Winmarleigh Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Winmarleigh Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils are proud members of this nurturing, friendly and welcoming school.

Staff help pupils follow the school's vision, 'Enjoy, believe, achieve'. Pupils appreciate their learning. Teachers plan a wide range of interesting trips and visits to enrich the school's curriculum.

Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about a trip to a ski centre. This helped their learning about the South Pole.

Staff ensure that pupils use the school's lovely grounds to support their learning.

Pupils enjoy visiting the school's new writing shed for lessons. Pupil...s grow a range of fruit and vegetables. They learn to appreciate their rural surroundings.

Leaders make sure that pupils get the support they need to help them achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils develop as kind and caring individuals.

Their behaviour reflects the school's values, including kindness and respect. Pupil 'reading guardians' support younger pupils with their reading. Pupils serve community tea to visitors.

They collect food for a local food bank.

Pupils said that staff deal effectively with any bullying. Pupils feel safe.

They told us that staff address any concerns or worries that they have. Pupils enjoy visits from Pip, the school's therapy dog.

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

Leaders have developed the school's curriculum to ensure that pupils achieve well.

Teachers' planning sets out the steps that pupils need to take to enable them to learn more and remember more. Teachers consider how pupils will develop their learning from year to year.

Pupils can remember details of what they have learned.

This is because staff plan opportunities for pupils to revisit their learning. In mathematics, children in Reception explore number in lots of different ways. Older pupils revise important facts, including multiplication tables.

They become confident and accurate in their written calculations. Staff give useful support to pupils with SEND.

The school has undergone recent changes in staffing.

This means that some subject leaders are new to their roles. Leaders and the local authority are providing training. This is supporting staff in developing the skills and knowledge necessary to lead subjects across the curriculum.

Across the curriculum, staff introduce and model the correct use of new vocabulary. For example, in Reception, children were designing barriers to keep the school's vegetable garden safe from Peter Rabbit. Adults ensured that children used 'heavier' and 'lighter' correctly when weighing.

In science, teachers check that pupils have a secure knowledge of vocabulary and build on what they already know. For example, pupils in key stage 2 can explain differences between solids, liquids and gases. Older pupils talked knowledgeably about particles of matter.

Leaders have placed reading at the centre of the school's curriculum. Pupils, including pupils with SEND, develop as confident readers. They read with understanding and enjoyment.

Staff ensure that all pupils read with an adult often. In Reception, staff share a wide range of stories, poems and books with children. Adults help children use puppets and role play to retell stories they have listened to.

Teaching builds on the letters and sounds that pupils already know. Pupils falling behind in their reading are given a range of effective support to help them catch up. However, in Reception and Year 1, pupils' reading books do not precisely match the sounds that they are learning.

This slows pupils' early reading progress. Staff do not use a consistent approach when teaching phonics. They have not had recent training in this area of the curriculum.

Pupils learn that all are equal. For example, they know about different faiths, including Islam and Hinduism. Pupils described trips to a mosque and a temple.

Pupils visit the local church very regularly. Staff and visitors provide times of reflection and prayer.

Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors.

Pupils behave well in lessons. This means everyone can learn. From Reception, children work cooperatively.

They listen carefully to adults. Pupils understand the school's behaviour policy and say that it is fair. Pupils get effective additional support to improve their behaviour when needed.

Staff are unanimous in reporting that they feel valued by leaders. Teachers appreciate the support and training opportunities that leaders provide. Staff, pupils, parents and carers work closely together in this happy and harmonious school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training. This means that everyone is alert to dangers that pupils may face.

When needed, leaders work with other professionals to ensure that pupils get support. Leaders check the staff recruited to work in school to ensure that they pose no threat to pupils.

Through the curriculum, staff teach pupils about the risks they might face in their everyday lives.

Pupils learn how to stay safe, including when using technology, swimming and crossing roads. Pupils know that they should speak to an adult in school if they have any concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Reading books for younger pupils are sometimes too difficult for them to practise their decoding skills.

Leaders need to make sure that reading books are closely matched to pupils' phonics ability. The approach to teaching phonics lacks consistency. Leaders need to provide training for staff to ensure that a consistent approach to teaching phonics is used.

• Leaders are providing training for subject leaders to develop their subject leadership. Leaders need to ensure that subject leaders have the skills and knowledge necessary to check that pupils are knowing more and remembering more across different areas of the curriculum.Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Winmarleigh Church of England Primary School to be good on 16–17 March 2016.

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