Whitehills Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

The school's outstanding improvement since the last inspection is due to the exceptionally skilled headteacher and very effective school leaders who have secured high-quality teaching throughout the school. In English and mathematics, pupils have made outstanding progress in the last two years as the school accelerated their learning. This is a rapid improvement since the last inspection, when rates of progress required improvement.

Much of the teaching is outstanding in all years and in most subjects. Teachers plan and teach lessons that enable pupils to learn exceptionally well. Teachers have very high expectations of all pupil...s.

They successfully capture pupils' interests and fire their imagination. As a result, all groups of pupils make excellent progress and their achievement is outstanding. Since the last inspection, greatly improved teaching and highly effective training for all staff have led to sharply improved rates of progress and much higher attainment for all groups of pupils.

The senior leadership team rigorously check the quality of teaching. This means that all teachers know what they do well and what needs improving so that pupils' needs are fully met. Leaders, governors and staff have secured excellence in nearly every aspect of the school's work since the previous inspection, including teaching and achievement.

Governors are extremely well informed about all aspects of the schools' work. They check on the work of all leaders and challenge them to meet highly ambitious targets for all pupils. Pupils' behaviour is excellent.

They are polite, caring and courteous and their strong attitudes to learning ensure they make outstanding progress. Pupils say they feel very safe and that they are very well cared for. The exciting curriculum and many enrichment opportunities on offer ensure that pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development flourish in this school.

Children in the early years learn exceptionally well because of the excellent teaching and support they receive. The well-resourced, vibrant and stimulating environment ensures that children are productively occupied and learning at all times. As a result, they are extremely well prepared for entry into Year 1.

The school has worked successfully to improve the quality of teaching in reading, writing and mathematics. Whilst standards in other subjects are high, the school has not yet improved teaching to the same outstanding quality equally across all subjects.

Information about this school

Whitehills Primary School is much larger than the average-sized primary school.

The majority of the pupils are White British. A minority are from a wide range of minority ethnic groups. A very low proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium.

This is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in care. One seventh of pupils are disabled or have special educational needs, which is in line with the national average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Children start school full-time in the Reception classes. Whitehills School shares part of its site with the nursery school, which is independent of the school and is subject to a separate report. Approximately two-thirds of children starting in the school's Reception class each year transfer from the nursery school.

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