Wellington Primary School

Wellington Primary School Inspection report

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102505 Unique Reference Number Hounslow Local Authority 286401 Inspection number 3 °4 July 2007 Inspection dates Olson Davis Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 444 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Susan Lewry Chair Mrs Deborah Norton Headteacher 4 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection Sutton Lane School address Hounslow TW3 4LB

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020 8570 6130 Telephone number 020 8572 8046 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 3 °4 July 2007 Inspection dates 286401 Inspection number .

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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 school is larger than average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is above average. Eight out of ten pupils are from minority ethnic groups, the largest being Indian, Pakistani and Black African. The school also has a small number of pupils from refugee families. Seven out of ten pupils have a language other than English as their first language. More pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities than usual. The proportion of pupils who join the school other than at the usual time is higher than in most schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good standard of education. Good provision for pupils' care, guidance and support contributes significantly to their good personal development and good achievement. The vast majority of parents are pleased with what the school offers. One parent wrote, 'The teachers are very friendly and helpful and I feel I can approach them for help and advice and due to this my child has achieved to a very high standard.' Central to the schools' success is the way it works hard to include all pupils. It responds successfully to the needs of pupils from a diverse range of backgrounds. Induction procedures are effective. As a result the needs of newly arrived pupils are quickly assessed allowing them to settle quickly and to get the support they need. Good partnerships with outside agencies and the local secondary schools enrich the curriculum and provide benefits for pupils' learning and well-being.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good and provides children with a good start to their education. Children experience a good balance of teacher directed activities and those they choose themselves within an attractive learning environment. Pupils achieve well as they progress through the school. This is the result of good teaching. Lessons are well planned and organised, with different activities designed to meet the varying needs of pupils in the class. A good curriculum is particularly successful in meeting the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those at the early stages of learning English. Pupils acquire a good understanding of how to keep healthy and to stay safe. They enjoy their lessons and participate enthusiastically in a range of activities out of school time. Standards are above average overall but attainment in mathematics is not as high as in English and science. The

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Grade: 2

school's strategic planning has already identified the need to improve pupils' problem solving skills in mathematics. The headteacher has created a new leadership team that provides clear vision and direction to the school with a clear focus on raising standards. There is a strong sense of purpose and teamwork in the school. Issues from the previous inspection have been successfully tackled and standards in English and science have improved. This demonstrates the school's good capacity to improve further. Subject leaders offer useful support and advice to colleagues throughout the school. However, they have limited opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching in their subject and to work alongside their colleagues. This limits their ability to provide help where it is most needed. Governors are effective. They are supportive and are increasingly involved in holding the school to account for standards achieved by pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Build on the current planning and action to raise achievement and standards in mathematics at the end of Year 6 so that they are in line with English and science. • Enable subject leaders to gain greater oversight of standards and provision in their areas of responsibility.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Standards have improved over a number of years despite a dip last year. Results from the national assessments this year show that standards are above average at the 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007 end of Year 6. However, there is room for improvement in mathematics. Pupils find it difficult to use their mathematical knowledge in the real life situations presented in national tests at the end of Year 6. Given their low skills when children start in the Nursery they make good progress in the Foundation Stage. Nonetheless, many do not achieve the levels expected for children of their age when they enter Year 1. As a result of good teaching in Years 1 and 2 pupils are working at levels which are close to the national average in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities receive well

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Grade: 2

focused support and achieve well. Pupils with English as an additional language also make good progress as a result of the effective additional support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Pupils say that 'Teachers really encourage us'. As a result they are enthusiastic, feel safe and are positive about their learning. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils feel valued and respond by showing respect for adults and for each other. As one child said, 'In this school every child counts.' Pupils are polite and friendly. Behaviour is good although some pupils can be distracted and off task in the less engaging lessons. Attendance is satisfactory. The vast majority of pupils recognise the importance of good attendance and punctuality because of the good systems and rewards that are in place. The school has Healthy School status, which has helped pupils to develop a good understanding of how to keep fit and healthy. They understand how to avoid risks both in school and in the world outside. They make a good contribution to their school community through a wide range of responsibilities

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Grade: 2

such as recycling monitors, environmental officers and reading buddies. They are 'recruited' through the school's 'Meaningful Work Programme' which encourages them to develop work place skills by writing an application, getting references and being interviewed. The school council represent the views of their classmates well. Pupils show their concern for others through raising money for charity. Pupils' good basic skills and good personal and social skills prepare them well for the next stage of their education and the world of work.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Relationships between pupils and teachers are very good. As a result pupils are enthusiastic learners and keen to participate in lessons. They particularly enjoy their learning when teachers provide opportunities for them to work in a practical way such as when doing investigations in science. Teachers provide interesting work for pupils that is usually well matched to their abilities. However, they sometimes miss opportunities to add extra challenge to pupils' work in mathematics. Teachers make good use of resources such as the interactive whiteboards to support pupils' thinking and stimulate their interest. They give clear explanations and encourage pupils to discuss their work in 'think, pair, share' sessions. Occasionally, teachers can talk too long in whole class sessions restricting the time available for pupils to apply their mathematics knowledge in solving problems. Skilled teaching assistants

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Grade: 2

work closely with teachers to provide good quality help for pupils with learning difficulties and for pupils at the early stages of learning English. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage curriculum provides children with well-planned experiences in all areas of learning. Older pupils benefit from a good balance of activities with a strong emphasis on achievement and enjoyment. There are good plans to strengthen links between subjects to make learning more meaningful and purposeful for pupils. Pupils use the good information and communication technology (ICT) resources effectively to support their work in other subjects. The school plans well for pupils' personal and social development. The curriculum has been successful in promoting good achievement in English and science but pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their mathematics knowledge in real problem solving contexts. Provision for gifted and talented pupils is well organised and contributes well to their good progress. An extensive range of visits, visitors and well-attended clubs adds significantly to

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Grade: 2

pupils' academic and personal development and to their enjoyment of school. Accommodation is much improved since the last inspection and is now good.

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Grade: 2

Good arrangements are in place to ensure pupils' health and safety. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and the care shown for pupils' personal development and well-being. Pupils feel safe at school and say of the adults, 'They really care for you.' Effective support is available for those pupils with English as an additional language and pupils with learning disabilities and or difficulties to enable them to make good progress. Effective intervention programmes are in place to address possible underachievement, particularly in English. The school makes good use of assessment data to follow pupils' progress and to set challenging targets that are easily understood by them. Teachers mark pupils' work regularly but guidance for pupils on how to improve is not always clear enough.

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Grade: 2

Good leadership and management are firmly based on effective school self-evaluation. Rigorous monitoring by school leaders leads to prompt and successful actions being taken to bring about improvements. As a result standards in English and science have improved significantly. The standards committee of the governing body oversees this process, signalling their effective involvement and their strong commitment to raising pupils' achievement. They ensure that the school fulfils its statutory responsibilities and act as a 'critical friend' to school leaders. Effective leadership in the Foundation Stage contributes to the good start made by the younger children. New appointments have led to changes in curriculum leadership. Subject leaders carry out their roles conscientiously. They monitor standards by examining pupils' work and assessments and give useful feedback to colleagues. However, they are not given enough opportunities to work

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Grade: 2

with teachers in their classes. This limits the effectiveness of the advice they can give to colleagues to help them raise standards. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Wellington Primary School,Hounslow,TW3 4LB Thank you for all your help when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and took careful note of what you and your parents had to say about the school. We were very impressed by your politeness and friendliness. Yours is a good school. Here are a few of the many good things about your school. • You are making good progress because your teachers are good at helping you to learn. • You enjoy your school because teachers are good at planning interesting things for you to do. • All of the adults in school look after you well so you feel safe. • Your headteacher, the staff and the school governors are clear about what needs to be improved and how to improve it. This means that your school should keep getting better. All of the adults in your school want it to be even better. To help them do this we have asked the school to do a couple of things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Help you to do better in mathematics by giving you more opportunities to apply your knowledge to solve problems. • Encourage teachers in charge of subjects to visit classrooms more often to see their subjects being taught. This will help them to check that things are going well in their subjects and that you are making good progress. We hope that you will continue to enjoy your school. We also hope that you will help your teachers as they work hard to make your school even better for you. Yours sincerely Olson DavisLead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Wellington Primary School, 3 °4 July 2007

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