West Walton Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

West Walton Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like coming to West Walton Primary School.

They say that staff are helpful and fair. Parents and carers think so too. Pupils feel safe in school and say that adults keep them safe.

Leaders and staff expect the best from pupils. They weave the school's values into all aspects of school life. Adults carefully choose visitors to speak to pupils about work and prepare them for their future, for example Anglian Water.

Leaders promote tolerance and understanding. Everyone knows the school's three key rules: make the right choices; show respect for everyone a...nd everything; and be kind to others. Nearly all pupils put this into practice every day in their lessons and at playtimes.

Pupils say that bullying is rare. When it does happen, adults take it seriously and deal with incidents straight away. Some pupils say behaviour is a bit mixed.

Where behaviour is very good pupils learn and get on well with each other; this is not the same in every class. Around the school, the atmosphere is calm and purposeful.

Pupils enjoy taking part in many additional clubs on offer, such as sports leaders, craft and choir and looking after the school's small and large animals.

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

Leaders, governors and staff have high expectations of pupils. Leaders have worked hard to maintain the quality of education at the school since the previous inspection. They provide staff with high-quality training and are mindful of staff workload.

Leaders make sure that teachers only do things that make a difference to pupils. Staff feel part of the team and share responsibility for the school's development. Governors check that leaders continue to fulfil their vision for improvement.

Teachers teach reading well. Reading is at the centre of pupils' learning. Teachers choose books that extend pupils' vocabulary and knowledge of the world.

This helps pupils to then produce high-quality writing. Leaders have purchased suitable reading books for pupils. The books which pupils are given to read match closely to the phonics they have been taught and pupils' current knowledge and ability.

Year 6 reading mentors are proud of their roles, supporting Year 2 pupils to improve their confidence in reading.

Leaders have changed the design of the mathematics curriculum. They have carefully and successfully introduced a new scheme.

Teachers know what to teach and how to best teach it. Teachers use well-thought-out plans to build on pupils' skills year on year. For example, in Year 1 pupils use the resources they are given well to help them understand number and how numbers work.

Older pupils use this knowledge securely when presented with tricky problems.

Leaders have designed pupils' learning effectively in most subjects. In science pupils build their knowledge and skills in a logical way.

In other subjects, such as personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and modern foreign languages, the curriculum is less organised or systematically planned. Leaders are ensuring that they teach topics in a more suitable order so that pupils build up their knowledge in each subject, step by step.

Pupils enjoy their learning and say lessons are fun.

They also have a wide range of other learning opportunities. For example, pupils learn skills such as animal care and looking after the environment. Pupils go on visits to places of interest.

Recently, pupils in Year 6 visited Chateau Beaumont, in France, participating in both outdoor and adventurous activities and visiting a chocolat patisserie.

Not all pupils are as kind to each other as the school expects. There is still more to do for leaders to ensure that all pupils get along well with each other.

Teachers make sure that their teaching helps all pupils learn. Leaders meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) very well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils feel safe in school. Staff are vigilant in spotting signs that a child may be at risk of harm. Staff are well trained.

They know, for example, about the risks of 'cuckooing' and county lines. Leaders are tenacious in following up concerns with external agencies. They take all possible action to ensure that pupils are safe, both when in school and out of school.

Staff teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe when using technologies such as mobile telephones and the internet. Pupils know that their teachers and other staff will always listen to them and help them.

Leaders are diligent in checking that adults are suitable to work with pupils.

Safer recruitment processes are in place.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have carefully planned a structured and coherent curriculum in many subjects. They have provided focused staff training and have supported curriculum leaders in planning for their subjects.

However, in a few subjects leaders are at an earlier stage of implementing a well-designed curriculum. Leaders should ensure that in subjects such as PSHE and modern foreign languages the curriculum is planned coherently and well sequenced, so pupils can achieve well. .

Leaders are aware that not all pupils reach their high standards for behaviour. Building on current successes in improving pupils' social skills, leaders should ensure that all pupils are taught the skills they require to succeed in life.

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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2010.

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