West Walton Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: West Walton Community Primary School School Road, West Walton, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE14 7HA

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Outcome

West Walton Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like coming to West Walton Primary School. They say that staff are helpful and fair. Parents and carers think so too. Pupils feel safe in school and say that adults keep them safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff expect the best from pupils. They weave the school’s values into all aspects of school life. Adults carefully choose visitors to speak to pupils about work and prepare them for their future, for example Anglian Water. Leaders promote tolerance and understanding. Everyone knows the school’s three key rules: make the right choices; show respect for everyone and everything; and be kind to others. Nearly all pupils put this into practice every day in their lessons and at playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying is rare. When it does happen, adults take it seriously and deal with incidents straight away. Some pupils say behaviour is a bit mixed. Where behaviour is very good pupils learn and get on well with each other; this is not the same in every class. Around the school, the atmosphere is calm and purposeful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking part in many additional clubs on offer, such as sports leaders, craft and choir and looking after the school’s small and large animals.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders, governors and staff have high expectations of pupils. Leaders have worked hard to maintain the quality of education at the school since the previous inspection. They provide staff with high-quality training and are mindful of staff workload. Leaders make sure that teachers only do things that make a difference to pupils. Staff feel part of the team and share responsibility for the school’s development. Governors check that leaders continue to fulfil their vision for improvement.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers teach reading well. Reading is at the centre of pupils’ learning. Teachers choose books that extend pupils’ vocabulary and knowledge of the world. This helps pupils to 7–8 November 2019

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then produce high-quality writing. Leaders have purchased suitable reading books for pupils. The books which pupils are given to read match closely to the phonics they have been taught and pupils’ current knowledge and ability. Year 6 reading mentors are proud of their roles, supporting Year 2 pupils to improve their confidence in reading.

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Leaders have changed the design of the mathematics curriculum. They have carefully and successfully introduced a new scheme. Teachers know what to teach and how to best teach it. Teachers use well-thought-out plans to build on pupils’ skills year on year. For example, in Year 1 pupils use the resources they are given well to help them understand number and how numbers work. Older pupils use this knowledge securely when presented with tricky problems.

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Leaders have designed pupils’ learning effectively in most subjects. In science pupils build their knowledge and skills in a logical way. In other subjects, such as personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and modern foreign languages, the curriculum is less organised or systematically planned. Leaders are ensuring that they teach topics in a more suitable order so that pupils build up their knowledge in each subject, step by step.

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Pupils enjoy their learning and say lessons are fun. They also have a wide range of other learning opportunities. For example, pupils learn skills such as animal care and looking after the environment. Pupils go on visits to places of interest. Recently, pupils in Year 6 visited Chateau Beaumont, in France, participating in both outdoor and adventurous activities and visiting a chocolat patisserie.

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Not all pupils are as kind to each other as the school expects. There is still more to do for leaders to ensure that all pupils get along well with each other.

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Teachers make sure that their teaching helps all pupils learn. Leaders meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) very well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. Staff are vigilant in spotting signs that a child may be at risk of harm. Staff are well trained. They know, for example, about the risks of ‘cuckooing’ and county lines. Leaders are tenacious in following up concerns with external agencies. They take all possible action to ensure that pupils are safe, both when in school and out of school.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe when using technologies such as mobile telephones and the internet. Pupils know that their teachers and other staff will always listen to them and help them.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are diligent in checking that adults are suitable to work with pupils. Safer recruitment processes are in place. 7–8 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have carefully planned a structured and coherent curriculum in many subjects. They have provided focused staff training and have supported curriculum leaders in planning for their subjects. However, in a few subjects leaders are at an earlier stage of implementing a well-designed curriculum. Leaders should ensure that in subjects such as PSHE and modern foreign languages the curriculum is planned coherently and well sequenced, so pupils can achieve well.  Leaders are aware that not all pupils reach their high standards for behaviour. Building on current successes in improving pupils’ social skills, leaders should ensure that all pupils are taught the skills they require to succeed in life.

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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 the school to be good in December 2010.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 7–8 November 2019

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pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 7–8 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110291 Type of school Primary

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School details

Chair of governing body Mr Martin Gordon

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 March 2016

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Information about this school

 West Walton Primary School is part of the Windmill Federation.  The school was previously inspected on 1 March 2016. This was a short inspection under the common inspection framework. The school remained good.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with governors; the executive headteacher and other senor leaders; leaders of specific curriculum areas; groups of pupils; and members of staff and had a phone call conversation with the local authority. The inspector also took into consideration the views of parents, staff and pupils through Ofsted’s questionnaires.  The inspector looked in depth at the following subjects: English, including early reading, mathematics and science. The inspector met with the leaders of these subjects, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, spoke with pupils about their work, talked to teachers, and listened to pupils read.  To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector checked the school’s single central record of pre-appointment checks, met with the school’s designated 7–8 November 2019

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safeguarding leads and the pastoral team, and spoke with staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Sally Garrett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7–8 November 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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