Whyteleafe Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Whyteleafe Primary School Whyteleafe Hill, Whyteleafe, Surrey CR3 0AA

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2022

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Outcome

Whyteleafe Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. Staff care for pupils and support their emotional needs well. As one pupil said, ‘The teachers all notice you and make you feel welcome here.’ Pupils are happy and safe. They form positive relationships with one another. Pupils behave well, both in class and when at play. They are courteous and kind to one another. For example, older pupils selected to be ‘peer mediators’ encourage good behaviour at playtimes. If bullying happens, staff work swiftly to support pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils. They provide a curriculum that is both relevant and interesting. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive in class. Pupils develop the knowledge and skills needed to succeed across a broad range of subjects. They are well informed about different cultures and viewpoints. They learn this through the school’s ‘globalisation and diversifying’ curriculum. One pupil said, ‘Our school is really diverse and we are allowed to celebrate our cultures.’ Teachers develop pupils’ character and interests well. Pupils experience a rich range of activities that go beyond the curriculum. For example, pupils look after bees and develop their problem-solving skills in forest school.

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

Leaders provide a curriculum that captures the interests of pupils. They support pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils well. Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND well. They guide teachers in the resources and adaptions needed to help pupils to succeed. They help parents to understand the ways that staff support pupils with SEND. Teachers receive helpful training that supports their teaching across the curriculum. Teachers work with staff in school and across other schools to develop the way they teach. This builds consistency in their teaching and helps teachers to manage their workload. Teachers encourage pupils to apply what they have learned in one subject to other subjects. For example, Year 2 pupils compare maps from the past with modern maps, linking historical and geographical knowledge. Pupils learn to play a range of musical instruments, including the clarinet and ukulele. They share what they have

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learned across the curriculum during showcase assemblies and evening events. This builds pupils’ pride in what they have achieved.

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Teachers review what pupils know well across most subjects. They use questions to draw out what pupils know and understand. They provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on what they have learned before. This helps pupils to develop a rich body of knowledge across most subjects. However, some pupils have too many gaps in their knowledge of geography and history. This means that pupils do not always build reliably on what they have learned before and do not achieve as well as they should.

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Teachers help pupils to develop their reading knowledge and skills well. Staff receive helpful training in the teaching of phonics. Children in the early years quickly learn the sounds that enable them to read simple words. They explore what they learn in class through play. As pupils move into key stage 1, they quickly develop the skills needed to read. Some pupils in Year 2 and Year 3 have not yet caught up with their reading and struggle to read. Leaders are addressing this through helpful support. As a result, older pupils in key stage 2 develop their reading fluency well and show a love of reading.

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Pupils achieve well in mathematics. Leaders guide teachers clearly on how to teach mathematics. Teachers help pupils to build the knowledge and understanding needed to answer mathematical problems confidently. Teachers help pupils to develop their mathematical fluency. This helps those who have fallen behind to catch up quickly.

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Staff identify and support pupils’ emotional needs well. Each class has a well-being area. One pupil said, ‘The area just winds you down nicely.’ This helps pupils to manage their emotions and fosters a culture of positive behaviour in class.

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Pupils experience a wide range of activities beyond the curriculum. Staff select pupils to represent the school in a range of responsibilities. For example, pupils selected as ‘science leaders’ help in the annual science week activities. Pupils in the ‘leadership team’ meet with school leaders to develop the curriculum. These roles help pupils to have a voice in the running of the school. Pupils experience off-site trips and in-school visitors. These experiences enhance pupils’ motivation and interest in what they learn. For example, pupils ‘visited’ space using virtual reality headsets. Pupils attend a range of clubs at the school. Pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils with SEND particularly benefit from these clubs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders deliver helpful training for staff that helps them to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff raise concerns and leaders act on these quickly. Leaders provide support for pupils and families that helps to keep pupils safe. Staff maintain close links with families and other agencies and provide assistance when needed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to stay safe when online. They are confident that if they have a worry, they have a trusted adult in school who will act quickly to make them feel safe. As 13 and 14 December 2022

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a result, there is a culture of safeguarding across the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. As a result, they do not always build effectively on what they already know and can do. Leaders need to make sure that the essential knowledge and skills are made clear and relevant and are adapted further so that pupils know more 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 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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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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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 and 14 December 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 and 27 September 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is one of 42 schools in the GLF Schools Multi-Academy Trust. The school joined the trust in December 2014.  The school is part of the Chalklands Cluster of GLF schools led by the executive headteacher of Whyteleafe School. This includes Hillcroft Primary School, Marden Lodge School and Nursery, Warlingham Village Primary School and Chestnut Park Primary School.  The school has a nursery that offers places to two-year-old children.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, other leaders and a range of staff at the school. The inspector also met with the chair of trustees, the chair of governors and three members of the governing body. The inspector met 13 and 14 December 2022

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with a representative of the chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. 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. The inspector also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.  The inspector considered the views of parents and carers through responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. The inspector spoke to staff, parents and pupils during the inspection and took account of the staff and pupil confidential online surveys.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and considered safeguarding documents and records. This included the school’s records

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and plans for supporting pupils who have been referred to outside agencies.

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Inspection team

Graham Chisnell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 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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