Wolverham Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Wolverham Primary and Nursery School Milton Road, Wolverham, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 5AT

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Outcome

Wolverham Primary and Nursery School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive and succeed at Wolverham Primary School. They enjoy learning new things because teachers provide stimulating lessons that capture their interests and spark their imaginations. Leaders ensure that the needs of all pupils are carefully considered by staff. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve their very best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the support that their children receive. As one parent commented, ‘leaders go above and beyond for every child’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high expectations of all pupils. Pupils live up to these expectations through their exemplary behaviour and scholarly work ethic. They work diligently in classrooms and they are unfailingly polite and considerate to those around them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and they feel safe in school. They explained that their teachers will always listen to any worries that they may have. Pupils said that bullying is incredibly rare. They have great faith in their teachers to resolve any issues quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a generous offer of extra-curricular sporting and academic opportunities. Each year in key stage 2, they also have an opportunity to attend a residential trip. These trips are planned to help pupils to develop resilience and independence. Pupils in Year 5 buzzed with excitement as they boarded the coach for their journey to Wales.

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

Leaders have constructed a highly ambitious curriculum that begins in the early years. They have carefully considered the specific knowledge that they want staff to teach and pupils to understand. Teachers check carefully on what pupils know and remember. They use this assessment information to ensure that pupils’ learning continues to build on what 24 and 25 May 2022

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they know already. As a result, by the end of Year 6, pupils, including those with SEND, are very well prepared for their next stage of education.

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Subject leaders further develop their expertise through continued high-quality training. This enables them to support teachers to deliver the well-designed curriculum consistently well, including in the early years. As a result, pupils progress well across the curriculum, deepening their understanding of subjects over time. Teachers ensure that pupils understand how to use related vocabulary with accuracy. For example, in a science lesson, older pupils spoke knowledgeably about the meaning of evolution and inherited characteristics. Teachers use assessment effectively. This enables them to ensure that pupils’ next steps in learning are carefully identified and built upon.

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Classrooms are calm environments. Pupils can learn without interruption. Children in the early years display impeccable learning behaviours. They listen carefully to their teachers and maintain high levels of focus on their learning activities.

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Leaders are unwavering in their commitment to reading. Two-year-old children in the pre- school and three-year-old children in the Nursery class listen and respond to well-chosen stories. This helps to develop their language and communication. Children learn phonics from the moment that they enter the Reception Class. Staff have been expertly trained. They deliver the phonics curriculum with a well-ordered approach. Leaders ensure that the books pupils read are precisely matched to the sounds that they know. Any pupils who find reading difficult are identified and supported so that they can catch up quickly. This leads to the vast majority of pupils becoming fluent and confident in their reading by the end of key stage 1.

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Staff quickly identify pupils with SEND. Teachers are trained appropriately so that they can tailor learning activities for this group of pupils. This enables pupils with SEND to have full access to the curriculum. Leaders work well with a range of agencies to provide specialist support whenever required. These actions help pupils with SEND to achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum.

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Pupils have a comprehensive understanding of British values. They speak knowledgeably about important issues, such as the negative impact of discrimination. Pupils recognise that other people can be less fortunate than themselves. They organise collections for charities, such as the local food bank. Pupils’ mental health is supported through workshops and ‘well-being Wednesday’ activities. Older pupils recently enjoyed a body confidence workshop as part of their preparations for high school.

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Governors and trustees share leaders’ passion in wanting the best for all pupils. They are well informed about the key aspects of leaders’ work. This helps them to support and challenge leaders to continually provide a high-quality education for all pupils. Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the positive actions that leaders have taken to promote a healthy work-life balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 24 and 25 May 2022

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Leaders have ensured that staff receive safeguarding training regularly. This helps them to spot the signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Staff are clear about the importance of reporting concerns quickly. Leaders’ records show that they take timely actions to keep pupils safe. Leaders work well with a range of agencies to provide further support for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Teachers help pupils to understand how to stay safe. Pupils understand the dangers that can be present when using social media applications. They are taught about healthy lifestyles and the dangers of the misuse of drugs and alcohol.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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, Wolverham Primary and Nursery School, to be outstanding in November 2016.

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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. 24 and 25 May 2022

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Inspection number 10212541 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

 Wolverham Primary and Nursery School converted to become an academy school in May 2018. When its predecessor school, Wolverham Primary and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school is part of the Concordia Multi Academy Trust.  Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed.  The board of trustees manages the before- and after-school provision.  School leaders do not currently make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, geography and science. This involved visiting lessons with subject leaders, discussing the subject curriculums, 24 and 25 May 2022

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talking to pupils and teachers and looking at pupils’ work. He also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector also held meetings with the leaders of other subjects.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at playtimes, lunchtime and during lessons. Pupils also talked to the inspector about their views of their school.  The inspector spoke to parents at the start of the school day and considered the response to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. The inspector also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s pupil and staff questionnaires.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and nine trustees and governors, including the chair of governors and chair of the trust.  The inspector checked leaders’ safeguarding procedures. He viewed a range of safeguarding documentation and discussed how incidents are managed and recorded.

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Inspection team

John Tomlinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 24 and 25 May 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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