Windwhistle Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Windwhistle Primary School Kingsley Road, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset BS23 3TZ

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Outcome

Windwhistle Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Windwhistle Primary School demonstrate the school’s values. They are ‘happy, respectful, resilient, confident and independent’. Staff have high aspirations for every pupil within the school. Pupils learn well from their starting points, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). One pupil, whose view reflected that of many, said, ‘We love coming to school so we can learn more.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Most pupils meet these expectations well in lessons and when moving around the school. Pupils enjoy learning and playing with their friends. More recently, leaders have introduced anti-bullying ambassadors. As a result, pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying is. They say that bullying can happen in school but that this is now rare. Pupils feel safe and trust staff to sort out concerns they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide wider opportunities for pupils. These include extra-curricular clubs and visits within the local area and further afield. For example, pupils visit the beach, the local pier and residential care home. Pupils enjoy participating in regular lunchtime sporting clubs, including cricket.

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

Children get off to a good start in the early years foundation stage. Staff focus on important vocabulary to develop children’s understanding. Children know routines and expectations. Consequently, they are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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

Leaders know reading is important. So, pupils learn to read as soon as they start school. Staff regularly check the sounds that pupils know and remember. They address misconceptions in lessons and, as a result, pupils learn well. Staff use what they know about pupils, including pupils with SEND, to provide extra support with reading when needed. Staff regularly read high-quality books to pupils. Pupils enjoy reading and talk knowledgeably about their favourite books. 1 and 2 March 2022

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Leaders are ambitious for all learners and have strengthened the curriculum in many subjects. They have carefully considered the important knowledge for pupils to know and remember. Leaders have sequenced the curriculum so that pupils use prior learning to understand more difficult concepts. Pupils also learn ambitious vocabulary in different curriculum subjects. Pupils know and remember much of what they have learned. Leaders have further developed how they find out what pupils know and remember. Staff use this well to identify and remedy gaps in pupils’ learning.

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However, the curriculum is new for some subjects. Therefore, the teaching of some important knowledge and skills is not as consistently effective as it could be. Where this is the case, some pupils do not know and understand as much as they could. For example, pupils do not consistently have opportunities to apply their learning to more challenging problems.

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Pupils’ personal development is well supported through the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. Leaders use their knowledge of the local community to ensure pupils are well prepared for the future. For example, older pupils take up the opportunity to learn with the local university.

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Pupils understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. They learn about world religions and can also talk about some wider religious world views. Pupils learn about cultures from around the world and value different ways of life. They say that everyone matters. Staff teach pupils about diversity. Therefore, pupils talk knowledgeably about race, religion and disabilities.

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Leaders, at all levels, know the school well. They evaluate the quality of education regularly and put clear plans in place to improve provision for pupils. Staff feel well supported by trust leaders and value the professional development opportunities that are available. Local governors understand the responsibilities they have and use what they know to support wider opportunities for pupils. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, governors do not know as much as they could about the quality of education for pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure safeguarding is a high priority in the school. They have strong policies and procedures in place and use support from external agencies. Staff have regular safeguarding training and know how to report concerns about pupils’ welfare. Leaders make the appropriate checks for new members of staff, and induction processes are well established. Governors understand their statutory responsibilities to keep pupils safe and make regular checks.

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Safeguarding

Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including online, through their lessons and wider opportunities. Leaders have prioritised teaching pupils about peer-on-peer abuse and pupils have a strong understanding of these issues. 1 and 2 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Where the curriculum is new, the implementation of subjects is not secure. As a result, pupils do not understand some subject content as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that the teaching of all subject curriculums is effective so that all pupils know and remember more over time.

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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, Windwhistle Primary School, to be good in March 2014.

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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. 1 and 2 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212140 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Extend Learning Academies Network.  The school uses one registered and one unregistered alternative provider.  The school has an onsite breakfast club provision and an offsite after-school club provision.  Windwhistle Primary School converted to become an academy school in October 2017. When its predecessor school, Windwhistle Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be good overall.

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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 this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. 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. 1 and 2 March 2022

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders and teaching and support staff.  The inspector met with the chair of trustees, the chief executive officer, the school improvement partner and members of the governing body.  The inspector spoke with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe in school. She considered the school’s recruitment procedures, staff induction and training, records of concern and engagement with external agencies. The inspector also spoke with staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also took into consideration responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Donna Briggs, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 March 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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