Warren Hills Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 November 2022

This is a school where care for pupils comes first. There is a strong sense of community. Everyone is included regardless of their needs or ability. Pupils are kind to one another. They spot when their peers need a helping hand. At playtimes, everyone takes responsibility for pupils who sit on the 'buddy bench' because they need a friend to play with. Pupils say they sometimes fall out. But when they do, they work together to sort the problem out. The school is a safe and happy place to learn and play. Pupils behave well. They are taught how to manage their emotions. Pupils know what to do if they feel angry or upset. When pupils make a wrong choice, they reflect on what has happened so that they can try to avoid making the same mistake twice. Pupils know what bullying is. They are confident that staff will deal with any incidents of bullying quickly. The school's motto 'Aspire - Nurture - Grow' is certainly true. Staff, governors and the very large majority of parents agree that the school wants the very best for pupils. They are ambitious that the school will continue to improve.

What the school should improve

• A small number of staff are not as confident as others in the delivery of phonics. Occasionally, they do not provide learning activities that support pupils to acquire new sounds successfully, or quickly identify pupils who are at risk of falling behind. This means that some pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the training they need to become experts in the teaching of phonics.
• Much of the curriculum is new. As a result, monitoring activities are at an early stage. Leaders have not identified precisely where refinements to the curriculum may be needed to maximise the impact it has in supporting pupils to know and remember more. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that they use the information gathered from monitoring activities to identify priorities for further curriculum development.
• Teachers' use of assessment in foundation subjects is still developing. This means that teachers do not yet check as precisely as they could the extent to which pupils are remembering the intended learning as closely as they do in English and mathematics. Leaders should ensure that systems are developed for all subjects so that staff can assess how well pupils learn and retain the intended learning.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)