Wolsey House Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Wolsey House Primary School Beaumont Leys Lane, Leicester, Leicestershire LE4 2BB

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Outcome

Wolsey House Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come first in this welcoming school. Pupils feel safe and well cared for by staff. They say they enjoy coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers expect pupils to behave well. Pupils enjoy earning house points when they get things right. They understand the consequences when their behaviour does not meet the standard expected. Teachers use a ‘listening ladder’ to make sure that pupils understand what it means to listen well. Pupils know they should make eye contact with the person who is speaking, that their body should be calm and still and that they should give nods of encouragement. Pupils employ these skills well as they listen to adults and to their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lunchtimes are well organised and active times. Pupils play well together. They do not regard bullying as a problem in their school. Pupils say that if they fall out with their friends there is always an adult close by who will help them to sort out the problem.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders aspire for pupils to succeed. They provide pupils with ideas for possible jobs for the future. Pupils celebrate a ‘Leicester day’, where they learn about local people who have been successful. Leaders want pupils to believe they can go far in life.

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

Leaders have designed a broad curriculum that makes the most of the school’s grounds and the local area. Leaders have identified what pupils need to learn in each subject and the order in which it should be taught.

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

Curriculum leaders lead their subjects well. They support teachers to develop good subject knowledge. They check that pupils remember the content of the curriculum regularly. For example, in mathematics, the curriculum is broken down into small learning steps. Teachers make sure that pupils’ understanding is secure before moving on to new 5 and 6 April 2022

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learning. The leader for mathematics runs regular workshops for staff. This training enables staff to develop the skills they need to teach the subject well.

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In a few subjects, such as physical education (PE), music and art and design, the curriculum is very new. In these subjects it is too early to be certain that the curriculum is successfully building up pupils’ knowledge layer by layer.

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Leaders are ambitious that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) will succeed. The special educational needs coordinator has a detailed knowledge of pupils’ individual needs. Leaders have provided creative solutions to make sure that pupils receive effective support. Parents of pupils with SEND speak highly of the school’s provision.

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The love of reading starts in the early years. Younger pupils enjoy voting for the story they want their teacher to read to them at the end of the school day. Pupils in every year group are read to on a regular basis. Each class has an author of the term. Pupils talk about the books and authors they have read with enthusiasm.

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Phonics is taught right from the start of school. Pupils learn to blend sounds to read and to segment words to spell. Pupils read with increasing confidence and fluency. This is because the books they read are closely matched to the sounds they know. Regular checks are made on pupils’ reading. Teachers make sure that pupils who are at risk of falling behind are given extra support.

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Diversity is celebrated. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They show respect for each other and expect to be respected by others. Leaders provide pupils with a wide range of clubs, trips and visitors so that pupils can develop personally, as well as academically.

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Leaders know that the pandemic has meant some pupils have missed school because they have been ill or needed to self-isolate. There are some pupils whose poor attendance is not the result of the pandemic. Leaders have worked hard to make sure that parents understand that pupils must be in school every day. However, some groups of pupils still do not attend well.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the positive working environment that leaders have established. They feel supported and said that leaders consider their workload.

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The governing body has experienced significant change. Many governors are new to the role. They are committed to the school but have not yet fully developed the skills needed to support leaders and hold them to account effectively. 5 and 6 April 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff are well trained in keeping pupils safe. They understand their roles and responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

Staff are vigilant about pupils’ safety and well-being. They know how to raise concerns. They keep detailed records. Leaders make referrals to external agencies when appropriate. They also use their own in-house systems to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make appropriate checks to ensure that the adults in school are safe to work with children.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe through the school’s carefully designed personal, social and health education curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Planning in some subjects is relatively new. While subject leaders are checking that plans are being delivered successfully by teachers, it is not yet clear that pupils are remembering the key knowledge that has been identified. Leaders need to ensure that subject leaders evaluate the impact of the planned curriculum and, where needed, make further adjustments to ensure that pupils are learning as well as they can.  Some pupils still do not attend school regularly enough. They miss important learning. They are at risk of being unprepared for the next stage in their education. Leaders must ensure that pupils receive the support they need to attend school regularly.  Governors are at an early stage of developing their roles and responsibilities. They have not yet fully established systems to validate the information that leaders provide for them. Governors must receive appropriate training and support so that they can

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

provide leaders with the guidance and challenge needed to continue the school’s work to improve. 5 and 6 April 2022

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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 judged the school to be good in November 2011.

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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. 5 and 6 April 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Matthew Peatfield

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School details

Website www.wolseyhouse.leicester.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 September 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses two settings for alternative provision. One is registered provision, and one is unregistered.

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the senior assistant headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team. The lead inspector met with two members of the governing body, including the chair. She also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils from the lessons visited and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. Pupils were also observed reading to a member of staff. 5 and 6 April 2022

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 Inspectors checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They reviewed a range of documentation and spoke with leaders and staff about the school’s safeguarding arrangements.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime, in lessons and around the school. They spoke with pupils about their experiences in school, including how safe they feel. They also took account of pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  Inspectors spoke to staff about their workload and well-being. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  Inspectors considered the views of parents about the school through Ofsted Parent View, an online survey. Inspectors also spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents shared by school leaders, including the school improvement plan, external reviews and minutes of the meetings of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gayle Bacon Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 April 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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