Warren Wood Primary School

Warren Wood Primary School Turnstone Road, Offerton, Stockport, SK2 5XU

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Inspection dates 31 October – 1 November 2013

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ achievement is good and has improved since the last inspection. As a result of better teaching, pupils’ progress is improving quickly in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils of all abilities make good progress from their individual starting points. In all year groups, most pupils achieve the levels which are expected for their age and a significant proportion are achieving at the higher levels in writing.  Teaching is good, with some instances of outstanding practice. Teachers provide stimulating and exciting lessons which encourage pupils to learn well.  Pupils behave well, attend school regularly and have positive attitudes to learning.  The curriculum is designed to grasp pupils, interests, whilst keeping a strong emphasis upon developing literacy and numeracy skills. It is underpinned by good spiritual, moral, social and cultural guidance that ensures that pupils are well prepared for the next stages of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

life.  The new headteacher is well supported by an enthusiastic, well-motivated team. Morale is high. Senior leaders know how well the school is doing and school improvement is moving at a good pace.  Governors provide good support and have a good grasp of the key issues facing the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching does not yet ensure that all pupils make consistently good progress in reading and mathematics.  Subject leaders are not yet fully involved in checking the quality of teaching so that they can play a greater role in raising standards further.  School plans to further improve reading and mathematics lack the precise steps to identify how this will happen.  Not all governors are sufficiently knowledgeable or skilled to hold the school to account for pupils’ progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in 20 lessons, including some part lessons and two joint observations with the headteacher. They listened to a number of pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read. They also looked at a range of samples of pupils’ work from across the school and held discussions with pupils.  Inspectors considered a wide variety of documents including those linked with pupils’ progress, safeguarding and school policies. They also looked at how the school evaluates itself for effectiveness, the minutes of governing body meetings and records of lesson observations.  Inspectors held meetings with two members the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  They took account of parents’ views through informal discussions, a letter, a phone call and 30 responses from the online questionnaire (Parent View).  The responses from 28 questionnaires from staff were also examined.

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Inspection team

Rosemary Batty, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Anthony Buckley Additional Inspector Pamela Hemphill Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average sized primary school.  A major refurbishment of the building is being undertaken to house the expanding school population.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible to free school meals, those children who are looked after by the local authority and children from service families.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The headteacher has been in post since January 2013. There have been several staffing changes at all levels since that time. This includes a re-structure of leadership and management roles.  The school is accredited with several awards. These include: a merit award at the National Youth

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Information about this school

Brass Band Championship of Great Britain; champions at a regional music festival for two consecutive years; football champions of the local schools’ league and regional winners representing a national football club; winners of the city’s lacrosse championship.  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?

 Further improve the quality of teaching in reading and mathematics so that all pupils make consistently good progress by:  making sure that the new whole-school approaches to teach reading are successfully implemented so that they improve pupils’ comprehension skills  ensuring mental calculation skills are taught more effectively to help pupils solve a wider range of mathematical problems more successfully.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the capacity of leaders and managers to raise standards further by:  ensuring that action plans accurately identify the precise steps necessary to improve standards in reading and mathematics  developing subjects leaders’ ability to monitor the quality of teaching and learning more independently  extending further the skills and knowledge of governors to enable them to more effectively challenge school leaders about pupils’ progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since the last inspection, standards have risen because school leaders have placed great emphasis upon improving the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school.  Children start school with skills, knowledge and understanding that is typically expected for their age. They make good progress and leave the school at levels better than expected for their age.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage as they are given a wide range of opportunities to learn number and literacy skills in both the indoor and outdoor environments. They engage in varied creative, physical, investigative and exploratory activities that help them to develop social skills as well as knowledge and understanding of the world. 2013 data indicates that most children now leave this stage of learning with good levels of development.  Attainment in Key Stage 1 is broadly average. 2013 data shows that pupils attain above average

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The achievement of pupils is good

nationally in writing but there has been a slight variation in reading and mathematics for some pupils. However, progress is good relative to pupils’ individual starting points. In Year 1 during 2013, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the phonics screening check (knowledge of how to link letters and the sounds they make), was much higher than average. As some pupils were not proficient in applying their knowledge of phonics in 2012, training was put in place for teachers to improve the teaching of phonics. As a result, standards have begun to rise.  Between Years 3 and 6, pupils make at least good progress and a sizable proportion often do better than this. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. A sizeable proportion of the most able pupils attained the higher levels in English and mathematics in 2013.  Attainment in mathematics has risen steadily over three years because pupils’ mathematical

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The achievement of pupils is good

skills and understanding develop well. However, some pupils lack proficiency in mathematical calculation work, which slows their rates of progress. A small number of pupils do not make the expected progress in reading because their reading comprehension skills are not fully secure.  Pupils supported through the pupil premium funding make good progress. In 2012, the attainment of those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in Year 6 was about two terms ahead of similar pupils nationally in writing and mathematics and broadly in line in reading. They were about two terms behind their peers in school in English and about one term behind in mathematics. The gap is narrowing rapidly over time and demonstrates the school’s efforts to promote equality of opportunity.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs was about one year ahead of similar pupils nationally in English and about two terms ahead in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

They make good progress relative to their starting points.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in lessons is good or better, with pupils making good progress over time from their individual starting points. Teachers plan lessons to match different ability needs, so that the most able pupils are challenged well, while those who are at risk of falling behind are well supported.  Teachers make effective use of assessment information to help them plan interesting, inspiring and motivating lessons for pupils. They mark work with precision. It is consistently of a high quality, which helps pupils to understand what they need to do next to improve their work. Daily opportunities through ‘Fix It’ sessions take place so this can happen. Pupils are, therefore, more independent and learning moves at a rapid pace.  Teaching environments are vibrant, well organised and buzz with purposeful activity providing pupils with a range of resources and prompts to foster independent learning. Teachers grasped

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils’ imaginations well in the topics ‘Out of Africa’ and ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ by bringing the topics to life.  Teachers now make sure that reading is a high priority in school. This is because there has been some variability in the teaching of reading skills in recent times. New books have been purchased, while others have been checked to make sure that they match pupils’ needs. Teachers and other adults listen to pupils reading every day. Consequently, pupils are showing an increased interest in reading.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils. This is evident from the quality of work in books, which is consistently well presented in all year groups. Handwriting in an established cursive style is promoted from the Reception class onwards and pupils clearly have a sense of pride in what they produce.  Teachers are skilled and knowledgeable and share the school’s leaders’ desire to make the school as good as it can be. Support staff too are an asset to the school. They are well

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The quality of teaching is good

deployed to make a positive impact upon the progress of key groups of pupils.  All staff have undertaken training in teaching writing skills, the results of which are evident in pupils’ above average attainment by the end of Year 6, especially at the higher levels.  The teaching of mathematics is strengthening because the analysis of assessment data has revealed some inconsistencies in the teaching of mental mathematics. Training and new approaches towards the teaching of reading and mental calculation have also taken place recently, but more time is needed for this to show full impact upon pupils’ achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite, sociable, have positive learning attitudes and are respectful of adults and others around them. The school motto of ‘Care, Courtesy and Consideration’ permeates all aspects of their good behaviour.  Pupils are keen to talk about how well the school cares for them by creating a positive, welcoming learning environment. They trust the adults around them to make sure that they are kept safe at all times.  The school’s rewards and sanctions are well known to pupils and consistently applied by all staff. Infrequent instances of unacceptable behaviour are managed effectively. Pupils say they feel safe, report that bullying does not happen, but can explain what to do if it should occur. School documents confirm this.  Pupils can talk about the dangers of the internet and understand how to keep themselves safe.  In lessons, pupils show pride in their work. Their books are a testament to this. Pupils listen

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

attentively in class, responding quickly to adults’ instructions so that lessons progress at the correct pace without any loss of learning time.  Attendance in the school is good and improving as a result of the school’s rigour in checking instances of absence, but also because pupils want to come to school to learn.  Parents express positive views about the educational opportunities offered to their children by the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, who is relatively new to her post, has demonstrated the capacity to ensure rapid school improvement by identifying the key issues that school needs to address if standards are to rise. She is well supported by leaders and managers who also share her vision, drive and enthusiasm.  The curriculum has improved in recent times, providing pupils with exciting, memorable opportunities to extend their skills and knowledge through a wide range of experiences during lesson time or as curriculum enrichment. Visits to the National Museum of Slavery; themed, thought provoking assemblies; music, embracing instruments from a wide range of cultures, all help to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural guidance. Therefore, pupils are ready for the wider world by the time they leave the school in Year 6.  The new Primary School Sport funding is being used to encourage some pupils to establish

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The leadership and management are good

more healthy attitudes and lifestyles. Teachers are being supported, through coaching to develop their skills and knowledge of physical education.  The local authority has given additional support to help the new headteacher establish into her role effectively. It expresses confidence in the leadership demonstrated over a short period of time and has expressed clearly what challenges have been overcome during that period.  Leaders and managers are increasingly skilled at using data to inform future planning and to provide work for pupils that matches their varying levels of ability. Subject leaders have begun take a more active role in the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning so that they can play a greater role to make sure that standards rise even further.  Judgements made by the school as part of its self-evaluation are accurate. However, the school’s plans to bring about a further increase in reading and mathematics standards do not

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The leadership and management are good

yet contain sufficiently precise steps to identify how this will happen.  The governance of the school:  The governing body, which supports the school well, has recently undergone a period of change. A new Chair of the Governing Body has been appointed, whose proven ability to help hold the school to account is recognised by the local authority. Governors ensure that teachers are appraised for their performance through clear targets that are linked to salaries. The first appraisal of the new headteacher is scheduled imminently. Governors ensure that safeguarding for pupils meets requirements. Financial resources are well deployed and targeted to ensure they impact upon pupils’ progress. The use of the pupil premium is an example. Statutory duties are met. Most governors have a good grasp of the key issues facing the school and are increasingly challenging the school to ensure that standards are maintained or rise further. Some governors, however, have yet to develop fully the skills and

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The leadership and management are good

knowledge to help them question school leaders effectively about pupils’ progress.

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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 106083 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 426103

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 306 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Grundy Headteacher Erica Reyes Date of previous school inspection 11 October 2011 Telephone number 0161 456 8171 Fax number 0161 483 0945 Email address headteacher@warrenwood.stockport.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 .

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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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