John Wilkinson Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Since her appointment, the headteacher has raised expectations for all pupils and staff.

Staff now have high expectations and high ambitions for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

In the past, the school has not acted effectively enough to ensure that pupils achieve well. As a result, standards in the quality of education and pupils' outcomes have declined.

New leaders have introduced strategies to stem this decline. These are effective and are beginning to have a positive impact on pupils' learning.

Pupils at this school are a delight.

They are welcoming, friendly... and want to learn. They enjoy coming to school and do their best in lessons. Warm and respectful relationships between adults and pupils are commonplace.

Pupils behave well and the school is calm and orderly. Pupils are confident that their teachers will deal with any issues quickly and effectively.

The school's provision to enhance pupils' personal development is strong.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities that develop their personalities and further their interests. The activities include trips, visits, external visitors, sporting competitions and assemblies. Pupils value and appreciate these many opportunities.

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

New leaders have brought about the required urgency and determination to halt the decline in standards. Leaders have, in a short space of time, made some marked changes that are beginning to improve the school. The new curriculum is suitably broad and balanced.

It is ambitious for all pupils. In most subjects, the curriculum clearly identifies what pupils should learn and in what order. However, this work is at the early stages of development in some subjects and more needs to be done.

Pupils, especially older pupils, have many gaps in their learning because of previous weaknesses in the design of the curriculum. Leaders have identified this, and work is underway to address these gaps to help pupils catch up. However, inconsistencies remain.

Teachers sometimes do not check well enough what gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills persist, especially in mathematics. Consequently, teachers cannot adapt their teaching to address these gaps. As a result, for some pupils, these gaps are not filled quickly enough and pupils achieve less well.

Reading is prioritised. Teaching of the phonics scheme helps pupils to increase their reading fluency. This work is effective, and most pupils are reading at an age appropriate for them.

The lowest-ability readers are well supported. Leaders swiftly identify pupils who are not keeping pace with the school's reading programme and put effective interventions in place to help them keep up. Pupils enjoy their daily reading sessions and story time.

Support for pupils with SEND is organised well. Effective systems ensure that any pupil who may need extra help is identified and supported. Leaders share clear information with staff, especially about how pupils should best be supported in lessons.

While this works well for most pupils, for some it is inconsistent. At times, staff intervene too quickly, thus not giving pupils sufficient thinking time, or pupils' learning is moved on before they have fully understood their previous work. When this happens, it slows pupils' learning.

Children in the early years settle well. Staff work hard to get to know children and ensure that they become used to the daily routines. The curriculum in the early years is well structured to ensure that children get off to a strong start.

Children begin learning about letters and numbers straight away. At times, children are not moved on to new learning when they are ready. This can slow their progress.

Children enjoy learning and playtime in the outside spaces. They are safe and happy.

The school promotes pupils' wider development well.

Pupils have many opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom. They benefit from many sporting clubs, go on trips and have leadership roles, which they value and enjoy. In lessons, pupils learn about values such as respect, responsibility and what it means to be a citizen in modern Britain.

Pupils are well prepared for later life.

Senior leaders have a precise understanding of the school's strengths and its weaknesses. They work well together and have introduced new strategies to improve the school.

It is too soon to see the full impact of these strategies. Staff are unanimous in their support for new leaders and say that leaders are mindful of their well-being and workload. Parents praise the school's pastoral support for their children, and many would recommend the school to other parents.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum in some subjects does not clearly identify the precise knowledge and essentials skills that pupils should know. As a result, pupils are not able to build up their learning over time.

The school should ensure that the knowledge and skills pupils are expected to know are clear to all staff. ? Some teachers do not use assessment consistently well. Therefore, they do not know what gaps in pupils' knowledge persist and are not adapting their teaching to fill these gaps.

When this is the case, pupils' learning slows. The school should ensure that all staff use assessment consistently well to identify what pupils can and cannot do so that learning gaps are addressed effectively. Some teachers do not effectively adapt their teaching to support pupils that need extra help, or children that are ready to move on to new learning.

This means that teachers sometimes move pupils on to new content before they are ready, or do not extend the learning of others. This can slow pupils' learning. The school should ensure that all staff have the expertise to support pupils' learning effectively.