William Penn School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 July 2024

William Penn School provides a kind and caring environment in which pupils learn to get on well together. They feel safe at school and know that adults will support them if they have any worries. Pupils value the school's small size and like the way that pupils of different ages mix. They appreciate the range of enrichment activities in addition to their lessons, such as the music workshops going on during the inspection. The school is ambitious for all pupils to do well in their learning. It succeeds in some areas of its work, for example enabling pupils to get off to a good start in the early years and in their reading. However, pupils do not achieve well enough in some subjects across the curriculum by the time that they leave. Pupils behave well around the school and get on well as a community. While many pupils work hard in lessons, some find it difficult to sustain their focus on learning. They do not make as much progress through the curriculum as they should and occasionally distract others. Any bullying is typically sorted out effectively by staff, showing the school's Quaker ethos of reflecting on one's behaviour in order to improve it.

What the school should improve

• The sequence of learning in some subjects is not planned clearly enough to build knowledge toward ambitious end points. This means teachers cannot provide activities that give pupils secure understanding and skills. The school should ensure that learning is sequenced well in all subjects.
• Teachers do not have comprehensive information in some subjects about pupils' achievement so as to adapt activities to meet their varying needs. This hampers pupils' learning, including for pupils with SEND. The school should make sure staff have accurate information about pupils' achievement and needs to adapt subsequent teaching effectively.
• Some pupils are missing out on learning through poor attendance. The school should increase its work with families where attendance is a concern. This should include ensuring parents are clear about the consequences of missed learning.
• Some pupils are not supported and enabled to sustain their focus on learning well enough in lessons, becoming distracted and sometimes distracting others. This slows the progress that they make through the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff have the skills and support to keep pupils on task.

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