Warstones Primary School

Warstones Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 104344 Local Authority Wolverhampton Inspection number 355564 Inspection dates 7–8 December 2010 Reporting inspector Marian Harker HMI

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare provision, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 364 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Waters Headteacher Jackie Lloyd Date of previous school inspection 5 March 2008 School address Warstones Road Wolverhampton WV4 4LU Telephone number 01902 558787 Fax number 01902 558788 Email address warstonesprimaryschool@wolverhampton.gov.uk

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Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 7–8 December 2010 Inspection number 355564 Registered Childcare provision Teeny Weenies Playgroup

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childcare provision

Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 7–8 December 2010 Inspection number 355564 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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childcare provision

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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childcare provision

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 1234 234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two additional inspectors. Seventeen lessons were visited and 11 teachers observed. Meetings were held with parents, groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and members of staff. The inspectors observed the school's work and scrutinised documentation including the school improvement plan, monitoring and evaluation reports, pupils' work, assessment records, safeguarding documentation and School Improvement Partner reports. In total 70 parents' and carers' questionnaires were analysed. The team also analysed responses to the Key Stage 2 pupil survey and the staff questionnaire. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following.  How well do different groups of pupils achieve as they move through the school?  How effective has the school been in improving teaching and sharing best practice?

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Introduction

 How well do leaders and managers use monitoring and evaluation information to improve the performance of the pupils?  How well do children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve in each of the six areas of learning?

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Information about the school

Warstones Primary School is a larger than average school drawing pupils mainly from the Merry Hill, Penn and Graiseley areas of Wolverhampton. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is high. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and whose first language is not English is also high. The school site is being substantially refurbished. The governing body manage the Teeny Weenies playgroup on the school site and offer breakfast club and after-school club facilities for pupils who attend the school. A new deputy headteacher has been appointed since the last inspection and staffing has recently been restructured. The school has achieved National Healthy Schools status.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

Warstones Primary school provides a satisfactory quality of education. The school is at the heart of the local community and is welcoming and friendly. Relationships are good and pupils are confident of receiving adult support if they are worried. Pupils adamantly say, 'Our teachers always listen to us.' Almost all parents and carers are pleased with the school's work and one described it as 'a lovely school'. Another said, 'I cannot praise the school highly enough. My daughter loves coming to school.' These positive comments are typical of the views of many. Pupils know how to keep healthy, and enjoy the wide range of physical activities provided. Pupils participate in a range of inter-schools sports competitions and are currently the holders of the shield for rounders, among many others. The majority of children enter school with skills that are broadly in line with those expected for this age, although skills are lower in a number of key areas such as early

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Main findings

reading, writing and mathematics. Children settle quickly in the Nursery class and make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. By the time pupils enter Year 1 attainment is broadly in line with expectations for this age. Most pupils and groups represented in Key Stages 1 and 2 make satisfactory progress and attainment is in line with national averages by the end of Key Stage 2. Some groups make good progress, particularly in writing. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress. During the inspection, the majority of teaching observed was satisfactory. In the best lessons, the pace of learning was brisk, teachers had high expectations of how much work was to be completed and tasks were closely matched to pupils' abilities. This good practice is not yet a consistent feature of teaching across the school. Staff are beginning to share good practice although there are currently no

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Main findings

outstanding practitioners to coach the staff to improve further. Marking clearly indicates to pupils how well they have succeeded with their tasks, but advice given about how to improve is not as explicit. On occasions when useful feedback is given, pupils do not always have time to respond. Senior leaders have an accurate view of the school's effectiveness. Strengths and weaknesses are known, and action plans identify how weaknesses will be rectified. Although monitoring and evaluation are satisfactory, lesson observations do not clearly focus on the impact of teaching on pupils' learning and progress. Regular meetings have been introduced to discuss pupils' progress and implement support. However, as yet staff are not held fully accountable for the progress of their pupils. The school has a wealth of data relating to how well individuals and groups of pupils are progressing on a termly basis. However, it is not clear how well pupils are progressing over time and individual

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Main findings

targets for improvement are not challenging enough to raise standards and improve rates of progress. The impact of actions taken to raise attainment in writing together with sound progress since the previous inspection and accurate self-evaluation demonstrate the school's satisfactory capacity for further improvement.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the majority of teaching is consistently good or better so that each year 80% of pupils in Key Stage 2 make at least two sub-levels progress in reading, writing and mathematics by: raising expectations of what all pupils are able to do in lessons ensuring that marking clearly identifies how pupils can improve their work and that teachers provide them with the time to respond to the feedback given using excellent external practitioners to model outstanding teaching and coaching staff to improve their practice.  Sharpen monitoring and evaluation procedures and develop leadership expertise by: ensuring lesson observations focus on pupils' learning and feedback given to teachers clearly evaluates the impact of teaching on pupils' progress holding staff to account for learning and progress in their areas of responsibility ensuring all senior leaders have a clear view of how well individuals and groups

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

of pupils are progressing over time.  Up to 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

'I like my school and my teachers because they are always friendly and sometimes tell us funny jokes.' Most pupils report that they enjoy school and parents too have positive views. Pupils are mostly polite and considerate towards each other and behaviour is satisfactory. There are regular opportunities for pupils to contribute to the school community. Responsibilities such as school councillors and peer supporters are undertaken enthusiastically. For example, pupils have recently been involved in improving the school rules and bullying code. As a result, pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong and understand the importance of tolerance. Pupils' good understanding of how to keep healthy is reflected in the acquisition of National Healthy Schools status. As pupils move through the school, their rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics are satisfactory. In lessons where expectations are high, pupils make

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

accelerated progress. For example, in a Year 3/4 lesson the teacher made it very clear that the pupils were expected to have written a correctly punctuated play script and checked that their work met all the success criteria. Pupils responded well, and wasted no time in setting about their task. The school has successfully implemented a structured scheme to improve early reading and writing skills and this is contributing positively to raising standards. Improvements have been particularly notable at the end of Key Stage 1 in writing and in the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, boys were observed thoroughly enjoying the challenge of learning and writing new letter sounds in the Reception class. As a result, the attainment of boys is improving and is now much closer to that of girls. However, in the majority of lessons observed the pace of learning was no better than satisfactory. Teachers do not

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

routinely inform pupils of the amount of work expected of them or too much time is spent listening to the teacher before the task can be started. No significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls or pupils from different ethnic heritage or those learning English as an additional language was observed during the inspection.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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3

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

Lesson planning is generally well structured and clear learning objectives are identified. Introductions are often lively and teachers use strategies such as 'talk partners' and 'hot seating' to involve all pupils. Teachers regularly share the lesson intentions and as a result, pupils know what they are meant to learn. On occasions teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve in a lesson are too low. Although work is interesting, the level of challenge is not always high enough especially for more-able pupils. For example, more- able pupils in Year 6 quickly found the answer to a plenary task in mathematics and were not challenged further to extend their learning. In lessons, pupils particularly enjoy assessing their own work using a helpful 'traffic light' system to indicate their understanding. The use of individual pupils' targets has improved since the last inspection and a revised marking policy has been introduced. As a result, some older pupils have a

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How effective is the provision?

clear view of what they need to do to improve their work. However, these strategies are not yet a consistent feature of the school's work.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Pupils appreciate the care they receive from adults and this makes a positive contribution to raising their self-esteem. For example, pupils attending breakfast club are welcomed with hot toast or cereals and have a range of activities to enjoy. Classroom assistants add to the quality of care, guidance and support in many lessons. The curriculum matches the needs and abilities of most pupils. There is a wide range of after-school clubs ranging from choir to cheer leading. Visits to places of interest and residential trips for pupils in Years 2 to 6 are popular and enjoyed by the pupils. The school places an appropriate emphasis across the curriculum in developing basic skills.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

Day-to-day management successfully creates a positive atmosphere in which to learn. The headteacher, alongside the deputy headteacher, staff and governing body share the same commitment to improve the quality of education. Self-evaluation is accurate and leaders know that the quality of teaching and learning is not yet consistently good. Senior leaders have introduced regular meetings with teachers to discuss how well pupils are progressing. As a result, teachers are beginning to be held more accountable for how well pupils progress. Senior leaders have also, rightly, recognised that observations of lessons have not focused sufficiently on the impact of teaching on pupils' learning. The governing body is supportive and governors have become more strategically involved in the school's work since the last inspection. Governors know the school community well and use their expertise to benefit the pupils. Safeguarding pupils is a high priority for the

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How effective are leadership and management?

governors and senior leaders and all requirements are met. Regular risk assessments ensure that pupils and staff are kept safe during the refurbishment work. While the school is effective in ensuring equal opportunities for those with specific needs and in preventing discrimination, it is less successful in promoting consistently good progress for all. Community cohesion is promoted satisfactorily. School leaders and governors know the needs of the local community very well and pupils from all backgrounds get along well with each other. Links with other communities within the United Kingdom and globally are at an early stage of development.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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3

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

A calm, nurturing environment is evident and well-known routines underpin the positive relationships. Staff encourage the children to take turns and share. Behaviour is good and children feel safe and secure, showing trust in those around them. As a result, they make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. The approach to teaching early reading and writing has recently been revised and is actively engaging the children, in particular the boys, in their learning. As a result, progress in these areas of learning is beginning to accelerate. Teaching is satisfactory and in some lessons observed during the inspection was good. Enthusiastic leaders and managers have created a warm, homely learning environment with innovative displays such as 'counting vests' to consolidate children's understanding of number formation and ordering. The Teeny Weenies playgroup provides a safe and secure early learning environment with a suitable

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Early Years Foundation Stage

range of activities for young children. It is well organised and children are making the expected progress for their age. The playgroup meets the requirements for registration.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Views of parents and carers

Parents and carers express very positive views about the school. They report that the senior leaders, teachers and support staff are approachable, dedicated and caring. All who responded to the questionnaire said that the school kept their children safe. They expressed above average levels of satisfaction in a number of areas including how much their children enjoy school and concerning the information provided by the school about their children's progress. Parents and carers reported that they were particularly pleased to receive text messages from the school as it helped to keep them informed.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Warstones Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 70 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 364 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 43 61 26 37 1 1 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 41 59 29 41 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 40 57 27 39 2 3 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 30 43 37 53 2 3 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 36 51 31 44 2 3 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 33 47 31 44 5 7 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 31 44 33 47 3 4 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 28 40 33 47 2 3 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 31 44 33 47 3 4 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 32 46 29 41 5 7 2 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 30 43 26 37 6 9 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 33 47 28 40 4 6 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 38 54 29 41 1 1 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Warstones Primary School, Wolverhampton, WV4 4LU

I am writing to thank you for the help you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with those of you we met and to watching you work and play. You told us that you were happy and we could see that by the helpful way you treated each other. We found that Warstones Primary is a satisfactory school. You all make satisfactory progress because your teachers make lessons interesting and you try hard. You get on well together and know lots about how to stay safe and healthy, which is very important. We have asked your headteacher, staff and governors to do a number of things to improve your school. Although your lessons are satisfactory, your teachers could make them even better. They need to make sure that all of you are learning as fast as you can, and give you clear guidelines about how much work you are expected to complete when you are working by yourself. We also want adults to give you more advice about how to

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Inspection of Warstones Primary School, Wolverhampton, WV4 4LU

improve your work, as well as giving you time to reply to their helpful comments. Your headteacher, staff and the governing body are working hard to improve your school. Now, we want them to keep a careful check that you are all learning as well as you can and are making good progress during your time at school. You can help by continuing to work hard and by asking your teachers for helpful hints about how to improve your work.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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