Whitefield Community Primary School

Inspection of Whitefield Community Primary School Victoria Avenue, Whitefield, Manchester M45 6DP

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 November 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 17 and 18 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to Whitefield Primary. They live and breathe the school values of ‘inspire, dream, achieve’. Pupils have lots of friends. They show great respect for one another. Parents and carers appreciate the family environment that leaders have fostered.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils enjoy warm relationships. Pupils feel cared for and listened to. This helps them feel safe in school. They said that bullying and name-calling are extremely rare. Pupils are confident that staff would sort out any issues straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievements. Pupils work hard and display positive attitudes. They understand that these are qualities that will help them succeed in school, and in later life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that pupils can access a range of trips and visits. This helps to widen pupils’ experiences. Pupils’ future ambitions are being promoted well through trips to the theatre and links with Manchester University.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils to be ‘active citizens’. They enable pupils to take on responsibilities such as litter-picking in the local area and fundraising for charity. The ‘animal club’ enjoys looking after Derek the duck and his family. Pupils can also access a wealth of additional activities and clubs. Leaders make sure that the clubs are wide ranging in choice, to appeal to as many pupils as possible.

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better?

Leaders, including governors, have brought about many positive changes since the previous inspection. Their work means that pupils enjoy a much better quality of education than they did in the past.

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better?

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is planned so that learning takes place in a logical order. This helps pupils to build on what they have already learned. As a result, pupils achieve well in most subjects.

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better?

Pupils enjoy many additional activities that further develop their understanding of a topic. For example, pupils have recently visited York to learn more about their current history topic. Pupils could talk in detail about how and why the Viking and Anglo- Saxon communities settled in different parts of Britain.

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better?

In a small number of subjects, pupils are not able to recall their previous learning. This is because they are not given the opportunity to recap on what they have been taught, to help them to remember it. 17 and 18 November 2021

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Children settle quickly into the early years. They learn from a range of purposeful activities inside and outside the classroom. These activities stimulate children’s interests. Staff encourage children to persevere with tasks. As a result, children in the early years understand how to be resilient learners.

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Leaders have ensured that reading is prioritised across the school. Staff have recently accessed more training to help them support younger pupils with their reading. Children learn words and sounds as soon as they enter the Nursery class. Staff in the Reception and key stage 1 classes provide activities that help pupils practise and build their phonics knowledge. They select reading books that match the sounds that pupils know. Pupils are provided with extra support whenever required. This is helping them to build on their reading skills.

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Pupils said that they enjoy reading. Leaders have invested in an attractive school library where pupils are able to choose from a vast range of books. Older pupils build their comprehension skills through carefully chosen high-quality texts. Teachers read regularly to pupils. Pupils explained that this helps them understand how to read to an audience in an interesting way.

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Pupils behave well across the school and in class. Consequently, there is little disruption to pupils’ learning. At playtimes, pupils enjoy a range of activities. They like talking to and playing with their friends. Pupils understand the importance of equality and fairness. They explained that everybody should have the same chances in life and be free from discrimination.

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Leaders have ensured this is a school where everybody is welcome, regardless of their differences. They identify pupils with SEND swiftly. Staff are trained to adapt learning activities so that pupils with SEND can access the full curriculum. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They are supported well by leaders who they believe value their contributions to the school’s success. Governors share school leaders’ ambitions for all pupils. Staff are appreciative of the checks that leaders and governors make on their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders arrange for regular safeguarding training to take place for staff and governors. This helps them identify any pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff are encouraged to report any concerns they may have about pupils. These actions are promoting a culture of safeguarding.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to stay safe online. A range of visitors, including the police and fire service, help pupils understand the dangers they may face outside school. 17 and 18 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, pupils are not able to recall the key knowledge that they need to access future learning. This is because teachers do not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to recap on their previous learning. Leaders should ensure that time is given for pupils to review content that they have previously covered. This will enable them to build more effectively on what they know and remember.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 17 and 18 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200777 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Elizabeth Fitzgerald

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 and 22 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The governing body manages the before- and after-school club provision.

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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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and six members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 17 and 18 November 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. This involved visiting lessons with subject leaders, discussing curriculum plans, talking to pupils and teachers, and looking at pupils’ work.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in geography and science.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day. They also listened to pupils’ thoughts and opinions about Whitefield Community Primary School.  Inspectors considered the responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and spoke to parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to the staff questionnaire. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

John Tomlinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Littler Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 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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