Worstead Church of England Primary School

Worstead Church of England Primary School Honing Road, Lyngate, Worstead, North Walsham, Norfolk NR28 9RQ

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Inspirational leadership from the headteacher has resulted in major improvements in pupils’ behaviour, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and pupils’ outcomes.  Governors have reviewed their working practice and now provide a good level of challenge to school leaders.  Rigorous systems for checking the progress of pupils means that action to address concerns is prompt and so all groups of pupils now make good progress from their various starting points.  Senior leaders have implemented a curriculum which motivates and engages pupils in their learning.  Teachers know their pupils very well as individuals. They plan work carefully to meet their differing needs.  The school promotes British values effectively.  Pupils feel safe, well cared for and valued. They are proud of their school.  Personal development, behaviour and welfare are good. Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning and a high respect and concern for

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This is a good school

everyone.  Pupils’ achievement in reading is a strength across the school. The standards reached by pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 are well above national expectations.  Children get off to a good start in the early years. They make good progress across all areas of development.  Attendance remains high over time.  Staff, pupils and most parents are highly supportive of this friendly, inclusive school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards at the end of Year 2 in writing are not yet above the national average.  Opportunities to develop mathematical skills in other subjects are sometimes missed.  The most able-pupils are not always sufficiently challenged to achieve the best possible progress in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Pupils’ presentation is not consistently good throughout the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to outstanding across the school to further accelerate pupils’ progress, especially in key stage 1 by: – providing work that is sufficiently challenging for all pupils, especially the most able, in all subjects across the curriculum – raising the standard of pupils’ presentation in their work by consistently following the school’s handwriting policy – providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in other subjects to further deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher provides highly skilled leadership. Her dedication to improve the school has inspired staff and governors to improve pupils’ behaviour, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and pupils’ outcomes. Planning for improvement is reviewed robustly to ensure continuous and future improvement.  This small school has a friendly learning environment and ethos where pupils flourish. Pupils now show good attitudes to learning, which is supporting their good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The leadership team has been restructured. New senior and middle leaders have high expectations and know how to improve their areas of responsibility. However, they have not yet had time to ensure that every opportunity is provided for pupils to apply their mathematical skills across the curriculum and that the most-able pupils are challenged sufficiently in all subjects.  The quality of teaching and the impact of this on pupils’ learning are carefully checked by leaders.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Regular pupil progress meetings with teachers and teaching assistants accurately inform the school’s new assessment system. Teachers are held to account for the progress pupils make. They are expected to meet their performance targets and training is provided to support this. If targets are not met, then salary increases are not awarded.  Early years leadership is good and the provision in the new classroom is continually improving. The children enjoy their exciting activities so that they make a good start to their school lives.  The school has designed an innovative curriculum based on learning challenges. Pupils suggest questions to deepen their understanding of each theme. British values and the school’s values of respect, kindness, ambition, curiosity and resilience are threaded through school life and prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The curriculum

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

is enhanced through trips, visiting speakers, an outdoor learning practitioner and a music specialist. The school provides a wide range of exciting lunchtime and after-school clubs, including a variety of sports clubs. The school promotes equality of opportunity well and ensures that there is no discrimination.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress from their various starting points. The special educational needs leader ensures that provision addresses the pupils’ personal, social, behavioural and academic needs effectively.  The school uses the pupil premium funding appropriately to ensure that the small number of disadvantaged pupils achieve academically and have full access to school trips and clubs. As a result, most achieve at least as well as their classmates.  Leaders have used the physical education and sport funding wisely to develop staff skills and to provide

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

greater sporting opportunities for pupils. A member of staff has been trained to lead physical education to ensure the sustainability of high-quality teaching. The vast majority of pupils now attend a sporting club. The school has achieved the Silver School Games Award.  The school has worked with the local authority and a national leader of education to improve all aspects of its work. The initial intensive support is no longer required as the school’s leaders now have the capacity to drive improvements themselves.  Parental responses from Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and from those who spoke to the inspector show that most parents are supportive of the school and acknowledge the improvements made since the last inspection. A few parents stated concerns about the many changes in teaching staff. However, the leadership team and governors have managed this well, ensuring improvement in all

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

aspects of school development.  The governance of the school – Since the last inspection, governors have undertaken a review of their work. Restructuring of roles and responsibilities and the development of a school improvement committee ensure that the school continues to improve, despite the many changes in teaching staff. – Governors review the school improvement plan effectively. They have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses through their work in the school. They check and discuss pupil progress information with senior leaders. – Governors understand how the pupil premium and sports funding is spent and the impact that these additional funds are having on pupils’ outcomes. – Governors ensure that staff performance management is carried out appropriately. They certify that teachers’ pay awards reflect their performance. They take appropriate measures to tackle underperformance.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and are given high priority within the school. Staff,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

governors and parents agree that pupils are safe in school. The school ensures that all the appropriate checks are carried out on staff and volunteers to ensure that they are suitable to fulfil their role. New staff quickly receive the appropriate training, which is regularly updated. Staff and governors are alert to the potential risks pupils face from modern-day issues such as extremism and radicalisation.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 School leaders have taken effective action to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Evidence in pupils’ books, observations of pupils’ learning and current progress information indicate that most teaching is now typically good.  Teachers use their knowledge of pupils to plan activities that interest and engage them in their learning. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and give clear explanations. They use questioning well to check and develop pupils’ understanding.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. The school’s work on establishing ‘behaviour for learning’ is improving pupils’ attitudes to learning.  Teachers and teaching assistants are effective in supporting disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs or disability. Pupils’ barriers to learning are well managed by the special educational needs leader so that these pupils make the best possible progress from their various starting

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

points.  Reading is taught effectively throughout the school. Staff use their strong subject knowledge to quickly develop pupils’ skills in phonics (letters and the sounds they make). Year 6 pupils read accurately with a high degree of confidence and fluency. Younger pupils use their knowledge of phonics to support their reading.  Pupils enjoy their mathematics tasks. Teachers make sure that pupils use mathematical terms correctly. Pupils in Years 2 and 3 use the terms ‘numerator’ and ‘denominator’ correctly when calculating fractions of whole numbers. When pupils are given the opportunity to solve mathematical problems to deepen their understanding, they rise to the challenge. An example of this was seen when Year 6 pupils discussed thoughtfully how they could produce a party within a set budget, incorporating the cost of the venue, food and entertainment. However, sometimes teachers miss these opportunities and so some pupils do

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

not develop their mathematical thinking as well as they could.  The teaching of writing is improving across the school. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their writing skills across the curriculum. Year 2 and Year 3 pupils used role play to help improve their newspaper reports after their visit to Norwich Castle. Their edited versions include a greater use of adjectives and a wider range of appropriate vocabulary to make their report more interesting for its audience.  Teaching across the ‘learning challenge’ curriculum is improving. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning challenges and the class homework menus, which enable them to develop their learning further. Additional specialist staff provide a wide range of high-quality learning experiences. For example, the Year 5 pupils confidently discussed safety guidelines with the outside learning specialist; the Year 6 pupils enthusiastically played the clarinet with the music teacher; the Year 2 and Year 3 pupils developed their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

defensive and tactical skills to improve their games skills, guided by the sports leader.  Teachers follow the school’s marking and feedback policy consistently across the curriculum. This means that pupils know how well they are doing, and how to improve their work. Teachers allocate time for pupils to practise things they have misunderstood.  The most-able pupils are challenged well in English and mathematics with planned tasks matched to their ability. However, this is not always the case in other subjects, which slows their progress.  Handwriting varies across the school because some staff do not have high enough expectations for this skill. They do not consistently follow the new handwriting policy. Poor handwriting has an impact on the presentation of pupils’ work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. There are clear strategies in place to support pupils. Pupils say that they feel safe in school because ‘we are like one big family and are always there for each other’. Every pupil is given equal consideration and treated as an individual.  Pupils are very positive about all aspects of their school life and enjoy coming to school. They know that staff will listen to any concerns and help to sort them out. Relationships between pupils and adults are based on respect and understanding.  Pupils are well informed about different types of bullying. They talk confidently about dangers and the steps they must take to keep themselves safe when using the internet. They stated that ‘a password is like a toothbrush – it must never be shared’. Pupils receive advice and guidance on other aspects of keeping safe, including outdoor safety and road safety.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning. The pupil learning ambassadors with their learning bird puppets help pupils improve their behaviour for learning. Pupils are proud of their work. Year 6 pupils are well prepared to start secondary school.  Pupils enjoy the breakfast, lunchtime and after-school clubs which are contributing effectively to their healthy lifestyles and social development. The well-attended clubs on offer include an outdoor learning nurture club, a horticultural club, a pupil-led maths clubs, a dance club, a cooking club and a wide range of sports clubs.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils display positive attitudes towards learning. This is best seen when they are given work that challenges them as they want to succeed. While there are occasions when a few pupils may lose attention, lessons are rarely disrupted.  The conduct and behaviour of pupils around the school is good. They are considerate and respectful towards each other. Pupils of all ages play together well at breaktimes. The pupils enjoy the music on the outside stage, climbing on the outside equipment and playing in the early years outside area.  Pupils are proud of their school. The school and the eco councils help raise pupils’ awareness of their contribution in respecting the school environment.  The outdoor learning practitioner is successfully encouraging creative and collaborative play at lunchtimes for the disadvantaged pupils.  Pupils say that bullying is rare. They are confident that if bullying happens it is dealt with quickly by staff.

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Behaviour

 All groups of pupils like to come to school and attendance is high. There are very few persistent absentees.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ outcomes have improved since the last inspection due to improvements in teaching, learning and assessment.  Children enter Reception with skills and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. As a result of good teaching, pupils make good progress and achieve well. For the last two years, the proportion of pupils reaching a good level of development has been above national expectations. Children are therefore well prepared for learning in key stage 1.  Reading is a strength across the school. In 2014 and 2015, the results of the Year 1 phonics screening check have been above national expectations. Reading results at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 have continuously improved during this time to become well above national standards. Most pupils make good progress in their reading skills.  The standards for writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 declined in 2015 but remained

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Outcomes for pupils are good

similar to national standards. The school’s latest assessments and work in pupils’ books show that current Year 2 and Year 3 pupils are now making good progress and gaps in their learning are narrowing.  In 2015, the end of key stage 2 writing and mathematics results improved rapidly so that they are now significantly above national standards. All pupils in Year 6 made expected progress and most made more than expected progress in both subjects. Consequently, pupils leave the school well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Pupils who are disadvantaged and are therefore supported by additional government funding make progress similar to other pupils in the school. There are too few disadvantaged pupils in each year group to make any reliable comment on their attainment.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress from their starting points. This is because they receive support that is carefully targeted to their needs.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 A high proportion of Year 6 pupils attained the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics in 2015. However, the most-able pupils are not always challenged sufficiently in other subjects across the school to enable them to achieve the best possible progress.  The school’s own recent assessment information indicates that the majority of pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s rigorous assessment system identifies any pupil who is underachieving and ensures that the relevant support is given quickly to improve their learning.  The standard of pupils’ handwriting and presentation varies across the school because some staff do not consistently follow the new handwriting policy.

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Early years provision is good

 Provision in the early years is now good. It has improved significantly this year due to the creation of a new classroom with an accessible outdoor area. The Reception children share their learning environment with the Year 1 pupils who are good role models for the younger children.  Teaching and learning is good because adults know the children well. The children learn in a safe and nurturing environment. They are enthusiastic learners who engage well with their activities. Staff ask children appropriate questions to improve their understanding.  Children make at least good progress from their starting points in all areas of their learning. Children enter the early years provision with knowledge and skills typical for their age. The proportions who attain a good level of development are high. This prepares them well for learning in Year 1.  Staff keep a close check on the children’s progress. They identify the needs of individual children,

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Early years provision is good

including children who have special educational needs or disability, and those for whom the school receives additional funding. They then take the appropriate steps to ensure that the children’s needs are met effectively. Accurate assessment of children’s learning is built up in their individual learning story records.  Children behave well and follow routines. They work and play enthusiastically together while sharing a wide range of resources. For example, during the inspection the children enjoyed sharing a traditional story book and making up appropriate actions. This prepared them well to write their own version of the story. Children also enjoy their number activities which are planned to match their differing needs. For example, some children were observed by the inspector identifying numbers they found in the sand, while others were very proud of their addition calculations to 10 and 20.  Phonics is taught effectively in the early years. The children use their knowledge of phonics well to

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Early years provision is good

support their spelling and reading.  The leadership and management of the early years are good. The headteacher has a clear understanding of the strengths of the provision, and knows what needs to be done to further improve the learning experiences of the children.  Parents and carers contribute to initial assessments of children’s starting points when they join the school. They are encouraged to support and share information about their child’s learning and development at home. Regular ‘family cafés’ are held to maintain strong links with parents and carers.  Safeguarding practices are highly effective. Appropriate training takes place regularly. Conscientious staff ensure that children are well supervised to ensure that they are safe.

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School details

Unique reference number 121066 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 10011787

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School details

This inspection 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 95 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Saul Penfold Headteacher Joanna Read Telephone number 01692 536309 Website www.worstead.norfolk.sch.uk Email address office@worstead.norfolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 1–2 April 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is well below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  Early years provision is full time for children in the Reception Year.  The school has a breakfast club on site under the school’s governance.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  There have been a number of new appointments to teaching posts since the last inspection.  From September 2014 to July 2015 the school was supported by a national leader of education from

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Information about this school

Southfields Primary School in Peterborough.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in 10 lessons and attended a class assembly. Five observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector held meetings with governors, a representative of the local authority and school staff, including senior and middle leaders.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at documentation, including teachers’ planning, the school’s analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, information on pupils’ attainment and progress, records of behaviour and safety, the monitoring of teaching and management of teachers’ performance, minutes of governing body meetings and safeguarding documents.  A discussion was held with a group of pupils as well as informal conversations with them during lessons and at breaktimes. The inspector listened to pupils read and talked to them about books they enjoy.  The inspector took account of 39 responses to the online parental questionnaire (Parent View) and

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Information about this inspection

spoke with parents informally at the end of the school day. The questionnaires completed by 13 members of staff and 15 pupils were also considered.

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Inspection team

Julie Harrison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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