Wellington Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 22–23 May 2012 Inspection number 376484 Wellington Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100927 Local authority Tower Hamlets Inspection number 376484 Inspection dates 22–23 May 2012 Lead inspector Madeleine Gerard

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 354 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jill Cochrane Headteacher Martin Grant Date of previous school inspection 26–27 March 2008 School address Wellington Way London E3 4NE Telephone number 020 8980 2413 Fax number 020 8980 6949 Email address info@wellington.towerhamlets.sch.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 teaching and learning in 24 lessons or parts of lessons taught by 14 teachers, and held meetings with groups of pupils, staff and members of the governing body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line Parent View survey in planning the inspection. They observed the school’s work, looked at work in pupils’ books and tracking data showing pupils’ attainment and progress. The school’s development plans and records related to safeguarding pupils were also seen. The inspectors considered responses to questionnaires received from 127 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school. Early Years Foundation Stage children are taught in one Nursery class and two Reception class. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above average and Bangladeshi is the largest group. A higher proportion than average speaks English as an additional language. A few of these pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is lower than average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The school organises and manages a breakfast club. There has been a considerable number of staff changes in recent years. The school is undergoing a period of expansion which involves a substantial amount of current building work at the school. 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. It is not yet outstanding because there is some variability in the rates of pupils’ learning and progress between classes. Occasionally, teachers’ explanations to the whole class are too lengthy and limit the amount of time for pupils to work independently. As a result, the pace of learning slows in these lessons. Enhancements to the curriculum include an increased emphasis on writing in a variety of styles and making mathematics more relevant to pupils’ lives. This is helping to increase the rate of pupils’ learning and progress, although opportunities are sometimes missed for pupils to practise and develop their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects.  Achievement is good. From low starting points for their age, pupils make good progress to reach average levels of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is good. Planning ensures that tasks are well matched to pupils’

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Key findings

learning needs. Personalised targets, marking and teachers’ feedback make clear to pupils how to improve their work and move up to the next level.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and behave well. They have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe from harm, for example when cycling and when using computers.  Good leadership and management have maintained the school’s good overall effectiveness. Since the previous inspection, the quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage has improved and children’s achievement is rising. Leaders have managed performance successfully. Rigorous checks by senior and middle leaders on the quality of teaching ensure the school has an accurate view of provision. Well-selected additional training and coaching for staff have secured the good overall quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in spite of changes in teaching staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 By January 2013, increase consistency in the rates of pupils’ learning and progress throughout the school further by: 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?

 ensuring pupils are set independent tasks as early as possible in lessons  enabling pupils to practise key literacy and numeracy skills very regularly across a range of curriculum subjects.

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Achievement of pupils

The school is working well to narrow the gaps in attainment between pupils at the school and all pupils nationally, including for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. All groups of pupils, including Bangladeshi pupils and those speaking English as an additional language, achieve well. Attainment overall, and in reading, is broadly average by the time pupils leave at the end of Year 6. Children join the school with skills and capabilities that are generally below those expected for three- year-olds. Previously satisfactory rates of progress in literacy and numeracy in the Early Years Foundation Stage have increased and are now good. By the time children leave the Reception class their attainment is closer to average overall, and improving. Attainment in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 is also average, and rising. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs thrive because

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Achievement of pupils

they receive individual help tailored very specifically to their requirements. This enables them to make good progress. In the survey, almost all the parents and carers who responded were confident that their children are making good progress. Inspection findings support this view, although there remain some inconsistencies in the rates of pupils’ progress between classes.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils are typically enthusiastic, show interest in their work and concentrate well. This was seen in a literacy lesson where pupils were increasing their vocabulary by learning to add suffixes to the end of words they knew already. They listened very attentively to the teacher’s explanations and made rapid progress in learning how to spell new words and use them in their writing. Pupils at a very early stage of learning English appreciate working with additional adults and make rapid gains in their understanding of English and in their speaking skills. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are keen to learn. In the Reception classes, children were observed following instructions very sensibly so that they wasted no time when getting into groups for daily letters and the sounds they make (phonics) sessions. Working in small groups with the adults, they thought hard to recall what they knew already and

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Achievement of pupils

eagerly listened while the adults introduced new groups of letters. They quickly progressed to writing words using these letters. The highest attaining children enjoyed the challenge of writing sentences to practise new spellings.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers make clear to pupils what they will be learning at the start of lessons. Explanations of new concepts are clear and well supported with resources including computers. Pupils make rapid progress when teachers plan opportunities for them to take an active part in lessons. For example, older pupils were working closely 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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Quality of teaching

together in small groups to prepare a persuasive presentation in defence of a character from Greek mythology. They thoroughly enjoyed presenting their arguments to the rest of the class. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for checking how well they have progressed in each lesson using success criteria that the teachers set. Teachers also use assessment information well to ensure pupils are suitably challenged in their work. Occasionally, the pace of learning is less brisk when whole-class teaching is not as sharply matched to the full range of abilities, or when pupils spend too long listening to the teacher.

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Quality of teaching

The school regularly checks how well pupils are doing and carefully tracks the progress individual pupils make. The information is analysed carefully so that any pupils falling behind are identified quickly and given additional support. This is particularly effective in Year 6 where extra sessions and additional guidance for pupils in small groups help them to make very swift progress. Marking, written feedback and personal targets are used well so that pupils know how to improve and what to do to move up to the next level in their work. Reading is taught well. Daily reading activities, themed weeks, visits from well-known authors and access to a wide variety of stimulating books foster pupils’ enjoyment of reading. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported. Dedicated and well-trained additional adults and teachers work effectively together to ensure all pupils are fully included in learning. Well-organised extra sessions with teachers,

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Quality of teaching

additional adults and specialist therapists ensure their individual needs are met. Almost all the parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire were rightly confident that their children are taught well at the school.

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Quality of teaching

The curriculum provides a range of interesting themes that enliven learning, but teachers occasionally miss opportunities to promote progress further by planning frequent activities for pupils to practise literacy and numeracy skills across all subjects. The breakfast club provides a happy and healthy start to the school day for the pupils who attend. Here, social skills are encouraged through opportunities to make friends with pupils in different classes and year groups. They play board games and enjoy sporting activities together. Play leaders enjoy taking responsibility for supporting the smooth running of break times. Self-confidence and self-esteem are boosted through lunchtime discussion sessions for targeted pupils. Moral values are promoted well, for example through talks in assembly and class discussions. Charity fundraising, growing daffodils and hatching chicks in the Early Years Foundation

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Quality of teaching

Stage help children in Nursery and Reception, as well as older pupils, develop caring attitudes. Pupils are knowledgeable about the wider cultural diversity within the school through celebrations of a wide variety of festivals including Black History Month, Chinese New Year and Eid.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils from diverse backgrounds get on well together. Their behaviour and attitudes make a good contribution to their own learning in lessons and the friendly atmosphere around the school. They respond promptly to reminders from staff about the behaviour that is expected. Most parents and carers in the survey are confident 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

that behaviour is good at the school and that their children feel safe there. Most parents and carers who expressed an opinion said that incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively. The inspection found that incidents of bullying are rare and the whole school community is sharply aware of the various forms in which it may occur such as cyber bullying and name calling. Pupils are clear about the difference between the repeated nature of bullying and a mean incident that occurs only once. They say there is some name calling, which is dealt with quickly by staff. The school records confirm that such incidents are dealt with well. Anti-bullying assemblies, visitors from local emergency services including railway, river and mounted police, help pupils develop a strong awareness of how to keep themselves safe from harm. Previously low attendance is improving rapidly because the school is making abundantly clear to families how important it is that their children do not miss

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Leadership and management

Leaders, managers and members of the governing body have worked effectively to maintain the quality of the school’s work whilst it undergoes expansion and major site redevelopment. Together, they have maintained good behaviour and driven improvements to the curriculum including the introduction of topic themes that motivate and engage pupils. Enrichment activities are popular and include a residential visit to an activity centre in Essex for pupils in Year 5. Extra-curricular clubs are well attended including football, gymnastics and ‘make it’ club. Pupils learning to play the violin have attended workshops with musicians at well-known cultural venues. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is consistently and successfully promoted. Previously satisfactory provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is now good. Staffing and performance issues have been dealt with effectively. Supported by well-targeted training and professional development, staff are working

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Leadership and management

together with a shared vision to enhance the curriculum further and raise pupils’ academic outcomes.

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Leadership and management

The school has worked hard to involve parents and carers in supporting their children’s achievement. Weekly workshops for them, for example on how phonics is taught at the school, as well as parenting advice and guidance on a range of topics, are well attended. Partnerships are used extremely well. For example, selected older pupils benefit from weekly sessions with reading partners from a local business each week to help raise their attainment further. Additional funding from a variety of local businesses is used very effectively to enrich the curriculum and ensure that all pupils have the chance to participate in activities in and out of school regardless of background or ability. The school tackles discrimination and promotes equality well so that rates of learning and progress are equally good for all groups of pupils. All these strengths reflect the school’s capacity to improve further. The school site is

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Leadership and management

well maintained and arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory arrangements; staff have a robust knowledge of procedures to safeguard pupils’ safety and welfare, and receive regular training.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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 Wellington Primary School, London E3 4NE

Thank you for your friendly welcome and for helping the inspectors when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you all and listening to what you had to say. This letter tells you about the judgements that we reached during our visit.

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Inspection of Wellington Primary School, London E3 4NE

Wellington Primary is a good school. Those of you who completed the survey told us that you usually learn a lot in lessons. The youngest children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. You are taught well and make good progress through the rest of the school and reach similar standards to other pupils nationally by the end of Year 6. Those of you who need additional help are well supported by the adults in school so that you make good progress too. You behave well and are keen to learn. You have a good awareness of how to keep yourselves safe from harm.

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Inspection of Wellington Primary School, London E3 4NE

To help you do even better, we have asked that teachers set you tasks to do on your own, or in small groups, as early as possible in lessons. We also want the school to make sure that you have plenty of opportunities to practise your literacy and numeracy skills when you do work in other subjects. This will help you to make even faster progress. All of you can help by continuing to work hard and attending school every day.

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Inspection of Wellington Primary School, London E3 4NE

Finally, I would like to thank you again and wish you well in the future.

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Inspection of Wellington Primary School, London E3 4NE

Madeleine Gerard 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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