Winsford High Street Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Winsford High Street Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy coming to school.

They said that they feel happy and safe because they know that staff genuinely care about them. Parents and carers appreciate the support and care that staff provide to their children. Parents typically said that staff go out of their way to ensure that their children are safe, happy and that they achieve well.

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They encourage pupils to be aspirational about their future.... Pupils respect this and try their best.

Children in the early years also try hard and are well prepared for the demands of key stage 1.

Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm.

Most pupils play and work well together. Pupils said that staff deal effectively with bullying.

Leaders and staff provide a wide variety of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests beyond the academic curriculum.

For example, pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular clubs and activities which help to promote their wider personal development. Leaders ensure that pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 have access to a range of different residential trips. Pupils expressed how all these experiences help bring their learning to life.

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

Leaders and staff have created a curriculum which has the needs of the school's pupils at its heart. They have thought carefully about what pupils need to know and remember. The curriculum is designed well, including in the early years.

Leaders have made sure that teachers are clear about the knowledge and the skills that pupils, and children in the early years, must acquire. Teachers prepare learning activities which ensure that pupils consolidate their learning as they move through the early years and key stages 1 and 2. Overall, pupils learn well.

Most subject leaders have a secure understanding of how well teachers deliver the curriculum. Many subject leaders have provided suitable training for teachers to strengthen their subject knowledge. However, in one or two subjects, leaders do not know which aspects of the curriculum content require more development or where teachers' subject knowledge is not as secure as it could be.

In these subjects, some leaders do not have a precise understanding of how well pupils are developing a deep and rich body of subject knowledge.

Leaders have prioritised the teaching of early reading. A new phonics scheme has been introduced.

All staff have been well trained to ensure that they have the expertise to deliver this effectively. They make sure that pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they know. Those pupils who find reading more difficult are given intensive support to ensure that they catch up quickly.

Pupils talked with enthusiasm about the stories they have shared with each other.

Children make a strong start to their education in the Nursery and Reception classes. They receive a high level of care.

This helps to develop their confidence and independence. Children develop their early literacy, numeracy, and social skills through well-planned activities. Children in the early years learn and achieve well.

Leaders identify pupils with SEND accurately. These pupils learn the same curriculum as other pupils through the effective use of resources and other adults. Staff work closely with outside agencies to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the timely support that they need.

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. There is a well-designed curriculum that supports pupils' wider personal development. The leadership roles that pupils hold allow them to experience helping others in meaningful ways.

For example, the pupil safeguarding team has produced an information booklet on how pupils in the school can stay safe in their local community.

Leaders are mindful of staff's well-being and they protect them from excessive workload. Staff enjoy working at the school.

Governors are kept well informed about the quality of education that staff provide for pupils. They know the school's strengths and areas for development. Governors have supported the headteacher to improve the curriculum.

They check regularly on the impact of changes that leaders have made.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have made sure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school.

Staff have regular safeguarding training and updates. They are clear about their duty of care. Staff are familiar with the school's approach to identifying and reporting concerns.

Effective processes are in place to ensure that any potential concerns about a pupil are identified, recorded and reviewed in a timely manner. Leaders work well with external agencies to support pupils and their families.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in their everyday life.

Across the curriculum, pupils learn about online safety and issues in the wider world.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders' checks on the quality and delivery of the curriculum in a small number of subjects are underdeveloped. They do not fully identify where teachers' subject knowledge requires strengthening or where the curriculum is not being implemented as effectively as it could be.

Occasionally, this prevents some pupils from developing a deep and rich body of subject knowledge. Leaders should ensure that their checks on the implementation of the curriculum promote continual improvements.

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/outstanding.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2017.