Wyton on the Hill Community Primary School

School report Wyton on the Hill Community Primary School Cambridge Square, Wyton-on-the-Hill, Huntingdon, PE28 2JB

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Standards of work in subjects other than English and mathematics, such as science and the humanities, are lower than they should be.  Leaders in charge of these subjects have not been given training in how to improve the quality of teaching and raise standards.  Assessment information is not always used well to plan teaching which builds upon what pupils already know or can do.  Pupils sometimes lose interest in lessons and chat to their classmates rather than getting on with their work.  Marking in all subjects does not consistently show pupils what they have done well and what they might do to improve a piece of work.  Pupils do not have frequent opportunities to use and practise their writing skills across a wide range of subjects.  Children in the early years are not given a broad range of exciting and enjoyable activities to practise their reading, writing and number skills.  Learning journals for children in the early years

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

class do not identify children’s next steps in all the areas of learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils behave well outside of the class and willingly take on responsibilities, such as training to become sports leaders. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.  The school is very effective in helping children to settle quickly when they join mid-year.  Pupils feel safe in school and they learn well how to keep safe.  The school has an effective team of support staff, known as learning mentors, who help pupils to catch up when they fall behind with their learning.  Pupils in Year 1 achieve well in phonics (the sounds that letters make). Attainment at the end of Year 2 is above average. Attainment in mathematics at the end of Year 6 has been above average for the last two years.  Governors know the school well and provide good support and challenge to school leaders

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons or parts of lessons. The headteacher accompanied an inspector to one lesson observation and worked with an inspector to scrutinise pupils’ work.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, members of the governing body, leaders of subjects, the Early Years Foundation Stage leader, the special educational needs leader and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked to pupils about their views of the school. Pupils’ behaviour was observed on the playground at lunchtime.  The views of the 19 parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were taken into account and inspectors talked to parents who were dropping their children off at school in the morning.  Twenty staff completed questionnaires about their views of the school and their views were considered.  A range of documents was scrutinised, including minutes of governing body meetings, behaviour and

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Information about this inspection

incident logs, the school self-evaluation, action plans and school performance information.

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Inspection team

Robin Taverner, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Wyton on the Hill Community Primary School is a smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school is organised into seven classes in the mornings and five classes in the afternoons. Children attend the Early Years class full time.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority, is broadly average at approximately a quarter of the pupils.  Fewer than one in eight of the pupils are disabled or have special educational needs. This is a below average proportion.  A high proportion of pupils join and leave the school partway through their primary education.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for progress and attainment by the end of Year 6, in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes to staffing in recent months. Three teachers were new to the school in September 2014. One of the teachers, who was covering for maternity leave, left the school in November and has been replaced by a teacher who is standing in temporarily, until the regular teacher returns. One teacher has moved recently from Key Stage 1 to teach in Key Stage2.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that pupils make good progress in a wide range of subjects by:  having consistently high expectations of pupils’ work across all subjects  setting tasks which are challenging and which enable pupils to practice and improve their writing skills  making better use of assessment information to ensure that work is not too easy or too hard but is set at the right level of difficulty  ensuring that marking in all subjects shows pupils what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of subject leaders so that they can raise standards in their subjects by:  providing leaders with the skills and confidence to better understand how to bring about the necessary improvements in teaching and learning in subjects other than mathematics and English  having higher expectations of subject leaders and holding them to account for the standards achieved in their subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve behaviour in lessons by: ensuring that work holds pupils’ interest so that they do not give up and choose to chat to their classmates.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning in the early years by:  organising a wide range of stimulating and engaging activities to help pupils practise their reading, writing and number skills  improving learning journals, so that they identify next steps for the children, in all the areas of learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership requires improvement because leaders in charge of subjects other than English and mathematics have not been effective in leading improvements. Standards of work in subjects such as science and the humanities are lower than they should be, due to teaching which does not challenge the pupils to try as hard as they can.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have introduced the new National Curriculum. They are finding out about different ways of checking whether pupils are making enough progress now that the current system of levels is being phased out.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The early years leader knows what needs to be done to improve the quality of teaching in the early years class, but has not yet made all the changes which are necessary. Senior leaders are supporting the leader of early years to make the changes and have sought advice and help from the local authority to achieve these improvements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The pupil premium funding is used to help disadvantaged pupils to prepare for school and be ready to learn, and also to provide extra lessons. Observations show that pupils make good progress in these extra lessons.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s work to promote equality of opportunity is good. The special educational needs leader ensures that the individual learning needs of pupils are met. Personal development assemblies teach pupils to respect each other’s views and to understand about issues such as bullying.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher is accurate in her self-evaluation of the school. The headteacher knows the strengths and weaknesses that exist in teaching and learning and is taking action to make improvements where needed. For example, training has been arranged to help teachers to improve the teaching of reading, following below average attainment in reading at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014. The school is also reviewing the way spelling is taught, with the aim of improving outcomes in the English, grammar, punctuation and spelling assessments.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The regular checking of the quality of teaching, carried out by the headteacher, has focused largely on mathematics and English, where, over time, the better teaching has taken place.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The arrangements for safeguarding of pupils meet all requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents who responded to Parent View, and the vast majority of parents who spoke to inspectors, speak very highly of the school. Parents whose children join the school mid-year are particularly impressed with the support given to their children to help them settle quickly into the life of the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has strengths in its development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education and the way it prepares pupils for life in modern Britain. Moral and social education is effective in the way it encourages pupils to take on responsibilities, including training them to be peer mediators and sports leaders. Pupils are taught about democracy through an elected pupil council, and assemblies are often built around the issues which pupils think are important. Spiritual and cultural education is developed well through the opportunities the pupils have to learn about music and famous works of art. Displays encourage pupils to appreciate art, inspired by themes such as light, and to understand religious symbols such as Christingle.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The primary sports premium is spent on training for Year 6 pupils to become sports leaders. Once qualified, they work with younger pupils to develop their physical skills, such as catching and throwing. The school also pays to be a member of the local sports partnership, which provides sports coaches. Recently, the school has benefited from the coaching of dance and football. Teachers benefit from the specialist coach-led sessions, as they use them to enhance their own teaching skills.  The local authority has had very limited involvement with the school in recent years. Currently, a local authority adviser is helping to improve early years provision.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors are knowledgeable about the key strengths and weaknesses of the school, including the quality of teaching. They are familiar with information about the standards reached by pupils in Year 6 and Year 2, and the minutes of governing body meetings show that they have questioned staff about these outcomes to see if they can be improved.  Governors attend special governor days which enable them to see the work of the school at first hand.  Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities, including having a designated governor for safeguarding and for disabilities and special educational needs.  The financial management of the school is overseen effectively by governors. They ensure that spending stays within budget. Governors understand the link between teachers’ pay and performance and have appropriate involvement in decisions about staff pay.  Governors know how the pupil premium is spent and they question leaders about how effective the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

spending is in raising standards for eligible pupils. They have ensured that primary sports funding is helping to improve physical education in the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because sometimes pupils lose interest in lessons and chat to their classmates rather than getting on with their work. This happens, mostly, when the work set for them is too difficult. Children in the early years class sometimes become restless if they are given activities which do not interest or challenge them to think.

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Behaviour

 In science and humanities subjects, pupils do not take enough pride in their work. This means it is too often untidy or is left incomplete.

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Behaviour

 Pupils behave well on the playground and also around the school. They are polite and welcoming to visitors and keen to share their thoughts and opinions about the school and about their work.

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Behaviour

 Older pupils are trained to become peer mediators at break times and the younger pupils in the school appreciate this support. The school listens to the views of pupils put forward by the school council. Their ideas are often used as themes for the regular personal development assemblies. These assemblies tackle important issues, sensitively, and in a way that pupils can understand and enjoy

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Behaviour

 Attendance has been broadly average for several years. Recently, attendance has improved. The school has effective systems for encouraging pupils to attend regularly and for checking up on pupils who are absent. Very few pupils are late for school.

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Behaviour

 Exclusions (periods of time when pupils are not allowed to attend school) are very rare.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Arrangements for pupils’ safety, and for child protection, fully meet current requirements.

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Safety

 Pupils enjoy school and speak very highly of it. They feel safe in school and know how to obtain help if they were ever to need it.

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Safety

 Pupils are knowledgeable about the different types of bullying, as this is one of the safety issues which teachers talk about in special personal development assemblies. Pupils are very aware of possible dangers when using the internet and are taught how to stay safe when using computers. Pupils are also taught about road safety and the dangers of smoking and drinking.

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Safety

 Incidents of bullying are very rare and pupils are confident that, should bullying occur, it would be dealt with effectively by the school.  Parents are supportive of the school and agree that their children are kept safe.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because teachers’ expectations of the standards to be attained in science and the humanities subjects are not high enough. Pupils are not given opportunities to practise their writing skills in a wide range of subjects. They are often given easy tasks in these subjects which do not challenge them to think and to try their hardest. Work is sometimes scruffy and unfinished.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school has detailed checklists for English and mathematics which show what pupils know and can do and also what their next steps are. This information is shared with pupils, who meet regularly with teachers to agree new learning targets, which pupils can refer to in lessons. Changes in staffing this term have meant that this information is not always being used well to help plan lessons. As a result, teachers do not always set work which is well matched to the abilities of all pupils. On these occasions, pupils lose interest and chat to their classmates.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The same checklists are used with pupils who join the school mid-year. A member of the support staff, known as a transition mentor, helps pupils to settle quickly into school, and other support staff, known as learning mentors, provide extra support if there are gaps in their learning. This helps these pupils to attain similarly to their classmates.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking has improved but is not consistent across all subjects. Marking is most effective in pupils’ writing books, where pupils receive praise for the aspects of writing they have done well and are given clear guidance on how to improve. This does not happen as well in mathematics or in other subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are too few interesting and engaging activities provided for children in the early years class for them to practise their writing and number skills. Consequently, they are not making as much progress as children have in the past.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Learning mentors are used for short teaching sessions to help pupils who need extra help to understand their classwork. Some of these sessions are used to teach disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium. Pupils make good progress in these sessions.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Over time, the most effective teaching has taken place in English and mathematics lessons. Teachers check pupils’ understanding through their questioning and through their observations of pupils’ work. On these occasions, teachers are quick to spot misconceptions and adapt their lessons accordingly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have personal intervention plans which identify the gaps in their knowledge and skills. These plans are used well to ensure that these pupils make as much progress as they can.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 have good handwriting skills... However, too few opportunities are provided for pupils to produce longer pieces of writing in a range of subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils of all abilities have good phonics skills due to effective teaching over time. Work seen in pupils’ exercise books, along with school performance information, shows that the teaching of mathematics is typically good.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Due to lower than expected attainment in reading at the end of Year 6 this year, the school has reviewed how reading is taught and is providing training for teachers so they can better help pupils to understand the texts that they read.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The work seen in pupils’ exercise books and loose-leaf folders for science and the humanities subjects shows that pupils are not making good progress in these subjects. Pupils are often asked to do simple tasks such as filling in words on worksheets or cutting out and rearranging pictures. These tasks lack challenge and do not make good use of, or build on, the skills taught in English and mathematics lessons.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school agrees that progress in writing is not as good as it could be because pupils are not given regular opportunities to practise their writing in a wide range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Work seen in pupils’ mathematics and English books is of a better standard and shows that pupils often make good progress in lessons. However, in some lessons, the work is too hard for some pupils to be able to make good progress. This is because assessment information has not been used well to plan the next steps for the pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children made good progress from their starting points in the early years class last year. Progress is slower so far this year as teaching requires improvement in this part of the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils achieve well in phonics, with the proportion attaining the required standard at the end of Year 1 being above the national average. All pupils who did not achieve the standard last year are now achieving well with their reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 and attain standards which are the equivalent of a term above the national average. The most-able pupils make good progress and, as a result, more pupils achieve the higher levels than is the case nationally. At the end of Key Stage 1, support for the small number of pupils eligible for pupil premium is good and they attain as well, and sometimes better, than their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils make good progress in mathematics and attain standards in this subject at the end of Key Stage 2 which have been around a term above the national average for the past two years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress and attainment in writing has improved since 2013 and is now in line with national averages. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their skills by practising writing in a range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress pupils make in reading varies year on year. In 2014, Year 6 pupils did not make enough progress in reading and their attainment in reading was a term below the national average. This was particularly due to a fall in the proportion achieving the higher levels. However, these results are not typical for the school. By contrast, in 2013, attainment in reading was a term above the national average and the proportion achieving the higher levels was also above average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards achieved by pupils eligible for the pupil premium at the end of Year 6 in 2014 were one and a half terms behind their classmates in mathematics and reading, half a term behind in writing and nearly three terms behind in English punctuation, spelling and grammar. When compared to other pupils nationally, the attainment of pupils eligible for the pupil premium in the school was half a term behind in mathematics, one term behind in writing, almost two terms behind in English, grammar, punctuation and spelling. They were nearly three terms behind pupils nationally in reading.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Nevertheless, the attainment gap between pupils eligible for the pupil premium and their classmates, and the gap with all other pupils nationally, was smaller in 2014 than in 2013. At the end of 2014, all the pupils who were eligible for the pupil premium made the progress they should in writing. This is a higher proportion than their classmates and all pupils nationally. In reading and mathematics, the proportion making expected progress was slightly below the average for their classmates and below national averages.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make progress which is at least similar to, and sometimes better than, other pupils in the class. This is because they are supported well by teaching assistants and also benefit from additional lessons from the learning mentors. Pupils who join the school partway through their primary education also benefit from learning mentor support. They are helped to catch up on any gaps in their learning and their achievement is similar to that of their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils in Year 6 attain the higher levels in the national tests. The most-able Year 2 pupils are challenged so that they can achieve highly in their end of year assessments. Challenging learning targets are set for most-able pupils in regular meetings with the class teacher.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 The assessment of children who started school in September are, by the staff’s own admission, rather cautious, and show that nearly all children started at the school with skills lower than is typical for their age. Assessments made later in the term are more accurate and show that nearly all children have the skills and knowledge which are typical for their age.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Learning journals record children’s achievements but do not always identify what children need to learn next.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 When staff lead the learning, such as in phonics or mathematics lessons, children make good progress. However, there are insufficient opportunities for children to practise their skills in reading, writing and number work within the activities which they are invited to choose for themselves.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Most of the time, children behave very well in the early years class. Occasionally, they become restless when they lose interest in a task which they do not find enjoyable or which does not challenge them to think. The classroom and outdoor areas are safe and children are well cared for.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 School records and performance information show that the current weaknesses in provision are not typical. Last year, children made good progress and were prepared well for their move into Year 1. School leaders, including the early years leader are taking decisive action to bring about improvements in current practice and have engaged the support of a local authority adviser to make this happen.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Early years staff have good links with parents, including through a home/school communications book. School staff let parents know, regularly, how their children are progressing and parents can tell staff of any achievements made at home and also of any worries they might have. Parents appreciate this regular communication with the school.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 110703 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 443972

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 167 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mick Mitchell Headteacher Jo Phillips Date of previous school inspection 12 July 2011 Telephone number 01480 452032 Fax number 01480 451004 Email address office@wyton.cambs.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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