Waddington and West Bradford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

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

p.1

Mrs Sarah Healey Headteacher Waddington and West Bradford Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School West Bradford Road Waddington Clitheroe Lancashire BB7 3JE

p.1

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 13 June 2017, 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 February 2013.

p.1

Voluntary Aided Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You provide clear and consistent leadership. You and the assistant headteacher understand the school well and your evaluations are based on strong evidence. You use this information to produce school improvement plans, which staff and governors understand and which will help to move the school forward. You involve the whole community in working out what needs to be done to improve the school further. You value the wider input you receive. Leaders and governors use the opportunities from the collaborative work with another local school to help drive improvements. Staff from the two schools work together to share ideas and to learn from one another. You also use this arrangement to ensure that teachers are looking accurately at what pupils know and can do.

p.1

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Leaders and governors have taken effective action to address the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Adults give pupils feedback in line with the school’s policy. Pupils use this feedback, both oral and written, to make improvements to their work. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standards in reading at key stage 1 is continuing to improve. The progress of average-ability pupils and the most able pupils in key stage 2, in writing and mathematics is also improving.

p.1

Voluntary Aided Primary School

You use additional adults effectively to support pupils. Additional adults use their good subject knowledge to support pupils of different abilities, including the most able. All adults understand the individual needs of pupils and leaders hold them accountable for the progress of the pupils with whom they work.

p.1

Voluntary Aided Primary School

You are not complacent, and recognise that more can be done. You acknowledge that average-ability and most-able pupils make different amounts of progress towards the higher standards in different classes. In 2016, few pupils in key stage 1 reached the higher standards in writing and mathematics. Currently, pupils are making much stronger progress. A higher proportion of pupils in both key stages are working at the higher standards than previously. However, pupils do not make consistently good progress from their starting points in writing at key stage 1. In mathematics, there are too few opportunities for pupils to explain their thinking and reasoning. You also acknowledge that the new handwriting scheme has not had time to embed and this will continue to be a focus for school improvement.

p.2

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Pupils behave well at all times. There is no disruption in lessons. Your Christian values are evident in the care and consideration pupils show towards one another and towards adults. Pupils say good morning, hold doors open and ask about other people’s well-being. Pupils work well together and are very supportive of one another. For example, in a Year 2 class, pupils worked in pairs to identify where an author had muddled up his language. They discussed their findings and listened carefully when other pupils were offering an opinion.

p.2

Voluntary Aided Primary School

As a result of the carefully planned curriculum, pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Teachers ensure that pupils are taught how to stay safe on the road, near water and what to do in an emergency. Adults give older pupils the opportunity to develop basic first aid and resuscitation skills. Teachers also ensure that pupils know how to stay safe online. Pupils in Year 6 produce posters to remind other pupils about this. Pupils know how to use the dolphin icon on the computers to report inappropriate material.

p.2

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Pupils develop a good understanding of wider world cultures through the curriculum and through your link with a school in Sierra Leone. Pupils talked proudly of the classroom in Sierra Leone that is named after Waddington and West Bradford. British values are promoted effectively and pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

p.2

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Leaders have developed effective arrangements to help pupils as they move between different stages of their education. The introduction of a pre-school class has helped ensure that children are ready to start school. The good quality of education that children receive in pre-school has contributed to the improvement in the skills and abilities children have when starting in the Reception Year. One parent said that when their child started in the Reception Year, ‘It was just like any other day and he skipped happily into school.’ When pupils move between classes, they have taster sessions in their new class and teachers give parents the opportunity to discuss any concerns before their child moves to their new class. Leaders have responded to requests from parents that information about transfer to secondary school be given earlier. Parents of pupils in Year 5 receive good-quality information that allows them to make informed choices about next steps for their child. As a

p.2

Voluntary Aided Primary School

result of the changes made by leaders, pupils are prepared well for changes of classes and schools.

p.3

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Pupils value the additional opportunities they are given. Pupils participate in a wide range of after-school activities. Teachers ensure that the broad curriculum enhances pupils’ wider experiences. For example, pupils’ enthusiasm as they were learning to dance ready for an inter-generational tea dance was lovely to watch.

p.3

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Parents are supportive of the school. While a very small minority expressed concerns about bullying, there was no evidence found during the inspection to support this. One parent descried the school as, ‘A warm and welcoming school with a strong sense of community.’

p.3

Voluntary Aided Primary School

Safeguarding is effective. The governors ensure that all policies and procedures are in place, including checks on teachers and governors. Training for staff is comprehensive and up to date. All adults know the pupils well and are vigilant to any signs that there may be a concern. Any concerns are reported to you and followed up swiftly. Leaders engage well with parents to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Governors take their responsibilities around safeguarding seriously, describing it as ‘the most important thing the school does’. Consequently, all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of a high quality.

p.3

Inspection findings

 Pupils benefit from good teaching at all levels. Staff use their good subject knowledge to ensure that teaching is matched to pupils’ needs. Consequently, most pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points across a range of subjects.  A key line of enquiry for this inspection was about leaders’ actions to increase the rate of progress for the most able pupils in mathematics. In all year groups, pupils make strong progress with basic calculations. Leaders’ work to develop and extend pupils’ mathematical thinking is evident in pupils’ progress with word problems and in work investigating numbers and shapes. Teachers challenge pupils and pupils persevere with tasks when they are difficult. For example, in a Year 5 class, the most able pupils were asked to use several train timetables to work out the quickest and most cost-effective route for a person to get home

p.3

Inspection findings

from London for Sunday lunch in Leeds. Pupils persevered with the task, working out several solutions before deciding on the best route.  However, adults do not consistently teach strategies to help pupils solve mathematical investigations. As a result, too many pupils are relying on a trial- and-error approach. This leads to slower progress in this area.  Pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to explain their reasoning in mathematics. Where teachers incorporate opportunities for pupils to extend their thinking, pupils are unsure about their responses. Leaders recognise this and have started work to improve this. Consequently, while the most able pupils are making progress towards reaching the higher standards, this lack of challenge hampers the progress of average-ability pupils.  Another key line of enquiry was related to leaders’ actions to increase the rate of progress in writing at key stage 1 so that a greater proportion of pupils reach the

p.3

Inspection findings

expected standard. The most able pupils in key stage 1 are making good progress in writing. As a result, they are working towards the higher standards. A greater proportion of pupils than previously are working at the expected standard. The lower-ability pupils in some classes in key stage 1 are also making strong progress. This is as a result of clear and consistent teaching of writing skills. In these classes, teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and have high expectations of what pupils can do. Teachers give pupils the opportunity to practise their writing skills in history and science. However, this good rate of progress is not consistent across the key stage. The lower-ability pupils in some classes do not make the same good progress. You acknowledge that progress for the most able pupils in some classes at key stage 1 is hampered by slower progress with spelling. Work has already begun to address this.

p.4

Inspection findings

 I also looked at how well governors carry out their statutory duties. Governors understand the school well. They are pleased with the progress made since the previous inspection but are committed to improving the school further for the benefit of the pupils.  Governors ensure that resources are available to support school improvement priorities and monitor the impact of their decisions. They ensure that the sports funding is used to develop staff expertise and widen pupils’ participation. As a result, more pupils than previously take part in a wide range of sports, including athletics and curling.  Governors take very seriously their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. They recognise that they and staff need to stay up to date with their training.  Governors make sure that checks are made on the performance of teachers and that these checks are used to highlight additional opportunities for professional

p.4

Inspection findings

development.  Governors are not as clear about how well the most able pupils achieve. You recognise this and the focus on the most able pupils’ performance is an area for whole-school development next year.

p.4

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.4

Next steps for the school

 a greater proportion of pupils reach the higher standards in mathematics by: – ensuring that teachers help pupils to develop strategies to tackle unfamiliar mathematical problems – providing more opportunities for pupils to explain their thinking when working mathematically  pupils’ progress in writing at key stage 1 continues to improve so that a greater proportion reach the expected and higher standards  pupils improve their handwriting and presentation.

p.4

Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Leeds (CE), the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Lancashire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.5

Information about the inspection

During this short inspection, I met with you, members of your leadership team, teachers and governors. I spoke with a representative from the local authority. You and I visited classes to observe learning and looked at work in pupils’ books. I met with pupils throughout the day and spoke with four parents in the playground before school. I considered the 24 responses and the 23 ‘free-text’ comments made by parents on the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. I also considered the 13 responses to the staff questionnaire. I heard several pupils read and observed pupils in the playground and in the dining hall.

p.5

Information about the inspection

I conducted a detailed review of safeguarding, including checking on the school’s policies, procedures and record-keeping. I talked with you, other staff and governors about how the school ensures that children are kept safe. I also considered a range of other documentation, including school improvement planning and information about pupils’ progress and attainment.

p.5