Wellfield Junior School

Inspection Report Wellfield Junior School

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106304 Unique Reference Number Trafford Local Authority 287478 Inspection number 7 °8 February 2007 Inspection dates Joe Peacock 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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Dumber Lane School address Primary Type of school Sale Community School category Cheshire M33 5QX 7 °11 Age range of pupils 0161 9123685 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 9123665 Fax number 224 Number on roll (school) Ms Nicola Lewis Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Sandra Roberts Headteacher 11 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287478 7 °8 February 2007 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 sized school is in a residential area within the boundaries of Greater Manchester. A small proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic families. The number entitled to free school meals is below average and the percentage with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. Since the last inspection the school has experienced significant staff absence and has a new headteacher and deputy headteacher.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This school provides a good education for its pupils and good value for money. Very good relationships between teachers and their pupils and pupils' good attitude towards their schoolwork contribute very effectively to their good personal development and well-being. A recently introduced programme to promote pupils' social and emotional learning along with other measures is resulting in an improvement in pupils' social and moral development. Care is taken to give pupils a good knowledge and understanding of different cultures and world religions. Pupils' behaviour in lessons and around school is good, yet there are occasional lapses and the school's response is not always effective enough to prevent a recurrence. Standards are above average and detailed tracking of pupils' progress shows that most achieve well by the end of Year 6. They make faster progress than is usually expected. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make very good progress as they

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Grade: 2

are provided with challenging work and the additional support they need to complete it. Overall, pupils attain higher standards in English and science than in mathematics. Pupils do particularly well in reading because of the emphasis given to this throughout the school. It underpins their work in many other subjects. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good. There is a purposeful atmosphere for learning throughout the school. Teaching assistants usually provide good support for pupils' learning, especially for those who find learning difficult. Staff plan lessons well. They take account of the different learning needs of their pupils and carefully monitor the progress they make. Good use is made of computers and the latest display technology. The curriculum is good, enhanced by lessons in French and a good range of activities for pupils to enjoy outside normal school hours. As a result pupils of all abilities are successfully motivated and challenged by the interesting

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Grade: 2

tasks that they are given to do. Arrangements for assessment provide a wealth of information on the standards being achieved and this enables children's progress to be carefully tracked as they move through the school. Parents and children know what targets have been set and these are closely monitored and evaluated by pupils and their teachers. The school is fairly accurate in judging itself to be good in all areas. The quality of care, support and guidance provided to pupils is satisfactory rather than good because some pupils are not secure in their knowledge about aspects of their personal safety, for example, and the occasional unsatisfactory behaviour of a small number of pupils is not being addressed effectively. Leadership and management are good. Staff are successfully developing their role in monitoring by working in teams to support one another and helping to identify strengths and priorities for improvement. All regularly monitor the quality of teaching

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Grade: 2

and learning and other aspects of school life. As a result the school has good capacity to improve. The governing body benefits from the leadership of a knowledgeable chair of governors. All governors regularly attend training sessions and are committed to helping the school to monitor its effectiveness. 2 Inspection Report: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in mathematics so that more pupils achieve the level expected of them and a greater proportion attain at a higher level. • Develop strategies to deal more effectively with the occasional lapses in the good behaviour of pupils. • Improve the quality of the care and guidance given to pupils, particularly about personal safety.

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Grade: 2

The attainment on entry for most pupils is above average. In Years 3 to 6 they make good progress and by Year 6 standards are generally above average with none significantly below. School data clearly shows that almost all make better progress than expected from their entry to Year 6. Virtually all achieve the challenging targets expected of them in English and science. The school's strategies to close the gap in performance between reading and writing have proved to be successful but pupils still do rather better in reading. Standards are particularly high in reading. The school's most recent 2006 national tests results show a marked improvement on those for 2004 and 2005 when staff absence was high. Initiatives to improve standards in mathematics, such as teaching Year 5 and 6 pupils in ability groups have resulted in some improvement but pupils' performance in the subject is not as good as in English and

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Grade: 2

science. The achievement of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is very good as they benefit from the close attention of their teachers and teaching assistants.

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Grade: 2

Attendance is consistently above average and reflects pupils' comments that they enjoy coming to school and that they really like their teachers. Most parents are happy with the progress that their children make, socially and academically. Pupils' behaviour is usually good, but the rare incidents of unsatisfactory behaviour are not always dealt with effectively enough to prevent a recurrence. Overall, pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The recent introduction of an initiative to support pupils' social and emotional learning is successfully raising pupils' self esteem and improving their relationships with one another. The school successfully raises pupils' awareness of different cultures and religions in a community which is mostly White British. Children understand the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Their contribution to the school and local community is good. For example, they participate

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Grade: 2

in activities such as fundraising and planting daffodil bulbs in the local park. 3 Inspection Report: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Grade: 2

The good quality of teaching and learning stems primarily from the good relationships teachers have with their pupils. Most pupils enthuse about their teachers and enjoy lessons. These are planned very well, taking account of the range of abilities in the classes. Good use is made of information and communications technology and other resources to support explanations. Lessons are challenging and pupils have to think and work hard. Care is taken when explaining and questioning so that all pupils are included. Teaching assistants often provide good support but on occasions are insufficiently briefed to be fully involved in pupils' learning. Whilst questioning may be probing, teachers sometimes give too much direct guidance instead of allowing pupils to think and work through problems by themselves. Some excellent displays of pupils' work celebrate pupils' achievements and provide clear guidance about the

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Grade: 2

standards expected. Assessment supports pupils' learning well. Books are marked carefully, with positive comments and pointers for improvement. Pupils can see their success and know how they can improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum meets pupils' needs well and is having a good impact on their personal development. It is being constantly reviewed so that pupils find it interesting. Improvements have recently been made to the music curriculum for example, and, as a result, pupils were seen making music enthusiastically and competently using percussion instruments. Information and communications technology is used effectively by pupils in many subjects and also as a teaching aid in classrooms. Additions are frequently made to the wide range of extra activities in sport and the arts so that eight out of ten pupils take advantage of these opportunities, a high proportion. Visits are made to support learning and to introduce pupils to first experiences of art galleries and theatres. The opportunity for a residential visit is becoming increasingly popular. Good links with the high schools result in additional activities such as the learning of

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Grade: 2

French. Provision for pupils' personal development is enhanced well.

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Grade: 3

The care, guidance and support for learners are satisfactory with some good features. Systems for child protection and safety are in place and reviewed regularly. Pupils trust teachers and other adults, and feel safe, although some of the guidance provided makes insufficient impact on the pupils' knowledge about their personal safety. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities who need additional support are identified at an early stage and supported well, so that they make very good progress. Gifted and talented pupils are also identified and provided with challenging work. Pupils 4 Inspection Report: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 2007 know what their targets are and how they can improve. Their progress is tracked carefully using detailed information from assessment. Additional programmes of work are provided to boost their learning. The vast majority of parents have positive views

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Grade: 3

of the school and they are provided with good information about their children's programmes of work and their progress. Strategies are in place to promote good behaviour and the vast majority respond well to these. The occasional unsatisfactory behaviour of a small number of pupils, however, is not being addressed effectively.

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Grade: 2

The relatively new headteacher and deputy headteacher have developed a good working partnership. They have compensated well for the many staff absences by arranging teams to address the various priorities for improvement. In this way disruption is minimised if one member of a team is absent. The school has succeeded in addressing weaknesses in information and communications technology, identified in the previous inspection. Its evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses is mostly accurate because staff regularly and carefully monitor standards and evaluate the quality of learning. Equality of opportunity is a strength, due mainly to the very effective management of provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These pupils are closely supported in their learning and make very good progress. There are, however, too many priorities for improvement in the school's improvement plan and, as a result,

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Grade: 2

key areas such as improving standards in mathematics do not get the attention necessary to bring about change quickly enough. Overall, governance is satisfactory. The governing body is well led and the business at all meetings is carefully and thoroughly reported. Although all governors visit the school often, each one being linked to a class, not all are fully involved in monitoring the school's effectiveness. 5 Inspection Report: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 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: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 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 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 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?

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: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 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: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for your warm welcome! We enjoyed talking to you all and looking at the excellent displays of your work around school. These are the other good things about your school. • You enjoy being at school and your attendance is better than most other schools. Well done! • We are pleased how well you read. You also do well in science. • You behave so well in class and around school: it is a pity that one or two occasionally spoil things and do not behave as well as they should. • There are lots of activities for you to enjoy after school. It is good to see so many of you taking part in the sports sessions, choir and clubs such as the art club. We have asked your governors and staff to concentrate on the following. • Improving standards in mathematics. You can help by trying extra hard in this subject. • Developing effective ways to deal with the lapses of good behaviour. This will mean that any silly behaviour is sorted out very quickly so that everyone is happy at school. You can

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help by not getting involved in any silliness. Thank you again, for helping us with this inspection. You are right to be proud of Wellfield Junior School because it is a good school. We hope that you will carry on enjoying everything that it offers. 9 Inspection Report: Wellfield Junior School, 7 °8 February 2007

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