Walthamstow Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Walthamstow Primary Academy Billet Road, Waltham Forest, Walthamstow, London E17 5DP

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 January 2024

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Outcome

Walthamstow Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is James Hucknall. This school is part of the United Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jon Coles, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Richard Greenhalgh.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are rightly proud of their school. They are enthusiastic, respectful and ambitious learners. This is because staff have high expectations of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Excellent relationships exist between staff and pupils across the school. Pupils are confident that if they have a worry, they can speak to a member of staff, who will listen and help them. This means that they feel happy and are kept safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum and achieve well across a range of subjects. They work hard in lessons and are highly motivated to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school encourages pupils to consider the views of others. For example, in religious education, Year 6 pupils learn about different beliefs and experiences and why people have differing perspectives. These experiences help pupils to develop their own ideas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders value pupils’ opinions. For example, pupils worked with leaders to make the outdoor space even better. Pupils presented their ideas and now the school has an outside learning space.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of enrichment activities on offer. For example, pupils were given the opportunity to visit the Royal Opera House and the choir performed at the O2. Leaders provide a range of clubs, including football, art and craft and dance club. These activities aim to help pupils to develop their talents and pursue their interests. 23 and 24 January 2024

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

The school places a strong emphasis on the teaching of reading. Children are taught to read from the start of Reception through an ambitious approach to early reading. This is because leaders want every pupil to read fluently and confidently.

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

Staff are trained effectively in the teaching of phonics. Therefore, they teach reading well. Typically, adults regularly check the sounds that pupils know. Pupils who find reading difficult are given the help that they need to catch up. The books pupils read are well matched to the sounds and letters that pupils know. Consequently, pupils read with developing fluency.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. Leaders have put in place a curriculum that is well structured and logical. They have thought carefully about the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to be taught and in what order. For example, pupils in Year 3 can confidently multiply a three-digit number by a one-digit number because they can recall multiplication facts quickly. In Reception, children get plenty of practise in accurately counting sets of objects. This foundation in number prepares them well for learning in Year 1.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge, and this means they deliver the curriculum effectively. They explain and present new information clearly and provide useful, well- chosen examples to help pupils learn and understand subject content.

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

Leaders’ high expectations for achievement extend to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are suitable processes in place so that pupils with SEND are identified accurately and effectively. The school works closely with external professionals who provide training and support for staff. Staff adapt their approaches so that pupils with SEND work alongside their peers and can access the curriculum. However, there are occasions when pupils do not receive the timely support necessary for success in their learning. As a result, in these instances, some pupils with SEND do not achieve the intended learning.

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

Classrooms are calm and purposeful learning environments. Pupils behave very well during learning and social times. This is because routines are firmly established and pupils have been taught how to behave. This starts in early years and continues throughout the school.

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

Leaders prioritise attendance. They are taking appropriate actions so that pupils attend school regularly and the number of pupils who are persistently absent reduces.

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

Promoting pupils’ wider development is at the core of the school’s work. Leaders aim for pupils to be responsible citizens who are able to share their own views and know their rights. Pupils are taught about the importance of democracy and protected characteristics. They are also taught about healthy and unhealthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe within and beyond school. For example, in Reception, children are taught who they can ask for help, both in school and in the wider community. 23 and 24 January 2024

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Pupils take on positions of responsibility enthusiastically. This includes acting as school councillors, well-being ambassadors and ‘article 12’ ambassadors. These roles help to develop pupils’ character. Pupils are given opportunities to improve their world. For example, ‘article 12’ ambassadors are looking forward to sharing their school art project on climate change with Oxford University.

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The trust has an accurate view of the school. It provides effective challenge and support to ensure the very best education for all pupils.

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Walthamstow Primary is a nurturing environment for both pupils and staff. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working at this school. They value the support that they receive from school leaders and the trust to fulfil their roles. Staff appreciate the range of initiatives leaders have in place to ensure that workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, pupils with SEND do not receive timely support within lessons. This reduces how well pupils with SEND are helped to learn the expected curriculum. The school needs to strengthen the effectiveness of support provided to pupils with SEND so that their achievement is consistently well supported across the curriculum.

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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 July 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 when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 23 and 24 January 2024

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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' 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). 23 and 24 January 2024

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School details

Local authority London Borough of Waltham Forest

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 July 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss school development.  The inspector met with a representative of the board of trustees and the regional director for the trust. 23 and 24 January 2024

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspector scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to pupils’ wider development and behaviour and attendance. The inspector also met with groups of staff and pupils to discuss these aspects of the school’s work.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and religious education. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.

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 The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 January 2024

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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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