Waverley Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality and consistency of teaching and learning, in order to accelerate pupils’ progress, by:
  • raising the expectations of teachers and teaching assistants
  • strengthening the teaching of mathematics and ensuring that all pupils have frequent opportunities to apply their calculation skills to mathematical problems
  • developing consistent approaches to the teaching and correction of spellings
  • ensuring that there are more well-planned opportunities for pupils to write at length and to apply their mathematics skills across the wider curriculum
  • ensuring that the additional support provided for pupils who are at risk of falling behind is sharply focused and effective.
• Improve pupils’ attitudes to learning, especially in key stage 1, by:
  • ensuring that lessons progress at pace and that work is not overly repetitive
  • more explicitly fostering pupils’ resilience and determination.
• Further improve attendance, especially the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management, by:
  • making more frequent and more evaluative checks on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, including the additional teaching for pupils at risk of falling behind
  • developing the role of middle leaders, so that they make a more significant contribution to driving improvements
  • strengthening further the performance management of teachers, so that they receive good quality feedback on their performance and know how to improve their practice
  • rigorously evaluating and refining the use of the pupil premium. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium 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

• Leadership capacity in the school is limited. The headteacher has no deputy and the assistant headteacher and middle leaders teach their classes the vast majority of the time. Consequently, some key systems, such as the monitoring of teaching and learning, are not sufficiently rigorous.
• Checks on the quality of teaching and learning are too infrequent and are not sharply evaluative. Records show little insightful analysis of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching. Analysis of the quality of work in pupils’ books also only happens occasionally and lacks detail. Teachers therefore do not receive sufficiently helpful feedback. Over time, leaders have not challenged weaker teaching robustly enough, even when it has been evident that pupils were not making as much progress as they should.
• In recent years, leaders did not set teachers ambitious or measurable performance management objectives. As a result, teachers routinely met their objectives and were awarded salary progression. The current headteacher has recognised this and set sharper targets this year. She has begun to hold teachers more robustly to account through the introduction of termly pupil progress meetings. In these meetings, assessment information is being used more effectively, and teachers are being challenged to address weaker progress, where it occurs.
• The headteacher has put in place a strategy for the use of the pupil premium. However, systems to check on its impact are poorly developed. Current assessment information shows disadvantaged pupils make inconsistent progress, and leaders acknowledge that some additional support they provide may not be effective. The primary sports premium is used well, as the range of physical education is wide and participation rates are high. Initiatives such as the Golden Mile successfully have everyone running. Special educational needs funding is well used. There is good support in place for these pupils and their families, which helps them to make similar progress to others in the school.
• The curriculum focuses predominantly on English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT). Other subjects are woven across topics and are enriched by the forest school programme and the range of sporting opportunities. Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is fostered effectively through the different topics studied. Religious education lessons help pupils to discuss and debate moral dilemmas. Good assemblies and regular discussion of current affairs ensures that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Since being appointed in September 2016, the headteacher has accurately identified key priorities for improvement. She has begun to strengthen lines of accountability, made inroads into tackling attendance and successfully introduced a new programme to develop pupils’ phonics and reading skills. However, she is yet to ensure that leaders across the school have the time and training to rigorously evaluate and improve their areas of responsibility.
• Support from the local authority has been patchy this year. The school’s challenge partner changed mid-year, preventing any real continuity. In order to accelerate the pace of improvement, the local authority has very recently developed a strategy to support the headteacher with additional leadership capacity from within the Outer West Learning Trust.

Governance of the school

• Despite considerable change to the membership of the governing body, the governors are well informed about the school’s strengths and weaknesses and provide the headteacher with effective support and challenge. They make regular visits to check on the impact of actions in the school development plan. The governors have audited their skills and undertake relevant training to develop their skills further. Each governor is knowledgeable about their specific areas of responsibility and liaises closely with members of staff in school to check on their work.
• Governors are supporting the headteacher’s efforts to hold teachers more rigorously to account. They accept that some less-effective teaching was not addressed strongly enough in the past and are determined to tackle it now.
• The governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. They conscientiously review the quality of safeguarding arrangements and have made improvements where necessary.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders give safeguarding the highest priority. They ensure that all members of staff are well trained and understand their duty to protect and safeguard children. The headteacher and the director of pastoral know the community well and work effectively with the families of more vulnerable pupils. They have excellent working partnerships with external agencies, including the police, public health and social services.
• Leaders employ an external safeguarding consultant to scrutinise their systems and provide up-to-date guidance. This has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are of a good quality and that actions taken to protect a child are timely. Leaders ensure that detailed records of excellent quality are maintained.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is variable across the school and leads to inconsistent rates of progress. Over time, leaders have not acted decisively to address weaker teaching.
• Although teachers plan a varied range of activities, some do not hold high enough expectations and spend too long repeating skills that pupils have already grasped. Some teachers ask questions that do not extend pupils’ thinking sufficiently and settle for a superficial level of understanding. As a result, pupils in their classes are not challenged and do not make the progress they should.
• In key stage 1 and lower key stage 2, too much teaching fails to challenge the most able pupils. Some teachers are not adept enough to notice that pupils are ready for more and fail to move the learning on. In some classes, this leads to restlessness, as pupils lose interest and become distracted.
• Some teaching assistants lack the necessary subject knowledge to support groups of pupils effectively. For example, inspectors observed a group of pupils confidently doubling and halving numbers up to 10, but being told they must do the task with counters.
• Some teachers have begun to include more opportunities for pupils to reason and explain their thinking in mathematics. More challenging problems are now being provided in some classes. However, some teachers are still uncertain and reluctant to provide mathematical problems for lower-attaining pupils. They fall back on teaching more basic calculation methods. This approach is limiting the progress they make and fails to engage some pupils sufficiently.
• Teachers in Years 5 and 6 are skilled at developing pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. Levels of engagement in these classrooms are high and pupils are challenged to think deeply. Sharp, specific teaching helps to address gaps in pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar. Regular homework is used to develop the technical aspects of written work, and new spellings are tested twice a week. However, the school’s approach to the teaching of spelling is inconsistent and some teachers do little to address spelling errors when checking pupils’ work.
• The forest school programme makes an excellent contribution to pupils’ learning and development. Pupils are excited to participate and enjoy learning in the outdoor arena. Well-planned activities and skilful questioning help pupils to think deeply about the outdoor environment and to utilise their senses. Teaching makes good links with science, geography and technology and fosters an appreciation of personal safety.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Personal development and welfare Requires improvement

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school is a warm and caring environment. Teachers have good relationships with pupils. Some use humour well to create a relaxed, yet positive climate in the classroom. Most parents who responded to Parent View are very happy with the quality of care and support that their children receive.
• The curriculum makes good provision for pupils’ personal, social and economic understanding. The forest school is a strength, and the wide variety of extra-curricular sporting activities on offer make a valuable contribution to pupils’ health. Many pupils participate in physical education after school. The school recently took part in Newcastle’s public health survey. The results demonstrate that pupils benefit from good physical and mental health.
• Pupils have good opportunities to learn about different faiths and to visit different places of worship. For example, pupils have visited the synagogue and the mosque in Newcastle to learn about world faiths first hand. There are also strong links with the local church. Assemblies are used to promote pupils’ understanding of moral issues more widely. These approaches make a good contribution to preparing pupils for life in a multi-cultural society.
• Pupils said that school leaders have assertively tackled some occasional name-calling and derogatory language. Members of staff have made it absolutely clear that this will not be tolerated. The school keeps detailed records of behaviour incidents and works closely with parents to address any concerns that arise.
• The curriculum also helps pupils to understand and appreciate risks to their safety. There is good information available for pupils to help them stay safe when using digital media. The school draws on the expertise of national children’s charities to supplement this work.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because, in some lessons, especially in key stage 1, pupils become restless and lack the resilience to sustain their concentration.
• Levels of attendance are below the national average for primary schools. The proportion of pupils who were absent from school increased steadily across 2014 to 2016. This year, improving attendance was rightly identified and prioritised by the headteacher. Efforts to check on the reasons for absence have been sharpened and leaders have introduced contracts with parents who allow their children to miss school regularly. More recently, leaders and governors have begun to fine families who make no effort to improve their child’s attendance. These strategies have resulted in some modest improvements this year, although levels of attendance remain below the national average, especially the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.
• Some families are repeatedly late for school. The school’s records show that punctuality in the morning is an increasing problem, especially for disadvantaged pupils. Poor punctuality and attendance are contributing to the weaker rates of academic progress made by some disadvantaged pupils.
• Most pupils show positive attitudes towards their lessons and, when teaching really engages and excites them, are highly committed and work hard. Most lessons are productive and purposeful. Pupils look after their books and take pride in the presentation of their work.
• Around the school, pupils are polite and considerate of one another. They queue patiently in the dining hall and tidy away efficiently after their meals, thanking the catering staff for their lunch. They look after the school site well and ensure that there is no litter. Members of staff supervise social times effectively and have good procedures in place to manage movement around the site.

Outcomes for pupils

Requires improvement

• Pupils make variable progress as they move through the school. In some phases, their progress is slower than it should be because teachers do not hold high enough expectations and plan work that fails to challenge pupils effectively.
• Teaching in key stage 1 fails to build on the good start that children make in the early years. In years 1 and 2, rates of progress slow, so that standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 are no better than the national average. Relatively few pupils attain the higher standard. Pupils also make relatively slow progress in lower key stage 2. They make faster progress in Years 5 and 6 because teachers are more adept at identifying and addressing gaps in pupils’ knowledge. More-able pupils are challenged more effectively in Years 5 and 6 and their progress accelerates. As a result, they make better progress across the key stage than other pupils.
• Standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 are below average. Although pupils have well-planned opportunities to write in different styles and for different purposes, they lag behind the national picture in their grasp of grammar and punctuation. Standards in spelling have been well below that seen nationally in recent years. Provisional results from the end of key stage 2 tests for 2017 are disappointing, particularly in writing and mathematics, where no pupils attained the higher standard.
• Despite good training opportunities for teachers, the teaching of mathematics is still very variable. Some teachers and teaching assistants lack the necessary subject knowledge to support pupils well enough. Provisional results for 2017 indicate that rates of progress in mathematics remain below those seen nationally.
• The quality of work in pupils’ books across other subjects is also variable. There are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge in subjects such as science or geography, and there are only limited opportunities for pupils to write at length in their topic work.
• The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is variable. Those with lower starting points at the end of the Reception Year and the end of key stage 1 struggle to make the progress expected of them. In some year groups, the school’s own assessment information shows that their progress is considerably weaker than that of other pupils in the school. Leaders accept that some of the additional support they have provided has not been effective.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are looked after by the local authority receive good support and help. They make similar progress to other pupils in the school from their starting points.
• Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception Years. The more focused approach that the school has adopted to the teaching of phonics and early writing skills has begun to have a positive impact. More children have a sound grasp of basic skills by the end of the Reception Year than in the past. Outcomes in the Year 1 national phonics screening check also rose noticeably in 2017.

Early years provision Good

• Children make a positive start in the early years. Provision in the Nursery and Reception Years is well organised and very well resourced. Most children, especially two-year olds who join the Nursery in the term before they are three, make good progress.
• Approximately half of children enter the school with skills below those expected for their age. Good teaching coupled with a vibrant and varied curriculum ensure that they make strong progress.
• Children have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of activities skilfully organised around captivating and engaging themes. The environment both inside and outside is colourful and encourages children to be inquisitive and curious. Some quirky and novel ideas allow children to be independent and access tasks with ease.
• Adults intervene skilfully to develop children’s play and to stimulate their thinking. Teaching assistants are constantly vigilant and quickly reengage children who wander off task. Inspectors observed children being cleverly drawn into a group that found new dressing-up costumes. With the minimum of prompting, children organised themselves effectively and began playing the roles of pantomime characters.
• Teachers adeptly draw children into planned activities to develop their basic reading, writing and number skills. This is done particularly well in the Nursery classroom, where children quickly develop confidence and produce work of good quality.
• Parents are fully engaged in supporting their child’s learning. Together with the teachers, parents contribute evidence to their child’s digital learning journal, which documents their progress across the early years. Parents who spoke to inspectors were very pleased with the care and support that their children receive in the early years.
• Children play together calmly and are happy to share resources and to take turns. The early years unit is a safe environment, which fully meets statutory welfare requirements.
• The early years unit is well led and managed. The leader has improved the quality of provision over recent years and outcomes are rising. Provisional outcomes for 2017 show further improvement on those reached in 2016, with an above-average proportion of children attaining the standard expected by the end of the Reception Year.

School details

Unique reference number 108453 Local authority Newcastle upon Tyne Inspection number 10032078 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Foundation 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 302 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Angela Tinning Wendy Leeming 01912 674549 www.waverleyprimary.co.uk admin@waverley.newcastle.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 20─ 21 November 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Waverley Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The large majority of pupils are White British.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is above average.
• The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which are the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of key stage 2.
• Since the last inspection, the school has become a member of the Outer West Learning Trust.
• The headteacher has been in post since September 2016. The chair and vice chair of governors are also new to their posts.
• Over the last two years, the school has accepted some two-year olds into the Nursery.
• An independent provider, Cuba, offers a breakfast club and after-school provision on the school site for pupils who attend the school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons across all year groups, including the Nursery and Reception years. A number of observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher. During observations, inspectors sampled pupils’ books and talked to pupils in order to evaluate the quality of their current work. In addition, inspectors scrutinised in detail a sample of books containing work from a broad range of subjects.
• Inspectors also observed the general climate around the school at social times.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, a group of teachers, the early years leader, the director of pastoral and a group of pupils. Further meetings were held with a group of governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body, and a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, policies, assessment information and records of checks on the quality of teaching and anonymised records of the performance management of teachers. Inspectors looked at records of attendance, behaviour, minutes of governing body meetings and safeguarding information.
• Inspectors took account of the 17 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, the 14 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 32 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

Inspection team

Chris Smith, lead inspector Sharon Stelling Sara Roe Darren Stewart

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector