John Wycliffe Primary School

Inspection of a good school: John Wycliffe Primary School Moorbarns Lane, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 4QJ

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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?

John Wycliffe is a friendly school. Pupils say that teachers are always calm and talk to them respectfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind to one another. They behave well in lessons and at break times. Pupils from different backgrounds get along together. Newcomers soon become part of the school family.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn why bullying of any sort is wrong. They say that bullying is very rare. If it happens, staff soon sort things out. Pupils appreciate the time staff give them to talk things through when they have worries or concerns. Pupils know what to do to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They value how leaders and staff have made John Wycliffe a place where their children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils to achieve well in all subjects. Staff have high expectations. However, pupils are not doing as well as they could in some subjects. In mathematics, pupils have gaps in their knowledge which limit their progress. In geography, pupils do not remember topics they have worked on because the curriculum is not well planned.

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

Leaders are working to improve the curriculum. They know that in some subjects, pupils do not remember important knowledge. They want pupils to learn more and remember more. Subject leaders are improving their curriculum plans. In science and history, plans set out precisely what pupils will learn as they move through the school. The plans show 3 and 4 November 2021

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how each unit of work builds on what pupils have learned before. This is not the case in geography, where plans do not show how new learning connects with earlier work. Pupils struggle to recall what they have learned in their geography lessons.

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This poor recall of learning is also an issue in mathematics. Some pupils have difficulty understanding and remembering their mathematics work. They do not know the number bonds or times tables that they should for their ages. Teachers’ efforts to ensure all pupils have quick mental arithmetic skills have not been successful. Leaders have recently introduced a new mathematics curriculum. This gives pupils regular opportunities to practise their recall of important mathematical knowledge. It is too early to see the impact of this new curriculum.

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The reading curriculum is more successful. Right from the start of Reception, pupils begin to learn how to read. Staff have a clear understanding of how pupils learn to read. They teach phonics well. Leaders, as well as staff, check closely on how pupils are getting on. This ensures that, in reading, anyone at risk of falling behind gets extra help. As a result, almost all pupils become confident readers. All classes have story times. These spark pupils’ interest and enthusiasm for reading. The new school library is a great addition to life at John Wycliffe.

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Pupils with SEND receive well-planned support for their additional needs. Leaders and staff actively encourage pupils with SEND to take a full part in the life of the school. The leader responsible for pupils with SEND liaises regularly with staff and parents. This gives an up-to-date overview of pupils’ needs. In most subjects, staff adapt the curriculum well to meet the needs of individual pupils.

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Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities such as being sports and well-being ambassadors. These help to enhance pupils’ social skills and encourage them to be active citizens in the school community. Pupils learn about British values such as tolerance and respect. They raise funds for several charities. Leaders have quickly put back in place the exciting range of clubs that pupils enjoyed before the national lockdowns.

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The trust is providing support for senior leaders to bring about better pupil outcomes. Training is enabling governors to hold leaders to account for the impact of this support. Almost all staff reported that they are proud to work at John Wycliffe and that senior leaders are mindful of their workload and their well-being.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that curriculum development in geography and the teaching of mathematics may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe. They know that if they are ever worried, their teachers are there to help them. Staff are alert to any signs of concern. They understand how to report their concerns to leaders. When needed, leaders refer concerns to outside agencies swiftly so 3 and 4 November 2021

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that pupils and families get the help they need. Governors keep a close oversight of this aspect of the school’s work.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Weaknesses in the mathematics curriculum in the past have resulted in too many pupils having gaps in their learning. Lower-attaining pupils, many of whom are disadvantaged, have poor recall of number bonds and multiplication tables. Their understanding of important concepts is weak. Leaders must ensure that the recently introduced curriculum addresses these issues as a matter of urgency.  The curriculum in geography is not coherently planned to enable pupils to build their knowledge and skills as they move through the school. Pupils do not remember much of what they have been taught. Leaders need to make sure that the geography curriculum builds up pupils’ knowledge and skills cumulatively, so that pupils remember what they have been taught and are well prepared for studying the subject in the secondary schools.

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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 predecessor school, John Wycliffe Primary School, to be good in January 2012.

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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 . 3 and 4 November 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. 3 and 4 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199525 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in 2016 as headteacher of the predecessor school.  The school converted to an academy in June 2017. It joined the Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and took it into account in his evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the inclusion manager, subject leaders, the chief executive officer of the trust and members of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, he 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. The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects. 3 and 4 November 2021

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 A wide range of documents were scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding. The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead.  The inspector reviewed the responses that were submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 69 free-text responses. He also considered the 22 responses to the staff survey and 77 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Anthony O'Malley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 November 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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