Weaver Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Weaver Primary School Western Avenue, Nantwich CW5 7AJ

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Outcome

Weaver Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone cares for each other at Weaver Primary. This culture is evident from the way leaders greet every child by name as they arrive each morning, to the way Year 6 pupils help new Reception pupils settle in as easily as possible.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning. They are keen to get involved in learning activities and follow instructions quickly. Cooperative learning is important and pupils visibly enjoy working together. The school environment is vibrant. Displays are used to reinforce important social and academic learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of behaviour, and pupils willingly follow the ‘golden rules’. They know these are important for the safety and well-being of everyone. Pupils are assured that any instances of bullying will be dealt with effectively and discreetly by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils attend residential trips in Years 2, 4 and 6. These opportunities support the development of key life skills. Pupils are encouraged to be active, caring citizens and are eager to help others. For example, pupils recently led an impressive fundraising campaign to support those people affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers value the caring ethos of the school and the impact it has on their children.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum with the aim of developing pupils’ learning habits for life. It is inclusive and enables pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn well alongside their peers. Leaders have created learning roadmaps to identify the key learning in each subject from early years through to Year 6. 29 and 30 March 2023

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In most subjects, learning is carefully organised, so that pupils build their knowledge and skills over time. Pupils recap on their recent learning in lessons before moving to the next step. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to help pupils understand new concepts. Learning activities are chosen to encourage pupils to discuss their learning. This means they confidently use their subject vocabulary when talking. Teachers regularly check that pupils have understood key points. Teachers are adept at revisiting any gaps in pupils’ learning that emerge. This helps pupils to progress well.

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However, the blocking of the curriculum in a few subjects does not help pupils make as much progress as they could. While pupils enjoy the varied activities in their lessons, they struggle to make connections between their current learning and previous topics. The organisation of the curriculum does not consistently enable pupils to build learning in a way that will support future success. In these subjects, leaders do not have a clear enough understanding of how much pupils know and can remember over time.

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Leaders have made learning to read a priority and want the school to be a ‘community of readers’. Children in early years enjoy retelling stories in different ways, including through a puppet theatre. To help pupils learn to read as quickly as possible, leaders have recently moved to a new phonics programme. However, there is not complete consistency in the delivery of some sessions. Any pupils who fall behind with their reading receive support to help them become confident, fluent readers. Pupils in all year groups benefit from access to books that are well matched to their needs.

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Leaders use expert knowledge to identify any pupil with SEND and ensure that staff know which strategies will best support their learning. These approaches are used well in lessons. Year 6 pupils talk about being well prepared for making the move to secondary school. Leaders have taken thoughtful steps to ensure pupils with SEND feel equally prepared for their next steps.

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Pupils enjoy social times, whether playing or chatting with friends. All year groups happily share the outdoor space. Behaviour is impressive.

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Pupils’ personal development and preparation for life are strengths at Weaver. Pupils learn about the diversity of British society and the serious issues others may face. Some of this work is covered in carefully chosen books pupils read as a class, covering topics such as the plight of refugees. Leaders provide pupils with a range of sporting experiences as they want all pupils to find an active and healthy pathway to pursue as they grow up. Year 5 pupils attend ‘Primary College’ for two days, completing careers-based activities, such as mechanics, photography and falconry. Pupils enjoy earning house points for demonstrating the school values through their actions.

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Leaders and governors apply the school values in their own decision-making, including around staff workload. This is what helps Weaver to be such a caring, inclusive community. 29 and 30 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is led in a way that ensures all concerns, however small, are passed on. Leaders respond to these concerns quickly. They work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that any support needed is put in place and closely monitored. Leaders ensure that all recruitment checks are completed before adults start working in the school.

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Safeguarding

Through the comprehensive personal, social and health education programme, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in real life and when online. This learning is structured, so that pupils encounter and learn to manage sensitive issues in an age- appropriate way as they get older.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the blocking of the curriculum does not always help pupils to remember the content they have been taught over time. As such, pupils do not always connect knowledge and see how their current learning fits into the bigger ideas in a subject. Leaders should ensure that learning is organised in a way that enables pupils to build the cumulative knowledge required for successful future learning.  There are a few occasions when staff do not teach phonics with complete consistency in accordance with the school’s new scheme. This means that some pupils do not progress in learning to read as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff are confident and consistent in their delivery of the new phonics programme.

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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 October 2013. 29 and 30 March 2023

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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. 29 and 30 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10283642 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this graded inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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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.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior and middle leaders. They met with governors and the school improvement partner. They also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in 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 listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. 29 and 30 March 2023

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 The inspector checked safeguarding procedures, including the recruitment checks made on staff. They 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 the responses to Ofsted’s pupil and staff surveys. They also considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including comments submitted via the free-text facility.

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Inspection team

Nicola Beech, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 29 and 30 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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