Weaverham Forest Primary School

Weaverham Forest Primary School

Address: Forest Street, Weaverham, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 3EY Unique reference number (URN): 111054

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Overall, leaders ensure that most pupils typically attend school regularly. They check absence levels and take action to reduce instances of pupils missing out on school. However, up until this year, the attendance levels of disadvantaged pupils had remained stubbornly low. Leaders have taken action to address this situation. This includes working with families and pupils to provide timely and effective support. As a result, the attendance rates of disadvantaged pupils have improved over time.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders make sure that classrooms are characterised by a calm and focused atmosphere that supports pupils' learning. Pupils usually work hard and try their best. Pupils proudly follow the school’s values of ‘be respectful, be honest and be kind’. At breaktimes, pupils play well together. They participate enthusiastically in team games or enjoy spending time chatting with their friends. Pupils know that they can talk about any rare issues with bullying or other forms of discriminatory behaviour, including when working online. Staff deal with such incidents quickly.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have high aspirations for children in the early years. They have implemented a curriculum that is purposeful, engaging and ambitious. It supports children to build their understanding and skills over time.

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Early years Expected standard

Warm relationships between staff and children underpin the welcoming atmosphere in the early years. Staff treat children with care and kindness. They ensure that their welfare and emotional and physical needs are met well. Children understand and follow staff's consistent behaviour routines and expectations. This helps them to settle in well and grow in confidence.

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Early years Expected standard

Well-trained staff understand the different needs of children well. They sensitively support any children who need extra help. Staff ensure that vulnerable children can access the same learning opportunities as other children. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Early years Expected standard

Reading and the development of communication skills are central to the school’s early years curriculum. Staff skilfully maximise opportunities to develop children’s vocabulary and learning across different areas of the curriculum. Leaders choose well-considered texts, as well as activities that ignite children’s curiosity. Overall, children learn well from their starting points. Typically, they are ready for key stage 1.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders and staff ensure that pupils with additional needs are welcomed and participate fully in school life. This includes those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders accurately and quickly identify pupils' needs. For example, children in the early years receive helpful support for any speech, language and communication difficulties as soon as they start school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Typically, leaders' work reduces obstacles to pupils’ learning or wellbeing. For example, leaders use additional funding effectively to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils. Pupils who need emotional support receive help that aids them to thrive at school. Leaders liaise with alternative provision providers to secure support for pupils with SEND, including those with social, emotional and mental health needs. Pupils' best interests sit firmly at the centre of leaders' decisions about alternative provision.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school works with a range of external agencies to enhance vulnerable pupils’ educational experiences and wider opportunities. For example, leaders ensure that pupils known to social care receive tailored support so that they can access the curriculum successfully. Leaders provide pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, with a range of extra- curricular opportunities. These help to raise pupils' aspirations and broaden their horizons.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school’s programme to support pupils' personal development enables pupils to develop their knowledge around relationships, sex and health education in an age-appropriate way. Pupils learn to value and accept the differences between people from other backgrounds and cultures. They develop a secure understanding of fundamental British values as part of the school's work on equalities and diversity.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils make an active contribution to school life and the wider community. For example, pupils in Year 6 act as role models by working as ‘buddies’ to children in the Reception Year class. Pupils enjoy growing flowers for the village fête. They also take part in a local festival where they sing and recite poetry to members of the local community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils’ safety and wellbeing is front and centre of leaders’ work. Pupils receive timely support from the school’s pastoral team. Pupils learn about staying safe in different ways. They know how to keep themselves free from harm when using the internet. Pupils benefit from having regular visitors in school. These include visits from the emergency services, including the police and fire service, who teach pupils about dangers in their locality. Pupils enjoy working as road safety officers. They lead events to teach other pupils about how to stay safe when crossing busy roads.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils have access to a variety of clubs and extra-curricular activities that are open to all and cater to a range of pupils’ interests. Pupils enjoy residential visits and other trips and events, including various sporting competitions. These opportunities help to develop pupils’ confidence, resilience and team-building skills.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils quickly secure basic skills in early reading and mathematics. This is reflected in the proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening test and the Year 4 multiplication check. However, pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6 is less positive. Typically, it is below the national average. This is also the case for disadvantaged pupils.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ learning across the rest of the curriculum is uneven. In some subjects, pupils show secure understanding. However, in other curriculum areas, pupils do not develop a strong body of knowledge in the longer term. This means that some pupils are not fully equipped with the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in high school.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders' recent actions have resulted in pupils making more secure progress through the curriculum, particularly in their mathematical and written fluency.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Over time, weaknesses in how the curriculum is taught have hampered some pupils from becoming fluent readers, writers or mathematicians by the time they leave primary school. Leaders have made some recent improvements to the quality of teaching, including to the teaching of basic skills in English and mathematics. They have provided staff with training to develop their subject knowledge across the curriculum. However, some of these developments are relatively new. This means that there are still some inconsistencies in the way that some staff deliver some subjects.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teachers' choice of activities or the adaptations that staff make are sometimes not matched precisely enough to pupils' starting points. This at times hinders pupils from learning all that they could. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers' assessment strategies sometimes do not ensure that pupils have securely understood key vocabulary and concepts in the longer term. This hampers some pupils' progress through the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is logically sequenced and appropriately ambitious. The school has taken the needs of different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, into account when designing their curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Over time, leaders have not tackled weaknesses in the quality of teaching and in pupils' achievement quickly enough. Leaders' recent actions have begun to address the identified areas in need of improvement. For example, staff now have clearer guidance and support to teach the curriculum with greater confidence. Leaders have prioritised the securing of pupils’ knowledge, particularly in English and mathematics. Pupils’ attainment is beginning to improve. That said, some of the leaders’ improvements are very recent. As a result, these changes are not embedded. Governors have not held leaders to account as well as they should in some aspects of the school's work. Leaders have recently improved the quality of information that they provide to governors. This is helping governors to offer more challenge and greater oversight of the school and their statutory duties.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Interim leaders have managed the recent instability in senior leadership effectively. Leaders have quickly secured the confidence of parents and carers through regular engagement activities, such as parent workshops and talking to parents at the gate in the mornings. Staff appreciate the way that leaders involve them in decisions about the school. They value leaders' consideration of their workload and wellbeing. Leaders and governors are united in their drive to build on recent gains to make the school the best it can be.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy warm relationships with staff. Pupils have a positive start to their learning. They feel a valued part of this happy and friendly school. They typically attend regularly.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils proudly rise to meet teachers’ high expectations for their conduct. Most pupils listen attentively to their teachers. They generally follow the school rules. This includes during lessons and at breaktimes. Pupils support each other. They show care towards other pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils value the friendships that they make in school. This helps pupils, including children in the early years, to settle in quickly. Pupils have trusted adults to turn to if they need any support. Pupils feel safe in school. They know that staff will successfully resolve any of their worries or concerns swiftly. This includes any rare cases of bullying or unkind behaviour.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy their learning each day. Children in the early years are well supported to be ready for key stage 1. Pupils generally receive the help that they need to reduce any obstacles to their learning or wellbeing. More recently, pupils’ learning across the curriculum is improving. However, leaders have not made sure that pupils are as well prepared for the next stage of their learning as they should be. This is due to the variability in which the curriculum across the key stages is delivered.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils value the wider opportunities that the school provides. They benefit from a variety of enrichment activities to develop their confidence and leadership skills. These include taking part in sports competitions, residential visits, community projects and musical performances. Pupils enjoy attending clubs in school. For example, pupils described the lunchtime club as a calm and welcoming space, where everyone is welcome. Pupils showcase their musical accomplishments as part of the end-of-year performance to parents and carers.

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Next steps

Leaders should further enhance staff’s subject knowledge so that they deliver the curriculum consistently well.

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Team inspectors:

Stuart Perkins, His Majesty's Inspector Joely Gibbons, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

Leaders should ensure that the support for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is precisely tailored to their starting points and needs so that they achieve all that they should. Leaders should build on the recent gains in pupils' mastery of English and mathematical skills so that pupils’ attainment over time, including that of disadvantaged pupils, matches that of other pupils nationally. Leaders should ensure that the checks that staff make on pupils' learning enable pupils to deepen their knowledge over time. Governors should ensure that they build on recent improvements so that they hold leaders to account for all aspects of the school's work so that recent improvements are sustained in the longer term.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Clare Parkin.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority and the school improvement partner.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school currently uses one alternative provision provider.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there have been some changes to the school. Both the acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher took up their roles as interim leaders at the beginning of the summer term.

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About this inspection

Acting headteacher: Melissa Rayner This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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About this inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 30 June 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2022/23 (final) 66% 71% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 33% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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national average

2023/24 (final) 67% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 5.1% 5.2% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 4.9% 5.5% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 5.4% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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