Wentworth CofE (Controlled) Junior and Infant School

Wentworth CofE (Controlled) Junior and Infant School Churchfield Lane, Wentworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S62 7TX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils of all abilities make good progress throughout school in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Relationships are excellent throughout the school. Parents recognise that this is a very happy, caring school. Pupils feel very safe, show great consideration and respect for each other, staff and visitors to the school.  Children make a good start to their school life in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They quickly settle in and grow in confidence and achieve well in all aspects of their learning.  The quality of teaching is good throughout the school and there is some outstanding teaching, especially in Years 5 and 6.  The school is well led and leaders have been successful in ensuring pupils achieve well and the quality of teaching is good.  A particular strength of the school is its curriculum. The development of basic literacy and numeracy skills are given high priority

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

within a rich and exciting curriculum.  Many parents of pupils with special educational needs recognise how sensitively and effectively the school helps their children.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some of the subject leaders do not know enough about how well pupils in their subject are doing.  Governors’ skills in comparing the performance of the school with others nationally need improving.  The school improvement plan does not give sufficient prominence to evaluating the effect of actions on pupils’ achievement.  Pupils’ knowledge of what is required for them to move to the next level, particularly in writing and, to a lesser extent, in mathematics is not sufficiently specific.  On a few occasions, especially at the start of lessons, teaching assistants are under- deployed.

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Information about this inspection

 Five teachers were observed from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 6, mainly for full lessons. In addition, the inspector made a number of shorter visits to lessons to see particular aspects such as the teaching of reading. A range of other school activities including playtimes, lunchtimes and an assembly were observed.  Pupils’ past and current work in all classes was inspected and some pupils were heard reading.  Meetings were held with school leaders and other staff, members of the governing body and a telephone discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  Documents, including school development planning and reports showing the school’s view of its own performance, safeguarding documents and records were inspected. A range of information on the performance of the school in comparison with other schools nationally was also analysed.  The views of 41 parents who completed the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were analysed.

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Information about this inspection

Discussions were held with 27 parents of a total of 41 children at the beginning of the second day of the inspection.  The inspector considered the views of staff through discussions and also through analysing 17 responses to the inspection questionnaire. The views of pupils were received through both informal and pre-arranged discussions.

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Inspection team

Roger Sadler, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school. The vast majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their main home language.  A below average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, pupils whose parents are in the armed forces and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by:  making sure that teaching assistants are used to maximum effect during teachers’ introductions in lessons to ensure that teaching fully meets the learning needs of all pupils  helping older pupils know exactly what aspects of their mathematics and especially their writing require improvement in order to move up to the next level.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve aspects of leadership and management, including governance, by:  extending responsibility for leadership and management by improving the quality of subject leadership  ensuring that the school improvement plan includes clear criteria to enable leaders, including governors, to evaluate the plan’s impact on the progress pupils make  provide governors with training on the analysis of data to help them compare the performance of the school with other schools nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although attainment on entry varies, most children enter Reception with knowledge and skills typical for their ages. The Early Years Foundation Stage staff introduce children to the school really well and parents are very pleased with the induction arrangements. Children settle in quickly and they make a good start to their life at school.  Over the last few years children have left the Early Years Foundation Stage with average attainment, but this year, the vast majority of children are making good progress to attain above average standards by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, especially in their reading and mathematical development. Staff are aware that children’s progress could be accelerated further with more challenging adult interventions when children are working independently.  Attainment over recent years, by the end of Year 2 has been a little above average. Pupils currently in Years 1 and 2 are making good progress and achieving well, especially in their

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading.  Pupils’ attainment in Key Stage 2 is better this year than last. Almost all pupils in the current Year 6 are on track to attain the expected Level 4 and almost a half of pupils in Years 5 and 6 are on track to attain above average standards by the end of Year 6 in reading and mathematics, and around a third are on track to attain above Level 4 in their writing. This represents good progress from their varying starting points.  Reading attainment is above average not only in Years 2 and Year 6, but throughout the school. Standards of presentation and handwriting throughout the school are good and reflect the pride pupils take in their work and their enjoyment of learning.  The school helps pupils of all interests and abilities do well and all have an equal chance to succeed and enjoy their time at school. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. These pupils benefit from the early identification of their needs and good

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The achievement of pupils is good

quality support throughout the school.  Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium do just as well as the others in the school in English and mathematics and there is no evidence that these pupils are underachieving in any other subject.  Pupils produce high quality work in art and design, drama, dance and in music, reflecting the school’s strong commitment to providing pupils with a rich and exciting curriculum.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Many parents told the inspector of their high regard for the teachers and teaching assistants in the school. Good quality teaching is evident in pupils’ work and is ensuring that pupils achieve well in all classes.  Teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage enabling pupils to learn quickly. The daily teaching of letters and their sounds is helping the youngest pupils do well in their spelling and reading. The well-managed outdoor area provides strong support for young children in all aspects of their learning.  High quality relationships and strong attitudes to learning are evident in all classes and these help pupils concentrate well, enjoy lessons and make good progress.  Teaching assistants are sometimes not used fully enough, especially in whole-class sessions. Chances are occasionally missed to withdraw groups of higher-attaining pupils to provide them with additional challenge or support.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are often helped to deepen their understanding by teachers’ effective questioning and by discussing their answers with a partner.  Although marking and guidance for learning is good overall, a few pupils are unclear of what is required in order for them to improve their work to the next level, especially in writing. Although pupils are helped to assess their work, sometimes insufficient use is made of this to identify errors or misconceptions to show the class how to learn from these.  Writing and mathematics skills are developed well not only in English and mathematics lessons, but in other subjects such as history, geography and science.  Lessons are invariably interesting and real and exciting starting points are used to stimulate learning. In Year 5 and 6 the use of drama was excellent when the pupils’ performance of part of Shakespeare’s Macbeth was used to help inspire pupils to write a diary in the role of Lady

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is typically exemplary and is underpinned by excellent relationships. They are always courteous and respectful to one another. They are keen to take on responsibilities either in the classroom or around the school as a whole and take their responsibilities seriously.  Pupils unanimously say that behaviour is always good in their school, whether they are being inspected or not and the school has lots of letters following visits saying how helpful and mature the pupils have been.  Pupils feel very safe in school and act with great respect for the safety of others. They show a clear understanding of how to use the internet safely and know exactly what to do if they have any concerns. They trust the adults in school to provide the very best care and know who to approach if they have any concerns. Many parents remarked on the high quality of care provided

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and said that the staff knew the children really well.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development is carefully nurtured by all staff and is outstanding. They are knowledgeable about issues such as bullying because they frequently discuss such issues. They are proud that there is no bullying in their school.  Attendance is well managed, has improved and is now above average, reflecting pupils’ enjoyment of school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides clear and effective leadership. The school benefits from her sensitivity and experience and this is reflected in the high proportion of pupils, staff and parents who say that they enjoy school and are proud to be part of the school. Staff stability has been a key feature for some years and all staff demonstrate a positive commitment to providing a broad curriculum and a positive climate for learning, both of which are evident throughout the school.  The headteacher checks carefully how well the school is doing and has an accurate view of its strengths and a clear understanding of priorities for improvement.  Procedures are in place for evaluating and improving the quality of teaching and staff benefit from clear feedback. However, occasionally, lesson observations place too little emphasis on the progress made by different groups of pupils in lessons.  Subject leaders are not sufficiently involved in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching

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The leadership and management are good

or the achievement of pupils in their subjects.  The Early Years Foundation Stage is very well led and managed and staff show a clear understanding of exactly where further improvements need to be made.  The school improvement plan concentrates on improving appropriate aspects. The actions in the plan are well judged to bring about the planned improvement. For example, much good work has been undertaken by staff to ensure that pupils make better progress in their writing by ensuring writing skills are developed in other subjects rather than only in English and this is helping pupils make good progress in writing. However, criteria to judge the success of the plan are not yet fully effective as they do not specify the intended effect on the attainment of each year-group of pupils.  The management of teachers’ performance is closely linked to teaching and learning. It is well thought through and carried out, enabling leaders and governors to recognise and reward

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The leadership and management are good

effective teachers and to tackle any underperformance.  All pupils, irrespective of their background and ability, are well cared for and valued. The ethos of the school is strongly committed to promoting equal opportunities and discrimination is not tolerated. The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is central to the school’s work.  The range of subjects provided and the way that these are organised into interesting topics and themes and supported by high quality first-hand experiences are strengths of the school. Although great attention is given to developing basic skills, this is never at the expense of other subjects and literacy and numeracy skills are carefully taught not only in English and mathematics lessons, but across as many subjects as possible.  As a successful school, the local authority has taken a ‘light touch’ approach to supporting the school. The school is benefiting from its strong partnership with the Wath Learning Community

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The leadership and management are good

group of schools. For example, the use of a policy on mathematics calculation throughout the school, jointly written by mathematics specialists in the cluster, is helping to improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics.  The governance of the school:  The governing body carries out many aspects of its role well. It is aware that the few pupils eligible for the pupil premium do just as well as other pupils at school. Governors are aware of their own training needs and recognise the need to improve their skills in using data to compare the performance of the school with others nationally to enhance their ability to challenge the school in the drive for improvement.  Governors are fully involved in reviewing staff performance and ensuring appropriate training is available for all staff.  Safeguarding procedures, including the role of the governing body within these, fully meet requirements and governors have insured that safeguarding training, including safe

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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

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 106929 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 412141

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 122 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Collier Headteacher Maggie Duroe Date of previous school inspection 11 November 2009 Telephone number 01226 350246 Fax number 01226 361718 Email address wentworth-cofe.junior-infant@rotherham.gov.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 .

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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.

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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

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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

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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’.

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School details

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

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