Winthorpe Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Winthorpe Primary School Thoroughfare Lane, Winthorpe, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NN

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Outcome

Winthorpe Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto of ‘learning together, growing together’ is evident in the day-to-day operation of the school. Pupils work hard and enjoy each other’s company. As one pupil told an inspector: ‘We get on well. We have high expectations of each other.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the school’s five values, which include being hardworking, ambitious, curious and respectful. They understand how all the values help them to make a positive contribution to their school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is consistently positive. Pupils are polite and courteous. They enjoy the weekly gold book assembly, earning certificates, school badges and earning tokens for their rainbow group. Poor behaviour is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the wide range of extra-curricular activities that are on offer, including chess, yoga and reading club. They make good use of these. They benefit from a programme of residential visits, which culminates in a trip abroad. This year’s trip to Paris is eagerly anticipated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a positive contribution to their school. They are confident that they have a voice. The work of the school council is regarded highly. Prefects are linked to the school’s values. They model these values to younger pupils and around the school.

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

Pupils are taught to read from the moment they join the school. A new programme for teaching phonics has been recently introduced. It is working well. Staff know which sounds pupils are expected to know each term. Teachers carry out regular checks to make sure that pupils keep up with these expectations. Any who begin to fall behind get extra help to keep up. Pupils quickly master phonics and soon become fluent readers. 14 March 2023

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Beyond phonics, leaders have designed and implemented a comprehensive reading curriculum. It helps pupils to develop a love of reading. Pupils read a wide range of texts and authors. They talk enthusiastically about the works of Dickens and Shakespeare. They enjoy the weekly buddy-reading sessions where older and younger pupils join together to share books.

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Across all subjects, the school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced. It makes clear what pupils are expected to learn at each stage of their education. However, in a small number of cases, it does not identify the most important content that pupils are expected to commit to their long-term memory. As a result, there are some inconsistencies in which parts of the curriculum pupils can recall.

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Teachers plan and deliver lessons that help pupils to learn the curriculum. Lessons build cumulatively over time. They are engaging. However, in a small number of cases, teachers do not set work that caters for the full range of abilities in their class. This means that some pupils are set work that is too easy or too hard for them.

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Children enjoy their time in the early years. They are enthusiastic learners. The recently appointed early years leader has quickly planned and implemented a new curriculum. It is well designed. Leaders carry out regular checks to see how well children learn the curriculum. However, the assessment criteria that they use does not fully mirror the content of the curriculum. This means that assessments do not accurately assess how well children are progressing.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help they need to learn the curriculum alongside their peers. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) ensures that these pupils needs are consistently understood and catered for.

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The school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about British values. They know why they are important. They learn about different forms of discrimination and know that everyone should be treated respectfully. They know the full range of protected characteristics and understand that these are upheld by law.

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Senior leaders know their school well. They know what is working well and what needs to improve. The majority of staff are proud to work at the school. They describe a cohesive team who feel supported by leaders. Parents are unanimously positive about the school. One summed up many when they said: ‘Winthorpe is a fantastic school … It has the perfect mix of pastoral support and academic excellence. It’s a really special place.’

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The trust and the local governing body are ambitious for the school. Together, they provide leaders with an effective balance of challenge and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 March 2023

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Leaders and staff do everything they should to keep pupils safe. The school’s safeguarding policy is consistently understood and applied. All concerns and subsequent actions are well documented. Records are fit for purpose.

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Pupils know how to stay safe in a range of situations, including online, in the community and by roads. The school council has recently introduced a ‘worry box’. Pupils know that they can use this to get help if they need to. They know that leaders check on this regularly.

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The checks on people working with pupils are thorough. The record of these checks is well maintained.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is well planned and sequenced. However, in a small number of cases, it does not make clear the most important content that pupils are expected to commit to their long-term memory. As a result, there are minor inconsistencies in which parts of the curriculum pupils can recall. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum consistently makes clear the most important content that pupils are expected to know and remember.  The early years curriculum makes clear what children are expected to know and do term by term. However, the assessment criteria that leaders use does not fully mirror the intent of the curriculum. This means that assessments do not accurately assess how well children learn the planned curriculum. Leaders should ensure that assessments in the early years are closely aligned to the intent of the curriculum.  In a small number of cases, teachers do not set work that caters for the full range of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

abilities in their class. This means that some pupils are set work that is too easy or too hard for them. Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently set work that caters for the full range of abilities in their class.

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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. 14 March 2023

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school (Winthorpe Primary School) to be good in September 2014.

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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. 14 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10281520 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school converted to an academy in November 2020. It is part of the Aspire Multi- Academy Trust. When the predecessor school, Winthorpe Primary School was last inspected by Ofsted in 2018, it was judged to be good overall.  The school offers wraparound care through its breakfast club and after-school provision.  The school does not use any alternative education providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the early years leader and the SENCo. 14 March 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and physical education (PE). For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. An inspector listened to pupils read. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for modern foreign languages, computing and personal, social and health education (PSHE).  The lead inspector met with four representatives of the local governing body. He had a discussion with a representative of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Aspire Multi-Academy Trust. Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey.  The lead inspector met with safeguarding leaders. He reviewed school documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and governance.  An inspector visited the playground during breaktimes and spoke informally to parents

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outside the school. An inspector visited the school’s breakfast club.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Tague Ofsted Inspector 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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