Watlington Community Primary School

Inspection of school: Watlington Community Primary School Rectory Lane, Watlington, King’s Lynn, Norfolk PE33 0HU

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Outcome

Watlington Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy in school. They welcome newcomers and treat each other kindly. They have positive relationships with staff. This helps them to feel safe. They know who to talk to if something is worrying them. Pupils show respect to their teachers. They show this by confidently answering questions or asking for help in lessons. Pupils listen well to their teachers and try their best in lessons. Pupils’ achievement is improving in most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in the playground and around the school. They are polite to staff and visitors. Children in the early years have some lessons with pupils in other year groups. In these lessons, they learn skills, classroom routines and how to cooperate with older pupils. As a result, they are well prepared for the transition to their next class.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a range of activities the school provides for them at playtimes. They have opportunities to join breakfast club or after-school clubs. They elect members of the school council. This helps them to understand how democracy works. They appreciate opportunities for visits out of school. These include visits to a local farm or out of the area for a residential stay. These experiences help to develop pupils’ confidence and character.

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

The school has worked hard to improve the curriculum. It has ensured that the curriculum is ambitious and reviewed regularly. Staff have identified what they want pupils to know and remember in each subject. The school has trained staff well, so teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. In some subjects, leaders know, through regular assessment, what pupils have learned and remembered. This means teachers can help pupils catch up quickly if they fall behind. In some subjects, the school is still developing assessment systems and staff do not check as precisely if pupils are learning what is intended in the curriculum.

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

The school has introduced a new phonics scheme and made sure that teachers follow the new system consistently in all classes. More pupils are now meeting the expected standards than did previously. Pupils in the early years or at the early stages of learning to read are given books which help them to develop their reading. They take books home 2 and 3 July 2024

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to practise. This helps them to become more fluent. Teachers check how well pupils read. They identify those who are falling behind and give them help to catch up. Teachers read to pupils and this encourages a love of reading.

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The school provides appropriate support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff identify exactly what pupils need to make progress. They give pupils the support they need to succeed and help pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers. For others who need it, the school has developed a bespoke curriculum to meet their needs.

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Attendance has a high profile. The school has worked hard with parents to improve the attendance of some pupils who were not regularly attending. The breakfast club the school provides ensures that pupils can arrive before school opens. Therefore, pupils can settle in a quiet environment to help them prepare for the school day. This is having a positive impact and attendance is improving.

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The school provides opportunities to broaden pupils’ wider development. They visit the local church regularly. Visitors from other faith groups also visit the school. This helps pupils to respect those with beliefs which differ from theirs. The school encourages pupils to write rules for their classroom. This encourages them to cooperate with each other and recognise the need for boundaries. The school provides opportunities for pupils to hear concerts and to learn an instrument if they wish.

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The school is a well-respected part of the local community. It has worked hard to improve the curriculum and introduce necessary changes in a measured way. Leaders take account of staff workload and support their development. This means that the whole-school team works well together to the benefit of the pupils.

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Parents speak highly of the school and the way they feel supported and welcomed. They talk positively about the education their children receive and the homework the school provides. Those responsible for governance understand their role and carry it out effectively. Many members on the board are new. They have accessed appropriate training. This supports them to know how to effectively hold the school to account and successfully meet their statutory obligations.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, where leaders are new, they have not yet developed assessment systems or been able to check that the curriculum is being delivered as intended. Therefore, in these subjects pupils do not learn what leaders had planned for them and misconceptions have developed. As a result, pupils do not have the basic knowledge from which to develop more complex ideas. The school should ensure that subject 2 and 3 July 2024

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leaders have time to check that plans are being delivered as they intended and develop assessment for these subjects which precisely identifies what pupils know and remember.

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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 January 2019.

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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 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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school appointed a new headteacher in April 2022. There was an interim headteacher prior to this for four terms.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher and the SENCo. She also met with the chair of the governing body and three governors. She met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and religious education. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, 2 and 3 July 2024

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector discussed the curriculum in other subjects, observed behaviour on the playgrounds, visited all classrooms and spoke on the telephone to a teacher at the registered alternative provider used by the school.  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 created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed several pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector spoke to groups of pupils about their experience of school life and their views on behaviour and bullying.  The inspector considered the responses of 32 parents on Ofsted Parent View, including

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the free-text responses. She also considered the 19 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and 40 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Linda Allison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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