Wigley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Wigley Primary School Wigley, Old Brampton, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S42 7JJ

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Outcome

Wigley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to embrace their locality and celebrate their identity in this small village school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are proud members of what they call ‘the Wigley family’. Parents and carers also feel a part of this family. As one parent said, 'It is great to be part of the Wigley family and community.'

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a caring and nurturing ethos. Staff and pupils know each other well and have positive relationships. As one pupil put it, ‘Everyone knows everyone's name.’ Pupils thrive in this school. They feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Classrooms and corridors are calm. Pupils engage with enthusiasm in lessons. Teachers have very high expectations. Many pupils rise to these expectations. Pupils told inspectors that they learn to challenge themselves and develop the confidence to attempt demanding activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils talk positively about the roles they have undertaken at the school. These include roles such as prefects, school councillors, classroom monitors and science ambassadors. Pupils enjoy having these wider responsibilities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils agree there are rare occasions when some pupils are unkind to each other. They are highly confident that teachers will deal straight away with any form of bullying or unkindness.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that has a sharp focus on pupils knowing the most important subject-specific vocabulary. Leaders have created what they call ‘curriculum cycles’ so that the knowledge pupils learn is well ordered and builds on pupils’ prior knowledge. The ‘curriculum cycle’ ensures that different year groups can explore the 17 February 2022

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same concepts in more detail each year, even when classes are made up of several year groups. The curriculum is broad and ambitious. It allows pupils to access more challenging content if they are ready for it.

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There are some elements of the curriculum that are organised as thematic topics. In these topics, leaders have identified the most important subject knowledge. For example, in the ‘out of this world’ topic, pupils learn about gears and pulleys in design and technology. At the same time, they use models of the sun, earth and moon to learn about relative sizes and distances in science. Pupils know and remember this knowledge well. In a few foundation subjects such as religious education and computing, this knowledge is not as clearly identified.

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Teachers have good subject knowledge and present information clearly. Teachers assess pupils’ understanding frequently through the questions they ask. If teachers spot misconceptions, they address these quickly. The needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well known. Leaders have developed a ‘provision map’ so all staff know how they can meet the needs of each pupil. These maps are reviewed and updated regularly. As a result, pupils with SEND are well supported, and they achieve as well as their peers.

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Leaders have prioritised reading. Teachers are well trained in how to teach pupils using strategies that will help them remember the sounds that different letters make. Activities such as ‘Let’s play tennis with this sound’ allow pupils to practise their pronunciation. Teachers check that pupils are saying sounds correctly. When pupils fall behind, teachers intervene on the same day, so pupils keep up. Most books that pupils read are matched well to the sounds that they know. However, there are occasions when a small number of pupils are given books that are not precisely matched. Pupils become fluent readers. Pupils speak about how much they love reading and how often they read. Younger children enjoy story time. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about ‘class novels’ such as ’Cosmic’.

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Children in the early years get off to a good start. Teachers ensure that children are ready to learn. Many children display independence at an early stage. For example, they choose the correct equipment for themselves, tidy up before being asked and take turns to share their ideas.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe in the widest sense. Pupils can talk confidently about protected characteristics at an age-appropriate level. Residential trips help pupils develop new skills and build their resilience. Pupils have opportunities to abseil, climb and boulder. Pupils contributed to writing a book called ‘Our Schools, Our Stories’, showing their knowledge of important local residents and the farming community. Leaders’ intentions are to develop pupils to be well-rounded and proud rural Derbyshire citizens.

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Leaders and governors work well in partnership to make sure that staff are well supported and that the school continues to improve. 17 February 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The culture among leaders and staff is one of vigilance. Staff report the smallest of changes in behaviour as they know that this could be an indication that a child needs help.

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Safeguarding

All adults understand well the procedures for reporting and recording concerns about pupils and staff. Leaders ensure that they have oversight of these concerns so that they can help pupils swiftly and engage external agencies if necessary.

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Safeguarding

All staff and governors receive safeguarding training. They are all aware of the contextual and national safeguarding issues.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that all books are precisely matched to the sounds pupils know. There are some occasions when a few pupils are unable to read books they have been given. These pupils do not always have the opportunity to gain greater fluency in decoding. This slows them in becoming better readers. Leaders must ensure that books are more precisely matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge.  In a few foundation subjects, leaders have not identified with sufficient precision the important knowledge pupils should learn in some of the topics that make up the curriculum. On occasions, teachers do not teach this knowledge explicitly enough. As a result, some pupils do not remember important knowledge as well as they should. Leaders must ensure that the clarification as to the most important knowledge pupils should learn in a few of these foundation subjects, such as computing and religious education, is as precise as that in all other subjects.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we the school to be good in September 2011. 17 February 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. 17 February 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.wigley.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-size primary school.  Wigley Primary School is federated with Penny Acres Primary School. The two schools share an executive headteacher and a local governing board.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also heard pupils read to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector met with the leader of the early years provision and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator. 17 February 2022

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 Inspectors met with groups of pupils from key stages 1 and 2. They spoke with pupils informally and observed pupils’ behaviour during social times.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the actions taken to keep pupils safe. He reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan.  Inspectors met with all teachers and a group of support staff.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and considered the results of the Ofsted staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Rakesh Patel, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Roary Pownall Her Majesty's Inspector 17 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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