Western Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Western Church of England Primary School Browning Drive, Winchester, Hampshire SO22 5AR

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Outcome

Western Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love to learn at Western School. They respond well to the school’s ‘Learning Tree’. It encourages them to aspire to imagine, create and achieve. Teachers make sure that pupils work hard. They expect pupils to always do their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents love the school, commenting, ‘This is an amazing, caring school, where children feel confident and can thrive.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils particularly value the citizenship awards introduced by governors. Staff encourage pupils to find ways of helping in the local community. The pupils I spoke to told me they enjoyed this very much.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play harmoniously at playtime and behave well. Bullying is rare. If it happens, then staff deal with it effectively. Pupils show a high level of respect for each other and for adults. If pupils need a ‘listening ear’, there is always someone to help. ‘The Nest’ provides pupils with a safe space to go.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the variety of activities they do at school. The Western Way running track is especially popular as pupils take a daily run or walk. They say this helps them to keep fit and work hard.

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better?

The school is very well led and managed. The headteacher and leaders work hard, aiming to make the school the very best it can be. All staff said what a great place it is to work.

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better?

Leaders have a good understanding of how pupils master important knowledge and skills. The exciting curriculum engages pupils. Leaders plan the curriculum to make sure that pupils have the chance to develop and apply their knowledge. National 2–3 October 2019

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tests show that pupils achieve well. Subject leaders are passionate about their subjects. They share their knowledge and skills with other staff. This helps staff to develop in confidence and to teach different subjects well.

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Much teaching challenges and excites pupils, helping them to remember and extend their learning. For example, pupils in Year 3 gained a secure understanding of the formation of rocks because of the engaging opportunities they were offered to investigate rock formations. Pupils tested how materials change when they are heated. They were able to explain what they had learned using scientific vocabulary. However, sometimes teachers do not check that pupils’ learning is secure before moving on, most notably in mathematics.

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All adults aim for pupils to develop a love of reading. Staff have received good support to help them to do this well. Teaching enables pupils to develop a keen interest in different kinds of books. Staff quickly spot children who are experiencing difficulties in learning to read. They provide extra support to make sure these children catch up. In 2019, pupils’ results dipped in the national Year 1 screening check for phonics (letters and the sounds they represent). They were below average. Leaders are very clear about the reason for this dip. They are supporting staff with training and are determined that it doesn’t happen again.

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Leaders help staff to understand how best to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers plan work that helps pupils succeed. Pupils with SEND have positive attitudes towards their work. Their parents are confident that the school gives their children the best possible support.

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All adults expect the best behaviour from pupils. Pupils conduct themselves well and their behaviour in lessons is good. Pupils aspire to achieve the school’s Christian values. Pupils also enjoy the very wide selection of clubs that are on offer before and after school.

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Children in early years get off to a good start. They settle in quickly. They enjoy the range of activities that are on offer. Teachers use their detailed knowledge of the children to adapt activities. This means that all children gain a secure grounding in the knowledge and skills they need to make a good start in Year 1. Staff use effective methods to record children’s progress. Leaders make sure that children in the early years get lots of opportunities to talk, listen and read. Children benefit from the chance to use this vocabulary in real-life role plays. Acting out real-life situations enables them to make links between different bits of knowledge. For example, children thought about the differences between human and animal skeletons after they played a game of ‘visiting the doctor’.

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Governors know the school well. They understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They hold leaders to account. They have a strong focus on the well- being of both pupils and staff. 2–3 October 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have developed a strong safeguarding culture. Staff understand their roles in keeping pupils safe. Staff know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders make sure that all staff have regular training. The lead for inclusion keeps regular checks on attendance. As a result, she knows that pupils are absent for good reason and are safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In mathematics, the curriculum is well planned and pupils achieve well overall. However, pupils do not always remember what they have learned as well as they do in other subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers check that pupils’ prior knowledge is embedded before moving learning on, so that pupils can remember and apply new knowledge and skills more successfully.  Leaders have rightly focused on improving pupils’ early reading. They have introduced a new, more rigorous and systematic approach to teaching phonics. They should make sure that this approach is embedded fully so that the majority of pupils each year achieve the standard expected of them in the Year 1 phonics check.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged Western Church of England Primary School to be good.

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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. 2–3 October 2019

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

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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. 2–3 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111247 Type of school All-through Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 December 2015

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England voluntary-controlled primary school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the inclusion leader, the early years leader, the business manager and six governors. She also met with a number of non-teaching staff and had a phone call with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector considered reading, science and mathematics in depth. This involved discussing curriculum planning with leaders and subject leaders, carrying out lesson visits with leaders and teachers, looking at pupils’ work with them, talking to learning support assistants, talking to parents, observing pupils read to a teaching assistant, observing story time and meeting with newly qualified teachers.  The inspector reviewed the single central record and attendance information. She met with the school’s safeguarding team and discussed systems and processes as well as considering case studies. Inspectors talked to parents, pupils, governors and staff

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Information about this inspection

about safeguarding and checked that practice was consistent across the school. 2–3 October 2019

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Inspection team

Sarah Varnom, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 2–3 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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