Whitehill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Whitehill Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in Whitehill Primary School are safe and happy. They are eager to attend each day as they enjoy their lessons. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive, starting with the warm welcome that the pupils receive each morning.

Pupils reported that they have lots of grown-ups that they can talk to in school about any worries that they might have.

The school has high expectations of pupils' learning. In the main, pupils achieve well.

Classrooms are calm and purposeful. In lessons, pupils are eager to share their ideas and they follow teachers' instructions wel...l. They live up to leaders' high expectations and they are proud of the rewards that they receive for their efforts.

Pupils thrive on their opportunities to learn outdoors. This helps them to work as a team, learn about the environment and it improves their mental and physical health. In addition, pupils have a wealth of opportunities to take part in extra-curricular clubs and visits.

These include singing, coding, drama and dodgeball. Pupils value their busy lunchtimes when they spend time playing giant games and sports or spending time in the music area, where dancers and cheerleaders practise their routines.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

This begins in the nursery, where staff prioritise the development of children's communication and language skills. Children gain a secure start on which to build as they progress through the school. Most pupils achieve well, although there remain some differences between subjects in the depth of knowledge that pupils know and remember.

In most subjects, the school has identified the knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and enthusiasm for the subjects that they teach. They present information clearly and they design activities that help pupils, including those with SEND, to build their knowledge and understanding.

However, in some subjects, the curriculums have been recently updated and they are not fully implemented. As a result, in these subjects, pupils have some gaps in the subject vocabulary that they know.

In most subjects, teachers carefully check the knowledge that pupils know and remember.

Teachers identify and correct misconceptions before moving on to new learning. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not check specific subject knowledge sufficiently well. As a result, in these subjects, misconceptions are not addressed quickly enough.

The school has prioritised the teaching of reading throughout the school. The phonics programme begins in the early years and staff deliver the programme effectively. The school has ensured that the books that pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they know.

Teachers regularly check pupils' phonics knowledge and they ensure that less confident readers receive the support they need to catch up quickly. Pupils of all ages value the range of books available for them. Most pupils have developed a love of reading and they read regularly.

The school has effective systems in place to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. The school secures appropriate additional support for those pupils that need it. Teachers receive the information and training that they need to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

As a result, most pupils with SEND learn well.

Throughout the school, including in the early years, pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils show respect for each other and disruption to learning is very rare.

There is a harmonious atmosphere throughout the school.

The school has designed an extensive curriculum and a programme of experiences to help pupils to develop their understanding of the wider world. Pupils are ambitious for the future jobs that they could have.

Pupils have learned about a range of topics, including how to keep themselves safe online, healthy relationships and how to be respectful of the differences that exist between people. Leaders incorporate a range of trips that are designed to enhance the learning across a range of curriculum areas.

Members of the governing body understand the school well and they are ambitious for the pupils and the community they serve.

They support and challenge the work of leaders effectively. Parents hold the school in high regard and appreciate the plentiful opportunities they have to communicate with staff about their children. Staff value the time and support they are given by leaders so that they can carry out their roles.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

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, teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively to accurately identify the precise knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to know.

As a result, some pupils struggle to make deeper connections between earlier knowledge and new learning. The school should ensure that they implement the changes to these curriculums well so that pupils develop deeper knowledge and understanding of key concepts and vocabulary over time.

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 December 2018.