Willingham Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Willingham Primary School Thodays Close, Willingham, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB24 5LE

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Outcome

Willingham Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for every pupil’s academic success. They place equally high importance on pupils’ wider development. Pupils are proud of their school and of their achievements. Pupils benefit from staff’s determination for each child to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is a strength of the school. Pupils know how to behave because staff manage pupils’ behaviour very well with consistent strategies. Bullying rarely happens, and pupils know that if it were to happen, staff would resolve the issue. Everyone understands the clear routines and expectations. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere in lessons and around school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful, considerate and polite. As one pupil stated, reflecting the views of many, ‘We treat everyone like they belong here and how we would want to be treated.’ Pupils feel safe and cared for in the school. The achievements of individuals, groups and classes are celebrated publicly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a range of experiences for pupils beyond the classroom, such as a trip to Verulamium and the theatre. Regular visits and visitors to school enhance pupils’ experience and inspire their love of learning. There is a wide variety of after-school clubs. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

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

Leaders have prioritised curriculum development. In most subjects, staff have worked together to create a well-organised and ambitious curriculum that sets out clearly what pupils should learn from early years onwards. For example, in geography, pupils’ understanding begins with their locality before considering national and global issues, such as drought in California. In a minority of subjects, plans do not clearly indicate the link between what is taught in early years and what children go on to learn in other years. 14 and 15 June 2023

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Subject leaders carry out their role effectively. They regularly check that the curriculum is taught consistently well across the school. They use their findings to identify areas of strength and those requiring development.

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Teachers help pupils to use ambitious vocabulary correctly. They make clear links between different subjects to reinforce pupils’ understanding. Teachers use assessment strategies successfully to check what pupils know and remember. They adapt lessons to meet the needs of pupils. Pupils enjoy challenging work. They know that getting things wrong or having time to improve their work supports how successfully they learn.

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Learning to read starts as soon as children join the school. Adults teach phonics accurately and confidently. Teachers quickly notice those pupils who are at risk of falling behind and give them extra help to keep up. Pupils practise their reading by using books that match the sounds they know. Staff across the school encourage pupils to have a love of reading. Pupils read regularly at home and enjoy sharing stories during the day.

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Transition arrangements enable children in early years to settle quickly. Resources in the classroom are chosen carefully to support the curriculum. Leaders are working to maximise the opportunities for children’s learning in the outdoor area. All children engage in activities and enjoy learning with their classmates. In most areas of learning, leaders have considered what knowledge and skills children need. However, this is not consistent. This means that children are not as well prepared in some areas of the curriculum for their next steps in Year 1.

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Leaders have carefully considered the resources needed to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers create individualised plans that identify where they need to adapt lessons. They carefully map out additional support for these pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND successfully participate in all aspects of school life.

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Pupils respond well to the systems that are in place to promote good behaviour. Pupils behave very well in lessons. They are enthusiastic learners. Pupils’ positive attitude extends beyond the classroom. There is a real sense of a positive, cohesive school community.

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There are many leadership opportunities for pupils. In early years, children are part of a ‘tidy team’. Older pupils can be digital leaders, play leaders, playground buddies, house captains or members of the school council. Pupils value and recognise the responsibility that comes with these roles.

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Teachers value the time given to them to carry out this work. Staff appreciate the actions taken by leaders to make sure that their workload is manageable.

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Governors have supported and challenged school leaders to improve the school. Governors are well informed about curriculum development. Governors hold leaders to account for their work. They perform their required statutory duties effectively. 14 and 15 June 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a culture of vigilance to keep pupils safe. Staff and volunteers complete safeguarding training and know what to do if they have a concern about a child. Leaders keep staff up to date with current guidance so that safeguarding remains a high priority. They maintain clear records to support their work to keep pupils safe. Leaders work effectively with outside agencies.

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Safeguarding

Pupils recognise how staff teach them to stay safe in school and when online.

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Safeguarding

Governors ensure that the school follows the appropriate procedures for safer recruitment. They visit the school regularly to check that safeguarding procedures are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that some aspects of the planned curriculum in early years clearly explains what children will be taught to ensure that they go on to learn effectively in Year 1. As a result, children’s knowledge and understanding in some curriculum areas are not developed as well as in others. Leaders should implement their improvement plans so that children learn effectively in all areas of learning in order to ensure that they are fully prepared for all subjects in Year 1.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2018.

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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 14 and 15 June 2023

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when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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. 14 and 15 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christopher Shaw

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs its own pre-school provision, ‘Honeypot’, for children between two and four years. There are currently 74 children on roll.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the SEND coordinator, three governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector met with leaders with overall responsibility for safeguarding and reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector heard pupils from key stage 1 and key stage 2 read to a member of staff. 14 and 15 June 2023

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 The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan.  To gather the views of pupils, the inspector spoke to groups of pupils, including in lessons and at breaktime.  To gather the views of parents and carers, the inspector spoke to some parents and reviewed the 146 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including 89 free-text comments.  To gather the views of staff, the inspector spoke to several members of staff. The inspector also took account of the 41 responses to the Ofsted staff survey.  The inspector also considered other correspondence received from parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Simon Eardley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 June 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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