Willaston CofE Primary School

WILLASTON C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Neston Road, Willaston, Neston, Cheshire

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WILLASTON C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 18 th – 20 th September 2000

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WILLASTON C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

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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WILLASTON C of E 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. Willaston CofE Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Neston Road Willaston Neston Cheshire

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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 K Butcher

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1 st July 1996 Willaston CofE Primary School - 2

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Team members

Mr J Morris (23696) Registered inspector Mrs G Marsland (13706) Lay inspector Mr J Eadie (20191) Team inspector

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Team members

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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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 Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Willaston CofE 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

Willaston C of E is an average sized primary school in the large village of Willaston, South Wirral. There are currently 220 pupils on roll (125 boys and 95 girls) aged between four and eleven. There are 30 children under the age of six in the reception class. Two per cent of the pupils are eligible for free school meals and this is below the national average. Eleven per cent of the pupils (23) are on the school’s register of special educational needs and this is also below the national average. Children’s attainments on entry are above average overall but they are well below the county average in writing. Nearly all of the pupils of compulsory school age come from a white United Kingdom background. Of the five who do not, only one has English as an additional language.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school, which very effectively meets the needs of all the pupils. Standards are very high at both seven and eleven years of age. The teaching is consistently good throughout the school. The school is led and managed very well and there is a strong sense of teamwork among the staff. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Standards are very high in English, mathematics and science. All pupils achieve well. • The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and give challenging work to different groups of pupils. • Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities, have successfully created a very good climate for learning. • The school provides a very good range of learning opportunities to promote the pupils' learning and their personal development. • The pupils’ attitudes are very good and their behaviour is good. They enjoy school and are keen to learn.

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What could be improved

• Standards are not high enough in information and communications technology (ICT), mainly because pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their ICT skills and use them in other subjects. This area 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 July 1996 and the very positive report described it as “a good school with a particularly happy family atmosphere and a strong Christian ethos”. The governing body and staff took effective, sustained action to respond to the previous report and good progress has been made in terms of all of the areas identified for improvement. Teaching has improved both in general terms and specifically in terms of more able pupils. The school has very successfully implemented the national strategies for literacy and numeracy in primary schools. The school has not kept pace with developments in ICT whilst carrying out successful developments in the other subjects of the curriculum. There is no sense of complacency in the school and the staff are clearly committed to raising standards even higher. Over the past five years, standards have risen at a similar rate to national standards and

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

have remained very high. Willaston CofE Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds 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 A* A A A average below average C D Science A A A* A well below average E

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Key

This table shows very high standards in English, mathematics and science in comparison with the national figures in 1998, 1999 and 2000. A* means that the school is in the top 5 per cent in the country. The school has achieved consistently very high standards since 1996 and the test results have risen at a rate that is at least in line with the national trend. Examination of pupils’ current work and work completed last year confirms these judgements. The school has met or exceeded all of its statutory targets set for English and mathematics in 1999 and 2000. Standards compared with similar schools, based on the percentage of pupils eligible for free schools meals, were above average in 1999 and well above average in 2000.

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Key

Standards in this school are consistently extremely high at both seven and eleven years of age in English and mathematics. Standards are high in all other subjects except for ICT where they are sometimes below expectations.

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Key

The school identifies approximately a quarter of the pupils as being more able and has very good arrangements to meet their particular needs and provide them with significant challenges in their learning. Very good use has been made of the available funding to employ sufficient teaching and support staff to provide high quality additional support for different groups of pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school All the pupils are happy at school and they have very good attitudes to learning.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good at all times and there are no examples of significant conflict amongst different groups of pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships There are very good relationships between pupils and adults and pupils of different ages play together very well, help each other and care for each other. Throughout the school, pupils are very mature for their age and, by eleven years of age, they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. Rates of attendance are well above average and unauthorised absences are below average. Willaston CofE Primary School - 6

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Good 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: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The table shows the quality of teaching in lessons during the inspection. The teaching was satisfactory or better in all 15 lessons observed. It was good or better in 93 per cent and very good or better in 33 per cent. There was, therefore, no unsatisfactory teaching. Examination of pupils’ work shows that these standards are consistently maintained over time and this consistency is one of the many very good features of the teaching throughout the school. Expectations are high and very good use is made of additional teachers and support staff to meet the needs of specific groups of pupils.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

The teaching of English and mathematics is very good and the key skills of literacy and numeracy are taught well. The teaching of ICT is unsatisfactory. This is because teachers are not giving enough time to this subject, they are not providing a sufficiently wide range of activities and they are not using the recently improved resources well. Teachers are competent and confident in the subject and the school is already implementing its plan to improve ICT provision.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Pupils acquire new knowledge and learn new skills during lessons because they are enthusiastic and hard working. The teachers start lessons by stating clearly what they want pupils to learn. They give clear explanations and set different, challenging tasks for different groups of pupils. As a result, all pupils learn very well during lessons and achieve well in relation to their abilities over time.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a very good range of high quality learning opportunities for all the pupils. There are very good lunchtime, after school and residential activities. The school has made a very good start to implementing the new Foundation Stage for children up to six years of age and the revised National Curriculum. There are very good links with the local community and secondary schools. The provision for ICT is not yet sufficiently broad and balanced. Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school meets the needs of pupils on its register of special educational needs well and these pupils make progress at a very similar rate to their peers. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There is only one pupil currently attending the school with English as an additional language. The help provided in the past was such that this pupil no longer requires specific support for language.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. The school has a strong Christian ethos. It very effectively promotes the pupils’ sense of right from wrong and encourages and develops very positive relationships. There is excellent provision for the pupils’ cultural development, including making them very aware of the diverse nature of the world at large. How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides very well for the pupils’ health, safety and wellbeing and there are very good arrangements to minimise risks. Willaston CofE Primary School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher is very effective in her key role in the management and leadership of the school’s work. The staff together are very successful in providing a very clear educational direction and achieving an appropriate balance between promoting high academic standards and meeting all the pupils’ needs. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors are very effective in meeting their statutory responsibilities and make a significant contribution to the life of the school. They have successfully involved themselves in the major initiatives in literacy and numeracy and have a very active role in managing the school’s finances. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. The school measures and analyses its achievements using national data and other indicators. It identifies appropriate targets for development and ICT is a high priority. The principles of best value are

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Aspect Comment

applied well. For example, the school compares its results with those of similar schools and considers the views of parents and pupils when introducing changes. The strategic use of resources The school generally makes good use of the available finance, staff, learning materials and accommodation and grounds. Excellent and exciting ground developments are taking place. Insufficient use is being made of ICT both inside and outside the classroom.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Most parents say that: • they are comfortable approaching the school with questions or problems; • their child likes school; • the school is managed and led well; • the school has high expectations; • behaviour is good; • teaching is good; • school helps their child become more mature. Some parents: • think there is not enough homework; • think there is too much homework; • do not feel well informed about their child's progress; • do not feel that the school works closely with them.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with the parents' positive views of the school. Homework is good. It has improved since the last inspection and helps children learn, particularly in English and mathematics from seven years of age. Information for parents has improved since the last inspection and there is an active open-door policy. There are good arrangements to keep parents informed of their child's progress but the school does not always say enough about what the child needs to do next. There is a very positive relationship between the school and most of the parents. Willaston CofE Primary School - 8

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Standards are very high in English, mathematics and science. All pupils achieve well.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. When the school was inspected in 1996, standards were judged to be very high. The results of national tests show that very high standards have been consistently maintained every year between 1996 and 2000. The very recently published results of national tests in 2000 show that the school’s standards are well above national averages in English and mathematics and very high in science. They are well above average in all subjects in comparison with similar schools, based on the percentage of pupils eligible for free schools meals.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. Very high standards are found in English, mathematics and science at age eleven and in reading, writing and mathematics at age seven. The school's results are often in the top five per cent in the country. Standards are consistently very high compared with national figures and in comparison with similar schools. Standards in English and science at age eleven were average compared with similar schools in 1999. This was due to a very small number of pupils not achieving as well as they did in mathematics and very small variations in test scores. It was not as a result of any significant variation in the quality of teaching or school curriculum. Very high percentages of pupils achieve the expected National Curriculum levels and the higher levels at both seven and eleven years of age. The school’s results have improved since 1996 at a rate that is at least in line with the national trend.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. There is substantial data available to show that girls perform better than boys do in the national tests at primary school. Detailed analysis of the school’s results between 1996 and 1999 show that boys and girls exceed national results by very similar amounts at age seven and that boys exceed national results by more than girls do at age eleven. It is striking that the pupils currently identified as being more able often include more boys than girls. For example, the more able group in mathematics in Year 6 includes six boys and one girl, although there are more girls than boys in the whole class. These groups are formed on the basis of the pupils’ previous performance rather than a school policy of discrimination in favour of boys.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. By the age of eleven, pupils are confident and fluent speakers and readers. They have a sophisticated vocabulary and good dictionary skills. All pupils read a wide range of texts confidently and with good understanding. Many pupils speak clearly and with expression when performing in front of an audience during the annual school productions. Although standards in writing may appear to be lower than they are in other areas, this is largely because the national scores in writing are lower than in other aspects tested and in this school, they are in fact very high. Pupils’ work is neatly presented in all subjects and most pupils complete substantial pieces of written work.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. Nationally, eleven-year-olds are expected to achieve National Curriculum Level 4 in English, mathematics and science. However, in this school over half the pupils achieve the higher level (National Curriculum Level 5) in mathematics and science, when considerably less than a third of pupils do so across the country. They use the four rules of calculation very well, understand very large numbers and have a very good understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages. Pupils know about a range of different ways of measuring, angles and symmetry. They use tallies to collect and record data and know how to present their information using different types of graphs. Pupils have a very good understanding of scientific procedures and conventions and, for example, understand when a test is fair and when it is not.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. Because the school was chosen for a short inspection, inspectors had limited time to look at pupils’ work and lessons. Nevertheless, there was strong evidence to indicate that they achieve high standards in other subjects. Video and audio tape recordings demonstrated very high standards in singing and playing musical instruments, including clarinets, flutes and percussion, and good examples of dramatic performance including simple dance pieces. In the one short Willaston CofE Primary School - 9 lesson seen, Year 5 pupils showed a good sense of rhythm by maintaining their own rhythm in a piece that involved different groups playing different rhythms. In a Year 1 history lesson, pupils were developing a good sense of the passage of time by looking at their own toys and toys owned by their parents and their grandparents. Classroom displays in Year 3 included very effective paintings based on African patterns.

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The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and

give challenging work to different groups of pupils.

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The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and

7. Fifteen lessons were observed during the inspection and all of these were satisfactory or better. Ninety three per cent of the lessons were good or better and 33 per cent of them were very good or better. Pupils learn well during lessons because these high standards of teaching are present throughout the school. All teachers expect all pupils to enjoy their schoolwork, to try hard and to make progress. The examination of pupils' work shows that teachers maintain these standards over time by providing challenging tasks and expecting pupils to do their best at all times. All work is marked. Pupils receive written praise for their best work and teachers expect significant errors to be corrected, work to be presented neatly at all times and unfinished work to be completed.

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The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and

8. A very strong feature of teaching throughout the school is that teachers plan the lessons well and this planning includes clear learning objectives. These objectives are written in easily understood language and shared with pupils at the start of the lesson. This is always done through discussion and in the very best lessons the objectives are written on the board to remind the pupils throughout the lesson. When there are two teachers present and there are different objectives for different groups of pupils, for example during a numeracy lesson in Year 3, these are made clear to the different groups. In this way, all pupils know what the lesson is about and what they are supposed to learn.

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The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and

9. The school makes very good use of additional teachers and classroom support staff to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. Work is planned for all pupils that is matched well to their individual needs and often provides a significant individual challenge. The school identifies approximately a quarter of the pupils in each year group as being more able. A smaller percentage of pupils (about 11 per cent) are on the school's register of special educational needs. During the limited time available during the inspection, there were examples of very good teaching of more able pupils aged between seven and eleven and good support for and teaching of pupils with special educational needs between the ages of six and seven. Pupils clearly benefited from being taught in different groups in literacy in Years 2 and 6 and numeracy in Years 2, 3 and 6.

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The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and

10. Teachers have very good knowledge of the National Curriculum programmes of study in English, mathematics and science. English and mathematics are taught very well. The national initiatives for literacy and numeracy in primary schools have been fully implemented and these key skills are taught well in other subjects such as geography and history. These initiatives recommend that lessons be taught in three parts starting with a whole class activity, moving into individual or small group tasks and finishing with a whole class review of what has been learnt. This model is being successfully used in other subjects such as science and history.

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The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and

11. In the very best lessons seen it is very clear that teachers have very high expectations of the pupils' work and behaviour and that they use effective strategies to check the pupils' knowledge, understanding and progress. For example, more able pupils in two numeracy lessons at Key Stage 2 were provided with difficult tasks involving percentages and fractions in one case and money in the other. In both lessons, the teacher required the pupils to show their working out in full and clearly explained why this was necessary. Furthermore, the teacher asked the pupils to say how they had worked out some of these problems as well as writing them down. In this way pupils develop very good thinking skills and solve mental calculations very well.

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The teaching is consistently good. Teachers expect all pupils to do their best and

12. Nearly all the lessons involved the teachers providing the pupils with accurate factual information Willaston CofE Primary School - 10 and stimulating tasks to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills. Questions are effectively used to check the pupils' learning and challenge their thinking. There are good opportunities for many pupils to contribute in whole class sessions and individual answers and opinions are accepted and valued. In this way pupils were learning in lessons during the inspection. For example, Year 4 pupils made significant gains in their knowledge and understanding of the human skeleton and the associated vocabulary.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

have successfully created a very good climate for learning.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

13. The headteacher provides very effective, strong leadership to the work of the school. The deputy headteacher and Key Stage 1 co-ordinator provide very able support in running the school and serve as very good models to other teachers. Most of the teachers have a significant management responsibility and carry these out professionally and effectively. All of the teachers and other classroom staff work very well together as a team.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

14. The school is a friendly and welcoming community. It aims to meet all the pupils' needs and this is evident in the daily life of the school. The school is successful in achieving very high academic standards but it also provides very well for the pupils' personal development and their health, safety and wellbeing. There are very good arrangements to minimise risks to the pupils and staff when at school. The local authority has recognised this good practice and certificates are displayed outside the staffroom.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

15. The school governors have a very good understanding of their roles and responsibilities and their support for the school meets all statutory requirements. They have properly constituted committees for the different aspects of their work. The committees meet at least once every school term and report to the next meeting of the full governing body. Individual governors have been very involved in the literacy and numeracy initiatives and the school's provision for pupils with special educational needs. The finance committee is extremely active in helping to plan and monitor the school budget and applying the principles of best value. Although the school has traditionally purchased services through the local authority it is increasingly looking at alternative providers. Staff also play a significant part in making effective use of available funding. For example, three quotes were considered before completing the pergola and pathway

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

outside the school and a considerable amount of money was saved by parents helping with the labour.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

16. There are effective arrangements to monitor and evaluate the work of the school. The school has met or exceeded its agreed targets in English and mathematics in 1999 and 2000. The school makes use of national data, other standardised tests and teachers’ knowledge of pupils to carefully analyse academic standards and to try to identify what it needs to do next to raise the very high standards even higher. Staff have 'a walk of the school' at least once a term to review and evaluate what is going on in each of the classrooms. Subject co-ordinators rigorously scrutinise teachers’ planning and pupils’ work and occasionally see colleagues teach or work alongside them. The development of the co-ordinator's role is a high priority in the current School Development Plan.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

17. The school has a good number of appropriately qualified and experienced staff and good arrangements for their professional development. The school’s achievements have been recognised through its involvement since 1997 in the national programme of teacher training known as SCITT. This involves student teachers undergoing long placements in primary schools identified as outstanding for this purpose and at the time of this inspection Willaston primary school was training its fourth student. Three members of staff have been trained to support these students.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

18. Learning resources and accommodation are good. There is an excellent, exciting project to develop the school grounds, which is well under way. This has only been possible because the deputy headteacher (in particular), other staff and parents have given a great deal of time and Willaston CofE Primary School - 11 energy to planning, fund-raising and helping to install different parts of the project.

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Leadership is very good. The headteacher, and others with key responsibilities,

19. Most of the parents are very happy about the way in which the school is led and managed. The school carried out its own survey of parents’ views in February and March 2000. The responses to this survey and the inspection questionnaires were both extremely positive in many areas of the school’s work including standards, teaching and leadership. One parent stated that standards have risen year on year under the current headteacher.

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pupils' learning and their personal development

20. All the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education, in accordance with the locally agreed syllabus, are taught at Willaston primary school. There is a strong emphasis on the key skills of literacy and numeracy but, whilst these initiatives have been given a priority in the last two years, a good balance and relevance have been maintained in the full range of learning opportunities provided by the school. There is a good programme of personal, social and health education.

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pupils' learning and their personal development

21. Primary schools are implementing two major changes to the curriculum this year. A new Foundation Stage has been created for children up to the age of six (in Nursery and reception classes). Children will be expected to achieve nationally recommended targets called Early Learning Goals in six areas of learning. The school was well prepared for this change and work in the reception class is already planned well in accordance with this guidance. Also, the revised National Curriculum 2000 orders are expected to be in place. Here too, the school is well on the way to reviewing and modifying its provision.

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pupils' learning and their personal development

22. The school provides a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities at lunchtime and after school, including several sporting activities. These make a very significant contribution to the pupils’ personal development, particularly their social development, and reinforce or extend the pupils’ learning during lessons. During the school year, there are opportunities for pupils to participate in football, netball, gymnastics, drama, chess, cycling, reading, French, country dancing and recorder groups. There are separate residential visits for all pupils aged over seven every year. For example, the Year 5 class participates in a multi-cultural arts week on Anglesey.

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pupils' learning and their personal development

23. The school makes very good provision for the pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school has a strong Christian ethos and in assemblies and lessons adults teach right from wrong. As well as whole school assemblies, the school's system of 'round robin' class assemblies where each class has an assembly with each teacher each term is very effective in developing the pupils' sense of belonging to a large community. The provision for cultural development, in particular, is excellent. The pupils’ understanding of their own cultural heritage and the world at large is very effectively developed through a wide range of high quality learning opportunities in art, music, geography and history. For example, the residential visits have a particular emphasis on multi-cultural education and outdoor adventure activities. Pupils have worked with a visiting artist to create the willow tunnel

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pupils' learning and their personal development

feature in the school grounds. There have been visits this year by a Ghanaian storyteller and a Ghanaian artist. Instrumental tuition is provided and the school orchestra has a considerable reputation in the area. The school’s sports teams participate in local leagues.

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pupils' learning and their personal development

24. There are extensive links with the local community and business. The school is involved in many local organisations and services and representatives of these visit the school or pupils visit them. The local vicar regularly takes school assemblies and children visit the church for festivals and attend Sunday school. There are very strong links with Neston High School and very effective arrangements for the pupils who transfer there to do so in an informed and confident manner.

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The pupils’ attitudes are very good and their behaviour is good. They enjoy school

Willaston CofE Primary School - 12 and are keen to learn.

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The pupils’ attitudes are very good and their behaviour is good. They enjoy school

25. All of the pupils enjoy school. They are enthusiastic and keen to learn. They are interested in their lessons and answer questions well. In some classes, for example Year 5, pupils are extremely hard working and intensely interested in their work. They are keen to do well and show their work to the staff or visitors.

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The pupils’ attitudes are very good and their behaviour is good. They enjoy school

26. Pupils nearly always behave well during lessons, at lunch and at play. In most classes there are a few pupils who call out answers inappropriately but this is due to excessive enthusiasm and a genuine desire to contribute. These pupils are in no sense lacking in interest in their work and their interruptions do not have an adverse effect on the learning of others. A small number of younger pupils, particularly in Year 2, are less well behaved but they are managed well by the staff and the inspection took place early in the school year.

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The pupils’ attitudes are very good and their behaviour is good. They enjoy school

27. Outside the classroom pupils of different ages play together very happily. Older pupils care for younger pupils. There were no significant occurrences of bullying, conflict or other serious misbehaviour during the registered inspector’s initial visit to the school and the inspection week. Pupils initiated conversations with the inspectors, asking sensible questions and giving clear answers. Parents say that pupils are very well behaved when they go on school trips or are out in the local community.

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The pupils’ attitudes are very good and their behaviour is good. They enjoy school

28. All pupils are mature for their age. The youngest children in the reception class settle very quickly in their first term and quickly learn the school routines and conventions. The oldest pupils are mature and responsible and well prepared for their move to secondary school.

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The pupils’ attitudes are very good and their behaviour is good. They enjoy school

29. Pupils willingly take on responsibilities and show initiative. There are many ways in which the school takes into account the views of the pupils, although the school does not have a pupil School Council.

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mainly because pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their ICT skills

30. Pupils are not achieving as well in information technology as they are in English, mathematics, science and other subjects of the curriculum. This is primarily because teachers do not give enough time to teaching new ICT skills directly and pupils are not given enough opportunities to use and develop their skills in a range of work in other subjects.

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mainly because pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their ICT skills

31. The school has adequate resources to teach information and communications technology well. These have only been in place since February 2000 because the school was later than many others were in receiving funding through the National Grid for Learning. Teachers are competent and confident. Funding through the New Opportunities Fund is being used this year to develop staff knowledge and skills, with a considerable portion being directed at developing the classroom support staff.

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mainly because pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their ICT skills

32. Discussions with pupils and examination of completed examples of work show that pupils are not as familiar and confident with as many aspects of ICT as many other pupils of their age in other schools are. Pupils have satisfactory keyboard and mouse skills and use computers for a range of tasks from reception to Year 6. They use the computer to complete a range of written tasks and sometimes use words and pictures together. However, there are not enough examples of pupils using different styles and colours and exploring other ways of displaying and arranging text and images. Year 6 produced a newspaper in one day in July 2000 and nine worked as editors. Whilst they completed the set task well their use of ICT techniques was no more than basic word-processing. For example, they did not use cut and paste techniques on the computer to assemble their articles. These techniques were used when pupils designed

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mainly because pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their ICT skills

Willaston CofE Primary School - 13 packaging for toothpaste. Similarly, there are not enough examples of pupils using the Internet and CD-ROM for research and very few examples of pupils using computer programmes to analyse mathematical data and present it in different tables and graphs. There are no examples of older pupils using instructions to control devices or learning about the use of sensors to monitor and measure events.

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mainly because pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their ICT skills

33. The school has an appropriate action plan to develop its provision in ICT and the subject co- ordinator and other senior staff recognise the need to raise standards and make better use of the resources. Willaston CofE Primary School - 14

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

34. The governors, headteacher and staff should now:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i. raise standards in information and communications technology by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(a) providing more opportunities for all pupils in all areas of the National Curriculum programmes of study;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(b) stating more clearly how and when pupils will learn ICT in teachers' planning and class timetables;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(c) implementing the developments as detailed in the school's subject action plan.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paragraphs 30 – 33) Willaston CofE Primary School - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 20

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 220

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 23

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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 1

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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 7

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 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. Willaston CofE Primary School - 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 19 6 25

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 19 19 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 6 6 6

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 100 (97) 100 (90) 100 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 19 19 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 6 6 6

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 100 (93) 100 (97) 100 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 18 18 36

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 17 16 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 18 18 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 97 (85) 94 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (71) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 17 17 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 18 18 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 97 (88) 97 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Willaston CofE Primary School - 17

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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 2 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) 9.7 Financial year 1999

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.7

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 389030

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 3 Expenditure per pupil 1730

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 84 Balance brought forward from previous year 21690

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 34646 Willaston CofE Primary School - 18

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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. 58 31 3 3 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 53 42 1 2 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 31 49 13 1 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 41 41 10 3 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 66 31 2 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. 66 30 2 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 50 36 8 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 67 30 0 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 53 38 2 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 45 42 6 1 7

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Other issues raised by parents

Two parents expressed concerns about the quality of school dinners. Inspectors are not able to comment on this matter.

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