Welburn Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• In the early years, continue to increase the proportion of children reaching a good level of development by using knowledge of what children can do to plan and direct more precisely the next steps they need to take in all areas of the curriculum.
• Improve lower-ability children’s ability to read with fluency and accuracy and their confidence in writing in the early years and Year 1 by:
  • making sure that phonics teaching is consistently strong so that children move swiftly from reading individual sounds to blending sounds to decode words
  • giving children more opportunities to apply the sounds they have learned in their writing
  • making sure that the books children read are well matched to their ability in phonics and the sounds they have learned.
• Ensure that the quality of pupils’ presentation in writing consistently reflects the school’s high expectations.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has a deep-rooted distinct philosophy of how to support pupils in achieving well and in developing strong life skills and an informed view of the world. The staff team and the governing body are fully committed to this vision. Teaching is good. Pupils make good progress and leave school well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• There have been substantial changes in the size of the school, the building and the staff since the last inspection in 2006. ‘The Welburn Way’ has been established by leaders to set out the expectations in laying firm foundations for learning. This unites leaders, pupils, governors and staff members, who talk confidently about how this supports pupils’ achievement and well-being. It has helped to ensure that a good quality of education is maintained through a time of unavoidable changes.
• Leaders have designed the curriculum to encourage pupils to build their skills through subjects, to deepen their knowledge and understanding and to make connections in learning. Middle leaders have a clear view of what they want pupils to learn and the knowledge and skills they will build over their time in school. Pupils talk confidently about their learning, demonstrating a good understanding of subject-related vocabulary.
• To gain an accurate view of the progress pupils are making, leaders have devised an assessment system that is focused on how successful pupils are in each lesson. Teachers identify those pupils who have achieved well and those who need more support. They take effective action to support pupils’ needs, working closely with teaching assistants to provide a range of different support activities, interventions or challenges that enable the pupils to make good progress. Leaders meet regularly with staff to check pupils’ progress – as well as their attainment – which gives them a good understanding of pupils’ academic needs.
• As with all pupils in the school, adults have an excellent understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are in receipt of pupil premium funding. Additional support is in place to ensure that pupils’ academic, social and behavioural needs are met.
• The local authority advisers provide a good balance of challenge and support. They recognise the strengths in the quality of teaching and learning and rightly question and explore any aspects they think are not strong enough.
• Parents’ and carers’ views of the school are mixed. All parents spoken to praise the teaching and feel well informed about the progress their children are making. However, about a third of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire – Parent View
  • feel that the concerns they raise are not responded to well. Many spoken to say that they would like to be more involved in activities and learning in school. Staff and governors realise that the recent building programme has inhibited opportunities to speak informally with parents before the start of the school day and to involve them in events. They are keen to address this now that the building work is nearing completion.

Governance of the school

• Governors fully support school leaders’ commitment to ensuing that pupils are at the heart of decisions that are made. They understand and embrace the vision for the school and have confidence in the staff team in meeting each pupil’s needs.
• Governors and staff have shared development days so that everyone is clear about the strengths of the school and any areas that need focus or improvement. They have a good understanding of the school assessment information provided by the school and of the strengths in pupils’ outcomes over their time in school. They are not as clear about the reasons for lower outcomes in the early years and in phonics, and are right to acknowledge that this is something they could question and explore further.
• Additional funding is spent effectively to support pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. Governors have a good understanding of the support that is put in place and the effect this has on accelerating pupils’ progress.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The new administrative officer has quickly gained a comprehensive view of the systems for recruiting and recording information about new staff. She has established effective lines of communication with parents, staff and the local authority, and these partnerships are helping her to refine and further improve some of the processes in place.
• Leaders have ensured that staff are fully trained and updated in how to keep pupils safe. Record-keeping is fit for purpose.
• Staff members’ excellent knowledge of pupils and their families helps them to ensure that appropriate support is put in place where it is needed. The school uses the curriculum well to teach pupils about safety and to promote their well-being.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers and teaching assistants have a clear understanding of what they want pupils to achieve and how they will support them in doing so. Teaching is good.
• Teachers use daily assessments effectively to plan what each pupil needs to do next. This gives teachers an in-depth understanding of where pupils’ strengths are and where they need challenging, and where they need more support.
• Teachers place a high emphasis on speaking and listening and collaborative work. Consequently, pupils of all abilities contribute well to lessons and make good progress across a broad and informative curriculum.
• The curriculum is planned with care and thought to deepen pupils’ knowledge and life skills. For example, in key stage 1, pupils explored a wide range of work around remembrance that prompted them to think deeply about others, themselves and historical events. During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 put their prior learning and investigation skills to good use to find out which toilet rolls are the best value.
• Developing a lifelong love of reading and books is high on the school’s agenda. Staff members immerse pupils in high-quality texts and take every opportunity to develop pupils’ knowledge and use of ambitious vocabulary. Adults frequently read aloud to pupils of all ages and use texts to promote learning across a wide range of subjects. During the inspection, pupils in Year 2 used their learning about the characters and events in ‘Winnie the Pooh’ to use imaginative language and create exciting scenarios during their ‘adventure’ in the local woods.
• Pupils use the great examples they see in other authors’ work to improve their own writing. Teachers’ and teaching assistants’ clear direction in spelling, punctuation and grammar is evidenced in pupils’ work. Good use of more complex sentence structures – adding lively interest for the reader – is apparent as pupils move through key stage 2. However, pupils’ written work shows a lack of high expectations in presentation. Leaders have identified writing in the school improvement plan. They have recognised the need for adults’ consistency in high expectations in the quality of pupils’ work.
• In mathematics, teachers support pupils well in becoming confident in the use of number. Pupils of all abilities have frequent opportunities to work in pairs and groups to test out their skills in practical problem-solving and reasoning activities. Resources are used well to support this learning. Pupils use mathematical vocabulary successfully to describe their learning and the strategies they are using.
• Pupils with SEND and the small proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged are well supported, enabling them to make good progress. One of the support staff members describes their work as ‘future-proofing’ the pupils – equipping them with the skills to be able to solve problems themselves, rather than relying on intense support and then struggling later without it.
• Although teachers successfully promote an enjoyment of reading – and pupils make strong progress throughout key stage 2 and achieve well – pupils’ reading with fluency and accuracy gets off to a slower start in key stage 1. This is because phonics teaching is not consistently strong. Pupils are not equipped with the skills they need to decode words successfully. In addition, the books they read are not always matched to the sounds they have learned, so lower-ability pupils – in particular – lack confidence and find reading difficult.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. The school team’s excellent knowledge of each pupil helps them to put effective support in place to meet pupils’ academic, social and emotional needs.
• Leaders’ vision and the way the curriculum is designed ensure that firm foundations in learning and well-being are laid.
• School leaders have managed the challenges that recent building work has brought well. They have ensured that pupils’ physical development has continued, with revised risk-assessed arrangements for playtimes, out-of-school gym sessions, regular sports coach visits and visits to the local woods. Pupils say that outdoor learning is one of the best bits about learning at Welburn.
• Pupils are keen to take positions of responsibility in school. School councillors explain their recent achievements and their current work to reintroduce extra-curricular activities now the building work is coming to an end. Lunchtime servers support younger pupils with kindness and encouragement, and physical education ambassadors rise to the challenge of their work alongside pupils from other schools.
• The school-run before-school club gives pupils a relaxed and friendly start to the day. During the inspection, pupils’ cooperation skills shone through as they worked well together on a number of projects, such as building Lego models. The session ended with a short yoga activity, promoting a calm and focused start to the day.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils listen carefully to teachers and are engaged in their work.
• Pupils’ behaviour during transitions from classrooms to the playground is more lively but, when adults give clear reminders about good behaviour, pupils quickly respond.
• Any low-level disruption is generally well managed by staff. More serious incidents – such as bullying – are recorded and followed up carefully with pupils and their parents. Pupils say that bullying is very rare and that any worries or concerns they have are quickly resolved.
• Pupils’ attendance is similar to the national average. Just as the headteacher has an excellent knowledge of each pupils’ academic attainment and progress, she also knows exactly which pupils have lower attendance, the reasons for this and the ongoing work with families to ensure that this improves.

Outcomes for pupils

• Pupils achieve well over their time in school.

Good

• The proportions of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards at the end of key stages 1 and 2 have fluctuated since the last inspection. Cohort sizes are small, which can affect this data considerably. Outcomes have improved over the last two years and the proportions of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards at the end of key stages 1 and 2 were higher than the national averages in 2018.
• Pupils’ outcomes in writing at the end of Year 2 were in the lowest 20% of schools in 2016 and 2017. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in writing improved in 2018 and was in line with the national average. Pupils’ current work shows a similarly positive picture, although leaders have rightly kept writing as a priority on the school improvement plan to maintain and build on these standards.
• Outcomes in mathematics are strong. Pupils’ current work demonstrates that pupils continue to make at least good progress throughout school.
• Leaders’ focused attention on developing knowledge of vocabulary and a love of reading has resulted in strong outcomes in reading. However, after a period where outcomes in phonics were rising steadily, the proportion of pupils achieving the standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check declined again in 2018. Pupils’ current work and hearing pupils read show that pupils do not consistently make a strong start in being able to read with fluency and accuracy. Pupils historically catch up by the end of Year 2.
• Pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged generally make good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils’ current work and teachers’ assessment information show that pupils make good progress in knowledge and skills across a wide curriculum. Outcomes in science are particularly strong.

Early years provision Good

• The early years classroom promotes opportunities for children to explore, share and develop good foundations for learning. Adults provide a safe and welcoming environment where children are happy and enjoy their learning.
• Leaders’ ambition to develop each child’s knowledge through practical experiences and contextual knowledge of a varied vocabulary gets off to a strong start in the early years. During the inspection, children were holding and smelling different vegetables and fruits. Effective adult modelling meant that children could confidently name each one and explain how they knew if it was a vegetable or a fruit – ‘Fruits have seeds. Have a look in here!’ – and whether it was a root vegetable or grew on a plant or tree.
• Adults teach children how to keep safe so that they can try out new things in a well-managed environment. For example, children know the special rules for trips to the woods, and for climbing and exploring in the outdoor classroom area. During the inspection, children explored the frosty outdoor area with delight, understanding the need for care. Children’s welfare requirements are well met.
• Adults have designed the early years reading curriculum to promote a lifelong love of reading. Children say that they like taking story sacks home to read with their families. Observations of children’s learning and their discussions show how conversations and links about books and stories ignite their imaginative play.
• Adults use phonics as one of several strategies to teach children to read. The teaching of phonics is not consistently strong so – although children are interested in books – they are not fully equipped with the skills they need to quickly become fluent, accurate and confident readers. When they read, some children can say individual sounds but do not know how to blend sounds to read with fluency. In addition, their reading books are not always matched to the sounds they have learned. Therefore, lower-ability children – in particular – struggle to decode words.
• Children enter the early years with skills that are broadly typical for their age in most areas of learning. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of Reception has increased over recent years and is now similar to the national average. Children make good progress in most areas of learning. However, checks on and observations of children’s learning are not consistently sharply focused to find out what children already know and what they need to learn next. For example, gaps in learning in managing feelings and behaviour have not been well enough supported to ensure that they reach the early learning goal in this area by the end of Reception.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 121327 North Yorkshire 10086832 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 88 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Roy O’Shaughnessy Helen Thomson 01653 618 301 www.welburn.n-yorks.sch.uk/ admin@welburn.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 30 November 2006

Information about this school

• The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The school runs a before-school club.
• The early years consists of a Reception class which shares a classroom with Year 1 pupils.
• The proportion of pupils in receipt of the additional pupil premium funding is much lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan for SEND is much lower than the national average, as is the proportion receiving support for SEND.
• There are currently no pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• Building work has recently taken place to accommodate the rise in pupil numbers since the last inspection.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching across a range of subjects in all classes. Most of these observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• During visits to classes, the inspector spoke with pupils and looked at their work to find out more about how well they are learning.
• The inspector held meetings with pupils and talked informally with pupils around the school. She listened to pupils read and talked with them about reading. She observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.
• The inspector met regularly with the headteacher. Meetings took place with the early years leader, curriculum leaders and the attendance officer. The inspector met with the vice-chair of the governing body and spoke to the new chair on the telephone. She met with the school improvement adviser for the school from North Yorkshire local authority.
• A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ evaluation of school performance, school development planning and records relating to pupils’ behaviour and the quality of teaching and learning. The inspector also reviewed information relating to safeguarding and attendance.
• The inspector met with parents before school and took into account the 41 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. She spoke to pupils and staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.

Inspection team

Kate Rowley, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector