St Werburgh's CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Werburgh’s CofE Primary School Church Street, Spondon, Derby, Derbyshire DE21 7LL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Rachael Dean. This school is part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sarah Clark, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sarah Charles. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Werburgh’s Church of England Primary is an inclusive and nurturing school. Staff and pupils live out the Christian values harmoniously. There is a strong community feel to the school. Pupils know the rules of ‘be kind, be respectful and be safe’. This is evident in how pupils and staff interact with each other. Pupils are happy and safe. They are proud of their school. As one pupil said: ‘This is a fun school where you can feel free to be yourself.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well mannered, polite and respectfully confident. They engage well in lessons. They listen intently and are keen to share their ideas and answer questions. Pupils support each other. They work well together in lessons and show care for one another outside. Older pupils provide guidance and support to younger pupils at breaktimes. Pupils who need help to regulate their emotions are supported well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an ambitious and broad curriculum. This is enhanced by carefully selected trips and visitors. The school provides a range of musical, creative and sporting opportunities to nurture pupils’ talents and interests. The school ensures that all pupils are able to access these.

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better?

Children get off to a good start in the Reception Year. The provision is well resourced, both indoors and outside. The environment is organised carefully to help children to quickly learn new knowledge and develop their skills. Children are provided with opportunities to follow their own interests, explore and take learning risks. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. They have established clear routines that allow children to develop independence, learn how to take turns and to share. Children are well prepared for key stage 1.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading. Staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme well. Reading books are closely matched to the sounds that pupils know. As a result, pupils soon become fluent readers. Any pupils who begin to fall behind get the help that they need to keep up. Beyond phonics, the reading curriculum is well organised. Pupils study a wide range of texts of increasing complexity. The school promotes a love of reading in a variety of ways, including visits from authors and the recent addition of the new library pod.

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better?

The mathematics curriculum helps pupils to become fluent with numbers, and to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. In lessons, teachers provide clear and well-structured explanations. They use questioning skilfully to identify and address misconceptions. Pupils revisit content through the ‘10 for 10’ questions. They say that this helps them to remember what they have learned before. 12 and 13 March 2024

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The wider curriculum is ambitious and well planned. It builds cumulatively on what pupils know, from the Reception Year through to Year 6. Pupils enjoy lessons and talk positively about their learning. Teachers use ‘What three things?’ to identify the most important content that they want pupils to learn in lessons. This helps pupils to remember the curriculum. When planning lessons, teachers consider how they can help pupils to reflect on their learning and to further deepen their understanding. However, this is not consistently carried out or applied. As a result, learning for some pupils is not always maximised.

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Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. The school ensures that these pupils’ needs are identified and understood. Teachers adapt lessons well to cater for these. As a result, in the vast majority of cases, pupils with SEND successfully learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Supporting pupils’ personal development is prioritised. It is a strength of the school. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They show a secure and mature understanding of diversity and equality. They know what the protected characteristics are and what these mean in law. They understand fundamental British values. They can relate these to their everyday lives and talk about them with confidence. Pupils take on many extra roles and responsibilities, including being school ambassadors. The way that the school helps pupils to develop character is exemplary. Pupils are encouraged to develop their own views and opinions and debate these in a respectful way.

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The school is well led and managed. Staff, including early careers teachers, feel very well supported. Staff appreciate the wide range of training and support that they receive. This includes working with other schools across the trust to share good practice. Those with responsibility for governance know the school well. They provide appropriate support and challenge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some of the foundation subjects, planned opportunities for pupils to deepen and extend their learning are inconsistently implemented. As a result, learning for some pupils is not always maximised. The school should ensure that the planned opportunities for pupils to deepen and extend their learning are consistently implemented. 12 and 13 March 2024

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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

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust. St Werburgh’s Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy in October 2019. When its predecessor school, St Werburgh’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in January 2018, it was judged to remain good overall.  The school does not currently use any form of alternative provision.  The school is a part of the Diocese of Derby. The school has not received a section 48 inspection of the school, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character. 12 and 13 March 2024

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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.  This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history, physical education, science and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils, and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for behaviour, personal development, and the provision for pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils;

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Information about this inspection

and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plan. The inspector met with members of the governing body and the trust board.  The lead inspector met with the senior school improvement adviser, the deputy chief executive and the chief executive of the trust.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments, as well as the results of Ofsted’s survey for school staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Luella Manssen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Atkins Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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