Wingate Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The rights of children are central to the school's ethos. Pupils are passionate about their human rights and how the school puts these into practice. They know what rights they have as individuals.

They know that staff respect these rights. Pupils who are 'lead ambassadors' are proud to have a say in how the school is run and led.

The school is split across two sites.

The Reception and key stage 1 site and the key stage 2 site. On both sites, there is a friendly and lively atmosphere. Pupils greet visitors politely.

They are keen to share their views on life in school. Pupils are kind to one another. Bullying rarely occurs.

It is well manage...d by adults when it does. Pupils know that if they put their name in the 'worry box' that a member of staff will help them. This helps pupils to feel safe and be safe.

Staff expect pupils to try their best and behave well. The vast majority of pupils do. Teachers expect pupils to use subject-specific vocabulary when they talk about their learning.

Most pupils do this well. However, some pupils find this hard because they do not fully understand some of the words that teachers use. Very occasionally, pupils lose focus in lessons.

When they do, staff quickly step in to re-engage pupils in their learning.

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

The school has been through a period of significant change. In September 2018, Wingate Infant School merged with Wingate Junior School to create Wingate Primary School.

Several staff left. Other staff took up new roles in school. Work to bring the two schools together was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite these challenges, leaders have managed this change well. There is increasing consistency between what pupils experience across the two sites.

Leaders have strengthened the curriculum, particularly in key stage 2.

There is an ambitious and well-considered curriculum across the school. The music curriculum is a notable strength. Subject leaders give effective support and guidance to teachers.

This helps them to plan well-sequenced and engaging lessons that build pupils' knowledge over time. Some subject leaders are new to their role. They need more training to further refine the curriculum in their subjects.

More time is needed for leaders to embed the improvements to the curriculum in key stage 2 so that the outcomes for older pupils are as strong as they are for younger pupils.

Leaders prioritise the development of pupils' vocabulary. Pupils are expected to talk about their learning maturely.

This includes in the early years where children explain their reasoning in early mathematics by saying 'I know this because…'. Teachers use subject-specific vocabulary in their lessons. However, they do not always check that all pupils have sufficient understanding of the vocabulary being used.

This means that some lessons are less effective because some pupils do not know exactly what these words mean. Teachers are better at checking pupils' understanding of new subject knowledge in lessons. Teachers spot when pupils have misunderstood new concepts and give further explanations to pupils.

However, they do not follow this up to check that this additional teaching has corrected pupils' misconceptions.

Around a quarter of pupils on roll have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are well supported and fully included in school life by all adults.

Appropriate in-class support is used to help pupils to access the curriculum. Where necessary, additional intervention is undertaken outside of lessons. For example, some pupils do extra reading with teaching assistants.

This helps to prepare pupils with SEND for their next step in education.

Reading is led and taught well. Leaders' investment in time and resources over the last year has supported the introduction of a new early reading curriculum.

Staff who teach phonics have been well trained and teach phonics effectively. Pupils who fall behind in reading are quickly identified and helped to catch up to their peers. Pupils across the school adore reading.

They look forward to 'dream time' each day when they get to read for pleasure as a class.

There is a well-planned curriculum in the early years. Adults make excellent use of the wide range of resources in Reception to deliver the planned curriculum effectively.

Children join the school in Reception. They are well supported to transition into the school. Leaders quickly settle children into routines when they first arrive.

Adults in the early years ensure that children learn to build strong relationships with one another. As a result, children go into Year 1 in a strong position.

Pupils behave well.

Rare incidents of disruption are tackled swiftly. Leaders teach pupils to understand bullying and its impact on others. Incidents of bullying are very rare because pupils respect each other's individuality.

Leaders place great importance on pupils' personal development. Staff and pupils are proud to be a 'UNICEF Rights Respecting School'. This is tangibly promoted around school and is a key focus for pupils' social and moral development.

The religious education curriculum helps pupils to compare different faiths, as well as non-religious views. Pupils are active citizens in the community.

Leaders engage well with parents, staff and pupils.

Their views are carefully considered by leaders when making decisions. Staff are keen to praise senior leaders. They appreciate the opportunity to undertake 'peer reviews' of each other's teaching.

This supports their professional development. Some subject leaders who are new to their responsibilities have not accessed sufficient training to support them to develop professionally in their roles.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is well led. There are many staff across both sites with responsibility for safeguarding. Non-teaching pastoral staff build strong relationships with families in the community.

This helps leaders to provide support to pupils who need it and engage effectively with multi-agency work.

Regular training ensures that staff have sufficient expertise in safeguarding. Adults in school recognise the tell-tale signs that suggest a pupil might be at risk of harm.

When concerns are raised, leaders respond appropriately and swiftly.

Pupils benefit from visits from the emergency services to learn about risks that they may face in the community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is inconsistency in how adept teachers are with the use of assessment in lessons.

Although teachers check for misconceptions among pupils, teachers do not adapt their teaching well enough to check that these misconceptions have been fully corrected. This means that pupils are occasionally moved on to new learning too quickly. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive training in the use of assessment to inform their teaching.

• Some teachers do not ensure that pupils have secure knowledge of the subject-specific language being used in lessons. This means that some pupils do not fully understand the explanations and instructions that teachers give them. Leaders should ensure that all teachers check that pupils have an accurate understanding of the vocabulary that they are using in lessons across the curriculum.

• Some teachers have recently taken on new subject leadership responsibilities and have not accessed relevant training. As a result, some of these teachers are in the early stages of developing their subject-specific knowledge. Leaders should ensure that staff get appropriate professional development to enable them to develop their curriculum knowledge of their subject.