Waddington Redwood Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 15 Dec 2005

Inspection Report Waddington Redwood Primary School

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120395 Unique Reference Number LINCOLNSHIRE LEA LEA 280802 Inspection number 14 December 2005 to 15 December 2005 Inspection dates Mr. John Brennan LI Reporting inspector

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

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Redwood Drive School address Primary Type of school LN5 9BN Community School category 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 01522721156 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01522723672 Fax number 280 Number on roll Mrs.Mavis Smales Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Nick Redfern Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280802 14 December 2005 - 5 to 11 15 December 2005 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

This larger than average primary school draws pupils from the village of Waddington, the wider south Lincolnshire area and from a nearby RAF base. This makes for a mixed socio-economic intake. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is low. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and other needs is about average. The proportion of pupils either leaving or joining the school part way through the year is above average. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. In addition, there is a very small number of Chinese and Indian pupils. None is at the early stages of learning English. Pupils start Reception with skills and abilities that are a little below those found nationally. In the last four years there have been significant changes in staffing and management, especially in Years 1 and 2.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Waddington Redwood Primary School, 14 December 2005 to 15 December 2005

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Grade: 2

A parent said she was 'Always impressed with everything in general with the school; staff, teaching, discipline, and children's happiness.' She has got it right. This is a good school, a view the school rightly has of itself. The quality of teaching is good and pupils progress well. Their education gets off to a flying start in Reception. Almost all children reach expected goals and a significant number go beyond this. In the past, the school has had trouble maintaining impetus through Years 1 and 2. Standards are broadly average but they are now improving well. However, higher attaining pupils are capable of achieving more in writing. Pupils progress well through Years 3 to 6 and standards are above average. Pupils who have learning difficulties and other needs progress well. The school provides very well for several individuals who have complex needs. Pupils behave well and enjoy school. This is because much of their learning is

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Grade: 2

fun and because there are plenty of clubs for pupils to join and visits and visitors to enliven school. The school helps pupils learn a lot about health matters. The work of the school council is outstanding, giving pupils a big say in how the school operates. The headteacher pays careful attention to developing leadership qualities in other staff, including governors. However, the school could do more to check up on the quality of teaching and learning. The school gives good value for money and its track record of success means that it is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Ensure that writing tasks make greater demands on higher attaining pupils in Years 1 and 2. - Ensure the monitoring of teaching and learning has a greater sense of purpose in order to clearly identify specific areas for development and improvement.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are achieving well. Children in Reception achieve very well. Almost all reach the goals set for children of this age and a minority exceed them. Most pupils continue to achieve well through Years 1 and 2. Results in the national tests for 2005 were broadly average. They were a little above average in reading but, because higher attaining pupils were not progressing at a quick enough rate, average in writing and mathematics. However, settled staffing and decisive actions to address weaknesses mean that pupils are now progressing at a quicker rate. More able pupils are doing better in mathematics and standards are rising well. However, in writing, higher attaining pupils are still capable of more. Pupils meet challenging targets at the end of Year 6. Consequently, results have improved well over the past three years. Pupils make good progress, and in science, very good progress. Results in the 2005 national

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Grade: 2

tests were above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. Pupils with additional learning needs progress well, some reaching average standards at the end of Years 2 and 6. Several parents of pupils with complex needs wrote in praise of the school's efforts. A parent of one such pupil said, 'The school always gives 2 Inspection Report: Waddington Redwood Primary School, 14 December 2005 to 15 December 2005 110%' .This is the case. The high level of care and support shown to these pupils means that they do very well. The emphasis given to art can be seen in the good standard of art work attractively displayed.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. They enjoy coming to school and taking part in the many activities outside lessons. Attendance is above the national average. Pupils have good attitudes and behave well in lessons and around the school. Most try their best in lessons and work productively by themselves. This helps them acquire skills and attitudes to help them in the future. There is little bullying or harassment, but when they occur they are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Clear guidelines for governing behaviour help pupils develop a strong sense of right and wrong. There are good opportunities, for example through the very influential school council, for children to take responsibility for each other and their school. The school has forged links with the wider community, which enable pupils, through various fund raising events that

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Grade: 2

pupils help organise, to contribute to life outside school. Pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of multi cultural issues. Pupils' self-esteem is high because their efforts are acknowledged and celebrated. Many said they particularly like the public acclaim that Friday assemblies bring. Such occasions also aid pupils' spiritual development. The school gives high priority to promoting healthy lifestyles, which pupils understand well.

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Grade: 2

Warm relationships are a common facet of the good quality of teaching and learning. Classrooms are calm and productive places. The best teaching builds on this by setting interesting and practical tasks. This is commonly found in Reception, where staff are very skilled at using play to bring out learning. In the rest of the school there are many instances of work linking subjects together. Pupils say this makes learning fun. In Years 5 and 6 for example, as a prelude to writing imaginative personal accounts, pupils interviewed each other as eyewitnesses to the Battle of Stamford Bridge. However, although work is well matched to pupils' differing needs in English and mathematics lessons in Year 1 and 2, the use of too many worksheets in other subjects restricts writing. Teachers are skilled at phrasing lesson intentions in 'child-friendly' language and use lesson endings well to help pupils reflect on success. Their widespread and

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Grade: 2

successful use of interactive whiteboards helps them make the opening to lessons engaging. Teachers use their good knowledge of how well pupils are doing to set targets and, because they are referred to in lessons, pupils know them well; so much so that one Year 2 pupil politely enquired of his friend, 'How many complex sentences did you use?' However, everyday marking is variable and is less effective in giving 3 Inspection Report: Waddington Redwood Primary School, 14 December 2005 to 15 December 2005 pupils on-going advice. The skilled support staff work very successfully with teachers, especially to help pupils who have particular needs. Signing by both the teacher and support staff, for example, was extremely successful in helping a pupil with a hearing impairment join in a class discussion in Year 2.

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Grade: 2

The school provides pupils with a good curriculum. Reception children get off to a cracking start because they have many interesting and exciting things to do both inside and in the stimulating outside learning area. Visits to a Sikh temple, visitors, such as African drummers, and practical activities bring the curriculum to life. As a result, children's horizons are broadened considerably as they move through the school. The school also offers a wide range of after school and lunchtime clubs. As well as adding to pupils' enjoyment of learning, these rich experiences help to develop healthy lifestyles and foster good attitudes to school. By planning together, teachers ensure that learning builds well on children's earlier experiences and that links across subjects are identified. These work well for subjects, such as information and communication technology, but not enough consideration is given to this in writing in Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of pupils. Particular attention is given to promoting pupils' health. The school makes excellent use of visitors to promote healthy eating and home safety. The school council suggestion of a 'No chocolate' challenge was taken up by many. The school ensures that risk assessments are carefully adhered to and staff are vigilant of pupils' safety. Most, but not all staff, have a keen awareness of child protection issues but there is scope to ensure that knowledge is updated more frequently. The school has innovative and effective procedures for helping pupils with worries and for dealing with any rare incidents of bullying. The school took seriously a pupil's idea to set up a confidential e-mail 'worry line' for pupils with concerns to use. This is working well. Pupils say that they feel listened to. Teachers keep careful track of pupils' progress, a weakness in some subjects in the past, so that pupils are

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Grade: 2

provided with prompt and pertinent help. This includes pupils new to the school. They give great consideration to making sure that those pupils with the most complex needs, often physical and medical, play a full part in school life. In this safe and very supportive environment learners do well.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led. It has improved well against a backdrop of significant staff change; this is no mean feat. This is down to the effective leadership of the headteacher, who has systematically built a strong team spirit amongst staff and developed leadership qualities in others. The prominent school council draws pupils 4 Inspection Report: Waddington Redwood Primary School, 14 December 2005 to 15 December 2005 into acting as school improvements partners. Attendance by a governor at meetings adds to their impact. However, more could be done to seek the views of parents systematically. At present this is restricted to gathering views from parents as their children go to secondary school. Accurate assessment of performance helps give the school a good understanding of strengths and weaknesses, sets a clear agenda for the future and directs change. However, although checks are made on the quality of

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Grade: 2

teaching and learning, especially by governors and the headteacher, they are often general in nature. Where checks are carried out with a particular focus, as in seeing what difference the use of interactive whiteboards make to learning, impact on subsequent teaching is widespread and consistent. Often, however, monitoring gives only a broad picture of the quality of teaching and learning. It is not tightly aligned to key improvements and does not always follow up on messages gathered from previous monitoring. As a result, some inconsistencies, for example in marking, remain unnoticed. Monitoring is a strong feature of governors' work. They successfully balance support and challenge. The school's good track record of improvement and leadership that has both strength and depth give confidence that it can improve from here. 5 Inspection Report: Waddington Redwood Primary School, 14 December 2005 to 15 December 2005

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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: Waddington Redwood Primary School, 14 December 2005 to 15 December 2005

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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 NA 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 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 2 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 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 your help when we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed our visit because everyone was so helpful and friendly. We would like to share with you what we thought about your school. The headteacher and all the staff work really hard to make your school a good place to be. You go to a good school that is getting better all the time. The work you are set is interesting and makes you think. Children in Reception are really lucky to have such a brilliant play area to learn in. The school asks older children to write in interesting ways. We think that those children in Years 1 and 2 who are good at writing should also be able work in this way. You behave well and are helpful to each other. You told us how much you like getting your name read out in Friday assembly. Your staff show great concern for you. We saw that the school takes very good care of those of you who need special help. Many of you said that

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you could talk to staff about any concerns and worries you may have. You have got some really good ideas about how to make the school better. The school council is fantastic. Your idea about the 'worry line' was really clever and is working well. Your teachers know a lot about you and, with the help of all the support staff, give you all the help you need. Many of you know your targets but some of the marking could be more helpful. We could see a lot of nice things happening in your classrooms and we have asked teachers to pop into each other's rooms more often to see what is going on. Good luck in the future.

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