Wilberlee Junior and Infant School

Inspection Report Wilberlee Junior and Infant School

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107648 Unique Reference Number Kirklees LEA 277796 Inspection number 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr Terry McDermott 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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Heys Lane School address Primary Type of school Wilberlee Community School category Slaithwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5UX 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01484 222 588 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01484 222 596 Fax number 83 Number on roll Mr A Bowers Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr R Bottom Headteacher 22 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277796 13 March 2006 - 4 to 11 14 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 additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Wilberlee is a smaller than average school serving a mixed, village community. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is average. The portion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average and all pupils speak English as their first language. The portion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is also below average; no pupils have a statement of special educational needs. Very few pupils join or leave the school other than at the usual time.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wilberlee Junior and Infant School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Wilberlee is a satisfactory school, providing satisfactory value for money. Provision and achievement in the Foundation Stage is good, and pupils are prepared well for their move into Year 1. Pupils continue to achieve well in Key Stage 1 and reach above average standards. Standards are more mixed at Key Stage 2, and achievement for pupils of this age is satisfactory. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teachers are dedicated but do not always provide enough challenge for pupils and pupils do not receive enough guidance on how to improve their work. Care for pupils is good and as a result they develop well personally, feel safe and enjoy school. There is good support from the parents for the work of the school; they strongly appreciate the way the school looks after their children. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school is accurate in its self-evaluation. Evaluation and monitoring

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Grade: 3

takes place although it is not yet thorough enough. Governors meet their statutory responsibilities, but their involvement in monitoring achievement and standards is at an early stage of development. Improvement overall since the last inspection has not been adequate, but the issues causing the deterioration have been addressed, and the school now has the capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

Raise standards and improve achievement by: • improving the quality of teaching and learning by giving pupils more opportunities for writing in all subjects and for scientific investigations, and ensuring that tasks are better matched to pupils' needs • involving pupils more in their own learning through setting personal targets and improving marking to let them know what they need to do to improve their work • improving leadership and management by ensuring that teaching and the progress made by pupils are more thoroughly monitored.

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Grade: 3

The school accurately judges overall standards as broadly average, and pupils' achievement as satisfactory. However there is a difference between different parts of the school. Pupils make good progress in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, but the progress of pupils in Key Stage 2 is satisfactory. Different groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make similar progress to their peers in the three parts of the school. When pupils start school, their standards are generally in line with those expected for their age. By the end of the Foundation Stage, pupils meet the goals set for pupils of that age and make good progress across all areas of learning. At Key Stage 1 standards are above average, and pupils are making good progress in developing their reading, writing and mathematical skills. The 2005 teacher assessments were above average. 2 Inspection Report: Wilberlee Junior and Infant School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006

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Grade: 3

In the Key Stage 2 tests in 2005, results were above average in mathematics, indicating good achievement. Results were average in English and below average in science. Achievement in both subjects was inadequate. This inconsistent progress meant that many pupils did not reach their full potential. The school has accurately identified the cause of this as some ineffective teaching, weaknesses in the curriculum and some leadership and management deficiencies. It has implemented a number of changes to address these issues. These are beginning to have a positive impact and pupils are now making satisfactory progress overall, although the full effect of these strategies has yet to be seen in improved results. The school now sets well founded and appropriately challenging targets, and is on course to meet them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They enjoy school, saying 'I like lessons' and 'I like helping the younger ones to learn a bit more'. Independence is promoted throughout with younger children making informed choices in lessons, and older children taking on particular responsibilities such as buddies to younger children in and around school. Pupils' attitudes to their work are good. They behave well most of the time and respect each other. Pupils say that bullying occurs, but add that they feel safe in school because when it does occur, the school deals with it quickly and effectively. Pupils are very active in physical education lessons, and in games and sports, and they avidly consume the healthy diet provided by the school. Attendance is good. Pupils' spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is good. They spontaneously celebrate the achievements of others, and they share their feelings and views openly.

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Grade: 2

The quietly Christian values which the school espouses encourage pupils to reflect thoughtfully. The school council is an active body and children appreciate being able to express their opinions and offer suggestions to make improvements, for instance in the changed and varied diet the school now offers at lunchtimes. There are opportunities to learn about other cultures and beliefs. Pupils show a keen concern for others, and are active in supporting exceptional causes, such as the Tsunami appeal, and other local good causes.

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Grade: 3

The school accurately evaluates the quality of teaching and learning as satisfactory for pupils of all ages. Some is better. In these lessons, teachers plan a variety of interesting and challenging activities to meet the needs of all pupils. They adopt a lively approach that maintains a good pace and makes pupils think. These features were evident in an outstanding science lesson. Each age group was fully occupied, with work completely matched to their needs, using drawings, small phrases or full 3 Inspection Report: Wilberlee Junior and Infant School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006 sentences to describe the criteria which might be used to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy plants. Where lessons are not this good, the pace is slow, challenge is insufficient, and some low level disruption interferes with learning. Some older pupils commented to inspectors that this 'misbehaviour' is uncorrected by teachers. Pupils

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Grade: 3

with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 receive good help from teaching assistants and teachers but the needs of those in Key Stage 2 are less well met. Teachers are beginning to make effective use of assessments but, overall, the information from them does not have sufficient detail for setting specific targets for improvement for individual pupils. Work is marked regularly but, although teachers celebrate pupils' achievement, they do not give them enough information on what they need to do to learn more and to get better.

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Grade: 3

The school judges its curriculum to be good. However, although it is good for pupils in Reception and Key Stage 1, it is only satisfactory in Key Stage 2. The curriculum in general is sufficiently broad, though opportunities for pupils to express themselves through extended and descriptive writing are only now beginning to be expanded across all subjects and year groups in Key Stage 2. The curriculum for science lacks opportunities for investigative work. There is a growing range of activities that enrich the curriculum both in and outside lessons, and which make a good contribution to children's personal development. For example pupils in Years 2 to 6 are learning Spanish. Residential experiences, visitors to the school and community links are also helping to promote children's understanding of the wider world and preparing them effectively for the future. The school places good emphasis on teaching children about

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Grade: 3

safe habits and healthy lifestyles. One small child advised an inspector to 'mind your fingers in that door'.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils are good overall. Parents think they are too, one saying that '.our little school is at the heart of the local community and gives our children the very best start in their all round development'. There are good procedures in place for supporting pupils when they join school and pupils' self confidence is developed well. The arrangements for child protection are up to date and health and safety issues are well addressed. Strong links with support agencies and other schools, and the knowledge staff have of individual pupils enhances their personal care. However, the academic support teachers give to pupils is not as well founded. Pupils often have targets to work towards, but these targets are not yet linked to levels of work in many subject areas. Assessment data is insufficiently detailed to keep an accurate track of how well pupils are doing. 4 Inspection Report: Wilberlee Junior and Infant School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006

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Grade: 3

The school accurately judges leadership and management to be satisfactory. Reasons for the school's decline since the last inspection have been accurately identified, and deficiencies are being effectively tackled. All staff work hard to provide a caring and nurturing environment for learning, and in this they are successful. The school has a calm and purposeful atmosphere. The school now has a clear view of its strengths and the areas requiring improvement. Well founded strategies for development are now in place and the school is beginning to recover. The full measure of their effectiveness is yet to be seen. The school's self-evaluation is now sound. The monitoring of teaching by senior managers, the lack of which was partly responsible for the deterioration in the school's effectiveness, is now more frequent, although it requires more rigour. The role of subject leaders in monitoring teaching is not clear. However, subject leaders

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Grade: 3

are now modelling best teaching practice to their peers. Managers at all levels know pupils well as individuals, but slackness in tracking their progress has resulted in a lack of attention to detail not enough use has been made of the information collected to improve pupils' achievement. Governors meet their statutory obligations in areas such as finance and health and safety. In areas where they are confident, they play an effective part. They are not yet sufficiently involved in strategic planning and monitoring the effectiveness of the school. However, the positive impact of recent improvements in leadership and management demonstrate the school's capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Wilberlee Junior and Infant School, 13 March 2006 to 14 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. 6 Inspection Report: Wilberlee Junior and Infant School, 13 March 2006 to 14 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 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 2 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 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 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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 looking after me when I visited your school recently. I appreciated the welcome you gave me and the time many of you gave to talk with me, to let me know your views. You are obviously very proud of your school. These are the main findings from the inspection. - Wilberlee is a very friendly school. You told me that the adults in school look after you and keep you safe. I found that the school really wants you to stay healthy and is doing all it can to help you to achieve healthy lifestyles in what you eat, and how you exercise. - Your behaviour is good, though sometimes you don't listen closely enough to what others are saying. I think that you look after each other really well, respect the adults who help you, and also look after your environment. - I asked your parents and carers for their views of your school. They nearly all said how much they value the work that all the staff do for you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

- You told me you like lessons better when they are more exciting and interesting. I think that some lessons are like this, but not all of them. - I think that you work hard, and make satisfactory progress, but I also think that the teachers could help you to do even better. So I have asked your headteacher to really make sure that all the teachers challenge you to work extra hard, in English and science especially, just like they do in mathematics. This means no more gentle, easy lessons! But it also means that you will get better grades in your tests. - I have also asked the school to let you know in more detail how well you are making progress, by setting more regular little targets, and by telling you in writing what you need to do to get better when your work is marked. Thank you once again for helping me during the inspection. Please keep working hard and doing your best, and good luck to you all for the future.

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