Westwood Farm Junior School

Westwood Farm Junior School Fullbrook Crescent, Tilehurst, RG31 6RY

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

p.1

This is a school that requires special measures

 Pupils do not achieve well because teaching is weak, particularly in Years 3 to 5.  Given their starting points, too few pupils do well enough by the end of Year 6, particularly in reading and mathematics.  The school does not teach the links between sounds and letters well enough to pupils who find reading difficult.  Teachers do not make sure that pupils’ work always challenges them at the right level. Some is too hard or too easy.  Teachers in charge of subjects have not made enough checks on how well pupils are doing.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics across a range of subjects.  Teachers’ marking does not consistently help pupils improve, particularly in mathematics.  School leaders and governors have not dealt with all of the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Pupils supported in the hearing resource base are integrated well within the school and have the right resources to support their learning.  Pupils are extremely polite, welcoming and behave well. They are good at working together and say they feel safe at school.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons taught by eight class teachers, across a range of subjects, 11 of which were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, looked at samples of work, attended an assembly and observed break times.  An inspector made short visits to various activities alongside the teacher who is responsible for those pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs and who is also responsible for the hearing resource base.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, members of the school improvement board including the chair, the school’s improvement adviser, and groups of pupils from Years 3 to 6.  A discussion was held by phone with a representative of the local authority.  There were 64 responses to the on-line Parent View questionnaire. Inspectors also analysed information from the school’s own recent questionnaire, spoke to a parent during the course of

p.2

Information about this inspection

the inspection, and took into consideration seven letters from parents and an email sent to the inspection service provider by a parent. Inspectors also considered the views of 27 members of staff who completed questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including a raising achievement plan, a report to governors by the headteacher, information about the management of performance, data on pupils’ attainment and progress, safeguarding information, and records relating to behaviour and safety and attendance.

p.2

Inspection team

Jameel Hassan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fran Ashworth Additional Inspector

p.2

Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

p.3

Full report

Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.

p.3

Information about this school

 Westwood Farm Junior School is a below-average-sized school. It has two classes in each year group.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The school is entitled to additional funding, called the pupil premium, for these pupils.  The vast majority of the pupils are from White British backgrounds, with a very small number of pupils from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A small number of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is average.  The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs and those supported at school action plus is average.  There is a specially resourced provision for pupils with hearing impairment on site. Currently

p.3

Information about this school

there are six pupils on roll.  Since the last inspection, there have been a number of changes in staff and the local authority has replaced the previous governing body with a School Improvement Board.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good or better teaching by:  making sure teachers check pupils’ progress carefully in every lesson  ensuring leaders check pupils’ workbooks to see how well they are marked and that pupils have time to respond to teachers’ comments  making sure lessons move on at an appropriate pace and that teachers provide the right resources and activities to extend and challenge all pupils  making sure teachers use information and communication technology in all classes more effectively to support pupils’ learning.  Improve pupils’ achievement, particularly in reading and mathematics, by:  ensuring phonics is taught well so pupils are able to use their knowledge of sounds and letters to sound out words  making sure teachers who have responsibility for subjects and aspects of the school regularly analyse the achievement of all groups of pupils to identify key priorities for rapid improvement

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 ensuring pupils know what to do to meet their personal targets  identifying why girls do not do as well as boys and putting appropriate strategies in place to accelerate their learning  giving pupils opportunities to extend their reading, writing and mathematical skills through work in other subjects.  Improve leadership, management and governance, by:  ensuring teachers who hold management responsibilities have the appropriate time and resources to fulfil their roles and responsibilities  extending the positive links with parents, so they have a stronger involvement in supporting their children’s learning at home and school  ensuring governors use information about pupils’ achievement to challenge the school’s leaders to bring about improvement  ensuring procedures for performance management support teachers well and hold them to account for the achievement of the pupils in their classes.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils have underachieved for some time. Pupils start in the school having attained standards that are well above average at the end of Key Stage 1. However, they leave Year 6 with standards which are broadly in line with the national average. This means they have not made enough progress.  Pupils’ progress is inadequate, particularly in reading and mathematics. There is a large group of pupils who are not on track to make the expected progress by the end of Year 6.  The test results of the White British pupils show their progress is well below that of similar pupils nationally. The school has identified girls’ progress as an area for improvement and some have made accelerated progress as a result of actions taken. However, they are still underperforming compared to girls nationally and are not making the progress expected.  Pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs are making better progress than their

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

peers, although their progress requires improvement. Teaching assistants support them well individually, but activities and resources provided in the lesson are not always closely targeted to their needs.  Pupils from the Hearing Resource Base are supported well throughout the school and make good progress. In lessons, specialist staff help the pupils with their learning and have excellent resources to support them. The provision is managed well.  Those pupils who are supported by the pupil premium are not benefiting from the extra funding and are not catching up. In 2012, pupils entitled to free school meals gained much lower points scores in national tests than other pupils in the school, and the gap was much bigger than is seen nationally.  A whole-school system for teaching phonics for those pupils that need significant support is in place. However, some pupils are still not confident when tackling unfamiliar words and do not

p.5

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

sound out letters to make a word.  Children enjoy choosing books from the school library but have a limited knowledge of authors and stories. There are opportunities for pupils to read in lessons and older pupils, as well as some younger pupils, have good research skills. They use them appropriately where required.  Pupils have individual targets but are unsure of what they have to do to meet them, particularly in mathematics.

p.5

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate and does not help pupils to make the progress they are capable of.  Tasks are not well matched to the ability of the pupils and the pace of some lessons is not brisk, so pupils do not get enough work done. Activities do not provide challenge for the more able or are too hard for the less able and so pupils do not move on in their learning. Teachers do not make frequent checks to be sure pupils are learning well.  Interactive whiteboards are not used effectively to support learning during lessons. All too often, opportunities to use this technology to engage pupils and encourage them to work quickly are missed.  Pupils’ work in books is improving, although in too many books it is not well presented. Not all books are marked well, so pupils do not always know how to improve their work. In mathematics, the school has a new calculation policy and marking is linked to this. However

p.5

The quality of teaching is inadequate

pupils are not provided with time to respond to teachers’ comments and, consequently, they cannot always act on teachers’ suggestions.  Teachers promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in almost all lessons. Pupils work well in groups, pairs and independently. Pupils take turns readily and share resources.  There are aspects of teaching which are good, particularly in writing. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils were able to link their personal targets to the activity, extending their vocabulary and including subordinate clauses and detailed descriptive language in their writing. Good examples of pupils learning together took place in the lesson when pupils gave others ideas about how they could improve their work.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 During the inspection, where teaching was good pupils worked well with each other and were totally engaged in their learning. In some of these lessons, behaviour was outstanding and pupils were completely engrossed in what they were doing. In lessons where teaching was not good, pupils still behaved and listened well, even though some of the work they were given did not meet their needs.  Pupils, regardless of ability, care for each other well. They are polite and courteous. They hold doors open for each other and for adults without being prompted.  Pupils are keen to gain rewards such as points to support their house teams. House points are given for good behaviour as well as good pieces of work, and are celebrated in the school’s newsletter and assemblies.  Pupils from Years 5 and 6 showed inspectors they know a lot about how they can stay safe when using the internet, and pupils from Years 3 and 4 were clear about risks and what to do if

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

there was a fire. Pupils also had a good understanding about medicines and harmful drugs.  A very few parents raised concerns about bullying. Inspectors found no evidence of this or any inappropriate behaviour. Pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is. They believe that there is very little bullying in the school and were adamant that such a thing would not happen in their school. They commented that if there were to be some bullying, it would be dealt with effectively by the school.  The school uses ‘time out’, the opportunity for pupils to withdraw and sit and reflect quietly, effectively on the few occasions it is needed. This avoids disruption in a lesson. The school works well with pupils who find it a challenge to behave well all of the time, to help them improve their behaviour. There have been no exclusions.  Activities at break times are lively but all interaction between pupils is friendly and supportive.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

Pupils told inspectors that good behaviour is encouraged effectively and that they feel happy and safe within the school.  There are good opportunities for older pupils to develop responsibilities across the school. These include a democratically elected school council, and the opportunity for pupils to become ‘Seniors’ who support staff at lunchtime. A friendship point is used by pupils who are upset and pupils called the ‘smile team’ act as buddies to help these pupils with their concerns.  Attendance is rising. Last year attendance was broadly average but it is now above average. It is monitored effectively and as a result there has been a reduction in persistent absence, which is now below national figures.

p.6

The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leaders have not moved the school forward and have failed to bring about improvements since the previous inspection. They have been hampered by the large turnover of staff in the last year and the member of staff who had responsibilities for mathematics has not been replaced. The English coordinator has not had sufficient time to support teachers and check what improvements are required to raise standards in reading.  Leaders with responsibility for subjects or areas within the school have not made regular checks on the progress of groups and classes to see where efforts to bring about improvement should be focused. The leader of special educational needs has an understanding of pupils’ progress but has insufficient time to carry out her role.  Performance management arrangements do not link clearly to teachers’ salary progression. Teachers are not held rigorously to account for the achievement of pupils in their class.

p.6

The leadership and management are inadequate

Professional development opportunities and staff training have rightly focused on improving teaching, but the impact has been limited by the high turnover of staff.  The school has a raising achievement plan that is endorsed by a school improvement adviser and the local authority. This plan confirms the commitment of the local authority to bring about the necessary improvement. Impact is evident in some aspects of teaching but improvements are fragile and have relied on external support to bring them about.  The amount of money spent from the pupil premium is reported to governors. Leaders have not evaluated its effectiveness therefore governors and parents are not aware of the impact.  The subjects and topics that pupils study are appropriate. However, pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics skills are not practised, developed and used well enough in other subjects. Thus opportunities are missed to reinforce their progress towards literacy and numeracy targets and

p.6

The leadership and management are inadequate

raise standards. The curriculum is enhanced by trips to museums, visitors such as theatre companies, police and a range of clubs which includes football and music.  Parents are concerned that their children are not progressing well in school, because of the number of staff who have left and the changing leadership. Most parents want to help the school. A parent support group has been established but has had little focus on helping parents to raise their children’s achievement. The parents association supports the school in raising funds.  The governance of the school:  The school’s previous governing body was ineffective in holding the school to account. It was therefore replaced by the current school improvement board. Governors recently appointed by the local authority to the school improvement board to help the school move forward have some good educational experience, an awareness of the progress of groups and understand

p.7

The leadership and management are inadequate

data well. However, the school improvement board has not been in place long enough to bring about the necessary changes and to challenge senior leaders about the schools performance. Training has been arranged to provide further support for governance. Governors ensure safeguarding procedures are in place and meet current statutory requirements.

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 109845 Local authority West Berkshire Inspection number 405257

p.9

School details

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

p.9

School details

Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 232 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Anne Murdoch Headteacher Janet Southern Date of previous school inspection 6–7 July 2011 Telephone number 0118 942 5182 Fax number 0118 945 4498 Email address office@wfj.w-berks.sch.uk guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, 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 .

p.9

School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

p.10

School details

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

p.10

School details

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. 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

p.10

School details

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10