Wentworth Primary School

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

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Mr Paul Langridge Headteacher Wentworth Primary School Wentworth Drive Dartford Kent DA1 3NG

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 7 November 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.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. Leaders have ensured that the quality of teaching and learning has continued to improve. Pupils develop well, both academically and socially, in a safe, nurturing environment. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. This is evident in the many positive comments in Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. Parents noted that ‘it is a phenomenal school with remarkable teachers and a great sense of community’.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

Your leadership team is strong and supports effectively your clear ambitions for the school. You share your vision and enthusiasm effectively with staff and governors. Astute and accurate evaluation of the school’s work means that all leaders and governors are very clear about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. As a result of the improving quality of teaching, pupils in some classes make particularly rapid rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers have opportunities to develop their skills through the sharing of the best practice within the school. Pupils become independent, confident learners, keen to share their understanding and to ask questions. However, the remaining variations within an overall strong quality of teaching mean that pupils do not consistently make the best progress possible right across the school.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

Determined leaders, including governors, have worked extremely hard to improve the school for its pupils and to prepare for the planned increase in pupil numbers. Pupils speak very highly of the opportunities they enjoy across the curriculum, describing them as ‘inspiring’. One pupil commented: ‘The school is perfect as it is.’ You are rightly proud of the high achievements of pupils across many areas of the curriculum. These achievements include the choir singing on a national stage and the school’s cricket team reaching national finals. You are rightly planning developments to enable teachers to measure the progress that pupils make across a broader range of subjects to gather a fuller and more complete picture of the effectiveness of your curriculum.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

Parents, staff and pupils are very positive about the care, support and education that is provided. Many commented on the ‘strong leadership and strong values’ and the fact that Wentworth is ‘a positive, approachable school with an open-door policy to the head’. There is a tangible sense of community, care, respect for, and value of others as soon as you enter the school and as pupils and staff carry out their daily work. The school actively promotes pupils’ understanding of moral, ethical, cultural and religious issues in the world community. A diverse range of visitors come to the school to inform and deepen pupils’ understanding.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

Members of the designated safeguarding team are fully aware of their responsibilities. They have implemented straightforward and effective procedures, efficient record-keeping and close monitoring of vulnerable pupils. The team works closely with staff in school and with early-help teams in the local authority to secure support for families in times of crisis or great need. All vulnerable pupils are provided with a mentor who regularly checks on their well-being. This provision has resulted in a reduction in persistent absence for some pupils.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

All staff receive appropriate training. They know when and how to make referrals if they have concerns about pupils. Checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work in the school are fit for purpose. Governors conduct their own checks to satisfy themselves that safeguarding is effective. They speak to pupils about their perceptions of safety and ensure that day-to-day practice reflects policies.

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Short inspection of Wentworth Primary School

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and manage risk, particularly with regard to staying safe online. Pupils know the dangers of revealing personal details to strangers. All the pupils I spoke with also reported that they feel safe in school. They say that behaviour is good and that there are staff who they would happily speak to if they were worried about anything. These pupils also reported that there is very little bullying in the school and that it is dealt with speedily when it does occur. Almost all parents who responded to Parent View supported this view.

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Inspection findings

 During this visit, as well as evaluating safeguarding arrangements, I focused on the measures in place to ensure that all pupils make consistently strong progress from their individual starting points. I also considered whether leaders use funding effectively to ensure the best outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, and the effectiveness of governance.  Significant work has been undertaken to improve outdoor learning opportunities in the early years. Vibrant indoor and outdoor environments, good-quality teaching, care and support, have all helped to increase the proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception. This proportion has improved steadily since 2014 and is above the national average. Children thrive in their learning and play and are prepared well for the start of key stage 1.  The high-quality teaching of phonics underpins the good progress that pupils

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Inspection findings

make in reading in Reception and Year 1. The proportion of pupils that achieve the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 has risen significantly over the past four years and is consistently above the national average.  The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 is in line with, or above, national figures. However, given the outcomes achieved consistently by children in the early years, you know that pupils in key stage 1 could do even better. You are aware of the need to maintain momentum to ensure that pupils’ rates of progress improve further.  Over time, effective teaching has secured positive outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6. Nevertheless, given pupils’ starting points at the end of Year 2, you acknowledge that pupils in key stage 2 have the potential to achieve more. A restructured approach to teachers’ planning is

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Inspection findings

supporting pupils in filling any gaps in their prior learning, and enabling them to make good progress from their individual starting points.  You and other leaders are accurate in your evaluations of the school’s effectiveness. You know that there is still more to do to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as possible given their starting points. Regular reviews of pupils’ learning mean leaders are aware of any pupil at risk of underachieving, and provide additional help, as necessary. Such work helps pupils to make good progress and is helping to diminish the previous differences between the progress of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in school.  Governors employ leaders and staff who are highly knowledgeable and are able to meet the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. You and your staff work closely with a range of agencies to ensure that support is of the highest quality for pupils and their families. Detailed records of all additional help are

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Inspection findings

kept by staff. They demonstrate the positive impact of the support given to pupils. Leaders accurately assess the next steps that each pupil needs to take. As a result, the needs of these pupils are being met very well and they make good progress from their individual starting points.  Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ progress in English, science and mathematics is accurate. You know that greater opportunities for all subject leaders to monitor how their subject is taught across the school will improve their skills in assessing the quality of learning. You have plans in place to improve the assessment of pupils’ progress in the broader curriculum.  Governance is strong. The governing body is well led and offers critical challenge and support where required. Governors share your ambition for the academic and social success of each pupil. Their regular visits to the school provide valuable information with which they are able to hold you and your leadership

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Inspection findings

team effectively to account, alongside commending you for your successes.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 high-quality teaching and learning becomes consistent across the school so that all pupils make the fastest possible rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics  procedures to assess pupils’ progress across the curriculum are as effective as those for English, science and mathematics.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection I met with you, the deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers and the leaders of English and mathematics to discuss the school’s effectiveness. I also met with a group of governors and spoke to one by telephone. I met with a group of pupils and talked with others around the school during lessons and at breaktime. You, or the deputy headteacher, accompanied me to observe teaching and learning in six classes across the school. I also observed three small-group sessions. I scrutinised a sample of pupils’ books along with the senior leadership team. I examined documents, including the school’s information about safeguarding pupils, leaders’ own evaluations of the school’s work, and the school improvement plan. I considered 128 responses to Parent View, 16 responses to Ofsted’s survey from members of staff, and 156 responses from pupils.

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