Walesby CofE Primary School

Walesby CofE Primary School New Hill, Walesby, Newark, NG22 9PB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have improved significantly since new senior leaders were appointed.  Current progress is good and sometimes outstanding in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils’ progress is now consistently good or better across the whole school.  Teaching is good and some is outstanding. The quality of teaching has improved over time.  The resources and displays in classrooms and around school are much improved to support the pupils’ learning.  Pupils behave well. They clearly enjoy their learning and are very keen to do well.  Senior leaders have developed an ethos within the school that values all pupils as individuals. Leaders encourage pupils to work cooperatively and to take responsibility.  Pupils are courteous, polite, get on well together and show respect for all. They say that they feel exceptionally safe in school and parents all agree that their children feel safe

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This is a good school

and secure.  The headteacher provides outstanding leadership. As a result of her work and that of other leaders and managers, teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved.  Since the previous inspection, governance has improved significantly and is now a strength of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The much improved teaching of phonics (how the letters in words represent different sounds) is still to impact fully on results in reading and, to a lesser extent, writing.  Despite recent significant improvements, levels of attendance remain below the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons or parts of lessons. All classes were observed at least once and most were observed twice. Four of the observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher.  All teaching staff were involved in discussions with the inspector, particularly the headteacher and her deputy headteacher.  Discussions also took place with groups of pupils both formally and informally, the Chair of the Governing Body and another representative of the governing body, and the school’s local authority adviser.  The inspector took account of the views of 14 parents from the online questionnaire (Parent View) and conversations were held with several parents at the start and end of the school day. The inspector also analysed the 12 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ recent and current progress; planning and monitoring

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Information about this inspection

documentation; reports on the quality of teaching over time; records relating to behaviour and attendance; documents relating to safeguarding, and the minutes of various meetings.

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Inspection team

Nigel Grimshaw, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school population is largely White British. A smaller than average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups, mainly of Romany or Gypsy heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average. This is additional funding provided to schools for children in the care of the local authority and those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above the national average. However, the proportion supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is below the national average.  The headteacher has been in post for four terms and her deputy headteacher for three terms.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school operates a well-attended breakfast club for the pupils.  There is a privately run pre-school group that uses the school’s premises. This is subject to separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the much improved teaching of phonics to raise pupils’ achievement in reading and writing by:  extending the teaching of phonics across the whole school to meet the needs of all the pupils  extending the quality and quantity of reading materials within the school  providing more opportunities for pupils, especially those who are more able, to apply their phonics skills in researching and in producing extended pieces of writing in a range of subject areas.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue the recent rigorous approach to improving attendance so that attendance rates exceed the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with very varied skills and knowledge but, overall, these are broadly in line with those typical for their age. Good teaching in this key stage makes sure that children have a good start to their school lives and they quickly get used to the routines and expectations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The clear focus of the relatively new school leaders has been on improving teaching and raising standards. This has been successfully achieved and so the high expectations established when children start school are now fully in place across the whole school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Over recent years, the standards achieved at the end of Year 2 and by the time the pupils leave the school have been broadly in line with national averages. However, from the school’s own current data and a thorough analysis of the pupils’ work, it is clear that attainment this year is much improved. Pupils are on track to exceed the current national averages by the end of Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress is greatly improved. Pupils are now making consistently good progress across the whole school because the quality of teaching has been raised significantly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported by the school’s coordinator and teaching assistants. As a result, these pupils make progress similar to their classmates and their progress has also improved.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of the small number of pupils from minority ethnic heritages, including those from Romany and Gypsy backgrounds, has also improved. However, the number of eligible pupils is very small and so it is not possible to comment on their specific attainment without identifying individuals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils eligible for support from the pupil premium funding make similar progress to their classmates. In fact, they have recently made better progress than the rest of their class. As above, the number of eligible pupils is very small and so it is not possible to comment on their attainment without identifying individuals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The effective use of the primary school sport funding has increased the activities available to pupils in lessons, at lunchtimes and in clubs after school. This has improved pupils’ physical well- being and their understanding of healthy lifestyles as well as their enjoyment of learning. Specialist teaching has been introduced and staff are learning from this how to improve their own practice in the future.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The teaching of phonics has improved this year and this is reflected in pupils’ attainment in reading, which had been a major concern in previous years but is now much improved. However, phonics teaching is not used as effectively for some of the older pupils who may still have gaps in their knowledge.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils say that they enjoy reading and they read confidently to the inspector during the inspection. Most say that they read for pleasure at home and the use of the school’s ‘reading diaries’ and rewards for the number of times they read at home is helping to support this. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have created a new, attractive library area to stimulate reading. The school has not yet fully improved the quantity and quality of reading and reference materials, particularly for more-able pupils.  Pupils, particularly the more able, do not have sufficient opportunities to apply their phonics skills in research as part of their topic work and in extended pieces of writing across a range of subject areas.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The headteacher has focused strongly and successfully on improving the quality of teaching. At the time of the previous inspection, there was much teaching that required improvement or was inadequate. This is no longer the case. The vast majority of teaching is now consistently good or better, as shown by the school’s own records and by observations undertaken with the local authority’s school adviser.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The headteacher and her deputy headteacher, together with members of the governing body, have worked closely with all staff to develop a strong sense of teamwork. Staff are now sharing the good practice that has developed within school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A good example of sharing the good practice has been through improvements in the consistency and quality of marking. Identified as an issue for improvement a year ago, the scrutiny of pupils’ books shows that marking is now almost always of a good standard and helpful to the pupils in improving their work. As one pupil said, ‘Marking is useful because it helps us to get better and that is what we all want to do.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make very good use of the school’s pupil progress information to plan work that meets pupils’ needs and interests. Meetings with the senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinator make sure that all teachers have plans in place to accelerate the progress of pupils who may be slipping behind with their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set targets for pupils to achieve which are linked to their next steps to progress to the next National Curriculum level. Pupils enjoy having these targets and knowing what they need to complete to improve their attainment levels.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils respond well to being challenged. This was certainly the case in a Year 5 and 6 class lesson where pupils were using high level mathematical skills to solve complex problems and devise their own algebraic formulae.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The significant majority of the work planned for the pupils is challenging enough. However, some of the topic work in areas such as history and geography is too easy for the most-able pupils. It does not require them to apply their skills in more extended pieces of work, including undertaking their own research through reading.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well both in lessons and around the school because behaviour is managed consistently and pupils are clear about expectations. They are courteous and well-mannered and show good respect for others. This was very obvious in a ‘celebration assembly’ where pupils were clearly very pleased for those who won awards.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils say that behaviour is good. This view was echoed by parents in their response to the school’s own questionnaire, in Parent View and in discussions with a small number of parents. As one parent said, ‘This school is very special because everyone seems to care about each other and want to succeed.’  Pupils have very positive attitudes to their work and want to do well. As one put it, ‘I am really proud of my work and give 100%.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities, for instance, as ‘Playground Pals’ and as helpers in assembly where they give out achievement stickers to those who have done well in their work and in their behaviour around school. Pupils take responsibility for organising the equipment available at break times and ensure that it is used effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils and their parents say that they feel safe at school and that bullying is not an issue.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils are happy that the school site is now more secure with new fencing in place. They have been taught about keeping safe at school and in the wider community. They say that they feel confident about approaching adults at school if anyone upsets them and feel sure that they would sort out any problems. The school has promoted the safe use of the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 The headteacher and governors are tackling the previously very low rates of attendance. In the last year, there have been significant improvements because of the rigorous actions taken but attendance remains well below the national average.

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The leadership and management is good

 The leadership provided by the headteacher has been outstanding over the last four terms. She has successfully focused on improving the quality of teaching and raising standards. One parent summed it up when saying, ‘The new headteacher has made a big, big difference to the school. It is much better now and the pupils enjoy it even more and are doing better than before.’

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The leadership and management is good

 The headteacher and the new deputy headteacher have created a much improved team ethic with everyone working hard together to improve the school. Her Majesty’s Senior Inspector for the Midlands area described the improvements as ‘exceptional’ when visiting the school in January 2014.

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The leadership and management is good

 The monitoring of classroom practice has been rigorous. Regular, useful discussions have been held with staff to improve their practice. All staff have been encouraged by the senior leaders to attend professional training to enhance their skills. Leaders and teachers make sure that pupils have equal access to activities and tackle any discrimination.

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The leadership and management is good

 As a result of staff training, classroom areas have improved and displays are now attractive, informative and support learning well. Pupils are proud of their ‘new’ classrooms and commented on how much they enjoy working in the school.

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The leadership and management is good

 All staff are clear about their leadership roles and there is an obvious enthusiasm among all the staff to succeed in the work that they carry out. They have worked successfully with governors and have helped to keep them well informed about the various ways in which the school is moving forward.

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The leadership and management is good

 The staff have reviewed the way that subjects are taught within school and have reorganised this to meet the needs of the new National Curriculum ready for its implementation in September 2014. They have particularly focused on the needs and interests of the pupils and this is a key factor in pupils’ enjoyment of learning. The way subjects are taught is very successful in promoting spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which is a strength of the school.

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The leadership and management is good

 The local authority has supported the school extremely well in improving teaching and standards.

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The leadership and management is good

 School leaders have increased links with other local schools for training and sharing good practice and to make sure that the transition from one school to another has improved. Pupils are now better prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The leadership and management is good

 Parents say that they feel more involved in their children’s learning and are encouraged to support this at home, especially in reading.

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The leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school:  Governance was criticised at the time of the last inspection and this galvanised members of the governing body into action. Governance is now a strength. Governors have undertaken a range of training to improve their roles and responsibilities. They are more actively involved in checking the work of the school and are less reliant on receiving information from others. They are, therefore, now very clear about the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They are well aware of the school’s performance data and the improvements being made. They have a good knowledge about the quality of teaching, the way teachers’ performance is managed and how this has led to improvements. They make sure that pay reflects teachers’ effectiveness. They are clear about the pupil premium and sports funding and how these are spent and the impact that they are having. Governors have ensured that all the safeguarding

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The leadership and management is good

procedures fully meet statutory requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 122771 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 441950

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary Controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 143 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Meg Staples MBE Headteacher Sarah Sampson Date of previous school inspection 8 November 2012 Telephone number 01623 860575 Fax number 01623 836806 Email address office@walesby.notts.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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