Wilberlee Junior and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Wilberlee Junior and Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Wilberlee Junior and Infant School provides an inclusive and caring environment where pupils can thrive. This view is shared by many parents who describe Wilberlee as 'a school with a heart'.

Relationships between pupils and teachers are respectful. Pupils say that their teachers care about them. Pupils trust all the adults in school to help them if they have worries.

As a result, pupils feel safe and the behaviour of almost all pupils is a strength of the school. For the small number of pupils who find managing their behaviour more challenging, leaders get them the sup...port they need to improve. Consequently, classrooms are calm and purposeful places where pupils can learn.

Pupils are motivated to work hard. They enjoy getting rewards, such as 'treasures in the tub', when they demonstrate the whole school values of tolerance, resilience and honesty. Wilberlee School is a happy place.

Working with other schools in the federation, leaders have ensured that pupils experience an exciting, wider curriculum. This includes residential visits, after-school clubs and a range of visiting authors. Restrictions caused by COVID-19 have meant that some pupils' roles and responsibilities have been limited.

However, pupils enjoy being door and laptop monitors. They take pride in their contributions to school life. Pupils describe their school as 'welcoming, loving and peaceful'.

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

Leaders have worked hard to develop the wider curriculum. Drawing on the expertise of colleagues from across the federation, leaders have created a carefully sequenced curriculum in all subjects. Leaders are now beginning to monitor the effect of this on pupils' learning.

However, this work has not been reported to governors in enough detail. Restrictions on governor visits to school, due to COVID-19, mean that governors have not challenged leaders on the impact of their actions linked to the curriculum.Reading has remained a priority for the school.

Teachers have received the training they need to teach phonics well. They follow the phonics programme with consistency. Teachers use assessments to put pupils in the correct phonics groups and match the books they read to the sounds that they know.

As a result, pupils read their books with fluency. Teachers make time during the school day to support pupils who need extra help. Carefully chosen books, in guided reading lessons, encourage pupils to read widely.

Older pupils talked with enthusiasm about the book they read as a class when learning about Ernest Shackleton's exploration of the Antarctic.

In subjects such as mathematics, leaders have carefully considered the needs of all pupils. Teachers regularly recap on what pupils have been taught before.

This helps pupils remember past lessons and make links to what they are learning now. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported in lessons to help them keep up. This includes the use of mathematical resources which help them to count and calculate.

Teachers make regular checks on what pupils have learned. Teachers use this information to plan what pupils will learn next. Pupils enjoy and remember the lessons they have been taught.

Reading and mathematics are a high priority in the early years. There is a strong focus on teaching children about numbers and counting across all areas of learning. Teachers share a wealth of books with children.

Children develop a love of stories and rhymes at an early age. Adults are skilled at challenging children's thinking through carefully considered questions. This contributes to children quickly learning new, subject-specific vocabulary.

Inspectors watched an adult support a child to study the structure of a leaf using accurate scientific terminology such as stalk and vein.

Leaders are committed to ensuring that Wilberlee is very inclusive. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents and teachers to ensure that pupils with SEND get the help that they need.

SEND support plans are reviewed regularly to ensure that pupils have the support they need to meet their targets. As a result, pupils with SEND enjoy an ambitious and broad curriculum. In some cases, this is a unique curriculum to meet pupils needs.

Pupils know that everyone is equal and should be treated fairly. The relationships and sex education curriculum helps pupils learn about healthy relationships. Older pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of what makes a healthy friendship.

Pupils appreciate and demonstrate the school values in their behaviour towards one another. However, pupils cannot remember some fundamental British values, such as liberty and democracy that they have been taught. Pupils' understanding of different cultures and religious beliefs is underdeveloped.

Teachers describe working at Wilberlee as being 'like a big family'. They appreciate how approachable leaders are and how staff well-being is considered when decisions are made. As part of a federation of schools, staff enjoy the opportunities they get to share ideas and good practice.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make all the required checks to ensure that adults are suitable to work with pupils. Leaders have recently increased the number of staff with designated safeguarding responsibilities.

This has increased the school's capacity to deal with safeguarding concerns.

Safeguarding training is updated regularly for all staff. As a result, staff are knowledgeable about the issues that affect their pupils.

All staff are clear on the processes to make their concerns known. Safeguarding records are thorough and detailed. Staff report that concerns are dealt with quickly by leaders.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils' understanding of different religions and fundamental British values are underdeveloped. Pupils do not remember the religions that they have learned previously or the British values they have been introduced to. Leaders should ensure that this aspect of the curriculum is reviewed and implemented effectively so that pupils' knowledge of the religions and beliefs that exist in modern Britain today is strengthened.

• In wider curriculum subjects, governors do not know the impact leaders' curriculum actions have had on pupils' learning. Governors have not monitored the curriculum with enough rigour. In part, this is because of the restrictions caused by COVID-19.

Leaders must ensure that governors are kept fully informed on the impact of their actions to improve the curriculum. Governors must then use this information to challenge leaders on their decision making and curriculum rationale.

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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2012.