Whitefield Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Whitefield Primary School Oaklands Drive, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire PR1 0RH

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Outcome

Whitefield Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to go to this school. They enjoy learning and appreciate the care given by their teachers. Pupils are kind and respectful to each other. Leaders take any concerns about bullying seriously and solve them quickly. Leaders’ approach to rebuilding relationships is valued by pupils, parents and carers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and how well they behave. Pupils regularly meet and often exceed these expectations. The school’s motto of ‘healthy hearts, healthy bodies, healthy minds’ flows through the experiences that pupils have in school. Pupils particularly value the support that leaders have put in place for their well- being and welfare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of responsibilities that staff provide for them. They appreciate the independence that they gain through these opportunities. They particularly like being buddies to the younger pupils and ambassadors for the school. Pupils support each other to reflect the school’s values of ‘ready, respect, safe’ in all that they do. Older pupils act as role models to younger children.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the provision they have put in place for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is ambitious and has been well organised by leaders to ensure that pupils are building up their knowledge in a logical way. Leaders ensure that pupils regularly revisit and strengthen their learning. Leaders have thought about how knowledge should build, from the start of the Reception Year through to Year 6. For example, in mathematics, pupils develop their knowledge of number and written calculations in well-ordered steps.

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

Leaders have put in place effective assessment systems in lessons to help teachers identify where pupils are struggling to remember their learning. Staff provide effective support to help pupils to catch up and keep up. Where needed, teachers adjust lessons to 1 and 2 March 2023

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make sure that any gaps that pupils have in their learning are filled. Leaders make sure that teachers have the expertise to deliver the curriculum well.

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Leaders have given a high priority to reading across the school. Older pupils enjoy reading a wide range of genres and authors.

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Leaders have put in place a well-organised phonics curriculum. This starts from the beginning of children’s Reception Year. Teachers and teaching assistants are appropriately trained to teach phonics well. Reading books are well matched to the sounds that pupils are learning. Most pupils develop as confident and fluent readers. However, a small number of pupils do not develop their early reading skills as quickly as they should. This hampers their ability to read with accuracy and understanding and slows their learning.

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Leaders work closely with teachers and a range of professionals to identify and support any pupils who may have SEND. Clear plans are in place and followed consistently for pupils with education, health and care plans. Occasionally, teachers miss opportunities to adapt their teaching to support those pupils with SEND to access the same ambitious learning as other pupils.

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Leaders are ambitious to ensure that pupils widen their horizons through a range of learning experiences. There are a range of clubs and activities available to pupils to support this aim. Leaders ensure that there are a variety of sports and other activities to cater for all pupils’ interests. Pupils learn about important global issues and address these through charity work. For example, the eco group are making changes around the school environment and the knitting group are making blankets for babies in Malawi.

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Governors understand the priorities of the school. They engage with a range of different groups across the school community. This helps governors to have a full picture of what is happening at the school.

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Leaders have thought carefully about how to support teachers’ workload without compromising the learning and experiences that they offer pupils. Teachers appreciate that leaders consider their well-being when making decisions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created an effective and proactive culture of safeguarding in the school. All staff are well trained to identify any potential safeguarding concerns. Leaders keep comprehensive safeguarding records. They make effective use of a variety of agencies to support children and their families. Leaders make appropriate referrals to the local authority when needed.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. They have a wide range of ways to share any concerns with adults in school. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. 1 and 2 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small minority of key stage 2 pupils struggle to blend sounds together when reading. This means that they struggle to read fluently. Leaders should ensure that there is appropriate provision in place to help these pupils to develop their fluency in reading so that they can access the curriculum successfully.  Some aspects of adaptive teaching, particularly for pupils with SEND, are not fully embedded in the curriculum. This means that a very small number of these pupils do not access all of the ambitious curriculum that is planned. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the appropriate training and tools to be able to adapt the curriculum appropriately.

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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 March 2013.

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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. 1 and 2 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The chair of governors has been appointed to the role since the last inspection.  There have been significant changes to the leadership structure since the last inspection.  Leaders use one registered alternative provision for a small number of pupils.

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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.  As part of this inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited some lessons, spoke with pupils and teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the special educational needs team, subject leaders and teachers. The inspector also spoke with a 1 and 2 March 2023

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representative from the local authority and the school improvement partner.  The inspector met with governors, including the chair of governors.  The inspector checked safeguarding procedures, including the recruitment checks made on staff. The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead, staff and pupils to discuss wider aspects of safeguarding. They scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding.  The inspector considered a range of documentation, including that relating to the curriculum, pupils’ behaviour, improvement plans and leaders’ self-evaluation.  The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors, at breaktimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons. They also spoke with pupils about behaviour and bullying.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their programme of wider personal development.

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 The inspector considered the responses from parents to Ofsted Parent View. This included the comments submitted via the free-text facility.  The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Elaine Mawson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 March 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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