Wingham Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 28–29 February 2012 2 Inspection number 379613 Wingham Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 118403 Local authority Kent Inspection number 379613 Inspection dates 28–29 February 2012 Lead inspector Kevin Hodge

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 211 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair George Jenkins Headteacher Linda Taylor Date of previous school inspection 7–8 October 2008 School address School Lane Wingham Canterbury CT3 1BD Telephone number 01227 720277 Fax number 01227 720071 Email address office@winghamprimary.co.uk 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

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . 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 information 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’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspectors observed 13 lessons or part lessons taught by nine different teachers which totalled approximately seven hours. These included joint observations of lessons conducted with the headteacher. Inspectors held discussions with groups of learners, staff, and members of the governing body. The inspectors took account of responses to the on- line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at development planning, the school’s website, tracking information showing learners’ progress, teachers’ lesson plans and pupils’ work. In addition, the inspectors analysed the questionnaire responses of 101 parents and carers, 15 staff and 100 pupils and took their views into account.

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Information about the school

Wingham is smaller than the average sized primary school. Most pupils are White British, with a very low proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The number of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is lower than average. The Early Years Foundation Stage children are taught in one Reception class. The school runs a daily breakfast club. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. 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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Key findings

 This is a good school. Pupils develop into responsible, very well-behaved learners and they achieve well. Wingham is not outstanding as teaching, while typically good, is not of the highest quality in all classes. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) skills is not always planned regularly enough within day-to-day activities.

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Key findings

 Pupils achieve well throughout the school. Children have a good start in the Reception class, benefiting from improved outdoor resources since the last inspection. They gain a good range of early reading, speaking, writing and number skills. In Years 1 to 6, pupils' reading, mathematics, and more recently their writing skills, develop effectively. By the time they leave the school, pupils reach above average levels of attainment.

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Key findings

 Typically, good levels of teaching promote pupils’ good achievement. Regular, interesting practical activities aid pupils’ enjoyment of lessons. There are some small variations in quality between classes, as not all teaching is at the level of the best. Assessment to guide pupils is more effective in English than in mathematics. Older pupils sometimes say they could do harder work.

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Key findings

 Pupils' typically outstanding level of behaviour and mature approach, fostered by high levels of spiritual, moral and social development, ensure excellent harmony among pupils. This means that playtimes are generally incident free and learning in lessons is rarely disrupted. Pupils’ awareness of local and global cultures is promoted well, but their understanding of the differing backgrounds and beliefs of others represented in the wider United Kingdom is not secure.

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Key findings

 Directing the school’s continued success are effective senior leaders who have successfully addressed a dip in results, maintained the very caring ethos and managed staff and teaching performance to good effect. The vast majority of parents and carers say they would recommend the school to others. 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 that all teaching is at the level of the best, particularly in Years 3 to 6, by January 2013 through:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 making teachers’ explanations short, sharp and to the point so pupils can get down to activities more quickly  ensuring that teachers use open-ended questions and activities to allow pupils more choice and diversity in their learning, such as in using ICT  ensuring that teachers’ assessment routines are consistently applied, particularly in mathematics  ensuring that the school’s new policy of promoting pupils’ more independent creative and collaborative learning is implemented fully in the coming year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the pupils' awareness of others’ backgrounds, cultures and beliefs represented in the United Kingdom.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils achieve well given their average starting points. A dip in national results for the oldest pupils, following the last inspection, has been reversed. Generally good progress now means pupils reach above average standards by the time they leave school. Children enjoy the improved outdoor resources in the Reception classes. Children enjoyed taking on the role of fire fighters, enthusiastically tackling various imaginary fires. Their early reading and writing skills develop effectively with regular, adept teaching of letter sounds and combinations (phonics). Children's number skills are securely developed in both direct teaching and small-group activities. Sometimes opportunities are missed to enliven learning further. Most children are resilient and relate well to others so they are well prepared to start in Year 1. Pupils' early reading skills continue to build systematically so that by the end of Year 2, pupils are

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Achievement of pupils

confident readers. They exceed national expectations, as they do in mathematics and writing. The regular support to help pupils recognise and blend different letter sounds ensures they enjoy reading. An emphasis on learning about connectives to link parts of sentences together in a very well taught lesson was clearly understood by them.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils continue to build on this good foundation as they move through the school in Years 3 to 6. A particular focus to boost pupils' writing skills has succeeded in helping them become confident and imaginative writers. Pupils are confident and above- average readers by the time they leave the school. They acquire good levels of mathematical skills in calculation and in solving word problems, but do not have enough opportunities to apply these skills to ‘real-life’ mathematical problems. There 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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Achievement of pupils

are some variations in progress between classes, normally related to the quality of teaching, when pupils' learning slows. In some lessons, pupils do not always have sufficient time to demonstrate or extend their understanding; for example, in the first part of one lesson, pupils had too little time to explore how to apply their knowledge and understanding of data collection. The school’s new emphasis on developing pupils’ collaborative skills, perseverance and creativity is paying dividends for most, but not all pupils. In science, the making of string and tin can telephones to explore how sound travels, extended pupils' learning in a fun way. In ICT lessons, pupils achieve well, although the use of ICT within day-to-day activities is too infrequent. Across the school, pupils who are disabled, or have special educational needs, benefit from good identification of their specific difficulties, and additional support in

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Achievement of pupils

classes helps them to achieve well. Some minor differences in attainment between boys and girls have narrowed quickly. The vast majority of parents and carers agree that their children achieve well during their time at the school.

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Quality of teaching

Inspection evidence agrees with the view of the vast majority of parents and carers that the quality of teaching is typically good over time. There are some examples of outstanding teaching. For example, pupils in Year 4 enjoyed learning about different customs in India and particularly enjoyed painting the pavement outside the entrance hall in bright, Indian-inspired colours and patterns. This contributed well to their cultural development. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, clear planning ensures a good mix of activities to pursue. Only when some children spend too long on them, without adults moving their learning on, does their progress slow. Teachers' good subject knowledge ensures basic skills are taught well and, in the case of older pupils, has helped narrow gaps in attainment between boys and girls. Some past weaknesses, particularly in pupils’ writing abilities, have been remedied.

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Quality of teaching

The planned curriculum impacts well on pupils’ learning as there are opportunities to work collaboratively and to explore issues of moral and social importance. The school recognises that more needs to be done to promote pupils’ multicultural awareness in lessons. Good opportunities to enliven their imagination, such as older pupils making primitive telephones, also provided opportunities for reflection in thinking about what would happen if modern communication devices suddenly failed. Occasionally, teachers' explanations or guidance are overly long, which means pupils do not have sufficient time to complete their work. Some pupils indicated that they felt some set work was too easy or repeated too often. In some lessons, tasks or questions posed are not sufficiently open-ended to allow pupils to extend their learning further, such as by using ICT. All teachers plan effectively for different groups of pupils,

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Quality of teaching

particularly those who are lower attaining, disabled or who may have special educational needs. Activities for these pupils are normally well conceived, aided by teaching assistants who are skilful and sensitive to the needs of the pupils in their care. Assessment routines are generally effective in giving pupils guidance about how to improve their work. Pupils appreciate the use of targets and advice from teachers to guide their progress. Currently, this is more effective in English work than in mathematics. 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils typically behave extremely well. Particularly high regard is paid to fostering pupils' spiritual, moral and social development, so that the parents’ and carers’ view that behaviour in the school is usually of a high standard is well founded. Around the school, pupils are caring and courteous both to visitors and to each other. Lessons proceed very smoothly, as pupils are willing learners and, when given the opportunity, can readily be trusted to guide their own learning. The oldest pupils enjoy having significant responsibilities such as setting up assemblies and the ICT suite, and in allocating play equipment at lunchtimes. The school council is also influential in setting up initiatives and in helping pupils decide class and school priorities. Pupils in other classes enjoy having specific responsibilities, and some were considering how to influence the staff into becoming even more eco-friendly and in

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

gaining eco-school status. The school's website gives a good insight into how pupils develop effective links with the community, such as local churches, or in displaying their sporting or musical expertise together with other local schools. Playtimes and lunchtimes are very active and very safe, despite the concerns expressed by a very small number of parents or carers. Different zones, which are often allocated on a rota basis between classes, ensure that any incidents or upsets are kept to a minimum. When asked, pupils are very clear about difficulties posed by bullying in differing forms such as cyber-bullying, physical bullying or those related to physical disabilities. As such, a family atmosphere where all its members are valued is a significant strength of the school.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders, including governors, have effectively addressed issues from the last inspection, including reversing an unexpected dip in results. Writing, for example, has been a focus for improvement, resulting in significant gains in pupils' confidence and abilities. Improved outdoor resources for those children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have enhanced provision considerably. Monitoring of teaching is regular and systematic and highlights the most significant areas in which the school needs to improve. Staff say they are looking forward to developing a ‘coaching’ approach as another way of improving the quality of teaching still further. Members of the governing body, who give the school good support, have recently reviewed their structures to give a clearer and more up-to-date picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Given the impact of action since the last inspection, the school’s capacity to improve is good. Subject coordinators value emerging and

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Leadership and management

existing links with governors, and typically describe meetings with them as ‘challenging, but supportive’. The governing body is reviewing the new arrangements to assess if they can be improved further. Governors implement safeguarding procedures to a good level, including staff vetting procedures, and the good promotion of equal opportunities ensures that any differences between the attainment of different groups of pupils are minimised and reduced. Governors also ensure that discrimination of any sort is not tolerated. The curriculum provides a wide variety of activities and pupils readily recall acting out Victorian and Second 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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Leadership and management

World War days and older pupils participated wholeheartedly in the 60s fashion day. A new ‘Forest school’ initiative to boost pupils’ environmental awareness is starting to take shape. Opportunities to use ICT within day-to-day activities are too infrequent, but suite-based activities are effective in developing pupils’ ICT skills. While pupils’ understanding of their local community is good, and environmental initiatives and studying other countries extend their global awareness, their knowledge and understanding of others from differing backgrounds represented in this country are not promoted sufficiently well. The vast majority of parents and carers indicate they feel the school responds well to their concerns and keeps them well informed, concurring with inspection evidence.

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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. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. 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

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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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

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and 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 governors and 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.

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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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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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 Wingham Primary School, Wingham, CT3 1BD

Many thanks for your welcome when we visited your school. We think yours is a good school, which everyone is keen to keep improving. Here are some particular things we found out.

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Inspection of Wingham Primary School, Wingham, CT3 1BD

 The children in the reception class have a good start to school. They like their outside area very much.  You make good progress in your learning in Years 1 to 6 and achieve well, especially in your reading and writing.  You behave extremely well, everyone gets on with each other and you told us you enjoy lessons, particularly when you have choice in your own learning.  The school cares for you well, particularly those who find learning hard.  We liked looking at those of you who dressed up in 60s fashion outfits: it made me feel old though!  The school makes very good links with your parents, carers and the local community. Most said that they would recommend your school to others.  You told us that you all feel safe in school and that bullying is very rare.  The headteacher, staff and governors like working at the school and are already developing ways in which it can get even better.

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Inspection of Wingham Primary School, Wingham, CT3 1BD

We have asked the school to improve two particular aspects of the school to help it get even better:

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Inspection of Wingham Primary School, Wingham, CT3 1BD

 Make all teaching exciting and to the level of the very best in school.  Help you have a better understanding of others who live in this country from contrasting localities, or who may have different beliefs, customs or traditions.

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Inspection of Wingham Primary School, Wingham, CT3 1BD

All of you can help, too, by trying to keep up your brilliant behaviour and in giving your ideas about how the school can keep improving such as becoming an ‘Eco school’.

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Inspection of Wingham Primary School, Wingham, CT3 1BD

Kevin Hodge Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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