Wellesley Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Wellesley Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school. It sits at the heart of the community.

The school has a clear vision for the education it wants to provide. Pupils embrace this and are passionate to 'aim high and reach for the sky!'.

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils.

It has been designed from early years through to Year 6. The school ensures the learning is well sequenced. It sets out the important knowledge that pupils need to learn over time.

The school has high expectations for how pupils behave. Pupils meet these expectations and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Pupils celebrate difference.

They state th...at everyone is welcomed and respected in Wellesley. Pupils are polite and respectful. There is a calm and purposeful environment in classrooms and around the school.

The school prioritises pupils' well-being and safety. Staff form positive relationships with pupils. As a result, pupils feel happy, safe and valued.

They can talk to trusted adults if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils of all ages play well together. As one pupil stated, 'Everyone can play together in an inclusive environment.'

Pupils show care and consideration towards each other. Playtimes and lunchtimes are enjoyable for all.

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

Reading is prioritised at Wellesley.

From an early age, pupils learn phonics to help them to be able to read fluently. The school has established a new reading scheme which helps pupils to build their phonics knowledge well. The books pupils read match the sounds they have learned.

This helps pupils to build their reading fluency. Staff have the expertise to ensure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics and reading. They use assessment effectively to check pupils' phonics progress.

Pupils are supported to enable them to catch up if they fall behind.

Pupils develop a love for reading. They enjoy listening to adults read.

In early years, children enjoy joining in with rhymes and familiar stories. This enthusiasm continues as they move through the school. Texts are planned to develop pupils' understanding of diversity and protected characteristics.

Pupils develop their fluency and reading skills as they move through the school.

Pupils progress well through the curriculum. They can recall their recent learning well.

In history, pupils study the coronation of William the Conqueror, as represented in the Bayeux Tapestry. They compare this with the recent coronation of King Charles. Pupils find it more difficult to reflect on their prior learning and make links to their current learning.

The school recognises that the curriculum needs further embedding to enable pupils to build on what they already know and deepen their knowledge. In some subjects, assessment is not used effectively to check what all pupils know and remember to inform future learning. This makes it harder for pupils to build their knowledge over time.

Staff morale is high at Wellesley and there is a collective determination to improve the school. The school has responded well to address the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Self-evaluation is robust and the school seeks and embraces external support and challenge.

The curriculum is adapted where necessary to ensure any gaps in learning are addressed. For example, there has been an increased focus on developing pupils' mathematical fluency. This is in response to low outcomes in last year's national multiplication times table check.

The school has developed a nurturing and inclusive environment. The school swiftly identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means pupils with SEND are supported from the time they start school.

Staff have the expertise they need to support and adapt learning for pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils progress well through the curriculum.

Pupils learn a well-devised personal development programme.

They know how to stay safe online and how to keep themselves physically healthy. The school has a strong pastoral offer to support pupils' mental health. Pupils learn about how the brain works.

They are encouraged to consider their feelings and character strengths. They value the programme and recognise how it supports them. Pupils understand why it is important to treat everyone equally and with respect.

They state that at Wellesley 'whatever you believe, you are part of our school, so it doesn't matter'. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governors know the school's strengths and areas for improvement well.

They provide appropriate support and challenge to the school. Parents are very positive about the school. They are supportive of the school and value its importance in the community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, assessment is not used with enough precision to check what pupils know and remember. As a result, some pupils struggle to recall prior learning.

They do not build their knowledge well over time. The school needs to ensure that assessment is used effectively across all subjects and use this information to adapt future learning. This will help pupils deepen their knowledge and understanding across the full breadth of the curriculum.

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