Wolvey CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Wolvey CofE Primary School

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125677 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire LEA 281978 Inspection number 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Inspection dates John Lilly RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Bulkington Road School address Junior Type of school Hinckley Voluntary controlled School category Leicestershire LE10 3LA 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01455 220279 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01455 221708 Fax number 185 Number on roll Mr Douglas Tribe Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Richard Moore Headteacher 29 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281978 2 November 2005 - 4 to 11 3 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Wolvey is a slightly smaller than average Church of England primary school. It serves a wide rural area. Twenty per cent of the children are from local communities of travelling people. Many of these families run successful businesses that require the family to be away from the area for long periods. A significant number of other children come from a military establishment and, of these, many are from Nepal, often joining the school with little English. Therefore, although most children come from homes that are broadly average in terms of social or economic background, there is very high mobility with children leaving or joining the school as an almost daily occurrence. Since the last inspection there have been four headteachers. An annex for some of the infant children in a local village moved onto the main site. Both of these circumstances caused much anxiety amongst staff and parents. The current headteacher and deputy

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Description of the school

headteacher took up post September 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 2

Wolvey is a good school. Despite considerable turbulence over recent years, it is a better school than at the time of the last inspection and offers good value for money. Between the last and the current inspection, standards and performance dropped to a concerning level, but there is now a very strong improving trend. The local education authority (LEA) has played an important part turning the school around. The improvement, however, is mainly within the last year and has become very much more rapid since September 2005. This is because rigorous self-evaluation now accurately identifies strengths to build upon and weaknesses to rectify. The inspection team agree with the school’s current self-evaluation. This very recent improvement comes mainly from the outstanding leadership of the headteacher, who is backed by a very effective and expert deputy headteacher, the staff as a whole and a perceptive and effective governing body. The governing body

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Grade: 2

was essential to getting the school through the problems of recent years. Teaching and learning are now good overall and the children make good progress. However, the greatest improvement is in literacy and numeracy and the school has rightly identified the need to extend this improvement to all subjects. Whilst provision in the reception class is satisfactory, the school has again rightly identified that children need to have an even better start to their schooling because many join the school with low attainment. Personal development is good within a caring and safe environment with strong values. Leadership and management are good overall and are making a significant and measurable difference to the performance of the school. Firm leadership has improved attendance significantly but further improvement is still needed. The school’s capacity for further improvement is high.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Work with parents and other agencies to improve further the children’s attendance. •Improve further teaching and learning, so that what is already good and often outstanding in literacy and numeracy extends to all subjects. •Improve provision at the Foundation Stage to create an even more secure basis for future learning.

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Grade: 2

When children start school in the reception class, few have the skills and knowledge that is typical of 4-year-olds, especially in the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. They receive good support and make satisfactory headway across all the main areas of learning during this first year. In the national tests in recent years, children in Year 2 have not done as well as many children of their age. This is mainly because they have a lot of ground to make up, starting with low and sometimes very low skills when they join the school. In 2005, results improved in writing, though reading slipped back in comparison with the year 2 Inspection Report: Wolvey CofE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 before. This year, children in Years 1 and 2 are making good progress. The standards are improving, particularly in mathematics, but remain below average overall. Pupils in Year 2 are likely to do better in their national tests in 2006 because of their current

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Grade: 2

good progress. In 2004, the older pupils did not make as much progress between Years 3 and 6 as they should have done in English, mathematics and science and standards were below average. However, children are now making good progress between Years 3 and 6 and standards are close to average. Children from all the groups represented within the school make good progress. The school uses tests and assessments to set challenging targets and to pinpoint which children need extra attention and support. These strategies are working well and are making a measurable difference to how well the children learn.

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Grade: 2

When children join the reception class and often when they join in the other years, they have low personal and social skills. However, by Year 6, they show a confident maturity and most are reflective and determined young people, even when they have joined the school fairly recently. They are balanced young people with strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural sides to their personalities. Behaviour, relationships and the pupils’ attitudes to their work and towards others are good throughout the school. Children feel safe and learn how to keep themselves safe. They consciously consider how to lead healthy lives and understand how to play their part in their learning and the life of the school. They have a realistic and practical view of the responsibilities of life as a whole and understand how what they learn at school will contribute to their success throughout life. The link between enjoying school and achieving well is

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Grade: 2

secure. All the above contributes greatly to the pupils’ learning. As one pupil said, ‘I enjoy school because my teacher helps me. She gives me tips that help me sort things out and then I feel I can really try and sort it out myself.’ Attendance still remains a concern and figures overall were well below average. To a great extent, non-attendance at school is beyond the control of the school because of the way of life of travelling people. These children’s education is very interrupted, despite the best efforts of the school and the highly professional management of the LEA support service. Their attendance when living locally is good. Even when the figures for these children are taken into account, the attendance of the other children was below average. The school knew this and promoted good attendance with planned initiatives and determination, supported by the outstanding work of the school’s attendance officer. This considerable effort is beginning to show results, for example,

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Grade: 2

almost a third of pupils have 100% attendance since September and pupils whose attendance was unsatisfactory is much improved. There is, however, still work to do to change the perception of some families that good attendance is not essential. 3 Inspection Report: Wolvey CofE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The teaching is good and consequently the quality of learning is good. There has been significant recent improvement, as well as improvement since the last inspection. The leadership of the school has made crystal clear what you would see in an effective lesson and ensures that this is what happens. These high expectations are supported by lesson observations and training. Teaching is often outstanding, particularly in literacy and numeracy. The features of outstanding teaching include: teachers plan very carefully with clear and challenging objectives; the work matches the needs of each level of ability; teachers have high expectations of children; teachers give children very clear advice on how to improve their work; they track children’s progress and act immediately if it slows. Children learn well because they know what they need to achieve and how. They know they are responsible for their own success, show initiative and independence. They

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Grade: 2

collaborate well with other children and adults, and talk problems through until they find a solution. In the very successful lessons, the adults and children are partners in learning and there is a ‘buzz’ of excitement. When learning is only satisfactory, teachers do not plan as effectively in other subjects as they do for literacy and numeracy. Consequently, the children’s progress slows considerably, especially that of more able pupils.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and covers all the subjects that it should. It is balanced, broad and relevant. There are satisfactory opportunities for pupils to participate in activities outside lessons, including a range of lunchtime clubs. There are fewer opportunities for pupils to take part in musical activities because there is limited expertise amongst the staff. The school encourages children to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.

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Grade: 2

Currently, the school does not have a coordinator for support for children with learning difficulties and disabilities, although an experienced coordinator has been recruited for January 2006. Even so, the school has identified these children and acted upon advice from the LEA and consequently these children are well supported. The support for children from travelling families is very good, benefiting from outstanding work by the LEA’s specialist service. Support for children learning English as an additional language is very good, although the school rightly feel that the skilled language assistant would benefit from more guidance from the LEA’s specialist language service. 4 Inspection Report: Wolvey CofE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Child Protection procedures are appropriate and effective. Health and safety procedures ensure the school provides a safe and healthy environment, although the school could

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Grade: 2

usefully make these procedures more systematic. Good attendance is effectively promoted and children are given precise and helpful advice on how to improve their work, especially in literacy and numeracy. The significant strength of the school is the way teachers and skilled teaching assistants involve the children in both improving their school, and also in understanding what they need to achieve in their work and how. All the above motivates children and helps them do their best. ‘I feel teachers really care about me.’

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Grade: 2

The leadership of the new headteacher is outstanding and the management of the school as a whole is good. Working with positive support from the LEA building upon the school’s previous improvements, the new headteacher and deputy headteacher have already made a significant improvement in the school’s performance. The improvements are tangible and the benefits measurable. Morale is now high amongst staff and they are now working with a shared sense of purpose, direction and determined commitment to raising standards in learning and teaching. Staff now feel their strengths are recognised and that improvement is a shared activity. Management is effective because it is very focused on raising standards. As a result, pupils are making much better progress for example, in reading. The pupils are keen to learn and take pride in what they now achieve. Parents and children comment on these improvements and have a growing pride in their school; they feel that they are involved

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Grade: 2

in improving their school. The school community as a whole now evaluates its own performance with rigour and honesty, seeing this as the best way to spot what needs improvement and to find ways to achieve it. A well led governing body works very effectively to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the school and provide strong yet firm support. There is strong partnership between managers within the school and also with outside partners who are supporting their work. All the above has built upon what had already been achieved before September 2005 with new energy. Good leadership is rapidly reversing a period of decline in standards, and improvement in performance is now rapid. There is a good capacity to improve further. Above all, the school recognises that although it has made a very good start, there is still much to do. 5 Inspection Report: Wolvey CofE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 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: Wolvey CofE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 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 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 4 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 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 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

Wolvey Church of England Primary School Bulkington Road Wolvey Leicester Leicestershire LE10 3LA 4 November 2005 Dear Children Thank you for being so welcoming and helpful when we came to inspect your school. We enjoyed the two days we spent with you very much. These are the things we liked most about your school: •Your school is a good school and your headteacher leads it very well. •You behave well and care about each other. •You are becoming mature and thoughtful young people. •You work hard and are learning a lot – well done!. •Your teachers and assistants help you to learn and do your best. •Adults look after you very well and you feel safe and cared for. •You are playing your part in making it an even better school. These are the things we think would make it at even better school: •Some children need to attend school more regularly to help them learn even better. •We have asked teachers to plan lessons in all subjects as well as they do in literacy and numeracy. •We

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

think the children could make even better progress in the reception class. They need to make very good progress because many join the reception class with a great deal to learn. We spoke with many of you and met the school council. You told us that you felt that in your school every child mattered and that you felt very safe and cared for. You said your work was much better this term. Even so, you wanted more things to do and more equipment at playtimes. The inspectors and your headteacher agree. Yours sincerely John Lilly Lead Inspector

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