Washingborough Academy

Inspection of a good school: Washingborough Academy School Lane, Washingborough, Lincoln Lincolnshire LN4 1BW

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Outcome

Washingborough Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, welcoming school. Staff and pupils have created an inclusive culture where all are respected and valued. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils are keen to meet these expectations and they do. Pupils recognise that their teachers want them to do well. Pupils understand the school’s ‘Values for Success’ and embody them in their attitudes and actions. Pupils are kind and considerate. They are polite and respectful. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other and with staff. They support each other in lessons and around school. Pupils understand what bullying is and say that it does not happen at Washingborough. Teachers help to sort out any problems or incidents of unkindness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their experiences at Washingborough. They are proud to take on leadership roles and even prouder of the impact that they have by doing so. For example, ‘Guardians of the Earth’ promote the school’s work to be sustainable. Pupils tend the school’s kitchen garden. They plant and harvest produce for use in the school’s kitchen. They recently presented their produce at a horticultural show.

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

The curriculum is ambitious and exciting. All pupils, including those with SEND, study a wide range of subjects throughout their time at the school. Leaders have carefully considered the needs and interests of their pupils when designing the curriculum. Some subject curriculums are newly developed. Leaders have identified the most important knowledge that pupils must learn in each subject, starting in the early years. Each subject is carefully planned to build on pupils’ prior knowledge as they progress through the school.

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

Reading is a priority. Leaders have recently redeveloped the reading curriculum. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they begin school. Pupils have daily phonics sessions. Teachers monitor pupils’ learning closely and provide effective support to help those who 25 and 26 April 2023

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may be at risk of falling behind. Pupils read books that are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. This helps to build their reading fluency. Most staff have good subject knowledge to deliver the phonics programme well. Leaders promote a love of reading throughout the school. Pupils enjoy the regular ‘reading roundabout’ sessions that provide them with opportunities to develop their reading skills in different contexts. Pupils have lots of opportunities to read independently. However, pupils are not always sufficiently well guided to choose texts that are appropriate to their learning needs.

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Leaders have recently introduced a new mathematics curriculum. It is carefully planned and sequenced to build pupils’ mathematical knowledge from early years upwards. Leaders provide effective support to staff to help them to deliver the curriculum well. Teachers encourage pupils to achieve at the higher standard through ‘dig deeper’ and ‘challenge’ activities. Lessons are lively and vibrant. Pupils enjoy mathematics and achieve well.

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Children in the early years get off to a great start. Leaders have high expectations of children. Children are happy and well supported. The curriculum provides meaningful, language-rich activities to promote their learning and development.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils with SEND. These pupils access the same curriculum as others. Their needs are accurately identified and plans are in place to support and monitor them. Teachers adapt the curriculum to help pupils reach the same curricular goals as their peers. Pupils with more-complex needs are very well supported to learn alongside their peers.

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Pupils respond well to staff’s high expectations of their behaviour. Lessons are purposeful. Leaders work well with the families of pupils who struggle to attend school regularly. They support pupils to overcome barriers to attending. Attendance has improved considerably. However, some pupils do not attend school regularly.

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Leaders promote pupils’ personal development extremely well. All aspects of the school’s work contribute to developing pupils as responsible, well-informed citizens. For example, the food curriculum teaches pupils about the importance of a healthy diet, and the geography curriculum supports pupils’ understanding of their place in the world. Leaders ensure that pupils learn about different cultures and religions. They visit different places of worship and interact with pupils from different countries. The school’s ‘Values for Success’ underpin all that the school does. Pupils recognise and consider the impact of their actions on each other and the wider world.

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Staff recognise that leaders have high expectations and are keen to support leaders’ aims. Staff feel that leaders consider their workload and well-being. They value the support that they receive to promote their professional development.

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Governors know the school well. They understand what needs to improve. They challenge and hold leaders to account effectively. 25 and 26 April 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. There is a joined-up approach to safeguarding, also considering pupils’ attendance and behaviour. All staff recognise and embrace their responsibility to support pupils’ safety and well-being. Staff are well trained and knowledgeable. They know how to spot the signs that a pupil might be at risk of harm. They know how to refer concerns and are confident in leaders’ response when they do so.

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Safeguarding

Leaders involve external agencies as appropriate and also provide additional support in school. This means that pupils get the support they need as soon as possible.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculums for some subjects are new. Leaders have not yet had time to evaluate the impact of these curriculums. Leaders should review the implementation and impact of newly introduced curriculums to ensure that all pupils achieve highly in these subjects.  Leaders should continue to review and develop their strategies to ensure that all pupils attend regularly.

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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 November 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. 25 and 26 April 2023

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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. 25 and 26 April 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 October 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not 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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early 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 spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. The inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the school’s policies, procedures and records. She met with the

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Information about this inspection

designated safeguarding lead. The inspector also spoke with staff, 25 and 26 April 2023

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governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff questionnaires. The inspector also spoke with some parents at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Deborah Mosley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 April 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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