White Waltham CofE Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that leaders at all levels precisely evaluate the impact of their actions to improve the progress and outcomes of all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged.
• Improve pupils’ outcomes by the end of key stage 2 by:
  • ensuring that higher proportions of the most able pupils achieve at the higher standard in writing and mathematics
  • ensuring that higher proportions of pupils make good or better progress in mathematics so that they achieve at the expected standard.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders, governors and staff work closely as a team to promote a positive and ambitious culture in the school. The school’s strong Christian values are central to leaders’ unremitting commitment to the success and well-being of every pupil.
• Most parents and carers are very appreciative of the school. The majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, believe that the school is well led and that their children are happy at the school. A parent typically commented, ‘This is such a happy and caring school.’ Several parents explained how much they value the head of school’s friendly and welcoming approach. They praised his personal knowledge of pupils as individuals.
• Leaders have taken determined action to improve pupils’ progress and outcomes in mathematics. Staff, parents and pupils all know that this is a top priority for the school. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. However, leaders’ evaluations of the impact of their actions sometimes lack the precision that would enable them to promote even more rapid progress for pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders successfully support staff to continuously improve their work. Staff explained how much they value the training and guidance available to them from within the school and the trust. Skilful support and individual advice effectively enable staff to refine their teaching skills.
• Proficient leadership in English and mathematics is improving teaching in these subjects. Despite being relatively new in post, subject leaders are starting to have a positive impact on improving pupils’ outcomes. They undertake additional training and provide effective support to other staff. As a result, standards are improving.
• Leaders make sure that pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils enjoy interesting and motivating experiences and are given time to explore different subjects in depth. Well-chosen topics enable pupils to develop useful skills, knowledge and understanding in subjects such as science, technology, humanities, physical education (PE) and art. PE is planned particularly well to ensure that pupils progressively develop their skills in this subject. Leaders are rightly working to ensure that progression in other subjects is planned with similar rigour.
• A rich and varied programme of events and activities successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils enjoy a calm space for reflection in the outdoor ‘prayer pod’. Pupils understand British values and are motivated to become good citizens by nominating each other for the school’s ‘Model British Citizen’ award. Members of the school council learn to be accountable by producing a termly pupil newsletter to explain their work.
• Leaders use the government’s additional funding for sport effectively to foster pupils’ healthy and active lifestyles. Leaders employ a specialist sports coach who provides proficient coaching and training to both pupils and staff. Pupils participate in a wide variety of sporting events, such as the ‘dance extravaganza’, football, netball and rounders tournaments. Pupils in Year 6 have been specifically trained to become sports ambassadors and they eagerly help to ensure that pupils take part in a range of sports at breaktimes.
• Leadership of the provision for pupils with SEND is effective. Leaders ensure that pupils’ individual needs are identified as early as possible. Staff work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the right support. As a result, pupils with SEND typically make good progress from their starting points.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. Several governors are new in post but have quickly established a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors have identified pertinent key priorities for their work that align closely with the school’s development plan. They sensibly allocate areas of responsibility to named governors to monitor progress in each of their priority areas.
• Governors visit the school regularly to check for themselves what leaders tell them. They seek a range of evidence to monitor the effectiveness of the school’s provision. Governors are starting to use this insight to challenge leaders and hold them to account. Governors make sure that appropriate safeguarding arrangements are in place and visit the school regularly to check on these, as well as other aspects of the school’s work.
• Governors and trustees ensure that funding is used effectively to improve provision for pupils. Governors acknowledge that their oversight of the funding for disadvantaged pupils needs to be more sharply focused to evaluate its impact on improving pupils’ progress and outcomes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that all necessary checks are made when recruiting new staff. Records are detailed and accurate. The school’s single central record is maintained thoroughly.
• Staff are well trained in how to keep pupils safe. Staff are knowledgeable and vigilant about key risks to pupils and report any concerns about pupils’ welfare to appropriate leaders. Staff fully understand the importance of reporting all concerns, no matter how small, to ensure that pupils are kept safe.
• Leaders work closely with external agencies and tenaciously follow up referrals to make sure that pupils get the extra help they need. Parents responding to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, unanimously agreed that pupils feel safe at White Waltham.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Across the school, teaching is broadly good and improving. Pupils respond well to their teachers’ positive expectations by working hard and participating enthusiastically in activities. Pupils are motivated and keen to learn. Improvements to teaching are generally providing greater levels of challenge. However, in some classes and in some subjects, there is insufficient challenge, particularly for the most able pupils.
• Reading is taught well. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge in this area to ensure that pupils quickly develop a secure understanding of letters and sounds. Pupils read widely and often. Books are well matched to pupils’ reading abilities and they typically use their phonics skills effectively to decode unknown words. As a result, pupils, including the most able, make good progress in reading.
• Teaching ensures that pupils write for many different purposes and practise using various styles and genres. In key stage 2, pupils successfully learned how to structure their writing of a balanced argument. Teachers’ skilful questioning probed pupils’ understanding effectively and adeptly drew their attention to specific grammar and punctuation techniques. However, pupils’ written work demonstrates that pupils, particularly the most able pupils, do not always make successful use of their spelling skills when they write independently, and this slows their progress.
• New approaches to teaching mathematics are efficiently improving pupils’ learning. Pupils explained that they now enjoy mathematics much more than they did in the past because it is more challenging. Pupils are given useful opportunities to explore numbers and hone their reasoning and problem-solving skills. In upper key stage 2, pupils enthusiastically used a range of calculation skills to accurately work out fractions of three-digit numbers. In key stage 1, pupils used mathematical vocabulary with increased precision to describe the properties of three-dimensional shapes. Mostly, teachers use strong subject knowledge to check pupils’ understanding and clarify any misconceptions. However, because teachers’ subject knowledge is generally more secure in English than it is in mathematics, this quality of teaching is more variable. As a result, while pupils’ progress in mathematics is improving, it is not yet as strong as it is in English.
• Additional adults work closely with teachers to provide helpful support to disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Adults know pupils well and provide particularly skilful support to meet pupils’ social and emotional needs. As a result, pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points. However, the progress of disadvantaged pupils is more variable because extra help is not always matched precisely enough to pupils’ individual learning needs.
• Teaching across the wider curriculum provides a wealth of opportunities for pupils to develop good skills and knowledge in a broad range of subjects. For example, in key stage 1, pupils studied art, history, geography and science through their topic on toys. In key stage 2, well-planned teaching in science enabled pupils to understand the principles of a ‘fair test’. The wider curriculum provides rich and purposeful experiences to stimulate pupils’ writing. Leaders are working to improve the consistency of pupils’ writing and ensure that it is of the same good quality in other subjects as it is in English.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The school’s clear Christian values and ethos permeate the school, providing a strong bedrock for pupils’ successful personal development. The school is a happy, friendly and nurturing environment.
• Pupils enjoy many opportunities to take responsibility and participate in the life of the school. For example, some pupils are ‘maths ambassadors’ and work with leaders to improve teaching and learning in mathematics. There are many roles that pupils are given that successfully contribute to their personal development. Pupils explained that that there is ‘something for everyone’. This includes becoming members of the collective worship team, the emotional well-being team or the green team. Pupils are rightly proud of the many ways in which they make a positive difference to the school.
• Pupils are supported well to talk about any worries and concerns. Pupils care for and respect each other. They show deep empathy towards one another. For example, some pupils maturely explained why they should not be quick to judge people by the way they behave because sometimes people behave differently if they are worried or upset.
• Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. Pupils understand the possible dangers to them when are out and about, particularly in relation to road safety. They know how to use the well-supervised outdoor area safely.
• Pupils like and trust their teachers. Pupils feel well cared for and they are not concerned about bullying. They say that pupils are very rarely unkind to each other, and that teachers quickly resolve any problems if they arise. The school’s records show that there have been no reported bullying or racist incidents.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ conduct around the school and in lessons is excellent. Pupils move about the school in a calm and orderly manner. They hold doors open for each other and welcome visitors with a friendly greeting. In lessons, pupils listen carefully to their teacher and to each other.
• Pupils are very tolerant and understanding of each other. They do not use discriminatory language because they fully understand how the school’s values apply to them and their everyday life.
• Leaders work successfully to include all pupils in the school community. The school has not needed to exclude any pupils for many years. Pupils’ positive behaviour is promoted effectively. Leaders work closely with parents and outside agencies, when needed, to ensure that pupils’ behaviour and welfare needs are well supported.
• Attendance rates are above the national figure and have improved even further since last year. Leaders work tenaciously with the parents of the very small number of pupils who do not attend school regularly, and their attendance improves.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils achieve well at White Waltham and leave the school well prepared for the next steps in their education. In 2018, results declined in some areas compared to previous years. However, better teaching is now leading to stronger achievement for pupils currently attending the school.
• By the end of key stage 2 in 2018, the proportions of pupils achieving the expected standards in reading and writing were above the national averages. However, in mathematics, results dipped below the national average. Additionally, the proportions of pupils achieving at the higher standards in writing and mathematics were also below the national averages.
• In key stage 1 in 2018, the proportions of pupils achieving the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics were above the national averages. The most able pupils also achieved well, with a greater proportion than that seen nationally achieving at a greater depth of understanding in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Good teaching ensures that pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics screening check. In 2018, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in phonics was well above the national average.
• In 2018, published information shows that pupils made average progress in reading and writing by the end of key stage 2. However, pupils’ progress in mathematics was well below average.
• Work seen in pupils’ books shows that most pupils are making good progress. Overall, progress is stronger in reading and writing than it is in mathematics. Improved teaching approaches are enabling most pupils to make better progress in mathematics. However, overall, the most able pupils are making slower progress than others in mathematics.
• By the end of key stage 2, the smaller-than-average proportion of disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as others, despite their similar starting points. Sometimes, the support for these pupils is not matched closely enough to their specific learning needs.
• Pupils with SEND make good, and sometimes rapid, progress from their individual starting points, especially in literacy. Pupils receive helpful support that is carefully tailored to their individual needs.

Early years provision Good

• New leaders in the early years are working well together to successfully improve the provision. Leaders are ambitious for all children to achieve well and be happy. Children enjoy a wide range of carefully planned, purposeful indoor and outdoor activities. As a result, children get a positive start to their education.
• Children achieve good outcomes in the early years. Children join the school with levels of development generally typical for their age. By the end of Reception in 2018, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development was just above the national average. Consequently, children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Children with SEND make strong progress from their starting points because adults identify their needs quickly and ensure that the right support is in place. Staff work well with external specialists to ensure that children get the help they need.
• Good teaching ensures that children successfully develop their early reading, writing and mathematical skills. The school’s priority to improve teaching and learning in mathematics is particularly evident in the outdoor area. Children enjoy many opportunities to count and compare shape, size and capacity in the well-resourced area. For example, children compared the brick towers they had built and were skilfully supported to estimate how many more bricks they would need to make their towers taller. Occasionally, adults’ questions are not focused quite sharply enough to promote children’s learning.
• Phonics is taught well in the early years. Children make efficient use of their developing knowledge of letters and sounds to write simple words and phrases with increased accuracy.
• Children are happy and safe in the early years. Relationships between children and adults are warm, friendly and positive. The environment is nurturing, and children are encouraged to care for and help each other. For example, children playing cooperatively outside exclaimed, ‘This is teamwork!’ as they shared equipment and worked together. Children’s achievements are noticed and praised by adults. As a result, children behave well and take pride in what they do.

School details

Unique reference number 138635 Local authority Windsor and Maidenhead Inspection number 10084278 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 Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Clive Haines Matt Thompson 01628 822 533 www.whitewalthamschool.co.uk mthompson@ashleyhill.org Date of previous inspection July 2007

Information about this school

• White Waltham CofE Academy is a broadly average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average for primary schools.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average.
• There is a breakfast club and an after-school club on-site. Both are managed by the school.
• A section 48 inspection was carried out in October 2017.
• The school became part of the Ashley Hill Multi-academy Trust in September 2012. There are two other schools in this trust.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Most of these observations were carried out jointly with school leaders. A sample of pupils’ workbooks was also examined.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and a group of staff.
• The lead inspector met with four governors, including the chair of the local governing body.
• Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their views about the school and heard some of them read.
• The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the trust.
• The views of 81 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 52 free-text comments, were considered. An inspector also spoke informally with parents at the start of the first day of the inspection.
• Inspectors scrutinised documentation, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness and minutes of the local governing body’s meetings.
• Safeguarding procedures were also reviewed.

Inspection team

Claire Prince, lead inspector Judith O’Hare

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector