Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School

Inspection of Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School Wellfield Drive, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 0JD

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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 Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 28–29 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school. They feel safe and are confident in asking a teacher for help if they are worried about anything. Pupils enjoy taking part in a wide range of sporting activities. They also take on responsibilities in school, such as becoming eco ambassadors. School leaders take bullying very seriously. On those very rare occasions where this occurs, it is dealt with swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are polite and move around the school in an orderly manner. Most pupils are keen to learn. They sometimes bubble over with enthusiasm to answer teachers’ questions. Pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to visit other schools and take part in events. For example, older pupils attended a ‘wow worship’ celebration with pupils from a range of faiths. They learned respect and tolerance for those with different beliefs and that there are shared values underpinning most religions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of education is not good. Most teachers have high expectations of pupils. However, weaknesses in the design of the curriculum mean that pupils have gaps in their learning in some subjects. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Leaders have not made sure that the curriculum, including in the early years, builds on what pupils know and understand. Since the last inspection, pupils’ achievements at the end of each key stage have been mixed. Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of the key stage 2 tests in 2019 was not good compared with other pupils nationally.

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better?

However, the school has strengths. The headteacher, appointed in September 2019, has introduced changes that are already helping pupils to read more widely and with better understanding. Pupils that I spoke to told me that they enjoy reading. They look forward to story time when their teacher reads to them at the end of each day. In 2019, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the phonic screening check was above the national average.

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better?

Pupils are beginning to learn and remember more in mathematics. This is because teachers in Year 1 to Year 6 approach mathematical calculations in the same way. This avoids confusion when pupils move from one class to the next. Leaders are keen to extend this into the early years. This will ensure that there is consistency in teaching mathematics right from the start.

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better?

Pupils behave sensibly in lessons. Poor behaviour rarely disrupts learning. Pupils told us that teachers are ‘firm but fair’. They know that the learning mentor is always available to help if they feel sad or worried. Parents and carers believe that 28–29 January 2020

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communication between home and school has improved. They told us that staff are friendly and happy to listen to any concerns. Leaders encourage parents to be partners in their children’s learning, for example through the monthly ‘stay, play and chat’ sessions in the early years.

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Some pupils with SEND struggle because the curriculum is not carefully planned and sequenced to meet their needs. Too often, these pupils are expected to move on with the rest of the class before they are ready. Pupils become confused and do not remember what they have learned. In the early years, teachers do not recognise children’s additional needs quickly enough. This means that there are delays in providing the right support. Pupils with SEND who have difficulty in learning to read before the end of key stage 1 do not have enough help to continue to catch up with reading in key stage 2. Consequently, they fall behind in other subject areas.

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In some subjects, pupils’ learning is not structured well enough to help pupils know and remember more. While history is stronger, pupils’ learning in other subjects, such as French, music and geography, shows little difference from one year to the next. Although leaders have developed curriculum plans to help teachers know what pupils should learn and in what order, not all teachers are using them. Teachers have not been provided with training to teach some subjects effectively. As a result, pupils’ knowledge is insecure. Leaders have asked teachers to be in charge of two subjects each across the curriculum. However, most teachers are very new to these roles. The impact of their work to improve the quality of education is in the early stages.

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Pupils take part in a wide variety of sports and cultural events. The school offers a good range of trips and visits. In assemblies, pupils sometimes watch a children’s news programme that helps them to keep up to date with current affairs. All this supports pupils in becoming confident learners as they prepare for life in modern Britain.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, ensure that staff appointed to the school are suitable to work with children. All staff receive training and regular updates on child protection. As a result, they are able to identify and report early signs that pupils are at risk of harm. All concerns are carefully logged and followed up if necessary.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when they access the internet or use social media. They know who to go to if they are concerned about anything. The school works well with other agencies to ensure that children and their families receive professional support for their needs. 28–29 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ focus on improving current pupils’ skills in reading and mathematics is effective. However, in some subjects, the sequence of learning does not build systematically on pupils’ prior knowledge and skills. This means that there are gaps in pupils’ learning and reduces their readiness for the next stage in education. Leaders must make sure that pupils’ learning is carefully planned and taught in all subjects and across all three key stages.  Curriculum planning for pupils with SEND is weak, particularly for those pupils who have difficulties in learning to read. This means that they fall behind in their learning across a range of subjects. Leaders must ensure that pupils with SEND are identified from the earliest possible stage in school and that they receive the right support to achieve to their best in all subject areas.  Some teachers do not have the necessary subject knowledge to teach all subjects

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

effectively. Leaders should make certain that teachers have good knowledge of each subject in the national curriculum.  Most subject leaders are new to their roles and do not have the skills and experience to bring about school-wide improvements to the curriculum. Senior leaders should ensure that these leaders are fully supported to develop the skills they need to have a positive influence over the quality of education in their subject areas.

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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. 28–29 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121979 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 28–29 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has experienced considerable turbulence in staffing since the last inspection. Prior to the appointment of the headteacher in September 2019, the school had three other headteachers within the previous year. Currently, two teaching posts are covered by temporary teachers. The deputy headteacher and special educational needs coordinator are temporarily seconded from other schools on a part-time basis.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher and senior leaders.  We held meetings with teachers and subject leaders. The lead inspector met with six members of the governing body and with a representative from the local authority.  We visited lessons in each key stage. We spoke with pupils and viewed examples of their work. We spoke with pupils about behaviour and expectations in the school and observed behaviour around the school and in lessons.  The lead inspector heard pupils read from key stage 1 and key stage 2. 28–29 January 2020

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 We considered the 49 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 24 free-text responses. We also considered 21 responses to the pupil survey and 10 responses to the staff survey.  We examined records in relation to safeguarding.  As part of this inspection, we considered carefully how phonics and early reading are taught at Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church School. We also considered how the curriculum is planned and delivered in mathematics, history and music. During these activities, we met with subject leaders and visited lessons. We spoke with teachers about the lessons that they had taught and with pupils who had been in the lessons. We looked at examples of pupils’ work in their books.

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Inspection team

Jan Corlett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sandie La Porta Ofsted Inspector 28–29 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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