Wybourn Community Primary and Nursery School

Inspection Report Wybourn Community Primary School

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107065 Unique Reference Number Sheffield Local Authority 287701 Inspection number 10 °11 January 2007 Inspection dates John Brennan Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Manor Oaks Road School address Primary Type of school Sheffield Community School category South Yorkshire S2 5ED 4 °11 Age range of pupils 0114 2721988 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0114 2721988 Fax number 284 Number on roll (school) Ms Ann Mears Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr B Taylor Headteacher 14 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287701 10 °11 January 2007 4°11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This larger than average school serves its local area which is extremely socially and economically disadvantaged. Very high proportions of pupils are entitled to free school meals or have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Most of the pupils are of White British heritage. A small number of pupils are from other backgrounds a few of whom are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils either leaving or joining the school other than at the usual time is above average. As part of considerable local reorganisation the school is working towards becoming an extended school catering for children from birth to age 11. Several staff have recently joined the school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school: it gives good value for money. On entry to school, children's skills and abilities are well below average, especially in language and communication and their personal development. Good quality teaching within a very effective curriculum helps pupils to achieve well across the school. By Year 6 standards have risen but are still below average. Speaking and listening form the bedrock of teaching and learning. It means that pupils gain in confidence in expressing their views and in clarifying thinking before putting pen to paper. Lessons are interesting; they help pupils develop positive attitudes to school and give purpose to learning. This helps pupils do well in reading, mathematics and science. However, the teaching of writing is not as expert: speaking is not used as successfully in preparing pupils to write and the curriculum does not fully serve the development of imaginative writing. As a result

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Grade: 2

few pupils write with sufficient creativity. In the Foundation Stage the children also learn quickly because of the good teaching, team work of staff and a practical well planned curriculum. Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils act as partners with adults in the school. They helped shape the school's healthy eating policy and many put policy into practice. This has helped the school achieve the Healthy Schools Awards. Pupils have a say in local community and speak with pride about their ideas to improve the locality. They work hard to achieve their targets for improvement. Pupils behave well and are supportive of each other. As one pupil said, 'We help each other to behave.' There are lots of clubs to join to make school life extra interesting. The playground, although spacious, is not the most stimulating of environments. Although pupils get on with each other there is some aimless behaviour at playtimes. Too little equipment is

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Grade: 2

available to encourage pupils to play in groups or to use the time for sitting and talking together. The care, support and guidance given to pupils are outstanding. Pupils' progress is very well tracked and information is promptly acted upon. External agencies, many housed under the same roof as the school, are marshalled extremely well to provide outstanding care for pupils. Whether it is learning, behavioural or emotional, pupils who need extra help are given sensitive support and achieve well. Adults are prepared to go the extra mile to offer help and pupils say that when problems arise, 'There's always someone you can rely on to help sort it out!' The school is very proactive in working with parents. Many parents spend a short time at the beginning of the day working alongside their children. Parents agree that the school 'helps us to help our children'. It is a sign of the school's continuing ambition that it has been modest in viewing how

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Grade: 2

successful it is. The headteacher and deputy headteacher form a very effective team with a clear sense of purpose. Improvement is pursued on the basis of a thorough understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and of the context the school operates in. A track record of success and depth in leadership give the school the capacity to continue its mission to be 'tough on underachievement, tough on the causes of underachievement.' 2 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' ability to write creatively so that standards in writing rise. • Provide space in the playground for pupils to be quiet and peaceful and provide equipment to stimulate cooperative play.

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Grade: 2

The school sets and meets challenging targets and pupils achieve well. Nevertheless, standards are below average at the end of Year 6 although the gap between the school's results in the national tests at Year 6 and the national average is closing year on year. The priority given to developing pupils' skills in speaking and listening acts as a spur to achievement. It helps the children in the Foundation Stage, and those who are at the early stage of learning English as an additional language, to progress well. Despite this, by the end of the Reception year many pupils do not reach the expected standards for their age. Pupils who have emotional or learning needs do well because of the considerable support they are given. A concentration on reading for purpose and pleasure, and an emphasis on basic mathematical skills and practical science ensure that pupils achieve well in these subjects. Their success is reflected in

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Grade: 2

the school gaining the Basic Skills Quality Mark. However, standards in writing remain low because the content of writing lacks flair and imagination.

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Grade: 2

Pupils have a strong sense of responsibility for their work, their school and the wider community. Their views are heard and acted upon through a lively school council, which speaks proudly about choosing the new school uniform. Older pupils talk keenly about supporting the younger children as 'playground chums'. This is indicative of their good moral, social, spiritual and cultural development. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and clearly enjoy their lessons. As one pupil said, 'We can learn and have a laugh as well!' Despite the school's best efforts and a rising trend, attendance rates are below average. Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes but there is some milling about in the playground. This is because too little space is set aside for peaceful and quiet activities and there is too little equipment provided to encourage social play. Pupils say they feel safe in school and are aware of dangers

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Grade: 2

outside of school. They understand the importance of healthy eating and many put principle into practice. For example, many walk to school. Pupils understand the difference between right and wrong and develop the skills needed to work successfully together. 3 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Grade: 2

Perceptive leadership has equipped teachers well with skills suited to the context of the school, especially promoting basic skills of speaking and listening, reading and mathematics. In many lessons teachers successfully use a raft of techniques to help pupils learn. However, the teaching of writing is not as expert. On occasions lessons are not timed well, squeezing the time to write. Whilst there are moves to give pupils more opportunities to craft, draft and redraft imaginative writing, these are not part of everyday teaching. Pupils are not always clear how to be successful writers. Classrooms are calm and purposeful because behaviour is managed in a gentle and affirming manner. Lessons are precisely planned and engaging. Strong partnerships with skilled teaching assistants ensure lessons are well matched to pupils' differing needs.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage curriculum is vibrant and well organised. Throughout the school, learning is very 'hands on' and pupils are encouraged to work together. As part of their work on the Egyptians, pupils in Years 3 and 4 interpreted instructions to 'mummify an apple'. This typifies a thematic approach to learning which provides a meaningful context for the acquisition and use of key skills, such as computing. However, the school has yet to fully harness the potential of the curriculum to stimulate creativity in writing. Enrichment activities, such as Spanish, football, self-defence, gardening and choir, are well attended and wide ranging. The school has been very successful in involving parents with their children's education through, for example, creative initiatives such as 'Healthy schools caf Á Cabaret.' Here, pupils and parents cooked healthy food together. This forms part of a thorough programme for pupils'

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Grade: 2

personal development which helps them make the most of their time at school.

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Grade: 1

As a result of outstanding care, support and guidance pupils make striking progress in their personal development, in their attitudes to school and their peers. This in turn raises pupils' self-esteem and their ability to join in and gain from all the school has to offer. Parents overwhelmingly agree that their children are well-cared for and safe and that as parents they feel both supported and welcomed into school. This is reflected in the well-attended breakfast club and the large number of parents who take part in the wealth of activities on offer. Partnerships with external agencies are very efficient because they share the school site and links at management level are very tight. This and the excellent work of the inclusion team helps pupils overcome the complex barriers to learning that many pupils face. Arrangements to ensure pupils' health and safety, 4 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Grade: 1

including child protection, are robust. Teachers know their pupils' needs very well and their progress is carefully monitored and tracked to ensure successful steps in learning.

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Grade: 2

his is a well led school. All staff and governors have helped to create an encouraging ethos which provides well for pupils' personal and academic development. Staff morale and team spirit are high. New staff have settled into school well and parents express great confidence in the school. The school is rigorous in its analysis of performance and has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. This helps to guide training which has been widespread and successful, except in the area of writing. The use of teams to evaluate the impact of the pertinent school improvement plan and to check the thematic curriculum is innovative. However, work is at an early stage and the part governors play in these teams is yet to be fully considered. However, governors carry out their duties well and are questioning of the school. They have been instrumental in ensuring that the school is of benefit to and benefits from the local

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Grade: 2

community. 5 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed our time with you and would like to share with you what we thought about your school. You go to a good school. All adults in the school are working hard to make your school the best place it can be and you too play your part well. We were impressed with the ideas you have to improve your school and the ideas you have to make the Wybourn area even better. You work hard in lessons and are keen to talk about your work. Many of you told us about the targets you are working towards and we could see you trying hard to reach them. We are really impressed to see how many of you are eating healthily. The school takes great care of you and you in turn take care of each other. Its good to see older children helping younger ones play games like 'What time is it Mr Wolf?'. It was also good to see your parents coming into school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to see what was going on in classrooms and talking to you about your work. It's things like this that helped the school feel like one big family. There are lots of interesting things to do in lessons and many clubs for you to join. You told us, and we could see for ourselves, how much you enjoyed the topics you were doing. This has helped to make learning fun and has helped you work well with other children in your class. We have asked the school to look at two ways to make Wybourn School better still. The infant and junior yards are big, but we think they could be made more interesting and that this would help you play together even better. We have therefore asked the school to think about giving you equipment for you to use with other children. We also asked the school to set some space aside for those of you who would prefer to sit and talk. I am sure you will have your own ideas about how this could be done. We have also asked teachers to think about how to help you to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

use your imagination when you are writing so that you use interesting words in interesting ways. Once again thank you all for your welcome and good luck in the future. 9 Inspection Report: Wybourn Community Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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