Windhill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Windhill Primary School is popular and well led. Pupils, parents, carers and staff are full of praise for the school. They highly recommend the school to others.

Leaders provide pupils with extensive opportunities to enrich their learning, both in and out of the classroom. The academic curriculum is well-planned. There are interesting, purposeful educational visits planned throughout the school year.

An extensive range of extra-curricular clubs are available. These are well attended. Pupils engage regularly with the local community.

They have had many recent sporting successes. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Pupils are happy at ...school.

They enjoy coming to school and are encouraged to attend regularly. Pupils and parents told inspectors that bullying happens very rarely. However, when issues do occur, leaders take prompt action to address these.

There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere throughout school. Many pupils are part of the school's 'friendship force'. This is in place to promote harmony among the school community.

Occasionally, pupils lose their focus in their lessons. There is some variation in how teachers respond to these incidents.

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

Senior leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum at the school.

They have worked closely with subject leaders to improve their curriculum plans. These plans clearly set out what teachers need to teach, at what point and why. Leaders are mindful of the local context in which the school is based.

In history, for example, pupils learn about the impact of Tudors in the local area. In English, pupils learn about authors with a connection to Mexborough. Leaders have scheduled an extensive number of educational visits and other activities to supplement pupils' classroom-based lessons.

Leaders have actively engaged with other bodies to support their curriculum development. They have worked with colleagues from the local authority and a local English 'hub' to develop the way reading is taught. Staff receive in-house training to help develop their subject expertise.

Subject leaders do not have the opportunity routinely to get into classrooms and monitor their areas of responsibility.

Pupils' educational experiences in lessons are positive. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

These pupils are well supported throughout school. There is clear evidence of the impact of strategies in place to help pupils with SEND, irrespective of their level of individual need.

Pupils benefit from the school's academic and wider curriculum offer.

A recent commitment to improve pupils' reading skills has led to more pupils being able to read well at any early age. Leaders are continuing this important work as they know some pupils need further help to become confident readers. In subjects, such as science, pupils learn extensive subject-specific vocabulary through their lessons.

Older pupils spoke with confidence to inspectors about recent lessons on the human body, discussing in detail the functions of capillaries, arteries and veins. However, in most subjects, the assessments pupils complete do not align consistently with what they have been taught.

The early years curriculum is well thought through.

Throughout the school's three early years settings (Pre-school, Nursery and Reception classes), children are happy. They engage well with each other and with their supporting adults. There are many opportunities provided to support these children to develop a love of learning from an early age.

However, in the early years and throughout school, the opportunities pupils get to develop their written work are limited. Some pupils' handwriting is not as fluent as it could be. Leaders' plans for how to teach older pupils to revise and evaluate their writing are in development.

The school's personal development offer is exemplary. Leaders have left no stone unturned in their approach to broadening the horizons of pupils. Pupils have access to an extensive range of extra-curricular clubs.

These are aligned to pupils' sporting, creative and musical interests. The vast majority of pupils benefit from these. Several of the school's sporting teams have been successful in local competitions.

The school has also recently been represented in regional cricket and chess events.

Leaders have ensured the personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) curriculum has evolved to address local issues. Many pupils are involved in leadership opportunities such as those provided through the school council and the eco-council.

Pupils on the school council recently organised a school vote to help leaders choose new playground equipment. This was designed to demonstrate the importance of democratic processes. Pupils have a very clear understanding of equality, respect and diversity.

Whole-school and personalised support is in place to keep pupils mentally and physically healthy.

Pupils discuss, debate and perform often. Year 6 pupils were involved in a production of 'The Lion King' during this inspection.

Every pupil had an important role to play in this end-of-term production. Pupils are exceptionally proud to have recently performed for residents at a local care home. Pupils are fully aware of their potential as they embrace their next steps in education and the wider world.

Governors are committed to improving the school further. They know the school and the community well. They are aware of the schools' strengths.

They provide support to leaders with school improvement priorities, while also challenging leaders when they think more needs to be done. Governors closely monitor the school's spending of funding to support disadvantaged pupils. Recent initiatives, such as providing a free bagel to every child at the start of the day, and running subsidised breakfast clubs, are popular with the school community.

Staff told inspectors that leaders, including governors, are very mindful of their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safer recruitment procedures are in place at the school.

Checks are made on new staff to ensure they are suitable to work with children. Training is provided to all staff, on a regular basis, to ensure they are aware of the risks pupils face. The reporting procedures used throughout school are well embedded.

Record keeping is detailed.

When pupils are in need, leaders are relentless in ensuring pupils and families get the help they need. They ensure this is done in a timely manner.

Pupils are taught how to stay safe as they grow up in modern Britain.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Although the quality of education the pupils receive is good overall, pupils are not fully supported to develop and improve the quality of their written work. They do not routinely adapt their written style across a range of contexts, purposes and audiences.

As such, the quality of pupils' written work is variable. Leaders should implement a strategy to develop pupils' writing. ? Some subject leaders have not ensured their assessments precisely identify what pupils can and cannot do and remember.

In some subjects, the time leaders have to monitor the delivery of their plans is limited. These issues are slowing the pace of curriculum improvements. Leaders should ensure that their plans to further develop the school's curriculum address these issues.