Wood End Primary School

Inspection Report Wood End Junior and Infant School

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104322 Unique Reference Number Wolverhampton LEA 277130 Inspection number 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Watters HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Wood End Road School address Primary Type of school Wednesfield Foundation School category Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV11 1YQ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01902 558940 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01902 558941 Fax number 247 Number on roll Mr Victor Oakley Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Peter Prescott Headteacher 1 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277130 15 March 2006 - 3 to 11 15 March 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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

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

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other senior teachers, all teaching staff, the chair and vice chair of governors, the school council and representatives from the local authority. HMI also visited a number of lessons and undertook two joint lesson observations with the headteacher. During the day discussions took place with the children and other teachers.

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Description of the school

The school is situated in a mainly residential area of Wednesfield, which is close to the centre of Wolverhampton. The children come from a mix of privately owned and local authority homes. Most are of White British origin. Just under a fifth are from other ethnic groups with the majority of these being of Indian or Pakistani heritage. When the children enter the school their attainment is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wood End Junior and Infant School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 2

This is an extremely happy, caring and successful school. The children get a very good start in the Nursery and Reception class where they learn many new skills and have lots of interesting things to do. They go on to achieve well by the end of each key stage and respond well to challenging targets. They reach consistently good standards in national tests and overall make good progress. There is a strong focus on improvement, for example where some children have not achieved as well as they might in mathematics, and at the lower end of Key Stage 2, strategies have been put in place to accelerate their learning. The children’s personal development, their attitudes and behaviour are exemplary. They really enjoy coming to school and greatly appreciate the opportunity to take part in exciting activities, such as the residential visits in Years 2, 4 and 6 and the interesting work they are asked to do in lessons. It is no surprise

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Grade: 2

that the quality of teaching is good. The children know that the adults who work with them really care about them and want them to do their very best. Teachers, teaching assistants and all staff get on well and relationships are excellent. There is a good team spirit and common sense of purpose among adults and children. Parents are overwhelmingly positive. One parent said ‘I strongly believe that Wood End School has the perfect balance between academic and social learning’. Another parent also praised the school highly. They said ‘both my children have been really happy and enjoy learning…..this school has provided a solid platform for them to go on and be very confident people throughout secondary school.’ The headteacher’s caring, committed and effective leadership is reflected in the high expectations and aspirations he has for all children and staff. Under his dedicated guidance the children have achieved consistently well and teachers have benefited

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Grade: 2

from his emphasis on development and improvement. The deputy headteacher and other senior teachers make a positive contribution to raising standards and checking the quality of teaching. Assessment information is used to track the children’s progress although it is not always analysed systematically to measure the children’s achievements in relation to the quality of teaching. The governing body is well led by the chair and vice chair of governors who are strong advocates and supporters of the school. Wood End Primary is a school of which the community can be proud. The children are self-confident, open minded and well balanced members of society, keen to build on their successes in a safe and stimulating environment. HMI agrees with the school’s view of itself and its effectiveness. This is a good school with some exemplary features. It gives good value for money, has made good improvement since its last inspection

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Grade: 2

and clearly has the capacity to do even better. The headteacher and HMI agree that the school is well placed to build on its many successes and improve even further by: •Increasing the rate of progress for children at the lower end of Key Stage 2 and in mathematics, making sure that their work provides enough challenge and support •Establishing a more systematic analysis of assessment information to identify where rates of progress are better and less than expected; then targeting resources according to where improvements in teaching are most needed. 2 Inspection Report: Wood End Junior and Infant School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 2

The children do well in national tests and their results are consistently in line with or above national and local authority averages. Standards are good in English and in mathematics. Overall the children make good progress although this is better in reading and writing than in mathematics. The children’s strong achievements are shown in the good quality of work that they produce and their consistently good performance in tests.

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Grade: 1

This is an exemplary feature of the school’s work. The children are co-operative, extremely well behaved, good-humoured and excellent in conversation. Their attendance is good and they have a strong sense of social and moral responsibility. They enjoy coming to school knowing that they are safe, well looked after and have a real say in decisions that affect them in their work and play. They know the importance of healthy lifestyles. One of the school council members said: ‘we’re going to try and get more people to cycle and walk to school…and we get a good choice of healthy food at lunchtime.’ The children support local, national and global charities and the school has recently increased its already positive focus on involvement in the local community by creating a ‘care in the community award’. An emphasis on recycling schemes, the use of information and communication technology in everyday life and

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Grade: 1

the good teaching of key skills contribute to the excellent provision for the children’s future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Lessons are planned effectively and reflect teachers’ high expectations for the children to do their best. Teaching is never less than satisfactory and much of it is good. There is a strong team spirit, commitment to improvement and willingness to share expertise. Consequently people feel valued and motivated to do well and support each other. One of the school’s priorities is to increase even further the level of challenge for the higher attaining pupils. During the inspection helpful discussions took place between the headteacher, teachers and HMI about how this might be achieved, for example setting more sharply defined targets in lessons.

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Grade: 2

The range of work provided for the children is interesting and stimulating, and reflects a good quality curriculum. This is enhanced even further by the very popular residential 3 Inspection Report: Wood End Junior and Infant School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 and day visits and a good range of after school clubs. The children appreciate the many opportunities to benefit from specialist teaching, for example in dance, music, pottery, netball and football.

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Grade: 2

The breakfast and after school club reflect the school’s high level of care and its determination to work in partnership with parents. A number of children said they can talk to adults about their concerns knowing that their opinions and views would be valued. The school’s positive ethos, strong commitment to pastoral care and encouragement for all children to do their best has created an atmosphere where children feel confident to flourish and express themselves knowing that their efforts will be appreciated. The school is well placed to develop its current target setting procedures and share with children the specific steps that will help them do even better.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed by a committed team under the dedicated leadership of the headteacher, who has consistently proven his effectiveness over the years. Staff development and the opportunity for teachers new to the profession to learn their craft are strong features of the school’s work. One recently qualified teacher said: ‘I get lots of support and help and really trust the people who work with me.’ The headteacher and senior teachers carefully check teachers’ planning, observe lessons and identify areas for improvement. The school knows itself well and this is reflected in its improvement plan and helpful self-evaluation. Parents, governors, children and all staff are given opportunities to have a say in how well the school is doing and what it needs to do next to get even better. This is shown really well by the children’s version of the school’s aims which are reflected strongly in the life of the school. Some of

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Grade: 2

these are listed below. They provide a fitting reminder of why this is a good school with good and effective leadership. •For everyone to do their best at all times •To make sensible, safe choices •To recognise our responsibility to other people •Lots of different activities encourage us to keep on learning •We try hard to keep improving •Wood End helps us prepare for the future. 4 Inspection Report: Wood End Junior and Infant School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: Wood End Junior and Infant School, 15 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Overall

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

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming me to your school. I have really enjoyed talking with you and visiting some of your lessons. You are extremely friendly, cheerful, polite and very welcoming to visitors. I told Mr Prescott that you are some of the best behaved children that I have been lucky enough to meet, and I visit lots of schools! Thank you for sharing your work with me. I could see that you try hard to do your best and help each other. Well done! I think your school council does a very good job and works hard to improve things for you, like getting more games to use at playtimes, the friendship bench and raising money to set up the adventure play area. I am very pleased to tell you that you go to a really good school. In fact many of you told me that the school is great and that you appreciate all the exciting things you have a chance to do. I couldn’t agree more! I enjoyed talking to your teachers and it was good to see how well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

they and you got on together. Your teachers, the headteacher and all the other adults in school work very hard to make sure that you are safe and that you do well with your work. You have lots of fun in your lessons and really enjoy coming to school. I have asked Mr Prescott and the teachers to continue with all the good things that are happening in your school, to make sure that your targets are even more helpful, that you carry on doing really well and that some of you do even better. I’ll take away lots of good memories about how well you are doing and have really enjoyed being at your school. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly

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