Wrenbury Primary School

WRENBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th – 9 th May 2002

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WRENBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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WRENBURY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary 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. Wrenbury Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Nantwich Road Wrenbury Nantwich Cheshire Postcode: CW5 8EN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr E W Forshaw

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 th –12 th June 1997 Wrenbury Primary School - 2

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Team members

23696 Mr J Morris Registered inspector 11439 Mrs J L Moore Lay inspector 30590 Mr P J Tuttle Team inspector

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Wrenbury Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 7

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Wrenbury Primary School is located in the village of Wrenbury, Cheshire. There are 143 pupils on roll in total. There are six boys and seven girls in the Reception Year and 66 boys and 64 girls in Years 1 to 6. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs (18.2 per cent) is slightly below the national average. There is a below average percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (4.9 per cent). There are no pupils with English as an additional language. Seven pupils are from traveller backgrounds. The attainment of children on entry to the Reception Year is below average. There are five class bases each with pupils from two year groups. There is a privately run playgroup and a local education authority nursery on the same site as the school. The Nursery is managed by another primary school. When the children leave the Nursery they move onto one of four primary schools, including Wrenbury. The school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

is involved in a national ‘walking to school’ initiative (STEPS) and the Cheshire ‘Set up science’ initiative. The school has received the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark, a national award for out of school learning activities and the Department for Education and Skills Achievement Award 2001.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very effective school. Standards are good. Teaching is very good. Leadership and management are very good. Pupils are very friendly with each other and relationships between pupils and staff are exemplary. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in comparison with all schools nationally and similar schools. • The quality of teaching and learning is very good. • The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide very good leadership to the work of the school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among the staff. • The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are excellent. Attendance is well above average. • The school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. • The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational needs and those from traveller backgrounds.

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What could be improved

• Pupils do not achieve as well in science as they do in English and mathematics. • The role of subject co-ordinator is not as effective as it could be. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was previously inspected in June 1997. The provision for religious education and the standards achieved by the pupils have improved significantly. The allocation of non-contact time for subject co-ordinators has not been provided consistently, in large part due to a period when the school was without a headteacher. Teaching has improved. Many aspects of the school’s work previously reported as being of high or very high quality have been maintained. Wrenbury Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

English A A* A A well above average above average A B mathematics E C B B average below average C D science D D C C well below average E

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Key

A* means that the school’s performance in that subject was in the highest five per cent nationally.

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Key

In the national tests in 2001, 11 year-olds achieved results that were well above average in English, above average in mathematics and average in science, both in comparison with all schools nationally and similar schools. Seven year-olds achieved above average results in reading, writing and mathematics in the national tests. Their performance in teacher assessments was above average in English and average in mathematics and science. Standards in the school have improved over the last five years in line with the national trend of improvement. The school sets statutory targets for the performance of pupils in Year 6 in English and mathematics. These targets were exceeded in 2001 and inspection evidence is that they will be met again this year.

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Key

Pupils achieve well in relation to their abilities throughout the school. Some pupils with special educational needs achieve very well. Pupils in the current Year 6 are achieving standards that are above average in English and mathematics. Pupils do not reach the same high standards in science. This is because teachers, throughout the school, do not cover all parts of the curriculum in sufficient depth and pupils do not have separate science books.

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Key

Children in the Reception Year make good progress and achieve the Early Learning Goals in communication language and literacy, mathematical development and personal and social development.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent. Pupils are very happy at school and they are extremely keen to do well and help others.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Excellent, both during lessons and at other times during the school day. Lunch and playtimes are characterised by lively conversation and a harmonious atmosphere.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent. Pupils respond extremely well when asked to take responsibility. Pupils are very friendly with each other and relationships between pupils and staff are exemplary.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is well above average and punctuality is very good. Wrenbury Primary School - 6

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Good Very good Very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Two thirds of the lessons seen were very good and the other third were all good. These judgements are supported by the examination of teachers’ planning documents and pupils’ work books. The key skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology are all taught very well. Teachers have high expectations that all pupils will work hard and learn well. Teachers and support staff work very effectively to meet the needs of different groups of pupils, particularly those with special educational needs. Pupils are very interested and involved in lessons and complete a good amount of work. A few pupils do not take sufficient care in their handwriting and presentation of their work.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall. The school provides a satisfactory curriculum for the children in Reception and good learning opportunities in Years 1 to 6. All statutory requirements for the National Curriculum and religious education are met and the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy have been fully implemented. The ‘thematic’ approach to the planning and teaching is very effective in developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of English, mathematics, geography, history and art. It is not as effective in science.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school makes very good provision for pupils with special educational needs and as a result these pupils make good and sometimes very good progress in their work. In addition, the school has very good arrangements for the education of pupils from traveller backgrounds and these pupils are fully integrated into school routines and procedures.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent. The school’s provision for the pupils’ moral and social development is of the highest quality and the provision for their spiritual and cultural development is very good. The extensive range of out of class activities, including sport, contributes greatly to the pupils’ personal development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school has good procedures for ensuring pupils’ welfare. Day-to-day care is very good. There are good procedures for assessing what pupils know, understand and can do and this information is used well by the teachers in their planning. Wrenbury Primary School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide very good leadership to the work of the school. Subject co-ordinators fulfil their responsibilities effectively but they do not have enough opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. The whole staff work very well as a team and there is a great sense of common purpose in the school.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The school benefits from the strong support of an experienced governing body. Governors have a good understanding of what the school does well and what needs to be done next and several of them are frequently in school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school carefully analyses the results of baseline assessments, National Curriculum tests and other data to identify the strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ learning. Senior staff observe lessons and all staff have targets in accordance with national guidance on performance management.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. The school makes very good use of available funding and staff, who make very good use of the accommodation and learning resources available, including modern technology.

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Aspect Comment

The school applies the principles of best value very well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

A very high percentage of those parents who responded think that: • behaviour in school is good; • the school helps their children become more mature and responsible; • their children like school; • the teaching is good; • they feel comfortable approaching the school with questions and problems; • the school expects their children to work hard and try their best; and • the school is well led and managed. A small but significant percentage of those parents who responded think that: • they are not kept well informed of how their children are getting on; • the school does not work closely with them; and • their child does not get the right amount of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with all of the parents’ positive views of the school. Pupil reports meet statutory requirements and are generally good in quality. Inspection evidence is that the school works very closely with parents and the arrangements for homework are good. Wrenbury Primary School - 8

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

comparison with all schools nationally and similar schools.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

1. In the national tests in 2001, 11 year-olds achieved results that were well above average in English, above average in mathematics and average in science, both in comparison with all schools nationally and similar schools. Seven year-olds achieved above average results in reading, writing and mathematics in the national tests. Their performance in teacher assessments was above average in English and average in mathematics and science. Standards in the school have improved over the last five years in line with the national trend of improvement. The school sets statutory targets for the performance of pupils in Year 6 in English and mathematics. These targets were exceeded in 2001 and inspection evidence is that they will be met again this year. Pupils agree individual learning targets, which are written up and signed by the pupil, parent and teacher. The school has received awards from the Basic Skills Agency and Department for Education and Skills

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

in recognition of the pupils’ achievements.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

2. Pupils achieve well in relation to their abilities throughout the school. This applies to all subjects where inspectors were able to collect sufficient evidence in the time available, except for science where pupils’ achievements are satisfactory. This is explained later in this report. All pupils with special educational make good progress and some achieve very well. This is because they have good quality Individual Education Plans, with clear, achievable targets and they receive good support in the classroom. Several examples were seen of pupils making substantial gains in English, mathematics and other subjects of the curriculum.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

3. Pupils in the current Year 6 are achieving standards that are above average in English. Pupils read a range of texts confidently and fluently. One pupil read out part of a story she had written with a good variation in pace and expression. Pupils evaluate their own performance and try very hard to improve their reading and writing. They complete a good amount of writing and know how to modify the style and layout of their work for different purposes and audiences. Pupils show considerable imagination and effective use of puns and humour, such as “a hedgehog turned spikeful”, in writing newspaper reports based on a traditional story. Many pupils in Years 5 and 6 have very good thinking, reading, writing and presentation skills and these skills are constantly being stretched by the level of challenge in the teaching. Handwriting is clear, fluent and joined and spelling is usually accurate, including complex or irregular words, such as ‘accommodate’, ‘evaporate’ and ‘immediately’. Pupils

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

use paragraphs and other devices such as lists and bullet points very well when writing for different purposes, such as stories, letters, reports or ‘brain-storming’ ideas.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

4. Pupils in the current Year 6 are achieving standards that are above average in mathematics. Pupils have a very good understanding of the four rules of calculation, including long multiplication and division and the relationships between them. For example, they know that ‘12 x 12 = 144’ and ‘144 / 12 = 12’. Most pupils are comfortable working with very large numbers and they know how to treble, ‘square’ and ‘cube’ numbers. They have a good understanding of negative numbers, for example through work on the Celsius temperature scale. Pupils have very good knowledge and understanding of shapes and angles and know that, for instance, the angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees. Pupils are conversant with the rules and conventions for constructing different types of graph and use them to record and interpret data very well. Good use is made of computer activities, such as solving mathematical problems and producing graphs, to reinforce pupils’ learning in mathematics.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

5. Pupils in the current Year 2 have made good progress in English and mathematics and are achieving standards that are above average. In English, they have made substantial gains in reading, handwriting, spelling and creative writing. Pupils write a good amount using complete sentences. They use capital letters at the start of a sentence and for proper nouns. They use basic punctuation such as a full stop or question mark correctly. Most pupils are making sensible guesses using their knowledge of letters and sounds when attempting to spell new words. In mathematics, the pupils Wrenbury Primary School - 9 have made consistent progress in number work, including money, time, fractions and measurements, their knowledge and understanding of shapes and the use of bar graphs to record, illustrate and analyse data. They successfully complete simple addition and subtraction problems.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

6. Throughout the school pupils achieve well in information and communication technology (ICT) and by the end of Year 6 most are exceeding expectations in many aspects of the national curriculum programmes of study. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 use the Internet and CD-ROM well to carry out research activity, such as finding out about hearing in science. They have good word-processing skills and know how to use graphic images.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

7. Because of the limited time available, the inspection gave most attention to standards in English, mathematics, science and ICT. Nevertheless, many examples were seen of work to a high standard in geography, history and art and standards in religious education and design and technology are always satisfactory or better. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 have produced very good paintings of figures, inspired by looking at a range of African art and using a wide range of techniques and materials. They have also made headdresses, masks and weapons based on their study of the Aztecs. There is insufficient evidence to comment on standards in music and physical education. However, it is noted that the whole school sang well during assembly, individual pupils played well during instrumental tuition and pupils demonstrated good cricket and football skills at playtimes and during after school clubs.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

8. Children in the Reception Year make good progress and achieve the Early Learning Goals in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and personal and social development. The children listen well and speak clearly using full, well-formed sentences such as, “some caterpillars like to eat nettle leaves” and, “I like to eat spaghetti with gravy”. They are beginning to write their names and simple, sensible sentences using pencil and paper and computers. Some children use simple punctuation and capital letters, for example, ‘Red Riding Hood’. The children count forwards and backwards in ones and are learning how to do this in twos, fives and tens. They know the names of simple shapes and sequence numbers, shapes and colours well. They know how to use the computer to produce a very simple graph. There is not enough evidence to make reliable judgements in the other areas of learning. However, at least satisfactory

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

achievement was noted in their drawing and painting and knowledge and understanding of things that float or sink, the human senses, different types of animals and how they have changed since they were babies.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

The quality of teaching and learning is very good.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

9. Teaching and learning are very good throughout the school. It is very good in Key Stages 1 and 2 and good in the Foundation Stage. Two thirds of the lessons seen were very good and the other third were all good. Because of the time allocated to the inspection, the number of lessons seen was small. However, at least one lesson was seen in every class and these judgements are supported by the examination of teachers’ planning documents and pupils’ work books. In consultation with the headteacher, careful consideration was given to the effectiveness of the school’s ‘thematic’ approach to the planning and teaching of the non-core subjects.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

10. English and mathematics are taught very well and all teachers implement the recommendations of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy. Consequently, the key skills of literacy and numeracy are taught very well. The use of additional sessions (to the literacy hour) successfully promotes the development of pupils’ independent reading and higher order skills, such as finding words and phrases that tell the reader that a particular character in a story is afraid. Teachers and support staff have good knowledge of phonics and teach these and the rules of punctuation and grammar very well, particularly in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. In a lesson in the mixed Year 1 and Year 2 class, the inverse rule of addition and subtraction was taught very well with lots of opportunities for pupils to participate. This enabled those pupils who were having some difficulty understanding this new idea to make sensible guesses. In the Years 5 and 6 classroom, pupils had

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

the ongoing task of finding words ending in ‘-tion’, ‘-cian’ and ‘-shion’, to add to lists on display.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

11. Furthermore, through the very good use of the available resources in the classrooms and small ICT Wrenbury Primary School - 10 suite, the key skills of ICT are taught very well. For example, in the mixed Year 5 and 6 class ICT tasks are planned daily to be carried out by pupils individually or in pairs. These tasks cover a wide range of aspects of the National Curriculum programmes of study for ICT and activities that link well with other subjects. Specific input by the class teacher or other staff is detailed for each activity. Pupils in Year 2 are taught the key skills for word-processing, including the use of special keys on a computer keyboard, such as the difference between the ‘shift’ and ‘caps lock’ keys. They are taught how to use both a computer program and a programmable toy to plan a simple route using directional instructions.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

12. Teachers have high expectations that all pupils will work hard and learn well. Whole class activities feature very good use of questions and checks on pupils’ understanding. For example, in numeracy lessons teachers ask pupils to explain how they work out their answers. The teachers know the pupils well and during these sessions ask questions of different groups and individual pupils. Tasks are nearly always challenging for the pupils and presented in such a way as to stimulate their interest. This was noted in a mixed Year 2 and Year 3 lesson where pupils were solving real life money problems. Pupils showed their working out well. The few pupils who made mistakes or had some difficulties, for example when working out change, were confident to say so and, consequently, were given additional help. Teachers often make appropriate links between what the pupils are currently learning in different subjects or have previously learnt in the subject of the

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

particular lesson. For example, in a mixed Year 5 and 6 literacy lesson the teacher pointed out the strong links with the ‘caring theme’ in their current personal, social and health education work.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

13. Teachers make very good use of support staff work and parent volunteers. All adults work very effectively in meeting the needs of different groups of pupils, particularly those with special educational needs. A high level of support is provided for pupils with special educational needs in literacy and numeracy lessons. In all classes, pupils are grouped by ability for literacy and numeracy and this successfully enables staff to minimise the inherent organisational difficulties of having mixed age classes.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

14. Teachers plan individual lessons very well. The weekly planning clearly arises from the medium and long-term planning, which is very well organised in class files. These files contain assessment information about what the pupils know, understand and can do, where and how they have made progress and where they have experienced difficulties. This information is used well in both the medium and short-term planning. Teachers always mark the pupils’ completed work. They reinforce what they say to pupils with written comments that both praise good work and point out errors or dissatisfaction with the quality of presentation. The arrangements for homework are good.

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Pupils achieve above average standards in English and mathematics both in

15. Pupils enjoy lessons. They settle quickly at the start of the day or when returning to class from assembly or playtime. Pupils are very interested and involved in lessons. Consequently they listen carefully to their teachers, understand and work diligently on the tasks set for them and complete a good amount of work. Pupils from Year 2 on, have good skills for checking their own work and spotting and correcting mistakes, for example in their spelling and sums. This is because the teachers successfully instil an understanding of the importance of independence and self-awareness of their learning in the pupils. From the Reception Year on, pupils are keen to show their work to the school staff and visitors. By Year 6, the standards of presentation are very high in most learning situations. However, a few pupils throughout the school do not take sufficient care in their handwriting and presentation of their work.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

16. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide very good leadership to the work of the school. The headteacher had only been in post for just over a term at the time of this inspection. He had already established himself as a strong leader and acquired a good knowledge and understanding of the school. He has a very clear vision for moving this very good school forward. He has already produced a very detailed plan for the development of ICT as a subject, including an application for funding from the National Grid for Learning. The deputy headteacher is a very effective leader and Wrenbury Primary School - 11 provides a good model of high quality teaching. She has made a very significant contribution to the work of the school by developing the provision for pupils with special educational needs to a very good standard. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are both involved in educational initiatives

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

17. Subject co-ordinators fulfil their responsibilities effectively but they do not have enough opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. The whole staff work very well as a team and there is a great sense of common purpose in the school.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

18. The school benefits from the strong support of an experienced governing body. Governors have a good understanding of what the school does well and what needs to be done next. Governors are fully conversant with and involved in the production and monitoring of significant documents and policies, such as the school development plan, the school budget and the home-school agreement. They have been very involved in implementing the procedures and arrangements for performance management in accordance with requirements. Individual governors are responsible for literacy, numeracy and special educational needs and several of them are frequently in school.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

19. The school has good procedures for self-evaluation and the new headteacher has clear plans to develop these. The school development plan successfully summarises the outcomes of this process and identifies appropriate priorities for development and improvement. It is an effective tool for the management of change and is clearly grounded in the spirit of the school’s aims to stimulate and stretch the children’s learning and horizons.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

20. The school carefully analyses the results of baseline assessments, National Curriculum tests and other data to identify the strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ learning. For example, the school has identified a weakness in pupils’ verbal explanation skills. The school compares its performance with all and similar schools nationally and within the local education authority. Analysis of baseline assessment data has resulted in the identification of particular features of the attainment of children starting at the school and this information has been shared with the playgroup and nursery staff on the same site.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

21. Senior staff observe lessons and provide feedback to the teachers about their findings. The headteacher has observed numeracy lessons in all classes since his appointment and has plans to observe literacy and science lessons in the near future. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have carried out a scrutiny of pupils’ work and looked at the quality of teachers’ marking. All staff have targets in accordance with national guidance on performance management. There are good arrangements for staff training.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

22. The school makes very good use of available funding and staff. Financial planning and management is very effective. Specific grants and funding are used in accordance with their stated purposes to good effect and the headteacher is using devolved formula capital imaginatively.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

23. The school has an adequate number of appropriately qualified teachers and support staff. There have been considerable improvements in the accommodation since the previous inspection. Further work, including a new office and a new classroom, was approaching completion at the time of this inspection. Classrooms are adequate for the delivery of the curriculum and the school has good outdoor facilities. Resources for learning are generally good and improvements to them are carefully planned in accordance with identified priorities in the school development plan. The provision of about 30 story sacks is an excellent addition to the school’s resources and is successfully promoting pupils’ literacy and reading at home and involving parents in the work of the school. The staff make very good use of the accommodation and learning resources available, including modern technology.

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school. There is very high quality teamwork and a shared sense of common purpose among

24. In the ways outlined above, the school applies the principles of best value very well.

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are excellent. Attendance is well

above average. Wrenbury Primary School - 12 25. The pupils’ attitudes, values, behaviour and personal development are all excellent. The school has a very good, calm climate for learning, pupils move around the school in an orderly fashion and staff and pupils are equally welcoming to visitors. This is a real strength of the school and has a very positive impact on the pupils’ achievements. All pupils are very happy at school. They are extremely keen to do well in their work and to help others. 26. Behaviour is excellent overall during lessons, assemblies and at other times. Pupils are attentive, raise their hands before answering questions and get on with tasks in lessons very well. Some restlessness was seen in the mixed Reception and Year 1 class, mostly by boys during whole class activities. However, taking into account the age of these pupils and the effective way in which the teacher managed this behaviour, this does not detract from the overall judgement. Lunch and

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are excellent. Attendance is well

playtimes are characterised by lively conversation and a harmonious atmosphere. Playtimes are supervised well and the provision of equipment such as footballs and skipping ropes is good. There have been no exclusions of pupils.

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are excellent. Attendance is well

27. Pupils respond extremely well when asked to take responsibility and they do so from a very young age. For example, pupils in the infants were seen clearing plates in the dining hall and collecting litter in the playground. They were taking these responsibilities very seriously and the ‘litter-picker’ clearly took pride in her work and understood that she was helping to keep up the very good appearance of the school environment. Pupils are very friendly with each other and, at playtimes, boys and girls and older and younger children mix freely. No significant conflicts were noted during the inspection or reported by parents. This supports the school’s position that bullying and other unacceptable behaviour is quickly identified and resolved. Relationships between pupils and staff are exemplary. There is a very clear sense of mutual respect. All staff listen to the pupils and value their opinions. Pupils listen carefully to the staff and hold them in great esteem.

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The pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development are excellent. Attendance is well

28. Attendance is well above average and punctuality is very good. Registration is carried out efficiently and provides a good start to the morning and afternoon sessions.

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The school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is

29. The school’s provision for the pupils’ moral and social development is of the highest quality. All staff successfully convey the school’s high expectations of work, behaviour and relationships. The school successfully promotes personal qualities such as endeavour, the celebration of achievement and a sense of teamwork, through group work in lessons, out of school activities and a system of houses. There are plans to introduce a school council in the near future. Good provision is made for personal, social and health education. There are good opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own learning and personal development and these are recorded in the individual pupil profiles. In Years 1 and 2, pupils learn about the benefits of mutual respect between people and the positive effects on the environment of recycling waste materials. The extensive range of out of class activities, including sport, contributes greatly to the pupils’ personal development. The clubs include, at different times of

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The school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is

the year, football, cricket and athletics. The school cook runs a club at break time to promote healthy eating. The school has received a national award for its provision out of school hours. Two weeks before this inspection, 57 pupils and five adults participated in a residential visit to North Wales. Day visits are made to places of interest, such as an art gallery in Liverpool. There are very good links between the school and the local community and the pupils’ families.

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The school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is

30. The provision for the pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is very good. Assemblies and acts of collective worship are carried out in accordance with requirements. They have a strong Christian character through the singing of hymns, use of stories from the Bible or with a moral and there are good opportunities for communal prayer and personal reflection. Appropriate study of other religions, such as Judaism and Hinduism, promotes pupils’ understanding of the beliefs and values of others. During the inspection, children in Reception dressed up and attended a baptism service at a local church. Personal achievements are celebrated in assemblies, through the awarding of certificates and stickers. There are displays around the school including ‘Stars of the week’, good work and sports trophies. Equality of opportunity is embedded into classroom practice and it is reinforced by, for example, the display of race equality posters. Very good use is made of stories, including

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The school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is

traditional folk tales, myths and legends in literacy. The school successfully promotes the notion Wrenbury Primary School - 13 that “Maths is fun”. This is illustrated by the whole class sessions during numeracy lessons and a display of a wide range of number, geometry and data problem-solving work. The school effectively promotes the development of the pupils’ understanding of their own cultural heritage and the world at large, for example through work in art and geography. In July 2000, the school had a special multicultural week with a variety of artists and performers visiting the school. Shortly before this inspection, Manchester Camarata spent a day in the school performing music and involving pupils in Years 5 and 6 in National Curriculum based musical activities. There is an after-school art club throughout the year, open to a different year group each term. A parent teaches a little French and,

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The school’s provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is

in some classes, pupils are allowed to greet their teachers during registration in foreign languages, such as German.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational

needs and those from traveller backgrounds.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational

31. This is a very inclusive school. The school provides a satisfactory curriculum for the children in Reception. The teacher plans in accordance with national recommendations for children in the Foundation Stage. There are appropriate opportunities for the children to learn through imaginative and exploratory activities and for outdoor play during the school day. The teacher effectively manages and meets the different needs of the children in the Reception Year and pupils in Year 1.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational

32. There are good learning opportunities in Years 1 to 6, with some very strong features such as the extra-curricular activities referred to in the previous section of this report. All statutory requirements for the National Curriculum and religious education are met and the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy have been fully implemented. The curriculum for physical education includes appropriate arrangements for the teaching of swimming. Since the previous inspection in 1997, there has been significant improvement in the religious education curriculum and in its teaching. Standards are now in line with expectations throughout the school and sometimes good.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational

33. In consultation with the headteacher, careful consideration was given to the effectiveness of the school’s ‘thematic’ approach to the planning and teaching of the non-core subjects. This approach is judged to be very effective in developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of English, mathematics, geography, history and art. For example, very good links are made between English, geography and history, which reinforces and extends the pupils’ key literacy skills. However, it is not as effective in science and this is explained in the next section. There is insufficient evidence to make a reliable judgement about the impact of this strategy on standards in other subjects, such as design and technology.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational

34. Throughout these learning opportunities, very careful consideration is given to the needs of different groups of pupils both in the teachers’ planning and in day-to-day practice. The school has not currently identified any pupils as gifted or talented. However, one pupil who is very able in mathematics works with older pupils for some of the time to provide an appropriate challenge. The school makes very good provision for pupils with special educational needs. Classroom tasks are carefully planned to meet their learning needs and very good use is made of support staff to maximise their learning and check on their progress. As a result these pupils make good and sometimes very good progress in their work.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational

35. The school is free of any gender bias in lessons and sporting activities. For example, girls play for the school football team. Analysis of the results of the National Curriculum tests shows that 11 year-old boys have performed better than girls have between 1999 and 2001. This is different to the picture nationally. The provision of a wide range and good number of non-fiction books has contributed to this good achievement by boys.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils very well including, those with special educational

36. In addition, the school has very good arrangements for the education of pupils from traveller backgrounds, working very closely with the Nursery and local education authority. There is a clear and detailed policy showing how the school will cater for these particular children. This is based on a commitment to the principles of equal educational and social opportunities for all and is fully implemented in practice. These pupils are fully integrated into school routines and procedures. It was not possible for inspectors to identify them in classrooms or on the playground without asking a Wrenbury Primary School - 14 member of staff. This year pupils from traveller backgrounds have participated in the residential trip for the first time and, for the second time, a Year 6 pupil is moving on to the same secondary school as their peers. Wrenbury Primary School - 15

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Pupils do not achieve as well in science as they do in English and mathematics.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

37. Pupils do not reach the same high standards in science as they do in English and mathematics. In the 2001 national tests at the end of Year 6 and teacher assessments at the end of Year 2, pupils’ achieved standards that were broadly in line with national average. The size of the pupil cohorts in the school is such that this data does need to be treated with some care and inspection evidence is that achievement in science is satisfactory. However, achievements in English, mathematics and ICT are good and there are strong indicators that this is the case in other subjects.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

38. It was only possible to observe one lesson in science and this was a good lesson on forces in Year 4. Examination of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning shows that many pupils are not achieving as well as they could be in science. This is because teachers, throughout the school, do not cover all parts of the curriculum in sufficient depth. In particular, although all aspects of the national curriculum, including investigation and experimentation are taught, the work is not taught at a sufficiently high level to challenge the more able pupils. There was little evidence of pupils in the current Year 6 completing work at the higher than expected National Curriculum Level 5.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

39. In addition, pupils do not have separate science books. Pupils complete their science work in either their draft books or their ‘topic’ books. This sometimes results in work which is not presented as well as it is in English and mathematics and does not convey a sense of high status of this core subject. For example, several pieces of work were seen which did not have a proper heading and were not laid out, in accordance with scientific conventions, to the same standard as in other subjects. Furthermore, some of the science work in the ‘topic’ books is not particularly relevant to that topic and does not, therefore, make effective links between science and other subjects.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

40. These shortcomings arise from the ‘thematic’ approach to the planning and teaching described in the previous section. The inspection finds that this approach is not as effective in science as it is in other subjects.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The role of subject co-ordinator is not as effective as it could be.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

41. Subject co-ordinators fulfil their responsibilities effectively but they do not have enough opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. This was an issue raised in the last inspection report. Plans were drawn up and some action was taken to address the issue. However, due in large part to a period when the school was without a headteacher and the allowance of an appropriate period of time for the new headteacher to get to know the school, this issue remains as incomplete. The staff and governors are fully aware of this issue. Available funding is currently being used to employ a part-time teacher in addition to the classroom staff. Part of her role is to teach Year 5 pupils for some lessons and part of it is to provide some non-contact time for colleagues, as an element of the school’s plan to resolve this matter. Wrenbury Primary School - 16

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

42. The headteacher and governors should now:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• teaching all elements of the National Curriculum programmes of study more rigorously;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing extra challenges for the more able pupils; and

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing separate exercise books for pupils’ science work.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve the effectiveness of subject co-ordinators by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring that all co-ordinators have opportunities to observe their colleagues teaching the subjects for which they are responsible.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Ensure that the procedural issues regarding Child Protection and risk assessments, raised during the inspection, are addressed with urgency. Wrenbury Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than one ten percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 143

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 7

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 26

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 22

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 15

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Attendance

School data 4.1 School data 0.3 Wrenbury Primary School - 18 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Wrenbury Primary School - 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 9 15 24

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 9 9 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 92 (81) 92 (88) 92 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 9 9 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 92 (81) 92 (94) 92 (81) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 10 13 23

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 10 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 11 9 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 91 (92) 83 (88) 91 (88) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 10 10 10 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 11 10 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 91 (92) 87 (88) 91 (88) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Wrenbury Primary School - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 6.6 Financial year 2000/01

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.7

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 289,476

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3 Total expenditure 278,431

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 61 Expenditure per pupil 1,894

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 47,676

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2.6

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Wrenbury Primary School - 21

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 64 31 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 53 47 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 36 53 9 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 34 41 22 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 59 38 3 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 68 28 3 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 47 36 14 0 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 42 54 0 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 47 51 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 45 46 4 3 3

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Note

The negative response score to one question, “I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on”, is quite high. However, some written comments on the questionnaires and the responses at the parents’ meetings were very positive about this. The inspection team judges the information provided for parents to be good. This includes written reports on individual pupils’ progress, which meet requirements and are good in quality overall, although they occasionally contain over-complex language. There are good opportunities for parents to meet with the headteacher and class teachers, both formally and informally.

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