St Helena's Church of England Primary School, Willoughby

Inspection of St Helena’s Church of England Primary School, Willoughby Main Road, Willoughby, Alford, Lincolnshire LN13 9NH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 21 and 22 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy their learning at St Helena’s Primary school. One pupil told inspectors, ‘Our school is a special place. The staff are friendly and easy to talk to.’ Pupils know that there is always a member of staff they can speak to if they are worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s leaders have improved the school since the previous inspection. However, they know that there is more to do. They know that, on occasions, teachers do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of how successfully the curriculum supports pupils to know and remember more. This includes disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders create a calm and orderly environment in the school. Pupils behave well. They concentrate and focus on their learning. Pupils have positive relationships with staff. Pupils told inspectors that behaviour is good most of the time and that staff deal quickly with any incidents of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent, who represented the view of many parents said, ‘It is a wonderful, nurturing school with staff who put children at the centre of everything they do.’ Parents appreciate that the staff are so approachable.

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better?

Leaders are part way through improving the curriculum. The quality of education is not good in all subjects. It is not always clear what pupils should be learning and when. In phonics and mathematics, improvements are already underway. Leaders have identified the key knowledge they expect pupils to learn. However, this is not apparent in all subjects. Leaders have not yet identified ways to teach the curriculum content successfully in some subjects. This prevents some pupils from remembering the most important knowledge and building their understanding over time. There is not a consistent approach to assessing what pupils know and remember in foundation subjects.

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better?

Reading is a priority for the school. However, some of the pupils who struggle to read do not always receive the support they need to help them catch up. Staff have received training in how to deliver the school’s phonics scheme, However, not all staff intervene quickly enough when pupils struggle with their work. They do not all pronounce sounds correctly. Leaders do not ensure that the books pupils read match the sounds that they know. Some pupils struggle to read unfamiliar words as their books are too hard for them.

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better?

Leaders have designed the curriculum in mathematics well. Leaders have set out the order in which pupils learn new knowledge. Pupils enjoy mathematics. They build their knowledge, understanding and skills securely. Pupils explain their learning well 21 and 22 June 2022

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using mathematical vocabulary. For example, pupils use ‘composite number’ and ‘prime number’ when discussing positive integers. Teachers take the time to explain the learning. Pupils have regular opportunities to reason mathematically and solve increasingly challenging problems.

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Access to the curriculum is variable for some pupils with SEND. Some pupils thrive in classrooms. However, leaders do not always identify well enough the additional needs of all pupils with SEND so that they can provide the right support. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not make the progress that they should .

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Relationships are very positive between children and adults in the early years. Staff ask questions that develop children’s vocabulary well. Leaders have started to set out how learning in the early years connects with the learning that pupils will encounter as they move through the school. Where this knowledge is clearly identified, children remember their learning. For example, children are confident in using vocabulary such as ‘half full’ and ‘empty,’ when discussing capacity in mathematics. However, leaders have not identified the knowledge that children should learn in all areas of learning. As a result, some children do not remember what they have been taught across the curriculum in the early years.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. They support pupils to understand right from wrong. Staff help pupils to develop confidence. Pupils know how to eat healthily. There is some inconsistency in some pupils’ knowledge of different faiths and beliefs. While most pupils understand British values, including democracy, some pupils are unsure. Pupils like to represent the school in the school parliament. They like the wide range of extra-curricular clubs on offer.

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Governors and representatives of the local authority engage well with the school. Leaders work very well with staff. They consider staff workload. Leaders consider staff’s well-being. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe including when online. Pupils know who to go to if they have a concern. They know that staff take their concerns seriously.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Leaders provide regular training for staff and governors. Governors regularly check the school’s safeguarding procedures. Staff know how to spot pupils who may be at risk of harm. They pass on concerns promptly. Leaders support pupils’ welfare. They work well with external agencies to provide additional help when needed. 21 and 22 June 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are part way through developing a sequenced curriculum. In some subjects and curriculum areas, leaders have yet to identify the key knowledge that they wish pupils to learn. As a result, on occasions, there are inconsistencies in what pupils can recall about their learning. Leaders should ensure that curriculum thinking for all subjects sets out the knowledge that all pupils, including those with SEND, from Nursery to the end of key stage 2, should know and by when.  Staff regularly assess what pupils know in the core subjects. However, leaders have not developed assessment systems for the foundation subjects. As a result, teachers do not regularly check how successfully pupils access the curriculum in the foundation subjects. Leaders need to develop a consistent approach to assessment in the wider curriculum subjects and ensure that the use of assessment does not place unnecessary burdens on staff or pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff are inconsistent in their implementation of the school’s phonics programme. They have not been trained well enough to deliver the school’s phonics programme consistently. Some pupils who struggle to read have reading books that are too challenging. Some do not receive sufficient support to enable them to become confident readers. As a result, some pupils across the school struggle to read unfamiliar words and find it difficult to access the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the school’s phonics programme well, including by ensuring that reading books match the sounds that pupils already know, and by providing pupils who struggle to read with the support they need to enable them to read with greater confidence.  Leaders do not ensure that all pupils with SEND access the curriculum well enough. Leaders have not established rigorous systems to assess and meet these pupils’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

individual needs. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not always benefit from a good-quality education. Leaders should make sure that all pupils with SEND receive the support they need to enable them to access the full curriculum and achieve as highly as they should.  Some pupils’ knowledge of British values and different faiths is inconsistent. Although they know to respect difference, some pupils are not as aware as they should be of what these differences may be. Leaders should ensure that pupils have the necessary knowledge and understanding of British values and different faiths.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 21 and 22 June 2022

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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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. 21 and 22 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227380 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Margaret Fulwood

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The last Section 48 inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in July 2016. This is an inspection of the school’s religious character.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors met with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the leader with responsibility for provision for pupils with SEND, and a sample of teaching and support staff.  One inspector met with representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and music. 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. 21 and 22 June 2022

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 The inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans and documentation relating to attendance and behaviour.  The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. He considered the safeguarding policy, training records and examples of safeguarding concerns.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the responses to Ofsted’s free-text service. They also considered the responses to the staff survey and the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Damien Turrell, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

George Huthart Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 June 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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