West Butterwick C of E Primary School

Inspection of West Butterwick C of E Primary School School Lane, West Butterwick, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire DN17 3LB

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Inspection dates: 31 October and 1 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 seven years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. The school received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 14 September 2021. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is going through a period of change. This change is happening at pace. Leaders’ actions are beginning to make a difference to pupils’ learning. Some of their actions are at an early stage of having impact. Leaders are creating a more ambitious curriculum for pupils. Children in the early years do not benefit from a good start to their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school. There are warm and positive relationships between adults and pupils. Pupils feel confident to share their concerns with adults. Adults address pupils’ concerns quickly and effectively. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. They have positive attitudes to their studies. Where the curriculum is beginning to be more ambitious, pupils speak enthusiastically about what they have been taught.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave with respect to each other. They develop a strong moral compass during their time in school. Pupils have mature attitudes and perspectives about why it is important to be kind and considerate to other pupils and people in wider society.

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better?

The school has recently begun to develop the quality and ambition of the curriculum taught to pupils. This development is focused on a small number of subjects, including mathematics, phonics and history. There is a clearer curriculum in place for these three subjects and several others.

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better?

Across the wider curriculum, the precise knowledge and vocabulary that leaders want pupils to learn is not clearly enough defined .

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better?

The curriculum in the early years is not defined clearly. In some areas of learning it is not clear what will be taught and when.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. There are clear systems for identifying pupils who may need additional support. Teachers are making adaptations to help pupils with SEND access the curriculum.

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better?

There is a clear phonics curriculum in place. This has been recently introduced. Phonics teaching begins in Reception. Pupils read books that are matched to the sounds that they have been taught. Leaders support staff to help them to understand how to teach the phonics curriculum well. Staff subject knowledge of early reading is developing. Leaders have identified the gaps in pupils’ phonic knowledge. They know which pupils need additional support with reading. However, these pupils are not receiving the support that they need to catch up with their peers. Pupils value reading. They enjoy listening to stories. In early years, children enjoy listening to a range of stories and rhymes. The school is beginning to promote a positive culture around reading. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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Pupils move around school calmly. The routines that staff have put in place help pupils to learn. In the early years, these routines are developing but are not as consistent as they are in key stages 1 and 2. Pupils take responsibility for keeping their classrooms tidy. They show care and consideration when they play with each other during the more unstructured times of the school day. Children in the early years are enthusiastic and keen to learn. They play imaginatively. Staff build positive relationships with them. Leaders have taken action to improve attendance. This action is having a positive impact. Pupils are attending more regularly. Fewer pupils are persistently absent.

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Pupils understand that there are people and groups in society who face prejudice. They are taught to understand and appreciate different world faiths and cultures. Pupils are taught how to stay physically and mentally healthy. They understand how to stay safe online. Leaders have increased the range of opportunities and experiences on offer to pupils beyond the classroom. For example, all pupils have the chance to represent the school in sporting activities during the academic year. Pupils develop their understanding of diversity through the books that are read to them. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the charities they support. The school has provided some opportunities for pupils to take on responsible leadership roles. These are continuing to be developed. For example, the role of play leader has recently been introduced.

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Leaders have an increasingly accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and the areas that require improvement. Governors are developing their understanding of their strategic role. They are beginning to hold leaders to account more robustly. Currently, some governor activity does not give the school the information needed to evaluate the success of the school’s improvement plans incisively. Leaders are beginning to check on how well subjects are being taught. Some of these checks are not precise enough. Staff feel supported with their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not provide additional support for pupils who do not keep up with the phonics programme. As a result, pupils with gaps in their phonic knowledge do not catch up quickly. The school should ensure that pupils receive the targeted support that they need to close any gaps in their phonic knowledge.  The core knowledge and vocabulary that leaders wish pupils to know is not defined across the foundation subjects in the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not have the chance to build their knowledge over time in some subjects. The 31 October and 1 November 2023

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school should ensure that the key knowledge and vocabulary is clearly defined, and taught consistently, across the whole curriculum.  The early years curriculum is underdeveloped in some areas of learning. As a result, opportunities are missed for children to develop their knowledge and understanding over time. The school should ensure that the early years curriculum in all seven areas of learning is clearly defined, delivered well by staff, and understood by leaders, teachers and teaching assistants.  Governors do not have access to the information that they require to challenge and support the school effectively. As a result, some aspects of school improvement are not moving forward as quickly as they should be. The school should ensure that governors strategically evaluate the impact of leaders’ actions consistently and identify clearly, the areas that need further development.  The school does not monitor the curriculum routinely. As a result, pedagogy and

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curriculum in some subjects is not developed well. The school should ensure that the checks that leaders make on their areas of responsibility highlight aspects that require further improvement.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 31 October and 1 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Claire Noonan and Sally Moorman (Co- chairs) Headteacher Daniel Callaghan

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School details

Website https://trentsidefederation.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 September 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher took up post in September 2022.  The head of school was appointed in January 2023.  This school is much smaller than an average-size primary school.  The co-chairs of the governing body took up post in February 2023.  The school is part of the Trentside Federation, which includes two other primary schools.  The school is part of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection was in March 2016.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 31 October and 1 November 2023

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke to senior leaders, including the executive headteacher and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors spoke to a representative from the local authority and a diocesan representative.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, early reading and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about

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their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors evaluated responses from parents to Ofsted’s online survey. They spoke with some parents bringing children to school. Inspectors also evaluated the responses that staff and pupils made to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Liam Colclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emily McCullagh Ofsted Inspector 31 October and 1 November 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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