Setting

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566855 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: gail.hill@cfbt.com

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Mrs Anne Fox Headteacher St Wilfrid's CofE Junior and Infant School Mabel Street Newton Heath Manchester Greater Manchester M40 1GB

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and Infant School, Manchester

Following my visit to your school on 2 April 2014, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report on the findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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and Infant School, Manchester

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in November 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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and Infant School, Manchester

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you; the two assistant headteachers; four representatives of the Governing Body, including the Chair; a representative of the local authority; and eight pupils. Teaching and learning over time was evaluated jointly with yourself and your assistant headteachers in four classes through observing parts of lessons, discussions with pupils during those lessons, and looking at pupils’ work in books. I also scrutinised the school’s own records of teaching and learning and evaluated the school’s improvement plan.

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Context

A substantive member of staff whose absence has been covered by a temporary teacher is due to return to the school at the beginning of the Summer term 2014.

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Main findings

The sharply focused efforts of you, your assistant headteachers and governors are bringing about success in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Collectively, expectations are high and lines of accountability clear. Improvement plans focus on the right areas to improve. The rise in standards in reading, writing and mathematics noted in the November 2013 inspection continues, although in this year’s Year 6 standards are predicted to dip from the level attained in 2013. Despite this expected dip, your records show all pupils are on course to make at least expected progress from their starting points with just under one- third predicted to make more rapid progress. Records also show this dip looks to be a ‘one off’.

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Main findings

Improvements in teaching quality – rapid in some cases - are the result of determined efforts to check more rigorously the quality of teaching and focus on how much pupils learn. These improvements are leading to pupils making increasingly good progress in their learning over time. Pupils in Year 2 for example, as a result of typically good questioning and prompting by the teacher and teaching assistant, are writing increasingly complex and imaginative sentences such as ‘After that I rode an elephant’ and ‘Finally, I swam with a crocodile’ using chronological order, opinions and time connectives. In the main, across the school, work is matched closely to pupils’ abilities. This is leading to good levels of challenge, including for the more able. Sometimes, though, teachers move on to the next stage of learning without pupils grasping confidently the skills and knowledge taught previously. The quality of marking is improving. Pupils are clear where they have been

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Main findings

successful and what steps they need to take to improve their work. Good quality follow up questions are asked, the responses to which help teachers gauge further pupils’ understanding of what has been taught. However, on occasions, not all pupils respond to these questions and are not chased up to do so. As well as marking work at the end of lessons, teachers are more and more adept at checking to see pupils’ learning is on track during lessons.

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Main findings

Owing to your passion for mathematics, opportunities for pupils to use their knowledge and develop their skills in this subject are developing well. Year 4, 5 and 6 pupils, for example, worked together very well to solve successfully algebra problems I set them. Pupils’ enjoyment of mathematics is being enhanced by opportunities to participate in the ‘Maths Club’ and, for those targeted at Level 6, from teaching at a local academy.

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External support

The school is benefitting from a wide range of good quality support and challenge, including that provided by the local authority and an external school improvement partner. Such input is helping you all to judge accurately the quality of teaching and learning over time and to present evidence justifying your decisions.

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External support

Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Anglican Diocese of Manchester and the Director of Children's Services for Manchester. Yours sincerely

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