Wyton on the Hill Community Primary School

Inspection of Wyton on the Hill Community Primary School Cambridge Square, Wyton-on-the-Hill, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 2JB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 10 and 11 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate how well adults get to know their specific needs and interests as soon as they join the school. Pupils quickly settle into school, including those from military families. Pupils understand that their teachers want them all to succeed. All pupils are well cared for. This makes pupils feel safe and ready to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the friendships they make. They are kind and welcoming to new pupils. Pupils mix well together. They know the school rules. Pupils respond well to any gentle reminders from adults about how they should behave. Bullying is rare. Pupils know adults will help sort out any friendship issues straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the facilities that this newly built school offers. This includes the well-stocked library, the play pod outside and separate art and music rooms. Many pupils enjoy attending ‘early bird’ learning activities before school. Pupils like the after-school clubs, such as sports and coding. Pupils also enjoy the many community activities their school hosts, including fundraising events organised by parents and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of this ‘rights respecting school’. Pupils are keen to be ambassadors and actively help the local community and environment.

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better?

Leaders have recently improved the curriculum. The revised curriculum sets out ambitious goals for pupils to achieve. In some subjects, teachers are in the early stages of putting this curriculum in place. Leaders have provided training to strengthen teachers’ subject knowledge. In most subjects, teachers routinely check pupils know and understand previous learning. This helps pupils to recall important knowledge before they start new learning. Teachers make sure that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are addressed successfully. However, in a few subjects where the curriculum is still to be strengthened, teachers are not clear on the important prior knowledge pupils need. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge remain.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised reading. Pupils are systematically taught the sounds they need to be fluent and independent readers. Pupils read books linked to the sounds they know so that they gain confidence. Older pupils read texts to broaden their vocabulary. Teachers check regularly if pupils need extra help with reading and put additional support in place. As a result, most pupils achieve well. However, for some of the weakest readers, this extra support is not as effective as it could be. These pupils are not taught the specific phonic knowledge that they need to catch up quickly. Leaders’ and teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough.

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better?

Teachers, including in early years, adapt their teaching to meet the specific requirements of those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities 10 and 11 May 2023

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(SEND). This means these pupils can access the same curriculum as their peers. Overall, pupils with SEND achieve well from their starting points.

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In the early years, children develop a sound grasp of early reading and mathematics. This prepares them well for Year 1. Children learn and use ambitious vocabulary in their role play. Children are taught how to share resources and listen to each other. Children can sustain their concentration and are independent. While children generally achieve well in early years, staff are less clear about the precise subject knowledge children need to be taught so that they are fully ready for the curriculum in Year 1.

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Teachers apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently and fairly. This helps pupils to concentrate and focus on their learning. Pupils respect the adults that teach them. Adults are effective in supporting the few pupils who need additional prompts to engage in lessons or play sensibly. Leaders ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

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Leaders have designed a broad personal development curriculum. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay healthy. They enjoy positive relationships with each other. Pupils are respectful of difference, including different religions. Pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. They are taught about democracy through elections for the school council. Pupils learn about parliament and how this works. During assemblies, pupils are taught how to be active citizens. Older pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of equality. They are prepared well for secondary school.

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Leaders are mindful of staff’s well-being and workload. Staff value this and feel supported to carry out their roles and responsibilities.

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Governors hold leaders to account and fulfil their statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding training for staff and governors is up to date. Leaders have appropriate systems in place to manage concerns about pupils or adults. Leaders are swift to follow up on any concerns they have. Leaders keep a close eye on pupils, particularly those pupils in most need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to manage risks, including drug use, vaping and staying safe online. Pupils trust adults in the school to help them with any worries.

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Safeguarding

Leaders direct families to external agencies for specialist support when needed. Governors also monitor safeguarding processes, including all necessary checks on adults who work in school. 10 and 11 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the revised curriculum is at the early stages of implementation. This means that pupils do not yet have all the prior learning they need to learn successfully. Some pupils have gaps in their subject knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that teachers clearly understand and prioritise teaching the most important subject knowledge. Teachers need to check pupils have learned this knowledge securely before moving on to new learning.  Leaders do not always make sure that pupils who find reading challenging are given the right support to become accurate and fluent readers. Additionally, leaders’ and teachers’ expectations of what the weakest readers can achieve are not always high enough. These pupils are not catching up with reading as quickly as they should. Leaders need to provide additional training to adults who support these pupils so that they know how to help pupils effectively. Leaders need to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

check that this support is sufficiently ambitious, so these pupils achieve the best possible outcomes quickly.  In some foundation subjects, children in early years are not taught the necessary subject content to be ready for Year 1. This means pupils in early years are not fully prepared for some aspects of the Year 1 curriculum. Leaders need to ensure the knowledge children gain in early years exactly matches the subject knowledge needed to successfully build on in Year 1.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 and 17 November 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school manages and runs its own before- and after-school childcare provision.  Currently, the school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teachers and some support staff.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and music. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke to subject 10 and 11 May 2023

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leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ workbooks and spoke with teachers and support staff. The lead inspector also heard pupils read to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  The inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes of meetings of the governing body and the school’s own self-evaluation plan.  The inspectors looked at the arrangements for safeguarding, including the single central record of recruitment checks. The inspectors spoke with leaders and staff about the systems and processes to support safeguarding and the safeguarding ethos in the school.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including 27 free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s

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pupil survey. However, inspectors spoke to many pupils across the school during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Hughes Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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