Setting

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

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Angela Boxall Warboys Community Primary School Humberdale Way Warboys Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE28 2RX

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Community Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 5 July 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Community Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in November 2015. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. At the previous inspection, which took place in October 2013, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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Community Primary School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Community Primary School

The school should take further action to:

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Community Primary School

 ensure that the school development plan more closely links with the areas for improvement identified at the most recent Ofsted inspection  analyse and evaluate the impact of your actions more thoroughly against the progress that pupils are making  hasten the pace of change through middle leaders systematically monitoring the progress of pupils and giving precise feedback to teachers to improve practice.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, and middle leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The school’s termly operational plan was evaluated. I visited all classes with you to observe pupils learning in their classes. I scrutinised the work pupils produce in their books to evaluate the progress pupils are making over time, and spoke informally with pupils about their learning. The school’s own information about pupil progress was also considered. A range of documentation was evaluated, such as governors’ minutes, the school’s own view of its performance and documents about the processes and procedures when recruiting staff.

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Context

There have been no significant changes in staffing since the last inspection. Leaders have ensured that the school is fully staffed for the new academic year.

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Main findings

 Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have maintained a stable team of staff who have continued to raise the standards of pupils’ achievement, particularly in writing at key stage 2.  Governors were disappointed with the outcome of the last inspection but have wasted no time in rising to the challenge of accelerating the pace of change at the school so that it is judged to be good at the next inspection. The minutes of governor meetings clearly show that they now ask more challenging questions of school leaders so that leaders are held to account for the accelerated progress that pupils make. As a result, everyone has higher expectations of what the pupils at Warboys Primary School can achieve.  Core subject leaders monitor the consistency and quality of teaching and learning more regularly. As a result, staff have raised their expectations about of what pupils can achieve. For example, through attending meetings with a

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Main findings

cluster of schools, the middle leaders for English and mathematics are developing their understanding of what age-related expectations mean in the current curriculum. The English leader has introduced a new approach to the teaching of spelling. Her monitoring provides clear evidence that there have been improvements because of her work, especially in relation to the presentation and standard of spelling in pupils’ written work.  The evidence in pupils’ books shows that in many year groups pupils are making better progress in writing and mathematics. Teachers have a more consistent approach to improved presentation, handwriting and spelling. Where teachers are insistent, pupils rise to the challenge and show clear signs of perseverance and determination. One pupil commented, ‘I love the challenge, it is what we all want’. However, this practice is still not firmly part of everyday learning and still requires leaders to ensure the systematic

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Main findings

monitoring of the impact of their actions and improvements.  The introduction of the ‘come read with me’ sessions with parents in the early years is helping to engage parents as partners in their children’s learning. These regular events are growing in popularity and having a positive impact on children’s progress as they develop a love of reading. Other events, such as mathematics workshops for parents, are helping to demonstrate how mathematics is taught currently in schools and how parents can support their children with home learning. These events have been positively welcomed and received.  Leaders use the school’s assessment information more rigorously. In regular meetings with teachers, they discuss how well groups of pupils are achieving and what needs to be actioned so that no one falls behind. Consequently, action that is more decisive is being taken to support pupils and to improve the quality of teaching where it does not meet leaders’ expectations.

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Main findings

 This year, pupils have made good progress in Year 6 and the results from the national tests are positive. The school’s own assessments have been externally verified as accurate.  Although leaders have introduced a termly operational plan, there still needs to be a sharper focus on the areas for improvement so that leaders can be systematic and governors can more rigorously hold the school to account for raising the achievement of pupils. The pace of change continues to develop within a positive culture and ethos. Pupils recognise the changes over this year and told me that they enjoy the challenge that is more often provided.  The middle leaders have written action plans to improve the achievement of pupils in their subject areas with the help of the local authority. However, they do not systematically check the work in pupils’ books to ensure that the pupils are making as much progress as they could in all subject areas.

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Main findings

 Leaders have identified and implemented strategies to accelerate the progress that pupils make in year groups where there needs to be even more rapid gains. The focus has rightly been on raising the standards of reading, writing and mathematics. However, the progress pupils make in other subjects such as science, history and geography remains a priority. Pupils are not provided with as much challenge and opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in these subjects. There are plans in place for changes to the curriculum so that it meets the needs and interests of the pupils more closely.  Additional government funds to increase the achievement of disadvantaged pupils are being used increasingly well. Leaders use the assessment information to decide on the additional support these pupils receive. Teaching assistants are being used more effectively to provide additional support before

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Main findings

lessons so that pupils can consolidate previous learning. Many of the additional support sessions the school uses happen outside the core lessons. Early signs of impact are positive.  Behaviour at lunchtimes and breaktimes is positive. Pupils’ warm friendships are evident and are typical of the positive relationships that are a strong feature of the school. Pupils play well in the expansive school grounds. They are suitably supervised and well cared for during these times.  There is a culture of keeping children safe. Governors ensure that robust recruitment practices are fully in place. All statutory checks and records are well kept, and adults receive the training they require to report any concerns they have regarding the welfare of pupils.

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External support

The local authority has provided practical support to the school over this year that has supported a rise in expectation at what can be achieved. School leaders have also commissioned further advice from an external partner. This is set to continue over the next academic year to move the school forward at an even faster rate.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of children’s services for Cambridgeshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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