Winnersh Primary School

Greenwood Grove, Winnersh, Wokingham, RG41 5LH

p.1

Overall effectiveness

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

p.1

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

 Pupils’ progress in Key Stage 2, in writing and mathematics, is well below the national average.  The support for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds is not targeted accurately. This means that they are not able to catch up with other pupils by the end of Year 6.  Weaknesses in teaching hold back pupils’ progress, particularly in Key Stage 2. Where there are examples of better practice, these are not shared and extended across the school.  Teaching often does not provide work of an appropriate level of challenge for all the pupils.  Teachers do not always give enough guidance through marking, which is specific enough for pupils to know how they can improve their work.  Teachers do not always do enough to check the depth of the pupils’ understanding during lessons and adapt tasks and explanations when necessary.  The frequent changes in the school’s leadership, over recent years, have resulted in a lack of clear direction and development for

p.1

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

the school.  The support for pupils with special educational needs is not effectively targeted, because the school does not analyse the information about their progress clearly enough.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Pupils behave well and have a good attitude to learning. The school has a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Pupils enjoy learning, because in most lessons teachers prepare activities which keep them engaged.  Safety is good; pupils are well aware of how to keep safe.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is well above average.  Governors have a good knowledge of the school’s strength and weaknesses. They are challenging the school to improve.  The school has successfully improved pupils’ attendance.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 22 lessons or part lessons, with some teachers being observed twice. Five lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders.  The inspection included observations of playtime, lunchtime and assembly. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work and heard some pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and four other members, and also with other members of staff with specific responsibilities.  The lead inspector had a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the 84 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also talked to 11 parents as they brought their children to school. The lead inspector received one email from a parent and spoke to another parent on the telephone.  The inspectors also took account of the 34 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the

p.2

Information about this inspection

school’s data on pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation, and records relating to pupils’ behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and the performance management of teachers.

p.2

Inspection team

John Taylor, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jo Curd Additional Inspector Karen Metcalfe Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This is a much larger-than-average-sized primary school.  There are three classes in Year 2 and Year 3. In all other years, including Reception, there are two classes in each year.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  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 proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding for looked after children and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is low.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a pre-school group on site, but it is not managed by the governing body and will be inspected separately.

p.3

Information about this school

 Over the past two years there has been a number of changes in the school’s leadership. The current headteacher took up her post in January 2014.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by:  ensuring all pupils are given appropriately challenging work  providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills  ensuring that teachers check up on pupils’ understanding during lessons and adapt tasks and explanations where necessary.  Improve pupils’ achievement in writing and mathematics by:  ensuring teachers’ marking shows pupils specifically where they can improve their work and that teachers check that pupils make the appropriate corrections and improvements.  developing teachers’ skills and confidence in teaching these subjects.  Improve the effectiveness of the school’s leadership by:  using clearer analysis of the information about pupils’ progress to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and pupils eligible for the pupil premium are appropriately supported and helped to achieve better  develop the skills of the middle leaders so they can guide the improvement in the overall

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

quality of teaching and build on some of the existing good practice.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Reception classes with levels of knowledge and understanding typical of those expected for their age. They learn well through interesting activities, with a strong focus on developing their literacy skills.  In the national phonic (the sounds letters make) check at the end of Year 1, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected level has been below the national average for the past two years. By the end of Year 2 the majority of these pupils have reached the level expected at the end of Year 1.  For the past five years the pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has been well above national average. Attainment in writing has been consistently high. The school’s information shows that pupils in the current Year 2 are also working at similar standards.  In Key Stage 2, pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics is weak. Boys were making slower progress in writing than the girls. The school’s current checks on progress indicate that this gap

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

is narrowing.  Information on the attainment of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is not clearly analysed by the school. This hinders the school from finding out how effective the support for these pupils is, and so their progress is slower than that of other pupils.  Too few of the most-able pupils are making rapid progress, especially in writing and mathematics, due to the lack of appropriately challenging work.  In tests at the end of Year 6 in 2013, pupils benefiting from the pupil premium were about six months behind other pupils in the school in reading. In writing and mathematics they were over two years behind. The school has taken action to tackle this, which reflects its strong commitment to promoting equality of opportunity. There is evidence that this is being effective in improving the pace of learning for these pupils, and the gap is now narrowing.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Weaknesses in teaching hold back pupils’ progress, particularly in Key Stage 2. In some lessons the work is too hard or too easy for pupils of different abilities and teachers’ planning does not always identify the different needs of specific groups clearly enough. As a result, the work set does not provide appropriate challenge for pupils and this limits their progress.  Teachers do not always express high enough expectations of the pupils’ abilities to achieve the best possible levels of work. Whilst pupils have a good attitude to learning, teachers do not do enough to encourage them to work towards their highest possible standards.  Marking of pupils’ work does not provide sufficiently specific guidance on how pupils can improve their work. Teachers do not check if pupils have taken their advice on board. The impact of marking is limited because pupils do not have enough time to respond to teachers’ comments

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

and make corrections.  Where teachers do not do enough to draw out more demanding answers from the more-able pupils, their progress is not as fast as it could be.  Teachers do not consistently make enough use of appropriate strategies to find out how well pupils are learning during lessons. This means that they do not know if they need to adapt the lesson to make sure that pupils have fully understood the work.  There are too few opportunities for the older pupils to write at length. This has limited the development of their writing skills.  In Key Stage 1, well focused explanations about new work and detailed marking telling pupils how to improve help pupils attain above average standards.  In the Reception classes the children enjoy a well-planned range of activities inside and outside of the classroom. There is a positive climate created by the teachers and their assistants who work effectively together to help the children learn.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 When pupils are working independently, or in groups, teaching assistants provide effective support to the pupils, guiding them in their work, and helping them to find answers for themselves. However, they are not always deployed as effectively while the teacher is talking to the whole class.  Pupils say they enjoy the lessons, but a small minority of parents feel their children are not taught well at the school.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour of the pupils is good. Pupils say most behave well for most of the time. School records show that behaviour is well managed and typically good over time.  In the Reception classes clear expectations of behaviour are made clear by staff. They consistently follow the behaviour policy, and there is effective use of ‘shiny stars’ to praise the children’s good behaviour. There is a safe environment where the children are well supervised.  Pupils know the difference between teasing and different types of bullying. They are friendly, courteous and helpful. They say that on the very rare occasions that bullying takes place it is effectively dealt with by the teachers. The majority of parents agree.  Pupils behave well around the school and at lunchtime. The limited hard surface area for pupils to play on at break and lunchtime causes the playground to get very crowded. It causes some concern to the pupils because they bump into each other while playing.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are usually motivated and keen to get on with their work; they try hard, even when the work is too hard for them. A few pupils lose concentration when the work set is not of an appropriate level of challenge or quantity.  In lessons, pupils show a good attitude to work; they are eager to learn and very willing to contribute. They are very cooperative and support each other’s learning. They move swiftly from one activity to another and are good at following instructions, so their learning can move on quickly.  The school’s work to keep the pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel safe in school, and parents agree. Older pupils are aware of how to keep safe on the internet, and on social media.  The behavioural support for vulnerable pupils is good. The school has set up a ‘nurture room’ where staff help some younger pupils improve their social skills. Recently introduced tracking sheets show that this is having a positive impact on their progress.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There have been very few exclusions in recent years, pupils’ attendance has improved and is now well above the national average.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Over the past couple of years there have been frequent changes in the leadership of the school. This has resulted in a lack of consistent guidance for staff, and there has been little impact on tackling areas of underachievement or improving the quality of teaching. The recently appointed headteacher is providing stability. There are a number of signs of improvement, but it is too early to see the impact of many of the recent changes in policies and procedures.  Information about pupils’ progress has not, in the past, been analysed in sufficient detail to help the school identify any groups of pupils who may not be achieving as well as they should and to provide further support. The recently introduced, more frequent and increasingly accurate, systems for checking pupils’ progress are showing signs of helping the school address the required areas.  The school’s development plan is focused on the appropriate areas which need to be addressed

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

and the progress of this is regularly monitored.  Middle leaders are not effective enough at improving the quality of teaching because their observations are not accurately focused on pupils’ progress over time. They have not done enough to share examples of existing good practice in the school so as to improve the overall quality of teaching.  Pupil premium funding was not effectively targeted at the eligible pupils until earlier this year. The school does not monitor its impact closely enough to evaluate the impact of the different uses of this funding on narrowing the gap in attainment between these pupils and their classmates.  The local authority has been very supportive of the school through its recent struggle to secure stable leadership. The school is making increasing use of partnerships with local schools to support improving the quality of teaching.  The primary sport funding has been used to enable pupils to engage in a greater range of

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

sporting activity than previously, including competitive sports. It is also to be used to enhance the teachers’ own skills in teaching physical education.  An over-rigid adherence to the timetable and the curriculum, by some teachers, has restricted the opportunities for the pupils to write longer pieces of work and limited the development of their writing skills.  The curriculum has helped pupils develop strong moral values, but it is weaker in promoting their spiritual and cultural awareness.  Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. An experienced and knowledgeable leader leads a strong team. Use of assessment has resulted in improved achievement in phonics (the sounds letters make), writing and mathematics.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good knowledge of the school. They are aware of the areas which need developing and now have clear evidence so they can effectively challenge the school. They

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

check things out for themselves by visiting the school regularly. They have challenged the school to increase the capacity of the leadership team.  Governors are aware of how the sport funding is used. They have a good knowledge of the quality of teaching and how underperformance has been tackled. They know that teachers’ performance is linked to pay. They are aware of how the pupil premium funding is spent and are now challenging the school to improve its impact. They have ensured safeguarding meets statutory requirements. They rigorously, and frequently, check the school’s finances.  Governors make good use of the local authority’s support and training and are reviewing their practices and procedures to ensure they are fit for purpose.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 109876 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 431459

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

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 467 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Karen Rex Headteacher Helen Powell Date of previous school inspection 14–15 January 2009 Telephone number 0118 9782590 Fax number 0118 9782590 Email address head@winnersh.wokingham.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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 and 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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9