Wilthorpe Primary School

Inspection of Wilthorpe Primary School Greenfoot Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S75 1EG

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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 Requires improvement 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Wilthorpe Primary School is a joyful and vibrant place to learn where pupils feel, and are, safe. Pupils enjoy learning and have a thirst for knowledge. They are kind and caring towards each other and model tolerance and respect. Pupils have excellent relationships with adults and are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for its pupils. This is reflected in the carefully planned curriculum. Pupils thrive and spend the day with a smile on their faces. They enjoy learning to read and appreciate every opportunity to practise their reading. There is a calm sense of purpose around school. Pupils concentrate and work hard in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers appreciate the high level of care and support given to pupils and their families. This is especially so for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in this highly inclusive school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations for behaviour are very clear and pupils enjoy meeting these expectations. They behave well almost all of the time. Pupils insist that bullying is rare. They are confident that it is dealt with effectively if it does occur. They are proud that they have leadership roles and can contribute to school improvement.

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better?

Since the last inspection, leaders and governors, in partnership with Every Child Matters Academy Trust, have ensured rapid and significant improvement. They have focused on the right things at the right time in order to secure improvement in all areas of the school’s offer.

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better?

Early years provision is now a strength. Children are welcomed every day into a highly engaging environment. Detailed planning and thoughtful teaching ensure that children are excited and curious learners. Children in Nursery learn the skills, routines and knowledge they need to be successful in Reception Year. By the end of Reception, children are well prepared for key stage 1.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading. Early reading and phonics are especially effective. Pupils in Reception and Year 1 benefit from a rigorous, structured approach to teaching phonics. Staff are well trained so teaching is precise and interventions are delivered with expertise. Pupils learn to read quickly, accurately and fluently. Older pupils talk about reading enthusiastically. They confidently describe the books that they are reading in detail and can discuss how they use skills like retrieval and inference in lessons. They particularly enjoy being read to by their teachers.

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better?

The detailed and sequenced curriculum that is now in place flows from the early years through to Year 6. Teachers use this to plan learning that builds over time and helps pupils know and remember more. Vocabulary and oracy development underpin the whole curriculum. This helps pupils to understand, make connections and 12 and 13 March 2024

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discuss their learning. Lessons have a good pace, and teachers use whole-school approaches, such as partner talk, to keep pupils engaged. In all subjects, pupils can talk about their learning and are able to recall key facts that they have been taught.

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During lessons, teachers ask skilful questions to establish whether pupils understand what is being taught. This is effective in identifying and addressing any misconceptions pupils may have. However, in some subjects, checks made at the end of a sequence of learning are still developing. This means that sometimes, teachers are not fully aware of what pupils have learned over time. Leaders are already aware of this and work to address it is already well underway. However, there remains more to do.

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Inclusion is at the heart of this school, and leaders are ambitious for pupils with SEND. The learning needs of each pupil with SEND are accurately and clearly identified and targets set are meaningful and relevant. This means that staff can effectively support all pupils in lessons. As a result, pupils with SEND learn well and play an active part in school life. For some pupils, however, sometimes learning lacks the challenge needed to allow them to fully extend and deepen their learning. Opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills and knowledge, such as to reason and solve problems, are sometimes overlooked. This hampers some pupils’ ability to reach the higher levels of attainment.

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Pupils benefit from an effective personal, social and health education curriculum. This equips them with knowledge to help them navigate their changing world. They are learning to be responsible citizens through the many leadership roles that they have. They can talk about ideas like democracy and discrimination and understand how to be healthy. Pupils know what healthy relationships are and have a good knowledge of protected characteristics. However, not all pupils are secure with their knowledge and understanding of other faiths and cultures.

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During the recent drive to improve the school, leaders have worked hard to ensure that staff workload is manageable. Staff well-being is fully considered. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and appreciate the recent improvements, especially in communication and their access to senior members of staff. Parents enjoy increased opportunities to be part of the school. One parent said, ‘My child’s class assembly was amazing to watch; it demonstrated the children’s passion for learning.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment at the end of a sequence of learning is not used as effectively as it could be in some subject areas. This means that in some subjects, teachers do 12 and 13 March 2024

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not know exactly what pupils have learned or the details of what they know. The school should continue its work to ensure that summative assessment is used effectively in all subjects to support teachers when planning lessons to meet pupils’ differing needs.  Sometimes, some pupils do not get sufficiently challenging opportunities to extend their learning further. This hampers their ability to reach the higher levels of attainment that they are capable of. The school should make sure that the strategies that teachers use consistently give pupils challenging opportunities to use and apply their knowledge and skills, such as to reason and solve problems, to support them to reach the higher levels of attainment.

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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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Karen Triantafyllou and Claire Barnes (Co-Chairs) Headteacher Cathryn Egginton (Acting Headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 September 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school has Nursery provision for three-year-olds.  The school makes use of one alternative provision.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club run by a private provider.  The school has an acting headteacher.  The school works in partnership with Every Child Matters Academy Trust.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 Inspectors met with the acting headteacher and other members of the leadership team.  Inspectors met with the leader for behaviour and attendance, the leader for pupil premium, the leader for personal, social and health education and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  A meeting was held with governors.  A representative from the local authority met the lead inspector.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics, history, religious education and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, conducted joint lesson visits with leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around school and at playtime and lunchtime.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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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 considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for staff and pupils and Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. This included comments received via the free-text facility. Inspectors also talked to some parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Chris Jennings, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Katy Cox Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 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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