Wootton Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Wootton Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning at this happy and welcoming school.

Staff build warm and trusting relationships with pupils right from the careful transition into Reception. Children settle into school quickly and get off to a strong start by developing positive habits for learning. These positive routines strengthen as pupils progress through the school.

As a result, they achieve well.

The school is highly ambitious for its pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or... disabilities (SEND).

Staff understand what each pupil needs for them to move forward in their learning. Pupils know that the school wants each of them to achieve success and they work hard to live up to these high expectations.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is settled and harmonious.

Adults skilfully and sensitively ensure that pupils are fully included in lessons and can access the learning successfully. Pupils trust adults to help them with any worries or friendship issues. This helps them to feel happy and safe in school.

Adults act as strong role models for teamwork and mutual support. Pupils take pride in living out these values and serving the school community through their roles as house captains, school councillors, buddies for younger children and sports ambassadors.

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

Over the last few years, the school has further refined the curriculum, and this has led to a rise in standards.

There has been a focus on reading and the number of pupils passing the phonics screening check in Year 1 has risen sharply. Teachers are expert at teaching reading. The school closely monitors pupils' learning and picks up on anyone who may be at risk of falling behind.

During lessons, teachers spot misconceptions and address them straight away. Pupils with SEND are identified early and adaptations are made to ensure they achieve success.The school has made vocabulary, spelling and handwriting a focus.

In Reception, adults introduce children to a rich variety of vocabulary through stories, songs and poetry. The school has identified high-quality core texts which pupils read widely and often. Teachers identify key technical vocabulary and explicitly teach pupils the meaning of new words.

Teachers have recently started to systematically support pupils to recognise and practise their common misspellings. Pupils are taught how to form and join letters correctly. However, while pupils' writing is starting to show improvements, this is not fully embedded.

Some pupils do not recognise a wide range of vocabulary and they struggle to join letters and spell words accurately. This holds back their fluency in writing and some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.The school has ensured that teachers have had the training that they need on new areas of the curriculum and that they understand precisely what must be taught.

Teachers explain new ideas in ways that pupils can understand. In mathematics, for example, pupils investigate number patterns to further embed their knowledge of multiplication facts. Teachers design activities that help pupils to build their understanding coherently.

For example, pupils gain an understanding of their school and the local area before learning about other parts of the world. In a few subjects, the school is still developing ways of checking what pupils understand and remember. Where this is the case, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always identified and pupils do not connect new learning with what they already know.

Beyond the academic, the school encourages pupils to develop their character and behaviours for learning, so they are ready for the next stage of their education. The weekly 'Big think' question enables pupils to develop their use of language through debate with others across the school. Pupils learn the importance of respecting each other's opinions and celebrate their differences.

There is an extensive range of clubs for pupils to try out new sporting and artistic activities to develop their confidence and self-esteem.

The school actively promotes the benefits of pupils attending school regularly. By working closely with families, the school understands the barriers to attendance and offers effective support.

The school does all that it can to keep pupils' attendance as high as possible.

Leaders and governors work effectively to identify and address any barriers, so that pupils have equal access to the ambitious curriculum and wider opportunities. Governors are knowledgeable about the school and focus on areas that will help pupils to achieve even more highly.

Staff have received training to support pupils with SEND in the school. Leaders do all they can to reduce staff workload when considering changes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not recognise a wide range of vocabulary and they struggle to join letters and spell words accurately. This holds back their fluency in writing and some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should continue its work in English so that pupils spell accurately and write fluently.

• In some subjects in the wider curriculum, the school has not embedded an approach to successfully check pupils' understanding. As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always identified and pupils do not connect new learning with what they already know. The school should continue its work to strengthen assessment in the wider curriculum so that pupils develop a deep and interconnected understanding of it.

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 first ungraded inspection since we the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2019.

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