Wookey Primary School

123669 Unique Reference Number Somerset LEA 281533 Inspection number 30 November 2005 to 30 November 2005 Inspection dates Martin Kerly RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Wells Road School address Primary Type of school Wookey Community School category Wells, Somerset BA5 1LQ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01749 673650 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01749 670186 Fax number 65 Number on roll Mr Paul Henry Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Jim Reeve Headteacher 30 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281533 30 November 2005 - 4 to 11 30 November 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 a team of two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This small school has three mixed-age classes. Numbers fell in the period after the last inspection but have since increased to their former levels. All pupils come from White British families; together, they represent a very wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, including pockets of rural deprivation. Most live in the village of Wookey, and the surrounding area. A few come from the edge of Wells. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is close to the national average. There are two pupils with statements of special educational need.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wookey Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 30 November 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school and gives good value for money. It has a clear and accurate view of its many strengths and the few areas in need of improvement. The school has good systems for checking its performance. It has improved well since the last inspection and is securely placed to improve further. The good leadership by the headteacher, who works exceptionally hard, and the good teaching throughout the school are the main factors leading to pupils’ good academic progress and personal development. Parents are very pleased with all aspects of the school. Children in reception make good progress and pupils of all abilities in Years 1 to 6, achieve well. By the time they leave Year 6 their overall attainment is generally above the national average in English, mathematics and science. Pupils behave well and respond very positively to the interesting activities planned by their teachers and the wide range of stimulating experiences beyond the classroom. In reception,

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Grade: 2

insufficient use is made of the limited outdoor facilities. The comprehensive performance data, used to track the progress of individual pupils, is not totally coordinated or analysed fully to draw out trends and overall patterns from groups. The care, guidance and support of pupils is a high priority in the school. Most aspects are good and pupils feel well cared for. However, aspects of staff training and some procedures to ensure pupils’ well-being need strengthening.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Develop a co-ordinated system to track performance data of pupils from entry to the school in order to draw out trends and overall patterns from groups. •Make better use of the outside areas to extend the curriculum experiences of the children in reception. •Strengthen the procedures and staff training arrangements for aspects of pupils’ well-being.

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Grade: 2

With very low numbers on roll, the attainment of pupils varies considerably from year to year. Children entering the reception year have a particularly wide range of abilities with a significant proportion being below national expectations in personal, social and emotional development and language and literacy skills. They achieve well during the reception year. By the time they enter Year 1, most are close to, or above, national expectations in all aspects except language and literacy skills, which remain below for a substantial minority. Achievement in Years 1 to 6 is good overall. In writing, it is satisfactory and is continuing to improve from that previously reported. Most pupils in Year 6 are on course to meet their challenging targets. Results in national tests at the end of Years 2 and 6 show standards in recent years have been above the national average in reading, mathematics and science, and close to the national average in writing. Pupils of all

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Wookey Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 30 November 2005 abilities achieve well, particularly in Years 2 and 6. In the summer of 2005, almost all Year 6 pupils achieved their challenging targets which had been raised earlier in the year. Almost all pupils with learning difficulties and physical disabilities, including those with complex difficulties, achieve well as a result of consistently good support, attaining the minimum national expectations for their age. Many of the more able pupils attain high standards.

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Grade: 2

All aspects of pupils’ personal development are at least good and some are excellent. This view is endorsed unanimously by parents. Almost all pupils behave very well. Those few with behavioural difficulties learn to modify their behaviour well as a result of good support structures throughout the day. Pupils, including the very youngest in reception, show a strong sense of care and responsibility towards one another. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are all at least good. Pupils are exceptionally positive about their work in all subjects in class. They enjoy the many interesting activities outside the classroom, such as performing in the school play and working on the school pond. Their contribution to the smooth working of the school through such things as the buddy scheme, class monitors and school council is excellent, as is their participation in numerous sporting and cultural activities in the wider

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Grade: 2

community. Their attendance is good. Pupils are knowledgeable about health and fitness. They are keen to take part in physical and sporting activities and understand the importance of a healthy diet. The school has an award as a Health Promoting School. Its ‘walk to school’ programme won a county prize. The development of key skills needed in pupils’ next stage of education is good and is strengthened by the confidence gained from the ‘Building Learning Power’ project.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good throughout the school and consequently pupils of all abilities and ages learn well. All teachers successfully motivate and engage their pupils by planning interesting activities that motivate them to work hard. Most pupils are taught by the same teacher for two or three years and consequently are very well known by them. This helps the teachers plan work which is well matched to the different abilities of each group, and this they usually do well. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities learn well as a result of carefully planned individual programmes being implemented effectively by teachers and teaching assistants working well together. Teachers successfully manage those few individuals with challenging behaviour. Teachers use a good range of methods to check and assess their pupils’ progress and much of this is systematically recorded. Most work is marked well, with clear

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Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Wookey Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 30 November 2005 explanations about how pupils can improve. Pupils’ targets in English are clearly listed in the front of their work books to further promote progress. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) to support teaching and learning is now satisfactory, having improved since the last inspection, when it was a weakness.

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Grade: 2

The broad and rich curriculum inspires and motivates pupils. The curriculum for the reception children is planned carefully to link with that for the Year 1 pupils, with whom they share a classroom, whilst meeting their specific needs. However, insufficient use is made of the limited outdoor area to promote a wide range of experiences. All subjects of the National Curriculum are covered and teachers use two- and three-year rolling programmes effectively to avoid repeating or omitting a topic. Improvements from the previous inspection mean that pupils now use ICT effectively in their work in other subjects, such as science, mathematics and history. The school is successfully strengthening ways of promoting writing across other subjects. This is leading to improving standards and attitudes to writing by the pupils. The provision for personal, social and emotional development is a strength throughout. Vulnerable

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Grade: 2

pupils are supported well, giving them full access to all experiences. There is an extensive programme of visits and visitors to the school. Special events such as the ‘India Week’ and an extensive range of after-school clubs provide a rich range of experiences.

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Grade: 2

The school’s mission statement, ‘together we learn and grow’, embodies the commitment to care, guidance and support for all pupils and most elements of these are good. However, there are some which need strengthening related to staff training and safety procedures, for example, securing the access to the swimming pool. Pupils report feeling very safe and well cared for by all staff. The school works well with other partners to effectively support the most vulnerable pupils. All pupils are known extremely well by the staff team. Pupils know about their learning targets, particularly in English, helping to guide them further. These are shared with their parents through the home/school books. Child protection and health and safety policies are in place and generally understood. Risk assessments are conducted and there are good arrangements for providing first aid care. Governors are working effectively to improve

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Grade: 2

Good leadership and management successfully promote the good academic achievement and personal development of all pupils. The headteacher works extremely hard with great commitment and energy as a class teacher and leader. Together with the deputy 4 Inspection Report: Wookey Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 30 November 2005 head, who shares in the management roles, he maintains a commitment to continuous improvement and has high expectations of pupils and staff within a supportive framework. All members of staff share leadership roles in this small team and fulfil them well. This was recently recognised by the award of Investor in People status. The school has effective systems for checking its performance and regularly consults the pupils and their parents about this. Monitoring is rigorous and, as a result, improvements are made, for example, in pupils’ use of ICT, and in their writing skills.

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Grade: 2

The improvement planning process is good and the school is well placed to improve further. There is comprehensive performance data and this is used well to track the progress of individual pupils. However, data for the reception children is not fully coordinated and other data not always analysed in order to bring out the trends and overall patterns of groups. Governors are committed to the school. They provide good support and appropriate challenge. They regularly monitor the work of the school and contribute well to key decision making. 5 Inspection Report: Wookey Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 30 November 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: Wookey Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 30 November 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 3 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 1 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 1 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 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 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

Wookey Primary School Wells Road Wookey WELLS Somerset BA5 1LQ 2 December 2005 Dear Children As you probably remember, a team of two inspectors visited your school recently to find out how well the school is doing. Thank you for making us so very welcome. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to you and seeing some of your work. I am pleased to say that, for lots of reasons, we decided that Wookey Primary School is a good school and we know you agree with us. Here are some of the most important things that we found to be good: •You work hard and make good progress in your lessons. •You behave well and share important responsibilities around the school exceptionally well. •Your teachers plan really interesting lessons and arrange lots of extra activities and visits for you. •Your headteacher works very hard to make sure the school is a good place to be in for you and the staff. We have asked the governors, headteacher and staff to work together on these three things:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

•Develop the area outside Rowan class for the reception children to work in. •Check all the arrangements are in place to keep you safe. •Make sure all the information about your progress is collected together and used to help teachers decide about any changes they need to make. Thank you for helping us with the inspection. We hope that you carry on enjoying your learning and helping each other. Yours sincerely Martin Kerly Lead Inspector

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