Waterbeach Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Waterbeach Community Primary School High Street, Waterbeach, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB25 9JU

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Outcome

Waterbeach Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Waterbeach Community Primary School is a caring and friendly place. Staff help pupils to enjoy school, work hard and learn. Pupils get on well with each other, their teachers and other staff. They know that they can talk to staff if they have any concerns and that they will get the help they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto is, ‘learning, laughter and friendship’. There are ‘six golden rules’ for behaviour. Staff make these aspirations shape each school day. Pupils behave well. They say bullying is very rare and that adults deal with it quickly if it happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to do well. They confidently explain their learning in different subjects, including reading, history and mathematics. Parents are very supportive of the school. They believe their children are safe and well prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very interested in the world climate and environmental conditions. Many pupils are involved in activities for saving energy and encouraging a cleaner world. In this work, they cooperate with other pupils across the country, in projects approved of by their teachers and parents.

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

Leadership, including at subject level, is strong. Leaders work well together and the school has continued to improve. They agree on how the curriculum should help all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders make sure teachers have regular training. Subject leaders have time to do their work and develop their professional skills. Leaders make sure staff are not overwhelmed by their work.

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

Leaders have done a lot to develop the school’s curriculum. It clearly sets out in a sensible order what pupils should know at different points of the year. This helps pupils to link and remember past and current learning. Curriculum plans set out when and how teachers should check that pupils have learned subject content. These checks provide 27–28 November 2019

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accurate information so that teachers know what pupils have learned and can adapt their teaching to build on this.

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In mathematics, planning helps pupils develop knowledge and skills in a logical order. Teachers break work down into manageable chunks which pupils can learn before moving on. Pupils practise what they are taught using suitable equipment. Teachers and other staff explain mathematical concepts skilfully. Children learn mathematics well across the key stages. As they progress through key stage 2, pupils apply mathematical knowledge to difficult problems and in different subjects. For example, in Year 6 science, pupils make good use of their mathematics knowledge to study electrical circuits.

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The history curriculum is strong. Pupils are able to recall what they have learned. Younger pupils make links between different time periods. They can compare them. Pupils know the importance of historical events and place them in chronological order.

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Leaders prioritise teaching pupils to read well. In the early years, pupils quickly become confident when using the sounds that letters make. Any children who struggle are soon noticed and helped to overcome difficulties. In recent years, the teaching of reading was weaker in key stage 1. Leaders have changed this and pupils’ reading in this key stage is now much stronger.

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Most older pupils become skilled readers. They learn from a wide range of stories, poetry and traditional tales. They move from simple to more challenging activities. Despite these strengths, some pupils in key stage 2 with SEND, and some who struggled to learn to read during key stage 1, do not read as well as they should. This is because they have limited vocabularies and do not understand the text used in some classroom resources.

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The school library is well stocked. Pupils choose books which help them to practise their reading. Parents appreciate the advice they receive to support reading at home.

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Pupils have many opportunities to undertake activities that interest them. These include sports and music. They enjoy school trips, including those to historic sites and the seaside. Many pupils help the school. Some serve on their busy school council while others support its environmental campaigns. In this way, they learn vital civic skills and about democracy.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff understand all arrangements for keeping pupils safe. Staff receive all required safeguarding training. Staff are watchful and know what to do if they have concerns about a child. They quickly report them to leaders, who take swift action.

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Safeguarding

All safeguarding records, including pre-employment checks on staff who work at the school, are complete. Pupils receive suitable guidance about keeping safe, including about internet safety. Pupils say that they feel confident they would receive help if they reported 27–28 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils with SEND and some who struggled to learn to read during key stage 1 have a smaller range of vocabulary than they should have and do not understand some of the texts used in lessons. They do not learn to read as well as they should in key stage 2. Leaders should check that all pupils are given suitable reading resources and the right help so that their reading develops well through key stage 2.

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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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 23–24 February 2016.

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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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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. 27–28 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110282 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 23–24 February 2016

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Few speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils with SEND.  The early years offers full-time education for children in Reception class.

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Information about this inspection

 I did deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and history. I spoke with curriculum leaders and teachers about these subjects, visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work. I spoke with pupils about their work in these subjects and about other aspects of life in the school. I also visited some lessons in other subjects.  I met with the headteacher, senior leaders and governors, including the chair of the governing body. I looked at a range of documents, including curriculum plans, school development plans, and pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safeguarding records.  I met with senior leaders to discuss arrangements for safeguarding children, the 27–28 November 2019

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school’s safeguarding policy, staff training and pre-employment checks for staff. I also spoke with teachers, parents and children about safeguarding.  I looked at the 69 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, 33 free-text responses and 23 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for school staff.

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Inspection team

David Turner, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 27–28 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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