Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Miss Alison Metcalfe Warter Church of England Primary School Addlekel Warter York YO42 1XR

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School

Following my visit to your school on 4 February 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. The findings do not change the overall effectiveness judgement of outstanding from the last section 5 inspection.

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School

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for a no formal designation inspection of schools. The inspection was carried out to enable Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector to better understand the quality of education in specific subjects provided by outstanding primary schools. The subject in focus was languages.

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Main findings

Languages is an important part of your school’s curriculum. French has been taught throughout key stage 2 for over 15 years now. Currently, all pupils from Year 3 have a weekly one-hour French lesson. Younger pupils also experience French through songs, rhymes and activities. These form part of the weekly diet for pupils in key stage 1, for example. You and other leaders see languages as an important part of children’s development. You think deeply about the importance of different subjects. You are concerned to get the curriculum right for the pupils in your care.

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Main findings

You have a specialist teacher of French and a curriculum leader. Your vision is to upskill your classroom teachers so that they complement the part of the French curriculum that is taught by the specialist teacher. Currently, your specialist teacher teaches French for four half terms per year per class. Class teachers are responsible for teaching French for the other two half terms. They receive coaching and resources to support them from the specialist teacher. Class teachers make sure that French is revisited across the course of the week to help to embed French vocabulary and structures in pupils’ memories.

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Main findings

You have recently changed the curriculum. This is so that non-specialist teachers are supported even more effectively in teaching French. A few bumps still need to be ironed out. For example, not enough consideration has been given to ensuring that the new curriculum builds on the old one step by step. Texts play a larger part in the new curriculum. However, sometimes these are too complex. They are too difficult for your pupils at this stage in their learning.

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Main findings

Nonetheless, the French curriculum is ambitious and, in many ways, it exceeds the subject content of the national curriculum. The curriculum has a strong focus on vocabulary. Pupils can remember many common words and phrases that they have learned previously. For example, Year 6 pupils had learned vocabulary about hobbies and were able to produce simple sentences linked to what they like to do in their spare time. Pupils are able to take part in relatively long conversations using rehearsed questions and answers. They can alter these to express themselves. They certainly enjoyed asking me questions in French!

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Main findings

Your subject leader and specialist teacher have good subject knowledge. They apply this successfully to classes of primary-aged pupils. You and your team ensure that the quality of the curriculum is monitored, and changes made when necessary. For example, you noted that there are gaps in pupils’ French phonic knowledge. You have made tweaks to the curriculum to address this. This work has just started, but early signs are positive.

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Main findings

I have noted, however, that there is a lack of precision in curriculum planning as far as grammar is concerned. Too little attention is given to ensuring that all pupils fully understand the basic building blocks of the language. By the end of Year 6, pupils can write in short paragraphs with support. However, their ability to produce simple French sentences independently is more limited.

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Main findings

Your teachers capitalise on making links through the curriculum. They weave the study of languages through the working week. For example, teachers make sensible links between French and English sentence structures in lessons. Teachers also ensure that, where possible, links are made to other areas of the curriculum to support language learning and to contextualise languages within the curriculum. For younger children, the use of rhythm and song is effective in introducing and practising key language and rehearsing structures. Younger pupils especially are enthusiastic about their language learning.

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Evidence

I met with you, the curriculum leader and the specialist teacher of French. I visited French lessons and looked at a selection of pupils’ work in French. This included work from lessons that I visited. I spoke with two groups of pupils about their learning in French, and we looked at their work together. I evaluated the curriculum plans, policies and development plans for languages.

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Context

Warter Church of England Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. There are currently 147 pupils on roll. The proportion of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is below average. Overall, the proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including pupils with education, health and care plans, is below average.

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Context

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the diocese of York, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for East Riding of Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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