Willersey Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Build on the best practice already in the school to increase the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standards in writing and mathematics, by teachers:
  • further developing pupils’ ability to construct more complex sentences
  • deepening pupils’ ability to reason, explain their thinking and solve mathematical problems.
• Strengthen the teaching and learning of phonics, especially in Year 1.
• Raise pupils’ attendance to a level that matches that of most schools.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher provides good leadership and sustains a determined focus on what needs to be done to raise standards. He is fully supported by governors in seeking advice and support from outside the school to implement best practice. For example, he cooperates closely with local authority specialists whose good support has helped in the development of new staff.
• Teaching staff and leaders also liaise well and share ideas with colleagues in local schools. This sharing of expertise has successfully raised teachers’ expectations and improved pupils’ achievements.
• The headteacher’s rigorous checking of the quality of teaching and the degree to which it promotes pupils’ progress are effective in securing pupils’ good achievement.
• Leaders and managers, well supported by staff, identify the school’s strengths and weaknesses accurately. As a result, the school’s improvement plans target the right areas for improvement and are effective. For example, developments in teaching and in the planned curriculum made during the past year are already well established and leading to rapid improvement.
• The headteacher has developed new staff in their leadership roles. They are now beginning to have a noticeable influence in helping pupils make equally good progress across the breadth of the curriculum. For example, they play a key role in ensuring that pupils develop their literacy and numeracy skills well in other subjects.
• Leaders and staff are committed to ensuring that all pupils have equality of opportunity and that discrimination is not tolerated. The school’s good use of additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities ensures that these pupils are fully included in school life. Leaders also make sure that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils helps them to progress as well as their classmates.
• Leaders make strong use of the primary physical education and sport funding. For example, the school has widened the range and frequency of sports clubs to capture pupils’ interests and to extend their physical and mental well-being. As a result, the quality of physical education teaching has improved and a higher proportion of pupils now regularly take part in additional sporting activities. When questioned, pupils and their parents expressed their appreciation of the increased opportunities now provided to participate in competitions with other schools.
• Parents who responded to Parent View, and those who spoke with the inspector, expressed very strong support for the school. For example, one parent typified the views of others when writing, ‘Willersey is a great little school.’
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders have made changes to the curriculum during the past year to ensure that teaching fully enthuses the pupils. For example, increased opportunities for pupils to learn outdoors and visit places of interest, such as Chedworth Roman Villa, have brought notable improvements in pupils’ achievement.
• The headteacher and governors promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. At the heart of their approach lies a Christian ethos. When questioned, older pupils showed a good understanding of British values. They talked knowledgeably about the different religions and lifestyles evident in the wider community. Pupils described assembly themes such as respect and tolerance and demonstrated a good readiness for life in modern Britain.

Governance of the school

• The governance of the school is effective.
• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s performance and development priorities. The governors have worked well to help to sustain a positive drive for improvement. Governors have welcomed and encouraged the headteacher’s strengthened monitoring of teaching and pupils’ learning. This has enabled them to evaluate progress in the school more effectively than in the past.
• The governing body ensures that well-established systems for checking the performance of the school function efficiently. As a result, for example, governors ensure that additional funding is used effectively.
• Governors support the staff well in sustaining good relationships with parents and the local community, which helps to extend pupils’ learning experiences. The positive comments made by parents during the inspection support this view.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that procedures for vetting staff, governors and volunteers are checked regularly, kept up to date and meet the statutory requirements. All staff are well trained and informed about the school’s comprehensive procedures to safeguard pupils.
• Staff know all the pupils well and are diligent in identifying and reporting concerns about pupils to keep them safe. The headteacher takes swift and appropriate action to address any concerns about pupils’ welfare. He works well with outside agencies and families so that pupils considered at risk receive the help they need as quickly as possible.
• Teachers ensure that pupils are taught well about how to stay safe, for example when crossing roads or using computers. As a result, pupils demonstrate a good awareness of how to stay safe and how to keep each other safe, for example in ball games and when using climbing equipment during breaktimes.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders and staff have made good use of training to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The quality of teaching, and consequently pupils’ learning, is good in both classes.
• Over the past year, teachers have strengthened the way they check pupils’ developing understanding. Teachers use the information gathered to tailor work so that it provides the level of challenge needed to quicken pupils’ progress.
• Teachers have raised their expectations of pupils’ learning. For example, teachers are targeting pupils’ ability to write extensively and tackle problems in mathematics more effectively than at times in the past. These actions have raised pupils’ confidence to think more carefully about their work and are deepening their understanding. However, they have not been sustained long enough to raise the proportion of pupils attaining high standards for their age.
• Pupils say that the work set for them is more challenging than it used to be. Teachers’ feedback and guidance are of a consistently good quality and enable pupils to make the relevant next steps in learning.
• Pupils highlight their improving writing and, as a result, feel more confident to ‘have a go’ in mathematics. Their work in books and responses to the teachers’ good questioning in class fully demonstrate this.
• Teachers and their capable assistants know the pupils well and give effective guidance, especially to pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers also provide informed guidance, raising the achievement of pupils new to the school and, increasingly, of the most able.
• Teachers in both classes match learning activities and the amount of adult assistance carefully to pupils’ different starting points and needs. When children in Reception and pupils in Years 1 and 2 visited the local environment, adults questioned and challenged them at the level that best promoted their confidence and learning.
• Staff have received additional training in the teaching of phonics. They are developing pupils’ understanding of the sounds that letters make more effectively than in recent years. This strengthened teaching is beginning to more rapidly develop the phonic skills of pupils in Year 1.
• Teaching, learning and assessment of reading overall are good. For example, teachers make good use of the school’s well-equipped library to foster pupils’ enjoyment of books. Teachers provide pupils with plenty of opportunity to read at school and are strongly encouraging parents to help their children read and enjoy books at home.
• Teachers plan learning in science well. They give pupils broad opportunities to build skills of scientific enquiry and, for example, make effective use of local visits to expand pupils’ understanding of the natural world.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils think highly of their school. They take their responsibilities, such as acting as school councillors and as library, assembly and gate monitors, very seriously. The respectful way that all the pupils respond to adults, including in the well-attended breakfast club, further shows the high quality of their relationships and enjoyment of school.
• Pupils show a good understanding of British values and the multicultural nature of life in modern Britain. They demonstrate respect for the views of others and enjoy sharing ideas and working together. Pupils listen well to their teachers. They appreciate the encouragement they receive from caring adults, which also helps them to make rapid progress.
• Pupils in both classes have responded well over the past year and have improved the way they present their work. Most pupils apply themselves well to their learning. On occasion, a small number of pupils in key stage 2 lose interest in their work when not directly supported by an adult. This constrains their progress.
• Pupils are very appreciative of the increased opportunities they now have to take part in sport and learning activities outside school. Staff and parents praise the pupils’ teamwork, evident, for example, when they compete with larger schools in the popular ‘Floorball’ matches.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• In the playground, pupils behave well and play together energetically. Older pupils willingly help younger children at breaktimes.
• Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including verbal and racist bullying. School records show that bullying is rare and that there have been no reported racist incidents in recent years.
• When questioned, pupils showed that they know how to stay safe and, for example, made reference to the display in the entrance to the school which helps them to use computers safely. Pupils say that, ‘Willersey is a happy little school where we feel safe and the teachers are very helpful,’ and parents agree.
• All those parents who spoke to the inspector or responded to the questionnaire expressed appreciation, for example, of the way staff treat their children with care and respect and as individuals.
• Most pupils attend well. School leaders have taken positive steps to improve pupils’ punctuality. However, overall attendance remains below average because of the persistent absence of a very small number of pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• As at the time of the previous inspection, pupils continue to make good progress during their time in this school. Given the very small and varying number of pupils in each year group across the school, comparisons with national standards must be treated with caution. By the end of Year 6 this year, all pupils achieved expected standards for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. This represented good progress from their different starting points.
• Few pupils in both key stages 1 and 2 reached higher standards in writing and mathematics in 2017, but overall outcomes were better than the previous year. This improvement stemmed from the strengthening of teaching brought about by focused training.
• The current standards of work in key stage 2 are showing that the middle-ability pupils and most-able pupils are developing the knowledge and skills necessary to reach the higher standards.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. They benefit from having their individual needs identified and tackled at an early stage. Staff are particularly diligent and successful in boosting pupils’ self-confidence and willingness to tackle new learning.
• There are a very small number of disadvantaged pupils in the school and, therefore, in this respect, no valid comparisons with national levels of achievement can be made. Nevertheless, leaders ensure that additional funds are used well to provide good teaching and support that promotes their good progress. Pupils new to the school also benefit from close individual support in the small classes and make good progress during their time at the school.
• By the end of Year 1, too few pupils have reached the standard expected in the phonics screening checks. Staff have engaged in training and have improved the teaching of phonics in Reception and Year 1 over the past year. This is having a positive effect, but has not been sustained long enough to bring pupils’ skills in these years to the desired level. Even so, records of pupils’ achievements over time show that they have reached expected levels of phonic understanding by the end of Year 2.
• School assessments and pupils in Years 2 and 6 who read to the inspector showed that they develop their reading skills quickly to become competent and eager readers. In discussion, Year 6 pupils showed a good understanding of what they have read. They talked knowledgeably about the characters and confidently predicted outcomes of the stories. Pupils made particular reference to their good progress and their appreciation of the interesting books now available in the school’s well-stocked library.
• A scrutiny of the writing completed by pupils in both key stages over the past year shows improving standards. The pupils’ faster progress reflects the positive influence of the teachers’ raised expectations and close guidance on how to improve. For example, the pupils’ work is well presented, handwriting is neat and legible and punctuation and spelling show improving accuracy. As in their mathematics work, however, the quality of pupils’ writing mostly reflects that expected for their age. Although an increased number of pupils are beginning to write at greater depth, some are not yet constructing the sufficiently complex and meaningful sentences needed to reach that standard.
• In mathematics, pupils are benefiting from more frequent problem-solving tasks and are challenged to share and discuss their ideas. These opportunities are beginning to deepen pupils’ understanding. However, they have not been sustained long enough to enable some middle- and potentially higher-ability pupils to reach the higher standards.
• Pupils achieve well in science and sports and relish the frequent opportunities to engage in outdoor learning and competitions.

Early years provision Good

• The headteacher and teacher of the combined Reception and Years 1 and 2 class work well together to provide effective leadership of the early years. Leaders have built well on the school’s effective provision, in particular to enrich outdoor learning experiences for the children.
• In recent years, the teacher has also strengthened the way she measures children’s progress. For example, she keeps detailed records of children’s developing skills in ‘Learning Journeys’ and in other books. Staff use these well to keep parents informed and ensure that teaching and support provide the next steps in learning that secure the children’s rapid progress.
• Children’s skills on entry are mostly typical for their age. Good teaching ensures that children progress well from their different starting points. Given the very small number of children in each year, care must be taken in comparing outcomes with national information. Nevertheless, a rising and close-to-average proportion of children achieve a good level of development on entry to Year 1.
• The teacher’s accurate assessments also ensure that all children, including those with most ability and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. Checks of children’s understanding also enable leaders to ensure that teaching is well targeted. As a result, disadvantaged children progress as well as their classmates.
• The teaching and development of the children’s personal, physical and creative skills are particular strengths of the setting. For example, practical learning experiences in the school’s refurbished outdoor facilities and visits to a nature area in the village are enthusing and engaging the children.
• Staff are also using these stimulating outdoor activities well to boost children’s communication, social and physical skills. For example, during the inspection, children were observed working together mixing elderberry and blackberry juice and helping each other to make leaf prints.
• Staff liaise well with parents and pre-schools to secure the children’s smooth entry into school. The teacher and teaching assistant work well as a team to ensure that statutory welfare requirements are fully met and children are kept safe. Staff set clear expectations that children should relate caringly toward each other. As a result, children show self-confidence and behave well.
• Children experience a wide range of activities to extend their speaking, listening, writing and numeracy skills effectively. For example, during the inspection children were observed talking together during sand and water play and counting how many laps they were completing on their tricycles.
• Staff have received extra training in the teaching of phonics over the past year. This is having a positive effect, but improved teaching has not yet been in place long enough to develop the children’s phonic skills fully. Even so, the teacher and teaching assistant liaise well with parents and are strongly encouraging them to look at and read books with their children at home. Consequently, children are enjoying books and developing their reading skills more rapidly this year than at times in the past.

School details

Unique reference number 115661 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 10032517 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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 36 Appropriate authority The governing body Vice Chair Karen Dean Headteacher Mark Jackson Telephone number 01386 852646 Website www.willerseyschool.org.uk Email address admin@willersey.gloucs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 December 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Willersey Church of England Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• Valid comparisons with the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6, cannot be made. This is because the number of pupils in each year group across the school is very small.
• The very large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than the normal times is above average.
• Children experience early years provision in a combined Reception and Years 1 and 2 class. The other pupils in the school are taught in a Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 class.
• The school provides its own breakfast club.
• Governance is conducted by the school’s own governing body.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector visited both classes, observed eight lessons and saw the work of two teachers. He was accompanied by the headteacher during all of these visits.
• The inspector scrutinised a wide range of documents, including records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance, safeguarding procedures and the school’s self-evaluation.
• The inspector examined the school’s systems for monitoring progress and records of checks on the quality of teaching. In addition, the inspector scrutinised information about pupils’ recent and current progress as well as the school’s evaluation of how well it is doing.
• The inspector talked to individual pupils and a representative group of pupils about the school and their work. He listened to individual pupils reading. The inspector, accompanied by the headteacher, looked at samples of pupils’ work across a range of subjects and classes.
• Discussions were held with senior and subject leaders and with members of the governing body. The inspector also met with a representative of the local authority.
• The inspector considered the views of parents expressed in six responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and six additional written comments. He also spoke to several parents informally as they brought their children to school.

Inspection team

Alexander Baxter, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector