Waddesdon Village Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and teachers should ensure that planned improvements to assessment and the curriculum:
  • provide a more reliable picture of pupils’ progress and learning
  • better support pupils, especially most-able pupils, in making strong progress and acquiring subject-specific knowledge and skills across a wider range of subjects
  • place a greater focus on the development of sophisticated vocabulary.
• Embed new approaches to teaching, so that practice in all classes and subjects is as strong as the best seen in the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The new headteacher has rapidly moved the school forward by dedicatedly focusing on those aspects that are most in need of development and growing a committed and enthusiastic team of staff. She enjoys the strong support of staff and parents and has created a very positive atmosphere in the school.
• Leaders and teachers have high standards and continually strive to make the school as effective as it can be. They are very accurate about the areas that need further development. Leaders at all levels hold staff to account well. Staff reported to inspectors that they find this process both supportive and challenging.
• The headteacher, ably assisted by the deputy headteacher, leads the staff very well. She also makes good use of the local authority and other improvement organisations to provide external verifications as to how well new approaches are working. These external verifications have helped to ensure that any next steps are precisely targeted.
• Phase leaders make a strong contribution to improving teaching. They train staff in new approaches and support teachers in their planning. Through their regular book scrutinies, as well as observations of teaching, phase leaders have gained a detailed overview of the impact of new approaches. They recognise that some new approaches are not yet well enough embedded.
• Leaders ensure that pupils play a strong role in the school community. The sense of purpose that pupils feel, their enthusiasm for learning, and their determination to be the best they can be, contribute to the overwhelmingly positive atmosphere in the school. Across the school, pupils’ behaviour is managed extremely well.
• Leaders have developed the curriculum in reading, writing and mathematics effectively. They have made changes that have added both breadth and depth. For example, they have ensured that the reading curriculum from key stage 1 to the end of key stage 2 introduces pupils to texts that are progressively more challenging. This approach is in its early stages, and leaders recognise that insufficient focus is currently given to the new vocabulary which pupils encounter when reading these texts.
• There are inconsistencies in the effectiveness of the curriculum in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics. Some subjects such as French, art and computing are more consistently strong than others, such as science, geography and history. Leaders have accurately identified the wider curriculum as a priority for future development.
• Leaders acknowledge that the main system that teachers use to assess and track pupils’ progress is not reliable enough. The performance indicators used, known as ‘ladders’, are solely focused on the acquisition of skills. They do not take enough account of the knowledge needed in order to apply the skills well nor do they focus on the acquisition of vocabulary. In addition, in some subjects the ‘ladders’ are not closely enough aligned with specific aspects of the national curriculum.
• The leader responsible for assessment and tracking has wisely introduced an additional complementary system which takes more account of pupils’ progress from their starting points. Although this additional method provides useful information and assists leaders in identifying pupils who need to catch up, it relies on the ‘ladders’, which are flawed.
• The oversight of pupils who need to catch up, including disadvantaged pupils, is strong and effective. Leaders and teachers collaborate well to provide a range of additional bespoke support for pupils who are falling behind. Additional help is carefully planned to meet each pupil’s individual needs and remove any barriers to success that pupils have, especially any communication barriers.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a very detailed understanding of the needs of each individual pupil with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She closely monitors the impact of any additional funding. She also carefully checks whether curriculum adjustments, extra support from teaching assistants and the additional programmes undertaken have a sufficiently positive effect on learning and development of pupils with SEND. Where checks suggest that amendments need to be made, these are done in a timely manner.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is developed very well throughout the school. Of note is the way that pupils participate in developing their school community and are encouraged be active citizens. The school also promotes a range of approaches to improve pupils’ sense of well-being, including approaches from different cultures. These approaches are shared with pupils through the curriculum and through the additional activities they undertake.
• Parents praise the school highly. They are particularly complimentary about the improved engagement and communication between the school’s staff and the parents’ body.

Governance of the school

• Governance has developed over the last year and is still in the process of improving following the recent appointment of the new chair of governors. In particular, governors are developing their strategic thinking. This aspect of their role is less well developed than other aspects, but there are strong plans in place to improve it, including the recruitment of two new governors with educational expertise.
• Over the last few months, governors have challenged the school to do better and expressed concern about the dip that the school experienced in its key stage 2 results last academic year. Governors are very supportive of the headteacher and assisted her in making a good start in her role, but they do not shy away from asking challenging questions.
• Governors know the school well and make regular visits to see the school at work. There are inconsistencies in the effectiveness of governors’ reports following visits. Some are useful and rightly focus on the progress made by groups of pupils, such as disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. However, others are not sharp enough.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and fit for purpose. Any safeguarding concerns raised by staff are reviewed carefully and next steps are diligently followed through and recoded.
• The headteacher keeps a particularly close eye on the pupils that are referred to the local authority. She does not rest until she is satisfied that any concerns she has referred to external agencies have been properly dealt with.
• Staff are carefully trained on all safeguarding guidance and procedures. Site security has been recently reviewed and additional measures have been put in place to ensure pupils’ safety.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Practice in teaching is broadly good and improving. In some classes, mostly in key stage 1, where new approaches are more fully embedded, it is impressive. Across both key stages, teaching is generally providing greater levels of challenge. However, in some classes and subjects across the curriculum, it is still not yet stretching enough, especially for most-able pupils.
• New approaches to teaching mathematics develop pupils’ learning well. They provide pupils with the chance to embed key knowledge and apply what they know. New approaches also stimulate pupils’ curiosity. For example, in one class pupils became very keen to find probable solutions when their teacher set them an investigative task. The school is carefully monitoring the impact of new approaches and has rightly judged that they are working well but are not fully embedded across the school.
• Pupils benefit from the careful consideration given to the choice of books they read in class and, as a result, acquire a solid grounding in different types of narrative. For example, pupils confidently explained to inspectors the features of an epic. Pupils also develop a strong understanding of the themes and context of the books they read and apply this knowledge when inferring hidden meanings. Not enough emphasis is placed on the teaching of the complex vocabulary that is sometimes found in the books studied. Some children with higher prior attainment do not always use rich enough vocabulary in their own writing.
• New approaches to writing are assisting pupils well in developing the style and content of their writing. Pupils carefully edit their own work and make changes to strengthen the impact it has. Pupils are able to structure their writing appropriately for different forms and genres, for example by writing short, punchy paragraphs for newspaper articles.
• Across the school, one, two and three stars are used consistently to identify levels of challenge, with three stars being the highest. For some pupils in the school, who have particular expertise in and/or passion for certain topics, the three-star challenge is not sufficiently demanding.
• Teaching in some wider curriculum subjects, such as French, art and computing, is strong because teachers have well-developed subject knowledge and are enthusiastic. However, in some other wider curriculum subjects, teaching does not always provide pupils with subject-specific knowledge and skills. For instance, topic work relating to geography is not always well sequenced to enable pupils to progress in their learning.
• The teaching of phonics is impressive. Pupils enjoy their daily phonics sessions, one commenting that he had ‘a passion for phonics’. Teachers carefully and systematically check whether pupils have fully grasped their letter/sound equivalences in phonics sessions. Phonics sessions are also thoughtfully pitched so that Year 2 pupils are given the chance to apply their phonic knowledge, for example when adding suffixes to words.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are exceptionally devoted to their studies and to improving their school.
• Pupils are highly engaged in their learning. They often contribute to the explanation teachers have given by providing extra information that they have gathered from their own research or from family members. The eagerness with which pupils share this information and the appetite that they have for new learning is indicative of the high levels of intellectual curiosity which pupils have.
• Leaders have successfully focused on building pupils’ resilience. No opportunity is lost to reinforce the message that mistakes are part of learning something new. As a result, pupils respond exceptionally well when they are challenged or corrected by teachers.
• Pupils gain confidence and new skills from their participation in well-planned opportunities, which enable them to develop the school community. Some, for instance, are members of the school’s ‘pupil parliament’. Members of the ‘pupil parliament’ have an ambitious role and are expected to consult with their peers, present new initiatives and link with other schools. The school supports these high expectations by organising events such as a trip to visit the Houses of Parliament, so members of the ‘pupil parliament’ can see democracy in action.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Incidents of poor behaviour are extremely rare, and pupils conduct themselves exceptionally well. The atmosphere around school during the inspection was calm and harmonious.
• The support provided for pupils and children who need additional help in managing their behaviour has developed considerably. For example, some children access bespoke therapies that assist them in communicating their emotions to others more appropriately.
• Pupils respond extremely well to teachers’ advice and instructions. Behaviour in class is very impressive because of the respect that pupils show to each other and their teachers.
• Pupils told inspectors that bullying was virtually non-existent in the school. Pupils are actively involved in preventing any form of bullying through belonging to groups that provide peer support.
• Pupils’ attendance was above average last academic year. There were no significant differences between the attendance of different groups. The school is working closely with the very small number of pupils whose absence rates have been flagged as a cause for concern.
• Parents commented to inspectors about how much they rated the improvements there have been in behaviour and pupils’ well-being.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ achievement is strong, and they leave the school well prepared for their next steps. Although published results dipped in some areas in 2018 compared with previous years’ results, better teaching is leading to stronger achievement for pupils currently in the school.
• In 2017, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in key stage 2 national tests was well above average, and in 2018 the proportion reaching the expected standard was broadly average. However, it dipped to below national averages in mathematics. In addition, a lower-than-average proportion of Year 6 pupils achieved the higher standards in writing and mathematics in 2018 national assessments.
• In key stage 1, pupils’ attainment in national assessments is broadly above average in terms of the proportion reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. However, in 2018, the proportion achieving at a greater depth of understanding in writing and mathematics was below average, even though the starting points for Year 1 pupils were above average. The school has sensibly prioritised improving the progress that most-able pupils make in key stage 1.
• Effective teaching means that outcomes in phonics are consistently strong. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been well above national averages for the last three years.
• Published data shows that in 2018 key stage 2 progress was considerably weaker than in previous years. Progress in mathematics was particularly weak. Some pupils, especially most-able pupils, did not make strong enough progress when in Years 3 to 5. Despite the teacher’s best efforts to strengthen their progress when they were in Year 6, most-able pupils did not make the same progress that other pupils with similar starting points did nationally.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that as a general rule current pupils make good progress. It is broadly better in reading and writing than in mathematics. Some well-focused approaches to teaching mathematics are not yet fully bedded in.
• In some classes, especially in lower key stage 2, most-able pupils’ progress is not as impressive as that made by other groups of pupils with lower starting points. Most-able pupils, including disadvantaged most-able pupils, with the potential to achieve highly, do not always have a broad and deep enough range of vocabulary.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils across the school is well below average, although there is wide variation between classes. Disadvantaged pupils are supported effectively and most make the same progress as other pupils.
• There is highly effective support in place for pupils with SEND. They make good progress because they can access the content of the curriculum and because the additional support they receive is carefully tailored to their individual needs. The progress of pupils with SEND is carefully tracked, some make exceptional strides in the programmes they access to boost their learning and development. Broadly speaking, pupils with SEND make the same progress as other pupils in the school.

Early years provision Good

• In a similar way to other areas in the school, early years has developed rapidly over the past academic year. The early years leader has worked closely with external experts to improve the provision. She has sensibly focused on ensuring that the provision meets the needs of all children, most of whom join the setting at a level of development above what might be expected.
• The early years leader carefully tracks children’s progress from their starting points. Of note is the way she builds a detailed profile of what each child knows and can do when they join the setting. The profile is strengthened by contributions from parents and carers. This provides a detailed baseline which is used to inform the curriculum and ensure that learning and related activities are appropriately pitched.
• In early years, children learn well and make strides in their learning. Over the last few years the proportion of children meeting and exceeding a good level of development has been well above average.
• Whole-class teaching, and child-initiated play are carefully balanced so that children can apply their learning when playing. For example, children applied their learning about liquids and solids when they decided to leave containers of water overnight to freeze. The class teacher’s questioning about this process enhanced their knowledge and understanding.
• The early years teacher trains staff in the setting effectively. She has rightly focused on working with the other adults in the setting to develop the way they introduce vocabulary to children, including through questioning. The early years leader acknowledges that new approaches are not yet fully embedded across the team of adults working in the setting. Some children, who join the setting with vocabulary that is more sophisticated than might be expected, are not always provided with a wide enough variety of rich vocabulary.
• Phonics is taught well in early years, and children make good progress in accurately matching letters to shapes. Children’s progress in phonics and in other aspects of learning and development is carefully tracked. Children who need additional help are given the support they need promptly.
• The early years leader and other adults have successfully involved parents in supporting children’s learning. Parents are positive about the opportunities they are given to make a greater contribution to children’s learning.
• Children in the setting are well cared for and safe. They play harmoniously and behave well. Staff promote children’s resilience effectively through helping them learn from their mistakes and think about what they might do differently next time. As such they are well prepared for the increased challenge and expectations of Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number 110376 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10084274 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 217 Appropriate authority Local authority Chair Headteacher Mrs Sarah James Miss Laura Forchione Telephone number 01296 651237 Website Email address www.waddesdonprimary.com office@waddesdonprimary.com Date of previous inspection 16–17 June 2011

Information about this school

• Waddesdon Village Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average, with the majority being White British.
• Since the previous inspection there has been a new headteacher and deputy headteacher, both of whom joined the school in September 2017. All the teaching staff, with one exception, also joined the school in 2017.
• The chair of the governing body has been in post for about six weeks.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND supported by the school is below average. The proportion who have an education, health and care plan is above average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average.
• The school does not make use of any off-site provision.
• The school has been supported by two advisers from the local authority (one of whom has focused on early years), and an adviser from Buckinghamshire Learning Trust.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors made visits to observe learning in approximately 18 lessons. They also observed an assembly. On most occasions, but not all, they were accompanied by senior leaders. Samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised by inspectors on two separate occasions.
• Inspectors met with three different groups of pupils. On one occasion they heard pupils read, and on another occasion, they discussed the ‘pupil parliament’ with a small group of its members.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher, both together and separately. Inspectors also held a meeting with phase leaders and met separately with the SENCo and the chair of the governing body. Meetings were held on two separate occasions with the leader responsible for assessment and tracking.
• Inspectors also met separately with leaders responsible for early years, safeguarding, sports premium funding, and behaviour and attendance. They also observed a therapy session. Inspectors met informally with parents at the end of the school day.
• Inspectors made three telephone calls. Two were made to the representatives from the local authority who have been supporting the school, one of whom has worked closely with the early years leader. The other phone call was made to the local authority designated officer (LADO).
• Documentation and policies, which included the school’s own evaluation, development plans, pupils’ progress information and responses to the school’s own parent questionnaires, were reviewed. Inspectors scrutinised the school’s safeguarding records, including safety checks made when teachers are appointed, pupils’ records and a selection of teachers’ files.
• Inspectors reviewed 40 responses on Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and one email from a parent.

Inspection team

Sarah Hubbard, lead inspector Nigel Cook

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector