Walford Nursery & Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The moment you step over the threshold at Walford Nursery & Primary School, you know this is a school that values education; a place where pupils are happy, confident and immersed in their learning. In lessons, pupils are highly engaged and have an evident thirst for knowledge, which they love sharing with visitors. The school's motto is 'every child, every opportunity, every day', and this really matches what is seen here.

Not a moment that can be spent learning and developing is wasted.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary, and on the rare occasion it falls below the high expectations, pupils have absolute confidence that adults will help put it right. Both in lessons and... around the school, pupils are respectful, kind and welcoming.

Staff have high ambition for how well pupils achieve. In response to these demands, pupils work diligently and achieve well across the curriculum. For pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), staff are expert at making adaptations to the curriculum or the way they teach it.

Pupils with SEND are helped to access all the opportunities open to their peers, and they are thriving. Equality and equity are always high on the agenda at Walford.

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

Three words that sum up the Walford curriculum are: precise, deliberate and innovative.

There is a tangible ambition for success. In all subjects and areas of learning, starting in the early years, there has been careful thought about what teachers will teach and when they will teach it. This ensures that learning is sequenced coherently and that pupils build on what they already know.

The school has identified the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary pupils will need for their next steps. Teachers make these 'knowledge nuggets' explicit in lessons and this helps pupils remember what is most important.

Pupils speak confidently about their work.

They make meaningful connections between subjects, including using their mathematical expertise in computing lessons. In history, they make links to previous learning about concepts such as monarchy. They also connect history to their work in geography and art.

For instance, when learning about the Mayan civilisation, pupils learn about locational and climate features of South America.

There is a culture of constant improvement and innovation here. Staff assure the quality of the curriculum effectively to ensure it is always taught well; they make changes as and when necessary.

Exciting innovations, such as Walford University, inspire pupils, supplementing the already strong curriculum offer.

The school provides regular, highly effective training for staff. This has brought about an impressive level of consistency in how well teachers present information and support pupils' learning.

Staff have excellent subject knowledge and provide pupils with precise instructions and explanations.

Nursery and Reception classes are busy and purposeful. Staff provide meaningful activities and children engage in them with gusto.

The environment is highly stimulating, safe, meticulously well organised and full of high-quality resources. Staff place great emphasis on developing children's vocabulary, and children become confident communicators ready for the demands of Year 1.

In the early years, children start their journey of becoming strong, fluent readers in daily phonics lessons.

Staff who teach phonics are highly skilled at doing so. Assessments in phonics are regular and accurate. Teachers gain an accurate picture of the sounds that pupils know and do not know.

This means they provide what pupils need and ensure the books pupils read are precisely matched to the sounds they know. If pupils fall behind, staff provide extra lessons. Once pupils are fluent readers, they enjoy choosing a breadth of literature from the school's well-stocked, inviting library.

Staff share their own love of literature by introducing pupils to quality texts in English lessons and when reading for pleasure.

This is a school that dreams big. The range of opportunities that pupils have to enrich their education is enormous.

Whether it is entering national engineering competitions, working for a degree at Walford University or going on a residential trip to London, pupils relish and benefit from these experiences. Through personal, social and health education, and many other activities across the year, pupils become familiar with equality, the importance of respecting differences and fundamental British values. They are well prepared for their move to their next school and for life in modern Britain.

The leadership at all levels, including governors, has been highly successful in providing staff with effective professional development. As a result, staff here are involved in supporting staff from other schools in the local authority and beyond.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.