Wolsey House Primary School

Inspection Report Wolsey House Primary School

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120039 Unique Reference Number Leicester City LEA 280716 Inspection number 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 Inspection dates Paul Edwards AI Reporting inspector

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

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Beaumont Leys Lane School address Primary Type of school Leicester Community School category Leicestershire LE4 2BB 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0116 2667566 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0116 2681463 Fax number 480 Number on roll Mr Nick Deakin Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Sue Barker Headteacher 5 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280716 25 January 2006 - 3 to 11 26 January 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

Wolsey House is a large primary school. When children enter the nursery class on a part time basis their skills and knowledge are limited and their language skills are particularly weak. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is broadly average. Just over 34 per cent of the pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. A significant proportion of these pupils are in the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is higher than average. The school has recently gained Healthy School and Active Mark Gold awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wolsey House Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006

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Grade: 3

The school judges itself to be satisfactory overall and inspection evidence endorses this view. The school is very welcoming and the pupils are well cared for. When children join the Nursery a high priority is given to supporting their personal and social development and this is successfully built on throughout the school. The Nursery and Reception classes provide children with a satisfactory education overall but few achieve the goals expected by the end of the Reception year. Teaching is satisfactory overall but it varies in quality through the school. As a result, pupils make sound progress but there is too much inconsistency in their achievements, particularly in reading and writing. In some year groups pupils do not do as well as they should because teachers do not always expect enough of them. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Whilst subject leaders and senior staff have determined where pupils are not doing as

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Grade: 3

well and have identified how the problem should be addressed, they are not yet effective in ensuring improvement. The school provides satisfactory value for money. It has shown the capacity to improve by raising achievement in Years 5 and 6, through particularly good teaching, and by accurately identifying future priorities.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Ensure that pupils make consistent progress, particularly in reading and writing, throughout the school by eradicating inconsistencies in teaching. •Ensure that pupils of all abilities are given work to do that meets their needs by raising expectations of what they are capable of achieving. •Improve the effectiveness of subject leaders and senior staff by ensuring a more rigorous approach to bringing about planned improvements.

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Grade: 3

The pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Children make good progress in the Nursery and satisfactory progress in the Reception classes. Despite this, by the time they enter Year 1, very few pupils achieve the goals expected for their age except in their personal and social development. In Years 1 to 4, the pupils’ achievement is satisfactory although some teachers do not provide sufficient challenge. Recent improvements in teaching in Years 3 and 4 have yet to impact on the pupils’ achievement. The pupils achieve well in Years 5 and 6 because of the strong teaching in these classes. By the end of Year 6, standards are broadly average in English but pupils achieve better in reading than they do in writing. In mathematics, standards are average. Challenging targets are set for pupils’ performance in national tests and last year these were almost achieved because of the good teaching at the top end of the school. The pupils from

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Grade: 3

minority ethnic groups make similar progress to their classmates. Those pupils who are at an early stage of learning English are provided with good support, enabling 2 Inspection Report: Wolsey House Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 them to make good progress in their acquisition of English and to take a full part in all learning activities. Early literacy and numeracy skills are taught well in the Nursery but these are not built on effectively and some pupils do not achieve as well as they should, particularly in Years 1 and 2. Consistently good teaching in Years 5 and 6 enhances the pupils’ progress in reading and writing, but while pupils make up some lost ground they still do not do as well as they should in English.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good because this area has a high priority in the school. The youngest children make a good start with their personal and social education and this is built on successfully. As well as enjoying coming to school, pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and cooperate well when working together. Behaviour is good because pupils understand the school’s expectations about taking responsibility for their own actions. Pupils’ contributions to the school council are good and increasingly effective. The school council has been very involved in planning improved opportunities for playtime games and activities. Pupils take good care of each other, have good relationships with adults, feel safe and learn well how to keep themselves secure. Although attendance has gradually improved over recent years, it is still below average. The procedures the school has put in place to improve attendance have had

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Grade: 2

some impact but efforts continue to ensure that all pupils attend regularly. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have good opportunities to learn about a range of faiths and cultures. The school’s efforts in achieving Healthy School and Active Mark Gold awards have been well worthwhile. Pupils now have a good understanding of the importance of eating healthy food and taking exercise. They are very active in supporting wider communities through projects like the world wide ‘Global Project’. They are compassionate and raise funds for charities. The satisfactory acquisition of basic skills and good personal development prepare pupils well for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Pupils get off to a good start in the nursery and benefit from consistently good teaching in Years 5 and 6. Throughout the school they enjoy lessons because they have good relationships with teachers and other adults. Staff pay close attention to the needs of pupils at the early stages of learning English and to those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Learning support assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Where learning is good, as in Years 5 and 6, teachers expect a lot of the pupils. Pupils have a clear understanding of the purpose of lessons and what they need to do next 3 Inspection Report: Wolsey House Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 to get better. Speaking and listening skills are effectively promoted through a range of strategies including ‘talk partners’. This also helps pupils to support each other in

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Grade: 3

their learning. Where teaching is not as strong, in the reception classes and Years 1 and 2, the pace of lessons is slow and teachers’ expectations are too low. As a result, pupils of all abilities are not sufficiently challenged and the rate of learning is slow. Tasks are unimaginative or lack challenge and often rely too heavily on undemanding worksheets. This reduces the opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills independently and is a factor in their not achieving as well as they should in English. Teaching is improving in Years 3 and 4 but there is still work to be done to ensure all pupils are challenged sufficiently in these year groups. Marking is satisfactory but is not always specific enough. The best marking ensures that pupils know what they need to do next to get better. However, this is not consistent through the school and in some year groups marking is too generalised to be helpful.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum. Pupils regularly use their reading, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills in other subjects but there are insufficient opportunities to practise writing skills. Investigative work in science is planned throughout the school. However, opportunities for pupils to plan their own experiments are limited. The outdoor environment for nursery and reception children is under used. This means that opportunities are missed to develop children’s language and numeracy skills. A wide range of extra curricular activities contributes effectively to pupils’ learning and personal and social development. These are well attended and enjoyed by the pupils. The school has identified its gifted and talented pupils and provides extension work for them in after school clubs, but not enough attention is paid to this group of pupils in some lessons. Visitors and visits, such as the residential weekend for older

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Grade: 3

pupils and those to different places of worship, also satisfactorily contribute to pupils’ learning.

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Grade: 3

Care and guidance are satisfactory overall and there are some strong features in this area. Because pastoral care and support are good, pupils feel they are looked after well and parents agree. Procedures for promoting healthy eating and exercise and safety arrangements are good. Child protection and welfare procedures are thorough and staff are well trained. Proper arrangements are in place for Internet security and for vetting adults who work with pupils. Academic guidance, although satisfactory, is not as good as other aspects. The school tracks and analyses the progress of all ethnic groups and provides extra support for 4 Inspection Report: Wolsey House Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 2006 pupils in the early stages of learning English. However, the information on pupils’ progress is not analysed rigorously to pick up on the achievement in different year groups. Pupils are not always sufficiently well aware of how they can improve their

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Grade: 3

work. Pupils with learning difficulties are supported well. The school works satisfactorily with parents and other agencies to ensure that these learners make satisfactory progress. Expectations of behaviour are made very clear and the school monitors the frequency of inappropriate behaviour well, including racially motivated incidents. Members of staff treat pupils with respect and gain their full trust. The school makes good arrangements with outside agencies to support vulnerable pupils.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher has correctly identified the school’s strengths and weaknesses. There are systems in place to ensure the school continues to improve but more needs to be done to eradicate the inconsistencies in pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. Whilst subject leaders have identified pockets of underachievement, these have not been tackled through rigorous action. Parents are consulted regularly and the data from questionnaires is effectively used to address issues of concern. Pupils express their views through the school council and these are noted and taken seriously. The school has only recently been able to acquire a full complement of governors and many are new to their role. They fulfil their statutory duties but are not yet having sufficient impact on the strategic development of the school. The school is beginning to make better use of its assessment information. There are

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Grade: 3

good examples of where it is being used effectively to raise standards, for example by teachers in the nursery and Years 5 and 6. However, the school recognises the need to be more rigorous in ensuring teachers in all year groups use the information more effectively to challenge pupils sufficiently. 5 Inspection Report: Wolsey House Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 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: Wolsey House Primary School, 25 January 2006 to 26 January 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 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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

Dear Pupils Thank you very much for the warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We think that your school is a friendly and happy place and we particularly liked these things •You enjoy coming to school and being with your friends. •You try hard and listen to your teachers. •You behave well and are very friendly and kind to each other. •You like to take responsibility when you are given the opportunity. •The adults work hard to keep you safe and healthy. These are the things we have suggested those in charge of the school do to improve things •Make sure you all do as well as you can in your reading and writing by the time you leave school. •Make sure that all teachers give you work to do that is helpful and meets your needs and capabilities. •Develop the ways in which the teachers are helped to improve their work. We are glad that you enjoy school and wish you all the best for the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you again for helping us with our work. Yours faithfully Paul Edwards Lead Inspector

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