Wyke Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has experienced considerable turbulence in leadership and staffing over the last three years.

This has had a negative impact on pupils' learning. Current leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils. Recent improvements to the curriculum are beginning to pay off, especially in reading and mathematics.

However, pupils do not gain the essential knowledge they need to be successful in all subjects.

Pupils are polite and friendly. They feel safe in school because adults care for them well.

Leaders expect pupils to have a voice and take on roles of responsibility, such as school councillors and sports ambassadors. Pupils carry out these r...oles with pride and maturity.

Leaders set high expectations for pupils' behaviour and conduct.

In lessons and at breaktimes, pupils of all ages behave sensibly. They enjoy a range of activities, from sports to climbing on the tyres. Pupils say that behaviour is much better than it used to be.

Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that adults will sort out any problems quickly.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on supporting pupils' mental health.

However, the opportunities to broaden pupils' personal development are not wide enough. For example, pupils' knowledge of some aspects of British values is patchy.

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

Leaders are starting to make the necessary changes to improve all aspects of the school.

Their actions have had a positive impact on pupils' behaviour and staff morale. Leaders, including governors, are now rightly prioritising the wider curriculum subject by subject.

Leaders introduced a new curriculum in September 2021.

They realised the previous curriculum lacked ambition. The new curriculum identifies the specific knowledge and skills that pupils need to succeed in all subjects. However, leaders' curriculum thinking is in its infancy.

In some subjects, such as design technology, leaders and staff have not agreed on what important content pupils need to learn over time. This means that pupils do not build up a deep subject knowledge as they move through school.

Leaders and staff foster a love of reading.

They ensure that pupils have regular sessions to listen to and discuss stories, extracts and poems. Pupils speak enthusiastically about their favourite books. In the early years, staff emphasise children's speaking and listening skills.

They provide children with meaningful opportunities to develop their speech in preparation for learning to read and write.

Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme. This work is further developed in the early years than in the rest of the school.

Children in Reception get off to a positive start learning to read. Staff use assessment well to identify children who need extra support to keep up with the phonics programme. Children use their growing phonics knowledge to read unknown words.

However, in other year groups, leaders have not matched the books pupils read precisely to the sounds they have learned. This prevents some pupils from reading accurately and fluently. Leaders have firm plans to address this in the coming term.

Leaders have put in place a carefully sequenced and organised mathematics curriculum. Teachers receive expert training and guidance that helps to improve their subject knowledge. Pupils enjoy mathematics.

They revisit and build on their number skills well during 'fluent in five' sessions.

Subject leaders now have greater clarity about what pupils learn and when. Many have had limited opportunities to check on how well their subjects are taught.

As a result, they do not know how well pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn the intended curriculum.

Pupils with SEND receive the same curriculum as their peers. Most staff tailor support and resources to meet pupils' precise needs.

However, staff are inconsistent in their approach. At times, some pupils' academic targets are too broad and do not pinpoint what they need to do to improve. This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should.

Pupils understand the importance of following the 'class charters'. Behaviour in lessons and throughout the school is typically calm and purposeful. Pupils engage respectfully with each other and adults.

Pupils know how to keep mentally and physically healthy. They use various strategies to help reduce anxiety, such as 'worry monsters' and breathing techniques. Pupils contribute to the local community through regular charitable work.

They learn that it is important to accept everyone regardless of difference. However, leaders' work to ensure that pupils are confident discussing different cultures and fundamental British values is less well developed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders, including governors, ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Staff are well trained to notice and report any signs of concern. Leaders keep detailed records to enable them to make quick decisions to support families in need of help.

Governors work closely with leaders to check the effectiveness of the school's recruitment procedures.

Pupils have a good awareness of staying safe in different ways, including road, fire and online safety. They know to report concerns to an adult and not share personal information with strangers.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In many of the wider curriculum subjects, leaders are at the early stage of mapping out the important knowledge they want pupils to know and revisit. This means that pupils do not build a deep understanding of these subjects. Leaders need to ensure that all subjects clearly identify the key knowledge and skills pupils need to learn and revisit as they progress through the school.

• Some subject leaders do not routinely check the impact of the new curriculum. They have not ensured that the curriculum enables all pupils to know more and remember more over time. Subject leaders should be given the time and guidance to monitor how well pupils learn and remember the most important curriculum content.

• Some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should. Pupils' academic targets are too broad. Leaders should ensure that targets identify precisely what pupils need to learn and check the effectiveness of any additional support.

• Some pupils struggle to apply their phonics knowledge when reading. The books they read are sometimes too hard. Leaders need to ensure that these pupils read books that match the sounds they know, so that they develop reading fluency and confidence.

• Pupils struggle to recall parts of the curriculum that develop an understanding of different cultures and British values. Their knowledge of these concepts is not developed well enough. Leaders should ensure that pupils have a secure understanding of British values and different cultures.

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