Waverley Primary School

Inspection of Waverley Primary School Maple Close, Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE15 7QZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 9–10 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Waverley Primary school has improved a lot in the past couple of years. Reading is given a high priority in school. When asked by inspectors if they like to read, pupils’ eyes sparkled as they described the kind of stories that interest them. Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that staff take it seriously and sort issues out quickly. Pupils appreciate the many opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. This is a regular occurrence as staff look to provide pupils with the chance to see and experience the world beyond Newcastle. Pupils say they feel safe in school and out on trips. Leaders have a detailed understanding about the risks pupils might face online or in the local area. A wide range of professionals visit the school to help pupils learn how to be safe. Pupils are polite. They work well with their friends and their teachers in class. A very small minority of pupils need reminding now and

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What is it like to attend this school?

again to do their very best. However, teachers are experts at giving pupils a sideways glance, a nod or a hand gesture to bring them back on track. Teachers expect a lot from pupils in terms of their effort and behaviour. As a result, low-level disruption is rare.

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better?

After the previous inspection, governors strengthened the senior leadership team by appointing a deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher. The headteacher and these staff now provide strong leadership. They know the school well and have developed effective systems to review and improve the school. Governors possess wide-ranging skills and professional expertise. They hold staff to account and ensure that the school’s finances are spent on the things that have the most impact on pupils’ learning. Staff morale is extremely high. Many staff described how the headteacher goes ‘beyond the call of duty’ to support them both professionally and personally.

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better?

Staff have been successful in their efforts to improve the reading, writing and mathematics curriculums. Lessons are planned to ensure that pupils revisit the most important content. In a mathematics lesson, pupils were able to use a number line to subtract a one-digit number from a larger two-digit number. This lesson followed on from pupils’ previous work using smaller numbers some time ago. Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 has increased considerably over the past three years.

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better?

Leaders continue to invest heavily in reading books and phonics schemes. This is helping to ensure that more books are available for pupils to read for pleasure and that match their reading ability. Sometimes, staff are too quick to give the answers to pupils who need help with their reading. Occasionally, staff can miss opportunities to support pupils who have speech and language difficulties. Pupils’ writing is improving. However, spelling and handwriting continues to be an issue for some pupils. Nearly three in every four pupils meet the expected standard in their reading by the end of Year 1. This represents strong progress from pupils’ low starting points when they join school in Reception or Nursery. 9–10 October 2019

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The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in most subjects. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan next year’s curriculum and train staff in how to deliver it that they are in the process of bringing this about.

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Pupils’ attendance and behaviour are much improved. Support for families in relation to both issues is much better than it used to be. Pupils’ behaviour in and around the school is of a high standard.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well. Staff have an awareness of who these pupils are and what they can do to help them with their learning. Feedback from parents and carers of pupils with SEND is very positive. One parent spoke for others when saying, ‘The staff have been absolutely amazing with the care and management of my child’s needs. I could not have asked for more from them.’

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Children in the early years get off to a good start. In Nursery, children learn to read right from the off. By week three, children start to hold a pen or pencil and draw letter shapes. This more formal approach to learning is successfully supplemented by an interesting and playful learning environment. Children are encouraged to read and write in the shopping corner or in the doctor’s surgery. Children play happily together, and friendships are blossoming.

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The school’s aims of developing ‘culture, character and career’ are central to the work of staff. Pupils’ understanding about world religions is strong. They visit the local church and sing at civic events. Pupils, including those with SEND, spoke to inspectors with enthusiasm when they described how much they enjoyed the various after-school clubs that include fencing, football, curling and dodgeball.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an ‘it can happen here’ culture in the school. Staff take safeguarding very seriously. They are well trained to spot the signs that might suggest a pupil is suffering or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect or harm. Leaders take swift action when a pupil stops attending school. They liaise closely with professionals and the police to ensure that pupils are located and safe. Pupils know who to speak to if they are worried and staff know how to pass on any disclosures.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have worked hard to improve the reading, writing and mathematics curriculums. This is paying dividends as pupils’ progress and attainment in these subjects are improving. Leaders must now ensure that the curriculums in the foundation subjects, such as geography, art and modern foreign languages, are improved further so that pupils learn and revisit the most important content 9–10 October 2019

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regularly in a deliberate and sequential manner.  Pupils’ writing composition is strong. However, their transcription (spelling and handwriting) is letting some pupils down. Leaders must ensure that pupils use their phonics knowledge to spell quickly and accurately in addition to improving the legibility of their handwriting.  Pupils enjoy reading. The weakest readers receive additional support to help them catch up with their peers. However, staff who listen to pupils read sometimes provide too much support and read for the pupils. Leaders should ensure that pupils learn strategies that help them to segment and blend unfamiliar words. Furthermore, staff and/or the experts who work with the school should look for opportunities to more effectively model sounds and language to pupils with speech and language difficulties.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 9–10 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110563 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6–7 July 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The school is part of the Outer West Learning Trust (OWLT) along with eight other local primary schools: Simonside Primary School, Throckley Primary School, Milecastle Primary School, Lemington Riverside Primary School, Newburn Manor Primary School, West Denton Primary School, Westerhope Primary School and Knop Law Primary School. The aims of the trust can be found on the trust’s website: www.outerwestlearningtrust.co.uk/.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and receive support from the pupil premium is higher than the national average.  Children attend full-time early years provision in the Nursery and Reception classes.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We undertook deep dives into the following subjects: mathematics, reading, geography and science. This involved a meeting with subject leaders, visits to a sample of lessons in these subjects, listening to pupils read, work scrutiny of 9–10 October 2019

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books and other kinds of work produced by pupils who were part of classes observed by inspectors, and discussion with teachers and a group of pupils from the lessons observed.  Meetings were held with senior and subject leaders, teachers and administrative staff, governors and a representative from the local authority.  We scrutinised pupils’ work during lessons and with subject leaders.  We held informal and formal discussions with many pupils and observed interactions during social times.  We observed the work of the school and scrutinised a wide range of evidence, including the school’s action plans and evaluations, attendance and behaviour records, safeguarding files, recruitment checks and bullying logs.  We took into account the 50 responses from parents who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. Twenty-three members of staff and 15 pupils completed Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. One written letter from a

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parent was presented to the inspection team. All of these responses were taken into consideration.

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Inspection team

Lee Elliott, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gillian Nimer Ofsted Inspector 9–10 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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