leaders keep careful records of concerns and incidents. They employ a school-based education welfare officer, who works effectively with vulnerable children and families.
• All of the school’s employment checks are in place, in line with statutory requirements.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the last inspection.
• Pupils are keen learners. Because of effective planning and teaching, activities are well matched to pupils’ abilities. This enables them to learn and progress well.
• Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ conduct in lessons. They encourage pupils to work with a positive attitude and to make the most of their time for learning. The impact of this can be seen in pupils’ quick, calm response to routines and in the smooth flow of learning in lessons.
• Evidence from their workbooks shows that pupils take pride in their work. Teachers give feedback which is consistently in line with the school’s policy and, often, at the immediate ‘point of learning’. This means that pupils know how to improve their work and typically make good progress throughout the year.
• Teachers encourage pupils to learn from their mistakes. Consequently, pupils are becoming increasingly resilient and confident learners.
• Teaching assistants provide effective support for pupils. They work skilfully alongside teachers to offer both support and challenge where needed.
• The teaching of mathematics was an area of focus for the school in 2017. As a result of strong leadership and effective teaching, attainment and progress in mathematics improved considerably. In lessons, pupils were observed to relish the challenge of mathematical problems where they are required to explain their reasoning. They spoke enthusiastically about their learning and said that their teachers explain things well.
• The teaching of phonics is effective. Younger pupils use their knowledge of letter sounds to help them make faster progress in reading and writing.
• The teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling has improved. Pupils successfully apply the knowledge and skills they learn in grammar lessons to their written work across a range of subjects.
• The teaching of reading is an area of focus for the school. In most year groups, attainment in reading, including pupils’ ability to infer meaning from texts, is weaker than in writing and mathematics.
• Occasionally, when teachers do not give clear instructions or when questioning is not precise, pupils lose focus and their learning slows.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Their conduct in lessons and around school was observed to be consistently calm and orderly throughout the inspection.
• The vast majority of pupils show courtesy and respect towards others. They typically cooperate well with each other in lessons, following routines without fuss.
• Most parents and staff who spoke with inspectors and who completed the online surveys described pupils’ behaviour at the school as good.
• The school environment is well resourced. The outside areas have been carefully laid out with a wide range of equipment and ‘zones’ which encourage physical fitness, positive play and social interaction. Pupils were observed to use these spaces well at breaktimes and lunchtimes, and those who spoke with inspectors commented that they ‘rarely’ see incidents of troublesome behaviour.
• Pupils’ attendance is typically in line with the national average and persistent absence is low. The school’s education welfare officer works effectively with the small proportion of disadvantaged pupils whose attendance is below that of their peers.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 have been consistently at least in line with the national average, over time. The provisional key stage 1 results for 2018 show that these standards have been sustained and strengthened, especially in mathematics.
• In the past, pupils left the school at the end of Year 5. In 2017, the school’s first set of key stage 2 results were disappointing. Attainment and progress in reading and mathematics were below, or well below, the national averages.
• The provisional key stage 2 results for 2018 show improvement. Rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics have improved. Attainment in mathematics at the expected and at the high standard improved significantly. Disadvantaged pupils made especially good progress compared to the previous year.
• The current improvements in outcomes were confirmed during the inspection by checking work in pupils’ books, speaking with staff and pupils and observing learning in lessons across the whole school.
• The combined results for attainment at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 have remained static, below the national average, for two years. This is because standards in reading did not improve in 2018 and this has affected the combined score.
• Because of effective leadership and teaching, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been steadily improving for at least three years. Provisional figures for 2018 show that the school’s phonics result is now above typical national figures.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership and teaching in the early years are good. The leader is knowledgeable and has high expectations for children’s learning.
• Staff assess the children’s starting points thoroughly. They use the outcomes of their assessments to adapt the teaching and curriculum precisely, in order to cater for children’s needs and stages of development.
• Staff plan an appropriate range of activities which flow seamlessly across the two classrooms and the shared outdoor provision. They monitor carefully the way in which children access each activity, making sure that they have equal access to a wide range of learning opportunities. Staff record the children’s progress daily.
• At the time of the inspection, the children had only been in school for two weeks. However, their response to routines and expectations was already positive, and the atmosphere across the whole provision was happy and purposeful throughout the inspection.
• In the past, boys had lagged well behind girls in their progress and attainment. Early indications are that boys are currently achieving as well as girls. For example, boys were observed to choose simple activities to improve their early writing skills equally as often as girls. The boys showed good levels of concentration and persistence in their daily ‘peg challenge’ to write independently and legibly, with good results.
• A group of boys was observed to interact with good communication and cooperation in the ‘home corner’, which they had transformed into a ‘sandwich bar’. Using good language skills, they negotiated roles and acted out scenarios with confidence and enjoyment.
• A number of ‘boy-friendly’ themes have been incorporated into the curriculum this year, to improve boys’ involvement and interest. It is too soon to see the impact of this approach on outcomes.
• The teaching and support staff work seamlessly together as an effective team across both classes, and in the outdoor area. Staff are clear about their roles and support children effectively in their learning and development.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective, as in the rest of the school. Training is up to date and staff are knowledgeable about the procedures for raising concerns.
• Leaders and staff are proactive in involving parents in their children’s early education. For example, staff undertake home visits and provide ‘stay and play’ sessions and occasional workshops to inform parents about approaches to activities such as phonics and mathematics.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120079 Leicestershire 10053081 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 416 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher John Crook Mark Westmoreland Telephone number 01162 884135 Website Email address www.waterleysprimaryschool.co.uk office@waterleys.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 July 2016

Information about this school

• Water Leys Primary School is larger than the average primary school.
• The school works in collaboration with a group of local schools known as the Oadby Learning Partnership.
• In the past, pupils left the school at the end of Year 5. The school had its first cohort of Year 6 pupils during the 2016/17 academic year.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is in line with the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 26 lessons or part lessons, some jointly with senior leaders.
• Inspectors looked at work across an extensive range of pupils’ books and considered the school’s assessment information on the progress and standards achieved by current pupils.
• Inspectors visited the school library, listened to pupils read and talked with them about their reading.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and leaders with responsibility for English, mathematics, early years and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Inspectors met with those responsible for attendance, behaviour, bullying and exclusions, disadvantaged pupils and the sport premium. They also met with other teachers and support staff.
• The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day and during the parent workshops after school on day one of the inspection. The lead inspector considered the 43 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and the 17 responses to the online staff survey.
• Inspectors considered a wide range of documentation, including the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation summary, minutes of meetings of the governing body, the school’s current information on pupils’ attainment and progress, attendance records, behaviour and exclusion logs, external reports on the work of the school, monitoring and evaluation records and a range of documents relating to safeguarding.

Inspection team

Christine Watkins, lead inspector Rob Gooding Caroline Poole

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector