Weeton St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Weeton St Michael’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Church Road, Weeton, Preston, Lancashire PR4 3WD

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Weeton St Michael’s Primary School. They like the new school buildings that allow key stage 2 pupils to work in smaller classes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told inspectors that their teachers expect them to work hard in lessons and achieve well. Teachers make learning interesting and fun. However, in some subjects, most notably reading, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. In addition, staff do not have the detailed subject knowledge that they need to teach the planned curriculums.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school and know how to keep safe because of the teaching they receive. Pupils typically behave well. They show respect for the environment and play together harmoniously at breaktimes. Pupils said that occasionally they fall out and squabble, but teachers and other adults help them to resolve their disagreements quickly. Staff also make sure that any rare incidents of bullying are sorted out swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils spoke fondly of the wide range of educational visits that they experienced before the onset of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. These activities have now restarted and include school clubs that help pupils to develop their teamwork and sporting skills.

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

The new headteacher has quickly and correctly identified what the school does well and what needs to improve. Along with staff and governors, she is keen to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. School 22 September 2021

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In some subjects, the essential knowledge that pupils must learn, and the order in which it is taught, is not clearly identified. Added to this, some staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to deliver the planned curriculums. This means that some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are not able to gain the key knowledge that they need to succeed in their future learning. They do not achieve as well as they should in reading or in some other subjects.

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In other subjects, teachers use assessment strategies effectively to identify where pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Teachers use this information well to plan learning activities that build on what pupils know and can do. As a result, in some subjects, pupils are deepening their knowledge and remembering more.

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Pupils learn to read as soon as they start in the Reception class. The early reading programme systematically develops pupils’ knowledge of phonics over time. Despite this, pupils’ progress falters because some staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach the school’s phonics programme. In addition, pupils read books that are not precisely matched to the sounds that they have learned. This hinders some pupils from becoming confident and proficient readers. That said, most pupils are keen readers and speak confidently about their favourite types of books.

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There are appropriate procedures in place to ensure that pupils with SEND are quickly identified. Pupils with SEND receive the support they need. This means that they routinely learn alongside their classmates and have access to all aspects of the curriculum. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) provides effective guidance to staff about how to meet pupils’ needs and seeks additional expert advice when appropriate.

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Senior leaders, working with pupils, have acted swiftly to re-establish clear expectations for behaviour across the school. Leaders ensure that playtimes are well supervised by staff, who model and lead playground games and activities. As a result, pupils typically demonstrate positive behaviours and relationships around the school and in lessons.

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After-school clubs, such as fencing and football, allow all pupils to develop their social skills and teamwork. Leaders have also listened to the views of parents and carers. As a result, leaders have started a breakfast club, to provide a safe and engaging place for pupils to play and learn if parents need them to arrive at school early.

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Governors are proud of their school. They have a reasonable understanding of the emerging key priorities for development. Governors have a secure understanding of safeguarding and of how staff work to help keep pupils safe. Staff appreciate how leaders consider their workload when introducing new activities to improve the school.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that music, and art and design may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection. School 22 September 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are vigilant and know what to look out for to help keep pupils safe. Frequent training means they keep their knowledge up to date. Staff use well-established systems to record and share any concerns they have with leaders. Leaders frequently evaluate the information they receive. Leaders have secure knowledge of what to do to effectively manage any concerns that might arise.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have designed a personal, social, health and economic education curriculum that helps pupils to learn how to keep safe. It includes teaching pupils about positive behaviours and relationships in ways that are appropriate to their age.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach some subjects in the curriculum, including the early reading programme. In addition, pupils are not always able to access books that help them to practise the sounds that they have learned. This stops pupils from building up their subject knowledge and developing their fluency in phonics. Leaders should ensure that staff are suitably equipped to deliver the planned curriculum and the phonics programme. Leaders should also review the reading books available to pupils so that they are more closely matched to their phonics knowledge.  Curriculum plans in some subjects do not clearly identify the knowledge that pupils are expected to learn or the sequence in which they should learn it. As a result, some pupils do not have the secure basis on which to build when they meet similar ideas and concepts again. Leaders should refine the subject plans to ensure pupils systematically

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

build their knowledge and understanding on what they already know.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014. School 22 September 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. School 22 September 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-michaels-ce12.lancsngfl.ac.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 March 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been considerable changes to staffing in the school. In the last nine months, all teachers, including those responsible for senior leadership, have changed.  A new headteacher started at the school at the beginning of September 2021.  During the summer term 2021, considerable building work was completed at the school to provide additional teaching space.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors spoke with pupils about their work and school life. Inspectors spoke with two members of the governing body, including the vice-chair of governors. Inspectors also spoke with the headteacher, senior teacher, SENCo and school business manager. School 22 September 2021

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 The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, an inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and spoke with some pupils about their learning. Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work and listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation related to the work of the school, and scrutinised documentation relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors considered the 19 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 15 free-text comments. An inspector also spoke with parents at the start of the school day. The inspectors considered the nine responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

John Nixon, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Bather Ofsted Inspector School 22 September 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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