Wellstead Primary School

Inspection of Wellstead Primary School Wellstead Way, Hedge End, Southampton, Hampshire SO30 2LE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The previous ‘outstanding’ judgement reflected the school’s overall effectiveness in March 2012 under the relevant inspection framework at that time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The new judgement of ‘good’ reflects the current inspection framework as well as any changes at the school since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The school has not been inspected for eight years, which is longer than the five-year maximum interval between inspections. Changes in school effectiveness may have happened at any point in that period. The long time between inspections is because the law changed in 2011; it made outstanding schools exempt from routine inspection. 15–16 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Wellstead Primary School is a happy place. Pupils smile as they go about their learning. This is because they relish their lessons. They are keen to learn as much as they can. Teachers want the best for their pupils and generally staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They also make sure that pupils have exciting and memorable learning experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well throughout the school. They show great respect and understanding towards each other. They follow ‘The Wellstead Way’, treating all with friendliness and care. Pupils have a clear idea about what bullying is. They say that it hardly ever happens in the school. If they need help or advice, pupils know who to ask.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Over the past few years the school has almost doubled in size, yet pupils still see the school community as a close-knit family. Leaders have ensured that the warm and nurturing nature of the school has continued to flourish. Parents value this aspect of the school highly. Pupils are able to grow and develop in a culture that includes everyone and where they feel safe. As one pupil said, ‘Everyone is welcome here – there are no outsiders.’

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better?

Leaders have been focusing their attention on reviewing the curriculum content. They want the curriculum to be a wide and deep experience for the pupils. Pupils certainly have a breadth in the subjects that they learn. There is also increasing depth to the content of these subjects. Leaders are now focusing on pupils having better challenge. They have set out to ensure that what teachers deliver in each subject is high quality. These changes are most clear in mathematics and English. In a range of subjects, the improvements have been successful. There is still more to do nonetheless, especially to extend most-able pupils.

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better?

Leaders have made sure that those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all lessons. Teachers are often adept in how they teach pupils with SEND. In early years teachers do this very well. Nonetheless, some staff need more help to understand what the barriers to learning are so that they are better able to provide precise support.

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better?

Sometimes pupils are not able to remember what they have learned. This is because too much time passes between lessons. For instance, in science and geography months may pass before pupils return to their learning. Pupils’ understanding of ideas is therefore superficial rather than secure. There are some instances, such as in religious education, where staff need to have better knowledge themselves to teach the content. 15–16 January 2020

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Leaders prioritise reading well. Pupils love their reading. They show real pleasure when discussing the books that they read. An example of this is in their library sessions. Here the librarian tempts them well with recommendations. Leaders have made changes to the choice of texts so that there is greater challenge for pupils. Most-able pupils need this greater extension to support their reading skills.

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Teachers in Reception show a very high level of skill in the way they have created a rich learning environment and a well-constructed curriculum. Children therefore learn exceptionally well. Staff are passionate about inspiring children. They have put reading at the heart of what they do. Phonics teaching here is precise and effective. Most pupils continue to receive high-quality support to develop their reading skills and become fluent as they move on from early years. This is not always the case for weaker readers.

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Personal development at the school has a range of strengths. Pupils have a good knowledge of what being healthy means. There is a wide choice in what pupils can experience beyond the classroom. Pupils are encouraged to be reflective. Prayer spaces are made available around the school for pupils to use at particular times during the year, for instance.

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Pupils show exceptionally high standards of behaviour. Their attitudes towards learning are very positive. Pupils make the right choices, even without adults telling them. Staff have ensured that pupils have developed a very strong sense of individual responsibility.

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Governors and leaders are working well together to make further improvements. Leaders have ensured that the school has an inclusive culture where everyone feels supported and valued. Staff all work together in ‘sowing the seeds of success’. They work hard but all say that leaders are mindful of their workload. Leaders make every effort to look after staff well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive good-quality training. They know how to identify and report any concerns they have about pupil welfare. Staff know their pupils very well. They make sure pupils have an adult they feel they can go to for help. Leaders pick up any concerns quickly and effectively. They work hard to ensure that families receive the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Governors check this work closely and regularly. They ensure that all staff checks are carried out and that the school meets all safety requirements. They have monitored the safeguarding standards in the school through commissioning an external audit this year. 15–16 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet coherently planned and sequenced enough in some subjects. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan the curriculum and train staff, that they are in the process of bringing this about. For this reason, the transition arrangement has been applied in this case. Leaders should ensure that all levels of planning in the school focus clearly on what should be taught when, how and why. This will ensure that leaders and teachers have a much more precise understanding of what they intend pupils to learn in all subjects.  Leaders have made inroads into building staff expertise in recognising the barriers to learning for pupils with SEND. However, more is needed to ensure that all staff, including learning support assistants, have the right training to be as effective as possible in providing the right support for these pupils.  Teachers need to be more precise in their teaching for the most able pupils. Too

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

few of these pupils achieve the higher-level outcomes they should by the time they leave the school. Leaders should ensure that all staff are sufficiently expert in meeting the needs of this group of pupils.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 15–16 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10133090 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 Reverend Fiona Gibbs

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21–22 March 2012

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, Wellstead Primary School has doubled its population. It is now a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  The headteacher and the chair of the governing body have taken up their roles since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

The previous ‘outstanding’ judgement reflected the school’s overall effectiveness in March 2012 under the relevant inspection framework at that time.

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Information about this inspection

The new judgement of ‘good’ reflects the current inspection framework as well as any changes at the school since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The school has not been inspected for eight years, which is longer than the five-year maximum interval between inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Changes in school effectiveness may have happened at any point in that period. The 15–16 January 2020

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long time between inspections is because the law changed in 2011; it made most outstanding schools exempt from routine inspection.

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 We reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. I looked at relevant documentation, staff recruitment checks and training. I also considered how well adults in the school act on emerging concerns about pupils’ welfare.  We spoke with pupils, parents and staff to gather their views. We considered 102 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, 80 submissions to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire and 33 staff survey replies.  We spoke with governors and a representative from the local authority.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography, science and religious education. This involved talking with senior leaders, subject leaders and class teachers about how these subjects are delivered. Inspectors then visited a range of lessons to see this in action, talked to pupils about what they have learned and looked at their work.

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Inspection team

Yasmin Maskatiya, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary McCarthy Ofsted Inspector 15–16 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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