Washingwell Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Washingwell Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Washingwell Community Primary is a welcoming school. Pupils are proud of the school values of 'happiness, excellence, ambition, respect & togetherness'.

Staff expect pupils to work hard and try their best. Pupils rise to this challenge.

The curriculum offer extends beyond the academic.

This promotes pupils' personal development well. Pupils relish the opportunity to take on responsibilities. They talk with pride about being a member of the school council, librarians or tuck shop leaders.

Pupils enjoy appointing their own head boy and head girl. Those... selected are strong role models for other pupils.

Parents and carers have high praise for the school.

Many parents use the words 'caring' 'listening', 'community' and 'family'. They say that this summarises the ethos of Washingwell. Parents particularly appreciate the nurturing staff, broad curriculum offer and parental involvement.

Pupils behave well in and around school. They say that they feel safe and that staff care for them. They talk about caring for each other.

They know what forms different types of bullying can take. This includes cyber bullying. Teachers plan ways for pupils to learn how to recognise and deal with bullying.

Pupils say that bullying is not tolerated by staff or pupils.

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

Leaders provide an interesting curriculum which is suitable for all pupils. The headteacher sets clear expectations of staff and pupils.

The deputy headteacher and curriculum leaders support this approach. Together, they expect pupils to try their best and behave well. Curriculum leaders plan their subjects around vocabulary and skills.

Pupils develop specific knowledge well through individual themes. Leaders ensure that curriculum plans include key questions as starting points. They then build in subject-specific skills and vocabulary.

Important facts and knowledge are generally identified in long-term plans.However, the way leaders plan the order that pupils should learn these key facts is not precise.

Teachers and teaching assistants know the pupils well.

They check on how pupils are learning across individual and series of lessons. Teachers adapt their teaching to make sure that pupils understand what they are learning. Teachers and teaching assistants provide effective support when pupils struggle in lessons.

The proportion of pupils who reach standards expected for their age has increased. In 2019, pupils' attainment in English and mathematics was above the national average. However, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher standards was below average.

Long-term plans across the curriculum do not have specific goals for most-able pupils.

The mathematics leader has secure subject knowledge. She ensures that long-term plans cover what pupils will learn, and in which order, each term.

Pupils are developing good problem-solving and reasoning skills. Pupils can revisit areas of mathematics where their knowledge is not secure. For example, pupils practise their multiplication tables on a regular basis.

This has helped them to calculate more complicated multiplication problems. Pupils are confident mathematicians. Their progress across key stage 2 has followed a rising trend over three years.

Pupils develop their writing skills across subjects. Developing general writing skills is not the main purpose in subjects beyond English. Teachers plan work to develop pupils' subject-specific writing skills.

For example, pupils' writing in history books shows knowledge of historical facts. This is often done through studying a local historical event. Pupils enjoyed learning facts about the 'great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead'.

In early years, children access a creative learning environment both inside and outdoors. Teachers plan lessons that help children to be curious and follow their interests. Leaders prioritise phonics and early reading for children from when they start school.

Children in Reception enjoy a range of exciting stories and rhymes to instil a love of reading. Pupils develop their reading and writing skills through a systematic approach to phonics. Staff have strong expertise.

As a result, pupils make good progress in their reading and writing across key stage 1. The pupils who are in the earliest stages of reading receive effective support. They read books which match the letters and sounds they know.

This helps them to be confident readers and to catch up quickly.

Leaders make sure that the curriculum supports disadvantaged pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) also receive appropriate support.

Both groups of pupils make good progress by the end of key stage 2.

Governance has strengthened since the previous inspection. Governors have been pro-active in developing their skills through a range of training.

Governors meet with curriculum leaders on a regular basis. They check how well the curriculum offer meets the needs of all pupils. They understand the importance of ensuring that staff workload is manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Senior leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. They have effective systems in place to keep children safe.

Staff access relevant safeguarding training. This enables them to identify pupils at risk and to report concerns.

The family support worker has built positive relationships with parents.

She provides guidance and support for pupils and their families.

Pupils say that they feel safe. They say that they have trusted adults to talk to, if they have any concerns.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in school, at home and online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have designed a curriculum which is ambitious and is coherently planned around vocabulary and skills. Knowledge is sequenced through individual themes.

Although teachers focus on teaching knowledge in lessons, leaders should sharpen the recording of this in long-term curriculum plans. Leaders need to develop further the sequential planning of when important knowledge is planned for all subjects across all year groups, including early years. .

Leaders need to consider the planning of sequential units of work for all subjects to make sure they fully identify the end points that the most able pupils can be expected to achieve. This includes the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2.Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 9–10 February 2016.