Willingdon Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and of the work they produce.

They know that their own contributions to the school community are valued. They also know that their school has improved in many ways over the last two years. Pupils in key stage 2 talk keenly about how teachers expect much more than they did in the past, while trying to make learning enjoyable at the same time.

This is an inclusive school. Pupils are welcoming to newcomers. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well because staff and pupils alike are considerate of their needs.

Pupils who are registered at the school's specially resourced provision for pupils with SEN...D (specially resourced provision), spend most of their school day in classrooms alongside their peers. Aspirations are equally high for all pupils, no matter what their barriers to learning are.

Pupils behave very well here because expectations are high, and the curriculum engages them well.

Instances of poor behaviour have reduced significantly. Pupils themselves disapprove of any distractions to their learning. Meanness is frowned on.

Classroom visits across the school showed inspectors that pupils now spend a lot of time working together productively, though achieving well as individuals.

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

This is a school that has changed significantly since the last inspection. Oversight from those in positions of governance is sharper.

Expectations of what pupils can achieve have been ramped up considerably. The curriculum has been reviewed and renewed from top to bottom. Children in Reception also benefit from a curriculum that has evolved to meet their needs better.

Leaders at all levels have worked hard together to make meaningful connections so that pupils make good or better progress through a curriculum that is well sequenced and resourced from early years through to Year 6.

Curriculum subject leaders have stepped up to the mark in recent times. As a result, pupils enjoy their learning across a range of subjects.

They are equally enthusiastic about geography and physical education (PE) as they are about music and science. Pupils value the enrichment opportunities that staff provide to bring their learning to life. A group talked eagerly to the lead inspector about a recent trip to a local river to study erosion.

Other members of the inspection team were impressed with pupils' knowledge and understanding of Italian musical terms, as well as with different groups of Year 6 boys practising their lines and the songs for their upcoming production during their break.

Reading has a high profile here. The school is working hard to develop pupils' awareness and love of books and the written word.

Pupils are beginning to recall the books they have read and talk confidently about the authors they prefer. Work to develop pupils' early reading skills has also been a focus in recent times, though some staff are not as skilled in the way they implement the school's chosen phonics programme as others.

The school has a systematic approach to teaching mathematics.

Pupils are developing their mathematical knowledge and skills in small steps, though making big strides in their understanding and enjoyment of how numbers work. Pupils with SEND are supported well across the curriculum, including in mathematics lessons, where carefully adapted tasks and skilled support staff make all the difference to the progress disadvantaged pupils make.

The early years foundation stage caters for children's needs well.

Staff have a clear understanding of what is working well and what areas they need to work on to make the provision even better. Parents are particularly confident about the school's early years provision and the vast majority of those who responded to Ofsted Parent View expressed positivity about all aspects of the school.

Pupils' personal development stands out as a strength here.

There is no doubt that the vastly improved behaviour and excellent attitudes to learning that pupils now display is in no small part due to this. Levels of nurture are high. Supporting pupils' physical and mental health and well-being is given high importance.

All staff understand this approach. Some are additionally qualified and experienced to support pupils who need extra care and understanding to succeed.

Aspects such as developing pupils' awareness of different cultures and faiths have a high priority.

Children in Reception benefit from the start of a bespoke careers programme that builds as they move through the school. Older pupils understand about the potential dangers when online or in the world outside of school. Much of this work is tailored to local contextual issues and is preparing pupils well for their next steps in education and life beyond Willingdon.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasion, some staff do not implement the school's early reading programme as consistently as they might. When this is the case, the quality of phonics teaching is variable.

This means that not all pupils benefit from the highest-quality phonics teaching they require. This is especially the case for pupils who need additional support because they are struggling with reading. Leaders need to ensure that the school's phonics programme is delivered with the highest degree of fidelity possible in all phases of the school and by all staff who teach pupils to read.

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