Whitchurch Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud and happy to attend their caring school. They use their 'ACE' values to help them to behave respectfully. Pupils are kind and polite towards everyone.

They welcome new pupils and visitors with a warm smile.

Pupils have a thirst to learn new things. They study an ambitious curriculum that prepares them well for their next steps in learning and beyond.

Pupils use the area in which they live to explore important themes. In science, for example, pupils consider environmental and conservation issues in their locality.

Pupils develop their talents and interests through extra-curricular clubs and experiences.

Many pupils take part ...in sporting competitions and events, which develops their confidence and resilience. For example, pupils who play a musical instrument proudly perform in the jazz summer festival.

Pupils describe themselves as 'ACE students'.

They understand how to 'aspire, create and explore' successfully. Pupils also find out about future opportunities and careers, which helps them to 'create their own journeys in life.'

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

The school, alongside the trust, has worked with determination to make sure that pupils' experiences of school are positive.

At the heart of this work is pupils' personal development. Through a well-planned curriculum, pupils learn about 'who they are as pupils at Whitchurch Community Primary School.' Pupils develop their spiritual, moral and social understanding well.

They understand the importance of being physically and mentally healthy. They learn about different faiths and beliefs and make links with their own beliefs and values. Consequently, pupils are well informed about issues pertinent to life in modern Britain.

In most subjects, the school plans carefully what pupils should know and by when. This takes into account the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND benefit from careful adaptations to their learning.

There is a focus on the development of pupils' understanding of subject-specific vocabulary. For example, in physical education, pupils understand terms such as core stability and why this is important to improve performance in different sports. As pupils get older, they become adept at using sophisticated language to explain what they have learned, both in spoken and written form.

Where the curriculum is new, the trust, along with the school, has provided staff with helpful professional development. This has improved staff's knowledge and expertise. However, in some subjects, the school does not have an overview of how well the curriculum is taught or how well pupils learn it.

This results in some pupils not learning key content securely before they move on.

The school emphasises the importance of reading. From the very beginning of the Reception Year, children learn how to crack the alphabetic code.

Highly skilled staff follow the school's phonics curriculum to support pupils to learn the sounds that letters make. Pupils become confident, fluent readers, who read high-quality texts. Carefully selected books support pupils to learn about how people are unique and to respect each other for who they are.

Pupils are keen to read for pleasure.

The school has a renewed focus on attendance. Most pupils attend well and are punctual.

They enjoy learning and being part of their school community. Pupils value the pastoral care they receive from staff. For some pupils with SEND, 'the ark' provides additional support to help them manage their feelings and emotions successfully.

Staff recognise that leaders at all levels are warm and supportive. They are proud to be part of a team in which they are 'valued, respected and seen'.

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, the school's use of assessment does not identify how successfully pupils learn over time. This hinders improvements to the curriculum and therefore how well some pupils learn. The school needs to ensure that assessment informs subsequent curriculum planning so that all pupils learn successfully.

• In some subjects, the school does not have sufficient oversight of how well the curriculum is taught. At times, pupils do not learn important content securely before they move on to new learning. The school and the trust should ensure that they know the quality of teaching and learning in all subjects.

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