Wellington Lions Primary Academy

Inspection of Wellington Primary Academy Oatway Road, Tidworth, Wiltshire SP9 7FP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 13–14 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newly appointed staff, including the cluster headteacher, are rapidly improving the school. However, the quality of education is not yet good. There are still too many weaknesses in how different subjects are planned. Leaders do not ensure that pupils learn to read well, particularly in key stage 2. This prevents pupils from getting the depth of knowledge they need to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

However, pupils enjoy coming to school. They are well cared for and like to look after each other. Staff make sure that pupils feel welcome when they join the school, including those from military backgrounds who might not join at the usual times. ‘Buddies’ and ‘play pals’ ensure that new arrivals settle quickly. Pupils feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders set high expectations through the school’s values. These are prominent in school. Pupils understand the school’s rules and why these are important. As a result, pupils behave well in a calm and purposeful environment. A minority of parents and carers are concerned about bullying. However, we found that bullying is rare. When it happens, pupils told us that it is dealt with ‘instantly’. Pupils have strong and trusting relationships with staff.

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better?

Leaders, many of whom are new to their posts, are currently reviewing what they want pupils to learn in different subjects, including reading and phonics. Leaders understand the importance of reading. Pupils enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about books, such as ‘Private Peaceful’, which they read in Year 6. However, leaders are not clear how they want reading to be taught, particularly in key stage 2. The lack of a common approach gets in the way of all pupils learning to read well.

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better?

Leaders have implemented a daily phonics programme to help pupils learn their letters and sounds. This includes the children in Reception. However, some pupils in key stage 1 who have fallen behind, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not have precise next steps to help them catch up quickly. Furthermore, the phonics books they are given to read are too hard. This means that pupils often stumble over words, which holds them back.

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better?

Pupils enjoy learning in the full range of subjects. Leaders have devised subject overviews that set out what pupils should learn, including in mathematics, history, physical education (PE) and French. However, leaders have not ensured that these plans are well sequenced, with identified building blocks to help pupils learn best. As a result, pupils sometimes struggle to remember key knowledge when they return to a subject. For example, this can occur when pupils consider events in time and their significance in history, or how to work scientifically. This prevents pupils from knowing and remembering more or gaining essential knowledge at given points in their education. 13–14 November 2019

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Teachers do not check what pupils know, understand and can do well enough in different subjects, including those pupils who have fallen behind in reading. As a result, pupils do not consistently achieve as highly as they could in readiness for the next stage in their education.

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Many pupils have roles which help them to feel special. For example, being a school councillor or class monitor gives pupils ways to contribute to the school. Pupils are respectful and considerate. They want to make positive contributions and enjoy having responsibilities. Pupils told us how everybody is important. They are sensitive to the needs of others, including those in the nurture provision or pupils who need a little extra support through the ‘camo club’. There is a strong sense of unity and community, especially in the support for pupils when their parents are away on military service. The school helps pupils in their immediate and long-term personal, social and emotional development.

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The Reception classes are busy with children enjoying many different well-planned activities. Teachers carefully match work so that all children do well, including those with SEND. Staff ensure that the full range of children’s personal and social needs are well met. In addition, staff waste no time in getting children off to a strong start in learning their letters, sounds and numbers. Consequently, children are well prepared for the challenges of key stage 1.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are fully vetted and well trained in child protection. Leaders take the necessary steps to work with other agencies to protect pupils. The joined-up approach to pupils’ care, including the attendance welfare officer (AWO), provides timely support for pupils. For example, following military deployment, leaders quickly follow up if pupils do not arrive on their due date.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say that they feel safe. They understand how to keep safe in different situations. For example, they know how to evacuate the school in the event of an emergency.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are prioritising reading. As a consequence, the reading strategy is being overhauled. However, there are inconsistencies in how reading is taught, particularly in key stage 2. Leaders need to implement an agreed and robust approach to the teaching of reading, including assessment.  The school has a daily phonics programme in place. This identifies those pupils who need additional support to catch up. However, teachers do not use 13–14 November 2019

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assessment information precisely or in a timely fashion to inform pupils’ next steps. In addition, pupils’ phonics books are not suitably matched to their phonics knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that teachers’ assessments are useful in planning pupils’ phonics knowledge, including the books they are reading.  Subject leaders are continuing to revise what they want pupils to learn in each subject. However, the building blocks of learning are not yet coherently planned, for example in science and history. Leaders need to implement curricular models based upon an agreed understanding of pupils’ progression of knowledge and how this will be assessed.

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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. 13–14 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111480 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 July 2017

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school has gone through many staffing changes. There have been three changes of headteacher in the past two years.  The executive headteacher was appointed in April 2019. The cluster headteacher was appointed in April 2019. There have been subsequent appointments to several leadership posts, including the deputy and cluster special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) in September 2019.  Nearly three-quarters of pupils on the school’s roll come from families with a military background. There is a high turnover of pupils coming on to and off the school’s roll throughout the year.

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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 worked with several leaders during the course of the inspection. These included the cluster headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders (mathematics, science, history, modern foreign languages and PE) and the SENCo. 13–14 November 2019

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 We also met with the AWO and governors of the school. We met with trustees, the chair of the local governing body and the executive headteacher.  We scrutinised the school’s safeguarding records, including the single central record, and evaluated the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding procedures. This involved talking to staff and pupils about their understanding of safeguarding, bullying and health and safety.  We undertook did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, modern foreign languages and science. On the second day, we also looked at history and PE. This involved visiting lessons, talking to pupils, looking at pupils’ work and talking to teachers and leaders.  We also checked Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and met with some parents to consider their views. There were 41 responses to Parent View. As a result of these, we looked closely at the school’s anti-bullying policies and processes.

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 There is an on-site nursery, The Nest, which also uses the school’s facilities. However, this provision is not part of the school and has a separate registration. This was not part of this inspection.  The school was also judged to require improvement at its previous inspection on 13–14 July 2017.

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Inspection team

Stewart Gale, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Revell Ofsted Inspector 13–14 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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