The Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mr Toby Bull Headteacher Bishop William Ward Church of England Primary School Coach Road Great Horkesley Colchester Essex CO6 4AT

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School

Following my visit to the school on 24 May 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2010.

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School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in September 2014, you have worked effectively with staff and governors to build on previous successes and raise expectations of what pupils can achieve still further. As a result of your actions, this is an improving school where standards are high and pupils behave extremely well.

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School

At the previous inspection in 2010, inspectors identified some weaknesses in the way that pupils were taking responsibility for aspects of their learning. They also recommended that pupils learned more about ethnic diversity and developed a greater awareness of the wider world. These issues have been successfully addressed and as a result of the actions that have been taken:  pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are extremely positive  pupils are given regular opportunities to study different faiths and cultures  staff and parents are fully supportive of your drive for further improvements.

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School

You are ambitious for the school to become outstanding and recognise that further work is required if this goal is to be achieved. The plans that you have made, for these and other improvements, are detailed and reflect your high aspirations for the school. Safeguarding is effective.

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School

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and all statutory requirements are met. Staff and governors do all that they can to ensure that pupils are well cared for, safe and protected. You take great care to ensure that the school’s single central record of checks carried out on staff meets requirements, and it is checked regularly by the governor with responsibility for safeguarding. The arrangements for ensuring the safer recruitment of new members of staff are robust. The records that the school keeps are detailed and of high quality. You ensure that staff receive regular training on safeguarding matters, such as that recently provided on the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty, which focuses on the need to prevent people from being drawn into extremism. As a result of the effective systems that are in place, pupils say that they feel safe in the school. Those spoken to during this inspection said that the school is free from bullying and that staff deal effectively with any

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Inspection findings

 Pupils enjoy attending Bishop William Ward Primary School. This is because they are well taught by staff who are committed to ensuring that the school provides a caring and nurturing environment underpinned by strong Christian values. Parents share their children’s enthusiasm for the school. They rightly believe that it is well managed, that their children make good progress in their learning and that they are well looked after while in school. As one parent wrote on Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, ‘Children are encouraged to grow in all areas including emotionally and socially. They are encouraged and expected to be the best they can be.’

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Inspection findings

 Children get off to a flying start in the Reception class. They quickly learn the school’s routines and successfully develop early reading and writing skills. They have access to a wide selection of enjoyable activities in an attractive learning environment, both in the classroom and in the outdoor area. By the time they leave the early years, the vast majority of children are confident and well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils progress well in their learning across the school. In 2015, attainment at the end of Year 6 was significantly above the national average in reading and writing. Pupils also attained well in mathematics; however, school leaders identified this subject as a focus for improvement this year. The quality of work seen in pupils’ books during this inspection suggests that further improvements have been made, as good progress was evident in many of the mathematics books seen across the school. Pupils also spoke confidently about mathematics to the inspector. One pupil in Year 3, who was working on an activity involving metric conversions, was able to calculate mentally that there are a million millimetres in a kilometre.

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Inspection findings

 The school’s curriculum is well planned and helps to ensure that all pupils study a broad range of subjects. However, the quality of work seen in subjects such as science, history and geography did not reflect the high standards that were evident in English and mathematics books. Too often, the work provided in these subjects lacks challenge, particularly for the most able. The progress that pupils make is limited as a result.

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Inspection findings

 The school makes excellent provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability. There are effective systems in place to identify pupils who are falling behind with their learning or are in need of additional support in other aspects of their development. Pupils’ progress is carefully tracked and additional support is targeted effectively and monitored to ensure that it is having the required impact. As a result of this support, pupils make good progress to overcome barriers to learning, play a full part in school life and achieve their individual targets. Effective and supportive measures are also in place to accommodate those pupils who might be at risk of exclusion, which reflects the school’s caring and nurturing ethos.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils enjoy the learning opportunities that the school provides outside of the classroom. An increasing number of clubs are available, and in Year 4 and Year 6 pupils are given the opportunity to participate in residential visits, where they get involved in activities such as climbing and caving. The school is also developing a strong reputation for music, and pupils regularly perform both in school and in the locality. Advanced plans are in place to further develop learning opportunities through a Forest School in the playing field.

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Inspection findings

 School leaders are aware that there is a gap between the performance of disadvantaged pupils and their peers. They keep detailed records of the additional support that is provided for these pupils and the impact that this is having on their progress. Governors also make regular checks to ensure that the additional funding that the school receives for disadvantaged pupils is spent wisely. There are clear signs that the actions that are being taken are resulting in improved outcomes for disadvantaged pupils across the school.

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Inspection findings

 Governance is effective. Governors are knowledgeable about the school and have a wide range of skills and experience relevant to their roles. They are regularly involved in school life and make regular checks on key aspects of the school’s work. They provide a good level of both support and challenge to the headteacher and other school leaders. Governors share the headteacher’s high ambitions to improve the school further.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  the high standards that are seen in mathematics and English are reflected in the quality of pupils’ work in geography, history and science. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of children’s services for Essex and the director of education for Chelmsford Diocese. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, meetings were held with you, the inclusion manager, four governors (including the chair of the governing body), Year 6 pupils and a representative of the local authority. A range of documents, policies and assessment information were examined. Short visits were made to all classrooms to observe teaching and learning and scrutinise pupils’ books. Questionnaire responses from parents and staff were also analysed.

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