Wroughton Junior School

Wroughton Junior School Inverary Road, Wroughton, Swindon, SN4 9DL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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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This is a good school

 Wroughton Junior School is an improving school. Pupils make good progress and standards are rising.  Pupils’ achievement in reading is a strength because teachers develop pupils’ skills exceptionally well.  Teaching is good and some is outstanding.  Pupils love coming to school. Parents and pupils all think that the school is a very safe place in which to learn.  Teachers find very imaginative ways of making pupils’ learning interesting.  Teaching assistants contribute well to pupils’ learning.  Pupils have exemplary attitudes to learning. They talk confidently about the skills they need to use in order to learn well. Their behaviour in all situations is outstanding.  The subjects pupils learn help them to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding exceptionally well.  The headteacher has high ambitions for the school and she has the support of the whole school community.  All leaders, including governors, know what the

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This is a good school

school does well and what needs to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to make sure that all pupils make outstanding progress.  Information about pupils’ progress is not used consistently well to set challenging targets and to check that all pupils are achieving their best.  Pupils do not always know how to improve their work because teachers do not consistently give them precise enough advice when they mark their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 22 lessons and parts of lessons, some of which were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, other leaders in school, members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority, and with parents and pupils.  The inspection team took account of the 48 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as three letters received during the inspection and the views of parents from informal discussions in school.  Inspectors considered information about how well school leaders know how good the school is, and their plans for school improvement, as well as information about pupils’ progress. They also looked at minutes of meetings of the governing body, teachers’ planning, pupils’ work, documentation about safeguarding procedures and examples of the targets teachers are given as part of the management of their performance.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team analysed the 29 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Jeanne Simpson, Lead inspector Additional inspector Elizabeth Strange Additional inspector Ken Bryan Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Wroughton Junior School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding (those known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and those with a parent in the armed forces) is broadly average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is broadly average.  The proportion at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is lower than average.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher have both been appointed since the last inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which are the minimum standards set for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has achieved the Artsmark (Gold) award.  The school participates in the Swindon Sports Partnership.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  making improved use of information about how well pupils are doing to set even more challenging targets for improvement and to check that all pupils are making the best possible progress  making sure that teachers’ marking consistently gives pupils clear feedback on how to improve their work, particularly in pupils’ books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is improving rapidly. Pupils make good and sometimes outstanding progress from their starting points.  By the end of Year 6, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The standards they reach are above average, particularly in reading.  Standards in reading are above average because pupils learn the skills they need to become fluent and effective readers in their English lessons. In addition, opportunities to read interesting texts are woven through all the subjects they learn.  More-able pupils make good progress because teachers have high expectations and the work they are given challenges them well.  Pupils have targets which help them to know the next steps in their learning. They frequently refer to their targets when they are completing their work and this helps them to learn well. However, although regular checks are made on how well pupils are doing, the information is not

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The achievement of pupils is good

always used to set even more challenging targets in order to raise standards faster so that their achievement is outstanding.  Pupils who are eligible for the additional funding through the pupil premium are supported in many different ways, according to their needs. Some have one-to-one help as well as special programmes of work in mathematics to help them catch up. Others are supported through extra writing workshops, or receive coaching to develop more positive attitudes to learning. As a result, they make similar progress to other pupils. By the end of Year 6, the standards they reach are above those of similar pupils nationally. Although they are about two terms behind their peers in school, the gap is closing each year.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Any of these pupils who start to fall behind are spotted quickly and are given extra help very promptly, to

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The achievement of pupils is good

support both their learning and their confidence and well-being. The support is very precisely matched to their needs and the high quality of the teaching means that they catch up quickly. In reading, they are doing as well as their peers but they are about a term behind in mathematics and writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils enjoy their learning because teachers do everything they can to plan exciting things for them to do. Excellent links are made across all the subjects that pupils learn, and teachers are very creative in the way they present new learning. For example, one parent, in her unequivocal praise of the school, described seeing a group of pupils marching through the town in the style of Roman soldiers. Pupils in Year 5 produced work of exceptional quality on the feelings of a child walking from East to West through a gap in the Berlin Wall on the first day it opened.  Pupils have excellent relationships with their teachers and with each other which contribute positively to the good and sometimes outstanding progress they make. Pupils try hard because they want to please their teachers, and they are proud to share their learning in order to help others to improve.  Teachers build up pupils’ learning systematically, both in individual lessons and over whole

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The quality of teaching is good

programmes of work. They help pupils to reflect on the quality of what they are doing at regular points during lessons which helps them to improve. Pupils share their work willingly and they are used to hearing the phrase, ‘It’s not your first attempt, it’s your best attempt that matters’. This reinforces the high expectations that teachers have.  Teachers make good use of questioning and discussion to check that pupils understand new learning, and they are quick to step in if pupils have difficulties. They are able to ask just the right questions because they have good subject knowledge. They are able to pinpoint exactly where pupils are going wrong and they know how to help them to overcome any problems in learning.  Pupils say that they know how well they are doing from the comments that teachers write when they mark their work. Pupils are often given time to apply teachers’ advice. However, teachers’

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The quality of teaching is good

practice is not consistent, which means that opportunities to help pupils to improve are sometimes missed.  Pupils read regularly with adults and the importance of reading is evident throughout the school. The school’s library is called the ‘Ministry of Words’ and the displays create a wonderful environment for reading. Pupils love the visits from the Minister of Words who encourages them to develop a love of reading and writing, and helps them to understand how they can choose vocabulary effectively to share their views and ideas.  Teaching assistants contribute well to pupils’ learning. They, like the teachers, use questioning well, and they help pupils to improve by showing them what to do without doing the work for them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They are very polite, remembering their good manners at all times and showing impressive consideration for others.  Their attitudes to learning are exceptional. They are so engrossed in their work that examples of inattentiveness are almost unheard of.  Pupils talk with impressive levels of understanding about the skills they use to help them to learn well. They know that their teachers play their part by giving them opportunities to learn in interesting ways and that they need to play their part by trying hard. These highly positive attitudes to learning contribute well to their good progress.  Pupils are proud of their school. The classrooms and corridors are full of examples of creative art and high-quality work across all subjects which are treated with respect.  All pupils, and not only those who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour, have

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

opportunities to go to a special room called ‘The Tranquillity Zone’ where they learn how to relax and be at peace. The display of pupils’ thoughts outside the room shows how much pupils value the way they are helped to understand their deeper emotions and feelings. They recognise that this understanding helps them to grow into more sensitive and considerate young people.  Pupils express no concerns about the behaviour of others in school. There are very few examples of more serious incidents, and the number has reduced over time, which shows that the school’s systems for helping pupils to improve their behaviour are working. There has only been one exclusion from school in the last year.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All members of the school community are confident that the school is a safe place in which to learn.  Pupils understand about different forms of bullying. They say that there used to be bullying but

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

it has now gone ‘like the dinosaurs’. The recently formed group of pupils called the Anti-Bullying Council ensures that pupils have a voice and take responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe.  Pupils learn the skills of keeping themselves safe through the visits by the Life Skills Bus where they are reminded about such matters as ‘stranger danger’ and safe use of the internet.  Attendance has improved because pupils want to be in school and because the school has very good systems for checking where pupils are if they are absent.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides very strong leadership. She has developed a culture of continual improvement and members of staff are very supportive of her drive to make Wroughton Junior an outstanding school as soon as possible.  Other leaders in school also provide strong leadership. They have high levels of expertise and they are confident to share their knowledge and their excellent practice with their colleagues. They can point to telling examples of the difference they are making.  All leaders, including governors, know what the school does well and what needs to improve. Regular checks are made on the quality of teaching through observations of lessons as well as on the quality of the work in pupils’ books. Teachers are given very clear guidance on how they can be even more effective and they value the training they receive. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving.  Parents are very supportive of the school, summed up by one parent who said, ‘I cannot begin

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The leadership and management are good

to tell you how delighted we are with this school’. Nearly all parents who responded to Parent View would recommend the school to others.  The school’s plans for continued improvement are focused on the right priorities. However, information about how well pupils are doing is not always used to set even more challenging targets for improvement, and then to check that pupils are making rapid progress in all subjects.  Leaders ensure that extra funding through the pupil premium is carefully targeted to help eligible pupils to catch up. There are no groups of pupils who are underachieving which shows that the school is promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination to good effect.  One of the most significant strengths is the creative way in which pupils are taught across all the subjects they learn. The school has developed an enquiry approach which stimulates pupils to answer big questions such as ‘What matters most – the journey or the destination?’ and ‘Are we

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The leadership and management are good

better together or alone?’ The pupils are unanimously enthusiastic about this way of learning.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is exceptionally good. The school has been recognised through the Artsmark (Gold) award for the quality of its music, art and drama, and pupils learn about different cultures across the world. There is a strong link with a school in South Africa and pupils are regularly involved in fund raising, one example being the way in which they have contributed towards saving a local woodland area. The strong emphasis placed on their emotional development means that they grow into caring young people.  Leaders have used the additional funding to improve sport and physical education by developing the skills of teachers as well as by broadening the range of sports activities available to pupils. Links have been established with the Swindon Sports Partnership. As a result, the skills of pupils

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The leadership and management are good

and staff are improving. Pupils are involved in more competitions and those who have particular talent in sport are able to excel.  The school’s systems for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.  The local authority provides light-touch support which appropriately reflects the effectiveness of the school.  The governance of the school: - Governors regularly attend training to ensure that they are as effective as possible and so that they can help the school to continue to improve. They make sure that the targets teachers are set for the management of their performance are challenging. They check on how well the school is doing through their discussions with teachers and from presentations by teachers and pupils at meetings of the governing body. They know how pupils’ achievement compares with similar schools nationally. However, they are not yet making as much use as they could of information about achievement to check that pupils are making the best possible progress.

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The leadership and management are good

They know about the quality of teaching and they make sure that only the best teaching is rewarded by progression through the pay scales. They make sure that all funding is used effectively, including pupil premium funding.

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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 126245 Local authority Swindon Inspection number 426822

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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 7 – 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 344 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sandra Parsons Headteacher Sue Cox Date of previous school inspection 17 September 2008 Telephone number 01793 812339 Email address admin@wroughton-jun.swindon.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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