Watton Westfield Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Watton Westfield Infant and Nursery School West Road, Watton, West Road, Thetford, Norfolk IP25 6AU

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Outcome

Watton Westfield Infant and Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The acting executive headteacher of this school is Rachel Mather. This school is part of Clarion Corvus Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jim Adams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Chris Nichols.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish attending this school. They are happy and enjoy playing with friends. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds, with lots of different home languages and cultures represented. These pupils, together with those whose families have lived in the area for many years, form good friendships and look after each other. Pupils in the ‘young translators’ group are keen to use their skills to help their peers who speak English as an additional language.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils to do well. It has ensured that the teaching of core subjects, such as English and mathematics, is consistent and has high expectations of what pupils will achieve. Pupils join in enthusiastically with familiar phrases and sayings that indicate the different parts of their lessons. They are motivated by new learning and excitedly share songs that help them remember key facts, such as the names of the oceans.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well behaved. The expectations are clear and simple, making it easy for even the very youngest to follow routines. Pupils are kind and polite. 1 and 2 April 2025

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

The school rightly identified that in recent years, pupils have not left the school with strong English and mathematics skills. Pupils’ outcomes in national tests and assessments have been too low. The school identified where there was a need for change and made effective changes. Staff have developed further their expertise in teaching English and mathematics. As a result, current pupils are taught well and are achieving well in these subjects.

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

Teaching of early reading is precise and helps pupils to build the skills needed to become fluent readers. There is lots of help and support for anyone who finds it harder to read. This is also the case for pupils who are new to speaking English, as extra teaching helps them develop their understanding. Pupils regularly practise sentence structure and physical writing skills using dictation. Pupils’ work demonstrates that many are now producing writing content of a high quality for their age. However, handwriting has not been taught as well. Too many pupils have letters of inconsistent size and not placed on the line, which detracts from the quality of their written work.

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

Across the curriculum, teaching is carefully thought out with a high focus on vocabulary. Pupils are encouraged to use full sentences in both speaking and writing. This is developed from Nursery up, for example using picture cards to ‘write’ a sentence correctly. Pupils really enjoy the more practical activities as part of their curriculum. They go searching for minibeasts in the wooded areas and draw large-scale maps. Staff’s knowledge of how to make the most of some learning activities is not always as strong as in English and mathematics. They do not always set activities that help pupils learn the intended knowledge. When this is the case, pupils do not develop their learning as well as they could.

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

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Information from assessments is used well by staff to adapt the curriculum or plan interventions, which means pupils with SEND make strong progress. There is regular communication with all parents, and the detail of this is particularly valued by parents of pupils with SEND.

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

The school celebrates the diversity of its pupils by organising events, such as themed ‘country days’, which help pupils learn about other countries and cultures. Pupils also learn about fundamental British values and show these in their good behaviour and respectful attitudes. Pupils know that their voice is heard through groups such as the school council.

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

Children in the early years make a strong start to their schooling, with effective, age- appropriate provision for the very youngest. Staff model clear speech and help widen children’s vocabulary. Children enjoy sharing stories with staff and completing purposeful writing, for example when creating Easter cards.

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

Attendance has been lower than the school has wanted, especially for certain pupil groups. Very recent changes to the way that attendance is tracked and how the school 1 and 2 April 2025

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supports parents and carers have resulted in a rapid rise in attendance in the last few months. This is at an early stage, and the school is working closely with the trust to embed these practices.

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The school has had a change of leadership in the last year, and through this period, it has worked closely with trust leaders on improving further the quality of education. Staff reflect that they have had to work hard but that leaders are understanding of workload and well-being. They are positive about the changes and how this has improved pupils’ education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The formation of pupils’ handwriting in key stage 1 detracts from the quality of what they write. They have not been taught the skills of transcription and letter formation well enough. This means some pupils are not writing at the appropriate standard for their age. Too many have poorly formed letters. This detracts from the quality of their written work. The school should ensure that pupils are taught correct letter formation so that their writing is of a better quality.  In the curriculum beyond English and mathematics, staff’s knowledge of how to make the best of learning activities to help pupils learn the knowledge intended is less well developed. This means that there are times when the activities set do not help pupils develop their learning as much as they could. The school needs to ensure that staff have the knowledge of how to provide activities that build effectively on previous knowledge and help pupils learn the knowledge intended across the whole curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 1 and 2 April 2025

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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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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2020.

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Website www.wattonwestfieldandjunior.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher and deputy headteacher are in post on an interim basis. The executive headteacher also oversees the work of Watton Junior School.  At the time of the previous inspection, the school was part of Corvus Education Multi- Academy Trust. Two trusts merged in April 2023, and as a result, the school is now part of Clarion Corvus Trust.  The school operates its own breakfast and after-school clubs, which also offer places to pupils from Watton Junior School.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The nursery has two classes, one for two- and three-year-olds and the other for three- and four-year-old children. 1 and 2 April 2025

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke to members of the leadership team from the school and multi-academy trust. They spoke to members of the trust and the local governing body. The inspector spoke to teachers and support staff to gather their views on the school.  The inspector visited a wide range of lessons. They looked at samples of pupils’ work and curriculum plans. The inspector also spoke to pupils both in and out of lessons.  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

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Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the views of parents and carers by talking to parents and reviewing the responses to the Ofsted survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Tessa Holledge, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 April 2025

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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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