Wigley Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs T A Solman Wigley Primary School Wigley Chesterfield Derbyshire S42 7JJ

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 12 January 2017, 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 September 2011.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

Leaders have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Although there have been changes in leadership, staffing and governance since the last inspection, the ethos of the school has been maintained and the school community is described as a ‘family’ by pupils, parents and staff.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

You have built a cohesive team where staff support each other well. You provide good support and training for all staff and encourage them to take advantage of professional development opportunities. You have forged good relationships with other schools in the area and this enables staff to work with colleagues from other local schools so that they can share expertise and improve their own practice.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

Pupils of all ages enjoy their learning and are eager to do their best. They work and play happily together and were keen to tell me about what they enjoy most at school, including interesting topics, a good selection of books to read and exciting trips to different places.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

The recommendations from the last inspection were to improve progress in writing in key stage 2 and to involve pupils more in the planning of the topics they study. You have successfully ensured that pupils have improved their knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar skills so they can write accurately and for different purposes. Pupils’ enthusiasm for their learning is due to topics that interest them and encourage them to learn in different ways. For example, wearing a dinosaur costume sparked the imagination of a child in the early years while older pupils used books to find out which of the dinosaurs were carnivores. Parents are very supportive of the school and the vast majority are highly satisfied with the care and opportunities it provides for their children. They speak well of the staff and say their children enjoy coming to school.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

You have put in place an assessment system that is providing a good picture of pupils’ attainment, but this information is not used sharply enough as a tool to increase rates of progress for pupils.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

Most pupils across the school achieve the standards expected of them for their age. However, you have recognised that there is still a need to improve rates of progress further in mathematics so that more pupils achieve higher standards by the end of key stage 2. Pupils do not always use precise mathematical vocabulary, so are not able to explain their learning confidently.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

You have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of good quality.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

Training is regularly provided for staff to ensure that they are kept informed and are up to date with the most recent guidance. Governors access training alongside staff or online. There is a named governor for safeguarding who has attended a wide range of training and has carried out monitoring activities.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

Pupils and parents say the school is a safe place. You make sure that pupils are well supervised at all times, including on the playground. Pupils say that everyone is friendly and there is hardly ever any falling out or bullying. Staff know the pupils well and are vigilant and proactive in ensuring that they are safe and well. They respond quickly to any minor concerns so they do not escalate. Pupils told me about the ‘worry box’ where they can write down any worries they have. Pupils have confidence in all adults to resolve any problems or concerns.

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Short inspection of Wigley Primary School

Attendance is broadly average overall. You have analysed absences and found that many are due to term-time holidays.

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Inspection findings

 You have accurately identified priorities for improvement and have put action plans in place to ensure that standards remain good and continue to improve. You and the governors have a clear vision for the school as a high performing member of a strong local collaboration while maintaining the school’s individual character. The school is already benefiting from the close relationship with Penny Acres Primary School, where you are also headteacher; in addition, you are looking more widely to the Partnership of Dronfield Schools to increase opportunities for your staff and pupils. The local authority is supporting you well in forging these relationships.  Recent staffing changes have been managed successfully; you have made sure that teaching remains good and you make regular checks on pupils’ progress. Assessment data shows that most pupils in the school are working within the standard for their age and this is reflected in pupils’ work in books.

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Inspection findings

 Phonics is taught well and pupils are able to apply their knowledge in other activities. Younger pupils routinely use their phonic knowledge when reading and use similar strategies to spell accurately when writing. Throughout the school, pupils’ reading skills are well developed and a significant proportion of pupils are on track to achieve standards beyond those expected for their age. Older pupils read fluently; they clearly enjoy reading for pleasure and told me that they enjoy their daily guided reading activities.  Pupils write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Pupils regularly assess their own work against set criteria and teachers often provide extra challenge to promote rapid improvement. Spelling and punctuation are generally accurate as a result of the school’s focus on improving this aspect of writing. However, presentation is inconsistent and handwriting is often untidy and not well formed

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Inspection findings

and this detracts from the good quality of work that pupils produce.  Mathematics teaching is well structured so that pupils have opportunities to do practical activities and discuss their learning. Teachers use probing questions to encourage pupils to explain and justify their thinking. Books show a good range of work that develops fluency in calculation, problem-solving and reasoning skills. Assessment data shows that most pupils are making sufficient progress in mathematics to achieve the standards expected for their age by the end of the year. However, fewer are making the faster progress they need to achieve the higher standard for their age and this remains an improvement priority for the school.  The assessment system is still relatively new and is not yet fully embedded. Teachers use the system to record pupils’ progress so there is a clear picture of pupils’ attainment. However, information is not used as effectively to plan

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 progress in mathematics continues to improve so that pupils reach the high standards of which they are capable at the end of key stage 2; pupils develop their use of mathematical vocabulary so they can explain their work precisely  handwriting and presentation are improved in both key stage 1 and key stage 2 so that handwriting is well formed and neat and pupils can present different types of work appropriately  assessment information is used effectively to plan next steps of learning and ensure that pupils make at least good progress from their starting points. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection I carried out a learning walk with you. We visited both classes, and saw some teaching of phonics, literacy and mathematics. I reviewed pupils’ books to consider the standard of work and the progress being made and I talked to pupils about their work.

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Information about the inspection

I held meetings with you and members of staff to discuss the school’s work. I also held meetings with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. I also heard some pupils read.

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Information about the inspection

I reviewed a range of school documentation including policies, assessment information and your school self-evaluation. I took into account 34 responses on Parent View and spoke to some parents informally during the inspection. Four pupils and 10 staff responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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