Wheatfields Primary School

Inspection of Wheatfields Primary School Nene Way, St Ives, Cambridgeshire PE27 3WF

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Wheatfields Primary School. Many pupils say the lessons are what they like best. The school places a high value on everyone being included. Everyone is welcomed warmly. Pupils feel safe and well cared for by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. They study a broad and interesting curriculum. The school has worked hard to ensure that learning is interesting. This is helping pupils to achieve increasingly well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to the school’s high expectations of them. In the past, this has not always been reflected in pupils’ achievement in national tests and assessments. However, the school has identified, and made, changes to the curriculum and how it is taught. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school’s values of being resilient and reflective learners. They show respect for staff. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the range of clubs and activities they can experience. There are regular opportunities for the older pupils to have additional responsibilities. Pupils elect members to represent their views on the school and eco-councils. They help to decide how some areas of the school are organised. These opportunities help pupils to become responsible citizens.

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

Pupils study an ambitious and increasingly well-designed curriculum. The school has made improvements to ensure that important knowledge is set out in a logical order. This helps develop pupils’ depth of understanding over time.

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

In the early years, learning is carefully planned and skilfully delivered. Adults support children to develop their knowledge and understanding across all areas of learning. Routines and behaviours for independent learning are established quickly. Children are well prepared for Year 1 and beyond.

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

The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength. The school has high aspirations for pupils with SEND. The school accurately identifies any additional help pupils with SEND need. Teachers adapt their teaching and provide pupils with personalised support when this is needed. This helps pupils to overcome their barriers to learning. As a result, pupils with SEND settle well and learn the curriculum alongside their classmates.

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

The school prioritises the learning of reading and phonics. The school’s phonics programme is well structured. Children learn to read from the very start of Reception. Well-trained staff teach phonics consistently well. Their expertise helps them to spot when pupils have gaps in their reading knowledge. They make sure these pupils get the help they need to catch up. As a result, pupils gain the knowledge they need to read fluently. 5 and 6 November 2024

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Across the school, pupils access a well-organised reading scheme. They are motivated by the rewards that encourage them to read at home. Improvements to the curriculum ensure that pupils increasingly have opportunities to practise and apply their reading knowledge when studying different subjects. This helps them to become confident readers.

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Teachers explain learning clearly to pupils. Learning is delivered step by step. This helps pupils to build on what they have learned before. The school routinely checks how well pupils are doing at the end of a unit of work. Staff use this information to adapt the curriculum and address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, sometimes teachers do not check pupils’ understanding thoroughly. This means that misconceptions that pupils have are not always identified. As a result, some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready to do so.

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Staff set high expectations for behaviour. Many pupils take responsibility for managing their behaviour. Most are enthusiastic and motivated learners. They listen well to their teachers’ explanations and instructions. As a result, learning progresses smoothly in lessons. However, at playtimes and lunchtimes, some pupils do not always display the same levels of respect for others. These pupils are less successful at managing their own behaviour, and expectations of their behaviour are not always as high as when they are in class.

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Pupils are polite and respectful of each other. When speaking in a group, they take turns to talk and listen. The school teaches pupils to understand and respect people’s differences. This gives them a firm understanding of fairness, equality and democracy.

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Leaders and governors are outward-looking. They have benefited from guidance provided by experts. This has enabled them to develop the school further. Leaders ensure staff are provided with useful training opportunities to improve their teaching.

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Most parents are positive about the school. They appreciate the regular opportunities to visit the school. These include sessions when parents can enjoy books with their children. This encourages pupils to read more frequently.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teachers’ checks on pupils’ understanding are not effective. Consequently, some misconceptions go unchecked and become embedded. As a result, pupils do not learn some important knowledge as securely as the school has planned. The school should ensure that agreed approaches for checking pupils’ understanding of new 5 and 6 November 2024

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learning are implemented consistently to prevent misconceptions from being carried forward by some pupils.  During unstructured times, some pupils’ behaviour is not as polite and respectful as it could be. Some staff do not consistently uphold high expectations of pupils’ behaviour outside of lessons. The school should ensure that the same calm, self-regulation seen in classrooms is reflected at playtimes and lunchtimes.

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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school runs a pre-school, with provision for three-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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 inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the leader with responsibility for the provision for pupils with SEND and teaching and support staff. The inspectors also met with the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, physical education and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work. The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subject areas.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of other documentation, including governors’ meeting minutes and leaders’ evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke to pupils to gather their views on school life.  To gather parents’ views, inspectors took account of the responses from Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also met with some parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Rod Warsap, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sonia Innes Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 2024

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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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