Willoughton Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders continue to develop the skills of subject leaders so that they can further improve the quality of teaching and raise standards in their areas of responsibility
  • leaders and governors closely monitor and evaluate the impact of additional funding received by the school for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • leaders ensure that pupils’ SMSC awareness is developed fully and promoted coherently across the curriculum.
• Improve the quality of teaching to accelerate pupils’ progress by ensuring that:
  • teachers provide all pupils with an appropriate level of challenge in all aspects of their learning
  • teachers provide pupils with increased opportunities to write at length and insist that they use their spelling skills correctly, so that an increased proportion of pupils achieve the higher standards in writing.
• Improve the quality of the early years provision by ensuring that:
  • the outdoor activities provide children with more opportunities to choose what they want to learn, including activities to practise their writing
  • any children, particularly the least able children, who are falling behind with their learning are swiftly identified and supported, so that they make good progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has worked hard to resolve the issues that were present in the school on her appointment in February 2017. Leaders have had a determined focus on responding to the areas identified for improvement, following the inspection in February 2018. As a result, staff who responded to their Ofsted survey agree that the school is a lot better than it was at the last inspection.
• Leaders, including governors, have a precise understanding of the school’s strengths and the development priorities. Their clear vision and, in almost every respect, their rigorous monitoring and realistic evaluation mean that everyone understands what is required to ensure that the school continues to make good progress.
• As a result of the headteacher’s vision and commitment and stability in staffing, many pupils are now making strong progress from their starting points, particularly in mathematics and English. With high expectations of each other and the pupils, leaders and teachers have spent a considerable amount of time and resources ensuring that gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding have been resolved.
• Leaders ensure that teachers track pupils’ outcomes closely. Teachers have received valuable training to help them accurately monitor pupils’ progress. Pupils’ assessment information is used to identify those who are falling behind their peers. Teachers provide these pupils with additional support so that they can swiftly catch up.
• Leaders closely monitor the behaviour and attendance of individual pupils. Timely support is put in place for those who require it. As a result, pupils’ attendance is above the national average, persistent absence is below the national average and declining and pupils’ behaviour has improved.
• Leaders readily access external training and support from local school partnerships and a teaching school alliance. Teachers also work with buddies from other schools to share ideas and resources. These relationships have been invaluable in bringing about notable improvements in the delivery of the curriculum and supporting new subject leaders.
• Subject leaders are more confident and effective at carrying out their roles. These leaders ensure that greater consistency exists in the teaching of the subjects for which they are responsible. They provide training for staff, and their detailed programmes of monitoring allow them to evaluate the impact of the teaching strategies and modify them accordingly. The headteacher and governors agree that these leaders continue to need support as they develop into their roles.
• Leaders have reviewed the curriculum to ensure that the school is meeting the requirements of the national curriculum. Pupils now receive a rich diet which incorporates many varied experiences and visits. Leaders recognise that more work is needed to ensure that challenge is incorporated through all areas of the curriculum.
• Leaders use additional funding to successfully improve pupils’ access to, and engagement in, a wide range of sporting activities, including golf and gymnastics. For example, pupils recently took part in a cross-country competition for the first time. Pupils enjoy these opportunities and many of them stay after school to take advantage of the additional sports clubs on offer.
• Leaders have not ensured that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is evaluated closely, to assess its impact on improving pupils’ progress. Leaders have already made changes in the current academic year to the way these monies are being used and tracked, to ensure that the impact of the strategies to support disadvantaged pupils’ learning can be monitored more precisely.
• The headteacher has recently taken over the role as special educational needs coordinator. She is reviewing those pupils who have been identified as having SEN and/or disabilities to ensure that they have been accurately identified. Leaders do not consistently evaluate the impact of funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities on the outcomes for those pupils. However, parents who responded to the Ofsted survey praised the school for the way in which leaders ensure that the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are sufficiently met.
• Leaders successfully promote the school’s vision and values through ‘CEDRIC’ the caterpillar and ‘APRIL’ the butterfly. Local faith leaders are invited into school to promote diversity and tolerance. Pupils’ differences are celebrated, and they are clear that everyone is welcome as part of their school. However, leaders recognise that while pupils’ SMSC awareness is getting stronger, there is work to be done to ensure that all aspects are promoted coherently across the curriculum.
• Staff say that the school is well led and managed. They are proud to be a member of the school and feel valued and supported for the work that they do. Similarly, the vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View survey said that they would recommend the school to others. As one parent commented, ‘This is a lovely, caring, rural school. It is wonderful that the staff know every child and it feels like a big family.’

Governance of the school

• The governing body is ambitious and committed to supporting and helping the school to improve. Governors are informed, well organised and visible. They know the school’s strengths and areas needing improvement well, and have high expectations of the pupils, staff and school leaders.
• A recent skills audit has ensured that there is a range of experience and expertise within the governing body. Members are keen to use their talents to support school improvement, for example in finance.
• Governors are appropriately trained and are proactive in maintaining an up-to-date knowledge and understanding of issues relevant to their responsibilities. For instance, the relatively new chair of governors is completing training to ensure that she carries out her role to the best effect.
• Governors support and challenge school leaders to continue to raise standards and improve further, particularly in relation to pupils’ outcomes. They gain first-hand insight into the school’s effectiveness through regular school visits. Reports of their visits are shared with the full governing body to inform its work.
• Governors and the headteacher have valued the close support from the local authority. Visits focus on different aspects of leaders’ development plans, for example supporting their work to improve the quality of teaching and learning in English and mathematics. The school’s involvement in local authority projects has also provided valuable training opportunities for subject leaders. They have benefited from the sharing of ideas and resources with other professionals in nearby schools.
• In some respects, governors do not hold leaders to account as effectively as they could. For example, governors do not analyse sufficiently the impact of the pupil premium funding or funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities in order to hold school leaders to account more closely for the attainment and progress of these pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Parents, staff and pupils agree that the school is a safe place for pupils to be. Pupils trust adults in the school and say that they know who to talk with if they are worried. Parents say that their children are well cared for at the school.
• The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and deputy DSL have ensured that the school’s procedures for safeguarding are thorough and fit for purpose. They have a detailed knowledge of vulnerable pupils’ needs and monitor their well-being closely. They work well with external agencies, taking swift and effective action when they have concerns.
• Processes for making safeguarding referrals are simple, logical and clear. Staff understand and follow agreed systems.
• Staff and governors are fully aware of their responsibilities to ensure the safety and well-being of all pupils. They receive regular and appropriate training and understand, for example, the signs of neglect and the localised risks from radicalisation and extremism. Governors are informed and carried out a recent audit to review the work of leaders to keep pupils safe within school and beyond.
• Leaders and governors ensure that all the appropriate checks have been carried out on adults who work at or visit the school. The record of these checks is rigorous and updated in a timely manner. Leaders have completed recent training to keep them up to date with any changes to recruitment procedures.
• Leaders make effective use of the school’s website to provide parents with useful information to help them to keep their children safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Since the last inspection, when all three teachers were relatively new to the profession and to the school, they have worked tirelessly to plug the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills, particularly in English and mathematics. It is clear from their books that pupils have now acquired a much more secure base from which to build and are making more rapid progress in their learning.
• Teachers nurture positive relationships with each of their pupils and promote a culture of high expectations. Within and across the year groups in each class, pupils cooperate and support each other well. Teachers plan and structure lessons effectively to allow all pupils to make progress in their learning. Lessons are used in a timely manner to ensure that no learning opportunities are lost. In the classroom, the needs of each individual are well known, and pupils feel confident enough to contribute their ideas and make mistakes.
• Teachers are increasingly consistent in ensuring that pupils have opportunities to explain their ideas and to apply their understanding to problems in mathematics. Pre-learning activities evidenced in the pupils’ books help to inform the teacher of any gaps in the pupils’ knowledge or understanding that need to be resolved before taking the next step. Pupils’ outcomes in mathematics, particularly at the end of key stage 1, have improved as a consequence.
• Teachers explore ideas with pupils and deepen pupils’ learning using a range of different questioning techniques. In this way, teachers can clarify any misconceptions in the pupils’ understanding and adapt the learning activity accordingly. Pupils are becoming increasingly resilient and independent in their learning. For example, in English, pupils edit their work as a natural part of the learning process now, checking their own, or each other’s, grammar, punctuation and spelling and making the necessary improvements.
• Leaders have implemented a consistent feedback strategy to support pupils in making good progress. Pupils value this guidance from their teachers and say that they know what they need to do to improve their work. Similarly, teachers have had a significant focus on ensuring that pupils present their work well. Obvious improvements can be seen in pupils’ books, for example through the more rigorous layout of problems in mathematics.
• Pupils value opportunities to read and are confident when doing so in front of their peers. The most able pupils read with growing fluency and expression, although at times their comprehension is not secure. Pupils who read to the inspector used their phonics knowledge skilfully to identify unfamiliar words. Some readers could be moved on to more challenging texts more quickly.
• Adults have received extensive training on delivering a new system to teach phonics. Where the teaching is strongest, adults use consistent strategies that allow pupils to practise their phonic skills. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of the teaching of phonics and adults do not always ensure that all pupils recognise the sounds and how to blend them before moving on.
• Teachers increasingly ensure that pupils are challenged in their learning, for example through star challenges in mathematics. However, pupils are not challenged consistently across all subject areas and as a result, in some year groups and in some subjects, too few pupils are deepening their knowledge.
• Teachers’ strategies to improve the quality of pupils’ written work are beginning to have an impact, as pupils employ a wider range of literary techniques. Teachers have triangulated their assessments through external moderation to secure their accuracy. However, it is still the case that too few pupils achieve the higher standards in their writing.
• Pupils’ spellings are also an area of weakness. Explicit links made by teachers to pupils’ phonic skills to improve their spellings have not had a sustained impact, particularly with older pupils. Teachers are not consistently supporting pupils in improving their spelling throughout all areas of the curriculum.
• A notable minority of parents feel that the homework that their children receive is not always appropriate. Leaders have made recent changes to the homework policy so that homework is now proving to be more challenging and purposeful.
• On the few occasions where teaching is less strong, teachers do not meet the needs of their pupils and as a result progress is slow. This is more prevalent in the foundation subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are keen and inquisitive, and readily share their ideas with adults and each other. Pupils who spoke with the inspector during observations of their learning could explain what they were doing with confidence, as well as recalling work from previous topics they had studied.
• Relationships between pupils, their peers and adults are very positive. Pupils are respectful and courteous towards each other and they respond quickly to requests from adults. Parents who spoke with the inspector appreciate the individualised support that their children receive from the school’s teachers, including those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Pupils’ respect for the school environment is high and playtime is a positive experience. Pupils of all ages play and mix readily together. Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility for leading structured play and making sure that no pupil is left out, by being ‘playground pals’. Pupils also value the opportunity to be a part of the school council. They feel that their opinions matter because adults listen to them.
• Pupils talk with confidence about how they can reduce possible risks to staying safe, for instance when they are on the road or near a fire, or when they are on the internet. They also receive memorable guidance on first aid and they look forward to regular visits from their local police community support officer who talks to the pupils about being good citizens. Older pupils showed great maturity when sharing their learning with the inspector about sex and relationships.
• Pupils support their peers and enjoy celebrating each other’s achievements. They relish being awarded PIPs (pupil incentive points), which they add to their team’s branch of the apple tree, contributing to the team’s overall success.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. During the inspection, the inspector did not witness any incidents of poor behaviour around the school site or during observations of learning. Any occasional low-level disruption in lessons is quickly identified by the teacher and the pupils are brought back to the task in hand.
• Pupils who spoke with the inspector said that behaviour in school has improved and is good. Staff agree. Pupils all know and understand the system for managing their behaviour in school and say that adults apply it fairly and consistently. In the words of one pupil, ‘It is a lovely school and we all get on.’
• Most parents who responded to their Ofsted survey said that pupils are well behaved and that the school responds well to their concerns. Almost all of the parents said that their children are safe and well looked after.
• Pupils are confident that although some bullying does happen, when it does, adults resolve it swiftly. Staff and parents agree that bullying rarely takes place.
• Pupils attend well. Attendance has been above the national average for the last three years. When a pupil is absent, leaders have robust systems in place to ensure that no pupil can go missing from education. Persistent absence was below the national average in 2017 and continues to decline.
• Exclusions from school are rare and well below the national average. When pupils present challenging behaviour, leaders work with pupils individually to improve their behaviour. This approach is successful in reducing repeat incidents. When necessary, leaders seek appropriate support for the pupils, including through alternative providers of education.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils are making good progress, after a legacy of underachievement. Previous assessments of pupils’ attainment at the end of the early years and key stage 1 were inaccurate. As a result, some pupils appear to be making less progress than they can achieve. Leaders have taken effective action to ensure that pupils’ assessment information is accurate for future cohorts. Work in pupils’ books over the last two terms shows that most pupils are making good progress from their individual starting points.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in their phonics screening check increased noticeably in 2018, compared with previous years, according to provisional information. This is an improvement after two years below the national average. Leaders ensure that those who deliver phonics to the pupils are well trained. However, there are still some inconsistencies in the quality of the teaching.
• In almost all year groups, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is rising, and they are making good progress. In reading and mathematics, an increasing proportion of pupils are achieving the higher standards. Significant improvements in the quality of teaching have led to pupils making much stronger progress from their starting points.
• Pupils’ outcomes by the end of key stage 1 have risen. Provisional information for 2018 indicates that an increased proportion of pupils attained at both the expected and higher standards in reading, mathematics and, particularly, writing, compared with 2017.
• In 2018, Year 6 pupils’ progress improved in reading and mathematics, compared with 2017, according to provisional information. Pupils’ books confirm that their progress is even stronger than the provisional published information would suggest. Compared with 2017, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in mathematics increased and was above the national average in 2018, according to provisional information.
• By the end of key stage 2, too few pupils achieve the higher standards in writing. No pupil has achieved this level in the past two years. However, work produced more recently by pupils shows an increased complexity in the quality of their written work, including longer written pieces which incorporate an increased range of literary techniques. Leaders know that this is an area which continues to require more work.
• The progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is not always as strong as that of other pupils. However, a noticeable proportion of these pupils are beginning to close the gap on other pupils because of closer support and more accurate assessments.
• Most pupils are now well prepared for the next steps in their education, including transition to secondary school.

Early years provision Good

• The early years provision provides children with a very positive start to their time at school. Due to recent improvements in the quality of the provision, children are well prepared to start Year 1.
• In 2018, provisional information indicates that the proportion of children achieving a good level of development has improved, compared with 2017, and is in line with the national average.
• Leaders have identified accurately the strengths within the early years provision and where further improvements would be of benefit. The teacher has a firm grasp of the curriculum and is skilled at identifying children’s needs precisely. An external consultant and a recent local authority review have validated the accuracy of the teacher’s assessments of children’s progress.
• There is a calm, purposeful and happy atmosphere in the early years. Adults are adept at getting to know children when they start at school, ensuring that children settle well. Children enjoy their learning and are keen to be involved. For instance, during a discussion observed by the inspector, all children shared willingly their ideas about what babies can do with their ‘talk partner’.
• The quality of teaching is good. Adults have an accurate understanding of children’s abilities so that activities develop their learning to the next stage. The balance of child-directed and adult-led activities encourages children to become more independent. For example, after children had shared their thoughts about what babies can do, they were able to use their ideas to ‘look after’ baby dolls, including bathing them.
• The teacher focuses strongly on promoting the development of children’s language and communication skills. With training, additional adults are becoming more proficient at asking children questions or encouraging children to, for instance, describe what they have chosen to play with in the outdoor area. Children are generally confident speakers and are keen to share their experiences. However, on occasion there are some missed opportunities for children to talk about what they are doing and learning.
• Adults teach children phonics consistently each day and they continually reinforce phonics through each new activity. When the inspector observed the learning in early years, it was clear that even the youngest children, who had only been in school a few days, were beginning to understand the phonic routines and could make the basic letter sounds with certainty.
• Adults promote positive relationships with parents. Parents appreciate the chance to visit the provision on ‘family Fridays’ to learn about their children’s recent progress and share any concerns they may have. A new online assessment resource will soon allow parents to contribute evidence of their children’s learning outside school, helping the teacher to track children’s progress more closely and plan learning accordingly.
• Children’s behaviour is good. Work to support children’s personal, social and emotional needs is effective. Children show respect for others, waiting to take their turn happily and sharing their ideas and resources willingly with other children. Children’s relationships with each other and with adults are strong.
• Children’s learning journals provide evidence of their needs being met, with good progress in their learning over time. For example, the children quickly improved the quality of their number and letter formation and their ability to write simple words. On occasion, adults are not identifying children who need more support swiftly enough, particularly the least able, and they are falling behind their peers.
• The teacher provides many activities, both indoors and outside, that allow children to revisit their number skills in different contexts, for example by practising number sequences on their fingers or counting the numbers as they climb the logs. However, occasions for children to engage with writing tasks in the outdoor provision are limited.
• The shared early years and Year 1 classroom is used daily for whole-school activities, for example assemblies. This presents the teacher with some limitations as to how the indoor learning environment can be organised. The outside area has an increased variety of structured activities for children to choose from, to develop their skills and independence. The setting, however, is not used to its full potential.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective and meets all statutory requirements in full. Adults keep children safe and care for them well.

School details

Unique reference number 120487 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 10053094 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 58 Appropriate authority Local authority Chair of Governors Mrs Sally Cowell Headteacher Mrs Jessica Lees Telephone number 01427 668381 Website www.willoughton.lincs.sch.uk/ Email address enquiries@willoughton.lincs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6 February 2018

Information about this school

• The headteacher was appointed in February 2017. All three teachers were new to the school during the 2017/18 academic year. The chair of governors took up her role in September 2017.
• The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. There are three classes, each containing mixed-year groups of pupils.
• The proportion of girls is well below the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is considerably lower than average.
• The school runs its own breakfast club and after-school club.
• The school is a member of the Village Schools Collaboration and the Gainsborough Partnership, as well as accessing support from the KYRA Teaching School Alliance.
• The school uses Hillcrest Early Years Academy as an alternative provider.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in 10 lessons. Six of these lessons were visited jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also observed an assembly.
• The inspector looked at pupils’ work in lessons and a sample of mathematics and English books for pupils from the previous academic year, covering a range of abilities and year groups. The inspector also reviewed learning journals for children in the early years.
• The inspector heard pupils read and spoke with pupils in a discussion group and informally during lessons and at playtime.
• The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at playtime and as pupils moved around the school. She also observed pupils’ learning and behaviour in an assembly.
• The inspector held a number of meetings with the headteacher and subject leaders. She met with four members of the governing body, including the chair. The inspector also met with a representative of the local authority.
• The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day. She also considered the 43 responses from Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including nine responses made through the free-text service, and the responses to two parent surveys carried out by the school.
• The inspector took into account the seven responses from the staff online survey.
• An inspector spoke with a representative from an alternative provider used by the school.
• The inspector reviewed a wide range of documentation, including the school improvement plan and the self-evaluation summary, safeguarding procedures and records and minutes of meetings of the governing body. She also considered information about pupils’ progress and achievement, attendance records, behaviour logs, external reports on the work of the school and monitoring and evaluation records.
• The inspector reviewed information on the school’s website.

Inspection team

Rachel Tordoff, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector