Whitefield Primary School

Inspection Report Whitefield Primary School

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104570 Unique Reference Number Liverpool LEA 277182 Inspection number 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 Inspection dates Mr Mike McLachlan CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Boundary Lane School address Primary Type of school Liverpool Community School category Merseyside L6 2HZ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0151 2635976 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0151 2608571 Fax number 272 Number on roll Mr David Hoare Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr David Winsland Headteacher 17 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277182 17 May 2006 - 3 to 11 18 May 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Whitefield is an above average sized primary school situated near the centre of Liverpool, in an area of very high deprivation. Overall, pupils start at the school with very low social and basic skills and very limited cultural experiences. The proportion of pupils in receipt of free school meals is well above the national average, as is the number of pupils with learning disabilities and/or disabilities. The number of pupils with English as an additional language or who are at an early stage of learning English is low. The school has gained the Healthy Schools award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Whitefield Primary School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school's view that this is a good school, but also judge it to have many outstanding features. It gives good value for money. Standards reached by the end of Year 6 are broadly in line with national averages. This represents good and often outstanding progress for pupils of all abilities, particularly in the junior years. Outstanding care and guidance, consistently good and sometimes better teaching and strong leadership result in pupils achieving well and reaching very high standards in their personal development. Pupils and parents speak highly of the school. Pupils enjoy learning, appreciate the good and varied curriculum and are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. Opportunities are taken to involve parents but these have not yet successfully tackled the lack of confidence or willingness that some have over supporting their children's learning. Limited space means there is no

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Grade: 2

dedicated parents' room to encourage and support parents' involvement. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Standards reached are below average but progress is good, given children's very low starting points. Excellent relationships enable them quickly to settle into school routines. There is insufficient outdoor equipment available for them to access fully the range of experiences expected at this stage. Good leadership effectively knows the strengths and areas for development although is occasionally modest in its judgements. The school clearly has the capacity and the desire to improve on what is already strong provision as shown by the good improvement since the last inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Create more opportunities to work with parents to develop their ability and sometimes their willingness to support their child's learning and improve the meeting facilities to support this work. • Provide more outdoor equipment to support physical and social development in the Foundation Stage.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress overall and it is often outstanding, particularly in the junior years. Pupils achieve well given their very low language, communication and mathematical skills when they start at school. Consequently, standards reached in the national tests in English, mathematics and science in Year 6 are in line with national averages. This is a direct result of strong leadership, consistently good or better teaching, pupils' impressive attitudes towards school and their enjoyment of learning. Good provision in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 and 2 enables pupils to catch up on many of the basic skills and cultural experiences they have missed before they start school. This gives the pupils the confidence and the enjoyment of learning needed to progress very well in the junior years. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are clearly understood by all teachers so that they make good and

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Whitefield Primary School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 often outstanding progress. The pupils who are at a very early stage in learning English make good progress because of the sensitive support they receive. The school sets and achieves challenging targets so that there has been a consistent improvement in standards and the school regularly is above the national average in terms of the value it adds to pupils' achievements.

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Grade: 1

Inspectors found pupils' personal development and well-being to be outstanding. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and say they feel safe. Attendance is satisfactory. Younger pupils have less than average attendance but this improves significantly in Years 5 and 6 as pupils take responsibility themselves for coming to school. Robust monitoring and good reward systems are significant factors in creating this positive attitude to school. Pupils are thoughtful and considerate of others, adopt safe, sensible practices and have a superb attitude to learning. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent. Pupils are very confident and courteous in talking to adults. They contribute well to school development through a very active school council, members of which occasionally attend governors' meetings to drive their issues. Pupils are very well aware of the need for a healthy lifestyle. Their social and moral development is

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Grade: 1

exemplary, as evidenced by their attitudes to each other both in and out of class. Spiritual development is good. Their cultural development is greatly enhanced by visitors and educational visits out of school. Residential trips help to develop basic life skills. Pupils make a good contribution to their wider community through their charity work and by supporting others younger than themselves.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. In some lessons, which focus on developing pupils' strategies for learning language and number skills, teaching is even better. The very positive atmosphere and relationships in lessons reflect pupils' enjoyment and success in learning. Pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities benefit from high quality specialist support as well as good teaching in lessons. Teachers and support staff have high expectations. They identify underachieving pupils from accurate assessments, then provide tailored support and intervention programmes. The commitment of all staff to work hard to capture pupils' interests and so engage them in their learning is a real strength. Detailed planning ensures that different aged pupils in the same class make equally good progress. Parents value the high quality of the teaching their children receive. Exemplary teaching

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Grade: 2

is characterised by highly stimulating, well focused activities where pupils make rapid progress as teachers use challenging questions and make links between subjects very well. In an outstanding Year 1/2 English lesson, pupils produced high quality descriptive sentences because the teacher developed their thinking skills as well as extended their 3 Inspection Report: Whitefield Primary School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 knowledge. Teaching is less effective, although never less than satisfactory, when the work set is less challenging, and when this is the case, some pupils find difficulty in sustaining concentration.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum that matches the needs of all pupils. Overall, the curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good, although there is insufficient large scale outdoor equipment to fully extend children's social and physical needs. All statutory requirements are met. There has been an effective whole-school drive on developing speaking and listening skills. The curriculum is enhanced by many visitors, educational visits, celebration assemblies and performances which involve the whole-school community. Pupils are given opportunities to learn French, a musical instrument or take part in many sports activities. Pupils' personal safety and citizenship education are developed effectively, with a strong emphasis on adopting healthy lifestyles. Pupils say lunches 'are great'. Good enrichment, such as residential experiences, and many out-of-school activities enhance pupils' personal development.

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Grade: 2

Pupils say they enjoy very much the activities provided for them. This motivates them to learn and raises their achievements.

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Grade: 1

The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support. Pupils feel very safe, valued and display a high level of trust and respect for staff. Child protection and health and safety requirements are given a high priority and pupils' progress is monitored well. Opportunities are taken to involve parents but these have not yet successfully tackled the lack of confidence or willingness that some have to support their children's learning. Due to limited space, there is no dedicated parents' room to encourage and support parents' involvement. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to work collaboratively and to take responsibility. Pupils' self-confidence and self-esteem are developed very successfully through praise and recognition of their work. Pupils are aware of their targets and know how to improve their work. Those most at risk or those with learning difficulties are very well supported through liaison

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Grade: 1

with external agencies, ensuring they make good progress. As a result, all pupils are extremely well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good with aspects that are outstanding, particularly the way the leadership works with external partners to drive improvements in the school. The senior management team has established a clear direction and ethos which places the personal and academic development of pupils, of all abilities and backgrounds, at the heart of all that it does. Their high expectations, together with 4 Inspection Report: Whitefield Primary School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 2006 very strong coordination of subjects and the care and guidance programmes, have removed the many barriers to learning experienced by pupils outside school. Through accurate, but sometimes modest, self-evaluation, leaders at all levels have clearly identified what is needed to improve standards and are keen and willing to take on new ideas. The school places great emphasis on the training and development of all staff and a strong feature is the way effective new approaches become quickly adopted

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Grade: 2

by all staff. Very good and challenging support provided by the local authority and strong links with other providers are helping to bring about these improvements. The views of parents and pupils are readily sought and acted on. Parents speak highly of the school and all it provides. The school has identified the need to strengthen its work with parents to promote greater involvement in their children's learning. Governors provide good support and challenge to the school. All relevant issues from the last inspection have been resolved and the school clearly has the capacity and the drive to bring about further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Whitefield Primary School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 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. 6 Inspection Report: Whitefield Primary School, 17 May 2006 to 18 May 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 1 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 3 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 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 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 1 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 1 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 the way in which you made us feel so welcomed when we were with you during your school's inspection. You were all delightful and a credit to yourselves, your families and your teachers. We think you go to a good school and that lots of what happens in your school is very good indeed. We were very impressed by they way you know about many things and become very grown up by the time you are ready to move to high school. We really like the way in which you were kind to each other and friendly and courteous to your teachers, support staff and other visitors. We think all the staff of your school work really hard to make lessons interesting and know what each of you needs to do to improve. What we really like is the way all the staff teach you how to learn and how hard you try in your work. We could see that you were excited by your lessons and all the other activities your teachers and other staff organise for you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We were very impressed by the way your staff look after you so you feel safe, secure and very self confident so you want to come to school. We think Mr Winsland and his team leaders know what is good in your school and work very hard to make your school better. We think it would help the children in the nursery if they had more outdoor equipment to use during lessons. We also think the staff should try and find even more ways of helping your mums and dads to help you. Thank you again for making our visit to your school so enjoyable. We could see why one of you said 'this school is boss'.

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