Windmill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a very inclusive school that wants the best for all pupils. A few turbulent years with several changes in leadership have negatively impacted pupils' experience of school and their achievement.

The school is much more settled now. Recent improvements in the curriculum are having a positive impact. However, pupils are not achieving as well as they should yet because the curriculum is not always taught well enough.

Mostly, pupils are happy here. Pupils really like school staff. They enjoy very warm and nurturing relationships.

The increase in clubs and exciting activities enthuses pupils. They enjoy sports, cooking and crafting clubs. Recently, the whol...e school enjoyed a trip to a pantomime.

Pupils benefit from opportunities to learn about responsibility. The school council organised a 'grandparents' afternoon' and has raised money to buy playtime equipment. The 'kindness ambassadors' help promote the new school values.

The school wants pupils to be 'ARK', meaning 'ambitious, resilient, and kind'.

The majority of pupils behave well and are polite and friendly. Sometimes, pupils are not kind and respectful, or they demonstrate a negative attitude to their learning.

A new behaviour policy and higher expectations have helped reduce these instances. However, pupils are not consistently well supported.

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

The school has made significant improvements in phonics teaching.

Recognising a lack of rigour in phonics, the school retrained all staff. The phonics provision is checked regularly, along with pupils' acquisition of knowledge. Pupils get the right support when needed.

In the early years, the school has also introduced support for children's speech skills to help them overcome difficulties. The daily teaching of fluent reading continues beyond phonics. Pupils enjoy this.

Teachers explain the meaning of new vocabulary. While the impact is seen in pupils' achievement in phonics, improvements have not had time to reflect in statutory tests for older pupils yet.

A new ambitious curriculum has been introduced fairly recently.

Again, this has not had time to fully impact on pupils' learning yet. Some subjects are further along than others, and pupils' recall of knowledge is improving. However, in many areas, pupils' knowledge is still weak.

Although the curriculum is well designed, the school has not ensured that teachers fully understand how all aspects are to be developed over time. As a result, teaching sometimes does not focus on the right things and in the right order. The school is developing subject leadership.

However, some subject leaders do not have a secure view of how effectively the curriculum is being implemented.

Where the intended learning is clear, this is often explained well. However, sometimes pupils are presented with too much new information at once.

This makes it harder to grasp new knowledge. This can particularly impact pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).Many appropriate adaptations are made for pupils with SEND.

The school has seen a significant rise in the number of pupils with education, health and care plans. Staff have training, including from specialist services, to help understand and support some pupils' significant needs with communication and managing their emotions. At times, staff feel overwhelmed by these needs and other pupils worry.

Expectations for pupils' behaviour are not always high enough. Disorderly movement and lack of commitment to classwork are sometimes not addressed swiftly. This can draw in other pupils or distract learning.

Sometimes, some pupils use derogatory language or show a lack of respect for property. When reported, this is dealt with appropriately. Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should.

The school emphasises the importance of regular attendance and supports families to overcome barriers.

Pupils learn about health risks and how to keep themselves safe, including online. Mental well-being is prioritised.

Pupils are well supported to recognise and regulate their emotions. Pupils' awareness of life in modern British society is less well developed. Pupils have limited knowledge of the characteristics that make people unique and of values such as respect and tolerance.

Largely, staff appreciate that the school is more settled now and are encouraged by the new vision. They say their workload and well-being are mostly considered. The trust supports the school to improve and ensures that statutory responsibilities are met.

The new local governing committee is focused on strengthening the engagement with the school community. The school has been working on this. Many parents and carers have noticed the improvements made at the school.

However, some are unsure of the school's approaches, such as for managing pupils' behaviour.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers sometimes present pupils with too much information to take in at once.

This can negatively impact pupils' learning, particularly for pupils with SEND. This makes it harder for pupils to secure new knowledge and they cannot recall what has been taught. The school should ensure that teaching does not overload pupils and that consistently effective adaptations are made for pupils with SEND so that all pupils can achieve well.

• The implementation of some aspects of the curriculum is not yet consistent. Pupils have limited knowledge as a result. The school should ensure that the implementation of the curriculum is checked and that staff have the understanding and expertise to successfully build pupils' knowledge in all aspects.

The school's high expectations for pupils' behaviour have not been fully realised due to the inconsistent application of the new behaviour policy. Poor behaviour sometimes disrupts pupils' learning and hinders their enjoyment of school. The school should ensure that pupils are consistently challenged and supported to maintain high expectations of behaviour.

• The school has not sufficiently engaged with stakeholders to secure a common understanding of the approaches the school takes, to manage and support pupils' behaviour for example. This sometimes leaves stakeholders uncertain of their expectations of them, which can lead to some dissatisfaction with the school's work. The school should improve communication and engagement with stakeholders.

• The school has not fully developed its approach to teaching pupils about fundamental British values and the differences between people. As a result, pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of these, and a few pupils do not recognise when language is disrespectful. The school should ensure pupils gain a better understanding so they are better prepared for life in modern British society.

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