A Herefordshire primary school has recently been rated as ‘good’ in an inspection by Ofsted.
Wellington Primary School, which is situated in the village of Wellington, just off the A49 between Hereford and Leominster, was rated as ‘good’ following the inspection that took place on the 14th September this year.
There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.
What Ofsted said about Wellington Primary School:
“Many good things happen at this school. It is a calm, safe and friendly place in which staff and pupils work and learn. Staff treat pupils kindly and take time to find out about their lives and interests. Pupils are polite and get on well with one another. They know that staff will always listen to them and help them if they have any worries. Bullying is not a problem. If it were to happen, pupils and staff know they would work together to stop it.
“The school has been though many changes over the past few years. Current leaders are putting new routines and expectations in place. However, some aspects of learning are not organised as well as they could be. In reading and mathematics, lessons and resources do not help pupils to learn as well as they might. In other subject areas, leaders are making changes to help pupils remember the right things.
“Parents express positive views about the school. They like its community feel and say their children are happy and settled here. Governors and leaders know where improvements are needed. Their actions so far indicate that they are heading the right way to improve the school.
“Pupils learn to be kind and considerate at this school. They get involved in local events and are taught the value of kind words and helpful actions. Throughout the many recent changes, this caring ethos has been maintained from Nursery through to Year 6. However,
there is room for improvement in some other aspects of the school’s work.
“The school offers a broad curriculum and ensures that English and mathematics are taught regularly. For instance, phonics is taught daily. However, the school’s current phonics system is not wholly successful. This is because staff use a mix of books from different schemes, some of which do not match the sounds pupils are learning in class.
“This hinders progress and some pupils fall behind. Those who move into key stage 2 with gaps in their phonic knowledge do not always get the support they need to help them catch up.
“That said, staff know a lot about books and authors. They use quality texts in class and regularly read aloud to pupils. Pupils enjoy listening to stories and many know a lot about literature. From the start in Nursery, children are captivated by teachers’ joyful
storytelling.
“Similarly, staff have secure subject knowledge in mathematics. Lessons are interesting and staff want pupils to do well. However, as with phonics, some resources are not ideal.
“For example, pupils are sometimes given activities that do not match what has been taught. At other times, pupils do not have enough opportunity to practise and embed their knowledge. This slows pupils’ progress and leads to gaps in their knowledge.
“Leaders know that curriculum resources and routines need strengthening. In writing, for example, they have recently introduced a new whole-school approach, which is already lifting expectations and standards.”
The full report can be found by visiting – Ofsted | Wellington Primary School and Nursery
