Whitegate End Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this welcoming school, which is built on strong relationships. Pupils know adults will listen and help whenever needed.

From the very start of the early years, children thrive in this nurturing environment.

The school wants pupils to succeed academically. It has redesigned its curriculum to ensure that it is suitably ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils enjoy learning. Recent improvements to the curriculum mean that many achieve well across a range of different subjects.

Pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes.

They are polite and well-manne...red. They listen carefully and typically stay focused on their learning.

Pupils flourish in their various roles and responsibilities.

These include acting as head pupils, sports captains and eco-heroes. Pupils learn to care for living things, for example, the school dog Rudi. This helps pupils to develop empathy and respect.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips and clubs beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils spoke excitedly about cooking and sports clubs, as well as residential trips abroad and theatre visits. These experiences enable pupils to develop exciting new interests and find undiscovered talents.

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

The school has worked effectively to secure improvements to the quality of the curriculum since the last inspection. It has raised the bar for pupils' achievement. The school's most recent published data does not reflect the strength of its educational offer.

In 2024, some pupils' attainment, for example in mathematics at the end of key stage 2, was significantly below the national average. This is because many pupils had gaps in their knowledge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and weaknesses in the previous curriculum. The school has taken appropriate action to tackle this weakness.

As a result of this positive work, many current pupils learn well.

Improvements to the curriculum mean that staff are clearer about the learning that they need to focus on during lessons. This includes in the early years, where the curriculum for most areas of learning outlines the essential knowledge that children should learn in readiness for key stage 1.

Nevertheless, in a few remaining subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school is still refining its work to ensure that staff are clear about what they want pupils to learn. This means that, sometimes, staff find it difficult to design learning that helps pupils to gain important knowledge. On occasion, this hampers the depth of subject knowledge that some pupils acquire.

Typically, staff deliver the curriculum well. Most staff use the school's strategies to identify and address pupils' misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge. However, from time to time, some staff do not check that pupils' knowledge is secure before introducing new learning.

This hinders how deeply some pupils learn.

Reading is a priority. Staff are well trained to support pupils with learning to read.

They quickly identify when children in the early years, and pupils in key stage 1, do not keep pace with the phonics programme. Staff give pupils the help that they need to catch up. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know and have learned.

This helps them to read with increasing fluency and confidence.

Pupils with SEND are at the core of the school's work. Staff identify pupils' barriers to learning accurately and efficiently.

Adaptations to teaching are made to ensure pupils with SEND get the support they need. This helps these pupils to achieve well.

Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school.

They engage in their learning and are attentive during lessons. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes settle in well. They receive effective support to learn classroom routines and expectations.

This helps children to learn and to play cooperatively alongside each other.

The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly. The school provides effective support for families where attendance is a concern.

The school provides a wide range of high-quality opportunities to nurture pupils' personal development. Pupils are taught about faiths and cultures that may be different to their own. They learn about diversity among people and families.

Pupils understand the concepts of democracy, respect and tolerance. They understand that rules are there to keep them safe. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

Staff are happy and proud to work at this school. The school is considerate of their workload and well-being. Governors support the school well.

They have a range of skills that allow them to understand the school and support its development. Governors are well informed about the school's curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school is still determining the knowledge that pupils and children should acquire and when they should learn it. This makes it difficult for teachers to design learning activities that build on what pupils already know. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects to enable children and pupils to develop a deep and rich body of subject knowledge.

Occasionally, staff do not identify or address gaps in some pupils' knowledge before they introduce new learning. This means that these pupils' knowledge is not as secure as it could be. The school should support staff in checking that pupils have successfully embedded prior knowledge before they introduce new curriculum content.

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