Watermoor Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Watermoor Church of England Primary School Kingshill Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 1SY

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn. However, the very poor behaviour of a few pupils is disturbing the learning of others. Most pupils behave well, but they feel stressed and anxious when they witness incidents of disruptive behaviour in class and on the playground. They sometimes have to leave the classroom so that things can be sorted out. Pupils, parents and staff are concerned. They want incidents of this type to be eradicated from the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make progress in English, mathematics and science, but in other subjects, such as history, geography or music, they do not learn as well. This is because the curriculum is not taught in as much depth. Pupils enjoy these subjects and would like to learn more.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust classroom and playground staff to keep them safe. They say they are listened to and helped if friends fall out. Pupils are adamant bullying is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the pre-school and Reception classes are encouraged to be curious and independent learners. They behave well. Their classrooms are calm and welcoming.

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better?

Senior leaders have a poor grip on pupils’ behaviour. The disruption caused by the behaviour of a few pupils is having an adverse effect on school life. Staff do not feel well supported, and morale is low. Pupils are losing learning time. Leaders address individual incidents but lack a precise overall picture of what is happening and when. They have no clear strategy for how the current situation will be improved.

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better?

There is no planned pastoral support. This inhibits the full inclusion not just of pupils with behavioural difficulties but also others with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some individual behaviour plans are too complex for the school to manage. Staff regularly give pupils gold stickers for good behaviour. When pupils misbehave, the consistency of the policy breaks down. Governors have recognised that a review of the behaviour policy is urgently needed.

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better?

The curriculum lacks overall leadership. As a result, it is unbalanced. English, mathematics, science, physical education, personal, social and health education and religious education are taught in appropriate depth. However, in other subjects, the curriculum does not help pupils to develop a rich body of knowledge. What pupils need to learn in these subjects is not clearly planned. Teachers do not identify precisely what pupils have been taught before. For example, pupils do not remember what they have been learning in geography. Pupils lack basic geographical knowledge and vocabulary. This limits particularly the achievement of pupils with SEND. Some aspects of the history curriculum are planned and taught more clearly, such as chronology. 19 and 20 October 2021

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Staff in the early years plan purposeful opportunities for children to learn about the world. In the pre-school, children go outside to listen for interesting sounds. On a sunny day, they explore shadows. Children in the Reception class create and label their own maps of their town. The early years curriculum is rich. Children are gaining scientific and geographic knowledge and vocabulary in meaningful ways that are appropriate for the age of the children.

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Phonics is taught well. There is an established programme and staff deliver it effectively. Pupils at the beginning of key stage 2 who need to catch up in reading join in the phonics sessions. In Reception, children can blend simple sounds to read. Standards of phonics knowledge in Year 1 are higher than in previous years. These pupils made strong progress in the early years despite interruptions caused by the pandemic. All pupils at the early stages of reading practise with books that reinforce phonics knowledge. This is particularly helping disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND to catch up.

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There is a new approach to teaching reading across the school. In lessons, pupils discuss their class books with their teachers. Leaders recognise that in key stage 2, teachers need more training for this approach to be fully effective. Pupils are enthusiastic about their personal reading.

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Pupils understand the Christian values they are taught, such as generosity, hope and kindness. They are not given enough information about fundamental British values. Pupils vote for house captains, but do not recognise this as democracy. Pupils visit places of worship for different religions to broaden their cultural understanding. Breakfast club is a positive start to the day for pupils who attend. There have been no clubs this term. Some parents are disappointed about this gap in opportunity for their children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are vigilant about children’s welfare. They quickly spot signs that a pupil could be at risk of harm. They report these concerns conscientiously and promptly to senior leaders using the school’s electronic system. Staff have had appropriate training.

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Safeguarding

When appropriate, leaders contact agencies who can provide support for families. They are confident to discuss concerns with parents. The school checks promptly on the whereabouts of pupils persistently absent from school to ensure they are safe.

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Safeguarding

The school checks on adults’ suitability to work with children. Records are well kept. 19 and 20 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not taken effective action to tackle the challenging behaviour of a group of pupils. As a result, there are incidents where learning is disrupted, and the well-being of staff and pupils is adversely affected. Leaders should develop an effective pastoral programme to better support pupils’ behaviour. They should ensure that policies and practices to secure good behaviour are robust and followed consistently.  Leaders do not have a full understanding of the number and nature of incidents where learning is disrupted. They cannot then ensure that support is going to the right place at the right time. Leaders should improve their overall understanding of the standard of behaviour in the school and ensure staff have the ability to manage this behaviour. Staff should understand how and when to seek support.  Leaders do not maintain an accurate oversight of the curriculum. They have not recognised that it is unbalanced. Pupils do not learn as well in some subjects as

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

they do in others. Senior leaders should ensure that pupils experience a curriculum in all subjects that allows them to learn and remember what they should.  Curriculum plans do not set out precisely what should be taught in the foundation subjects. Teachers are not clear about what pupils already know. Leaders should ensure that planning clearly sequences essential knowledge so that teaching is more precisely linked to pupils’ next steps.  Curriculum leaders who have responsibility for the foundation subjects do not have the capacity to support whole-school development in their subject. Leaders should ensure the relevant curriculum leaders develop the expertise to enable them to carry out their roles effectively.  The school’s curriculum does not give pupils sufficient information about British values. They are then not well prepared for some aspects of life in modern Britain. Pupils’ knowledge of British values should be strengthened.

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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 . 19 and 20 October 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. 19 and 20 October 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jo Wood and Mike Biddle (Co-chairs)

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School details

Website www.watermoorps.co.uk/ Date of previous inspection 16 and 17 March 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 Watermoor Church of England Primary School is a voluntary aided school. The last section 48 inspection took place in October 2016. There was an interim report written in April 2018.  There is a pre-school managed by the governing body which caters for three- year-olds.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is twice the national average. The number of pupils with an education, health and care plan is also much higher than average.

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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

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform. 19 and 20 October 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.

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team. They met with subject leaders and the pastoral lead teacher.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including a remote meeting with the co-chair. She met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: history, geography, early reading and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons and spoke to teachers and pupils.  Inspectors looked at the school’s curriculum documents and discussed other subjects with leaders.  Inspectors reviewed the safeguarding arrangements of the school. They looked at records and spoke to leaders, teachers and support staff.  An inspector visited the breakfast club and spoke to pupils in the lunch hall.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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and considered the views of staff and pupils in the online surveys.

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Inspection team

Wendy Marriott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Berry Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 October 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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