Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school.

They are happy and safe. They speak with excitement about their learning, especially their reading.

From the moment they join the school, pupils are encouraged to 'nurture, grow and succeed together'.

They rise to these high expectations. Most pupils achieve well. However, pupils' written work in subjects other than English is of variable quality.

Pupils treat each other and adults with respect. Most pupils behave well in lessons. Some pupils need gentle reminders to focus in lessons, but learning mostly goes on undisturbed by pupils' behaviour.

Pupils are encouraged to be independent and confident to take on n...ew challenges both in and out of the classroom. Many pupils participate in a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. These include sporting, dance and choir clubs.

Pupils can follow their interests and develop their talents. Pupils take part in a variety of trips and visits that help make learning relevant and enable them to gain a range of new experiences.

Pupils are proud to adopt leadership roles, including the school council, eco-leaders and play leaders.

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

The school ensures that pupils study a broad and ambitious curriculum. This curriculum embeds the school's values. Teachers choose books to read with pupils that will enhance the topics pupils study.

In this way, pupils read a wide variety of different texts. This helps promote pupils' lifelong love of reading.

Children develop a very strong foundation in reading from the start in early years.

They learn to read with staff who are experts in teaching phonics. Adults provide interactive opportunities to play and learn about phonics. Pupils practise using their phonics knowledge regularly.

They read books that are well matched to the sounds they know. This helps pupils to read fluently. Teachers check pupils' progress in reading carefully.

Pupils who fall behind are quickly identified and helped to catch up. Older pupils who struggle with reading are very well supported by adults to become confident readers.

In many subjects, the school has identified exactly what pupils should learn at different times.

Teachers check what pupils know and can do. They identify and address any gaps in pupils' learning.

Pupils' writing in different subject areas is not always of the same high standard as it is in English.

Teachers' expectations of written work in some subjects are not as high. Therefore, pupils do not apply their writing knowledge as well as they could.This means that they do not always show the depth of their knowledge in all subjects.

This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils.

The school ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can access the full curriculum. Staff quickly identify pupils' specific learning needs.

This means that teachers put in place the appropriate support in the classroom. Regular reviews of support plans ensure that pupils' needs are continually met. Most pupils with SEND achieve well, especially in reading and mathematics.

All pupils have activities that prepare them for their future lives. They participate in entrepreneurial projects and hear talks from local professionals. Pupils learn about and practise democracy by voting for their council representatives and eco-councillors in school.

They learn about other faiths and cultures through the rich texts that they read at school.

Pupils are respectful to adults. Pupils play happily together at social times.

Most pupils are keen to contribute their ideas in lessons. A very small number need encouragement to do so by their teachers.

Leaders have worked hard to improve pupils' attendance.

Leaders are proactive in supporting families to help their child attend regularly.

Pupils contribute positively to the local community. This includes visiting the nearby care home, fundraising for a range of charities, participating in church services and litter picking in the community.

Staff have regular opportunities to talk about their well-being with leaders. School leaders ensure that staff workload is manageable. Trust leaders know the school extremely well.

They make sure the actions of school leaders are helping to make things better for the children in their care. Local governors fulfil the responsibilities given to them by the trust. Leaders at all levels are rightly proud of the continual improvements in the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Written work completed by pupils is of variable quality across the curriculum. This is because teachers do not insist on the same high expectations of written work in foundation subjects that they do in English.

This means that pupils do not consolidate their knowledge of writing for different contexts. In turn, they do not achieve as highly in writing assessments as they could.The school should ensure that pupils' written work in foundation subjects is of the same high standard as it is in English.

Also at this postcode