Wroxall Primary School

Wroxall Primary School Castle Road, Wroxall, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 3DP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have not ensured that good standards have been maintained since the last inspection, particularly in teaching and pupils’ outcomes.  Governors have not held leaders to account effectively, particularly for the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes. Governors have not ensured effective leadership over time.  Teaching is not consistently effective. Consequently, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not make reliably good progress from their starting points.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not provided for well. This limits these pupils’ progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The interim executive headteacher has a strong and ambitious vision for the school. She has introduced effective plans for urgent improvement and has quickly won the confidence of staff, who are keen to put these plans into place. Her leadership is beginning to secure evident improvements across the school.  Governors share the ambition and drive for improvement. Their capacity and skills have increased recently, and they are beginning to hold leaders to account systematically for the improvements that need to be made.  Opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development are successfully incorporated throughout the well- shaped curriculum.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. They attend regularly, behave well and are keen to learn. Robust safeguarding systems ensure that pupils are safe.  Children in early years receive a good education. They are looked after well and engage enthusiastically in learning and play.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Leaders ensure that children are well prepared for key stage 1.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching across the school so that: – teachers use accurate assessment information and effective subject knowledge consistently well to plan teaching that promotes pupils’ good progress – all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, make consistently strong progress across all aspects of their curriculum.  Strengthen the effectiveness of leadership and management, by ensuring that: – leadership across the school supports the interim executive headteacher successfully to secure improvement in teaching and pupils’ outcomes – governors systematically hold leaders to account for the impact of their work, particularly on teaching and pupils’ outcomes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Over time, leaders, including governors, have not sustained the good quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes seen in the last full inspection. However, the clear vision and determined leadership of current leaders are having a positive impact on provision for pupils.  Since joining the school, the interim executive headteacher has gained the trust and confidence of governors, parents and carers, and staff. Her leadership has ensured that governors and staff have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders’ evaluations of the quality of teaching are accurate and are informing vigorous improvement, including through effective professional development for staff.  Leaders have not been effective in overseeing the provision for pupils with SEND. As a result, the needs of many of these pupils have not been met well. More recently, the interim executive headteacher has ensured that these pupils’ needs are identified

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

accurately and promptly. Consequently, appropriate support is now being put in place.  Leaders have not previously overseen the spending of pupil premium and additional physical education (PE) and sport funding effectively. As a result, they have been unclear about whether the intended impact has been achieved. Current funding is being used appropriately to support pupils’ learning, with relevant checks in place so that leaders now have a clear strategy for further developing the effective use of these resources.  With close support from the interim executive headteacher and local authority improvement officers, middle leaders new to their roles are starting to effect improvement. The impact of these recent developments in leadership can be seen in current pupils’ work in writing and mathematics.  Well-established curriculum plans provide valuable opportunities for pupils to widen their horizons, developing their understanding of the world beyond their local

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

community. For example, pupils learn about acceptance and respect through topics such as Black history and human rights. Pupils experience many exciting curriculum visits, and enthusiastically told inspectors about recent, enjoyable activities, including sailing, and visiting the science museum. However, weaknesses in teaching mean that pupils’ experience of this valuable curriculum is inconsistent in quality.  Pupils enjoy a wide range of after-school activities, including sports, dance and a wildlife club, for example. These enriching extra-curricular opportunities support pupils’ development well. Pupils were keen to show inspectors routines learned in dance club and talked proudly about their recent success in a rock music competition.  Leaders pay close attention to the views of pupils. Pupils talked eloquently about how much they influence their school through the school council, with one pupil telling

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

inspectors confidently that, ‘our opinion matters’. The school council has recently played a vital and important role in reducing the school’s usage of disposable plastic, for example.

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Governance of the school

 Over time, governors have not ensured that the good quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes have been sustained or improved further.  The newly re-formed governing body is determined to secure rapid improvements in the school. Governors’ skills and understanding of their roles have recently grown as a result of helpful local authority support. Consequently, governors have an increasingly accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are offering effective support and challenge to school leaders.  Governors have recently enhanced their monitoring visits, including helpfully sharpening their focus on safeguarding. Governors regularly ask staff relevant safeguarding questions to check the success of training given. Well-kept records of answers and ensuing discussions allow governors to hold staff to account and ensure that staff are continually developing their knowledge and understanding of

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders demonstrate a determined approach to keeping children safe. Procedures and systems are particularly clear and effective. Consequently, pupils are safe, and parents are confident that their children are happy and well looked after at school.  Leaders have ensured that safeguarding training is up to date and relevant and has equipped staff well with the knowledge they need to be vigilant in their roles. Leaders keep careful records of their work with vulnerable children, enabling them to identify emerging patterns of concerns quickly and to put suitable support in place. As a result, pupils and families are well supported.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good throughout the school. Over time, current pupils have experienced a widely varying quality of teaching, leading to many making less progress than they are capable of.  Well supported by recent professional training, teachers make accurate and reliable assessments of most pupils’ learning. However, teachers do not use this information consistently well to inform their planning so that pupils make good progress. Where assessment information and teachers’ secure subject knowledge are used well, pupils benefit from interesting and relevant teaching that engages pupils and builds successfully on their prior learning.  Teachers ensure helpful opportunities for pupils to practise their reading. These opportunities successfully help pupils to develop their phonic skills and to use these skills effectively to read unfamiliar words. The encouraging teaching and the range of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

reading opportunities provided engender a love of reading in pupils. This was evident, for example, when Year 2 pupils talked enthusiastically to inspectors about their favourite authors.  Over time, the teaching of writing has not been consistently good, leading eventually to a dip in attainment and progress outcomes in writing in 2017. However, the challenge to write at length across the curriculum is proving successful in helping pupils develop their spelling and punctuation. For example, in Year 6, pupils produced a piece of thoughtful writing based on their learning about climate change. The interesting displays around the school celebrating pupils’ writing clearly demonstrate the pride and care most pupils take with their work.  Mathematics teaching has not been reliably strong over time. However, recent developments have resulted in the effective coverage of topics and improvements in developing pupils’ mathematical skills, including through an increased focus on problem

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

solving and reasoning.  Teachers typically have high expectations of pupils’ attitudes to learning. Consequently, pupils try hard in lessons and complete their work carefully.  Teaching does not reliably identify the precise needs of pupils with SEND. Consequently, these pupils have not in the past had access to the effective support they require to access their learning fully. Recent improvements have led to staff accurately identifying the needs of these pupils, leading to appropriate extra support, including from external agencies when necessary. However, this work is in its infancy and is not yet well developed.  While the curriculum is set out clearly and helpfully, how well the wider curriculum is taught is variable. Pupils’ learning in subjects other than English and mathematics varies in coverage and quality. In some pupils’ topic, science and religious education books, for example, work appears sporadic and lacking in its coverage of different

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

subjects. In other areas, pupils’ work demonstrates fuller and more coherent teaching.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are confident, friendly and polite. They talk proudly about their school and their personal achievements.  Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe from potential risks in interesting, memorable ways. Pupils recounted with enthusiasm how a recent workshop had successfully taught them the very difficult topic of how to stay safe from abuse. Older pupils talk confidently about how to keep themselves safe online.  Pupils feel safe and believe they have an adult whom they can talk to if something is concerning them. The family liaison officer works closely with some pupils and families to promote their emotional well-being effectively. Pupils and their families are well supported as a result.  The majority of pupils believe that bullying is rare, and that if it does happen, staff deal with it well. Instances of bullying are very rare, and staff deal with them swiftly and

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Personal development and welfare

appropriately. However, some pupils and parents expressed concerns to the contrary, feeling that when it does happen, it is not dealt with well. Leaders recognise the need to develop pupils’ understanding of bullying through the curriculum.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well in class and around school. They listen attentively to staff and respond readily to their requests. Staff expectations for behaviour are clear, and helpful routines are well established in classes. Pupils try their best in lessons.  Adults supervise games and activities well, and pupils play happily together at breaktimes. The playground and field provide happy, sociable environments.  Pupils are supported well in learning to manage their own behaviour. Leaders closely monitor the behaviour of individual pupils, ensuring that any patterns are noticed quickly, and appropriate support is put in place if necessary. The family liaison officer works well with teachers and families, and the helpful support offered to pupils has a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour. Consequently, there have been no exclusions.  The vast majority of pupils come to school regularly and on time. Leaders have high

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Behaviour

expectations of attendance for all pupils. Close collaborative work between leaders and the local authority has led to a rapid reduction in the persistent absence of a small minority of pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 In both key stage 1 and key stage 2, the proportions of pupils attaining the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics have broadly reflected the national picture over time. Published information for 2018 shows that at ages seven and 11, the proportions of pupils who achieved the highest levels were slightly above the national average. However, across the school and over time, most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not make strong progress from their typically secure starting points.  Current pupils’ progress, though showing some improvement recently, remains inconsistent. Leaders’ current information indicates that pupils in key stage 2 are not making consistently strong progress, with writing and mathematics identified as the weaker subjects. Improvements in pupils’ outcomes in these subjects are beginning to emerge as a result of current priorities in addressing the teaching in these areas.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

Current pupils in key stage 1 are making adequate progress in their reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils make good progress in phonics in Reception and Year 1. As a result, the proportion of pupils who meet the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is above that seen nationally.  Historically, leaders have not monitored the progress of pupils with SEND carefully enough. Their progress by the end of Year 6 has not been reliably strong, particularly in reading and writing. Leaders’ recent work has begun to address the identification of these pupils’ needs, leading to appropriate support. It is too soon, however, to see how well these improvements are helping these pupils to catch up.

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Early years provision Good

 Children in early years are happy, confident learners who have a successful start to school. As a result, the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development by the end of early years is slightly above the national average. This shows that children are well prepared for their Year 1 learning and beyond.  Children learn well in a safe and stimulating environment which engages and motivates them. For example, children were keen to invite inspectors proudly into their pretend cake shop, and enthusiastically performed a show in their theatre space. Such activities provide ample opportunities for children to use their emerging English and mathematical skills successfully.  Effective phonics teaching ensures that children develop effective early reading skills. Lessons are fun and carefully planned to meet the differing needs of children well.  Children make strong progress. Their well-organised learning journals clearly illustrate

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Early years provision Good

their enjoyable experiences. Staff promptly and accurately identify any children who require additional support, and leaders work well to ensure that extra help is put in place quickly.  Leaders are reflective and knowledgeable. They accurately evaluate the quality of provision and take effective action to address identified areas for improvement. Staff work closely together, learning from successful practice in other schools, to ensure that provision meets the changing needs of all of the children. For example, recent work has improved the quality of the outside learning environment for the Reception class.  Communication with parents is regular and helpful. Parents appreciate how well staff know their children, saying that they feel well informed. Transition into early years is thorough and ensures that any anxiety felt by children and their families is kept to a minimum. The collaborative working of staff ensures that children are supported

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Early years provision Good

successfully when they move into key stage 1.  Children behave well, and the early years is a calm, purposeful and fun environment. Staff’s expectations of children’s behaviour are consistently high. Routines are clear and promote children’s independence successfully. For example, inspectors witnessed children tidying up industriously to music, managing to get everything tidied away and ready for their phonics session with very little adult support.

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School details

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

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address wroxall@stenburyfederation.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 November 2013

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Information about this school

 Wroxall Primary School is smaller than the average-sized, one-form-entry primary school.  The school is part of the Stenbury Federation, which includes two other primary schools on the Isle of Wight. The current governing body is relatively newly formed and governs all three schools.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is above the national average.  The school has a lower than average proportion of pupils with SEND.  The early years incorporates a ‘pre-school’ class and a Reception class.  There is a breakfast club and after-school club that are managed by the school.  The current interim executive headteacher is employed for three days a week and has been in post since November 2018. She also leads another local primary school. There have been a number of interim leaders since the school was last inspected.  The school has recently received support and guidance from the local authority and has

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Information about this school

been working closely with a local school that is also led by the interim executive headteacher.

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Information about this inspection

 This full inspection was conducted as a result of the short inspection on 17 July 2018, when the inspector identified a possible decline in the school’s performance.  Inspectors visited lessons, many alongside the interim executive headteacher. These visits included a range of subjects and were across all key stages. In lessons, inspectors spoke to pupils and reviewed some work in pupils’ books.   Inspectors observed pupils playing at breaktimes and heard pupils read.   Inspectors met with leaders, teachers, parents, members of the governing body and representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors met formally with a group of pupils to hear their views, as well as speaking to pupils around the school.  A wide range of information was scrutinised, including documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Safeguarding procedures were reviewed by inspectors.   Along with leaders, inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work and information about their

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Information about this inspection

current progress and attainment.  Inspectors considered the views expressed in 109 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 61 free-text responses. The views of 114 pupils and 23 staff who completed Ofsted’s surveys were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Maxine McDonald-Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kathryn Moles Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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