Weddington Primary School

Weddington Primary School Winchester Avenue, Nuneaton, CV10 0DR

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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

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

 Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Years 2 has been below the national averages for several years. In 2013 pupils at the end of Year 6 were also below the national averages.  Despite good teaching in some year groups, the quality has not been consistently good enough to promote good achievement.  Although senior leaders are doing the right things to improve teaching and learning, staff absences have held back the pace of change.  Teachers’ marking does not give pupils effective help and guidance to improve their work.  The strategies introduced by the senior leadership team have had success in improving reading and mathematics, but have not yet raised attainment in Year 2 or improved writing sufficiently.  Pupils do not get enough practice in writing longer pieces of work.  The governors have not done all they could to ensure that pupils are taught by a stable staff team, even though in other ways they do their

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The school has the following strengths

 Strong teaching in Reception ensures that children make an excellent start to their educational journey.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) and reading in general are taught well across the whole school.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very positive and their behaviour is good. Attendance has risen rapidly.  The school develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively.  Pupils who need extra support in their learning make good progress.  The arrangements to keep pupils safe are excellent.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 16 lessons and were accompanied by the headteacher and/or deputy headteacher during five of these observations.  The inspectors observed pupils moving around the school and during lunch breaks, and attended two assemblies.  A meeting was held with a group of pupils, and many other pupils were spoken to during lessons and lunchtimes.  Inspectors met with governors and the senior leaders. The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  An inspector held a telephone conversation with a parent.  Inspectors took account of the 61 parental responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning and undertaking the inspection.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ progress, planning and the senior leadership’s checks on the quality of teaching. Inspectors also examined records relating to behaviour and attendance, and

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Information about this inspection

the safeguarding policy, procedures and practice.

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Inspection team

Ronald Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alwyne Jolly Additional Inspector Wendy Davies Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an above average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average and rising.  A below-average proportion of pupils are supported by additional government funding called the pupil premium. This funding is for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  There are two Reception classes in the Early Years Foundation Stage and two classes per year group across the rest of the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school has experienced significant staffing disruption since the previous inspection.

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Information about this school

 There is a specially resourced provision for up to 15 pupils with special educational needs who have language and communication difficulties. It is run by the local authority.  A nursery and before- and after-school provision use the school’s facilities. However, both are privately run and were not part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching by making sure that: – marking consistently and effectively helps pupils to improve their work – leaders make further use of help and guidance for individual staff to sharpen teachers’ skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement by giving pupils high-quality extended writing practice in English lessons, across all other subjects and at home.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that governors do their utmost to create a stable teaching team.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment at the end of Year 2 has been consistently below average. This has been due to poor progress in Year 2, which has now been improved. Although overall attainment at the end of Year 6 has risen this year to match the national average, progress in writing is below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The instability in staffing has slowed the pace of improvement despite the leadership team’s initiatives. As a result although progress and attainment across the school are rising in reading and mathematics and in some year groups, improvement is not yet quick or consistent enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Senior leaders and managers recognised the issues raised by results in mathematics in 2013 and reacted quickly to address them. As a result attainment in mathematics in Year 6 is now broadly average. However, there has been a decline in writing across the school and especially by the end of Year 6. This is due to pupils not having enough opportunities to practise their skills in longer pieces of writing, either in English or across other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Reading skills are improving rapidly across the school, and especially for pupils supported by the language and communication provision. Although the 2013 phonics screening check showed that results in both Year 1 and Year 2 were below national averages, current school information shows that they have been improved in 2014.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are below those expected for their age, especially those supported by the language and communication provision. Due to excellent teaching all the children make at least good progress, and for many it is outstanding. Current school information shows that the majority of children will be entering Year 1 with skills and knowledge at least at age-appropriate levels and some higher.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Due to effective strategic planning by the senior leadership team, good progress is maintained in Year 1. Pupils continue to develop confidence, engage in their learning and thrive on the fun and interesting lessons created by the teachers. All pupils, regardless of their background, make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 All groups of pupils in Key Stage 2, including the most able, are making good progress except some in Year 4. The senior and subject leaders reacted quickly to provide support and training to improve teaching where needed in this year group, and also strengthened teaching in Year 5 to make sure that any underachievement was quickly addressed. School information on progress and attainment and a review of the pupils’ books confirm that pupils from this group last year are now back on track to reach above-average standards at the end of Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils supported by the language and communication provision make good and at times outstanding progress in spoken and written English. They become confident communicators due to the excellent support they receive and the wide range of communication methods used by both the specialist staff and teachers in general. Signs and symbols are used with younger pupils and as their skills and confidence develop, spoken language is encouraged. Electronic devices support written work and general communication when needed.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are now making good progress. This is due to the effective support they receive in the classroom and during one-to-one and small group work, which has allowed them to improve their skills in both English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 School information shows that pupils who receive additional support through the pupil premium are also making good progress and there is no significant gap between their attainment and that of their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. This is due to the strong support they are provided with, which has not only developed their skills, but also their enthusiasm for learning. In 2013, the eligible Year 6 pupils were on average half a term behind their classmates in mathematics, but more than a term ahead in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The primary sports funding has developed a love of physical activity in the pupils. This is clearly seen in the large number of sporting trophies the school has won in a wide range of sports against other schools.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Information about pupils’ past progress reflects pockets of weaker teaching, especially in Years 2 and Year 4, where there has been instability in staffing. This has resulted in pupils not reaching high enough standards in Year 2 in particular.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The headteacher and leadership team have redeployed staff in order to strengthen areas of the school and make sure that any underachievement is addressed. However, due to ongoing staff absences beyond their control, their initiatives have not had the full effect intended. This has resulted in parents being rightly uneasy about the quality of teaching and the effect the constant changes are having on their children’s learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where pupils are taught by the permanent members of staff, teaching is at least good and progress and attainment are rising. For example, in Year 3 classes pupils were observed studying antonyms. The engaging way in which the subject content was presented thoroughly challenged all the pupils. They clearly enjoyed the lessons and made outstanding progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers often mark pupils’ work, but not always in a way that improves the skills of the pupils. Pupils’ books show that there are examples of excellent written feedback that allows pupils to understand how to improve their work. However, this is inconsistent and books also show that pupils are not routinely expected to respond by then improving their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The good teaching of reading skills has helped pupils to improve their skills in other subjects as they are able to accurately read the information they are given and so make more rapid progress. When pupils encounter difficult text, they use good phonic skills to break down words and so are able to work out what they are.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff across the school generally have high expectations and aspirations for the pupils, and this has been a driving force behind the improvements in pupils’ progress. The permanent teachers develop a good understanding of pupils’ capabilities and provide work at the right level of difficulty for pupils of all abilities in their classes. Staff generally monitor the progress pupils make during lessons carefully, and use the resulting information to adapt the difficulty of tasks so that the best possible progress can be made.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In Reception, all staff challenge the children’s thinking, develop their confidence and self-esteem and create a desire to learn. The resources in both the indoor and outdoor areas are used effectively and provide fun and stimulating learning areas. In one session observed, children were taught a wide range of skills through the theme of dragons. They quickly learned about the various flags of the United Kingdom and how these were created.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Across the school they have a positive attitude to learning, which is reflected in the rapid rise in attendance. As a one pupil stated, ‘The teachers are great and lessons are so much fun now.’ In all the lessons observed pupils concentrated well and were eager to learn.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Around the school and during lunch and break times, pupils are polite and courteous to each other and towards adults. They take a pride in their work, which was clearly seen in their books around the school. They attend lessons on time and move around the school with care and consideration for their safety and that of others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The initiatives to improve teaching and the way in which subjects are taught have resulted in behaviour improving across the school. The number of exclusions has fallen and pupils state that they feel behaviour is good and there is no bullying. They were also eager to point out that they could talk to the staff and that any issues were dealt with quickly, fairly and effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Some parents raised concerns about behaviour, although the senior leadership team and governors feel this may be due to historic issues, and inspectors could find no evidence in records about behaviour to support the concerns. Certainly any minor misbehaviour that occurred during the inspection was dealt with very effectively through robust and well- established systems.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is very much a friendly and family-based community. The pupil premium funding is used to ensure that all pupils can, and do, participate in the whole life of the school. A wide range of opportunities promote the pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development effectively. Visits and visitors are well used to enhance pupils’ understanding of the society in which they live.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel safe and secure and have a very good understanding of how to stay safe. They have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe on the internet and feel there is no discrimination or bullying in the school. Parents do feel that the school keeps their children safe.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Instability in staffing has undermined consistency in the quality of teaching. The senior leadership team has tackled weaknesses in teaching and underachievement effectively in Years 2 and 4. However, the governors have not taken enough action to make sure ongoing staff absences do not hold back pupils’ overall achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The senior and subject leaders track all aspects of the school effectively. Accurate information relating to the progress and attainment of all groups of pupils gives teachers a solid basis on which to plan future learning. The higher number of pupils on track to reach above the national expectations in Years 2 and 6 next year demonstrates the senior leaders’ good capacity to improve the school, as does the their ‘mentoring’ system, where individual support and guidance have helped overcome some of the issues in teaching. They are aware that this system has not yet been used fully to improve the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Permanent staff members consistently provide teaching that is good or better and the senior leadership team have used these staff members effectively. They have made sure that they are positioned in year groups to ensure that where underachievement has taken place, this can and has been caught up on rapidly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject leaders have provided staff with positive support to develop their subject expertise and so improve their teaching. This has been especially so in mathematics, which has seen a rapid improvement in progress. School information shows that in this year’s national assessment tests, Year 6 pupils have reached higher standards in mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management of the way Reception children are educated are good. Accurate monitoring and tracking of the children’s progress help to lead to good or better progress for all groups of children.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The primary school sports funding has helped to increase the number of pupils attaining 25 metres in swimming. Besides increasing the number of sporting opportunities available to the pupils, specialist teaching has also raised the quality of the teaching skills of all staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Links with the local authority have been good, and it has provided support to aid the improvements in mathematics and other subjects. Local authority officers carry out termly reviews of the school and have checked the accuracy of leaders’ judgements on the school’s work.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governors are effective in carrying out most of their duties. They regularly spend time in the school and use a wide range of information to ensure that they have a clear understanding of its work. They know there have been issues in certain year groups and the effect this has had on pupils’ progress. However, decisions made about temporary staff contracts have not supported the senior leadership team enough in providing a stable teaching team. Governors are aware of the progress all groups of pupils in the school make. They have supported the senior leadership team in helping to tackle any underachievement. They use the performance of teachers effectively in considering pay rises and promotion. The governing body carries out its safeguarding duties effectively and procedures meet current national requirements.

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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 130895 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 443911

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 398 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Ellis Headteacher Patricia Wheatley Date of previous school inspection 16 November 2009 Telephone number 024 7634 0729 Fax number 024 7638 2478 Email address Admin2632@welearn365.com 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 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

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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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