Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School

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104105 Unique Reference Number Solihull Local Authority 286856 Inspection number 24 °25 January 2007 Inspection dates Linda Rockey HMI 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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Pike Drive School address Primary Type of school Chelmsley Wood Voluntary aided School category Birmingham B37 7US 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0121 7704063 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 7792821 Fax number 421 Number on roll (school) Andrew Beach Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Michelle Orson Headteacher 1 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 286856 24 °25 January 2007 3°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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This school serves a disadvantaged area in north Solihull. There are more boys than girls and the number of children eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and statements of special educational need is above that found nationally. The majority of children are of White British background. A small proportion of children are from minority ethnic groups. Almost all speak English as their first language. The school is part of a local extended school network which provides day care facilities and a before and after-school club. This provision was inspected separately in October 2006. The school also hosts an additionally resourced centre for children with speech and language difficulties which caters for up to twelve children from across the local authority. The school has gained several awards including Artsmark Silver and the National Healthy Schools standard.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school and parents are overwhelmingly positive about it. This is summed up in a comment written by a parent: 'This is a great school. I could not have picked a better one for my child.' Strong Christian values and an inclusive approach strengthen the work of the school. It welcomes everyone and makes a point of working very closely with families to ensure children get the very best start to their education. Pastoral care is outstanding. As a result, children have positive attitudes to learning, get on well together and are supported to do their best in class. Children do well from their low starting points because the school places each child's well-being at the centre of its work. Effective teaching and the high quality of care for children's personal welfare mean children grow into mature, confident young people well equipped for their future lives in today's society. Teaching and learning are good and the contribution of the

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Grade: 2

many additional adults is effective in helping children to make good progress. Children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage and their good progress continues as they move through the school. By Year 2, standards are close to the expected level nationally. Children do well and reach average standards at the end of Year 6. The school has successfully improved standards in writing, but is not complacent and rightly highlights this area for further improvement. Standards in mathematics are lower. Work has started on helping children to improve their mathematical skills and the governors are actively involved in monitoring progress in this area. More needs to be done to make sure able children reach the higher levels, particularly in mathematics. There are good systems for tracking children's progress. This enables staff to identify those children who need extra support and give them what they need. Teachers

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Grade: 2

carefully mark children's work but children are not always given clear enough guidance on how to improve their work. Targets are not used consistently across the school to help all children understand the next steps in their learning. The school is doing well because it is well led and managed. The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy, leads a committed and dedicated staff team. The headteacher is passionate about meeting the needs of all children and providing effective extended services to children, families and the wider community. As a result, highly effective partnerships have been developed with parents and a wide range of outside agencies. Overall, the school's self-evaluation is accurate. The school knows its strengths and has a clear view of what needs to be improved. It has recognised the need for further work on its use of data to make sure children's rates of progress are analysed and emerging trends

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Grade: 2

identified. Governors are well informed and under the strong, experienced leadership of the chair of governors, are supportive and work effectively as 'critical friends' of the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in mathematics and ensure able children reach the higher levels. • Develop the use of data to identify trends in children's performance so that any underachievement is tackled swiftly. • Make sure all children understand what they need to do next so that they can improve their work. 2 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Grade: 2

When they start in the Nursery, children's performance is lower than that expected for their age. They get off to a good start; especially in their personal, social and emotional development. The school's view is that children make reasonable progress as they move through the school but inspectors found their progress to be better than this. They do well because learning is geared to individual needs. Children with learning difficulties, including those with complex needs, make good progress because their needs are well catered for. At the last inspection, the school needed to improve how well its more able children did. Whilst there has been some improvement, more remains to be done to raise the proportion of able children who reach the higher levels.

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Grade: 2

Children's personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. This is a significant strength of the school. Children start school with little confidence and low self-esteem, so a high priority is given to developing social and language skills and this helps children become positive learners. By Year 6, children are confident and articulate young people and this is an outstanding achievement. The majority of children are well behaved and they get on together very well. They are tolerant of individual differences and a high degree of racial harmony is evident. As one child explained, 'It's what's inside that matters, not what a person looks like.' Most children thoroughly enjoy coming to school and attendance and punctuality have improved significantly since the last inspection. Children's basic skills are satisfactory. These skills, together with those developed through teamwork and

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Grade: 2

their willingness to undertake responsibility, equip children well for their future lives and the world of work. They contribute well to the school and wider community through the mature way in which they take on responsibility. An example is the exemplary way in which older children take great care of the youngest ones on trips to church.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good because adults engage children effectively in well planned, interesting and relevant activities matched to their particular needs. This enables children to make good progress from their starting points. In a Year 5 English lesson, more able children were suitably challenged and excited about writing their own myth based on 'Orpheus and the Underworld.' The task motivated all the children to write, including some more reluctant boys. In such lessons, children are very clear about what they are learning. Teachers explain what they are expected to achieve by 3 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007 the end of the session and make clear how they will know if they have been successful. However, this good practice is not yet consistent across the school.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good because it offers a wide range of rich and relevant activities that meet the diverse needs of the children. Children are offered good opportunities to develop their skills in music and art which contribute positively to their personal development and well-being. During the inspection, children spoke enthusiastically about their visit to a vehicle production plant. They had gained a greater understanding about the world of work. They are helped to develop an appreciation of other faiths and an awareness of cultural diversity through the use of visits and visitors as well as the religious education and personal, social and health education schemes of work. The curriculum is further enriched by residential experiences and a wide range of sporting activities. The school has recently increased the amount of time for physical education (PE) in Years 3 to 6. However, more time needs to be allocated to PE in

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils are good overall. Whilst academic guidance is satisfactory, the pastoral care given to children is outstanding and contributes strongly to children's progress, enjoyment and well-being. Safeguarding arrangements are exemplary, including child protection procedures and the attention given to children's safety on school trips. The school works extremely well with other professionals in ensuring all children, including the most vulnerable, and parents and carers receive good, appropriate support.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good with outstanding features. The leadership of the headteacher is very effective. She works closely with a talented deputy and together they drive the agenda for improvement. An example is the way the school organises its work to support children, many of whom have complex needs, to make sure they make good progress. There is a thorough approach to monitoring and evaluation which leads to the identification of clear priorities for school improvement. The headteacher, staff and governors have a good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses, although their judgements are too modest in some aspects. Relationships are very good and there is a strong sense of teamwork focused on making sure all children do as well as they should and are all treated equally well. The governors, led by a well informed chair, provide a good level of support and challenge. They have

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Grade: 2

recently produced a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan which identifies the ways 4 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007 in which they are holding the school to account for the progress children are making. The school demonstrates good capacity for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007 .

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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: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 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? 3 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. 7 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 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? 8 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• As you know, we visited your school recently to find out how well the school is doing. We would like to thank you for making us so welcome. We enjoyed talking with you during playtimes, at lunchtimes and in the classrooms. Thank you for showing us your work and telling us about the school council. We think there are lots of good things at Bishop Wilson. Here are some of the main ones: • The school is very friendly and welcomes everyone. • You enjoy coming to school because you say the adults care about you. • The teachers and support staff are very good at looking after you. • Your behaviour is good ~ we heard that people have been very impressed with your behaviour on school visits. • You work and play together well and you like the sporting activities after school. • Older children are very good at looking after the younger ones. • You sing well and we liked the lovely displays of your artwork. • The teachers work hard to make lessons exciting and interesting. We have asked Mrs Orson

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and other adults to do three things: • Make sure you all do better in mathematics and for more of you to get a higher level. • Keep a closer eye on how you are doing so that anyone who is falling behind gets some extra help right away. • Make sure everyone understands what they need to do to improve their work. 9 Inspection Report: Bishop Wilson Church of England Primary School, 24 °25 January 2007

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