Worple Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Worple Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 10 October 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2014. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

Your clear and determined leadership has ensured that those around you share your passion for school improvement. Your meticulous monitoring of all aspects of the school's work has enabled you to identify strengths and areas for improveme...nt. For example, you are aware that writing is an area of focus for the current year.

You have developed a highly skilled team of senior leaders who have made a significant impact on raising standards. You know the community well, and many parents and carers are positive about the way you have strengthened relationships since you joined the school in June 2018. They report that they 'love the school' and they feel very 'lucky' to have their child attend.

The atmosphere around the school is calm and friendly. Pupils are polite and show respect to adults and each other. They are keen to learn.

They participate well in lessons. Pupils understand why education is important and how it will help them when they are older to go on to university and do stimulating jobs. You are well supported by a team of skilled governors who have a clear vision for the school.

They work closely with you to identify priorities and evaluate progress. They have a sharp focus on school development and visit the school often. Governors ask challenging questions of you and other leaders and, like you, are very ambitious for the school.

Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are in place and fit for purpose. Records are detailed and rigorous.

Pupils report that they feel safe at school. They talk knowledgably about lessons where they learned how to be safe, such as those lessons that focused on drug and alcohol awareness. Pupils have a secure understanding of issues such as road and water safety.

They know what behaviours are unkind and feel confident to report their concerns. They are clear that adults deal with any problems that arise. All staff have received the required safeguarding training to support their knowledge of the government's current statutory guidance.

Clear safeguarding procedures are in place and staff know how to report concerns. Leaders engage well with external agencies to help safeguard pupils. Governors are clear about their duties to ensure that pupils are safe.

Governors regularly audit safeguarding practice within the school. Inspection findings ? My first line of enquiry focused on how leaders ensure that children in the early years make a strong start in gaining age-expected skills and knowledge. This was because in 2017 outcomes were not as strong as in the previous year.

• During my visits to the classrooms, it was clear that leaders are highly knowledgeable about what makes effective provision across Nursery and Reception. This means that the high-quality learning environment is resourced to ensure that children gain maximum opportunities to experience meaningful learning activities. ? Staff match tasks to the different stages of children's development well and ensure that children of all abilities have work that is suitable.

This means that all children can experience success and make progress from their different starting points. ? Staff provide meaningful real-life resources and experiences. These enable children to develop their language and mathematical skills in a way that reflects and enhances their understanding of the world.

This approach to teaching numeracy, early reading and writing throughout the early years has resulted in strong progress and improved outcomes in 2018. ? My second line of enquiry focused on the teaching of writing because there was a gap in attainment in 2018 between the disadvantaged pupils and their peers in Year 6. ? Leaders know which groups and individuals they need to support in order to close gaps.

For example, leaders are aware that disadvantaged pupils and those capable of reaching greater depth need additional teaching and support. They know that for these pupils there is a strong focus on ensuring that outcomes in writing are as strong as those in reading and mathematics. ? Leaders have taken a systematic approach to raising standards in writing that supports teaching and learning in the classroom.

Talk and drama are used well to embed vocabulary and key concepts. Pupils told me how school trips have helped them to understand the purpose or background of their writing. Some said that this has helped them to improve their outcomes.

We saw examples of strong practice in our visits to lessons. Pupils display high levels of engagement and resilience in writing tasks. The texts chosen to support the writing process are challenging and the vocabulary is stretching.

• We also saw how feedback and opportunities for discussion are used to promote a culture of high expectations. The pupils in the older years reported that they value these 'conferences' as they give them a chance to talk about the way in which they write. They explained that these sessions also help them with the editing process.

This is an approach the school intends to roll out fully to other year groups. The recently introduced strategies need to be embedded throughout the school so that pupils' achievement in writing is as strong as in reading and mathematics, particularly at greater depth. ? My final line of enquiry focused on how leaders ensure that all pupils attend equally well.

This is because in previous years the attendance of some groups of pupils had fallen below the national average. ? Leaders monitor attendance rigorously. Unauthorised absence is challenged and followed up effectively.

Leaders and governors have been quick to address this area of the school's work and the gap has closed between the previously identified groups and their peers. Punctuality, which was an area for improvement at the previous inspection, is much improved. ? Pupils told me about why they have to be in school and the difference it makes to their success in education.

They are highly motivated to attend and feel that the rewards and recognition that they get for good attendance are only part of this. They report that they really enjoy school. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? greater proportions of pupils from all groups, including the disadvantaged, reach the higher standard in writing by the end of key stage 2, so that their achievement in writing is as good as in reading and mathematics ? they fully embed the strategies used in the upper school to improve pupils' writing in all year groups.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Hounslow. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Karen Matthews Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you, senior leaders, middle leaders, governors, the attendance leader and a representative from the local authority.

I scrutinised pupils' work in classrooms. I visited lessons in all year groups. I talked to pupils about their learning, both at formal and informal times, throughout the day.

I looked at information on the school's website. I analysed the confidential online questionnaires of five members of staff and the views of 65 parents who responded to Parent View, including 62 free-text responses. I scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school's self-evaluation, school improvement plans, pupils' attendance information, documentation related to safeguarding and the school's assessment information.