Whitmore Park Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak positively about Whitmore Park Primary.

This is because the school is nurturing and ensures all pupils are welcome and valued. Adults know the pupils well, and place value on supporting them to succeed and be happy. This means, as one pupil said, 'we learn lots and have fun'.

Pupils speak highly of the junior leadership positions in the school. They also enjoy the many clubs and trips which the school offers.

The school is ambitious for the pupils and has reviewed the curriculum to ensure a more consistent approach for all pupils.

This has had some success, but there remain inconsistencies. Pupils speak highly of the books that teachers ...read to them in class and the opportunities they have to select high-quality books to take home.

Although pupils' attendance is not as high as it should be, they generally behave very well at Whitmore Park.

This is because pupils understand the school's expectations about how they should treat each other. They know that adults will listen to them if they have concerns. At social times, pupils enjoy the activities on offer to them as well as the new benches the school has installed.

Some pupils do find it harder to meet the school's expectations for them.

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

The school was aware that published outcomes had dipped and so reviewed the curriculum to ensure it was ambitious for all pupils. The key knowledge that pupils need is more clearly identified, although some subjects are still in development.

There is significant variation in how well teachers check that pupils have understood the key knowledge they need. This means that pupils have difficulties with more challenging work, for example in mathematics, as the key learning they need is not secure.

The school has prioritised early reading but there are inconsistencies with the delivery of the phonics programme.

Some pupils who are at risk of falling behind have gaps in their reading knowledge which are not systematically addressed. The school has ensured there is a wider love of reading with a considered reading book list and exposure to high-quality texts.

Provision for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is improving.

Teachers now receive information about how to adapt the curriculum for these pupils. However, this information is not used systematically, meaning pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

The school ensures all children have a strong start in the early years.

They establish starting points promptly and use these to match the learning to the children's needs. This builds a secure foundation for later learning. The children's learning is enriched with stories, songs and rhymes to ensure a strong start to their language development.

The school is aware that pupils' attendance has been too low for too long. It has recently established a clearer overview of attendance patterns and additional staff are now allocated to attendance. This is being used to drive improvements.

There remains work to sustain recent increases in attendance, especially for more vulnerable pupils. Although most pupils generally behave very well at Whitmore Park there are groups of pupils who are more likely to struggle to meet leaders' expectations. There is a lack of clarity among some staff about school's approach to managing pupils' behaviour, which leads to inconsistencies.

The school does not always have clear oversight on how it manages the few cases of unkind behaviour between pupils.

The school's work for the pupils' personal development is a strength. The curriculum gives pupils a clear understanding of healthy relationships, fundamental British values, other cultures or religions, and how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

There is an impressive range of extra-curricular opportunities covering sport, creative and social opportunities. Leaders carefully monitor the uptake of these. There are also a wide range of trips and visits, including residentials.

The school has had a period of transition in leadership. There are a number of staff who are new in their roles. In addition, the school was supporting another local school.

This has impacted on leaders' capacity to be able to review and renew provision. Many leaders are new in post and have had limited time to have an impact in their roles, despite training. That said, the school's evaluation of its work lacks precision.

This means that senior leaders and governors are often unclear about the impact and consistency of changes made. Governors are committed to the school and discharge their statutory duties. Staff report that leaders are mindful of workload.

Parents are broadly positive about the school. A number expressed concerns about historical provision for pupils with SEND and some aspects of behaviour.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There remain too many pupils who are absent from school too often, especially more vulnerable pupils. This means these pupils miss too much school and learning. The school should continue to implement its strategic approach, working closely with parents and external agencies, so pupils' attendance improves.

• The school has not ensured that pupils with SEND receive effective support to achieve well. Teachers do not use the information provided to them to make appropriate adaptations to the curriculum, meaning these pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff make effective adaptations to their delivery of the curriculum so that pupils with SEND make good progress.

• There is inconsistency in the teaching of early reading, including for the pupils who need extra support. This results in some pupils, especially weaker readers, not reading as well as they should. The school should ensure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of early reading, particularly for those pupils who need extra support to become confident, fluent readers.

• Teachers do not check pupils' understanding consistently well. This means that misconceptions are not spotted and addressed. The school should ensure that teachers identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and then adapt the tasks selected to ensure key knowledge is secure.

• The school is not accurately evaluating the impact of its work in various aspects of its provision, including some curriculum areas, SEND and behaviour. This means that inconsistencies persist, and leaders and governors do not have clear oversight. The school should ensure that there is clarity around expectations, and the impact of its work is systematically evaluated.