Wyburns Primary School

Wyburns Primary School Nevern Road, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 7PE

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Weaker teaching at Key Stage 1 leads to uneven progress. Sometimes teaching fails to engage the interests of all the pupils, especially boys. Some pupils, particularly younger boys, are easily distracted.  Additional adults are not always involved in supporting pupils’ learning when teachers talk to the whole class. The support they give is inconsistent across the school.  More-able pupils are not given enough work which stretches their thinking, particularly in mental mathematics calculations.  Pupils do not make best use of their targets to help them develop the skills and confidence to find things out for themselves.  Marking does not provide pupils with enough guidance to help them improve their work.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to correct their work.  Leaders have not ensured that recent improvements in teaching have been consistently applied so that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher’s ambitions for the school and her determination to improve outcomes are leading to school improvement.  The headteacher is well supported by staff and governors in running the school.  Pupils behave well during break times. They feel safe and parents agree that the school is a warm and welcoming environment.  Topics and themes, together with the wide range of after school clubs, provide pupils with a diverse and interesting learning experiences.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 12 lessons or part-lessons. Four observations were seen jointly with the headteacher or other senior leaders. Inspectors also made a number of other short visits to classrooms.  Inspectors looked at work from each year group, much of this with a senior leader.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school improvement planning, and records on behaviour, safety and attendance. They also looked at information on individual pupil’s progress and anonymised records of teachers’ performance, and records of meetings held by the governing body.  Inspectors met with pupils, interviewed some staff, and spoke to parents. They also spoke to members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The views of parents were obtained through the school’s surveys and the 25 responses to the online Parent View survey. Written comments from 15 members of staff were also considered.

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Inspection team

Brian Netto, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Florence Olajide Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  In Key Stage 1, pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. A small number are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Few of these speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. This is additional funding provided for children looked after by the local authority 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 with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school runs a breakfast club managed by the governing body.  The school shares the site with Toad Hall Day Nursery. This is inspected separately.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes in leadership roles. A new headteacher was appointed in January 2013. A new leadership team has been in place since September 2013, and a new Chair of the Governing Body took up post recently. Five additional adults have been appointed this term to help out at lunchtimes. At the time of the inspection, the deputy headteacher has been on a long-term secondment to another school. A new site manager was appointed recently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good and outstanding teaching so that pupils make better progress, making sure that:  teaching in Key Stage 1 engages and interests boys and that activities are not too hard or too easy  greater opportunities are made for more-able pupils to make rapid progress in mental mathematics  additional adults are used more effectively across the school, especially when teachers are working with the whole class  improving pupils’ understanding of their targets and use them more effectively so that they all understand how well they are doing and what they need to do to make more rapid progress  marking provides all pupils with clear guidance on what they need to do to improve their work, and teachers ensure that pupils do their corrections.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that recent initiatives to improve teaching are applied consistently throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because progress has been uneven across the school. In 2012, attainment in mathematics was broadly average for Year 6 pupils, but it was significantly below average in 2013. For some time, the attainment of pupils in mathematics has been below that in reading and writing, particularly in Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement over time is not yet consistently good, particularly in mathematics. Inspection evidence shows progress is now accelerating across the school because teachers are making better use of assessment information to plan activities which help pupils to build on what they already know.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment in reading was significantly above average at the end of Year 2 in 2012 and 2013. Skills in reading, writing and mathematics are improving quickly at the end of Year 2, as pupils learn in short daily ‘super skills’ and ‘mega’ mathematics sessions. Pupils find these sessions engaging and challenging and they progress well.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children in the Reception class get off to a good start. A lively and stimulating environment, with extensive and well-equipped outdoor space, helps them to enjoy their learning. Adults provide good support in small groups so children’s skills develop quickly. From starting points typical for their age, they join Year 1 with skills that are above average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There were not enough pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in Year 6 in 2012 to comment on their attainment. However, across the school, well-targeted support in class and through small-group work ensures that pupils funded by the pupil premium make better progress than other pupils in English and mathematics. However, their attainment remains just over a year behind that of other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The small number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive effective support in small groups. As a result, they make the progress expected of them. This is true also of the small numbers of pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent throughout the school and although it is stronger in the Reception Class and in Key Stage 2, too much still requires improvement. Too often teaching in Key Stage 1 fails to engage the interests of all the pupils, particularly boys.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking is too infrequent, although it is better in mathematics than in writing. Pupils are not always given clear guidance on what they should do to improve their learning, and teachers do not routinely expect them to correct their mistakes.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, additional adults are given little to do when the teacher is working with the whole class. This sometimes means that some pupils lose focus and their learning slows. However, they do offer good support to small groups of pupils to assist their progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers start many afternoons with a ‘mega’ mathematics session. Teachers provide short and well-focused opportunities for rapid mental calculations. These lessons are interesting and pupils enjoy the chance to develop their thinking skills. Sometimes, more-able pupils are not given sufficiently challenging work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils make the best progress when teachers plan activities which help pupils of different abilities to build on what they have previously learnt. More-able pupils are provided with tasks which are aimed at them acquiring effective learning skills. Well-targeted questioning helps them to deepen their understanding and equips them to find things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers in Key Stage 2 typically have high expectations. Effective and searching questioning helps pupils to use accurate and specific language; for example, as they explored patterns and predicted outcomes in mathematical investigations.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers are effective in helping pupils develop writing skills in subjects other than English; for example, Year 4 pupils were expected to write in a specific and appropriate style in history. Effective questioning helped the pupils to use their imagination and produce some good creative writing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are given specific targets to help them understand how well they are doing in English and mathematics. Nevertheless, these are not always used well enough so some pupils are not sure of what they need to do to move their learning on.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers use homework in imaginative ways to give pupils more opportunities to learn alongside their parents and find things out for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 In some lessons, especially in Key Stage 1, when activities are not suitably interesting or relevant, a few pupils sometimes lose concentration, and vital learning time is wasted. Some boys are particularly easily distracted. Adults do not always tackle this effectively. One pupil’s comment reflected the views of many, in saying, ‘I think teachers should be stricter.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Around the school pupils play well together and behave well. Pupils say they feel safe in this harmonious community. As one pupil said, ‘Teachers are kind. Wyburns is my second home.’ Parents agree, and say the school is warm and friendly. The breakfast club gives pupils a secure start to the day.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attendance is above the national average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The majority of pupils are keen to learn. Many respond positively to the headteacher’s vision that ‘Every child has brilliance inside them. Our job is to dig it out and give it to the world’ by doing their best in class.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils take on many responsibilities around the school. The ‘playground squad’ of older pupils help lunchtimes to be fun and safe. Members of the school council play a meaningful role in the life of the school, including increasing the activities available at playtimes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have produced a video as part of their work to combat bullying, demonstrating a good understanding. They are well informed particularly about e-safety and how to avoid cyber- bullying. They accept that sometimes bullying happens in school, but are confident that adults will sort this out quickly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Many leaders are new to their roles. Within a short time, senior and subject leaders have already put in place ways of working which are leading to improvements in teaching. Improvements include most classes using clearly defined expectations of what pupils will learn so pupils know what they need to do and how to be a successful learner. However, leaders have not yet ensured some of these practices are consistently followed by all teachers.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders have an accurate understanding of how well the school is doing, and of the key priorities which need further work. Changes implemented since the arrival of the new headteacher, for example, have ensured that the school has successfully tackled the issues identified at the last inspection.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Regular checks are made on teaching. Teachers are now held accountable for the progress of pupils’ achievement in regular pupil progress meetings. Systems have been introduced to set targets for teachers to improve their work and reward effective practice.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 In this school, there are only a small number of pupils supported by the pupil premium. Funds are targeted effectively on their well-being and progress and, as a result, they achieve well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has a longstanding partnership with The Deanes School which has helped it to build a tradition of involvement in competitive sports. Regular opportunities for staff to develop new skills, supported also by the primary sports funding, are ensuring that this involvement is being sustained.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school organises the curriculum into topics which bring together different subjects and skills and promote interest in learning for the majority of pupils. Sports and healthy lifestyles play a prominent part in this, and pupils experience a diverse range of topics which are extended by a variety of after-school clubs, visits and special focus days. These make a strong contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority makes an effective contribution to the school’s development. It commissions services for the school. It has allocated a local leader of education to help strengthen leadership. Partnerships with local schools are enabling teachers to gain further opportunities to develop their teaching skills. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving, and the school has demonstrated the capacity to maintain these improvements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors are benefiting from the increased amount of specific information provided by the headteacher on key areas of the school’s performance. They are now aware of how the school is doing compared to other schools. This is helping them to focus more carefully on the school’s main priorities for improvement. They are involved in and kept informed about the targets set for teachers and what happens to reward good performance and tackle any underperformance. Their focus on challenging the school and holding it to account has recently improved. Governors make effective use of funding to support school improvements. For example, both the pupil premium fund and the sports fund are used well and governors are able to track how these benefit the pupils. This is evidence of the school’s strong commitment to ensuring that no pupil falls behind and that all have equal opportunities to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

succeed. A policy review has ensured that all statutory requirements, including those with regard to safeguarding are met.

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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 115302 Local authority Essex Inspection number 425243

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rizwana Awan Headteacher Kath Sansom Date of previous school inspection 20 September 2011 Telephone number 01268 770914 Fax number 01268 770347 Email address admin@wyburns.org 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

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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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