Whitesheet Church of England Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Whitesheet Church of England Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are at the centre of this small, inclusive school.

Leaders have high expectations. They are determined that all pupils achieve well. Pupils feel valued and appreciate the opportunities staff provide both in and beyond the classroom.

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are happy and safe because adults care for them well. Staff have an accurate view of the needs of pupils and their families.

Parents appreciate this. They talk highly of the 'family feel' of the school and how happy their children are to attend.

Pupils behave well in clas...s and around the school site.

Low-level disruption is rare. When pupils become unsettled, staff deal with this quickly, so it does not interrupt learning. Pupils are polite and considerate to each other.

They are adamant that bullying does not happen.

Pupils understand the importance of respect and tolerance. They see everyone as an individual.

Pupils have strong and trusting relationships with staff. They understand the school's values and why they are important. Pupils are clear that they should treat others as they would like to be treated.

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

Leaders, including governors, are ambitious for all pupils, including those with more complex needs. Staff value the way everyone works as a team. They feel appreciated and supported by leaders.

As soon as children start in Reception, they develop a love of reading. Well-trained staff support pupils' understanding of phonics. They make frequent checks on pupils who struggle to keep up with the reading programme.

Staff ensure they provide the right support for those who need it. Staff use a range of different texts, including traditional tales and rhymes. Books are matched to the sounds that pupils are learning.

As a result, pupils are developing into confident and competent readers.

Older pupils enjoy reading. They are keen to discuss the books they have read or had read to them.

Pupils enthuse about how books can be a comfort as they can lose themselves in different stories. Staff read to pupils regularly. Pupils are motivated to read widely through rewards and challenges adults provide.

Leaders have made improvements to the mathematics curriculum. It is now sequenced and organised well to help pupils remember what they have learned. Pupils can discuss their learning in mathematics using the correct mathematical vocabulary.

Staff in the early years foundation stage provide children with exciting opportunities to use the natural world to develop their understanding of number. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have access to high-quality resources to help them to learn.

Leaders have worked diligently on planning the wider curriculum.

They make sure that pupils in mixed-aged classes are provided with a sequenced and organised curriculum. However, some subjects are more developed than others. Consequently, not all pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need in some subjects.

For example, in history, recent changes within the curriculum are beginning to have an impact. Pupils therefore are beginning to develop historical thinking. However, more work is needed to embed this within key stage 2.

Staff provide well for pupils with SEND. They carefully adapt learning to ensure all pupils access the same curriculum. As a result, pupils work successfully alongside their peers in a nurturing and supportive environment.

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Relationships between staff and pupils are based on mutual respect. Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning.

They concentrate and listen carefully to their teachers and classmates. Consequently, school is a calm and purposeful place.

Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development.

The school provides a wide range of opportunities to develop them as individuals, including sport and music. Pupils are excited about the range of enrichment activities they can access, for example yoga. Pupils say this helps them with their mental well-being.

They understand the importance of celebrating differences. Pupils know everyone is different. They say that no one is perfect but 'we should all get along'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff act in the best interests of keeping pupils safe. They are clear on how to report any concerns.

Staff know leaders will take any concerns seriously and involve multi-agency support if necessary. Staff and governors take part in training to keep pupils' welfare and safety at the heart of what they do.

Leaders ensure that the curriculum supports pupils' understanding of how to keep safe.

Pupils know how to do this in a variety of situations. In particular, they are very clear about how to stay safe when using the internet.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some planning for subjects in the wider curriculum is not as developed as it needs to be.

Teachers are not always clear what pupils should know and by when. Leaders need to ensure the curriculum sets out exactly the important knowledge and skills that need to be learned across all subjects. ? Recent changes to aspects of subjects in the wider curriculum are not implemented well enough in key stage 2.

As a result, some pupils are not clear on the content staff want them to know and understand. Leaders need to ensure that changes to the curriculum are securely implemented across the school.

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

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2016.