William Murdoch Primary School

Inspection Report Wilkes Green Junior School

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103317 Unique Reference Number Birmingham Local Authority 286629 Inspection number 6 December 2006 Inspection date Martin Kerly 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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Antrobus Road School address Junior Type of school Birmingham Community School category B21 9NT 7 °11 Age range of pupils 0121 5540999 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 5546332 Fax number 349 Number on roll (school) D Raj Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Avtar Singh Mangat Headteacher 4 March 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 286629 6 December 2006 7 °11 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than average. The pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds but with a substantial minority from families experiencing some socio-economic disadvantage. Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic groups, with no one group being in the majority. The proportion qualifying for free school meals is more than twice the national average. More than half the pupils have a home language other than English but on entry to the school only a very small minority are at an early stage of acquiring English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and physical disabilities is similar to that found nationally.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. It provides very well for its pupils, who achieve well because expectations of them are high and they are well taught. This view is endorsed by almost all parents. The headteacher has exceptionally high expectations for pupils in relation to their personal development and their academic progress. The outstanding clarity of his vision and his very strong leadership motivate staff and pupils. Pupils' behaviour is excellent in lessons and as they move around the school. They have an exceptional understanding of their moral responsibilities. The staff teams work well together. Through their good care, guidance and support, pupils develop well both personally and academically. The excellent support provided for specific pupils with complex needs enables them to progress very well. Pupils' attainment is broadly in line with the national average on entry to the

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Grade: 2

school. Achievement is good and pupils progress well so that by the end of Year 6, standards are usually above the national average, although standards in mathematics recently dipped to below average. Teaching is good and teachers plan effectively together in their year-group teams to ensure work is matched to pupils' needs. The curriculum is good and the high priority the school places on English strongly enhances pupils' learning. Similarly, the good links made between different subjects and very effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) significantly boost learning. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher's clear vision, commitment and determination to provide a high quality environment ensure the school is successful and sustains its good reputation. One of many similar comments received by the inspector from parents was, 'I decided to send my daughter to Wilkes Green Junior

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Grade: 2

School because of its good reputation in the area.' The quality and presentation of equipment and furnishings are outstanding and this is valued and respected by pupils, who take pride in their surroundings. The headteacher is supported well by an effective and experienced leadership team who are involved in comprehensive systems for monitoring the work of the school and leading new developments. However, at times the volume of information produced from monitoring is too great. Many points are being addressed simultaneously and so some of the key findings and most important priorities for development are not always identified clearly enough. Through systematically reviewing its own performance the school has a good awareness of strengths and weaknesses, although some judgements about performance are a shade too generous. It has made good progress in addressing issues identified in the last inspection and is well placed to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Reverse the recent decline in standards in mathematics. • Ensure the most important priorities for improvement and how they are to be developed are clearly identified from the extensive range of information produced by the school. 2 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils of all abilities achieve well. The attainment of most pupils starting in Year 3 is average, but a significant minority of them attain below the expected levels, especially in reading and writing. Standards by the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science have been consistently above the national average in recent years. This year overall standards fell a little, and significantly so in mathematics, by a group of pupils whose attainment had been lower on entry to the school. However, a greater proportion of these same pupils reached standards higher than expected nationally for their age in English following an extensive focus on writing over the last two years. Pupils with learning difficulties, and those learning English as an additional language, achieve well and some particularly well, because their needs are diagnosed early and they are supported effectively by teachers and the large team of teaching assistants. The school

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Grade: 2

sets challenging targets for pupils' performance. In 2005, the Year 6 pupils met their collective targets but in 2006 a proportion did not, especially in mathematics. Recent assessments indicate that the current Year 6 pupils are on track to achieve their targets for 2007, restoring the overall standards across the school.

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Grade: 2

Within pupils' overall good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development their moral development is excellent. They are particularly thoughtful about their moral responsibilities and the consequences of their actions. They feel listened to by teachers but would like to be given more responsibility in decision making, for example, in the way the school council is formed and run and arrangements in the dining hall at lunchtime. Pupils obediently follow the school's clearly established and consistently applied rules. They enjoy school and their attendance is above average. They respond well to the many rewards and certificates presented for such things as hard work, good attendance and cooperating well with others. They have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe and adopt healthy lifestyles but at lunchtime very few chose fruit for pudding. Pupils contribute to the community well. They play an active role

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Grade: 2

within the school by taking on many jobs such as monitors or prefects and contribute generously to local charities. They are gaining a good range of basic skills needed to ensure they succeed in the future.

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Grade: 2

The excellent management of behaviour and high expectations set by teachers contribute significantly to the positive learning ethos in lessons. Teachers plan together in year-group teams so that all pupils in parallel classes are presented with similar 3 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006 experiences, and those in different ability sets for the core subjects have activities which are almost always matched to their current needs. This helps promote the good learning. Good use of their interactive whiteboards in lessons helps them in their teaching and presents clear visual images to pupils. Teachers create a stimulating learning environment in all classes and this is further enhanced by the exceptional quality of equipment, furnishings and display around the school, which even extends into the toilets. However, pupils' short-term curricular targets are not displayed around

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Grade: 2

the classrooms and some pupils spoken to did not have a clear understanding about these targets, although they were recorded in their profile books. In most cases pupils' work is marked constructively with clear guidance on how they can improve. Homework is exceptionally well organised and teachers make very good use of it to strengthen pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

The school has made good improvements within the curriculum since the last inspection, with increased opportunities for pupils to write in other subjects and greater use made of ICT to support learning across all subjects. However, there is no clear whole-school approach to new ideas for improving the design of the curriculum. The curriculum is adapted effectively to meet the needs of pupils, for example, the provision of challenging problem-solving activities for the most able pupils. The previously established focus on English and mathematics has been extended further with the addition of short practice sessions on such things as times tables in response to gaps found in pupils' understanding. There is an extensive range of after-school clubs. Around half of the pupils in Years 5 and 6 benefit from a residential visit to enrich their learning.

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Grade: 2

The staff team work together very successfully to care for and support all the pupils. Parents with children who have complex problems are very appreciative of the support. A typical comment received from one parent was, 'I would like to take this opportunity to praise the staff and headteacher for the help and support they have shown my child and my whole family.' There is an extensive team of assistants, including two learning mentors, who provide effective support, sometimes on a one-to-one basis. A few pupils report feeling uncomfortable on the playground at lunchtime when surrounded by boisterous activity. Pupils have challenging and often very challenging targets set to help them improve. They are involved in setting them but not all pupils can remember them. The school effectively implements statutory procedures designed to ensure the safety and protection of pupils. 4 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006

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Grade: 2

Within the overall good leadership and management the headteacher makes an outstanding contribution. He has a high profile around the school, engaging with staff and pupils, and constantly striving to raise the performance of pupils and the quality of their surroundings. The deputy headteacher and other senior managers carry out their roles well, particularly in analysing performance data and leading subject reviews. They are skilfully leading new approaches to self-evaluation designed to promote high quality teaching and learning. All staff are committed to their work and their combined attendance rates are outstanding, being close to 100 per cent over the last year. The recently renewed Investors in People status reflects the positive contribution made by all staff to the success of the school. As part of the headteacher's striving for constant improvement there are, at times, too many development points being addressed at once. There are too many action

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Grade: 2

points in the school development plan, the agenda for senior management team meetings often have many items allowing limited time for detailed discussion on each, and the headteacher's reports to governors are exceptionally long making it difficult for the reader to identify the most important points. Although the school's long-term aims are clearly established, the immediate and highest priorities are not always made clear from the extensive evidence gathered. The school is a shade over-generous in its judgements on some aspects of its performance, although it works resolutely to address any weaknesses. Governance of the school is good. The chair of governors provides strong leadership for his fellow governors and ensures that good quality support and liaison are maintained, particularly with the headteacher. The headteacher and governors do an excellent job of managing the school's finances and, in this way,

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Grade: 2

ensure that high quality facilities, resources and equipment are provided to boost pupils' learning. 5 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006

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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 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 1 The behaviour of learners 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006

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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? 8 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I recently visited your school for a day to find out how well the school is doing. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to a number of you in lessons and around the school, and meeting members of your school council. Thank you for making me so welcome. I am pleased to say that for lots of reasons I found that Wilkes Green Junior School is a good school and some things are excellent. Here are some of the best things about it: • you behave exceptionally well in lessons and around the school • you work hard and make good progress • you understand a lot about ways to make sure you stay healthy • your teachers and teaching assistants work well together in their teams to plan interesting lessons with work that is not too hard or too easy • everyone who works in the school takes good care of you all • the way your headteacher leads the school is excellent • a lot of the equipment and facilities in your school are excellent.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

To make the school even better I have asked the headteacher, staff and governors to work together on just two things: • help you to make more progress in your mathematics • make sure the few most important things that everyone is trying to improve around the school are clearly identified and explained. I hope you all continue to enjoy your time at Wilkes Green Junior School. 9 Inspection Report: Wilkes Green Junior School, 6 December 2006

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