Whitehall Park School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Whitehall Park School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. They have made changes to the way subjects are taught across the school in recent time. This is because they want pupils to enjoy learning and make strong connections between what they learn across subjects.

Typically, parents and carers are supportive of the changes. Pupils achieve well overall.

Pupils are happy in school.

At breaktimes, they enjoy playing with the hula-hoops, balls and on the school's climbing frame. Pupils are safe and feel safe. Typically, pupils behave sensibly.

Pupils are taught how to recognise diff...erent types of bullying, and what to do should it happen in school. Leaders deal with any incidents of bullying and follow them up appropriately.

Pupils enjoy opportunities to take on responsibilities in the school.

Pupils are taught about democratic processes. They vote for school council representatives, a head boy and a head girl. Pupils are proud to hold these positions and represent their school.

Pupils enjoy taking part in competitions and events together with other schools. For instance, pupils were excited about the upcoming sporting events, including a football tournament.

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

Pupils study a range of subjects in line with the national curriculum.

Subject leaders are knowledgeable. They work closely with leaders in other schools within the trust and local authority to develop their expertise. In most subjects, leaders have correctly identified the most important knowledge they want pupils to remember.

They have sequenced this knowledge effectively and assess what pupils know, before they move on. For example, teachers check that pupils know important mathematical vocabulary before moving on to independent work. As a result, typically this information remains in pupils' long-term memory.

Leaders provide training and coaching for teachers to ensure that they have the appropriate knowledge to teach the subject. Curriculum leaders monitor teaching to assure themselves that the curriculum is taught effectively.

In a few subjects, subject leaders' curriculum thinking is not as well developed.

As a result, some important subject knowledge is not taught as clearly and sequenced as carefully from the early years upwards and pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. For example, pupils in Year 6 are knowledgeable about Rosa Parks and the American civil rights movement. However, they have not been taught the importance of using historical sources of evidence in order to gain a deeper understanding of events that took place in the past.

Teachers and teaching assistants are trained to teach phonics. Pupils are taught to decode and blend phonics sounds from the early years onwards. Pupils read books matched to the sounds they are learning.

Pupils who struggle with early reading receive extra help and support to help them keep up. Leaders provide many opportunities for pupils to practise reading books in school and at home. This helps pupils to gain confidence and fluency in reading.

Leaders work with teachers, parents and carers to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders work closely with a range of professionals to provide training for school staff and tailored help for pupils with SEND. This includes speech and language therapy, and support with any mental ill health concerns.

Leaders and teachers make adaptations to support the learning of pupils with SEND in order to help all pupils to access the same curriculum content.

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour. Pupils are taught to recognise their emotions and talk about how they are feeling.

Typically, pupils' learning is not interrupted in class. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to take part in a range of activities after school. These include chess, football, capoeira and Spanish clubs.

Leaders encourage all pupils to attend.

Leaders of the trust provide effective support and challenge. Leaders work together to make sure that demands on staff workload are manageable.

School staff appreciate the support they receive regarding their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know their responsibilities to safeguard pupils' welfare.

They ensure that all necessary checks are completed before staff start their employment. Leaders ensure that school staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training. Leaders deal with any concerns that may arise swiftly.

They seek advice from external agencies where necessary.

Pupils are taught about online safety. They know how to report anything that may worry or upset them.

Pupils are taught about risks from abuse in an age-appropriate way. They know to speak to a trusted adult if they are at all worried.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, leaders have not identified or sequenced important subject knowledge from the early years well enough.

As a result, pupils have some gaps in their subject knowledge. Leaders must ensure that important subject-specific knowledge is identified and sequenced thoroughly in all subjects.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 judged the school to be good in April 2017.