Winyates Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to accelerate pupils’ progress and attainment in reading across the school by:
  • embedding the strategies that have already been introduced successfully to raise standards in reading
  • ensuring that the school’s reading action plan is implemented, monitored and evaluated effectively
  • making sure that the best practice in the teaching of reading is shared and replicated across all classes.
• Diminish the gaps in progress and attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers nationally by:
  • reducing the rates of absence of disadvantaged pupils so that they are in line with their non-disadvantaged peers nationally
  • evaluating the impact of the use of the pupil premium grant more robustly.
• Develop the quality of leadership of science and the foundation subjects by:
  • ensuring that assessment practices are more robust and coordinated
  • developing more consistent and effective strategies to monitor the impact of the curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment on pupils’ outcomes.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has established a culture of high expectation and ambition for all pupils who attend the school, irrespective of their background or the additional challenges that they might face. Governors, school leaders, teachers and other adults who work at the school share this vision. They are committed to providing pupils with the best possible opportunities, both in and out of the classroom. One pupil said: ‘Everything here is really organised. The teachers work hard so everything works well.’ As a result, pupils receive a good standard of education.
• Leaders have a clear understanding of what they are doing well and what needs further improvement. They are accurate in their assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and they provide teachers with training that continually improves the quality of their teaching. Leaders collaborate with other schools to ensure that their own evaluations are accurate. Leaders’ development plans are well focused and set precise, measurable targets. As a consequence, leaders are able to demonstrate that they are continuing to improve the quality of education in the school.
• Leaders know pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and they track their progress closely. Pupils who fall behind are identified and they are provided with extra help. As a consequence, leaders support pupils to achieve well. In recent years, children have made good and improving progress in early years from starting points that are below what is typical for their age. Progress is maintained throughout the school in writing and mathematics. As a result of leaders’ actions, progress in reading at key stage 2 is improving.
• Leaders provide a broad and balanced curriculum. The development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy is at the heart of the curriculum and pupils are supported to develop these skills further through the study of a wide range of topics. Leaders are passionate about the need for the curriculum to develop pupils’ abilities to ask questions, to help them to understand how they learn and to be excited about learning. Pupils’ desire to learn is evident in their high attendance of pre-school learning activities and their eagerness to re-start learning after breaktimes.
• Pupils’ experience at school is enhanced by the wide range of extra-curricular activities that leaders provide. There are many sporting clubs on offer and they are very popular with pupils. Pupils are also able to receive additional support at the homework club and at the learning sessions that run before the start of the school day.
• The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Equality and diversity are promoted well in lessons, in assemblies and through the behaviour of adults around the school. One pupil commented: ‘Everyone is friendly here at Winyates. We are really friendly because we all need friends and we all need to feel valued.’ Pupils also gain an understanding of the importance of fundamental British values, such as democracy, respect and tolerance. This is evident through their involvement in initiatives such as the recent review of the school’s behaviour system and the many positions of responsibility that they hold. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Strong leadership of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities by the SEN coordinator (SENCo) ensures that funding for pupils is well spent. Pupils’ needs are identified quickly and there is close liaison between the SENCo, teaching assistants and teachers. They assess the progress that pupils are making and plan strategies to offer them additional help when they need it. Leaders work with a wide range of professionals, including a sleep therapist, in order to meet pupils’ needs. As a consequence, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress towards the targets set out in their individual education plans.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is spent effectively. Leaders employ both a specialist PE teacher and additional coaches in sports such as tennis, cricket and hockey to develop pupils’ skills. Pupils’ participation and skills are monitored closely and they benefit greatly from the provision. Pupils are proud of their successes in inter-school sports competitions and of the high numbers of their classmates who represent the county in different sports.
• Leaders quickly identify the barriers to learning for those pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding. Disadvantaged pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive. They are provided with a range of support and additional learning programmes in order to increase their rates of progress and improve their attendance. As a result, their progress is improving as they move through the school, but it is not yet in line with their non-disadvantaged peers. Leaders’ aims and expected outcomes for the use of some aspects of the pupil premium funding are not clear. This limits its impact and slows pupils’ progress, especially in key stage 1 and at the start of key stage 2.
• The coordinators of English, mathematics and SEN and/or disabilities provide effective leadership. They are knowledgeable, they monitor their areas closely and their plans for improvement are having an impact. Leadership of science and other foundation subject areas is relatively new and these leaders’ monitoring and assessment practices are less well established. Senior leaders have identified the needs of these middle leaders and they are providing them with support and training, and making them accountable, which they value. However, it is too early to see the impact of these actions.

Governance of the school

• Governors know their school well. While they celebrate its many strengths, they are equally aware of its priorities for improvement. Governors receive regular training in relation to their specific roles on the governing body. Through governors’ meetings and their visits to the school, governors offer leaders effective challenge and support. Governors ensure that their statutory duties, especially in safeguarding pupils’ welfare, are fully met.
• The links forged by governors with another local primary school provide many benefits to the school. As well as recruiting a headteacher to work across both schools, the relationship provides support with staff recruitment, evaluation of performance and opportunities to share staff. The joint governors’ panel that sits across both schools allows governors to share experience and increases their capacity. The relationship brings clear benefits to the school.
• Governors regularly monitor the progress of all pupils, especially those who are disadvantaged. While governors track the progress of disadvantaged pupils closely, their evaluation of the impact of many of the specific initiatives provided for disadvantaged pupils is less evident.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school has a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff at all levels receive regular safeguarding training and they know how to identify pupils who are potentially at risk. Staff understand, and follow, leaders’ clear protocols for the reporting of any safeguarding concerns.
• School leaders ensure that safeguarding concerns are logged and they are tenacious in making sure that child protection referrals are dealt with appropriately. The maintenance of child protection files is effective and leaders work well with representatives from other agencies.
• All required checks are carried out when recruiting new staff to work with pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The impact of leaders’ actions to improve teaching is evident across early years and both key stages 1 and 2. Teachers consistently apply the school’s assessment policy. They also support leaders’ high expectations of presentation and their drive to encourage pupils to develop their own questioning skills. Ongoing improvements in the teaching of reading are evident.
• Many teachers question individual pupils, and groups of pupils, skilfully in order to provide them with specific guidance about what they need to do to improve their work. Strong subject knowledge allows them to challenge pupils and to provide additional support, where necessary.
• Teaching assistants provide particularly effective support to pupils. They work closely with teachers and they understand the needs of the pupils that they are supporting. Their explanations of tasks and questioning of pupils supports pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to make good progress.
• Relationships between teachers and pupils are a strength. The bond between teachers and pupils encourages pupils to take risks. They know that getting something wrong will actually help them to improve. As a consequence of this culture of trust, pupils also collaborate well with each other. They offer honest and appropriate opinions about each other’s work which enables them to make further improvements.
• Pupils receive helpful advice from their teachers about how to improve their written work. Assessment in different forms is used well both to gauge exactly what pupils can do and also to provide them with additional guidance on how to improve further. Pupils value the advice that they receive from their teachers and can point to many examples where this approach has helped them make progress.
• Recent changes to the teaching of phonics are particularly effective. Sessions include a variety of different activities that motivate pupils to work hard and enjoy their language development. Staff are adept at showing pupils the skills required and, as a consequence, progress in phonics is improving rapidly.
• There are a small number of examples where teaching is less effective. Where this is the case, learning activities are not always closely matched to the abilities of pupils, questioning is not effective in checking what pupils understand and expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not applied consistently.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Leaders work hard to develop pupils’ confidence and their understanding of how to become successful learners. Pupils are resilient in lessons. They are confident and eager to get involved in activities, and work well in support of each other. Pupils said that they were told: ‘Work hard now. This is the start of your journey and this will pay off in the end.’
• Leaders have developed stronger links with parents, carers and families by opening the school earlier and providing additional tuition in English and mathematics, as well as other sessions such as ‘sensory circuits’. This has strengthened relationships with many parents who are now able to come into the school with their children and discuss any issues of concern with school staff on a daily basis.
• Pupils are taught to stay safe and healthy through topics including friendships, bullying, internet safety and sex and relationships education. One pupil said: ‘Our teachers notice if we’re upset and they sort out problems quickly.’ Pupils value the addition of the outdoor exercise equipment as a way of promoting good health.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in and out of lessons. They are friendly, polite and well mannered. They follow the instructions of their teachers closely and they have good attitudes to learning. Pupils also behave well at lunch and breaktimes. They are well supervised outside, where they socialise or play sensibly in small groups. Staff join pupils for lunch in the school canteen, where there is a very positive and friendly atmosphere.
• Leaders’ and pupils’ recent review of the school’s behaviour policy has ensured greater consistency by simplifying expectations. The review also enhanced the focus on rewarding good behaviour. Staff and pupils are positive about the changes. As a consequence, the numbers of pupils receiving detentions, internal exclusions and fixed-term exclusions have all reduced this year.
• Leaders are aware of the importance of attendance and the need to reduce pupils’ absence. The strategies that they use, including issuing penalty notices, have seen a reduction in the overall absence of pupils, which is now broadly in line with the national average. Leaders’ work to reduce the absence of disadvantaged pupils has had less impact. The absence of this group of pupils remains above average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Children join the early years with skills that are below those that are typical for their age. As a result of effective early assessment, leaders ensure that children’s individual needs are identified quickly and that learning activities support their progress. As a consequence, children make good and improving progress across early years.
• The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has been below average, but improving, over the last three years. The progress of children currently in early years continues to improve. Leaders’ assessments, evidence in children’s workbooks and observations of teaching all demonstrate that children this year are making good progress.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the national phonics check at the end of Year 1 has been below the national average for the last three years. However, following a whole-school focus on improving outcomes in phonics, leaders’ assessment information demonstrates that pupils are currently making much better progress. As a result of more effective, systematic approaches to the teaching of phonics, the proportion of pupils on track to achieve the expected standard is already higher than it was at this time last year.
• In 2017, at the end of key stage 1, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was in line with the attainment of pupils with similar starting points nationally, both at the expected standard and at greater depth. For some pupils, attainment was above the national average. Pupils are currently on track to make continued good progress at the end of key stage 1.
• Pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics at key stage 2 has been above, or well above, average for the last three years. Pupils continue to make good progress in writing and mathematics across key stage 2. However, pupils’ attainment and progress in reading has been below average for the last two years.
• Leaders have taken decisive action and have introduced new approaches to the teaching of reading across the whole school. As a consequence, both attainment and progress in reading improved at the end of key stage 2 in 2017. However, they were still too low. The standards in reading of pupils currently in the school continue to rise and pupils in Year 6 are performing better than similar pupils did at this point last year. However, leaders acknowledge that their new approaches need to be embedded to ensure that standards in reading continue to improve.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress. Their needs are quickly identified by staff and they are supported effectively in their learning. The progress of disadvantaged pupils is less consistent. While the differences in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and their non-disadvantaged peers are reducing towards the end of key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils make less progress in key stage 1 and at the start of key stage 2.

Early years provision Good

• Children make good progress in early years. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development has increased over the last three years. As a result of improvements in teaching, children currently in early years are making better progress than in previous years. Pupils are well prepared for Year 1.
• Leadership of early years is strong. Children benefit from a well-qualified and experienced team that focuses on developing them as learners. Leaders’ work to support children as they join the provision is very effective. They work closely with families and pre-school providers to ensure that children make a smooth start in Reception.
• The early years curriculum is closely tailored to the needs of each different cohort. Leaders have ensured that children currently in Reception have a wide range of opportunities to develop their speech and language skills, for example. They have also built in a variety of activities to develop children’s understanding of the world around them through activities such as a bus tour of the local area and a trip to a nearby farm. As a consequence, weaknesses in children’s knowledge and skills are quickly addressed.
• Teaching in early years is good. Children benefit from a range of well-planned activities that engage their interest and allow them to develop their skills across the different areas of learning. The learning environment is well organised and children are effective in selecting from a range of different activities. They are very well supported by experienced teaching assistants.
• Members of the early years team regularly observe children in order to assess how quickly they are developing and if they need extra help. Although this ensures that children make good progress, there are times when progress could be further accelerated by increasing the level of challenge in some of the activities.
• Adults ensure that children behave well and that they are safe. Children collaborate well, they listen attentively and they support each other. The environment is safe and adults are well trained to care for and protect the children. Safeguarding arrangements are secure.

School details

Unique reference number 110747 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 10043542 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 204 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ann Taylor Headteacher Colette Firth Telephone number 01733 234185 Website www.winyatesprimary.co.uk/ Email address office@winyates.peterborough.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 May 2014

Information about this school

• Winyates Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who receive special educational needs support is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2017, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of key stage 2.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in every class, visited the before-school activities and attended an assembly. The majority of lesson observations were carried out jointly with school leaders.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks were looked at by inspectors throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the SENCo, the early years leader, the school business manager and members of the governing body. They held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in class and around the school at break and lunchtimes to seek their views about the school.
• Inspectors met with two groups of pupils more formally to discuss many aspects of school life.
• Inspectors heard some pupils in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 5 read. Inspectors talked to pupils about their reading habits and looked at their reading records.
• Inspectors scrutinised the school’s website and a range of school documents, including assessment information, minutes from the governing body meetings and the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness. Inspectors also scrutinised leaders’ improvement plans and their records about behaviour, safeguarding and attendance.
• Inspectors considered the 10 responses and four texts made by parents to the Ofsted online Parent View questionnaire and the school’s own surveys of the views of parents. Inspectors also spoke to some parents before school.

Inspection team

Daniel Gee, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Fiona Webb Her Majesty’s Inspector