Waterfoot Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Waterfoot Primary School Wolfenden Green, Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire BB4 9DA

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2022

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Outcome

Waterfoot Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to Waterfoot Primary School. The school motto, ‘We think for ourselves but feel for others’, is truly at the heart of everything that leaders do. Parents and carers share their children’s positive views about the school. Staff foster nurturing relationships quickly with children when they join the school in the early years. Pupils get on well with their teachers and enjoy spending time with their friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievement, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils live up to these high expectations and focus well on their learning. This helps them to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are kind and helpful. When some pupils experience fallouts, adults listen. They help pupils to understand how their actions may affect others’ feelings. Bullying is infrequent. If it happens, adults sort it out. If pupils have any concerns or worries, there is an adult that they can talk to. This helps them to feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the opportunity to be role models. Older pupils thrive in their role as buddies to children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1. Pupils value the range of clubs and activities on offer that cater for their interests and talents. They especially enjoy table tennis, sewing and football. Older pupils explained excitedly to the inspector about the outdoor adventure trips they take part in, including a treetop adventure and a forthcoming residential trip.

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

Leaders have ensured that there is a broad and ambitious curriculum for all, running from the Reception Year through to Year 6. Subject leaders have decided on the key knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. This helps teachers to support pupils, and children in the early years, to know and remember the curriculum. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well across a range of subjects. 13–14 December 2022

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Pupils build up their knowledge in each subject through a sequence of logical steps. For example, in design and technology, pupils in key stage 1 look at simple wheels and axles to help them to understand mechanisms. By Year 5, pupils confidently use more complex mechanisms such as pulleys and cams.

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In all subjects, teachers regularly check to make sure that pupils have understood their learning. Staff address misconceptions as they arise during lessons. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers are not using assessments effectively enough to pinpoint gaps in pupils’ learning. This is because the checks on learning that teachers make are sometimes not fully matched to the intended curriculum. This means that, in some subjects, teachers are less certain about what learning pupils should revisit before moving on.

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Reading is a high priority across the school. Staff in all classes regularly read well-chosen books to pupils. Staff challenge pupils to read a broad range of texts during their time at school. This promotion of reading helps pupils to widen their knowledge of different genres of books and develop a love of reading.

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Leaders have recently put in place a well-organised programme for teaching phonics. This begins from the very start of children’s time in the Reception Year. Staff have been well trained so that they have adapted seamlessly to the new phonics approach. Pupils, including those with SEND, are given reading books that match the sounds they have learned. This helps pupils to practise their phonics. Pupils who need help to catch up with the phonics curriculum are supported effectively by staff. As a result, most pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. Children in the early years listen carefully to their teachers. Pupils readily contribute to discussions during lessons. Leaders ensure that pupils learn in a calm and purposeful environment.

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The support for pupils with SEND is strong. Staff receive training that helps deepen their understanding of pupils’ specific additional needs, including autism spectrum disorder. Staff identify pupils’ additional needs quickly and accurately. Leaders have ensured that pupils have their needs met well. This has included the development of the ‘hazel’ classroom. Here, pupils with complex SEND receive personalised and bespoke support to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Leaders provide opportunities to support pupils’ wider development. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. Pupils were excited to talk about diversity week and share their understanding of different religions, role models and perspectives. The school’s personal development curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils are encouraged to be active citizens in their own community. For example, pupils fundraise for local charities and have formed partnerships with local community groups.

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Governors place a high priority on supporting school leaders. Staff appreciate leaders’ support with their workload. They feel that they are listened to and valued. They are proud to work at the school. 13–14 December 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff receive comprehensive safeguarding training. Staff understand how to identify and report concerns about pupils who may be at risk of harm. Leaders and staff know pupils and their families well. Strong links between leaders and relevant agencies ensure that vulnerable pupils and their families receive timely and appropriate support.

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Safeguarding

Leaders focus on supporting pupils and their families’ well-being. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including when working online. They understand the risks that they may face when gaming and using social media.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, assessments do not inform teachers how well pupils are learning because they are not fully matched to the intended curriculum. As a result, pupils can miss learning something important without teachers knowing. Leaders should assure themselves that pupils have learned all the essential knowledge set out in their curriculum plans before moving on to new learning.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2012.

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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. 13–14 December 2022

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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. 13–14 December 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240221 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders use alternative provision for a very small number of pupils at one registered alternative provider.

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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 have taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff. The inspector also spoke with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including leaders’ self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. 13–14 December 2022

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 The inspector checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures and the single central record. The inspector met with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and design and technology. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and some pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke with leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Kate Bowker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13–14 December 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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