Woolhampton C.E. Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard to do their best. The school has ambitions for pupils to achieve their best.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils love learning. Most staff support pupils' learning.

However, sometimes, the examples and feedback staff provide is not totally accurate. Pupils need this instruction and feedback to flourish. As a result, pupils do not achiev...e as well as they should.

Pupils are happy and feel part of a close school community. This is a small rural primary school but lives up to its value of 'koinonia' (community). The school has fostered this with purposely chosen opportunities such as a focus on outdoor learning.

Pupils enjoy school and rush through the gates in the morning. They have warm relationships with staff. Pupils feel safe and know they have adults they trust to listen to them.

The school has high expectations for behaviour and most pupils meet these. Pupils behave positively in most classes and reflect the school's ambitions of 'respect' and 'optimism'. Occasionally, there is some disruptive behaviour in lessons, but most staff address this appropriately.

However, pupils recognise the inconsistency of expectations and do not always follow routines and rules as well as the school intends.

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

The school has a broad and balanced curriculum. It has decided what must be learned and when.

Pupils receive a logical sequence of learning designed to help them remember key information over time. This starts with Reception and builds to suitable end points at the end of Year 6. The school quickly identifies and supports pupils with potential SEND.

Staff have appropriate subject knowledge built through well-considered training. However, staff do not accurately explain or show pupils their expectations consistently well. This means that pupils do not routinely have a chance to improve or consolidate their knowledge.

As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. Pupils' gaps in literacy undermine their learning in other areas. Pupils have not learned their spelling patterns and handwriting skills well enough.

Consequently, pupils are not achieving as well as they should.

Pupils love reading. The school uses an ordered early reading programme that supports pupils to learn the sounds they need.

Pupils have access to a wide range of stories and other books that they enjoy reading throughout the school day and at home. The books pupils read are well matched to the sounds they know. However, some teaching is not as precise as the programme expects.

The approach to supporting pupils who read less often is not yet fully coherent across the school. The teaching of pupils who need extra support is not entirely effective. This means that most, but not all, pupils are able to catch up and keep up with their peers.

Pupils are kind and considerate. They play inclusively at playtimes and involve all age ranges and pupils. From Reception onwards, children are taught routines and kindness.

However, adults are not consistent at following through on their expectations. Pupils are generally focused on their learning. However, in some lessons, pupils miss learning opportunities because of the behaviour of others.

Pupils have no serious concerns about conduct and feel safe and cared for. The school has a thorough and coherent approach to managing attendance. As a result, attendance figures compare well with local and national averages.

Personal development is a strength of the school. The school has clear plans to ensure that all pupils have the same breadth of experience as their peers. The school has a clear personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum.

Pupils know how to be good modern British citizens. They understand how to embody tolerance and an open-minded culture of diversity. From Reception onwards, pupils have a clear understanding about maintaining healthy relationships.

Pupils are confident in how to keep themselves heathy in body and mind.

The school's leaders have ambition and clarity about their next steps. The school has come through a recent turbulent period in leadership.

Governors have been a consistent strength of the school throughout. They are effective at challenging and supporting the school in equal measure. Some of the school's leaders are new to the school or new to their role.

The impact of their training and development is too recent to be evident across the school. Staff believe in the school leaders and recognise the positive working relationships they have as a close-knit team. Staff feel that workload and well-being is a leadership priority and this has been well managed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school lacks a sharp focus on ensuring that pupils, including those with SEND, gain the foundational literacy skills to enable future learning. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could across the curriculum, including in early reading.

The school must secure consistent teaching that sharply focuses on the intended curriculum content. The school must also check that the activities chosen for pupils to apply these skills are appropriately adapted for all pupils. ? Routines and expectations for conduct across the school are not consistently applied.

As a result, pupils sometimes are confused about how they should respond to staff, what rules to follow or what the school expects of them. Consequently, valuable learning time is not routinely well used, and pupils do not concentrate on their learning sufficiently well. The school must ensure that expectations and routines are consistently followed by all staff to enable pupils to focus on their learning.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2014.