Wilsden Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at this inclusive school. They learn to follow 'The Wilsden Way' and are taught to be 'ready, respectful and safe'.

Pupils enjoy learning, attend regularly and feel safe. Bullying rarely occurs but when it does, it is dealt with swiftly.

Pupils make good progress through the school's curriculum.

The school ensures that there are no barriers to learning and that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are fully included. For example, the school has created autism- and dyslexia-friendly classrooms and has adapted lessons in physical education to accommodate specific needs.

Most pupils... behave well.

They are courteous, polite and keen to talk to visitors. Most pupils are attentive in lessons and follow rules and routines well. A small number of pupils do not consistently behave well, and this can sometimes cause low-level disruption to lessons.

Pupils enjoy a range of clubs, activities and projects at the school. For example, the school choir sings at the local care home as part of an intergenerational project. Pupils have also worked on planned community projects, such as 'Wilsden in Bloom', and eco-projects to improve the local environment.

Pupils are educated about local risks, such as road safety, and about how to keep themselves safe online.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. Care has been taken to ensure that learning is continuous, from early years through to Year 6.

Topics are sequenced in a logical way. The curriculum is fully inclusive and accessible for all. Pupils with SEND are identified early and, where necessary, adaptations are made.

Teachers are well trained. They use a range of methods to help pupils know more and remember more. Teachers recap knowledge and model new skills and techniques.

Pupils are reminded of what they have learned through 'working walls' and knowledge maps. On occasion, the work that pupils are asked to complete does not build on their prior knowledge. When this happens, it slows the progress that pupils make.

Teachers assess the progress of pupils regularly. Floor books are used to capture and revisit pupils' learning. This helps pupils talk with confidence about what they have learned.

Teachers use live marking in lessons to provide immediate feedback and correct misconceptions. The school uses a 'keep up not catch up' approach to ensure that feedback and intervention are swift and effective. Pupils respond well to feedback on their work and make good progress through the curriculum.

The school prioritises reading. The school has recently introduced a new phonics scheme, which is taught from Reception. Pupils use books that match the sounds they have been taught.

Teachers insist that pupils use their phonics knowledge to decode unfamiliar words. As a result, pupils make excellent progress. Pupils who struggle to read are very well supported.

The school provides regular 'lightning squad' intervention sessions that support weaker readers. The school preteaches sounds to less confident readers, so that they can keep up with their peers.

The school has established a love of reading among pupils.

Several pupils across different year groups act as reading ambassadors. They encourage their peers to read and are proud of the new library facilities at the school. Leaders have ensured that high-quality literature forms the basis of a reading programme.

Most pupils behave well. They are polite and courteous to visitors. They are taught about being 'ready, respectful and safe'.

In most lessons, including in early years, pupils follow routines that are taught from the outset. For example, in Reception, pupils are calm and quickly brought to attention using a series of handclaps. However, expectations of behaviour are not consistent across all lessons.

As a result, there is low-level disruption in some lessons. This reduces the impact of the curriculum and slows the progress that some pupils make. Pupils attend school regularly and enjoy learning.

The school provides a well-structured curriculum to support pupils' wider personal development. Pupils are taught about relationships in an age-appropriate way. Pupils learn about fundamental British values, such as democracy, respect and tolerance.

Pupils explore current and contextual issues, such as racism, through additional 'Challenge Time' sessions.

The school provides many opportunities to develop pupils' character. For example, some pupils act as active ambassadors and organise sporting activities during lunchtimes.

Some pupils are members of the trust's pupil parliament. The pupil parliament has established a '7 musts' commitment that all pupils will experience by the time they leave school. This includes attending events such as 'Young Voices', a visit to London and training, such as 'Bikeability'.

Leaders have established a culture of continual improvement at the school. Staff are well trained and feel that the school has invested in their professional development. Staff feel that their workload is manageable and that leaders have made changes to remove unnecessary burdens.

Trust leaders and governors have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some lessons, the work given to pupils is not matched to their prior knowledge or understanding.

This means that they do not make as much progress as they could. The school should ensure that work given to pupils is consistently matched to their current knowledge and understanding. ? Teachers' expectations of behaviour are inconsistent.

Some pupils do not understand how being 'ready, respectful and safe' applies to their behaviour in lessons. As a result, in some lessons, there is low-level disruption which impacts on learning. The school should ensure that there are consistent expectations of behaviour in all lessons, and that these are understood by pupils.