Whiston Junior and Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Whiston Junior and Infant School Saville Road, Whiston, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 4DX

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Outcome

Whiston Junior and Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Whiston is a happy and welcoming school. Pupils say they would not change anything about it. They are proud of their school. They are polite, courteous and respectful. They hold doors open for each other and adults. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils describe the school as being ‘like a family’. There is a nurturing and caring ethos. This helps pupils develop positive relationships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have improved pupils’ outcomes since the last inspection. More pupils now achieve well by the time they leave school. However, some pupils in key stage 2 who find reading tricky do not get the support they need to catch up quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff provide exceptional opportunities to develop pupils’ interests and talents. Pupils spoke excitedly about ‘Whiston’s Got Talent’, craft club, yoga and a wide variety of sporting clubs. Pupils willingly take on leadership roles in school, such as school council, reading angels and ambassadors for travel.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe. They say bullying is not tolerated. They are confident that staff deal with any incidents that happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy playtime and the daily mile. They appreciate playing games during ‘Whiston Active Movers’ breaks, led by an adult. They say this encourages them to keep active and stay healthy.

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

Leaders and staff have continued to provide a good quality of education. The school is well led and managed. Leaders know what the school does well and what it needs to do better. They have revised the curriculum so that it is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have thought about what they want pupils to know and remember in each subject. 21–22 January 2020

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In mathematics, teachers deliver a well sequenced and planned curriculum. They revisit the key knowledge they want pupils to remember. Pupils have regular opportunities to practise previous learning during daily ‘Mega Maths’ sessions. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well in mathematics. They enjoy their learning because activities are fun, and the curriculum is appropriately challenging. Pupils are confident and are eager to tackle more-demanding work.

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In physical education (PE), leaders have organised the curriculum well. The curriculum plans aim to develop pupils’ skills, fitness and understanding of healthy lifestyles. In some subjects, including PE, teachers do not revisit previous learning enough. This means some pupils struggle to remember what they have learned in those subjects.

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Leaders have prioritised reading. They have developed pupils’ love of reading. Pupils love to read a book in one of the inviting reading areas, including the new library. Phonics is well taught. Staff who teach phonics are becoming experts in this important subject. In the early years and key stage 1, children start to learn to read immediately. In these key stages, pupils who fall behind in their reading receive extra support. This helps them to catch up quickly. Leaders have recently revised the reading curriculum for key stage 2. However, teachers in key stage 2 have not been trained in phonics. This means that a few older pupils do not get the right support if they fall behind.

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Leaders ensure that pupils have a range of experiences to complement the curriculum. For example, pupils attend a residential visit and go to the Civic Theatre. They learn about a range of cultures and religions. This helps them to understand others’ views better. They understand democracy through voting for their school councillors.

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Pupils work hard and behave well in and out of lessons. Staff value and respect the pupils. They support them with both work and life skills, such as resilience and independence.

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Staff say they feel comfortable raising any concerns with leaders. They feel valued and supported. They are proud to work at Whiston. Parents are positive about the school. Several parents commented that their children are ‘thriving’ at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The trust, governors and school leaders have created a culture where staff are vigilant. Leaders update staff weekly on any changes in statutory guidance or local safeguarding issues. Staff understand what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil’s welfare or safety. Leaders’ rigorous records show they are persistent in their safeguarding work with external agencies. Pupils are taught how to minimise risks to their safety, including when online. 21–22 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In key stage 2, a few pupils who have fallen behind in their reading do not catch up as quickly as they should. This hinders their access to the full curriculum. While there is a newly developed reading curriculum in place across key stage 2, some staff do not have the necessary skills in phonics to implement this effectively. Leaders should ensure that staff in key stage 2 receive the training they need so that they can implement the reading curriculum effectively.  In some foundation subjects, some teachers do not revisit important previous learning frequently enough. This means that some pupils are unable to recall what they have learned. Leaders should make sure that teachers plan appropriate opportunities to revisit and assess pupils’ knowledge in all subjects so that pupils remember the most important curriculum content.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Whiston Junior and Infant School, to be good on 26–27 March 2013.

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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 .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 21–22 January 2020

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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. 21–22 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10110841 Type of school Primary

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Information about this school

 Whiston Junior and Infant School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school is part of the White Woods Primary Academy Trust.  The school offers a before- and after-school club each day.

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Information about this inspection

 I undertook deep dives into mathematics, reading and PE. This involved a meeting with subject leaders, visits to a sample of lessons in these subjects and listening to pupils read. The deep dives also included scrutiny of pupils’ books and other work produced by pupils who were part of the classes I visited. In addition, I had discussions with teachers and a group of pupils from the lessons observed.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the acting assistant headteacher who is also the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teachers, administrative and support staff, the chair of the governing body, one other governor, the chair of trustees and the chief executive officer of the White Woods Primary Academy Trust.  I scrutinised pupils’ work during lessons and with subject leaders. 21–22 January 2020

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 I held informal and formal discussions with many pupils and observed interactions during social times. I asked pupils for their views on behaviour and bullying.  I observed the work of the school and scrutinised a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation, school’s improvement planning documents and behaviour records.  I checked the school’s single central record of recruitment checks and considered the school’s safeguarding policy and practices. A sample of safeguarding files was checked to look at how the school identifies, manages and helps vulnerable pupils. I examined a range of documents relating to safeguarding.

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 I took into account the 33 responses from parents and carers who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. I reviewed the responses of 24 members of staff who completed Ofsted’s staff survey. I considered 13 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Jean Watt, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 21–22 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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