Setting

Christine Cook Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School Field Lane Wroot Doncaster South Yorkshire DN9 2BN

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 13 April 2016 I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2011.

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

Leaders and governors have created an inclusive and welcoming school, well connected to, and strongly supported by, the local community. Staff know pupils very well and teaching meets their individual needs effectively. Pupils of all ages are energised by the weekly whole-school martial arts programme and have good opportunities to learn and play a musical instrument.

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

The headteacher’s high expectations and effective action have maintained the good standard of teaching and learning, behaviour, personal development and welfare and pupil outcomes. New leaders of English, mathematics and the early years have deployed their expertise to bring about improvements, particularly in the teaching of writing and the early years. They have clear priorities and plans for further improvement. Leaders recognise the need to further improve the teaching of writing and the progress of boys in the Year 3 and 4 class.

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

Following the last inspection, the school was asked to ensure that tasks precisely match pupils’ level of knowledge and understanding to enable them to progress well. This improvement has been made. Staff assess pupils accurately and provide different tasks that methodically build on the stage each pupil is at in their learning. The last inspection asked the school to maximise the impact of teaching assistants Ofsted

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted on learning. Teaching assistants make a significant contribution to learning and ensure that underachieving pupils and pupils with special educational needs maximise their rates of progress.

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

The school was also asked to improve the analysis and presentation of school performance data for governors. Governors receive clearly presented information about pupils’ progress and attainment and they understand the relative performance of year groups, subjects, boys, girls, the disadvantaged and of pupils who have special educational needs or disability. Governors are well informed and have a close and detailed understanding of the strengths of the school and the areas for improvement. Governors question leaders thoroughly about the purpose and impact of their actions. They monitor the work of the school closely, including the policies and procedures for safeguarding.

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

Pupils in all year groups are keen to learn. They cooperate well with each other and communicate effectively in classroom dialogue. Classes have a productive working atmosphere, pupils settle to work quickly and they are keen to tackle new challenges. Pupils enjoy their responsibilities as playground buddies and in looking after the school garden.

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Short inspection of Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

Pupils choose two adults to approach if they have any concerns. Pupils value this arrangement and say that adults are always responsive. This exemplifies the strong culture of safeguarding. The school has an inclusive ethos and staff have good knowledge of the circumstances of individual pupils. The leadership has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Concerns and subsequent contact with parents and external agencies are recorded systematically and in appropriate detail. Any vulnerable pupil is supported well and the school liaises appropriately with other agencies. Recent school surveys of parents and pupils confirmed that pupils feel safe in school. This highly positive response was echoed by the pupils, parents and staff that responded to the Ofsted online questionnaires.

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Inspection findings

 The headteacher and her new leaders work effectively as a team. Their evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses is accurate. They draw effectively on expertise and resources from other schools to ensure the accuracy of assessment and to develop aspects of teaching and learning.  The school has an effective system for checking the progress of pupils across each year group in reading, writing and mathematics. Prompt action is taken to support underachieving pupils by preparing them individually before a lesson or through catch-up work afterwards.  In the early years, staff record detailed and precise assessments about children’s development in ‘learning journeys’. These samples of children’s work are securely available online to individual parents, who often contribute helpful written observations on their child’s progress. Records show that current Reception children have made at least typical progress since September 2015.

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Inspection findings

The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception rose to above average in 2015. Leaders accurately predict a similar outcome for 2016.  Leaders identified a weakness in the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) that led to a dip in the proportion reaching the required standard in 2015. As a result of new leadership, a more structured approach, better resources and more precise teaching, leaders reliably expect that all Year 1 pupils will reach the required standard in in 2016.  In 2015, attainment at the end of key stages 1 and 2 was well above average in mathematics, above average in reading but below average in writing. Effective teaching of phonics has ensured that current key stage 1 pupils have secure basic skills for writing. Careful assessment, good teaching and well-planned additional interventions for individuals have enabled current pupils to make at

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Inspection findings

least expected progress in all subjects in both Year 1 and 2.  In previous years, Year 6 pupils had made good progress in writing but they made less progress in 2015. The current Year 5 and 6 class are making good progress in their writing. They are highly motivated by the wide range of strategies for writing and the opportunities to enter writing competitions and publish their work. They benefit from precise and constructive feedback on their written work. As a result, most are on track to meet the new national expected standard for writing at the end of key stage 2  Progress is not as strong in the Year 3 and 4 class, due to discontinuity in learning caused by changes of staffing which are now resolved. Pupils in this class have not written sufficiently often or at sufficient length and boys have made less progress than in other year groups.

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Next steps for the school

 improve the teaching of writing and the progress of boys in Years 3 and 4.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, other leaders, a group of pupils and six members of the governing body. I spoke to pupils during lessons and at playtime and scrutinised the quality of work in English and mathematics. I observed teaching in all classes and we discussed our joint observations of teaching, learning and pupils’ work.

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Information about the inspection

A range of documents were examined, including records relating to assessment, the quality of teaching, safeguarding, and governors’ meetings. I took account of 11 responses to the online Parent View survey, six responses from staff and six responses from pupils to the Ofsted online questionnaires.

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