Wheelwright Lane Primary School

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

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Mrs Christine Browne Headteacher Wheelwright Lane Primary School Wheelwright Lane Ash Green Coventry West Midlands CV7 9HN

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 29 November 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 December 2012.

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have been the substantive headteacher since January 2013 and, along with your deputy headteacher and other senior leaders, you set high expectations for all staff. These, in turn, are passed on to the pupils. Since becoming headteacher, you have maintained standards across the school. You and your staff are continuously looking at how you can further improve outcomes for all pupils.

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

Staff are proud to work in the school and feel that the school has a culture that encourages calm and orderly conduct and is aspirational for all pupils. The great majority of parents spoken to, and those who responded to ‘Parent View’, Ofsted’s questionnaire, are very happy with the progress that their children are making. They commented on the approachability of staff and the support that their children receive. However, a small number of parents expressed concerns about pupils’ behaviour and lack of information about homework. These concerns were not substantiated during the inspection but the school could do more to share information more clearly with parents.

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

Pupils spoke positively about the school. They enjoy visitors, trips and extra- curricular activities, all of which help to bring the curriculum to life. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone equally and fairly. Pupils spoken to said that behaviour is generally good and bullying rarely happens. They have confidence that adults will deal quickly with any issues that arise. During the inspection, pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school was at least good. Responses to the pupil questionnaire show that the great majority of key stage 2 pupils enjoy school and feel that they are encouraged to be independent and to take on responsibilities, such as school council representatives. Older pupils also take on school-wide roles, for example house captains and digital leaders. Pupils are proud of their contribution to school life and these opportunities help to prepare them well for the next stage in their education.

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Outcomes in writing have improved and they are now in line with those seen nationally at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2. You have set clear expectations relating to the presentation of pupils’ work, including handwriting. You have also developed your leadership team so that subject leaders are aware of the quality of teaching in their subject areas. However, while the English and mathematics leaders have a good understanding of the progress pupils make in their subjects, this is not the case across all subjects.

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

From Nursery through to Year 6, you and your staff make every effort to ensure that pupils achieve well in all aspects of school life, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. You are aware that the make-up of each class is unique and the level of pupils’ needs vary. To help address this, you adapt the curriculum as necessary to support individual classes. For example, in a year group with a high percentage of boys, a focus on Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot greatly engaged their interest. Outcomes across the school are at least in line with those seen nationally, including for those pupils who are disadvantaged. However, disadvantaged pupils do not make as much progress as other pupils and too few reach the higher standards expected for their age. You are aware that this is an area for further improvement.

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

There is an effective culture of safeguarding within the school. You have created a safeguarding team that ensures that the school is a safe environment for pupils. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Pupils are well cared for at all times and they know that the adults in school are there to look after them. Pupils said that they are taught how to stay safe, for example when using the internet or through relationships and sexual health education.

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Short inspection of Wheelwright Lane Primary School

All staff have regular and appropriate training to help them understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe from harm. Staff are clear about what they should do if they have any safeguarding concerns. You work with a wide range of external agencies and follow up any concerns about pupils’ welfare. Governors understand their role in overseeing the effectiveness of safeguarding and monitor the effectiveness of school procedures.

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Inspection findings

 Experienced and knowledgeable staff teach phonics and early reading skills effectively. Pupils generally read well and they develop fluency and understanding that are appropriate for their age and ability. Pupils apply their phonics skills successfully to read new and unfamiliar words. Additional support is provided for pupils who do not meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils meet this standard.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and pupils access a wide range of subjects on a regular basis. Pupils talked animatedly about the different subjects that they study. Art, science and history have a particularly high profile across the school. Each year, all pupils take part in ‘film week’. This work is based around a single film extract that provides a whole-school focus and enables pupils from all year groups to write and then share their work with other classes. As a result, pupils

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Inspection findings

are motivated to produce the highest-quality writing that they can. The English and mathematics leaders have a clear understanding of the standards pupils achieve in these subjects and they know which aspects are strong and which require improvement. This is not yet the case with leaders of other curriculum subjects and is an area for development.  Outcomes in writing have strengthened across the school. Pupils now have regular opportunities to apply their writing skills across a wide range of subjects. For example, during the inspection, different classes were observed writing: a description of a doll to accompany a display in the class ‘museum’; a biography of William Owen; and notes to help them write a letter about recycling. Pupils in another class were acting out a scene, including a question and answer session, to support the writing of a diary entry linked to their novel. These opportunities

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Inspection findings

provide the pupils with a context and purpose for writing. Improvements in reading, which have resulted from a focus on developing pupils’ stamina for reading and their vocabulary, are also having a positive impact on the quality of pupils’ writing.  In recent years, you have focused on developing pupils’ basic calculation skills. These are now strong and contribute to the high standards in mathematics seen across the school. Pupils’ books show evidence of increased opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematics knowledge to help them develop their reasoning skills and to solve mathematical problems.  Across the school, teachers plan lessons that actively engage pupils in their learning. You have effective systems in place to assess and track all pupils’ progress in English and mathematics. You and your staff use this information to ensure that planning and the use of any additional resources are closely matched

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Inspection findings

to pupils’ specific needs. Leaders and teachers compare samples of work with colleagues both in school and from other schools. This helps everyone to reach a common understanding about the standard and quality of the pupils’ work.  You and your staff recognised that some pupils, especially those who are disadvantaged, were not achieving as well as other pupils in school. You have put in place a range of approaches to support these vulnerable pupils in order to maximise their learning. This includes providing additional support to help meet any social, emotional and mental health needs. This work has had a positive impact on disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes. These are now in line with those of other pupils both in school and nationally. However, their progress is not yet as strong as that of other pupils and too few are achieving at the higher standards expected for their age.  For the last two years, the school has offered nursery provision for three-year

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Inspection findings

olds. Children in both the Nursery and Reception classes make good progress. The curriculum supports all aspects of their development using both the indoor and outdoor learning areas effectively. Children are encouraged to develop their independence and explain their thinking. For example, during the inspection, children in the Nursery excitedly tried out their ideas to stop water leaking from a container. In Reception, children looked at combinations of numbers to explain to ‘Muddled Martin’, a puppet, why he was wrong in thinking that two odd numbers could not be added together to make 10.  The great majority of pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is similar to the national average. The importance of attending regularly, and on time, has a high profile within the school. You track the attendance of individual pupils and contact parents when attendance drops below an acceptable level. The

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Inspection findings

procedures you and your staff follow, including contacting parents on the first day of absence and working with external agencies, help to ensure that pupils are safe and not at risk of going missing from education.

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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

 steps are taken to maximise the progress of disadvantaged pupils, especially those who are most able  subject leaders have increased opportunities to monitor pupils’ progress in developing knowledge, skills and understanding across a wide range of subjects  communication with parents is strengthened to further support pupils’ learning.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Warwickshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, your senior leadership team and other members of staff. I also met with two representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. I talked with parents at the start of the day and with pupils, both formally and informally.

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Information about the inspection

We visited all classes together, where we observed teaching and learning, spoke to some pupils, listened to some pupils read and looked at examples of their work. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. I also scrutinised a sample of documents, including the school’s own evaluation of its performance and documents relating to keeping pupils safe.

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Information about the inspection

I took account of 36 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 18 free-text comments received electronically. I also took account of 27 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and 117 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.

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