Setting

Miss Griffin The Headteacher Waulud Primary School Wauluds Bank Drive Luton LU3 3LZ

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Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 5 May 2011, for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection. Please also pass on my thanks to the staff, pupils and the Chair of the Governing Body for their contribution to this monitoring inspection.

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Primary School

There have been very few changes since the last inspection. A member of the management team has been appointed to be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the information regarding pupils’ attainment and progress. Currently, two class teachers in Years 4 and 6 are on maternity leave. The school has made suitable arrangements to cover these temporary absences.

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Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 9 March 2010, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement which are set out in the annex to this letter.

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Primary School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made good progress in making improvements. The school has made good progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Primary School

The results of the 2010 national tests in English and mathematics for pupils in Year 6 indicated that their attainment was broadly in line with that expected nationally. Based on pupils’ work seen and the schools’ analysis of assessment information this improving trend from well below average is being maintained. Nearly all groups are making good progress. Especially those who are pupils eligible for free school meals, identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities or who speak English as an additional language. During the inspection, many good examples of writing were seen. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their attitudes to learning are Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH Ofsted T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Serco Direct T 0121 683 3888 September 2010 Page 2 positive and behaviour exemplary. Attendance is broadly average and improving.

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Primary School

Pupils in Key Stage 1 are developing good skills for independent learning. In Key Stage 2, older pupils’ skills are even more advanced. Pupils are keen to show examples of writing with pride and feel that having targets helps them learn even more. Increasing proportions of pupils are making better progress and achieving higher standards in most year groups. However, the school is aware some inconsistencies are still to be addressed. For example, some pupils in Years 3 and 4 are making slower progress than expected. Activities targeted at those pupils in need of additional support are being monitored effectively. Early results are demonstrating positive impact.

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Primary School

The proportion of good and better lessons is steadily increasing. The leadership team is well aware of what improvements still need to be made in order to meet the targets set for the end of July 2011. In the best lessons, teachers closely match activities to pupils’ needs using assessment information effectively. Lessons provide pupils with a variety of practical activities which enable them to work independently or in groups. Pupils work with sustained concentration, learn with interest and make good progress. Work in books and folders is marked well, often with fulsome comments about what was good about the work and any steps for improvement. Learning support assistants are generally well deployed and support small groups well. Technology is used effectively. For example, pupils’ work is enlarged and projected for discussion and editing. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the outdoor learning area has been significantly improved through bright decoration and

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Primary School

additional resources. Children’s learning outside of their classrooms is now well developed both in terms of visits to local areas of interest and within the school grounds. For example, older pupils talked about their successes in growing vegetables and plants.

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Primary School

In the decreasing number of less effective lessons, planning does not always take into account the differing abilities of pupils. Tasks are often the same regardless of pupils’ abilities. Marking is not always detailed enough to support improvement. Teachers often talk too long during introductory sessions and explanations, limiting pupils’ time for direct learning or developing their own speaking and listening skills. Consequently, pupils make slower progress. Although pupils maintain their good behaviour and attitudes to learning in these lessons, from time-to-time a few disengage from their learning and become restless.

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Primary School

Senior leaders, the management team and the governing body have an accurate understanding of the schools’ strengths and areas that require improvement. The school’s development plan has appropriate priorities matching the areas identified for improvement in the previous inspection report. Almost all of these areas have been addressed well. Leaders and managers have an accurate view on the quality of teaching because of their regular monitoring and evaluation of lessons. They are aware that the quality of marking and feedback to pupils varies between and across some year groups. Appropriate plans to improve consistency are underway. Nonetheless, leaders and managers do not have enough detail about teaching September 2010 Page 3 because the processes for collating and analysing monitoring information are not sufficiently formal, precise or systematic. The governing body is businesslike and supportive. Its members meet regularly and have appropriate systems in place to

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Primary School

gain information about the school’s performance. Effective methods of holding the school to account are developing well through requests for information and challenging important decisions about the school’s future improvements.

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Primary School

The school has received satisfactory support from the local authority. This has included: termly visits from the school improvement partner, training for staff regarding target setting and advice and support from the Early Years Advisory Team. In addition, the school has commissioned an independent consultant to provide training for the middle leaders’ roles with an emphasis on developing their skills in the monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance. The impact of this training can be seen in the clear views and understanding held by the team with regard to the analysis of pupils’ performance and the quality of teaching and learning.

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Primary School

I hope that you have found the inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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place in March 2010

Raise standards and accelerate pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science and increase the proportion of pupils reaching the expected and higher National Curriculum levels by: - increasing the proportion of good teaching and sharing the good practice that exists more widely - raising expectations as to what pupils can achieve and making better use of assessment information to ensure that work is closely matched to pupils’ capabilities - produce a spelling policy by June 2010 and fully implement handwriting guidance to improve pupils’ spelling, punctuation, handwriting and grammatical skills, and encourage them to write at length - ensuring targets are set in all core subjects so that pupils know what must be improved and involve them in setting targets and goals - encouraging pupils to be more independent learners and less reliant on teachers by finding things out for themselves.

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place in March 2010

Improve outdoor provision and outdoor resources for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Develop the use of the school grounds so that all pupils enjoy good quality learning experiences outdoors to further develop their physical, creative, imaginative and enquiry skills.

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place in March 2010

Strengthen leadership and management by: - improving the tracking of pupils’ progress to determine the attainment and progress made by different groups to inform intervention - making better use of performance data to set realistic and challenging whole school targets, particularly in core subjects - more closely aligning performance tracking data with the information gained from lesson observations to better judge teaching quality - being more systematic in identifying the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning and remedy weaknesses in provision within challenging timescales - continue to improve the skills and expertise of subject and phase leaders, and provide further opportunities for them to get into classrooms to monitor and improve provision.

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