Wesley Methodist Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Wesley Methodist Primary School Forth Road, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 4PX

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Outcome

Wesley Methodist Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In this warm school community, pupils, including children in the early years, are welcoming to others and they readily engage politely with visitors. Leaders and staff have created strong, supportive relationships with pupils. Pupils feel that they are cared for well and they are keen to do their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of a ‘Wesley child’ and they have clearly set out how pupils should behave. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders deal appropriately with any incidents of bullying that take place. Pupils, parents and carers are reassured that the school is a safe place to be. Pupils said that they are happy and that they enjoy coming to school each day. They are keen to follow the clear routines that staff have established for them. For example, pupils enjoy beginning each day with the ‘wake up and worship’ activity.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of broader experiences, such as learning outdoors. Pupils are eager to contribute to the school’s sustainability and the local community through growing vegetables on the allotment. For example, each class carefully tends their own planter and cultivates produce for the school canteen. Pupils learn how to be active citizens by raising money to sponsor a child.

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

Over the last 18 months, leaders have taken rapid and appropriate action to raise staff’s expectations of pupils and to improve the curriculum. Trustees and governors have competently supported leaders on this journey. Those responsible for governance have used their expertise well to guide leaders and drive forward the improvements necessary. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Pupils benefit from an ambitious and carefully considered curriculum. Leaders have made it clear what should be taught and when. Teachers choose suitable activities to help pupils to learn and understand key concepts. Most pupils can recall their learning over time.

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Teachers check regularly on what pupils know and they act quickly to address any gaps in pupils’ learning. Pupils are given sufficient opportunities to practise new skills and knowledge. This helps pupils to develop a rich body of knowledge over time and to progress well through the curriculum.

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Leaders have placed reading at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils read a wide range of high-quality texts. For example, children in the early years enjoy listening to stories. Pupils in key stage 2 read confidently. Leaders have successfully fostered a love of reading.

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Children learn phonics as soon as they begin in the Reception class. The books that they read are matched carefully by staff to the sounds that they have learned. Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme. A small number of staff are still gaining the expertise necessary to deliver this programme with confidence. This hinders how effectively pupils learn the letters and sounds.

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Pupils know what staff expect of them in terms of how to behave during lessons. Staff apply leaders’ behaviour policy with consistency. As a result, learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. In the early years, children quickly settle into daily routines. They leave the Reception class well prepared for the demands of key stage 1.

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Leaders identify pupils’ additional needs swiftly and accurately. However, some teachers do not receive sufficient guidance from leaders on how to adapt the delivery of the curriculum for some pupils with SEND. This hinders these staff in meeting the needs of a small number of pupils. Consequently, some pupils with SEND are not learning as well as they should.

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Leaders place a strong emphasis on pupils’ wider development. They have worked to foster a sense of belonging for pupils and to raise their aspirations. Pupils are eager to learn about other cultures and religions and keen to visit different places of worship. Pupils understand the importance of tolerance and respect for differences between people.

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Leaders are mindful of the workload and well-being of staff. Most staff said that they are happy to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a vigilant safeguarding culture. Staff have been trained appropriately to recognise and spot any potential signs of harm. Leaders have ensured that there are clear processes in place for staff to report any safeguarding concerns. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Leaders respond swiftly and appropriately to these concerns when needed. They have strong links with external agencies.

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Leaders are alert to potential safeguarding issues that may affect pupils in the community. For instance, through the curriculum, pupils learn about alcohol and drug misuse. This helps pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe. Pupils talked about the importance of online safety and reporting any concerns to a trusted adult.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff lack the confidence to deliver the phonics programme sufficiently well. As a result, some pupils are not able to learn to read as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme confidently and consistently.  Some teachers do not receive the information that they need to adapt the delivery of the curriculum successfully for pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that staff are equipped well to support pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum.

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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 predecessor school, Wesley Methodist Primary School, to be good in October 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 and 14 March 2023

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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 March 2023

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School details

School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 4 to 11

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School details

Website www.wesleymethodistprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 June 2017, under section 8 the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Epworth Education Trust.  This is a Methodist primary school. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in January 2023.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2021.  Leaders do not make use of any 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other leaders. The inspector also spoke to the chief executive officer of the trust and representatives of the local advisory board.  The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the Methodist Academies and Schools Trust. 13 and 14 March 2023

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 The inspector talked to leaders and staff about safeguarding and reviewed leaders’ safeguarding records.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation summary, the school development plan and behaviour and attendance records.  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 a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult and spoke to key stage 2 pupils about reading.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their views on school life, including behaviour and bullying. The inspector observed behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text

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responses. The inspector spoke with parents before the start of the school day to gather their views.  The inspector also considered the responses to the survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Jenny Jones, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 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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