Wilburton CofE Primary School

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

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Miss Jenny Bone Wilburton Church of England Primary School Carpond Lane Wilburton Ely Cambridgeshire CB6 3RJ

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 May 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 March 2014.

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since you took up your post as headteacher following the previous inspection, you have successfully developed a ‘no excuses’ culture in which all pupils are encouraged to do well. Yours is an inclusive school where pupils feel valued. Parents and carers, staff and children all commented on your dedication and willingness to deal with any issues that arise. One parent said, ‘I feel like I’ve won the lottery, having my child attend this school.’ In partnership with your deputy headteacher, you have created a strong leadership team, ably managing the considerable turnover in staff over the last few years so that the progress and attainment of pupils has improved since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors visit the school regularly and have a range of skills that enable them to provide good challenge and support. All aspects of the school improvement plan are monitored carefully through governor visits and meetings. Governors have taken up a wide range of training opportunities and engage in an annual self-evaluation cycle when they consider the effectiveness of their practice.

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

High-quality systems for staff development have played a key part in the school’s success in improving standards since the last inspection. New staff are inducted well, with mentors and coaches providing support to those who need it. There is a weekly teaching assistant training programme, which has ensured that this group of staff is highly effective. Throughout the inspection, teaching assistants were observed providing good-quality support in the classroom. The behaviours and attitudes of pupils are a strength across the school. Pupils have a range of responsibilities, and the pupil parliament plays an important role in school life. Pupils show care and concern for one another; all of the pupils I spoke to said that bullying is very rare or non-existent. Discussions with parents and responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, support this view. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and stay on task, working hard when they are

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

unsupervised. We saw good examples of this independent engagement on several occasions. In one class, pupils were developing their knowledge of phonics skills through a treasure hunt around the school field and, in the Reception, pupils were practising writing basic words on the playground.

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

You ensure that safeguarding has a high profile across the school and have worked hard to create a climate in which pupils feel safe. Staff receive regular safeguarding briefings. Safeguarding policies are up to date, and record-keeping is meticulous. The checks made on the appointment of staff are comprehensive and updated regularly. Any concerns that the school might have are recorded systematically and followed up where necessary.

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

Pupils learn how to stay safe through assemblies and well-planned lessons. Discussions with a group of pupils showed that they had a good understanding of how to use the internet safely. They talked confidently about how to keep private information safe and report any concerns that they may have. Responses to the online questionnaire indicate that almost all parents feel that pupils are well behaved and that the school deals with bullying effectively.

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Short inspection of Wilburton Church Of England Primary School

New staff are vetted carefully prior to appointment, and all necessary checks are made to ensure that adults in school are suitable to work with children. Governors take their responsibilities in this area seriously and carry out monthly checks to ensure that safeguarding is given a high priority and that all systems to keep children safe are working well.

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Inspection findings

 For this inspection, we agreed on a number of key lines of enquiry. The first of these was to examine the progress made since the previous inspection when the school was judged good. Despite a large turnover of staff, considerable improvements have been made. Last year, progress in reading and mathematics at key stage 2 was in the top 10% for all schools nationally and in the top 20% in writing. These results were achieved through a strong focus on developing the quality of teaching, clearly focused school improvement plans and thorough staff development programmes.  Disadvantaged pupils are also supported well and make excellent progress. Last year, disadvantaged pupils at Wilburton outperformed the national average for non-disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2. They did similarly well in key stage 1 and in early years foundation stage. This is because the pupil premium funding provided by the government to support these

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Inspection findings

pupils is used well. Teachers providing one-to-one tuition, teaching assistants leading small groups and a homework club all play a part in supporting these pupils to make good progress.  In the previous inspection, the most able pupils were identified as a group that needed more consistent challenge. You have responded effectively to this area for development, and current assessment data shows that most-able pupils do consistently well. New systems ensure that lesson planning takes account of the needs of this group of pupils. Teachers and support staff ensure that their progress is monitored throughout the lesson, and these pupils are given individual targets, which challenge them to make good progress.  The second line of enquiry we agreed to investigate was the attendance of pupils and the proportion that are persistently absent. Attendance was good when we compared the different groups in the school to the average national attendance

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Inspection findings

for similar groups. You have good systems to ensure that any pupil who is at risk of being persistently absent is given appropriate support through meetings with parents and liaison with the home-school officer. Your work with members of the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller community is a particular strength. You take time to meet parents and provide appropriate learning packs for when pupils are away from school. This good work has been recognised by the local authority.  The third line of enquiry we looked into was the quality of the curriculum and whether it is sufficiently broad and balanced. In 2017, pupil outcomes in science were in line with the national average, while reading, writing and mathematics were much higher. In key stage 1, attainment was broadly average for reading, writing and mathematics while science was 20% below. As a result of these figures, progress and attainment in science have been given a high priority this

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Inspection findings

year. Specialist teaching is supporting groups that need to catch up, and the science coordinator has been given time to monitor the quality of teaching and learning. Expectations in this area are now much higher. A new assessment system has been put in place so that the progress of pupils can be monitored more closely.  In subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics, there is good evidence to show that the curriculum is being covered well. The school website contains plans for all subjects, which show how learning is mapped out across the school in different year groups. Evidence from time spent in class, work scrutiny and discussion with pupils show that a wide range of stimulating activities is taught across the whole curriculum.  In September 2017, a new system for assessing foundation subjects was introduced. This is being trialled for three subjects. However, this needs to be developed and introduced more quickly for all subjects, so that it can be used to

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Inspection findings

improve learning, enabling pupils to make the same progress in these subjects as they do in reading, writing and mathematics.  The final key line of enquiry was the quality of teaching in phonics. In 2015 and 2016, the percentage of pupils achieving the expected level in the Year 1 phonics screening check was above the national average, but there was a significant drop in 2017, and the percentage was well below. This was because the class received poor teaching in this area early on in their learning. As soon as the slow pace of learning in phonics was identified, you and the governors took decisive action to ensure that teaching was strengthened. During the inspection, phonics teaching was observed in Reception and Year 1 and was judged to be secure. Predictions for this year’s check are back to the school’s normal high levels.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  they further develop systems for assessment in foundation subjects, so that this information is used to enable pupils to make the same progress as they do in reading, writing and mathematics.

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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 Ely, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Cambridgeshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, the deputy headteacher and members of the governing body, including the chair. I had a telephone conversation with a member of the local authority. I visited lessons jointly with you, talked to pupils in class, observed the teaching and examined pupils’ books. In particular, we visited two sessions in which phonics was being taught and looked at the quality of the wider curriculum as evidenced by books, school records and displays around school.

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Information about the inspection

I scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and the school improvement plan. I also reviewed documentation about safeguarding, including the school’s record of checks undertaken on newly appointed staff. I observed arrangements for pupils arriving at school and had informal discussions with a number of parents. I observed children as they moved around school and spent time on the playground at break and during lunchtime.

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Information about the inspection

I took into account 40 responses to Parent View, as well as 17 responses to the staff survey, and read one handwritten letter delivered on the day.

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