Westrop Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that pupils’ progress in key stage 1 matches that elsewhere in the school, by:
  • working with new staff to continue to improve the quality of teaching
  • making sure the most able pupils reach a greater depth in their learning.
• Improve the quality of pupils’ writing further, by:
  • embedding the new strategies for teaching spelling
  • encouraging pupils to review and edit their work thoroughly.
• Continue to embed existing strategies for developing pupils’ reasoning skills.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• This is an inclusive and successful school. The headteacher, leaders and staff work together very well to ensure that pupils receive a good standard of education. The quality of care and the individual support provided for pupils is a particular strength of the school.
• Staff work together regularly to review how well pupils are making progress. Where pupils need to catch up, or require more challenging work, this is spotted and acted on quickly. A hallmark of this approach is an emphasis on the progress and well-being of children as individuals.
• Leaders also keep a close check on how different groups of pupils are doing across the school, such as the most able, and those who are disadvantaged. Governors review this and other information to understand how well staff, including the headteacher, are meeting their objectives.
• Senior leaders regularly check the accuracy of the assessment of pupils’ work. They visit lessons, talk with pupils and meet with staff. These checks also highlight any aspects of teaching that could be improved. These are used to inform development plans and support teachers’ appraisal.
• Teachers value the training and support that they receive. They particularly benefit from working with colleagues to share good practice. Leaders ensure that teaching assistants are fully involved in training and development opportunities, especially for phonics teaching.
• In the previous academic year, a few classes were affected by staffing changes. For a time, this had a detrimental impact on pupils’ progress in key stage 1. However, leaders have worked hard to manage these difficulties, and progress in key stage 1 is starting to rise again. Some parents commented through Parent View their concern about the changes in key stage 1 staffing.
• Leaders have also adapted how classes are organised in key stage 1. This is having a positive impact, particularly for those pupils in Year 1 who need extra support to catch up with other pupils. Leaders have also made sure pupils in Year 3, who were most affected by staffing changes last year, are making faster progress. These new arrangements are working well.
• The curriculum is regularly reviewed to make sure it meets the needs of all groups of pupils. For example, following the 2016 key stage 2 results in writing, leaders introduced a more systematic approach to teaching spelling. Pupils are now guided to review and edit their work more effectively. Although these initiatives are relatively new, there are already signs that they are having a positive impact on pupils’ writing.
• The curriculum successfully supports the school ethos, which includes building ‘special memories’ and ‘life-long learning skills’. Trips and residential visits enable pupils to widen their experiences and relate these to their learning. For example, in the topic of ‘sailing into the past’, a visit to see canal barges prompted pupils to discover what life was like on a barge and to write vividly about it. Pupils regularly take part in the school’s extra-curricular programme, which is rich in sporting, musical and artistic activity.
• Teachers and leaders place great importance on supporting pupils’ personal, social and emotional needs. Parents value the personal attention their children receive and relationships between home and school are strong. The teamwork and commitment of staff ensures that pupils have good-quality care. Pupils, parents and staff alike are proud to be a part of the school community.
• The PE and sport premium funding is used to raise standards of sport and to improve pupils’ health and fitness. There are a wide range of sports offered after school and pupils’ participation and performance are increasing. Leaders use the pupil premium funding well to provide additional support for those pupils who are disadvantaged. This is effective in helping these pupils to achieve as well as other pupils.
• Leaders have also helped other schools to improve. This has included improving transition to secondary school and sharing practice in tackling pupils’ misconceptions. The local authority knows the school well and utilises the expertise of school leaders to help other schools improve, for example through supporting other schools to develop their assessment practice.

Governance of the school

• Governors are loyal and hard-working. They have an accurate view of the school’s performance and understand where further improvements can be made. Their challenge extends to scrutinising levels of attendance and how they can be improved.
• Governors check carefully on how leaders use funding such as the pupil premium and additional money to support improvements to physical education (PE) and sport. They make sure that this funding makes a difference to pupils’ achievement, attendance and participation.
• The governing body regularly receive presentations from staff about aspects of the school’s work. This helps governors to understand and challenge school leaders about choices and decisions. Governors valued a recent presentation from the school council which provided a useful insight into pupils’ views of life at school.
• Governors are particularly assiduous in their responsibilities for safeguarding. This includes a specific role for a governor overseeing e-safety. Governors also ensure close scrutiny of financial matters, including decisions made about increases to the numbers of pupils admitted to the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school, and all staff understand very well their shared responsibility for protecting pupils and keeping them safe.
• All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records of actions are detailed and accurate. Policies and procedures are up to date and firmly adhered to. Recent training has helped staff to understand their role in preventing pupils from being influenced by extremism and radicalisation.
• Leaders and governors monitor policies and procedures carefully and ensure they are applied consistently. This includes the careful vetting of staff prior to appointment.
• Pupils feel safe in school and they know there are adults to talk to who will help them if they have a concern or worry. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when using the internet or mobile technologies.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching has consistently high expectations of pupils’ achievement and personal development. Staff share a resolute determination to provide the best opportunities for all pupils. Pupils enjoy sharing their successes and working hard.
• Teaching helps pupils to learn well, particularly in key stage 2. The effective use of assessment helps pupils to make connections with previous learning and to reach higher standards. There is a strong focus on pupils mastering the skills they need to succeed, particularly for those who need to catch up. For example, each morning, pupils put right any errors or misconceptions from the previous day, or are given tasks to deepen their understanding further.
• Pupils make good progress in reading. The approach to teaching phonics is systematic and rigorous. Teachers and other staff are appropriately trained and have the skills and knowledge needed to teach reading well. Teachers use careful questioning to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding of letters and the sounds that they make. Pupils who need extra support in reading are swiftly identified and helped to catch up.
• Pupils are encouraged to develop a love of reading. Their reading records show they read regularly. Homework is also used to improve pupils’ writing and mathematics skills and most parents believe this is at the appropriate level for their child.
• Teaching assistants and other adults also play an important part in helping pupils to do well. This includes the good-quality guidance and care for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. These pupils develop confidence and greater independence, including coping well with new and unfamiliar situations.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils develop into confident learners who have a well-developed understanding of values and responsibilities. They join eagerly in discussions and listen carefully and considerately to the views of others. Pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is strong.
• There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils as confident, active and responsible citizens. For example, they understand the importance of the environment and living sustainably, such as through reusing and recycling. Each week, pupils in different classes keep track of how far they have walked. This helps pupils to understand the importance of staying healthy through physical exercise.
• Pupils are prepared carefully for life in modern Britain. For example, the school council elections provide insight into how democracy works. Pupils play their part as caring and active citizens in school and in the local community. For example, as pupils get older, they undertake responsible roles with maturity, such as school councillors supervising younger children as they walk to their rooms after breaktimes.
• Pupils develop a keen understanding of different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds. Every week, there is a focus on people’s lives in different countries. For example, pupils communicate over the internet with children from a school in Lebanon, which is twinned with Westrop. This helps pupils to understand at first hand what it is like to live in another country. Pupils were enthusiastic to find out more about living in an area of conflict when they discovered that refugee children from Syria attended their twinned school in the afternoons.
• Leaders provide thoughtful care for those who need additional support, including those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is particularly the case for pupils who are supported in ‘The Den’ during the school day. Leaders advocate strongly with a range of outside agencies, such as social care, and this helps to ensure the safety and welfare of pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave courteously during the school day, including at break and lunchtimes. As they move around the school, they are orderly, calm and polite. Pupils are well mannered and welcoming to visitors and willingly answer questions. They wear their school uniform with pride.
• Pupils, including children in the early years, are enthusiastic to learn. Those who spoke with inspectors in lessons, around the school and in meetings, were very positive about their experiences at school.
• Bullying is rare and pupils know that teachers will deal with it promptly if it occurs. Pupils are confident and happy to talk to staff about any incidents or concerns they may have. During the inspection, the school council led a very effective assembly for anti-bullying week.
• The school’s inclusive ethos permeates all aspects of its work. Pupils develop maturity in managing their own feelings and behaviour. They accept challenges with relish and enjoy having to think hard. It is unusual for lessons to be interrupted by poor behaviour.
• School leaders have worked hard to improve the attendance of a small number of pupils who are more regularly absent from school. As a result, attendance is in line with the national average and is improving.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the last inspection, the standards reached by pupils in the Year 6 national tests in have been in line with, and often above, national figures. Although there was a slight dip in results in writing in 2016, leaders have put in place actions to raise achievement in writing to match other subjects. This includes a systematic approach to improving pupils’ spelling. Although there are signs these actions are having a positive impact, it is too soon for these changes to be fully established.
• Leaders acknowledge that achievement in key stage 1 has been affected by recent changes in staffing. National test results at the end of Year 2 dipped a little last year, particularly for the most able pupils working at ‘greater depth’. Leaders have worked hard to minimise the impact of staffing changes, despite difficulties in recruitment and a shortage of strong applicants for teaching positions. Improvements to teaching, and leaders’ careful checks on progress, mean that current pupils are now on track to achieve well by the end of key stage 1.
• Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils are strong, including for the most able. Their attainment is at least in line with that of other pupils nationally, and is particularly strong in mathematics. Teaching ensures that any gaps in pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding are quickly identified and tackled. This helps disadvantaged pupils to make rapid progress, particularly in key stage 2.
• The most able pupils also make good progress. They enjoy their ‘challenge’ tasks, and pushing themselves to think hard. This reflects the school’s current focus on developing pupils’ thinking and reasoning skills. For example, most pupils are able to explain their understanding of mathematical methods and concepts, and can recall number facts and use calculation methods with confidence. Leaders recognise that some more work is needed to establish these improvements fully throughout the school.
• The proportion of pupils reaching nationally expected standards in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been above average in each of the last three years. In 2016, all pupils who had not reached the standard previously did so by the end of Year 2. This included pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Pupils read widely and regularly, and enjoy talking about their favourite authors. They read aloud with enthusiasm, using punctuation accurately to read with meaning. For pupils making slower progress in reading, prompt action is taken to remedy any specific difficulties so pupils improve rapidly. The school achieves an effective balance between giving pupils time to read in school, independently and at home. Pupils often choose books that interest them, including about topics they are studying in school.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive close support from staff. They make good progress, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. They are well cared for and gain in independence and self-confidence. The sensitive support of staff and the nurturing environment helps pupils to develop and flourish.
• The progress of pupils in other subjects is also good. They apply their literacy and numeracy skills well, and develop a good understanding of scientific skills and knowledge. There is an effective focus on different places and cultures around the world. In history, pupils enjoyed learning about the Aztecs and the Magna Carta through a topic on ‘crime and punishment’.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter Reception classes with a wide variety of different experiences. Some children are still learning how to listen carefully and follow instructions. Teachers focus well on improving these key skills and children quickly learn to respond and adhere to school routines. Parents value the work of staff to ensure that children make a quick and successful start to school. Leaders recognise that further work with the pre-school provision would improve children’s readiness for learning in the early years.
• Regular and precise assessments inform planning and support good learning. From a variety of different starting points, children make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1. Since the last inspection, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the early years has consistently exceeded the national figure.
• Children are confident, keen and eager to learn. They thrive in an atmosphere of warm and trusting relationships. Children enjoying talking about what they are doing and showing what they know. They learn happily and cooperate well when they work together.
• The teaching of mathematics, reading and writing is effective. The indoor and outdoor areas have many opportunities for children to practise skills, such as forming letters and counting. Children can link ideas together well, such as using new words in sentences. The most able children are also supported well to make good progress.
• Teachers plan carefully to meet the needs of children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They keep a close eye on the progress of any disadvantaged children in the early years, and ensure that additional funding is used wisely. All children are fully included in activities and make good progress.
• Parents are very supportive of the opportunities to talk to teachers and leaders in the school. However, the records of children’s learning show that some parents could have a greater level of involvement in supporting their child’s progress.
• Staff work very effectively to ensure that children are safe. Adults are vigilant and know how to report any concerns. There is no compromise about children’s safety. Teachers make sure that children’s personal, social and emotional needs are developed just as effectively as their academic learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 126253 Swindon 10008813 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 Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 268 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mandy Flint Janet Urban Telephone number 01793 762 897 Website Email address www.westropprimaryschool.co.uk/ head@westrop.swindon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 July 2012

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of information on its website.
• In 2015, the school met the government’s floor target, which sets out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.
• The school is an average-sized primary school and has grown in size since the last inspection. The proportion of pupils who join the school in the middle of a key stage is higher than is typical of other primary schools.
• Early years comprises two classes: one class for four- and five-year-olds who attend either part-time or full-time, and another class where children attend with some Year 1 pupils.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team examined past and present pupils’ performance and attendance data, school leaders’ self-evaluation and the school’s improvement plan.
• Inspectors had a discussion with an adviser from the local authority. The team also held meetings with groups of pupils, governors, senior and middle leaders. Parents spoke to inspectors as they left their children in school in the morning.
• The inspectors examined a range of documentation. This included information concerning safeguarding, attendance, health, safety, and child protection.
• The inspectors visited a wide range of lessons, sometimes with the headteacher, to observe teaching and learning. They also observed an assembly and observed pupils at breaktime.
• Inspectors listened to pupils reading and scrutinised a range of pupils’ work from the current and previous year, sometimes with the headteacher.
• The inspectors took into account the views of 71 parents who responded to Parent View, including written comments and letters from parents.

Inspection team

Mark Jenner, lead inspector Richard Vaughan Ben Jordan Marion Borland

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector