Worle Village Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Worle Village Primary School Church Road, Worle, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset BS22 9EJ

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Outcome

Worle Village Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a caring, nurturing, family atmosphere at Worle Village Primary. Pupils are encouraged by the school’s vision to ‘spread your wings and see how high you can fly’. The headteacher is highly valued among the whole school community. Her direction and strong support results in a well-organised school that promotes high expectations for all. Staff are empowered and motivated to give their best. Pupils are happy and proud to belong to the school. They are confident young learners, thanks to the rich, interesting curriculum which staff share with enthusiasm. The school is a vibrant, friendly place to be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are a strength of the school. Positive relationships and consistent expectations help all, including the youngest children, to respond well to adults and to each other. The school’s curriculum includes memorable activities that develop pupils’ confidence, character and understanding of how the world works. These experiences help pupils to develop a strong sense of core values and to know right from wrong.

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

The governing body, school and trust leaders share a deep pride in the school. Leaders work cohesively and with integrity. They identify the right aspects of improvement to ensure that pupils continue to achieve and thrive. Leaders create a forward-thinking, positive environment. As one parent reported, summing up the views of many, ‘This school is more than just a school, it’s a family.’

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

Subject leaders are passionate about the subjects they lead. They support teachers well and ensure that there is a well-constructed, ambitious curriculum. Staff have relevant professional development opportunities. They make the most of these and are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of school life. In addition, pupils with SEND are supported well by teachers and teaching assistants, who understand how to help pupils achieve their best. 8 and 9 February 2022

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Pupils enjoy activities in lessons and outside of the classroom. They eagerly describe the adventurous opportunities and variety of clubs available. Pupils talk proudly of having roles within school, such as librarians or being on the eco council. Everyone is included, valued and respected. Pupils take it as assumed that everyone here is kind to one another. They are confident that bullying hardly ever happens, but that if it did, it would be dealt with quickly and firmly.

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Whether in the Reception class practising number bonds, in Year 3 learning about water pollution or in Year 5 exploring different states of volcanos, pupils engage well during lessons. They value the encouragement and support that staff provide. For example, in mathematics lessons, pupils join a focus group if they want to understand something better. Consistent teaching approaches support pupils to learn, to become fluent and to solve problems. This gives pupils confidence to try hard and to have a go.

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Teachers make learning memorable, helping pupils make progress and achieve well. For example, pupils can talk about artists and the techniques they use. In geography, they know how rivers form and how the water cycle works. Pupils can describe environmental concerns about pollution in the sea. When pupils discuss their geographical or historical knowledge, some are not sure about how learning builds over time in these subjects or how the knowledge connects. This weakens their deeper understanding of important key knowledge.

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Reading is a strong focus. Leaders know that reading is key to learning. Pupils read high- quality texts. This helps to develop pupils’ word knowledge across subjects. The school library is valued and cared for by pupils. It is well stocked with popular authors and includes appropriately diverse content. Pupils talk about a range of favourite books with enthusiasm.

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The phonics curriculum is well organised and ensures that most pupils learn to read early on. Pupils who struggle with reading have the extra help they need to catch up. In other subjects, pupils who need to catch up have ‘step-by-step’ targets to help them improve. However, these are sometimes too broad to be helpful. The extra help is described, rather than exactly what pupils need to conquer next.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Pupils feel safe, and they are safe. Safeguarding leaders are experienced and knowledgeable. They act in a timely way when concerns are raised. Leaders communicate well with appropriate agencies as needed, so that families get the help they need. Recruitment procedures are rigorous.

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Safeguarding

Staff training and safeguarding updates are managed well. Staff are confident about how to spot concerns about pupils’ well-being and how to report those concerns. Pupils have a strong understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when online. 8 and 9 February 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, pupils are not able to explain how their current learning links to previous content in that subject. This weakens how well pupils build knowledge over time. It also means that pupils do not build their understanding of that subject in its own right. Leaders need to ensure that pupils understand how knowledge links to previous learning so that they build clearer disciplinary knowledge.  Pupils who need to catch up are sometimes given broad targets that are actually more about what help they need, rather than about exactly what they need to improve. This means that pupils are less likely to understand what they need to do to improve. This could slow their progress in catching up. Leaders need to ensure that pupils who need to catch up have precise targets that describe their next steps.

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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, Worle Village Primary School, to be good in February 2015.

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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 . 8 and 9 February 2022

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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. 8 and 9 February 2022

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School details

Website www.worlevillage.n-somerset.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Worle Village Primary School converted to become an academy school in September 2017. At that time, the school joined Kaleidoscope Multi-Academy Trust. When its predecessor school, also called Worle Village Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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 of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior staff. Meetings were also held with two governors, the chief executive officer and the chair of the trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 8 and 9 February 2022

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 To inspect safeguarding, the inspector discussed aspects of safeguarding with the designated safeguarding lead and with some staff and pupils. The inspector also reviewed documents relating to safeguarding, such as the single central record.  Responses to Ofsted Parent View, and to the online staff and pupils’ surveys were also considered.

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Inspection team

Tonwen Empson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 February 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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