Wilthorpe Primary School

Inspection of Wilthorpe Primary School Greenfoot Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 1EG

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 September 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 29 and 30 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children do not get off to a good start. Teachers are not clear on what pupils need to do when they leave the early years. Not enough children are well prepared for their learning in Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have not ensured that teachers know how to deliver the curriculum well. Teachers often give pupils tasks that do not help pupils learn more about the subject that they are studying. This is limiting pupils’ progress. It means pupils are not keeping up with where they need to be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. Teachers have high expectations of them. Pupils say that bullying is rare. They have confidence in staff to deal with it if it does happen. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. There is a warm and nurturing culture in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to be respectful. They learn about words such as ‘prejudice’ and ‘discrimination’ and know what they mean. Leaders have linked up the learning pupils have in class with the assemblies that they attend. Pupils understand how to be a tolerant of others. Pupils are taught how to be mentally and physically healthy.

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better?

Leaders do not have a clear vision for education in the school. They have not carefully considered what they want pupils to know and remember over time. Leaders have not thought about how learning in the early years can contribute to what pupils need to know in later years.

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better?

Leaders have just brought in new curriculums in mathematics and writing for pupils in key stage 1 and key stage 2. Teachers have little awareness of what to teach and when in these subjects. Leaders have not trained staff on how to use the plans. Teachers are not teaching what leaders have intended. For example, teachers are not teaching pupils spelling.

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better?

In phonics lessons, teachers know which sounds to teach. Teachers revise sounds that pupils have learned in the past. Leaders have ensured that pupils can read the books that they are given. These books are matched to the sounds that pupils know.

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better?

However, leaders recognise that some staff have not been fully trained in how to teach phonics. These staff do not use phonics as the primary method of teaching pupils to read. Staff talk about what is happening in pictures or what a word might be by looking at the rest of the sentence. They also do not teach pupils the correct way of saying each sound. This lack of training is impacting most on pupils with the weakest reading. These pupils are struggling to keep up. 29 and 30 September 2021

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Storytime is a special part of the day for pupils. Leaders have thought carefully about which books to choose, from Nursery up to Year 6. As a result, pupils hear a wide and varied diet of stories. Teachers have a role in choosing these stories. They read stories with expression and enthusiasm. Pupils stop and fall silent at the end of the day, wondering what will happen next.

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Leaders have written curriculum plans in subjects other than English and mathematics. These plans start from Year 1. They contain the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that teachers should teach in each year group. Although these plans are in their early stages, teachers are aware of them and are starting to use them.

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Subject leaders are beginning to understand how to check on their subject. They have planned how they will do this. Subject leaders have had some training from the local authority to help them. Some of this training was disrupted by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

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Pupils’ attendance is improving. If a pupil’s attendance is a concern, leaders support the family to improve it. These improvements have been affected by COVID-19.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have made sure that these pupils can access all subjects. Teachers make changes so that pupils are successful. For example, some pupils with fine motor difficulties use technology to support their learning in art and design. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) checks that pupils get what they need. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND are happy with how their child is supported. Parents feel involved in making and reviewing their child’s plan.

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Governors ask challenging questions about the progress of pupils with SEND. Governors check on safeguarding. They make sure that all staff are fully trained to keep pupils safe. Governors recognise that they need to have the same focus and rigour in their questioning around the curriculum.

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Representatives from the local authority know the school well. They have put in support where it is needed. Leaders have used this support to help them develop curriculum plans.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have trained staff in their safeguarding duties. Staff understand what to do and who to talk to if they are concerned about anyone. Leaders have strong links with external agencies. They get advice or support from these agencies swiftly when they need it.

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Safeguarding

Governors take their responsibility to prevent radicalisation and extremism very seriously. They have made sure that staff are fully trained in being able to spot signs 29 and 30 September 2021

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of anything that might be worrying. Governors make sure everyone in school has an attitude of ‘it could happen here’.

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Pupils feel safe in the school. They have a range of adults they can speak to if they need to. If something happens outside of school, including online, staff deal with it quickly and decisively.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Many of the curriculum plans used by teachers are at an early stage of development. This includes those in English and mathematics. Not all teachers know what to teach and when. Teachers often provide learning for pupils which is not at the correct level of demand. Pupils’ progress is variable. Leaders should ensure that all plans are completed. They should train all staff in how to use them and what the correct level of demand is in each subject.  Leaders have not fully trained staff in how to teach phonics. Some staff do not help pupils with how to segment words or teach them what the correct phoneme is for each grapheme. Pupils do not get the help they need to read well. They fall further behind. Leaders should train all staff in how to teach phonics in an accurate and effective way.  Curriculum plans do not include expectations of what is taught in the early years. Early years teaching is too focused on reacting to gaps in knowledge that children

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

have. Children do not move to Year 1 with the knowledge and skills that they need. Leaders should plan what the sequences of learning look like in early years. These plans should clearly link with the plans for the rest of school.  Teachers often do not choose activities which are helpful for pupils in achieving their intended curricular goals. Pupils spend time carrying out tasks which are not helping them learn the key knowledge and skills that they need. Pupils forget what they have learned. They can become confused or distracted. Leaders should train teachers on how to select appropriate activities that are matched to what teachers want pupils to remember.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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 . 29 and 30 September 2021

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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. 29 and 30 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199779 Type of school Primary

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School details

School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3 to 11

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 May 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since September 2017.  Since the last inspection, there has been significant turbulence in staffing at the school.  The school is split over two sites. Nursery, Reception and Year 1 occupy one site and Years 2 to 6 occupy the other.  There is a Nursery class for three- and four-year-olds which runs each morning.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke to the headteacher, two deputy headteachers, five governors and a representative of Barnsley local authority. 29 and 30 September 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. All of these deep dives involved visiting some lessons or looking at some work in the early years.  Inspectors looked at the plans leaders had in other subjects. We looked at leaders plans to check on the teaching of these subjects.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about life in school and behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with the SENCo about how pupils with SEND are supported. They checked the plans for pupils with SEND. They visited some pupils with SEND in their classroom and spoke to them about their learning.  Inspectors spoke to parents outside of school. They considered the responses to

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Ofsted’s parents’, pupils’ and staff’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Matthew Knox, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Brian Stillings Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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