Wargrave CofE Primary School

Inspection of Wargrave C of E Primary School Bradlegh Road, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside WA12 8QL

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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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 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Wargrave C of E Primary school’s values of truth, friendship and respect underpin the way that pupils here treat others. Pupils have warm relationships with adults in the school. They feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), live up to these expectations. Typically, pupils achieve well and are prepared for the next stages of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, from the early years to Year 6, engage fully in their lessons. Their positive attitudes mean that there is rarely any disruption to their learning. Pupils rightly trust adults to deal quickly with any concerns that arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace the trips, clubs and events that the school carefully plan to enhance the curriculum. They talked excitedly about going to the theatre by train and going to local museums. Pupils enjoy developing new skills in cooking, photography and cricket clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In addition, pupils take pride in their work in the community, for example by reading and singing at a local old people’s home and by helping to host a local schools’ annual rugby tournament. These opportunities add considerable value to pupils’ learning and wider development.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has undergone a period of considerable change. Despite this, it has ensured that the curriculum is mostly well designed. In the majority of subjects, the school has identified the most important knowledge for pupils to learn in the early years to Year 6. Children in the early years are ready for the demands of key stage 1. Pupils in Year 6 are prepared for their secondary education.

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

In a few subjects, however, the precise knowledge that pupils should learn is not clear enough to staff. Where this is the case, the curriculum does not provide enough support and guidance for teachers to enable them to plan consistently meaningful learning activities.

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

Staff are adept at addressing pupils’ misconceptions. They use the school’s checking systems well to identify where pupils may have gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Adults use this information well to shape future teaching.

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

The school’s expectations for pupils’ handwriting and grammar are not consistently high enough across subjects. Some pupils cannot form letters accurately or write legibly with punctuation by the time they leave Year 2. This hampers their ability to write fluently and neatly in later years. Furthermore, the high levels of concentration needed to write leaves these pupils less able to focus on the meaning or context of their writing. 26 and 27 November 2024

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Children in the Nursery class and the two-year-old provision get off to a flying start in reading by learning to hear rhythm and rhyming patterns. By the time they reach the Reception Year, they are ready to learn phonics. Most pupils become fluent readers by the end of Year 2. Staff quickly identify pupils who struggle with early reading and make sure that they are supported to catch up. A love of reading is evident throughout this school. Younger pupils are keen to recount their favourite stories and older pupils enjoy reading a wide range of diverse genres and authors.

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Pupils in the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) are nurtured and championed along with all those with SEND. Staff assess and identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Staff adapt the delivery of the curriculum well to meet these pupils’ needs. Pupils move seamlessly from resource bases to mainstream lessons. They achieve well from their starting points and join in with their classmates in all aspects of school life.

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There is a calm, friendly atmosphere across the school. Pupils conduct themselves appropriately. The school prioritises attendance. Where pupils’ attendance rates are low, the school takes prompt action to reduce absence. The school’s excellent partnerships with families help these actions to be effective.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and how to stay physically and mentally healthy. They know about different religions and faiths. Pupils have a well- developed understanding of differences and treat everybody with respect. They are well prepared to grow up in modern Britain.

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Governors are well informed about the school. They know the community well and carry out their statutory duties competently. They support staff and leaders’ well-being and management of workload, while also holding leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. Staff are happy and proud to work at this school. The school is considerate of their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not identified the exact knowledge that pupils should learn. This makes it difficult for teachers to ensure that pupils learn all that they should. The school should clearly identify the key knowledge that pupils will learn in these subjects so that they can build a secure body of knowledge over time.  The school’s expectations for pupils’ handwriting and grammar across all subjects are not consistently high. Some pupils have not mastered legible and accurate letter 26 and 27 November 2024

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formation by the time they leave Year 2. This hinders their writing fluency, communication and presentation as they move through the key stage 2 curriculum. The school should refine its expectations around children’s handwriting and grammar skills from the early years upwards.

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 June 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Liverpool. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in February 2024. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in 2028/2029.  The school’s current headteacher was appointed in April 2023.  The school has a local authority commissioned specially resourced provision for up to 20 pupils with autism. There are currently 17 pupils in this provision. All pupils in the specially resourced provision have an education, health and care plan.  The school manages a breakfast- and after-school club.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provider.

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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 provision). Schools 26 and 27 November 2024

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receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and staff. They also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  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 observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and breaktimes. They also spoke with pupils about their experiences of school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Ruth Moran, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Baron Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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