William Penn School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

William Penn School provides a kind and caring environment in which pupils learn to get on well together.

They feel safe at school and know that adults will support them if they have any worries. Pupils value the school's small size and like the way that pupils of different ages mix. They appreciate the range of enrichment activities in addition to their lessons, such as the music workshops going on during the inspection.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to do well in their learning. It succeeds in some areas of its work, for example enabling pupils to get off to a good start in the early years and in their reading. However, pupils do not achieve well enough in ...some subjects across the curriculum by the time that they leave.

Pupils behave well around the school and get on well as a community. While many pupils work hard in lessons, some find it difficult to sustain their focus on learning. They do not make as much progress through the curriculum as they should and occasionally distract others.

Any bullying is typically sorted out effectively by staff, showing the school's Quaker ethos of reflecting on one's behaviour in order to improve it.

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

Early years staff plan children's learning carefully to cover the required areas, building strong foundations in key areas like reading and number. The well-organised environment supports learning.

Staff are adept at teaching new skills and setting out activities that encourage children to explore further the new aspects of learning.

Older pupils receive a well-planned curriculum in the core areas of mathematics and English, but the curriculum in some other subjects is not effective enough. Pupils' learning is not always sequenced well over time to build towards the ambition of the national curriculum.

The school recognised the issue this year and has started to address it, but this is at the early stages. As a result, in some subjects, teachers are not routinely able to plan their teaching to ensure pupils learn the necessary skills or knowledge.

Teachers work hard to prepare their teaching.

There is some highly effective practice in explaining new learning to pupils, notably in mathematics and English. Teachers select interesting tasks for pupils, such as using counting blocks in mathematics to reinforce learning. In these subjects, teachers understand pupils' achievement and often adapt their approaches to help pupils learn well.

In some other subjects, teachers are not clear enough about the skills they want pupils to develop or the extent of pupils' learning. As a result, they are not able to adjust the support provided. The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively.

While activities are sometimes adapted well to support these pupils, the lack of clarity about what pupils should learn in some subjects hinders this work.

The school ensures that pupils learn to read well. Phonics is taught consistently well, with training for all staff this year to develop their practice further.

Support to help pupils to catch up is effective. Activities like 'Drop Everything and Read' and 'Hooked on Books', alongside a well-stocked library, mean pupils are keen readers.

Pupils receive good support for their wider personal development.

Through the taught curriculum and enrichment activities, they develop respect for each other and understand right and wrong. They learn to reflect if they make mistakes. The school ensures all pupils benefit from trips and visits, supporting those from disadvantaged backgrounds where needed.

Pupils like the opportunities to take on responsibilities, including the hotly contested but democratic way school councillors are elected.

The school has recognised that pupils' behaviour in class is not as good as it needs to be. In lessons, many pupils engage well with tasks, but a few do not.

Staff do not consistently support all pupils to concentrate well, so some start to fidget and distract others. The school is drawing up a revised approach to managing behaviour but has yet to put it into practice. Attendance is below the national average.

The school has worked effectively with some families this year and reduced the number of persistently absent pupils. However, more is required to raise overall attendance, including explaining more explicitly to parents the impact on learning if holidays are taken in term time.

The school has worked diligently this year during a period of interim leadership.

Areas of strong practice, such as reading and safeguarding, have been sustained. Work has started on other areas, like the curriculum and attendance, where there are some concerns. Nevertheless, there is more to do.

Parents are positive about the school, noting communication with them is effective. Staff feel well supported. They have received useful training this year, including through working with nearby schools.

Support from the local authority has helped develop leaders' skills. The governors do a good job in supporting leaders and holding them to account.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The sequence of learning in some subjects is not planned clearly enough to build knowledge toward ambitious end points. This means teachers cannot provide activities that give pupils secure understanding and skills. The school should ensure that learning is sequenced well in all subjects.

Teachers do not have comprehensive information in some subjects about pupils' achievement so as to adapt activities to meet their varying needs. This hampers pupils' learning, including for pupils with SEND. The school should make sure staff have accurate information about pupils' achievement and needs to adapt subsequent teaching effectively.

• Some pupils are missing out on learning through poor attendance. The school should increase its work with families where attendance is a concern. This should include ensuring parents are clear about the consequences of missed learning.

• Some pupils are not supported and enabled to sustain their focus on learning well enough in lessons, becoming distracted and sometimes distracting others. This slows the progress that they make through the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff have the skills and support to keep pupils on task.