Wargrave CofE Primary School

Inspection of Wargrave C of E Primary School Bradlegh Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside WA12 8QL

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Inspection dates: 25 May, and 22 and 23 June 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 25 May, and 22 and 23 June 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their families are warmly greeted by staff each morning. Pupils feel valued. They happily join their teachers and friends, and are ready to learn. Pupils feel safe and cared for by staff. Those pupils who are new to the school make friends quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are effectively prepared for future challenges. They achieve well in their learning across different subjects. Leaders’ high ambitions for every pupil are reflected in the effective support that pupils receive. This allows pupils to learn and remember more of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons and at playtimes, pupils behave well. Pupils know that they will be given a range of useful support from staff if they need extra help to manage their own behaviour. Pupils say that bullying almost never happens. Any incidents are quickly dealt with by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the support staff give them for their well-being. For example, pupils use calm spaces outside classrooms if they need quiet time. Pupils enjoy working with ‘Teddy’, the therapy dog, to help them feel relaxed.

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better?

Leaders have taken effective steps to improve the curriculum. Subject leaders have benefited from a range of training to develop their expertise. They give their colleagues useful support in planning and teaching the curriculum. Across different subjects, curriculum plans show the important knowledge and skills that leaders want pupils to learn and remember.

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better?

From Year 1 to Year 6, subject leaders have thought carefully about how to order the curriculum so that pupils build on their knowledge in an organised way. Curriculum plans in the early years are less clear. They do not describe in detail the steps that children need to make in their learning as they move through each of the early years classes. In some subjects, subject leaders have a limited understanding of how learning in the Nursery and Reception classes is organised, and how it prepares children for key stage 1.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to succeed. Staff give valuable support to prepare pupils for future learning. For example, staff make sure disadvantaged pupils, and those with SEND, know and understand important subject vocabulary in different subjects.

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better?

Teachers make regular checks on pupils’ understanding. These checks give teachers a clear view of how well pupils are learning. Teachers are swift to provide well- planned support to pupils who struggle to keep up with their peers. Across different 25 May, and 22 and 23 June 2021

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subjects, pupils develop their knowledge well. For example, in mathematics, pupils gain a secure understanding of number.

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Leaders have put reading at the centre of the curriculum. They ensure that reading areas are attractive and inviting. In the early years, staff make story time fun. Older pupils enjoy reading time. They read challenging and interesting books. In phonics, pupils learn the letters and sounds that build on those they already know. Staff make regular checks to make sure pupils are learning well. Any pupils falling behind in reading are given time for daily practice. This helps the pupils to develop their confidence and fluency in reading.

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In lessons, pupils follow adults’ instructions quickly and politely. This means that everyone can get on with their learning. Pupils are keen to take part in class discussions. They listen respectfully to others. In the early years, children move calmly around the different areas.

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Before the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, pupils enjoyed many opportunities to enrich their learning. For example, pupils visited museums and theatres. Pupils described with pleasure the residential trips that they enjoyed in key stages 1 and 2. Plans are in place to resume the usual wide range of activities soon.

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Pupils learn to follow the school’s values of truth, friendship and respect. Leaders ensure that pupils understand and appreciate differences, such as race, gender and disability. Pupils told inspectors, ‘We just treat everyone the same.’ Teachers help pupils to understand the school’s Christian values. However, some pupils reach Year 6 with only a vague understanding of religions other than Christianity.

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Leaders have taken effective action to improve pupils’ attendance, including for pupils working remotely. For those pupils whose absence remains high, leaders have put a range of appropriate support in place. This has helped to improve attendance for these pupils.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel valued by leaders. Staff say that leaders consider staff workload when making decisions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff use the regular training that leaders provide to help them identify any signs of abuse or neglect. When necessary, leaders are quick to take action to keep pupils safe. Leaders work closely with parents, carers and external professionals to protect pupils who are at risk.

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Safeguarding

The most vulnerable pupils benefit from a wide range of pastoral support. Staff ensure that pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of risk. This includes the risks linked to relationships. Pupils learn how to use the internet safely. 25 May, and 22 and 23 June 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans in the early years lack detail. They do not set out the precise steps that children will make in their learning as they move through the early years classes. As a result, it is unclear precisely how children’s new knowledge will be built on what they have learned before. Leaders should ensure that across different areas of learning, curriculum plans contain precise detail of the sequence of knowledge that they intend children in the early years to learn.  Some subject leaders do not have a secure understanding of how children’s learning should build from the early years into Year 1 and beyond. Leaders need to ensure that the early years leader and subject leaders have a shared understanding of the sequence of learning that pupils will make. These leaders should use this information to plan a curriculum which orders learning in a logical way from the early years upwards.  The curriculum does not develop some pupils’ understanding of religions other

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

than Christianity. This means that these pupils leave the school without an understanding of the different faiths that they may encounter in their lives. Leaders should ensure that pupils improve their understanding of a wider range of religions.

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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 here .

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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. 25 May, and 22 and 23 June 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10184302 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 December 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is a Church of England school.  The school’s most recent section 48 inspection was in June 2016.

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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

 This inspection began on 25 May 2021 as a monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005. Having found that the school performance appeared to be improving, we deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act. As a section 5 inspection requires more inspector time to complete than a monitoring inspection, we returned on 22 and 23 June 2021 to complete the full inspection. 25 May, and 22 and 23 June 2021

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection focused deeply on phonics and early reading, English, science and geography. In these subjects, we met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, met with teaching staff and looked at pupils’ work. We observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors looked at other subjects, such as design technology, history, and art and design in less depth. In mathematics, we met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils and looked at pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their work and school life. Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders, governors, teachers and support staff. Inspectors met with a representative of the

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local authority.  Inspectors reviewed documentation, which included the leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.  Inspectors considered the views expressed by parents in the 74 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 66 free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the 35 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. They spoke with staff to understand how they keep pupils safe. Inspectors reviewed the school’s record of checks undertaken on newly appointed staff.  Inspectors met with the school leaders, pupils and members of the school’s pastoral team to discuss provision for pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors met with the leaders to discuss pupils’ behaviour and attendance. We looked at documentation associated with these areas.  Inspectors visited the early years provision and met with the leader for early

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years. Inspectors checked curriculum planning in the early years and looked at children’s workbooks.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Christine Howard Ofsted Inspector 25 May, and 22 and 23 June 2021

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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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