Whitgreave Primary School

Inspection Report Whitgreave Junior School

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104297 Unique Reference Number Wolverhampton Local Authority 286902 Inspection number 11 °12 October 2006 Inspection dates Lois Furness 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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Goodyear Avenue School address Junior Type of school Low Hill Community School category Wolverhampton WV10 9JP 7 °11 Age range of pupils 01902 558930 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01902 558932 Fax number 194 Number on roll (school) Brenda Hawkins Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Denise Dalton Headteacher 21 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 286902 11 °12 October 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average size school is situated in an area of high social deprivation. A well above average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average and the majority of pupils are White British. The school is a part of an Excellence in Cities scheme. The school has had four headteachers since the previous inspection, the most recent has been in post for 18 months and has appointed five new members of staff, three of whom are newly qualified teachers.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 2006

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it reasonably is expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to pupils' standards and achievement. The school gives unsatisfactory value for money. Although the school is improving its overall effectiveness is inadequate. Since the headteacher took up her appointment she has faced significant barriers in her drive to raise standards. Weaknesses in teaching and the unsatisfactory behaviour of pupils have resulted in pupils' inadequate achievement and the standards attained in English, mathematics and science are low. Pupils' readiness for the next stage of education is constrained by these low levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy. There has been

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Grade: 4

resistance to change by some members of staff and the management systems in place were ineffective. New staff have been appointed and teaching is at least satisfactory with good teaching in Year 6. Good relationships between staff and pupils and better behaviour mean pupils are more willing to learn and consequently their progress is improving. The curriculum is now good and visits, visitors and focus weeks make learning more interesting for the pupils. Lesson planning is more effective and teachers are starting to involve pupils in knowing what they are expected to learn and how to improve their work. There is still work to do, however, to raise teachers' expectations further, increase the pace of learning and to ensure that all pupils are consistently challenged. The headteacher has been successful in establishing an environment that encourages learning. Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory as are care,

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Grade: 4

guidance and support. Pupils say they feel much safer in school than they did in the past and they know that adults will always take the time to listen to their concerns. Bullying is rare and as one pupil said 'There are still unkind people, but I say to them, it doesn't make you look big, in fact it makes you look quite small!' Leadership and management are satisfactory. Evaluation is mainly accurate but the school has a too generous view of its overall effectiveness, achievement and standards. This is because the headteacher evaluated the potential of the school rather than its present day effectiveness. However, the school has correctly identified the actions required to bring about improvement. This shows the leadership's secure understanding of what needs to be done to improve. As a part of this drive, new management systems, including a system for tracking pupils' progress, has been introduced. This tracking

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Grade: 4

system is very new and does not clearly identify the expected progress of pupils. As yet staff are not held accountable for how well their pupils achieve. Even so, the recent improvements, alongside the leadership's strong commitment and determination, indicate that the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve further. 2 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' achievement in English, mathematics and science. • Raise teachers' expectations of what pupils are capable of by increasing the pace of learning and ensuring that work is matched closely to all pupils' needs. • Refine the existing tracking system so the progress pupils are expected to make is clearly identified and staff become more accountable for this.

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Grade: 4

Attainment on entry to Year 3 has changed significantly since the previous inspection from exceptionally low to broadly average. Despite this improvement, standards by Year 6 remain low. Pupils' achievement is inadequate. Last year, as a result of better teaching the standards reached by Year 6 pupils improved. However achievement is still unsatisfactory overall because this was a more able group than those in the past. Pupils' standards currently are not high enough in Years 4, 5 and 6, but their progress is improving because of better teaching and the clear focus now in the school on raising achievement.

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Grade: 3

Pupils are increasingly positive in their attitudes to school and behaviour is satisfactory. However, pupils do not always behave in a sensible way when lessons fail to engage their interest. Pupils show respect for one another, for example by taking turns and assisting others who are hurt or upset at playtime. Pupils feel safe and say that bullying has been reduced. While children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory, pupils' cultural awareness of famous artists, musicians and writers is limited. Attendance is improving but remains below average. This is despite the school's considerable effort to bring about improvement through strategies such as 'a walking bus'. Pupils explain what constitutes a healthy diet and know the importance of physical activity. However, pupils admit that while they know about healthy foods they still choose to eat less healthy options each day. Pupils are enthusiastic about fund raising

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Grade: 3

for local charities and have worked with local architects to improve the area, for example by naming a local street.

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Grade: 3

The school has eliminated the unsatisfactory teaching of the past that led to pupils' inadequate progress. The improvements made to the quality of teaching are beginning to show through in the way that pupils' progress is beginning to accelerate, particularly 3 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 2006 in Year 6 where there is good teaching. Planning is improving and is based on national guidance. Although what teachers want pupils to learn is clearly identified, this information is not always shared with pupils. Teachers are not always setting work that matches pupils' different abilities. In some lessons they do not have high enough expectations of what pupils are able to do resulting in a slow rate of learning. Some teachers are taking more account of the newly introduced pupils' targets and some of their marking of pupils' work refers to these. This good practice helps the pupils to

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Grade: 3

know how they are getting on and what they need to learn next. The learning support assistants are deployed well to support small groups. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are set work that is satisfactorily matched to their needs.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum has been improved recently and it now reflects the school's recent push to make it more interesting and creative. Good links with other organisations including the local secondary school and the local authority have led to an improved English and mathematics curriculum. These subjects are now becoming more tailored to pupils' needs and this is contributing to pupils' improved progress. Greater interest is achieved through enrichment activities such as focus weeks, when all the school works together on a project such as developing the art curriculum. Visitors and visits add further enrichment. A good range of after school activities, including yoga, netball, street dancing and football, is provided. Open to all ages, these clubs have high rates of participation and pupils say 'the clubs are good because they help you to keep fit'.

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Grade: 3

Parents say their children are safe and well cared for. Pupils agree, knowing that they can speak to adults in school about any concerns. This atmosphere of care has a positive impact on learning as pupils are generally relaxed and ready to learn. More vulnerable pupils, including those experiencing behavioural difficulties, receive good support from outside agencies which ensures they learn alongside their peers. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities receive sensitive support. Guidance to help pupils with their learning is being developed well. Recent strategies for involving pupils in evaluating how to improve the quality of their work shows promise. However, these strategies are new and not yet having a full impact on improving achievement.

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Grade: 3

There is shared commitment amongst all adults in school to raise standards and the staff and governors are working together to achieve this key priority. Past weaknesses 4 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 2006 are being overcome successfully and the headteacher has identified the right priorities to make this school more effective. The newly established leadership team has made a positive start with clear actions to improve achievement. Governors are well informed and are providing increasingly good guidance. The climate for learning is much better as a result of improved behaviour and pupils having a more positive attitude towards learning. In the past, insufficient attention was given to checking the quality of teaching and the influence of teaching on pupils' progress. New checking systems have been introduced to rectify weaknesses, but have had insufficient time to influence the legacy of underachievement. However, the

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Grade: 3

improved progress since September of the majority of pupils is encouraging. More information is now given to staff about the levels at which pupils are working. However staff do not identify the expected progress of pupils and are not sufficiently accountable for their progress. 5 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 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? 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

4 How well do learners achieve? 4 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 4 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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?

3 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: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 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? Yes Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for making us so welcome at your school. We enjoyed meeting and talking with you. We think that in the past many of you have not learned as well as you should have done. However, things are becoming much better as your headteacher, governors and teachers are starting to make improvements to your learning. These are the things we particularly liked about your school • Your headteacher knows exactly what needs to be done to improve the way you learn. • You are all now behaving much better both in class and outside in the playground so time is not wasted dealing with bad behaviour. • You feel safe in school and feel that adults will listen if you are worried. • You are becoming more involved in knowing how to improve your work. These are the things we have asked the school to improve • We have asked your teachers to make sure that all of you learn as well as you can in English, mathematics and science.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• We have asked your teachers to plan work that makes you all think as hard as you can and work as quickly as you are able. • We have asked your headteacher to make sure that teachers are very clear about how much progress you should make throughout the year and to check carefully that this happens. Of course, how well you do at school is not all about what others do; you can help yourselves by working hard and taking part in what the school offers. 9 Inspection Report: Whitgreave Junior School, 11 °12 October 2006

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