Wardley CofE Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Wardley CofE Primary School Moss Bank Road, Wardley, Swinton, Manchester M27 9XB

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 February 2024

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being at this school because staff care for them well. Positive relationships exist between the different members of this close-knit school community. Pupils show respect to each other and adults alike. Pupils celebrate the differences between themselves and others. They feel proud that their school is a caring community for everyone. Through their actions and words, pupils endeavour to follow the ‘Wardley Way’ in all that they do. The school is a calm and orderly place. This allows pupils to focus on their learning in lessons. Their conduct is praiseworthy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with many opportunities outside lessons. This includes them making a positive contribution to the local community. For example, through the ‘courageous advocacy’ project, pupils identified the need to tackle litter in the local park. Their work was rewarded with new litter bins being provided to improve the environment for everyone in the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In many curriculum areas, pupils achieve well. The curriculum mainly helps to prepare pupils well for the next stage in their education. On occasion however, some of the ways in which teachers adapt activities to support pupils with SEND to access the curriculum are not as effective as they could be.

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

The school has designed a curriculum which is ambitious for pupils. It ensures that pupils study a broad range of subjects as part of the curriculum. The school’s curriculum thinking is well developed, including within the early years. Within different subjects, the school has thought about the knowledge that it wishes pupils to learn. Teachers use different assessment strategies to collect information about how well pupils learn the 28 and 29 February 2024

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curriculum. This helps pupils to encounter new learning at the correct point. Teachers display effective subject knowledge. In many lessons, they present information clearly to pupils in a logical order. This helps pupils to build on what they already know.

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From the early years, the school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. It has clear systems in place to identify pupils’ additional needs. Overall, the support that pupils receive helps them to access the curriculum. However, there are instances where this is less successful. In these cases, the activities provided for pupils do not help them to acquire the intended knowledge as well as they could. This sometimes limits how well these pupils achieve, and they occasionally struggle to recall their learning.

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Reading is a high priority for the school. From the early years, the school has devised a reading curriculum that teaches pupils how to read, while also developing a passion for reading. Pupils experience a wide range of literature. This is supported by the school’s community library. From Reception class, pupils begin to learn about the different sounds which letters make. This helps pupils to make a strong start to the school’s phonics programme. Staff receive effective training to deliver the scheme well. The books that pupils read closely match the sounds which they know. This helps them to become more confident and fluent readers.

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The school has recently changed its approach to support pupils attending school as often as possible. The school monitors pupils’ attendance with closer scrutiny than in the past. Where needed, they provide support for specific pupils and families. As a result, most pupils’ attendance is improving over time.

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The school has a keen focus on pupils’ wider development. This starts in the early years where children are taught to discuss their own and other people’s feelings. Pupils’ cultural development is a high priority. For example, pupils get the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. They also visit many places of cultural significance. For example, pupils visit places of worship for different religions. Teachers support pupils to gain an understanding of how to keep themselves physically healthy. Pupils relish the extra responsibilities that they have. For example, they can be members of the ethos committee, school council or can be well-being champions.

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Staff are immensely proud to work at the school. The school carefully considers the well- being of staff and is alert to the demands of their workload. Staff appreciate the support that they receive for this. For example, staff found the new feedback policy more effective for them. This is because it focuses more specifically on pupils’ learning in lessons.

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Governors are aware of what the school does well and what needs further refinement and improvement. They make regular visits to the school to check on its progress towards the school improvement targets.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Adaptations which teachers make to activities are sometimes not as effective as they could be. This means that some pupils with SEND, on occasion, cannot access their learning as effectively as they could. This limits their learning in these instances. The school should provide further training and guidance for staff, to help ensure that these pupils are readily able to access the curriculum.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 outstanding in June 2017.

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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.

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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). 28 and 29 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 to 28 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  This Church of England primary school is part of the Diocese of Manchester. The last section 48 inspection took place in March 2023. The next section 48 inspection is likely to take place before March 2028.

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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 that 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 his evaluation.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, they met with subject leaders, visited lessons, talked to pupils and looked at pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. He met with the leaders of attendance and behaviour. 28 and 29 February 2024

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 The inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority, and he spoke with a representative of the Diocese of Manchester.  The inspector observed some pupils in Year 1 to Year 3 reading to a familiar adult.  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 observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtimes and as pupils moved around the school building. He scrutinised leaders’ records of pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at the school. He spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and for

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pupils.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses.

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Inspection team

Stuart Perkins, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 28 and 29 February 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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