Newton-le-Willows Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Newton-le- Willows Primary School Sanderling Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside WA12 9UF

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 September 2021

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Outcome

Newton-le-Willows Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. From the moment they arrive each morning, pupils are welcomed by the staff, who greet them by name. The positive relationships that pupils have with each other, and with the adults in school, help pupils to feel happy and safe. They know that staff care about them. Pupils are confident that if they reported any concerns, staff would support them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that the adults in school expect them to do their best. Pupils can explain the importance of their ‘STRIVE’ school values and how they encourage them to do well. Pupils enjoy learning and they work hard in their lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They understand that it is important to treat everyone with respect. Pupils told inspectors that they would not stand by if someone else was being treated unfairly. They said that bullying rarely happens but that when it does, the adults in school will deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities such as school ambassadors and science leaders. Pupils enjoy the trips on offer and they are excited about the visits that leaders have planned for the coming term.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum which is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have identified the important knowledge that they want pupils, including children in the early years, to learn. Leaders have ordered this knowledge carefully so that pupils can build on earlier learning. Leaders have provided subject leaders with high-quality training to develop their curriculum expertise. Leaders’ curriculum plans provide clear guidance for teachers across subjects. In most subjects, teachers check regularly how well pupils learn and remember important knowledge. 22 and 23 September 2021

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Teachers present information clearly and provide regular opportunities for pupils to practise and remember what they have learned before. Pupils explained to inspectors that revisiting earlier learning helps them to be successful when they move on to new content. For instance, in mathematics, pupils’ secure knowledge of multiplication facts helps them when learning to calculate fractions and percentages of amounts. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum and by the end of Year 6, they are well equipped to make a strong start in secondary school.

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Children in the early years benefit from a calm and encouraging atmosphere. They enjoy singing songs and reciting rhymes. Staff read to the children every day and help them to listen attentively.

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Leaders place high importance on ensuring that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, can read. Pupils have daily phonics sessions from the start of the Reception Year. All staff are trained to deliver a carefully planned programme which clearly identifies the sounds that pupils should learn and when. Pupils practise their reading often, using books that match precisely with the sounds they know. This helps them to learn to read confidently and fluently. Leaders make sure that, when needed, pupils receive extra support to catch up.

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Older pupils are enthusiastic about the books that their teachers read to them. They have a wide knowledge of authors. Pupils enjoy reading books to deepen their knowledge of the topics they are studying and to broaden their vocabulary. However, occasionally, the complex vocabulary in some of these texts makes it too difficult for some pupils to make sense of what they are reading.

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Pupils take pride in their learning. Their lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENCo) ensures that, when needed, pupils with SEND get extra support with their learning, behaviour or emotional well-being. For example, many pupils who struggled to manage their own behaviour in the past are now thriving because of the effective support that staff have put in place.

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Leaders provide pupils with many opportunities to learn about the world in which they live. Pupils learn about how to stay physically and mentally healthy. They understand and respect people’s differences and they are delighted to support a range of charities.

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Governors are ambitious for the school. They ensure that they are well informed about the quality of education for pupils and they hold leaders to account effectively. Staff appreciate that governors and leaders are considerate of their workload and their well- being. Staff are proud to work at the school. 22 and 23 September 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff receive regular safeguarding training. This means they remain alert to the signs that may indicate that a pupil is at risk. Staff are aware of the procedures for reporting concerns. They understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. The knowledgeable members of the pastoral team use their expertise to plan programmes of support both in school and with a wide range of outside agencies. This approach ensures that pupils and their families benefit from effective support when needed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils have many opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe, including how to stay safe online and understanding the features of healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, teachers do not ensure that pupils know the meaning of more demanding vocabulary in some texts. This makes it difficult for pupils to understand the content and make sense of what they are reading. Leaders should ensure that teachers support pupils effectively to develop their understanding of more challenging vocabulary across subjects.

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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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2016. 22 and 23 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. 22 and 23 September 2021

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School details

Website http://www.newton.st-helens.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 November 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been considerable changes to the school’s senior leadership team. A new headteacher, deputy headteacher and three assistant headteachers have been appointed in the past two years.  A new chair of governors has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school makes use of the registered alternative provider ‘PACE’, a pupil referral unit in the local authority of St Helens.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school has 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team. The lead inspector had a discussion on the telephone with a representative of St Helens local authority and met online with seven members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, reviewed 22 and 23 September 2021

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with members of the school safeguarding team, including the designated safeguarding lead, and reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding, including school employment checks.  Inspectors considered the 38 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. They also considered the 33 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and the 73 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Janette Walker, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jean Tarry Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 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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