Whitehall Primary School

Inspection of Whitehall Primary School Whitehall Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE5 6GJ

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 October 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 Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

This school was last inspected 15 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 26 and 27 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Whitehall Primary School. They are thrilled to be able to join together again for assemblies and playtimes following the full-time return to school. Pupils work hard in lessons and said that they enjoy learning. They like their teachers and think that they are fair. One pupil told an inspector: ‘Classes are fun and you can learn without any distractions.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are a credit to the school. They behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite to visitors and were keen to tell inspectors about their school. They are proud of the responsibilities they are given as anti-bullying ambassadors, eco- warriors or members of the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they feel safe in school. They are confident that their teachers will help them if they have a problem.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In some subjects pupils are taught well, for example in reading and mathematics. In these subjects leaders make sure that teachers know exactly what pupils need to be taught. Lessons are less successful where teachers are not sure what the key knowledge is that pupils need to remember, or how it builds on prior learning.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised reading across the school. Phonics lessons are well structured and systematically taught. Pupils start to learn how to read as soon as they join the school. Pupils in the Reception Year can confidently identify objects with the same initial sound. They can then add these to their ‘saucepan of silly soup’, which is a fun way of developing their understanding of similar words. Pupils said that they enjoy reading. Teachers read to pupils from a range of texts. Teachers encourage pupils to read widely and often through ‘our brilliant book club’. Reading champions promote the importance of and love of reading in each class.

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better?

Leaders have not designed an effective curriculum. The content of the curriculum and the order in which knowledge is taught have not been considered carefully enough in all subjects. Leaders are not ambitious enough for what pupils can achieve. In some lessons, teachers do not provide activities that help pupils to learn or review key knowledge. Teachers communicate new learning successfully in subjects where the curriculum plans are designed well. In reading and mathematics, assessment is used well to check that pupils acquire the intended knowledge before moving on. However, leaders have not developed a systematic approach to assessment in the foundation subjects.

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better?

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well led and managed across the school. Teachers make sure that pupils with SEND get the help they need. This aspect of the school’s work is good. 26 and 27 October 2021

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The curriculum in the early years is well structured and supports children to learn well. Staff have established clear routines that are well known by children. Children quickly become independent and confident learners in the early years foundation stage. They play and learn happily together.

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Promoting pupils’ personal development is high on the agenda of school leaders. Leaders make sure that pupils have a range of rich learning and developmental experiences beyond lessons in the classroom. Pupils in Year 6 recently visited a local secondary school to use its science equipment, as part of a unit of work preparing them for secondary school. Year 3 pupils went on a trip to a local museum to learn about the Ancient Egyptians. Pupils also enjoy the clubs they can join, which include sports, cookery and sewing clubs. Pupils understand that it is important to show respect to everyone. Staff model this well and relationships between staff and pupils are positive.

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Governors are experienced. They recognise that the checks they make to assure themselves of the quality of the school’s work have been hampered by the COVID- 19 pandemic. They are keen to resume their monitoring activities, so that they can provide challenge and support for school leaders and hold them to account for the quality of education provided.

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A significant number of parents who were spoken to on the playground, and those who responded to the online survey, expressed some concerns about the school. In particular, they do not feel that any issues or concerns they raise are dealt with quickly or effectively enough by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have clear systems in place for recording concerns about pupils. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to provide support for families when needed.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand that it is vital to keep a close eye on keeping pupils safe. They have received appropriate training. However, leaders do not make regular checks to ensure that staff keep their safeguarding practice sharp.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take allegations of bullying seriously. They investigate reports of bullying thoroughly. However, some parents do not feel that leaders deal well with their concerns about peer-on-peer bullying.

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Safeguarding

Leaders complete the checks needed to make sure that the adults in school are suitable to work with children. 26 and 27 October 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum in some subjects, such as computing, history and Religious Education (RE), is well planned and sequenced. This means that pupils’ learning does not build on what they have learned before. Leaders must prioritise the development of a curriculum that is coherently sequenced in all subjects.  In some subjects, the activities that teachers ask pupils to complete do not always match what they want pupils to learn. As a result, the knowledge teachers want pupils to remember is confused or diluted. Leaders should make sure that they are checking more closely what pupils have learned, to inform their curriculum plans. This will help teachers to set tasks and activities which will support pupils to remember the key knowledge identified in the intended curriculum.  Leaders train staff in how to keep pupils safe. However, they do not regularly revisit the training. Leaders should ensure that staff are provided with regular

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

safeguarding updates, and should check that staff remember vital safeguarding messages.  A significant number of parents who gave their opinion about the work of the school are not happy. These parents do not feel that their concerns are responded to well. Leaders must make sure that they have procedures in place so that any issues parents may have can be identified and resolved in an appropriate and timely manner.

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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 .

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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. 26 and 27 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199294 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 October 2006

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes to staffing since the previous inspection, which took place in October 2006, including the appointment of the current headteacher.

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders and members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair, and spoke to a representative from the local authority on the telephone.  Inspectors completed six deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, English, RE, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with the subject leader, visited lessons, spoke to staff and pupils from the 26 and 27 October 2021

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lessons visited, and reviewed pupils’ books. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read.  Inspectors examined a wide range of documents. These included the school’s plans for improvement, its self-evaluation, curriculum plans and information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  A meeting was held with the leader who has responsibility for safeguarding. Further discussions took place with pupils, staff and governors to check the school’s arrangements for safeguarding. Records relating to pupils’ safety were reviewed and discussed. The school’s single central record was also checked.  The 49 responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free-text survey were considered. Inspectors also spoke to parents on the playground at the beginning of the school day. There were no responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Andy Lakatos Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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