Warthill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very positive about their school. Leaders provide opportunities that enable pupils to live out their motto, 'Be the best you can be'.

Pupils and staff are proud of the federation with Sand Hutton Primary School. The fact of the school's being federated enables pupils and staff to come together for curriculum development, enrichment visits and extra-curricular activities.

Staff have high expectations of pupils.

Pupils' behaviour in lessons and around school is consistently calm and orderly. Pupils know what bullying is. They give examples of incidents of 'falling out' that they know are not bullying.

They are confident that if bullying happ...ens, adults will sort it out.

Pupils have exemplary attitudes to their learning. They show resilience and determination, especially when tasks are tricky.

Relationships between adults and pupils are supportive, kind, trusting and respectful.

Leaders plan, in the curriculum and in extra-curricular activities, ways to support pupils' personal development. Pupils participate in singing events and sports matches with other local schools.

Children in early years get the best possible start to their education. The provision, in a mixed-age class, is well organised and is used constructively by the children.

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

Leaders want reading to be a life skill that pupils will use to access the whole curriculum.

There is a daily story session. Teachers encourage pupils to vote on which story book they read to them. Teachers use this time to instil a love of reading, to develop pupils' vocabulary and listening skills.

Pupils use their phonics knowledge to sound out new words in their reading book. There is a small number of pupils who need extra support in remembering their phonics. These pupils have more time with an adult every day to practise.

As a result, all pupils from Year 3 are secure in their phonics knowledge.

The teaching of mathematics is a strength. There is a clear sequence of learning for each year group in the mixed-age classes.

Teachers have high ambition for pupils. They check that pupils are remembering key knowledge through the quick revision lesson starter. Pupils revisit mathematics strategies daily to consolidate the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

This enables them to apply this knowledge to problem-solving and reasoning questions with confidence.

To meet the needs of the pupils in the mixed-age class, leaders plan the wider curriculum as a cycle. This means that pupils do not repeat the curriculum in the same class.

Subject leaders plan the skills and vocabulary for each unit of work. Leaders recognise that some subjects are planned in more detail than others.Subjects such as art, music and modern foreign languages need further development.

In these subjects, leaders have not sufficiently identified the small steps of learning that pupils need to complete in order to meet the intended outcomes. This means that it is not clear how a sequence of lessons develops pupils' knowledge and skills. Teachers engage in professional dialogue with each other about pupils' achievements in the wider curriculum.

However, this does not check on pupils' progress in each unit to subsequently influence curriculum thinking.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have support plans that contain targets intended to meet their needs. However, these plans have not been regularly reviewed, updated or routinely communicated to parents and carers.

This means that some pupils have targets that are not appropriate.

Early years staff have exceptional knowledge about child development. They manage the different needs of the children well.

Children are highly engaged because the activities meet their needs. Adults skilfully model language for the children to improve their communication skills. Children in early years work and play with older pupils.

This helps to improve their personal, social and emotional development.

Pupils know how to stay physically and mentally healthy, for example by eating a balanced diet, sleeping well and drinking water. They know the features of a healthy relationship and how to stay safe when online.

Pupils make a positive contribution to the life of the school by taking on responsibilities such as being a playtime monitor or classroom helper. Leaders have recently introduced a new personal, social and health education programme to help pupils develop the skills they will need as they grow up.

Governors ensure that they challenge leaders at all levels.

For example, through their link governor roles, they hold subject leaders to account. Governors are well informed about staff well-being. They take any concerns raised with them seriously and act alongside leaders to address these.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have recently received training in the latest statutory safeguarding guidance. Leaders currently have no cases open to external services.

As a result, leaders are mindful that they must assume that 'it could happen here'. They explicitly keep safeguarding at the forefront of everyone's mind. Safeguarding logs are comprehensive.

They detail the incident, the outcome and the actions taken by leaders.

Leaders have identified risks in the community linked to road safety. They address this by modelling crossing the road when they leave to access the school field opposite the building.

Pupils can go to any adult if they have a concern and adults will help them.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subjects in the wider curriculum are not sufficiently planned well. This means that some subjects do not identify the small steps of learning for pupils.

Without this, pupils do not have the right prior knowledge on which to build. Leaders should assure themselves that knowledge, skills and vocabulary build over time in the wider curriculum. ? Leaders do not have an effective system for checking on pupils' knowledge across the wider curriculum.

They rely on professional dialogues between colleagues to exchange information. This does not give specific information on pupils' progress across the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that they use their checks on pupils' knowledge across the curriculum to influence future curriculum thinking.

• Some targets for pupils with SEND have not been reviewed. As a result, the targets are not appropriate as they do not match pupils' current level of need. Leaders should ensure that targets match the pupils' needs to help to ensure that they are given the right support to make progress.