White Waltham CofE Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

White Waltham CofE Academy continues to be a good school.

The head of school is Laura Denham.

This school is part of the Ashley Hill Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Isabel Cooke, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Clive Haines.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school and cared for by staff.

The small school culture and warm sense of community start from the school's unique approach to road safety. Staff welcome pupils on the busy road outside the school and guide them through the school gates. The schoo...l has very few pupils with any form of disadvantage.

The school recognises this and provides experiences to pupils beyond their lived experience in the village. As a result, pupils are open-minded and inclusive.

Pupils are confident and articulate.

Pupils relish opportunities to work in the community. Their experiences, such as working with the parish council to plant trees, have a positive impact on the community. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are fully included in the school's experiences and opportunities.

Consequently, all pupils develop into active citizens.

The school has high expectations of pupils' learning. Pupils enjoy learning across the curriculum and generally achieve well.

Occasionally, some pupils are not as focused as they should be, and staff do not manage this consistently well. As a result, there are times when lesson time is lost, which slows learning.

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

The curriculum is engaging and well considered.

Pupils relish the opportunity to learn a wide range of subjects and are proud of what they know and can do. The school has carefully identified and sequenced the most important knowledge from Reception onwards. For example, fundamental movement skills are taught methodically, starting with basic balances in Reception.

In key stage 1 dance, pupils plan and perform a sequence of movements. Year 6 pupils build on this and use and demonstrate more complex routines and choreography. The curriculum design has been carefully considered in some subjects to support pupils with SEND.

As a result, most pupils achieve well.

Pupils benefit from activities that carefully focus on the key learning. Staff use expert knowledge to skilfully build pupils' understanding over time.

For example, in mathematics, pupils are supported to develop fluency and tackle increasingly complex problems from Reception onwards. Staff support pupils' learning by providing carefully chosen resources. They identify pupils with SEND swiftly and provide support to aid their learning effectively.

In English and mathematics, staff accurately check pupils' understanding and use this to inform their teaching. This helps pupils to achieve well over time, which means that published results typically match the national average at the end of key stage 1 and 2. In a few subjects, the school's checks of what pupils know and can do are less well refined.

Pupils love reading. The school's work on the 'Reading Routes' programme incentivises and engages pupils in different types of books they might not have otherwise tried. One pupil told inspectors, 'I never knew I loved books like this until I tried one.'

Pupils develop into fluent and articulate readers. This stems from a well-structured and consistently taught reading programme that starts from Reception. Pupils who need extra help with reading, including pupils with SEND, are swiftly identified.

Well-trained staff support these pupils consistently with additional practice. Consequently, pupils are supported to catch up quickly.

Pupils enjoy positive attitudes toward learning and the school.

The school's approach to develop a caring and welcoming culture is well-established. Pupils love the wide range of equipment available at playtimes. They use this collaboratively and treat each other with kindness.

Pupils' behaviour in class can be more variable. The school's expectations of engagement in lessons are not always consistently high. As a result, there is some disengagement, and learning is sometimes interrupted.

The school's work on attendance is strong, and attendance for all pupils is significantly better than the regional and national averages.

The trust and school work effectively together to provide meaningful opportunities for all pupils. Pupils flourish from opportunities such as the Eisteddfod festival.

These events are inclusive, and pupils relish the opportunity to perform. Pupils understand and can recall the learning that drives the interesting trips and experiences that enrich the curriculum. They are inclusive and embody the values of acceptance and kindness the school strives for.

Staff welcome leaders' insightful focus to manage their workload. The school works to reduce burdensome tasks and provides additional time for staff. As a result, staff are positive and aligned with the vision of the school.

Governors and directors meet their statutory duties, and the school benefits from a positive working relationship with stakeholders across the local community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's expectations of pupils' engagement is sometimes variable.

This means that pupils are not always as focused in lessons as they could be, and this can slow their learning. The school must support all staff to maintain consistently high expectations of pupils' behaviour and focus so that disengagement and incidents of disruptive behaviour are reduced, so that learning time is maximised.

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we the school to be good in February 2019.