Wellington Community Primary School

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

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Mr David England Wellington Community Primary School Alexandra Road Aldershot Hampshire GU11 1QJ

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 18 January 2018, 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 2014.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

The leadership has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice in certain areas. This may indicate that the school is improving towards being outstanding. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

You provide inspirational leadership for your school. You successfully combine incredibly high expectations with empathy and good humour. You have earned the respect of staff, pupils, parents and carers alike. Your skilful team of senior leaders shares your aspirations for all pupils and plays a highly successful role in the school’s development.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

The school’s welcoming, inclusive atmosphere ensures that all pupils feel valued, respected and secure. Pupils behave extremely well throughout the school. They work hard in lessons and respect their teachers.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

All members of staff are focused on securing the highest possible outcomes for all pupils and are committed to doing ‘whatever it takes’ to ensure that this is the case. As a result, all groups of pupils make rapid progress across the school.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

You have raised teachers’ expectations of the most able pupils and have equipped them with the skills to deepen and extend pupils’ learning fully. As a result, the most able pupils make strong progress in all year groups.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

Disadvantaged pupils achieve exceptionally well in all year groups and achieve standards in line with other pupils at the end of every key stage. In 2017, disadvantaged pupils at the end of key stage 2 made better progress than non- disadvantaged pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

Individualised support for those pupils who have significant special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities makes a profound difference to their experience of school and to their achievement.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

You have rightly identified that a very small number of girls in a few classes are less confident about mathematics than others, particularly when working under test conditions, and so do slightly less well in mathematics than in other subjects. You have already strengthened this aspect of the school’s work considerably during the past six months and have appropriate plans in place to secure further improvements.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

You and your leadership team have made significant improvements to assessment procedures since the previous inspection. Extremely rigorous, robust and well- established assessment systems provide you and your team with a precise and accurate view of pupils’ learning. Annual external checks on teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning ensure that assessments provide you and your governors with a consistently accurate and reliable picture of learning.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

Your approach to coaching teachers is impressive. The ongoing high-quality, professional dialogue that you and your senior leaders have with teachers and teaching assistants about their practice has had a dramatic effect on the quality of teaching since the previous inspection. Consistently effective teaching across the school ensures that pupils learn extremely well. Staff share an enthusiasm for learning with their pupils and staff morale is high.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

You and your team have developed the early years outdoor area extensively since the previous inspection. Teachers combine their thorough understanding of children’s needs with skilful teaching so that children learn extremely well, whether in the classrooms or in the outdoor area.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

You and your leadership team maintain well-established safeguarding procedures which are fit for purpose and clearly understood by all staff. High-quality and detailed records contribute well to pupils’ safety. Governors take their responsibility for pupils’ welfare seriously. They work closely with you and your team to review safeguarding arrangements and to check that the school site is safe and secure.

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Short inspection of Wellington Community Primary School

You make sure that staff and governors are suitably trained and that they monitor pupils’ safety diligently. You and your team follow up any concerns about pupils’ well-being quickly and appropriately. Parents say that the school provides high levels of care for their children and that their children feel safe and secure.

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Inspection findings

 During this inspection, I focused on: – the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics and reading – how well teachers and leaders use assessment to check pupils’ understanding and to make adjustments to teaching – how well teaching in the early years supports children’s learning.  Highly effective training ensures that teachers are very knowledgeable about teaching mathematics and reading. The work in pupils’ books and school information about pupils’ learning illustrate the rapid and sustained progress pupils make across the school in both subjects. Ongoing developments in the quality of teaching mean that standards continue to rise across the school.  Skilful teaching ensures that pupils are very securely equipped with mathematics knowledge and skills. For example, during my visit, pupils confidently described how they choose from a range of different resources and strategies to help them

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Inspection findings

to solve mathematics tasks. Only a very few girls feel less confident than their peers. Above average proportions of pupils achieving expected levels of attainment in mathematics at the end of key stage 2 in 2017 represent exceptional progress from pupils’ starting points.  Marked improvements in the teaching of reading since the previous inspection mean that pupils make strong progress in this subject. Teachers use activities and discussions very well to deepen and extend pupils’ understanding of books. They provide a wide range of high-quality books which capture pupils’ interest.  Teachers adjust teaching to ensure that all groups of pupils learn phonics and reading skills equally well. Highly effective phonics teaching during the early years and Year 1 equips pupils extremely well with key reading skills. The results of the Year 1 phonics screening check have increased every year since the previous inspection and were well above the national average in 2017.

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Inspection findings

 Teachers use assessment skilfully and systematically as a routine part of their teaching. They have a precise view of pupils’ learning. Teachers are quick to identify those pupils who need extra help, or more challenging work, to sustain strong progress. They respond promptly and flexibly to pupils’ emerging needs.  Teachers use questioning with great skill to explore and probe pupils’ understanding during lessons. They regularly ask challenging and thought- provoking questions which make pupils think hard about their knowledge. For example, during mathematics lessons, teachers use questions such as ‘Would you rather have 5/9 of a cake or 6/10?’ ‘Why?’ and ‘Can you tell me how you would work it out?’ to great effect to extend pupils’ thinking. As a result, pupils of all abilities, including the most able, learn how to explain their thinking clearly, using the correct mathematical vocabulary.  Leaders have secured significant improvements in the quality of teaching in the

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Inspection findings

early years since the previous inspection. Children’s work over time illustrates the rapid progress they make during their first year in school, both personally and academically. As a result, children are exceptionally well prepared with the skills they need to achieve well during the next stage of their education. Children’s outcomes at the end of the early years have steadily increased since the previous inspection. In 2017, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development was much higher than the national average.

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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

 girls in all classes tackle mathematics tasks confidently and successfully.

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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 Hampshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I visited all 14 classes with either you or with one of your assistant headteachers during the inspection. I also visited a number of phonics sessions. I looked at the work in pupils’ books during lessons, as well as looking separately at a sample of pupils’ work with your English and mathematics leaders. I talked with pupils during my visits to the classrooms and during the lunchtime break.

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Information about the inspection

I met with you, your assistant headteachers and deputy headteacher during the inspection. I also met with three governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke with your family support worker. In addition, I had a telephone conversation with a local authority representative. I took account of 109 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke with parents informally at the start of the school day. I also considered 35 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and 104 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire. I reviewed the school’s website and considered a range of documents, including your summary of the school’s effectiveness, the school’s improvement plan and local authority reports. I also looked at documents about safeguarding and attendance.

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