William Levick Primary School

Inspection of a good school: William Levick Primary School Smithy Croft, Dronfield Woodhouse, Dronfield, Derbyshire S18 8YB

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Outcome

William Levick Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships are strong in the school. Staff have high expectations of pupils. Pupils work well together. They try hard in lessons and are enthusiastic about their learning. They are kind, polite and thoughtful towards each other and adults. The school’s ‘five star’ values of respect, cooperation, responsibility, perseverance and positivity are shared by everyone. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and looked after well. Pupils say their school is a caring place where everyone looks after each other. They say they enjoy coming to school because teachers make learning interesting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know what bullying is. They say it rarely happens and they are confident they can talk to staff if something is worrying them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a wide range of after-school clubs, such as the popular fencing club. Pupils enjoy learning outdoors in the nature garden. They also enjoy the leadership roles they have. Older pupils enjoy being buddies for younger children and take this role seriously. This year, the school council’s project is to make a ‘quiet zone’ for the playground. Members of the eco team speak passionately about the role they play in reducing waste.

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

The school provides a good quality of education. The new headteacher is well supported by other senior leaders. Leaders have a clear vision of how they want to develop the school further. Leaders and other staff have worked hard to improve the curriculum they offer pupils. The school works closely with the governing body, as well as with another group of schools. Pupils achieve well, especially in reading and mathematics.

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

Leaders have made reading a high priority. Pupils enjoy reading and using the school library. Most pupils learn to read well. Leaders have implemented a new approach to support pupils’ reading comprehension skills. Pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics 9–10 January 2020

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screening check. However, sometimes, staff do not match the books pupils read to the sounds that pupils know as well as they could. This means some pupils do not achieve quite as well as they could.

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Mathematics is taught well throughout the school. Pupils enjoy their lessons. Teachers are skilful in using questions to deepen pupils’ understanding of key concepts and skills. Pupils have opportunities to explain their thinking and solve problems. Teachers use their knowledge of pupils’ prior learning to plan new learning. Pupils remember their learning and achieve well.

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The curriculum is planned carefully in English and mathematics. Pupils enjoy science and can talk with confidence about what they are currently learning. However, some pupils found it difficult to remember what they had learned in the past that would help them with their new learning. In some subjects, such as science, religious education and computing, planning is not so well developed. Pupils sometimes do not remember important information from previous lessons.

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Staff are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. They make sure that lessons are planned well to meet the needs of the pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils are able to access the curriculum. Teachers and staff work closely together to meet individual pupils’ needs.

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Children get off to a good start in the early years. Parents and carers say their children are well supported when starting school. Staff form caring relationships so that children feel safe in school. Children are happy and routines are in place. Indoor and outdoor areas are stimulating places for children to learn.

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Staff enrich pupils’ learning, for example, by using outdoor learning opportunities. They ensure that pupils are involved with the local community. Pupils won an award for a garden they created as part of ‘Dronfield in Bloom’.

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Pupils across the school behave well. Parents appreciate the support their children receive. Staff say they are proud to work at the school and feel valued by senior leaders and governors. They told me that leaders genuinely care for staff well-being and are considerate of workload. Newly qualified teachers are well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff have regular safeguarding training. Staff know what to do if they have a concern. Leaders respond appropriately to the information they receive from staff. They work well with other agencies when necessary. The school keeps detailed and well-organised records.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say they feel safe in school and the vast majority of parents agree. Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, both inside and outside school. Pupils learn how to stay safe when using the internet and social media. 9–10 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ curriculum plans include the development of key skills and knowledge expected in each year group and the order in which pupils will learn these. In some subjects, such as reading and mathematics, this is very well thought out. However, this work is in the early stages of implementation in other subjects. As a result, some pupils do not remember what they have learned as well as they do in other subjects. Leaders need to closely check the impact of their new curriculum plans to ensure that they are allowing pupils to gain a deeper understanding in all subjects.  Sometimes, staff do not ensure that the books pupils read match the sounds pupils know. Books are sometimes too hard for less-confident readers. Consequently, some pupils are not as fluent in their reading as they could be. Leaders and teachers need to make sure that the books pupils read are appropriate for their ability.

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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 17–18 May 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 9–10 January 2020

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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 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121278 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body John Higginbottom

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17–18 May 2016

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2019. There have been some recent changes in the teaching staff.  The school has an after-school club which is managed by an external provider.

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Information about this inspection

 I spoke with senior leaders, including the headteacher and two senior teachers. I spoke with subject leaders and the staff who support pupils with SEND.  I considered in detail the quality of reading, mathematics and science throughout the school. I met with leaders, teachers and pupils, visited lessons across the school and looked at pupils’ work.  I looked at the school’s single central record of recruitment checks, the school’s safeguarding policy and staff training records. I spoke with leaders and staff and checked the records that the school keeps. I considered the views of pupils, parents and staff.  I spoke with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. 9–10 January 2020

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Inspection team

Heidi Malliff, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 9–10 January 2020

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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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