Watcombe Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that: − teaching rapidly addresses pupils’ misconceptions and builds on pupils’ prior understanding to provide challenging activities, in particular for the most able pupils.
• Improve leadership and management so that: − attendance continues to improve and more groups of pupils match national averages in attendance − writing activities are tracked closely to ensure that all groups of pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, make the same strong progress as in other subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have created a culture of high aspirations and support for all members of the school community. Consequently, the school is a warm, vibrant community where all stakeholders are valued. Pupils, staff and parents feel valued and listened to and all speak glowingly about the school. There have been transformational effects on the development of some members of staff, and they put these down to the nurturing qualities of leaders and the quality of professional development available.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the school and the relative strengths and areas of development. Through a robust school improvement plan, leaders target the next steps for improvement to help the school to move further forward. For example, in the past, boys made less progress than boys nationally in their writing but, as a result of leaders’ actions, boys’ progress in writing is improving.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding successfully to support disadvantaged pupils. Pupils’ social and emotional needs are well catered for, particularly through pastoral work, which has helped to support their emotional development. Support for reading and mathematics is also a key strength, and pupils have the chance to learn both before and after school in an attempt to meet their needs. As a result, these pupils are making strong progress in these subjects.
• Leaders ensure that pupils have a chance to use their knowledge, skills and understanding across the curriculum. Pupils spoke with pride about their accomplishments, particularly in art, where they have been adopting the style of an artist to create their own canvases. The quality of these paintings is very impressive and reflects high-quality work. Pupils value the wide curriculum opportunities and excel when applying their skills.
• Leaders use the sport premium grant effectively. It has contributed to increasing the proportion of pupils who take part in sporting provision at the school. The range of clubs provides rich opportunities to develop pupils’ sporting skills. More pupils attend these clubs and they value the range on offer.
• Leaders provide effective support for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to ensure that they make progress in reading and mathematics. High-quality interventions have a positive impact on pupils’ progress in these subjects. Pupils enjoy these sessions that are carefully tailored to their needs, but some interventions are less effective in developing their writing.
• Absence of some groups of pupils, notably disadvantaged pupils, remains high. Leaders have worked hard to improve attendance rates, but there is more work to do to ensure that more pupils are in school every day.
• Leaders monitor pupils’ progress closely and take swift action to provide support, particularly in reading and mathematics. However, for some pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, the progress made in writing is not as strong.

Governance of the school

• Governors assess the school’s performance accurately. They ensure that they are well equipped to challenge school leaders when needed and they have the highest expectations for the school. Consequently, governors have their fingers on the pulse and are at the heart of school improvement.
• Governors belong to several sub-committees, according to their knowledge and understanding. Each committee plays an important role and feeds back its findings to the full governing body. As a result, all governors have an awareness of the school’s work.
• Governors carry out their statutory duties diligently. They carry out regular checks on safeguarding procedures and coordinate responsibilities, based on the skills and strengths of their team.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have shaped an environment where safeguarding is at the core. There is an expectation that everyone has a safeguarding role, and leaders have provided training opportunities to further emphasise this.
• Recruitment checks are thorough to ensure that only those who are suitable to work with children are employed. Leaders maintain regular checks of the single central record and ensure that information about staff is always up to date. Once employed, staff receive a high-quality induction, which ensures that safeguarding arrangements are known and understood.
• Leaders make timely referrals to external agencies when they have concerns about pupils. They keep detailed logs and, through frequent analysis and discussion, they ensure that, when necessary, concerns about safety are escalated appropriately. Leaders have high expectations, particularly where safeguarding is concerned, and are rigorous in following up cases with external agencies. As a result, pupils are safe, and leaders use the range of information available to them to hold other agencies to account.
• The local authority holds the school’s safeguarding procedures in high regard. Using detailed and thorough analysis of the safeguarding culture in school, leaders seek ways to constantly improve. The local authority celebrates leaders’ work and has used Watcombe as a model for other schools to see how a successful safeguarding audit return should be completed. Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers plan lessons so that pupils enjoy and achieve. Pupils participate well in class discussions and are eager to demonstrate what they can achieve. Adults’ strong relationships with pupils have contributed to this rich classroom culture. Pupils value their education, and relationships between adults and pupils are steeped in mutual respect.
• Activities to support pupils’ development of reading are a strength and have contributed to the strong outcomes in reading. Sessions are well designed and meet the pupils’ needs. Adults question pupils skilfully to improve their reading comprehension skills. For pupils who are learning to read, interventions are precise and pupils make substantial progress. Pupils enjoy these sessions.
• Boys spoke passionately about the writing opportunities they have and with pride about the writing they have completed. Their books show the same sense of pride and boys’ progress from their starting points is improving. Furthermore, they are eager to continue making progress in writing and know what they need to do to improve.
• Pupils have a rich selection of reading books to choose from. They value the reading opportunities available to them and participate enthusiastically in the school’s reading ladder and reading league table schemes. Consequently, pupils read regularly and for pleasure both in school and at home.
• Parents are happy with the quality of information that teachers provide about their children’s progress. Parents are confident that they know how their children are achieving and what they can do further to support their child at home. Parents feel well informed and are kept up to date with the progress that their children make at school.
• Teachers miss some occasions when pupils’ responses are incorrect or when there are omissions in their conceptual understanding. In some cases, these misconceptions continue over a series of lessons, resulting in slower progress for these pupils.
• For some of the most able pupils who are capable of reaching the highest standards, the work is sometimes not challenging enough.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Leaders value pupils’ opinions. A pupil leadership team has been set up to give pupils a direct line to the school’s management, and there are regular opportunities for the team to feed back its findings to school leaders. Pupils value this and speak enthusiastically about the role they have at Watcombe Primary School.
• Pupils said that incidents of bullying are rare. They are confident that, on the occasions when bullying occurs, leaders deal with this quickly and effectively so that there are no recurrences. Consequently, pupils trust staff to keep them safe.
• Pupils spoke confidently and knowledgably about how to stay safe in school, online and in the wider community. During the inspection, for example, leaders ensured that promoting safety during Halloween was of utmost importance. Pupils appreciated this level of care and felt that they could act safely as a result. When online, pupils know what to do when risks may be present. In key stage 2, pupils talk about the role of Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command and the way it helps to protect children online and keeps them safe.
• Pupils are provided with high-quality information about how to keep safe. They feel confident that they are safe in school and could speak to any member of staff if they have a concern.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school, and the environment is calm and orderly. Pupils value the education that they receive and in turn demonstrate behaviour which is conducive to learning. Pupils engage in dialogue about learning with one another and celebrate mistakes as part of the learning process. Pupils are conscientious learners and value the learning opportunities provided.
• The school is a calm and orderly environment. Pupils are courteous to all members of the school community. There is a strong sense of mutual respect throughout the school. Adults are clear about what they expect from pupils, and pupils are keen to demonstrate the best conduct possible.
• Attendance of some groups of pupils is below national averages. Even though there have been significant recent improvements, there is still room for improvement. A number of pupils miss over 10% of the academic year, which limits their progress.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2017, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was well above national averages. A greater, and increasing, proportion of pupils are working at age-related expectations by the time they leave the school in Year 6 than at the beginning of their school journey. As a result, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• In 2017, the progress that pupils made in reading and mathematics was higher than national averages. It was particularly strong in mathematics, placing the school in the top 5% nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who meet the phonics screening check threshold has increased in the last three years. This improvement has meant that the school is now above national averages. Consequently, more pupils are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in reading and writing.
• The progress that disadvantaged pupils make in reading and mathematics has improved. Effective interventions and support for these pupils have helped to increase the proportion working at age-related expectations. Their progress in mathematics and reading is above national averages.
• Pupils have regular opportunities to read both in school and at home. Leaders have invested heavily to increase the range and quality of reading material, and there is a wealth of books available for all pupils. Through the school’s own reading ladder and reading league table, pupils become enthusiastic about reading and enjoy the range of books on offer.
• Overall, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make strong progress, with the result that more are catching up and working at age-related expectations.
• Over time, the progress that particular groups of pupils make in writing is lower than other in subjects. Leaders have rightly identified this as an area for development, and some improvements are evident, particularly for boys. Although pupils’ progress in writing is improving, it is not yet at the high rates seen in reading and numeracy.
• The number of pupils who reach the higher standard by the end of key stage 1 is below national averages. Although the proportion of pupils working at the standard expected for their age increases over time, too few move on to work at higher standards.

Early years provision Good

• The early years environment is rich and stimulating. Adults have carefully considered the needs of the children when designing activities to ensure that their needs are met. Children use the indoor and outdoor space well, and personalised activities support strong progress.
• The outside space is a vast and abundant environment, which mirrors the stimulating space indoors. Children have access to a wide range of activities and make the most of the opportunities provided. They enjoy popping on their waterproofs and wellies and exploring with their friends.
• Leaders have established strong links with a neighbouring early years provider. This has been beneficial, as it has led to sharing resources, facilities and expertise. Children join the school’s provision already familiar with the environment and staff. Adults manage transitions well, and induction to the provision is effective.
• Parents spoke highly of the provision. They appreciate the high level of individualised support and information that the school provides. Furthermore, they feel that they can speak freely with staff and share any concerns that they may have. Consequently, links between home and school are positive and initiatives to increase reading opportunities at home have taken off.
• Assessments made by adults are evidence based and accurate. All adults contribute when assessing children and are precise when they make observations and support children. As a result, children make strong progress across both Nursery and Reception, and the proportion of children working at activities that are typical for their age increases.
• The proportion of children exceeding the early learning goals at the end of Reception is lower than national averages. Although children make strong progress, few attain beyond what is expected, particularly in writing. Opportunities for children to practise their writing skills across the provision are not yet maximised. Consequently, progress in writing is slower than other areas of development, and few exceed the early learning goals.
• The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development has been stable in recent years. Nonetheless, this represents good progress from children’s lower starting points. Leaders have raised their expectations of the number of children who leave reception achieving a good level of development.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 113233 Torbay 10034476 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 231 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Fiona Prior Adam Morris 01803 327419 www.watcombe-primary.torbay.sch.uk/ admin@watcombe-primary.torbay.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 25─ 26 February 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This school is an average-sized primary school, and most pupils attending the school are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above that found nationally.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.
• The proportion of pupils supported by an education, health and care plan or who have a statement of SEN is well above average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited all classes. School leaders accompanied some visits.
• The inspectors held meetings with the senior leaders as well as the subject leaders for reading, writing and mathematics. Inspectors also spoke with members of the school’s governing body, the staff responsible for safeguarding and those responsible for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• During the inspection, the lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the governing body minutes, assessment information, the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan and evidence relating to safer recruitment and child protection. Inspectors also carried out detailed scrutiny of the school’s attendance information.
• Inspectors took account of the 39 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. The inspection team considered various kinds of comments, such as those made in face-to-face conversation or received in the free-texts. There were no responses from the pupil survey, but inspectors considered the 35 responses from the staff survey. In addition, several members of staff met with inspectors to pass on their opinions about the school.
• The inspection team observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at breaktimes.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils during various activities throughout the inspection.
• Inspectors undertook a scrutiny of pupils’ books to evaluate the quality of work and check the accuracy of assessment information held by the school on mathematics and writing. Inspectors also carried out a scrutiny of guided reading records and additional workbooks to evaluate the breadth of the curriculum and its impact on pupils’ learning.

Inspection team

Nathan Kemp, lead inspector Matthew Shirley Claire Fortey

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector