Sutton Bridge Westmere Community Primary School

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

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Miss Karyn Wiles Executive Headteacher Sutton Bridge Westmere Community Primary School Anne Road Sutton Bridge Spalding Lincolnshire PE12 9TB

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Short inspection of Sutton Bridge Westmere Community Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 7 November 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 January 2015.

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Short inspection of Sutton Bridge Westmere Community Primary School

Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I have identified some priorities for improvement which I advise the school to address. In light of these priorities, the school’s next inspection will be a full section 5 inspection. There is

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

You and the leadership team, along with governors, are aspirational for the school and are determined to realise future improvements and success. The culture of the school and the morale of staff are positive, and the integrity of the leadership you provide is valued and respected. You know the school well and your evaluation of its performance is comprehensive and accurate. Consequently, you have rightly identified the priorities in areas requiring further improvement. Your plans to address these areas are clear and considered, including taking decisive action when this has been necessary. However, some aspects of improvement planning do not include specific measurable success criteria. Governors are kept well informed about school developments and are providing increasing levels of challenge. They are proactive in visiting the school regularly and supporting senior leaders in their drive for improvement. The staff, pupils and the majority of parents and carers have a

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

positive view and support the work of the school.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

Since the previous inspection, pupils’ overall progress has declined and was below the national average in reading and mathematics in 2018. Progress in writing has improved and pupils now have more opportunity to write at length. Specific groups of pupils, however, make differing rates of progress across different subjects. Disadvantaged pupils have achieved below the national average for at least two years in reading. Therefore, some groups of pupils have made less progress than they were capable of. You have rightly identified the achievement of these groups as a priority for improvement. You and the leadership team have taken appropriate action to address the issues that have affected the progress of these groups of pupils.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

The previous inspection called for the most able pupils to be challenged in their learning at a deeper level and leaders have ensured that staff have responded to this. Pupils have many opportunities to write at length, particularly using topic work to help inform their writing. The most able pupils are also receiving greater challenge. For example, in Year 6 mathematics they are receiving targeted support from additional adults to help them reach the higher standard. However, these pupils performed less well in reading at the higher standard and writing at greater depth compared to mathematics.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

The attainment of pupils at key stage 1 has strengthened since 2017, particularly in writing and mathematics. However, the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the national phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 decreased in 2018. The achievement of children in the early years has been consistently strong.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

The previous inspection report called for leaders to work more closely with parents to improve the attendance of pupils whose achievement was affected by their absence. Overall, the rates of absence have improved to be closely in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school has also improved, although it remains above the national average. Despite the considerable efforts of leaders, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who are regularly absent from school remains high.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

Leaders have strengthened their efforts on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, particularly in English and mathematics. In these subjects, new schemes of learning have recently been implemented. Quality assurance processes have become more robust across the curriculum and this has helped to achieve greater consistency in practice. These actions have helped to improve progress, for example in key stage 1 in 2018 and for current pupils in key stage 2.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

You have ensured that the policies and procedures for keeping pupils safe are effective. Access to the school buildings is tightly controlled and all visitors are properly checked on entry. Leaders have paid specific attention to ensure that the school site and access points are secure. Recent measures have been put into place to further ensure the safety of pupils and staff. Procedures for the recruitment and induction of new staff are robust. Appropriate checks are made on all staff and volunteers to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Leaders with responsibility for safety ensure that all record-keeping is of a good quality. The designated lead has implemented effective processes in following up safeguarding concerns as they arise in a proactive, timely and tenacious way. The school works well with a range of external agencies to support pupils, make sure that they are kept safe and that they receive the additional support they need when appropriate.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

Pupils told the inspector that they feel safe in school and that they are well cared for. They know who they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns and are appreciative of the support they receive from their teachers and other adults in school. Pupils are informed about how they can keep themselves safe, including how to stay safe online and how to ensure personal safety, including road safety. School records show that incidents of bullying are low. What pupils told the inspector confirmed this view and that any occurrence would be dealt with by staff effectively. Staff, and the majority of parents, are confident that pupils feel safe at school.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

All staff and governors fully understand their safeguarding responsibilities. You have ensured that regular training is provided to keep them updated on procedures and potential safeguarding risks. As a result, safeguarding is a strength at this school and you have established a culture of vigilance.

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Inspection findings

 Learning is well planned, sequenced and challenging. Teachers make good use of their subject knowledge to engage pupils’ interest and challenge them. Teachers’ questioning of pupils’ knowledge and understanding is effective in probing and deepening pupils’ understanding. Expectations are high, and pupils say that their learning has recently become increasingly more challenging.  Relationships between pupils and their teachers are positive and pupils say that they feel well cared for. Additional adults are effective in supporting pupils’ learning, particularly in mixed-age classes. Sometimes, however, teaching moves the learning on too quickly before checking that all pupils have understood. This slows the progress that some pupils make.  Pupils behave well around the school site and during lessons. There is a strong and supportive school ethos based on community values. Pupils respond enthusiastically when accepting opportunities for leadership responsibility. For

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Inspection findings

example, a number of pupils have been appointed as ‘lunchtime leaders’ to support the supervision of the dining and outdoor play facilities.  Leaders have invested heavily in ‘The Den’, which provides additional academic and pastoral support for pupils who demonstrate challenging behaviours. These pupils are responding positively to the expert advice and support that they are receiving and are successfully reintegrated into main class learning. Consequently, levels of school exclusion are very low.  Pupils read widely and often. Leaders have introduced more opportunities for pupils to read in school, including time devoted to reading for pleasure. This is developing pupils’ reading fluency and comprehension skills through the use of different texts. Some pupils, however, say that their reading skills are not regularly checked, particularly the most able pupils. Too few of the most able pupils are achieving at the higher standard in reading.

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Inspection findings

 Disadvantaged pupils have not achieved as well as other pupils nationally. Despite some improvement in writing, pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics has declined since 2016. Leaders have recognised this and implemented a wide range of strategies to support these pupils. These include new intervention programmes in English and mathematics to improve progress in these subjects. School data indicates that the progress of disadvantaged pupils is beginning to improve. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of these new strategies.

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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

 outcomes at the end of key stage 2 improve by ensuring that pupils make consistently good progress in reading and mathematics, particularly disadvantaged pupils  the most able pupils regularly receive work which is sufficiently challenging to enable them to make stronger progress, particularly in reading and writing  the attendance of those pupils who are regularly absent from school improves further so that they make better progress, particularly among disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEND.

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

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I spoke with you and other senior leaders and governors. I visited seven classes across most year groups, including Reception, to observe teaching and look at pupils’ work. I also listened to a sample of pupils reading in key stage 2. I also talked with eight pupils from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 and with others informally during lunchtime. I scrutinised the school’s safeguarding arrangements and record-keeping, which included the school’s record of recruitment checks on staff and case studies about referrals made to external agencies. A discussion took place with the school’s designated safeguarding lead. I scrutinised records about attendance and behaviour and examined a range of additional documentary evidence. This included the school’s self-evaluation, development planning and data on pupils’ attainment and progress. I considered the views of 12 parents through their response to Parent View,

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Information about the inspection

Ofsted’s online survey, and considered the 13 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff. In addition, I also reviewed the school’s parent survey outcomes.

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