Whitgreave Primary School

Whitgreave Junior School Goodyear Avenue, Low Hill, Wolverhampton WV10 9JP

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is an outstanding school

 The headteacher is a decisive and inspirational leader. In partnership with the deputy headteacher she ensures that staff help pupils make rapid progress over time.  Teachers with responsibilities make a strong contribution to teaching by providing teachers with personalised support and advice.  Governors are highly effective and carry out their roles diligently. They keep a watchful eye on all aspects of the school and constantly strive for excellence.  Teachers use what they know about pupils’ previous learning to effectively plan interesting and suitably challenging activities.  The vast majority of teachers meet the needs of the most-able pupils excellently. However, very occasionally, some more-able pupils are not stretched enough.  Pupils are safe and very well cared for in this harmonious and secure environment. Everyone is valued and treated with respect.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They are kind and

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This is an outstanding school

thoughtful and play a central role in school improvement.  Pupils make outstanding progress from their different starting points. A high proportion exceed the knowledge and skills expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Leaders and governors make efficient use of pupil premium funding. As a result, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is at least in line with that of pupils nationally.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy writing in different subjects. However, some pupils do not make sure that their handwriting is as neat as it could be.  The curriculum is engaging and promotes positive attitudes to learning in all subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that all teachers adjust activities more quickly during lessons in order to maximise learning for the most-able pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils write legibly and present their work neatly in all subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The school is exceptionally well led by the headteacher. She has high expectations of pupils and staff and ensures that there is a relentless focus on ensuring all aspects of the school continually improve.  The headteacher is ably supported by the deputy headteacher, other senior leaders, staff and governors. They work together as a highly effective team to help pupils make rapid progress during their time in the school.  Senior leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths. They use information about pupils’ achievement, observation of lessons and reviews of pupils’ work very effectively to identify where further improvements are required.  Procedures to manage the performance of staff are excellent. Senior leaders and governors hold teachers rigorously to account for the performance of different groups of pupils. Teachers requiring help with specific aspects of their teaching are identified quickly and suitable support is provided.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are good role models to both staff and pupils. They are highly committed to training and mentoring all adults in the school. Teachers particularly appreciate working together as ‘peer learning partners’ to learn from each other and improve their practice.  Assemblies and lessons enable pupils to understand the difference between right and wrong, and to reflect and learn about other faiths. A superbly well-organised curriculum, coupled with a range of after- school clubs such as basketball, cooking, art and gymnastics, make an excellent contribution to pupils’ academic and spiritual, moral and cultural development.  Staff use the school’s ‘Pupil Power Passport’ to encourage pupils to successfully develop and demonstrate skills, such as showing empathy and respect, and working as part of a team. As a result, pupils’ social skills are highly developed.  Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain. Weekly ‘what is in the news?’ sessions give pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

the chance to debate and discuss topical issues and to consider and respect differing points of view. They also learn about the importance of democracy through elections for different roles in the school.  Educational visits enhance pupils’ learning, broaden their experiences and help to bring learning to life. Pupils also have the chance to select a theme for further research in science. Year 4 pupils, for instance, decided to find out about the life-cycle of chickens. They observed live chickens, learnt how to raise them, investigated eggs and recorded their findings using written notes and video diaries.  School leaders and governors carefully check the use and impact of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. Extra support from staff, and the chance for pupils to learn from first-hand experiences during visits, help disadvantaged pupils to make the same outstanding progress as other pupils in the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The primary physical education and sport funding is used to give pupils access to wide-ranging activities and high quality coaching. As a result, pupils are developing healthier lifestyles and increasing numbers are participating in sports.  The majority of parents who spoke to inspectors were positive about the school. They were especially complimentary about the school’s efforts to keep their children safe and the quality of their children’s learning. The school’s parent support adviser organises a range of meetings for parents to show them how to support their children’s learning at home, while parent prefects play a key role in encouraging parents to participate in school events.  A few parents raised concerns about behaviour and communication. Inspectors found that incidents of poor behaviour are infrequent and that when they do occur, they are dealt with quickly and appropriately. Senior leaders use a wide variety of methods to keep parents informed. For example, they organise

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

regular letters, meetings, messages on the school’s website, text messages and a weekly parental club.  Pupils’ safety permeates all aspects of school life. Senior leaders and staff go above and beyond what would normally be expected to keeps pupils safe, and particularly those pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable. All staff are fully trained. They work effectively with parents to keep pupils safe.  The local authority often asks senior leaders to support staff in other schools. Senior leaders have provided training and coaching. Teachers from local schools have visited Whitgreave to observe excellent practice.  The governance of the school members of the governing body have a remarkable understanding of the school’s work. Through regular visits to the school and discussions with staff and pupils they check the impact of senior leaders’ actions on pupils’ achievements and teaching governors have undertaken an analysis of their skills and used this information to allocate each

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

governor specific roles and responsibilities. Individual governors review pupils’ work, visit lessons with senior leaders and analyse performance information for different groups of pupils. This level of involvement enables governors to ask insightful questions and to provide leaders with an appropriate level of support and challenge through an annual governors review day, governors evaluate all aspects of the school’s work and play an instrumental role in determining future priorities.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Pupils engage enthusiastically during lessons, listen carefully to instructions and show resilience when completing thought-provoking activities. This is because teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of what pupils should achieve and how they should behave.  Teachers use the information they have about what pupils already know and can do to plan work that caters well for all pupils and inspires pupils to learn. As a result, pupils make outstanding progress over time.  When asking questions, teachers skilfully probe pupils’ thinking and check pupils’ understanding. Teachers use pupils’ responses to their questions in order to provide prompt support for the pupils that need it.  Mathematics teaching is highly effective. There is a strong emphasis on ensuring that pupils gain a secure understanding of mathematical concepts and become adept at solving complex problems. In Year 6,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

pupils successfully used their knowledge of number to solve problems involving the conversion of measurements of length.  Writing is taught very well. Staff ensure that pupils spell correctly and use grammar and punctuation accurately. Writing themes are selected carefully to motivate pupils. Pupils in Year 5, for instance, were thoroughly enjoying writing a recount of their visit to the space centre.  Pupils become confident and expressive readers because staff instil pupils with an interest in books and ensure that pupils who struggle receive the support that they need. The Year 6 reading ambassadors are especially proud of the part they play in helping younger pupils become better readers.  Teachers in all classes mark pupils’ work in accordance with the school’s policy. Pupils receive helpful and precise comments that help them to noticeably improve their work and extend their learning. Pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

frequently review their own work and the work of others and use the guidance they receive from teachers and their peers to edit and perfect their work.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy completing practical homework tasks. In response to the project ‘What does it mean to be British?’ a pupil proudly explained to inspectors how he worked with his Nan to design and create a figure representing Britain. This figure included a model of the Queen and James Bond.  Occasionally pupils do not present their work to a high standard. This is because staff do not always emphasise the importance of writing legibly or presenting work neatly in different subjects.  Teachers in all classes consistently plan a wide range of suitably challenging activities for pupils of different abilities. However, sometimes a few teachers do not move the most-able pupils on to the more challenging work quickly enough. This oversight occasionally holds up their learning until the next lesson.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

Senior leaders have identified this issue and have put appropriate plans in place to ensure that all teachers help the most-able pupils achieve their very best at all times.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  ‘I come to school because I want to and not because I have to’, commented one pupil. Pupils’ attitudes towards their school and learning are very positive. They relish a challenge and they are not afraid to make and learn from their mistakes.  ‘It is not always about me, I can help others’, and ‘I like making kids smile’ were just some of the comments made by pupils when they were asked about their roles and responsibilities in the school. Pupils spoke particularly passionately about their ‘Whitgreave Circle’ newsletter, the school’s radio station, and the ‘Eco warriors’ who encourage everyone to recycle.  Pupils play a significant role in school improvement. For example, the ‘junior leadership team’ reviews teaching and learning with senior leaders and suggests where improvements can be made. Through photographs and rewards for individual pupils, the ‘science ambassadors’ successfully promote the

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Personal development and welfare

importance of science in all classes.  Assemblies, lessons, the ‘safeguarding superheroes’ display, and the school’s annual ‘safer relationship week’, all help pupils to develop an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe and how to raise any concerns they may have.  Pupils are highly knowledgeable about different types of bullying, such as cyber bullying. During discussions with inspectors, they emphasised the importance of being kind and treating everyone with respect.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  In response to feedback from parents and pupils, senior leaders have extended the range of rewards. No accomplishment goes unnoticed. Staff use every opportunity to acknowledge pupils’ academic and social achievements.  Classrooms are calm harmonious places. Pupils are courteous and respectful when working with their classmates. They move around the school sensibly and help to keep their school tidy and organised.  Pupils sit calmly in the dining hall while they eat and socialise with each other. During the inspection, pupils behaved impeccably in the hall, despite the ‘Viking’ visitors who were setting up activities in preparation for an afternoon lesson.  In the playground, pupils of all ages play together well. Pupils told inspectors that incidents of unkind behaviour and bullying are rare and dealt with quickly. School records confirm this to be the case.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy the well-supervised and organised breakfast club. They use their time in the club well to practise what they have learnt in lessons.  Staff have worked diligently to ensure pupils attend school regularly. Attendance has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is just above the national average for primary schools.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 The school’s latest information about pupils’ achievement and work in pupils’ books shows that pupils make outstanding progress during their time at the school. This is the case in English, mathematics, and in other curriculum subjects.  When pupils start Year 3, their knowledge and skills vary from year to year. They range from significantly below those expected for their age to broadly in line.  Pupils are well prepared for secondary school. The pupils who were in Year 6 last year started with low standards. In comparison to the national average, a high proportion made more than expected progress from their different starting points. As a consequence, almost all attained the standards expected for their age and at least half of them reached the higher Level 5 in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they left the school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive timely support from external

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

professionals and exceptional support from teachers and teaching assistants. This enables them to make excellent progress. In one case, the pupils used their rulers carefully to measure with precision because the teacher and teaching assistant provided pupils with detailed guidance.  Senior leaders and governors ensure pupil premium funding is spent carefully. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make rapid progress. They make as much progress as non-disadvantaged pupils nationally and often better.  The curriculum is meticulously planned to ensure that activities enable pupils to make accelerated progress in different subjects. In a Year 3 art lesson, pupils paid particular attention to shading and proportion to skilfully sketch a row of trees. In a Year 5 geography lesson, pupils’ knowledge of different cities in the United Kingdom developed quickly as they used the internet to research pertinent facts and

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

the physical characteristics of their chosen location.  In 2015, the small number of most-able pupils in Year 6 made the progress they should. As a result of effective training, the vast majority of teachers are now successfully helping more-able pupils currently in the school to make outstanding progress.

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School details

Unique reference number 104297 Local Authority Wolverhampton Inspection Number 10001373

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 238 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Brenda Hawkins Headteacher Sarah Redfern Telephone number 01902 558 930 Website www.whitgreavejunior.co.uk Email address info@whitgreavejunior.co.uk Date of previous inspection 24–25 January 2011

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in care) is above average.  The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The school offers two breakfast clubs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  Since the previous inspection in January 2011, there have been a number of staffing changes. The headteacher joined the school in January 2013 and the deputy headteacher in April 2013. Seven class teachers have left and seven new class teachers have been appointed.  At the request of the local authority, senior leaders and staff provide teachers from other local schools

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups and visited lessons to talk to pupils about their work and to examine work in pupils’ books from different subjects. The headteacher and deputy headteacher joined inspectors during the majority of visits to lessons.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, teachers with key responsibilities, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke informally to parents at the start and end of the school day and took account of the analysis of the school’s own questionnaire to parents. There were insufficient responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, for these to be made available to inspectors.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of the school’s documentation, including information about pupils’ achievement in all year groups, minutes of governing body meetings, and information relating to pupils’

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Inspection team

Usha Devi, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Martin Pye Her Majesty’s Inspector Anna Smith Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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