Walpole Highway Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that:
  • teachers have equally high expectations in all classes across all subjects
  • teachers use assessment information to provide work which is sufficiently challenging in all subjects and meets the needs of all pupils, especially the most able, in mixed-age classes
  • pupils have frequent opportunities to improve their reasoning and fluency skills in mathematics
  • pupils are challenged consistently to answer reading comprehension questions accurately and in depth
  • pupils develop and deepen their knowledge and skills across the full range of subjects.
• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • governors have the necessary skills and understanding to hold leaders to account for pupil outcomes and the quality of teaching
  • the curriculum is developed so that pupils can expand their skills, knowledge and understanding more effectively in all subjects
  • accurate assessment information about pupils’ progress and attainment is captured across the curriculum to better inform planning
  • plans for improvement are implemented consistently across the school and lead to better outcomes for all pupils. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The executive headteacher has a clear vision for the school which is shared and articulated by all staff. She has had to steer the school through a period of staffing instability over a short period of time. This has delayed improvements in the quality of teaching and learning. Too many pupils leave school at the end of Year 6 below the standard expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Management across the federation was restructured in September 2018 to clarify the roles, responsibilities and tasks. Staff are enthusiastic about the improvements this has brought, for example better methods of communication. However, not enough time has passed for these changes to show a positive impact on raising standards.
• New procedures to check pupils’ progress were introduced in September 2018 as the assessment data collected previously was not accurate. Now, information gathered is starting to identify when and where additional support or challenge is needed for pupils. However, there are some inconsistencies in how assessments are used and only progress in English, mathematics and science is being checked.
• A new inclusion manager was appointed in September 2018. He has simplified the communication process for parents and now involves staff in producing concise support plans for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers take pupils’ targets into account in the classroom and the newly formed achievement team provides further support. However, targets are too broad and lack precision.
• A new ‘text led’ curriculum was introduced in September 2018 to raise pupils’ aspirations and provide a wide range of experiences for all. Quality texts are used to introduce topics. The curriculum is enhanced by trips, such as to the zoo to support an ‘Animals’ topic. However, this approach is at an early stage of development. Pupils are not developing their knowledge, skills or understanding to sufficient depth in many subjects.
• Middle leaders are taking some action to bring about improvements but their roles have not been fully developed and the impact of their work is not yet evident. For example, the mathematics leaders are working closely with the Cambridgeshire mathematics hub to develop a mastery programme across the federation. This work is at an early stage and they have not yet had the opportunity to monitor its effectiveness.
• The local authority has been involved in supporting the school for a few years. It is honest in its evaluation that, due to a large number of new initiatives, the school is improving but is at an early stage of its journey of ensuring consistently good-quality teaching and better outcomes for pupils.
• The school welcomes support from outside agencies. It is currently taking part in a programme funded through a professional association to support high-quality professional development for teachers and leaders. This is increasing the school’s capacity for further improvement.
• The federation is proving to be beneficial. Staff learn from one another and there is a collaborative approach to pooling skills and expertise through regular joint staff meetings. In this way, curriculum responsibilities can be shared across the federation.
• Leaders have established a warm, welcoming and pleasant ethos. Parents are very supportive of the school’s work and praise its ‘family feel’. They are confident that they can discuss any issues regarding their children with staff and that concerns will be promptly addressed. Leaders have identified ways to further engage parents in the life of the school, such as termly learning cafés in a range of subjects.
• Leaders use the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils effectively. Their attainment is consistent with other pupils in the school. Strategies to improve attendance are having a good impact and the parent support advisers offer support and challenge where needed. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils is improving.
• Leaders use the primary school physical education (PE) and sport premium to develop the opportunities for pupils to participate in competitions and sports events. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about a federation sports day where there was a carousel of activities to take part in. They were confident about the benefits of regular exercise and leading a healthy lifestyle and enjoy their PE lessons in school.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Leaders and staff ensure that pupils learn about the wider world and treating people with respect. Visitors during assembly deliver social stories which look at choices and different ways to behave. Pupils take part in charity and fund-raising events, such as making donations to the local food bank.
• Pupils learn about practical values, such as integrity, and British values, such as democracy and justice. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governance of the school

• Governors have an overgenerous view of the school’s overall effectiveness over time.
• Governors have not held senior leaders to account sufficiently for all aspects of the school’s performance. They have not challenged senior leaders sufficiently to ensure that the areas for development from the previous inspection are effectively addressed. This has had a negative impact on the outcomes achieved by pupils.
• The governors are well intentioned. However, they rely too much on leaders to provide them with information on pupils’ performance without asking robust questions or challenging them about all aspects of the school’s work.
• The governing body has confidence in the headteacher’s capacity to move the school forward. Governors share the leadership team’s ambition and care deeply about the school. They are committed to the school’s success and improving outcomes for pupils.
• Governors have a deep knowledge and understanding of the local context, which helps leaders to recognise the challenges. As a relatively new governing body, governors welcome the opportunity to undergo a review of governance.
• Governors know the work leaders have already done to secure improvements. They visit the school to talk with school leaders and pupils. In this way, they gather first-hand evidence of the effectiveness of the school’s work.
• The attendance governor regularly visits the school and holds leaders to account for pupils’ attendance and pupils’ welfare. Monitoring of the use of additional funding provided for vulnerable pupils has increased and governors are now ensuring that leaders are using it more effectively.
• A governor ensures that safeguarding arrangements are secure, including the implementation of the safeguarding policy and the accuracy of the single central record of pre-employment checks for staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have been effective in establishing a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school.
• Leaders make sure that the single central record is kept up to date. It is well maintained and easy to navigate. Thorough checks on the suitability of staff, including references of newly appointed staff, are carried out prior to staff joining the school.
• All staff have up-to-date training in safeguarding and child protection. They know how to report any concerns they may have over pupils’ welfare. Leaders work effectively with local agencies to protect children.
• Pupils have opportunities within assemblies and lessons to learn about how to stay safe They were unanimous that they could approach adults with any concerns which may arise and were confident that these adults would help them.
• During the inspection, the pupils were taking part in ‘Safer Internet Day’. Pupils were making posters about how to stay safe when online by using the text ‘Goldilocks – A Hashtag Cautionary Tale’ as inspiration. Pupils know what information they should and should not share.
• Pupils are kept safe on the school site. Arrangements for supervision are effective to ensure pupils’ safety. Parents confirmed that their children are safe at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Although still requiring improvement, the quality of teaching and the use of assessment to plan learning are on an upward trajectory and gaps in pupils’ knowledge are being addressed. However, these improvements are not yet fully established in all subjects and some variations remain. The most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged. Teaching does not consistently build on what these pupils know, understand and can do and there are instances when pupils in different year groups are all given the same work.
• The new assessment system is helping all staff know what pupils need to do to improve in English and mathematics. However, it does not provide enough information for staff to build upon pupils’ knowledge of the arts or humanities. As a result, staff are not secure in their understanding of what pupils, particularly the more able learners, already know and can do. This was an area for improvement following the last inspection that has not been addressed successfully.
• Following the previous inspection, teachers have planned more opportunities for extended writing in a range of subjects. This has led to an increase in pupils’ stamina when writing at length. Pupils’ learning starts with a high-quality text which is linked across the curriculum to other subjects, such as science, history and geography. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were enthusiastic about their ‘Space’ topic which has been planned from the text ‘Cosmic’.
• The teaching of subjects other than English and mathematics is too infrequent. Consequently, pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to develop their understanding and skills in subjects such as history and geography.
• Raising the profile of mathematics and improving pupils’ reasoning skills is a priority across the school. Teachers are beginning to provide more opportunities for pupils to apply reasoning skills to problem-solving activities and investigation work. Staff are also using the new assessment tool to identify gaps in pupils’ mathematics knowledge. These initiatives are very new and leaders are not in the position to be able to fully evaluate the impact of changes.
• There are positive relationships in classes between adults and pupils. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils who require additional help and are struggling with their work.
• As a result of effective professional development, the teaching of phonics is a strength. This has led to pupils’ increased confidence in applying their phonics knowledge to read and spell. Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• In this small school, all pupils and staff know each other very well. As one pupil said, ‘It’s like a big family … all the teachers and assistants really like us.’ Nurturing relationships between adults and pupils are evident across the school.
• Older pupils care for younger pupils. This was evident on the playground where pupils of all ages played well together. School council members enjoy their responsibilities and were confident that their voice is heard. For example, they described how they chose activities such as making art or watching a film as part of an end of term treat.
• The school has a high rate of pupil mobility. Pupils are accustomed to new pupils joining the school at different points through the school year. They were confident to talk about different ways they made newcomers feel welcome, such as being a friend at playtime or sitting with them at lunchtime.
• Staff teach pupils to value different cultures and religions. Older pupils were keen to talk about their recent visit to France. They described with relish new experiences, such as visiting a French market and trying out their spoken French in ‘real life’.
• The emotional well-being of pupils is prioritised. This is a strength of the school and appreciated by pupils. Pupils who had the opportunity to attend an after-school club aimed at helping them manage feelings of anxiety described some useful techniques they had learned, such as meditation and using music to relax.
• Pupils are taught to be thoughtful and considerate. They take part in a number of charitable fundraising events, including giving rather than receiving gifts or treats during advent. Through such opportunities they learn about how they can offer support to people who are struggling.
• Pupils said they feel safe in school. They are confident that adults will help them if they are hurt or upset. Relationships between adults and pupils are strong and there is a warm ethos of mutual respect evident. The school’s pastoral workers provide effective support for individuals and their parents.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good due to the high expectations of senior leaders and all staff. The school is calm and orderly and pupils are sensible as they move around the school. They are respectful of adults and each other and enjoy making visitors feel welcome.
• Leaders monitor behaviour carefully. They have put in place effective measures to address the needs of any pupils with behavioural difficulties.
• Pupils have a positive view of the procedures in place to reward good behaviour. They are particularly enthusiastic about the school’s ‘praise pounds’ scheme through which they can earn rewards, such as additional playtime.
• Leaders have successfully reduced the proportion of pupils who regularly miss school. Pupils’ attendance is rising and is now broadly average. Classes compete to get the highest attendance during the school year. The rate of fixed-period exclusions has also reduced.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• With such small numbers of pupils in each year group, where one or two pupils can have a substantial impact on overall results, the school’s published data must be interpreted with caution.
• Nevertheless, in the previous three years, Year 6 pupils have not made good progress from key stage 1 to key stage 2, especially in reading and mathematics. Few pupils have attained the higher standard in reading and mathematics and/or greater depth in writing.
• In 2018, there was an improvement in the progress pupils made in writing and their attainment was in line with the national average. Even so, pupils’ attainment in spelling, punctuation and grammar was well below that of other pupils nationally. Pupils’ better attainment was as a result of a whole-school focus on developing pupils’ writing skills across the curriculum and a consistent approach to the teaching of writing. A scrutiny of pupils’ books showed that, currently, this improvement is being sustained.
• In mathematics, plans to improve reasoning and problem solving are at an early stage of development. Where the quality of teaching was previously less than good, some pupils have considerable gaps in their knowledge and skills.
• Following a thorough analysis of the 2018 reading test papers, leaders identified higher-level reading skills, such as inference, as an area for development. In addition, they noted that pupils displayed a reluctance to answer questions which required longer explanations.
• The most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged because teachers miss opportunities to swiftly identify when they are ready to move on in their learning. As a result, very few of these pupils exceed expectations related to their age. Leaders are using pupil progress meetings to ensure that more challenging targets are set for individual learners.
• In science, pupils develop their knowledge and skills and achieve well. However, in other subjects it is not possible to judge the progress pupils are making because the new assessment system is not yet being used across the curriculum.
• Younger pupils develop early reading skills well through acquiring a secure knowledge of phonics. Consequently, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is improving and close to the national average.

Early Years provision Good

• Leadership and teaching of early years is good. Children learn in a safe, secure and stimulating learning environment. Adults forge strong relationships with families and children. They are always available to speak to parents on the playground before and after school. In this way, day-to-day feedback about their child’s learning is regular and much appreciated by parents.
• Transitions into school are well managed and early assessment establishes an appropriate starting point for teaching. Children who may benefit from additional support are quickly identified and interventions planned. The mixed-age class offers opportunities for older children to become role models and routines are quickly established. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Adults make detailed, frequent assessments of children’s knowledge and skills. They know each child exceptionally well. The percentage of children reaching a good level of development at the end of the early years is increasing but few exceed the early learning goals.
• Outdoor provision has been much improved since the last inspection. For example, the area has been extended to incorporate a mud kitchen. A new canopy has been put up to ensure that children have full access to outdoor learning, whatever the weather. There is a range of opportunities available for children indoors and outside to consolidate and extend their skills in all areas of learning.
• Adults focus on children’s language development well, using effective questioning to extend vocabulary. Children’s social skills, such as turn-taking, are consistently reinforced.
• Children are also encouraged to recognise there is a consequence to actions. For example, one child who did not wait for their turn during a lively game of skittles was informed by peers that a turn had to be missed. This decision was accepted as fair. As a result, children develop their own social skills by learning to play cooperatively with each other.
• Adults promote children’s well-being very effectively and ensure that there is a safe nurturing environment. This is echoed by parents. Consequently, children are confident learners who can focus with sustained concentration on a variety of tasks.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120887 Norfolk 10058674 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 52 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Martin Gordon Alison Bailey 01945 880329 www.walpolehighway.norfolk.sch.uk office@walpolehighway.norfolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 28–29 September 2016

Information about this school

• The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in three classes: class 1, with Reception Year and Year 1; class 2, with Years 2, 3 and 4; and class 3, with Years 5 and 6.
• The majority of pupils are of White British background and few speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is higher than is found nationally.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND but not supported by an education, health and care plan is above average.
• The school is part of the Windmill Federation, sharing a headteacher and a number of staff, including an assistant headteacher who is leader for special educational needs and/or inclusion.
• The school has a higher level of mobility then is found nationally.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector visited lessons jointly with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.
• The inspector scrutinised pupils’ work alongside leaders and listened to pupils read. She observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including playtimes and lunchtimes.
• The inspector spoke to pupils, both formally and informally, to gather their opinions about the school.
• Meetings were held with the chair of the governing body, senior and middle leaders and the school improvement officer from the local authority.
• The inspector viewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of monitoring. Safeguarding documents and records of the quality of teaching and learning were also studied, along with information relating to pupils’ outcomes, behaviour and attendance.
• The inspector gathered the views of some parents at the end of the school day. She also took account of the 10 parents who submitted free-text responses through Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

Inspection team

Jo Nutbeam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector