William Davies Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

William Davies Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a caring and welcoming school where adults build warm relationships with pupils and their families.

A significant number of pupils join the school mid-year. All pupils feel valued and secure. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school.

Leaders and teachers have high expectations and high ambitions for each pupil. They expect them to work hard and achieve well. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are attentive and focused in lessons.

This is because they are keen to learn. Any minor incidents of misbehaviour are quickly addressed by staff....r/>
Pupils conduct themselves calmly around the school.

They are friendly, polite and courteous. Pupils said they feel safe and bullying is very rare. They said that if there are ever any problems, they know staff will do their best to sort them out.

Pupils like to take on responsible roles, including being a prefect, a librarian or a school councillor. These roles enable pupils to work together for the good of others and live out the school's motto, 'Together we achieve more'.

Leaders are committed to helping pupils to develop as well-rounded individuals.

Pupils really like all the trips which help them to learn, such as visits to museums, theatres and music events.

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

Leaders and governors have designed an ambitious curriculum using the national curriculum as the starting point. Subject leaders have planned carefully the key facts and skills they want pupils to know and remember.

Generally, teachers ensure that pupils build on prior knowledge and understanding. For example, in their art sketchbooks, pupils develop and practise techniques such as use of perspective and shading. They enjoyed explaining how they used their knowledge to produce some high-quality artwork based on the work of the artist Rene Magritte.

In mathematics, pupils have opportunities to solve problems to deepen their understanding. They become fluent mathematicians and achieve well.

Leaders check how well the school's curriculum is taught and the impact this has on pupils' learning.

Leaders have systems to identify what pupils remember from their prior learning. Teachers use these systems to amend their plans, to ensure that pupils revisit essential facts before moving on to more complex ideas. Occasionally, gaps in pupils' knowledge persist because they have not learned some subject content in previous years.

Leaders are continuing to develop their plans so that pupils have more opportunities to learn key knowledge in different subjects that they have missed in the past.

Children settle well in the early years. Staff make excellent use of the highly stimulating indoor and outdoor learning areas.

Leaders ensure that children learn essential knowledge right from the start. Adults help children to develop their spoken language and communication skills and to work with others well.

Making sure all pupils learn to read is a high priority for leaders.

As soon as they join Reception, children start to learn phonics. Staff are well trained and support pupils well in the early stages of learning to read. Pupils read from books that match the sounds they are learning.

Staff help pupils who fall behind to catch up quickly. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop a love of reading. They enjoy visiting the school library and can speak knowledgeably about their favourite authors.

Pupils love listening to their teachers read stories.

Well-trained staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) so that they achieve as well as their peers. Teachers make sure that teaching is adapted, if necessary, so that pupils with SEND can learn alongside their friends right across the curriculum.

When it is needed, adults give pupils suitable support for their emotional and mental well-being.

Pupils who are new to the school and in the early stages of speaking English as an additional language also receive the help they need to develop their vocabulary and language skills.

Leaders plan carefully for pupils' wider development.

Through the curriculum, pupils learn about how to look after their physical and mental health, for example the importance of eating a healthy diet. Pupils also enjoy taking part in the many sports clubs on offer.

Leaders consider staff well-being when making decisions.

Staff feel that leaders have their best interests at heart and appreciate the actions leaders have taken to reduce staff workload. Staff take pride in working in this school. They work well together for the benefit of all.

Governors keep a careful check on how leaders are meeting the needs of all pupils. They make sure that they are up to date with what is going on in the school and how well it is working. Governors know the challenges faced by the school and its community well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at this school. Leaders carry out the necessary checks on everyone who works in the school.

Record-keeping is meticulous and communication between staff about safeguarding matters is strong. Staff are well trained and understand their roles in keeping children safe. They know the processes to follow if they have concerns, and do so swiftly.

Pupils know how to keep safe online and not to share personal information or talk to strangers. They know that adults in the school will listen and help them if they are worried about anything.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, leaders' curriculum plans do not take into account that some pupils have not learned some subject content in previous years.

This means that pupils have gaps in their learning that prevent them from developing their knowledge and understanding. Leaders should continue to review and revise their curriculum plans so that gaps in pupils' knowledge are identified swiftly and they receive the help they need to catch up.

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.