Whitwick St John The Baptist Church of England Primary School

Whitwick St John The Baptist Church of England Primary School Parsonwood Hill, Whitwick, Coalville, LE67 5AT

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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.  The headteacher and senior leaders have been very successful in rapidly improving the quality of teaching and learning over the last 18 months.  Teachers plan motivating lessons which pupils enjoy, and as a result all year groups are making consistently good progress.  The achievement of pupils supported by additional government funding has improved particularly well because they are now receiving much better support from teachers and teaching assistants.  Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and are keen to do well  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make an excellent start to school life because of outstanding teaching in an attractive and stimulating environment.  Pupils’ behaviour is consistently good across the whole school and often exemplary. They are well cared for and feel safe.  Relationships within the school are excellent. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

development is particularly strong.  The governing body provides excellent support and high levels of challenge to leaders.’

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Attainment in mathematics has not been as high as in reading and writing.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their skills in solving real-life problems  Occasionally, the work set in lessons is too easy for the most-able pupils.’ Inspection report: Whitwick St John The Baptist Church of England Primary School, 22–23 January 2014 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 20 lessons, two of which were observed jointly with senior leaders. All classes were observed at least once and several were observed twice.  The inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in their books, visited lessons where pupils were learning phonics (letters and the sounds they make) and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with three groups of pupils, two governors and several members of the teaching staff. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  There were 47 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Parents’ views were also sought through discussions at the start and end of the school day.  The inspectors took account of the 33 questionnaires completed by members of staff.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including its own data on pupils’ recent and current progress, planning and monitoring documentation,

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Information about this inspection

records relating to behaviour and attendance, documents relating to safeguarding, and the minutes of governing body and staff meetings.

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Inspection team

Nigel Grimshaw, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Elizabeth Hackett Additional Inspector Jonathan Sutcliffe Additional Inspector Inspection report: Whitwick St John The Baptist Church of England Primary School, 22–23 January 2014 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school population is almost entirely White British.  There are currently very few pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is broadly in line with the national average. In this school, this relates to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is above the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There have been a significant number of changes to the teaching staff over the last two years.  A privately run before- and after-school club operates at the school. It is subject to a separate

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ attainment and progress in mathematics by:  sharing the most effective teaching methods in mathematics, so pupils have more practice in applying their numeracy skills and knowledge to solve practical, real-life problems  building on the children’s good knowledge of numbers when they leave the Early Years Foundation Stage to improve the fluency of their mental calculations in Key Stage 1.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure all teachers demonstrate high expectations for the most able pupils in their class by setting work that is consistently challenging. Inspection report: Whitwick St John The Baptist Church of England Primary School, 22–23 January 2014 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Following a period of significant staff changes that particularly affected Key Stage 2 test results in 2013, the work in lessons and books, and the school’s progress data, clearly show that pupils currently in the school are achieving well. Good progress is now consistent across all year groups, reflecting the much improved and consistently good or better teaching across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school assesses children as starting in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge which are below those typical of their age, and well below in speaking, reading, writing and social skills. Outstanding teaching means they settle quickly into school life and make excellent progress, both socially and in their communication skills, so that most reach the goals expected by the end of Reception.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 rose in 2012, and again in 2013. The work observed and the school’s own data show that pupils in this age group are on track to do even better in 2014. A relative weakness is that pupils have not been making full use of the mathematical skills learnt in the Early Years Foundation Stage, for example in mental calculations. This shows more as they get older.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2012, the percentages of pupils making expected progress in Key Stage 2 were well above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. In reading and writing, the percentage of pupils exceeding expected progress was also well above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Previous inconsistent teaching, including some disruption caused by staff changes, had a considerable impact on the Year 6 results in 2013. The proportion of pupils making or exceeding expected progress in writing was above national averages. However, pupils, particularly less-able pupils and those with special educational needs, did not do as well in mathematics as they had the previous year. Leaders responded by making changes in staff, developing a clear plan of action, and rigorously monitoring teaching and pupils’ progress. This led to improved progress in mathematics, and it is now faster than that expected nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The leader responsible for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has worked extremely successfully with staff to improve the progress of these pupils. Better systems for identifying pupils and tracking their progress, and staff training, have contributed to the good progress made by these pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The use of the pupil premium funding is now having a much more positive impact. Previous staffing difficulties also affected the achievement of eligible pupils. Attainment gaps between eligible pupils in Year 6 and other pupils closed by more than two terms in reading and writing in 2013 to approximately one year, but in mathematics they remained over two years behind. Data for this year show dramatic improvement, with more than three-quarters of the eligible pupils making better progress than their peers in reading, writing and also now in mathematics, and the gaps are narrowing rapidly

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is now almost all good or outstanding, as a result of the successful work to improve its quality. The school’s own lesson observations, undertaken with a local authority representative over the last 12 months, agree with this judgement.  Teachers make the lessons interesting and enjoyable. This, coupled with the pupils’ outstanding attitudes to learning, makes sure that pupils are highly motivated to learn well and make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classroom organisation and the use of displays and other resources to support learning are particular strengths. For example, the use of video clips in a Year 3 writing lesson helped to fire pupils’ imaginative use of vocabulary. Some of their work, for example ‘the slinky snail slithered slowly through the grass’, was of high quality.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All pupils spoken to during the inspection have a good understanding of the targets set for them in English and mathematics and these are reinforced through the use of their ‘learning journeys’. Teachers’ marking is of consistently good quality and provides helpful advice. As a result, pupils are clear about the next steps they need to take to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils say that they value being given reasons for why their work has improved and advice on what they need to improve next. Coupled with their keenness to do well, this is a key reason for their good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for assessing their own work and progress. This works well because it helps pupils to have a very clear understanding of how they are learning. It was particularly effective in the Year 6 lessons observed during the inspection, where pupils were totally engaged in their work and the determination to succeed was very evident. As a result, they made good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are given a good range of opportunities to apply the skills they have learnt in everyday problem-solving activities to make their learning more relevant to them. This was particularly evident in the work produced during the Enterprise Week. However, pupils do not get such good opportunities in other year groups to apply their mathematical skills in practical activities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Effective teaching of phonics has contributed to pupils’ good progress in writing across the school, and the improvements in reading this year. One pupil in Year 2 said, ‘I look at the pictures in my reading book but don’t need them because I can use my phonics.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 The presentation of pupils’ work in their books is of a high standard because expectations are high and pupils take an obvious pride in their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching promotes pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils work together well in lessons and value and respect the thoughts of others. They show respect for each other, and are given many opportunities to reflect on their work in lessons

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good and often exemplary. They are courteous and well mannered around the school and focus on their work in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Expectations of good behaviour are established when children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Pupils’ enjoyment of learning and their eagerness to do well are also strong features in other classes, and this is having a positive impact on their attainment and progress.  Pupils show a caring attitude to each other through ‘peer support’ and the use of ‘playground pals’, who take responsibility for making sure that everyone has someone to play with or talk to.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour management is very effective. As one child said, ‘You rarely see anyone told off twice.’ As a result, any minor disruption to learning in lessons is minimised.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All the pupils spoken to during the inspection, and the vast majority of parents through Parent View, say that pupils are happy at school, are well behaved, feel safe. They also say that the school deals effectively with any bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have been taught well about the safe use of the internet and the school has provided useful advice to families on its website.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance levels have improved since the last inspection but remain just below the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 During her time in post, the headteacher has successfully created a strong and cohesive staff team. She has been well supported by the deputy headteacher and the much improved governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leaders have successfully driven improvements in the quality of teaching through more rigorous checking of lessons, regular checks on pupils’ work in their books, and better use of pupils’ attainment and progress information in discussions with staff to improve teaching standards.

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The leadership and management are good

 New teachers have settled well into the life of the school because induction procedures are effective, routines and high expectations are well established, and there is a very strong team approach among all the staff. One teacher wrote in the staff questionnaire, ‘I have felt welcomed and appreciated from day one and it is a joy to work as part of this team.’

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and governors have given the training of teachers a high priority, and have supported this through an excellent range of collaborative work with other schools in the local teaching school alliance and the support of the local authority.

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The leadership and management are good

 Disappointing results at the end of Year 6 in 2013 were the result of previously weak teaching. The senior leadership has addressed the issues arising and the school is back on course not only to reach the previous levels of attainment and progress in 2012, but to exceed them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is particularly effective. New staff have been welcomed and supported, and high expectations made clear about behaviour and the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leaders in charge of different subjects and special educational needs have been more actively involved in monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning in their areas. They have focused strongly on supporting staff and improving pupils’ progress through the outcomes of their regular checks.  The staff appraisal system is effective in raising standards of teaching. The teachers and other staff value the training provided to meet their individual and group needs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school provides an interesting and varied curriculum that is well supported by visits, residential trips in Years 2, 4 and 6, and a good range of additional activities and clubs. Pupils enjoy the theme work in their ‘Discovery Books’ and the opportunity to apply their skills in a range of subject areas.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is also a major factor in pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development because of the values it promotes. Pupils work well co-operatively and support each other in their work. They show respect and care for others at all times around school. They take frequent opportunities to reflect on their work in lessons and their behaviour and attitudes to others, for example in assemblies.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has developed good links with parents, and this is reflected in the outcomes of its questionnaires and the Parent View responses. One parent said in conversation before school, ‘My child is really happy here and is doing really well. That means the world to me.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has established exceptionally strong links with other schools to share good practice. Its leaders have also valued highly the support from the local authority, which has focused successfully on improving teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is using the new primary sports funding to make sure that all pupils benefit from good teaching in sport and physical education. Joint working with other schools, local sports clubs and the local schools sports partnership is used effectively to do this. The pupils thoroughly enjoy the sports competitions and matches with other schools. Pupils’ participation in sport is good, and discussion with pupils and displays around the school show that they are aware of the impact this is having in promoting healthy lifestyles

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  There has been a marked improvement in governance since the last inspection. The Chair of the Governing Body has led by example in ensuring that governors have received high-quality training in the key areas of their role, including the analysis of data. They are now holding leaders very effectively to account for the school’s performance by asking detailed questions, visiting lessons, looking at the work in pupils’ books, talking to staff and pupils, and receiving regular reports on progress. As a result, governors have developed an excellent knowledge of the quality of teaching, the school’s strengths and its areas for improvement. Governors review the headteacher’s performance thoroughly and check that the management of the performance of all staff is helping them to improve. Where staff are not making the expected improvements, the governors have fully supported leaders in taking swift action. Governors

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The leadership and management are good

are also fully involved in decisions to reward high-performing teachers whose pupils are making the most rapid progress, and ensure that any underperformance of teachers is not rewarded. Governors have made sure that procedures for safeguarding pupils fully meet national requirements. They have also ensured that pupils are treated equally and there is no discrimination. Inspection report: Whitwick St John The Baptist Church of England Primary School, 22–23 January 2014 8 of 10

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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. Inspection report: Whitwick St John The Baptist Church of England Primary School, 22–23 January 2014 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 120171 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 430703

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 343 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Siddals Headteacher Christine Killip Date of previous school inspection 10 May 2012 Telephone number 01530 832116 Fax number 01530 810526 Email address whitwick@whitwickce.leics.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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