Wigmore Primary

Wigmore Primary School Twyford Drive, Wigmore Hall Estate, Luton, LU2 9TB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 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.  Pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has risen markedly since the previous inspection.  Pupils currently in Year 6 have achieved higher standards because most have made rapid progress this year. A high proportion of pupils are now exceeding the levels expected nationally for their age.  Teachers have high expectations of their pupils’ work and behaviour. Rigorous checks on teaching and good use of training of support have led to much improved teaching. Lesson activities are effectively planned and engage pupils well.  Pupils, good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning contribute well to their good achievement.  Pupils, who have special educational needs, including those with emotional and behavioural difficulties, are supported very effectively. Consequently, their behaviour improves and they make faster progress.  Inspiring leadership from the headteacher,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

who is well supported by the deputy headteacher and other leaders, has led to much improved quality of teaching and achievement.  Governors track the work of the school closely and are confident in holding leaders to account for the school’s performance.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not do as well in writing as in reading and mathematics. They are not given enough opportunities to practise and develop their writing skills in subjects beyond English.  Teachers do not consistently set sufficiently challenging work for all groups, especially the most able pupils.  Marking does not always provide clear guidance to pupils on how to improve. Where next steps for improvement are given, pupils do not always respond well to their teachers’ comments, and teachers do not systematically check that they have done so.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in 23 lessons, three of which were observed jointly with the headteacher or with the deputy headteacher. In addition, they made a number of other short visits to lessons and learning areas, and heard pupils in Years 2 and 6 reading.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of staff, the Vice Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors took account of 42 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 32 responses to a staff questionnaire. They also sought the views of parents through informal discussions at the start of the school day.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ books and at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current attainment and progress, the school’s own evaluation of its performance, improvement plans, documentation relating to teachers’ performance over time

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Inspection team

Tusha Chakraborti, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Graham Gossage Additional Inspector Rajeshree Mehta Additional Inspector Sandra Teacher Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion who speak English as an additional language are both above the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals, is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average as is the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school has a specially resourced provision, social communication department (SCD), for 8

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Information about this school

pupils with an autistic spectrum condition. These pupils work in classes alongside their classmates and receive specialist support. They access the base in accordance with their individual needs.  There were significant changes of staff in September 2013. The headteacher joined at that point and a new leadership team was created on his arrival. Some of the current teachers joined the school around the same time. Staffing is now stable.  The school is a member of the local partnership which includes several local primary and secondary schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to outstanding in order to raise achievement in English and mathematics further by:  making sure that tasks set in lessons consistently challenge all groups of pupils, especially the most able  ensuring that all pupils are given clear guidance on the next steps in their learning, and that they are given time to respond to teachers’ marking  giving pupils regular opportunities to practise writing for different purposes in different subjects, to extend the skills they learn in literacy lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Reception with knowledge and skills that are well below the levels typical for their age. They make good progress in the Reception Classes and, by the end of Reception, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is broadly in line with that found nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has risen in the current year as a result of rapid progress over the past year. A strong focus on phonics (the linking of sounds and letters) has improved the results in the Year 1 phonics screening check this year. The results are in line with the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The national test results dipped by the end of Year 6 in 2012 and 2013 when pupils achieved standards in reading, writing and mathematics that were broadly average. The current leadership team has acted swiftly and decisively to improve the quality of teaching through checking of teaching and an effective programme of staff training. This has led to much improved progress in all subjects across the school. The national test results for the current academic year show that standards have risen markedly in all areas, especially in mathematics. A higher than average proportion of pupils exceed the levels expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils are now reaching higher standards overall. However, not all of them are reaching the standards of which they are capable, especially in writing. Progress in writing is still not as strong in other subjects because pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to extend their writing skills in subjects other than English.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ reading skills have improved considerably across the school in the current school year. During the inspection, younger pupils showed they can use their knowledge of phonics well to read unfamiliar words. Older pupils are gaining an increasing understanding of different styles of writing by different authors. A strong focus on mental mathematics and investigation has ensured that pupils acquired good calculation and problem-solving skills across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with social and communication needs (SCD), make good progress, sometimes better than their classmates because of the highly effective specialist teaching they receive. Pupils who speak English as an additional language, and those from minority ethnic groups, achieve as well as and sometimes better than their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils supported through pupil premium funding achieve as well as their classmates. This is because the school is providing a range of effective support designed to boost their learning and narrow the gap between their attainment and that of other pupils in the school. In 2013, the eligible pupils in Year 6 were on average three and a half terms behind their classmates in reading and writing and four terms behind them in mathematics. The gap has narrowed significantly in the current year to just one term in each subject.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good relationships with pupils and provide a positive atmosphere for learning in lessons. Most have good subject knowledge and high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour. Consequently, pupils respond readily to tasks with interest and enthusiasm.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make rapid gains in their learning and are developing good literacy and numeracy skills. They explain that dinosaurs are ‘extinct’ when discussing about dinosaurs’ footprints and enjoy role–plays.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers engage pupils well in learning through probing questioning that successfully builds on what they already know. For example, in an English lesson in year 6, lively discussion and effective questions from the teacher helped pupils to apply their knowledge when writing a letter to the headteacher persuading him to arrange for a school trip, explaining that their performance this year deserved a treat before they left the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading deepens pupils’ understanding of styles of writing by different authors and helps them to analyse events and characters.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The specialist and experienced teachers and support staff understand the individual needs of each pupil with social and communication difficulties in SCD. They use a range of effective activities to enable these pupils to develop their communication and social skills well. As a result they all make good progress and some achieve high standards.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The work in lessons is usually well planned to get the best out of all pupils. Nevertheless occasionally teachers do not set tasks which extend the skills and understanding of all groups of pupils, especially the most-able. Consequently, they do not always achieve the standards of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and praise pupils’ achievement but do not always provide clear guidance on how to improve their work. In some cases, when the next steps are suggested, pupils do not respond to their teachers’ comments, and teachers do not systematically check what pupils have done. Therefore, pupils do not always learn from their mistakes or make as much progress as they could.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and are proud to be a pupil at Wigmore. They are thoughtful and enjoy each other’s company. The school values and celebrates the diversity within its community, welcoming all within a culture of mutual respect. Pupils understand and appreciate this.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils believe in a set of values that strongly influence their behaviour, relationships and attitudes to each other. Adults use effective procedures to manage pupils’ behaviour. These are applied effectively and pupils respond well to them.

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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 believe that they are kept safe in school and most parents who responded to the questionnaire agree with them. Pupils know how to stay safe, when on the road, or in case of fire. They also understand the dangers surrounding the use of drugs. In Reception, pupils talk about looking after the environment and discuss that ‘throwing rubbish on the beach at the seaside’ is wrong.  Pupils understand about different kinds of bullying, including cyber bullying. They state that incidents of bullying are rare. They also say that, on the odd occasion where behaviour is less than good, this is dealt with effectively by adults.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy taking responsibility within the class, and through their school council work. They raise funds for improvement of school playground and to support national and international charities. They enjoy an increasing range of competitive sports activities and this makes a good contribution to the development of their social skills and well-being.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has improved and is now average. This is because of the careful monitoring of attendance and the effective involvement of pupils in sports activities and school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has successfully established a strong leadership team. Leaders are ambitious and are successfully driving improvement. Together, they communicate high expectations and have ensured that all staff share a determination to raise pupils’ achievement across the school. The school has improved rapidly under the new leadership and has a good capacity to improve further. The majority of parents appreciate that their children are now making good progress under the current leadership.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders check the quality of teaching thoroughly and accurately. They have established a rigorous programme for the monitoring of teaching and staff training through which they develop the expertise of teachers. As a result, teaching has improved and standards are rising. The school’s view of its own performance successfully identifies the school’s priorities for improvement and has a clear focus on raising achievement further.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers are set challenging targets which are linked to pupils’ achievement and reviewed regularly. They show high professional integrity and commitment and fully understand the link between effectiveness and rates of pay. Leaders responsible for subjects, and for the Early Years Foundation Stage, contribute well to school improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 A wide range of activities such as writing workshops and after-school clubs contribute well to pupils’ overall progress. A good range of sporting activities and visits enrich pupils’ learning experiences. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through the teaching in different subjects, including religious studies, and by visits to places of worship. This is further enhanced through the teaching of music and art. This year a group of pupils produced ‘The Wigmore Gazette’ reflecting on their achievement in sports and different events in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have made good progress in ensuring that groups of pupils from different abilities and backgrounds have an equal chance to succeed across the school. However, they have yet to ensure that work is always challenging enough for all ability groups, especially for the most able, to fulfil their potential.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of the additional primary school sports funding. A full-time specialist coach is successfully improving pupils’ skills and teachers’ expertise. This has encouraged increased participation in inter-school competitive sports and sports clubs. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ their self-confidence and enjoyment of learning.  The local authority has worked effectively with the leaders and governors, providing very good support for the school during a difficult period. This has helped the school to make accurate judgements about its performance and to bring about improvement. Partnerships with local schools also help the school to share and develop good practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governors have made good progress in carrying out their action plan following the recent external review. They are now strongly focused on driving improvement and holding leaders to account. Governors have opportunities to take part in lesson observations and meetings with staff so that they understand more about the quality of teaching. They make effective use of the information gained from these visits enhance their expertise and have gained clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have undergone full training in analysing data on pupils’ performance and know how pupils are performing compared with national standards. They are well informed about the management of teachers’ performance and the way this is linked to pay rises. Governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet all statutory 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 109588 Local authority Luton Inspection number 441975

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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 403 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Kitchener Headteacher Chris Davidson Date of previous school inspection 17 October 2012 Telephone number 01582 616101 Fax number 01582 616102 Email address wigmore.primary.admin@luton.gov.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 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

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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