James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

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

p.1

Mr Stephen Harris Headteacher James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf Randall Place Greenwich London SE10 9LA

p.1

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

Following my visit to the school on 8 March 2018 with Kanwaljit Singh, Ofsted Inspector, 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 November 2013.

p.1

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

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

p.1

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

You have led a team that has developed a stimulating and purposeful learning environment in the school. You have established a range of strategies so that you and your leaders continue to improve reading across the school. As a consequence, standards in reading continue to improve, most notably for disadvantaged pupils.

p.1

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

To make learning engaging and exciting, you have developed a subject-based curriculum that pupils enjoy. As a result, pupils are positive about their learning and say that ‘every day in our school is a fun day’. Together as a school team, you are focused on continuing to improve the learning experience for pupils, especially those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. In this way, the provision is meeting the needs of all groups of pupils. Your leadership has encouraged positive relationships across the school so that pupils respect and celebrate their differences. You have successfully introduced schemes of learning so that all pupils learn how to use sign language. This has helped to improve the communication between all pupils, including the deaf pupils, within the school.

p.1

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

Adults have high expectations and ensure that pupils work hard and try their best in lessons. Pupils work well together and learn from the adults as well as from each other. Pupils are respectful, friendly and proud of their school. Parents are positive about the work that leaders are doing to improve the school. Governors know the school well, are supportive and fulfil their statutory duties. They are working together to ensure they make better use of the assessment information they are provided with so that they can challenge the work of leaders as well as supporting their achievements.

p.1

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

You have made progress with the areas identified for improvement in the last inspection, and your evaluation confirms where further improvements are needed. In particular, although assessment information about reading has been collated and used by middle leaders, you recognise that some middle leaders need to further develop their skills so that they make better use of it.

p.2

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

You and your leadership team have ensured that all policies and procedures related to safeguarding are up to date. You have made sure that the arrangements for safeguarding are fit for purpose and of high quality. Keeping pupils safe remains your highest priority and there are effective systems for checking the suitability of all adults who visit and work in the school.

p.2

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

Staff and governors receive the appropriate training so that pupils are well cared for, especially the most vulnerable. Procedures are robust and clearly understood by staff. For example, you work closely with external partners and the local authority so that additional support can be provided for vulnerable pupils when needed. Adults are vigilant and know the procedures for reporting any concerns to leaders.

p.2

Short inspection of James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

Pupils talk confidently about how to keep themselves safe. Pupils are taught through assemblies and in lessons about how to look after themselves in school and in the surrounding community. Pupils know who to talk to if they have any concerns about their safety. They are aware of how the school keeps them safe and when spoken to, one pupil said: ‘We have learned the smart way to keep ourselves safe.’

p.2

Inspection findings

 Together, we agreed to focus on three key lines of enquiry alongside the school’s arrangements for safeguarding.  The first area of focus was the progress that disadvantaged pupils are making in reading. In 2017, their progress in reading by the end of key stage 2 was significantly below the national average.  We visited a number of classrooms to observe reading and to talk to disadvantaged pupils about their reading. We also looked at their work in books and listened to pupils read. You and your leaders are taking appropriate action to strengthen pupils’ progress in reading, especially those who are disadvantaged. A range of new approaches have been put in place since the start of September 2017 and middle leaders are beginning to measure the impact.  Disadvantaged pupils enjoy reading and say that their teachers are helping them to learn how to make predictions about a story. Additional strategies such as

p.2

Inspection findings

small intervention groups are keeping disadvantaged pupils engaged. Pupils say they are given opportunities to read more widely and often. As such, pupils are enthusiastic about their reading.  These strategies have resulted in improvements for disadvantaged pupils’ progress in reading. Leaders are tracking the progress that disadvantaged pupils are making and at individual pupil level; some middle leaders can articulate this well. You recognise, however, that there is further work to do to ensure that the assessment information is evaluated more coherently so that it can be better shared with teachers to help inform their planning.  Another focus for the inspection was to evaluate the breadth of knowledge covered across all subjects in the curriculum. The information on the website provides limited information about how the school ensures good progress across all subjects.  The leaders’ evaluation of the curriculum, the work in topic books and the whole-

p.2

Inspection findings

school project displays provide many examples of a rich and stimulating curriculum across a range of subjects. Work produced by pupils is displayed around the school and is of a very high standard. It includes subjects such as history, geography and covers a range of topics like the ‘Terrific Thames’ and the ‘Great Stink in London’. The school’s core values of respect, understanding and democracy form part of the curriculum. In this way, pupils are given opportunities to learn about British values and to reflect on their own lives in modern Britain. It also enables them to work together and respect each other.  Pupils are given opportunities to study interesting topics and learning is not confined to the classroom. The school makes good use of their outdoor learning environment, including their forest school. The surrounding areas that include parks and museums are used as learning opportunities to broaden pupils’

p.3

Inspection findings

experiences. There is also an appreciation of different cultures that is displayed through the artwork throughout the school.  Teachers place a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ use of English and mathematical skills in different subjects, as seen in the history and geography work in pupils’ books.  The last focus for the inspection was to review the provision that is helping to enhance the achievement of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. You explained that improvements had been made to better support pupils with additional needs. You also evaluated it as a strength in the school.  You and your leaders are passionate about ensuring that the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils. You are committed to providing a learning environment in which pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities can thrive. As such, you and your leaders have worked to develop a programme so that these pupils can learn in a

p.3

Inspection findings

variety of ways that suits them best. The implementation of your new strategy is ensuring that pupils develop their confidence so that they are fully integrated in the school. In this way, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported and taught well. You and your leaders are aware of the need to develop a robust process for assessing their progress and recording this appropriately so that leaders can evaluate outcomes more effectively.

p.3

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.4

Next steps for the school

 leaders make better use of assessment information so that they can evaluate the progress that pupils are making, especially for disadvantaged pupils in reading and for those who have SEN and/or disabilities across the curriculum  governors have a clearer understanding about the assessment information that they are given so that they can more appropriately challenge school leaders.

p.4

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 Greenwich. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.4

Information about the inspection

We held discussions with you, senior leaders and governors about the school and actions taken to continue to improve it. We met with other leaders to discuss their role in continuing to support disadvantaged pupils in their reading. Learning walks took place with members of the senior leadership team across the school. Samples of pupils’ work were reviewed as well as the assessment systems and curriculum information. We also spoke with a group of pupils and heard them read in lessons. We analysed a range of school documents linked to the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement priorities and safeguarding. We looked at 106 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, as well as staff and pupil surveys.

p.4