Waynflete Infants’ School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a warm, nurturing ethos at Waynflete.

Staff know the pupils well. They have created an environment where pupils feel safe and secure. Pupils say, 'The adults look after us here.

They make sure we are happy.'

Parents are very positive about the school. They appreciate the care and support their children receive.

The school wants the best for all its pupils, but the quality of education they receive is not good enough. The school has not set out exactly what pupils need to learn in all parts of the curriculum.

Pupils enjoy going to school.

They like playing together on the playground and they know what it means to be a good ...friend. However, some pupils do not always follow the classroom rules. Lessons can be disrupted by silliness and calling out.

Pupils sometimes show a lack of respect by not listening, ignoring staff and talking over them.

The school has not ensured that staff have the same expectations of pupils' behaviour in lessons or that poor behaviour is dealt with consistently. When staff do not address low-level disruption effectively, it can affect pupils' learning.

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

The school wants all pupils to read fluently as soon as possible. Children in the early years begin to learn to read the moment they start in Reception. Staff teach the school's chosen phonics programme well.

They encourage pupils to sound out and blend words in their heads. Staff model what speedy, expressive reading should sound like. These approaches help to develop pupils' reading fluency.

Staff ensure that the reading books that go home are matched to the letter sounds that pupils know. Pupils look forward to story time each day. They like listening to the variety of books that staff read to them.

The school has not ensured that all parts of the curriculum have been broken down into small, progressive steps. This means that pupils do not systematically build their knowledge and skills over time in some subjects. This is also the case for some areas of learning in the early years.

In some subjects, staff routinely go over prior learning. In phonics, for example, staff regularly revisit the letter sounds that have been taught in the past. This keeps them fresh in pupils' minds so they can use them again.

However, the school has not made sure that recall practice happens in all subjects. As a result, pupils sometimes remember the activities they have taken part in rather than the important knowledge that they need to retain.

One of the school's priorities is the development of children's communication skills when they are in the early years.

However, some staff do not make the best use of opportunities to consolidate and extend children's spoken language. This is because the school has not provided staff with the training that they need to be able to do this well. There are also some subjects where the school has not ensured that staff have had training to teach the curriculum effectively.

The school makes sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the individual help they require. Staff think carefully about the support that pupils with SEND need to access the curriculum and make progress.

Pupils sometimes get away with behaviour that distracts others and hinders learning.

This is because the school has not ensured that all staff are consistent in what they expect from pupils or how they handle low-level disruption. The school does not check closely enough on the occurrence of this type of behaviour to address it effectively.

The school's work on personal development is helping to prepare pupils for their future lives.

Staff teach pupils to recognise how they are feeling and how to deal with their emotions. Pupils learn about their rights and responsibilities. They understand how to keep themselves healthy.

Pupils know what to do if they feel unsafe. There are a variety of clubs, trips and activities on offer to give pupils a range of experiences and to develop their talents.

Staff are positive about the support they receive to manage their workload, including those in the early stages of their career.

There have been several changes in the trust board recently. The trust has ways of assuring itself that safeguarding arrangements and SEND provision are effective. However, the trust knows that it needs to widen its checks to ensure that the quality of education is high across the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some parts of the school's curriculum have not been broken down into a precise sequence of learning. This means that pupils do not systematically build their knowledge and skills over time.

The school must set out exactly what pupils will learn from the early years through to Year 2 and ensure that staff have the training they need to implement all parts of the curriculum effectively. The school must ensure that staff help pupils to remember the important knowledge they have learned before so they can recall it securely. In the early years, children's communication and language skills are not consistently well developed.

The school has not made sure that staff make the most of free-choice time or imaginative play to check on children's understanding or extend their vocabulary. The school must provide all staff working in the early years with the training they need to develop children's communication and language. The school must ensure that high-quality interactions between staff and children take place throughout the day.

• The school has not ensured that there are consistent expectations of pupils' behaviour or a commonly understood approach to dealing with low-level disruption. When poor behaviour occurs and it is not addressed effectively, it hinders pupils' learning. The school must ensure that all staff follow the agreed behaviour policy so that pupils develop consistently positive and respectful attitudes to learning, and any instances of disruptive behaviour are addressed swiftly and effectively.

• The trust does not check closely enough on the quality of education across the curriculum. This means that the trust is not fully providing the challenge and support the school needs. The trust must review its systems so it can be sure that the school is providing high-quality education in all subjects.