Waterton Newstead Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 July 2024

Pupils in this school learn in a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment. Skilled adults build positive relationships with pupils. Consequently, pupils are happy and eager to learn. They are supported to make friends and to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They commonly talk about how their children are 'thriving' and 'flourishing' here. Pupils behave exceptionally well. Some pupils find it hard to manage their own behaviour, but when this happens, staff intervene quickly and sensitively. They are trained well in meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils say that they are kind to each other. They understand the school rules, which include 'kind hands' and 'kind words'. Bullying is not tolerated. Pupils know that there are adults in school who can help them if they are worried. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. Most pupils live up to these expectations and achieve well. There is a determination to ensure that pupils become valued members of society. The school provides opportunities for pupils to play an active part in the local community. For example, pupils visit the local community shop and allotments.

What the school should improve

• Staff do not use consistent strategies when teaching phonics or when hearing pupils read. This means that pupils have insufficient opportunities to practise and consolidate sounds or to develop their reading fluency. Consequently, pupils' progress in reading is impeded. The school should work to further develop staff's understanding of the strategies used in the chosen phonics programme so that teaching is consistently effective.
• In some subjects, sequences of learning lack coherence. It is not clear precisely what pupils should know and remember by the end of a unit of lessons. This means that pupils do not build knowledge cumulatively over time. The school should ensure that staff are supported to plan sequences of lessons that follow a coherent structure so that pupils remember the key knowledge identified on long- term overviews.
• Sometimes, the tasks that teachers ask pupils to complete do not match the learning intention for the lesson. This means that pupils are more likely to remember the task that they have done rather than key knowledge. Staff should ensure that they choose activities carefully so that pupils learn the key knowledge identified in curriculum plans.

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