Wellesbourne Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Wellesbourne Community Primary School Abbotsford Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L11 5BA

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 January 2022

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Outcome

Wellesbourne Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Wellesbourne is a happy school that pupils enjoy attending. Pupils said that they have lots of friends and ‘everyone is made to feel welcome’. They said that they feel safe because staff care for them and look after them well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are aspirational for all pupils, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. In most subjects, leaders have organised a well-structured curriculum that helps pupils to build on earlier learning and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils are polite and well mannered. They play and learn in a calm and orderly environment. Pupils said that staff treat them fairly and that pupils generally behave well. They said that teachers will sort out any incidents of bullying quickly if they should happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the many opportunities to hold responsibilities, for example as school councillors, prefects and history ambassadors. They also enjoy the many clubs on offer at lunchtime and after school, such as choir practice, gymnastics and ukulele. They look forward to school trips, including residential trips for older pupils to develop their team- building skills.

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

In almost all subjects, leaders have designed a suitably ambitious curriculum that supports pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve highly. In these subjects, leaders have carefully organised learning so that pupils, including children in the early years, build on what they already know. Teachers are clear about what pupils should be learning and when this should happen.

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

In most subjects, teachers revisit previous learning as a matter of routine. This helps pupils to remember earlier learning and deepen their knowledge and understanding of 12 and 13 January 2022

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these subjects over time. For example, in mathematics, pupils practise recalling multiplication facts regularly. This helps them to use this knowledge confidently when undertaking new learning in mathematics.

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Teachers have benefited from a range of appropriate training. In the main, they display a secure knowledge of subject content, which they use to deliver curriculums well. Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to identify and resolve pupils’ misconceptions. As a result, teachers have an accurate view of how well pupils are learning the planned curriculum.

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In a very small number of subjects, the curriculum is not as well thought through. In these subjects, teachers are not as clear about how pupils’ learning builds over time. This hampers teachers in their efforts to design learning that supports pupils to deepen their understanding of concepts.

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Leaders have thought carefully about how they have structured the early reading curriculum. As soon as children join the school in the early years, they start to develop their phonics knowledge. Younger pupils practise their reading frequently. They are supported well by highly skilled staff. Staff ensure that the books they choose for pupils, including children in the early years, are matched well to the sounds that they know.

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Pupils who fall behind with their reading are identified quickly by staff. These pupils receive appropriate and timely support to help them to catch up. Teachers carefully choose the books they read to pupils so that they capture pupils’ interest and encourage a love of reading. Pupils understand why reading is important and they are keen to read regularly. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn about the importance of equality and democracy. They enjoy learning about faiths and cultures that are different to their own. Leaders organise trips to support pupils’ learning and provide new experiences such as visiting local beaches and museums. Pupils enjoy receiving certificates in assemblies for their work and behaviour, such as being well- mannered or kind to others. They are also proud of their work to support local and national charities.

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Staff ensure that children settle into positive routines as soon as they begin in the Nursery class. Staff apply the systems to manage pupils’ behaviour consistently well. As a result, classrooms are orderly and pupils focus on their learning.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are identified early and are supported effectively by staff. Staff are knowledgeable. They work closely with a range of external agencies and parents and carers to ensure that pupils with SEND benefit from the help that they need.

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Leaders keep a close check on how well pupils, including children in the early years, are learning the curriculum. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and those aspects of the curriculum they want to develop further. Members of the governing body are similarly ambitious for pupils. They hold leaders to account effectively for the quality of education that pupils receive. Staff are proud to work at the school. 12 and 13 January 2022

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They feel that they are supported well by leaders and they appreciate leaders’ work to look after their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders’ procedures for keeping pupils safe are robust. Leaders ensure that all staff are trained appropriately to identify potential safeguarding concerns. Staff understand the systems that they should follow if they are worried about a pupil. Leaders’ safeguarding records are detailed. Leaders follow up any concerns in a timely manner.

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Safeguarding

Staff know families well and they work effectively to support them. When necessary, leaders work successfully with outside agencies to support vulnerable pupils. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders and governors have prioritised the support for pupils’ well- being and mental health.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, such as the steps they can take to protect themselves when learning online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a very small number of subjects, leaders have not organised the curriculum as carefully as they have in most other subjects. This hampers teachers in designing learning that supports pupils to make connections and deepen their knowledge and understanding of concepts over time. Leaders should ensure that, in these subjects, teachers are supported to design learning that helps pupils to make links with earlier content and build successfully on what they already know.

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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 school to be good in December 2016. 12 and 13 January 2022

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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 .

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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. 12 and 13 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10204435 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 30 November and 1 December 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision for pupils.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with two members of the governing body, the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders and other staff. The inspector also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and pupil survey.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector spoke with pupils to gather their views about the school. The inspector spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector checked on safeguarding procedures and documentation. The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour around school and considered leaders’ attendance and behaviour information. 12 and 13 January 2022

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 The inspector considered a range of other school documents, including leaders’ self- evaluation and plans for improvement.  The inspector did deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. As part of this work, the inspector visited lessons and spoke with subject leaders and teachers. The inspector reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with them about their learning. The inspector also observed pupils read to trusted adults.

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Inspection team

Gary Bevin, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 January 2022

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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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