Wrenbury Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Wrenbury Primary School Nantwich Road, Wrenbury, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 8EN

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Outcome

Wrenbury Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to a school where everyone matters. They are exceptionally well cared for. Pupils enjoy their weekly well-being lunches. They learn how to keep mentally and emotionally healthy. Pupils know that leaders and staff will support them if they have any concerns. Leaders deal with any rare incidents of bullying swiftly and effectively. Pupils, including children in early years, are happy and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the many different experiences available to them. For example, pupils relish opportunities to represent their classmates through their various positions of responsibility. They enjoy acting as news leaders. Pupils carry out these roles enthusiastically. They know that leaders value their opinions and listen to their ideas. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are fully involved in school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ achievement and behaviour. Pupils take great pride in their work and typically behave well. Their individual needs are understood and well supported by staff. Pupils make strong connections between different aspects of their learning. This helps them to achieve well. Children in early years are well prepared for their next stage of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers who shared their views with inspectors were overwhelmingly positive about the school. They would readily recommend it to others.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that sets out clearly what children in early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 will learn. Leaders fine tune this curriculum continuously. They carefully consider the mixed-age classes and the need to reorganise pupil groupings on a yearly basis. In this way, leaders make sure that all 12 January 2023

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pupils, including pupils with SEND and children in early years, build their learning well over time.

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Curriculum leaders are knowledgeable about the subjects that they lead. They make sure that staff are trained well to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers identify and address pupils’ misconceptions quickly. They ensure that pupils use what they already know to acquire new knowledge. Pupils do this well. For example, they draw on their mathematical knowledge of angles to support their coding work in computing. Pupils build a rich body of knowledge across the curriculum as a result.

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Leaders also ensure that teachers have the appropriate guidance that they need to deliver their curriculums in the mixed-aged classes. However, some leaders do not check how well this guidance is being used. On occasion, some teachers adapt leaders’ intended curriculum. This means that pupils in the same year group but in different classes learn slightly different content. Pupils’ knowledge is uneven in some subjects as a result.

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Leaders are determined that all pupils will learn to communicate and read confidently. Staff in early years focus well on developing children’s language. They engage in high-quality conversation with children as they learn and play. Children are ready to learn to read as soon as they enter Reception Year. Leaders have ensured that all staff know how to deliver the phonics curriculum well. Children in early years and older pupils practise their reading using books that closely match the sounds that they know. This helps them to gain the phonic knowledge that they need in order to be successful readers.

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Teachers and pupils share their knowledge and love of reading with others enthusiastically. Older pupils enjoy acting as reading buddies to younger pupils. Pupils are avid readers. They eagerly recommend much-loved books and authors to their classmates. Pupils said that they get lost in works of fiction and engrossed in non-fiction books. Pupils leave the school ready for the challenges of the key stage 3 curriculum.

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Leaders ensure that staff, including in early years, know how to identify pupils’ additional needs. Teachers adapt their delivery of the curriculum effectively to support pupils with SEND to learn well. Pupils with SEND access the curriculum alongside their classmates successfully. Most pupils, including pupils with SEND, get on with their learning with minimal distraction.

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Leaders place a strong emphasis on pupils’ personal development. They ensure that all pupils have as broad and rich an experience as possible. Pupils have access to books that help them to explore the rich diversity among people and families. Leaders ensure that pupils understand the changes that will happen to them as they grow up. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

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Staff are proud to work at the school, and their morale is high. They recognise that leaders, including governors, do all that they can to ensure that they have a positive 12 January 2023

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work–life balance. Staff also appreciate the support that they receive to help them to carry out their roles well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to identify when a pupil may be at risk of harm. They pass on any worries that they may have about a pupil’s welfare to safeguarding leaders quickly. Leaders follow up these concerns diligently. They work closely with a range of partner agencies to ensure that appropriate support is provided for pupils when they need it.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Pupils and their parents are kept up to date about how to stay safe when online. Other professionals visit the school to deepen pupils’ understanding of how to manage risks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, some teachers do not follow leaders’ intended curriculum closely enough. This means that pupils in the same year group learn slightly different curriculum content, depending on which mixed-aged class they are in. Pupils’ recall is varied as a result. Leaders should ensure that teachers deliver the intended curriculum consistently well across the mixed-age classes.

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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 January 2018. 12 January 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

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.

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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. 12 January 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

17 and 18 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Governors have opened a Nursery class for three-year-old children since the school was last inspected.  The school operates a breakfast and after-school club.  Since the previous inspection, a new chair of governors has been appointed.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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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 spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and staff in school.  An inspector spoke with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. They talked with curriculum leaders of these subject areas. Inspectors also visited lessons, 12 January 2023

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looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  Inspectors also spoke with leaders from other areas of the curriculum and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. An inspector also spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload. Inspectors also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They reviewed documentation and spoke to leaders and staff about safeguarding.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils for inspectors to consider.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at playtime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Jackie Stillings, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper His Majesty’s Inspector 12 January 2023

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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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