Walkeringham Primary School

Inspection of Walkeringham Primary School Millbaulk Road, Walkeringham, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN10 4LL

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Inspection dates: 31 January and 1 February 2024

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 thirteen 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 Good

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. Judgements in this report are based on the current framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are great ambassadors for this small village school. They are courteous, friendly and welcoming. They know the importance of the ‘Walkeringham Ways’. Pupils are nurtured by staff to be ‘resilient, responsible, curious, truthful, independent and respectful’. Pupils are very well cared for. There is a strong family feel. Relationships are positive and respectful. Pupils get on well with each other. Older pupils play with, and look out for, younger children. Pupils are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy. Behaviour is good. The school is calm and focused. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They work hard in lessons. They are keen to learn and do well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities and experiences to develop pupils’ personal development. For example, they can enjoy the gardening and sports clubs. They have happy, lasting memories of friendships, staff and the annual pantomime visit. They are supported to develop a deeper understanding of right and wrong. Pupils are supported to gain self-confidence, independence and resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents and carers value the school. One parent, whose comment was typical of several, said, ‘Walkeringham is a wonderful school. It feels like one big family. My children have loved attending. The smaller classes allow children to gain close friends of all ages, and they look after each other.’

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better?

Leaders have established a curriculum that is broad in its scope for all pupils. This extends beyond the expectations of the national curriculum in that younger pupils begin to learn to speak Spanish. Leaders have developed ambitious curriculums in all subjects. For instance, in mathematics, pupils gain key knowledge and a strong understanding of mathematical concepts. They re-visit and build on this learning across each year, and from one year to the next.

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better?

Staff have strong subject knowledge. They check pupils’ learning through, for example, questioning and end of unit assessments. The school uses this assessment information to identify next steps, and to address errors or misconceptions, in pupils’ learning. Staff make sure that the work pupils are given to complete is appropriately ambitious for them, including for those in mixed-aged classes. Pupils are challenged to deepen and extend their learning. The school makes sure that pupils know more and remember more over time in all subjects. Pupils make good progress through the well-planned curriculum.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading. Leaders have embedded phonics. Staff are trained to use the phonics resources well. Staff enable pupils to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence that they need to become fluent readers. Children get off to a good start with reading in the early years. Pupils develop their comprehension skills 31 January and 1 February 2024

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well. Staff assess pupils’ reading regularly. Adults support pupils who need help to keep up with their reading. Pupils read for learning and pleasure. They gain a love of reading and books. Older pupils speak knowledgeably about their favourite books and authors.

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The school has established systems to identify and support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff know these pupils and their needs very well. Teachers adapt their teaching, enabling these pupils to learn well. Several parents recognise the positive provision for pupils with SEND.

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Children in early years get off to a good start in their literacy and numeracy. They learn the basics about numbers and understand key vocabulary, such as more, less, bigger and smaller. Children enjoy looking at books, story time and rhyme time. Staff care for children very well. The school is mindful of children’s personal, social and emotional development. Children mostly play well together. However, the school has not ensured that the non-structured continuous provision time for pupils to learn, play and explore is sufficiently purposeful.

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils’ personal development. Leaders have developed an appropriate personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum. Pupils learn how to be healthy and safe. For example, they learn about the importance of exercise, sleep and a healthy diet. They learn to recognise and respond to risks in different situations, for example when online and in the community. Relationships and sex education is age appropriate. Pupils are prepared well for life in Britain. However, not all of the school’s personal development provision is structured and coordinated in such a way that it enables all pupils to benefit fully from a range of planned experiences.

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Leaders, including governors, know the school’s strengths and priorities. They fulfil their responsibilities well. Overwhelmingly, staff morale is positive. Staff are proud to be part of, and enjoy working at, the school. The school supports staff well-being and is mindful of staff workload when managing changes.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that all aspects of the well-planned early years curriculum are implemented consistently. As a result, children do not gain as much from the non-structured activities for learning and play, as they do from the more structured adult-directed sessions. The school must ensure that non- structured opportunities for play and learning are purposeful, thus enabling children to gain from all aspects of the planned curriculum. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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 The school has a coherent and ambitious curriculum for PSHE that supports pupils’ personal development. However, the school has not clearly set out the range of opportunities that it wants pupils to experience to build and consolidate pupils’ personal development over time. As a result, not all pupils benefit from structured opportunities and experiences. The school should ensure that it coordinates and consolidates the planned range of opportunities that pupils should experience during their time at the school. Thus strengthening pupils’ personal development.

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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 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 January and 1 February 2024

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 January 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has undergone much change since the previous inspection. Three headteachers have led the school since 2011. The current headteacher took up the post in September 2021.  There have been many changes in the governing body since 2011. The current chair was elected in the last six months.  The school does not use any 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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their valuation of the school. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders. They met with governors, including the chair. They spoke with a local authority officer, remotely.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited sample lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They listened to pupils read.  Inspectors looked at a range of other subjects, including science, PSHE, art, history and design technology. They visited lessons and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the early years leader, reviewed curriculum planning and visited lessons in the Nursery/Reception class.  Inspectors met formally with groups of pupils to talk about the quality of education and other aspects of school life. They spoke with staff and pupils

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informally.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator and reviewed provision for pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff, pupils and parents; reviewed safeguarding records; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture of safeguarding that puts pupils’ needs first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation. They looked at the school’s website and published information about the school’s provision, policies, self- evaluation and development plan.  Inspectors considered the free-text comments submitted by parents who completed Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors considered the views expressed by parents who inspectors met at the end of the day. Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of school staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Chris Davies, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lea Mason Ofsted Inspector 31 January and 1 February 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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