Whinstone Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 April 2022

Ready, respectful and safe. Whinstone's rules are known and followed by all adults and pupils. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. These are applied with consistency in classrooms and at playtimes. As a result, behaviour throughout the school day is respectful and calm. All pupils say that teachers make them feel safe and happy. Pupils told the inspector that bullying happens very rarely. When it does happen, pupils say they can speak to any adult and it will be fixed quickly. The Whinstone worry box, accessed through the school website, allows pupils to easily report their worries. Pupils work as anti-bullying ambassadors and take their role seriously. They have received the training they need to deal with minor playground issues. They wear their yellow hoodies with pride. Leaders have ensured that fundamental British values form an integral part of the positive culture in this school. Pupils have a clear understanding of what it means to be respectful and tolerant. All staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils demonstrate the school motto, 'Helping each other to be the best we can be'. They have positive attitudes to their work, their school and each other. Pupils told the inspector, 'There is no limit to what we can achieve.'

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, such as history, the curriculum is not sequenced clearly for all pupils. For younger pupils, the curriculum does not build with enough accuracy on what pupils already know. The key historical concepts that leaders want pupils to learn are often too broad and complex. This means that pupils do not achieve the depth of understanding required. Leaders should review their curriculum sequencing to ensure that the order and breadth of curriculum content is well ordered and manageable. This will allow pupils to develop a deeper subject knowledge each year. Leaders have already taken action to begin addressing this. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.
• Leaders' approach to assessing pupils learning in the wider curriculum is not precise enough. It does not identify what pupils know and can do in subjects such as PSHE and history. This means that gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always known. Leaders should ensure that they develop their assessment systems across the curriculum so that pupils' knowledge and skills are accurately checked.

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