Windermere Primary School

Inspection of Windermere Primary School Windermere Avenue, St. Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 5QP

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 17 and 18 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school, where pupils are happy and feel safe. Behaviour is generally calm and respectful. Most pupils behave well, supported by the school’s systems and expectations. Pupils generally speak positively about their learning, particularly when activities are engaging and hands-on. Pupils show enthusiasm for science experiments and exploring historical topics. Pupils enjoy recalling their educational visits, including trips, which help them remember more, for example, about history and science.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While some pupils are encouraged to take pride in their work, the school’s expectations for high-quality work are not always applied across subjects and year groups. This means that some pupils do not yet have regular opportunities to produce their best work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils care about making the world a better place. They speak thoughtfully about global issues, such as climate change, war and homelessness. They show empathy towards people in need. A wide range of clubs and enrichment activities support their personal and social development. Pupils value taking on roles such as play leaders and monitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils’ attainment is in line with national averages by the end of key stage 2. However, the quality of education remains inconsistent. As a result, not all pupils are as well prepared as they could be for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has faced significant staffing challenges. This has led to inconsistencies in how some subjects are delivered. Staff training is helping to strengthen curriculum delivery. Leaders have prioritised improving behaviour. As a result, teachers provide clear routines and facilitate a calm learning environment.

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

The school has a broad, well-sequenced curriculum. However, some teaching activities do not focus clearly enough on the essential knowledge pupils need to remember. This makes it harder for them to recall important ideas and make connections to deepen their understanding over time. The school has systems to monitor curriculum delivery, but these have not fully addressed inconsistencies across subjects and year groups.

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

The school has taken steps to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their social and emotional needs met. Staff provide a nurturing environment, where pupils feel supported and included in school life. However, some support for pupils is not always closely matched to their individual learning needs. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

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

The reading curriculum is well designed, with effective strategies to help pupils who are at earlier stages of reading catch up quickly. This curriculum is mostly delivered well. The school’s monitoring of reading fluency is enabling staff to adapt early reading lessons to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, not all children receive the targeted support they need. In addition, some reading books are not well matched to pupils’ phonics 17 and 18 June 2025

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ability. This limits some children’s ability to quickly develop confidence and reading fluency.

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The early years provision is caring and supportive. Children are generally happy and settled. Although leaders have set out the aims of the curriculum, these are not fully embedded in practice, especially in early reading and phonics. As a result, some children do not develop the strong foundational skills they need for future learning.

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In some subjects and year groups, the school does not ensure that staff maintain high expectations of pupils’ work. For example, some teaching does not ensure high standards of presentation or effective guidance to help pupils improve their work. As a result, some pupils do not take enough pride in their work or understand how to improve it. This limits some pupils’ ability to develop strong learning habits over time.

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Behaviour across the school is generally calm and respectful, with positive relationships between staff and pupils. Staff work closely with families and external agencies to identify and address barriers to regular attendance. This has led to improvements for pupils, who previously had high levels of absence.

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Pupils learn how to stay safe and are encouraged to take responsibility. They take part in a range of clubs, trips and charitable activities that promote respect and inclusion. The school’s values are evident in pupils’ behaviour and attitudes. While some pupils can talk about ideas such as fairness and respect, they are less confident in linking these to fundamental British values, such as democracy.

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The school is taking appropriate action to improve the quality of education, and some positive changes are evident. Staff appreciate that leaders are mindful of their well-being and workload. However, the school’s vision and expectations are not yet embedded across all areas.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The teaching of early reading, particularly in the early years, is not entirely effective. Some children do not receive the targeted support they need, and reading books are not always well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge. This limits some pupils’ ability to develop reading fluency and confidence as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that its early reading provision enables all pupils, including those in the early years, to become fluent and confident readers as quickly as possible.  The curriculum in the early years is not delivered well enough across all areas. As a result, some children are not developing the foundational skills they need for future 17 and 18 June 2025

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learning. The school should ensure that the early years curriculum is delivered effectively, so that all children get a strong start to their education and become confident learners who are ready for Year 1.  Some teaching is not adapted well enough to help pupils with SEND to learn the curriculum effectively. Some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that teachers adapt their teaching to meet pupils’ needs and to support all pupils to achieve well.  In some subjects, the school does not make sure that teachers use assessment well enough to check that pupils understand and remember what they have been taught previously. The school needs to ensure that assessment is used more purposefully to inform teaching and to monitor the impact of the curriculum more accurately.  Teachers do not consistently have high expectations of the work pupils should produce. Some pupils do not engage with learning and do not produce work that shows what

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they can do. The school should make sure that all staff set and model high expectations, so that pupils commit to their learning and produce high-quality work consistently.

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 November 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school manages its own breakfast club 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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed the 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 and other senior leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English and computing. 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. The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted Parent View. An inspector spoke with several parents on the school gate.  The inspectors considered the views of staff and pupils through meetings and informal discussions.

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Inspection team

Cindy Impey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Lawrence Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 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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