Wellesley Primary School

Inspection Report Wellesley Primary School

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109113 Unique Reference Number South Gloucestershire Local Authority 288282 Inspection number 17 °18 January 2007 Inspection dates Alwyne Jolly 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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Edgeworth School address Primary Type of school Yate Community School category Bristol BS37 8YR 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01454 866740 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01454 866742 Fax number 207 Number on roll (school) Graeme Woodward Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Andrew Lynham Headteacher 24 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288282 17 °18 January 2007 4°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 is a smaller than average primary school. The headteacher joined the school in April 2005 after a period of 15 months without a permanent headteacher. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is broadly average but fluctuates between years.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory education with some good features. It is a happy school which strives to include all and where pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils' enjoyment is reflected in their good attendance, behaviour and enthusiasm. New initiatives to improve pupils' care, such as 'peer mediators', caused one pupil to comment, 'Our school is now much better. No children are left out and there are no problems to sort out.' As a result of good teaching and leadership in the Reception class, children's attainment by the end of the Foundation Stage is at the expected level in all areas. This represents good achievement in relation to their generally below average starting point. In both Years 2 and 6 standards are average, reflecting satisfactory achievement. However, in some areas more able pupils do not do as well as they should. In the latest Year 2 national assessments, no pupils attained the higher levels. In the 2006 Year 6 tests,

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Grade: 3

too few pupils attained the higher levels in science and mathematics. Boys make significantly less progress than girls and so the school has now implemented strategies to capture their interest and enthusiasm. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall with good elements. Good relationships between teachers and pupils create a positive and stimulating learning atmosphere. Until recently there has been insufficient emphasis on developing pupils' skills in writing, which has lowered standards. The school has therefore introduced a range of strategies to improve pupils' writing and to ensure there is more challenge in the work set for more able pupils. The school has a satisfactory curriculum. There are good initiatives to promote pupils' future economic well-being. For example, parents and pupils are working together to build a kit car and half-term projects emphasise key life skills, such as using the library.

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Grade: 3

Pupils are cared for, guided and supported well, receiving effective advice on safe practices. They are encouraged effectively to develop healthy lifestyles. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher has established a clear vision and direction for the future. The relatively new senior management team and governing body have an accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses and have introduced a number of successful initiatives. However there has been insufficient time to judge the impact of all their actions on national test results. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last report, particularly in the standards attained by Year 6. These show that the school has a sound capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Give greater emphasis to planning tasks that will improve writing skills and raise standards throughout the school. • Set more challenging work for more able pupils so they make better progress. • Focus more clearly on the needs and interests of boys when planning work in order to raise their standards. 2 Inspection Report: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Standards are broadly average and this represents satisfactory achievement, although some pupils are making better progress than others. The vast majority of children are on course to attain the nationally expected standards in all areas of learning by the end of the Foundation Stage. This is as a result of good leadership and teaching which ensures all these children progress well. Year 2 test scores have fluctuated from year to year, influenced by the nature of the cohorts. For example, in 2006, a significant proportion of boys had learning difficulties and disabilities. This contributed to the fall in standards in all aspects, but especially writing. All the pupils who failed to achieve the expected Level 2 were boys, which was also the case in 2005, and highlights their lower performance compared to girls. No pupils attained the higher Level 3 in reading, writing or mathematics in 2006. In Years 3 to 6, there have been successful initiatives to improve the range of

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Grade: 3

opportunities for pupils to speak and listen in class and extend pupils' skills in reading. This combined, with good leadership, has ensured standards in English have risen steadily, so that in 2006 the Year 6 test results were above average. Standards have fallen slightly and are only average in mathematics and science, which have been identified as priority areas for improvement in the school development plan. Able pupils again did not perform as well as they could in those subjects, although pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities attained satisfactorily.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Adults establish good relationships so that pupils feel safe and valued and are happy to seek their help. Assemblies lead pupils to reflect on how to be a good citizen and help them to develop a wide understanding of other faiths and cultures. Well managed activities such as 'circle time', where pupils sit in a circle to discuss any worries or concerns, and partner and group work develop pupils' ability to cooperate, support and work effectively in a team. The school council gives some pupils the opportunity to develop skills such as fund raising and decision-making, for example, by selecting new equipment for their school. Although pupils contribute to the wider community by raising funds for charities, their links with the local community are otherwise less well developed. Peer mediators and buddies give good support to those who need it in the playground.

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Grade: 2

The effective promotion of a healthy lifestyle is reflected by increasing numbers of pupils choosing to eat from the salad bar, eating fruit and exercising regularly. 3 Inspection Report: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Purposeful teaching and good classroom management ensure pupils make satisfactory progress. They enjoy their lessons because the content is generally interesting and they have good relationships with their teachers. The school has progressively recognised the need to ensure there is more regular challenge for able pupils and teaching approaches have begun to be adapted to improve their attainment. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are satisfactorily supported and so make sound progress. The school has identified weaknesses in pupils' writing and in science investigation. It has responded to these by implementing new teaching strategies, but it is too soon for these to have had a measurable impact. A range of assessment procedures are in place and the information gained is being used increasingly to plan work and set targets for pupils. Marking is consistently good and often outstanding,

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Grade: 3

giving pupils very clear guidance on how to improve their work, particularly in English, where it has contributed to the higher standards attained by Year 6. Marking contracts between teachers and pupils and target sheets are excellent initiatives that involve both parties in the process of improving standards.

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Grade: 3

The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum, which satisfactorily covers all the recommended areas of learning in the Reception Year and the required subjects in Years 1 to 6. It follows national schemes for the development of literacy and numeracy and provides good opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in information and communication technology. As a response to weaknesses it identified in the science curriculum, the school has provided more opportunities for planned investigations in order to raise standards. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities and a residential trip for all Year 6 pupils enriches the curriculum further. Few curriculum activities are provided specifically for more able pupils in order to improve their progress. In order to narrow the attainment gap between boys and girls, the school has begun adapting the curriculum to make it more interesting and relevant for boys.

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Grade: 3

There are satisfactory links with the main secondary schools to which pupils transfer at the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 2

There are good links with agencies such as the Educational Welfare Service to promote effective care of pupils. Procedures for ensuring the safety and security of all pupils are thorough. When parents raised a safety concern, the school responded with remedial action immediately. Good child protection measures are well understood by staff and there are effective risk assessment procedures. The personal and social education 4 Inspection Report: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 programme fosters pupils' personal development well. The recently introduced monitoring and tracking procedures, linked to individual targets for pupils, have ensured that pupils are now receiving good academic guidance. These include necessarily challenging targets aimed at securing better achievement by more able pupils. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are identified early and they receive sound

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Grade: 2

support and make satisfactory progress. Training for older pupils in 'peer mediation' and 'buddying' both helps their personal development and equips them to support others in the playground.

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Grade: 3

The relatively new headteacher has ensured there is a common sense of purpose among all staff and an ambition to improve further. He has created a strong and well balanced leadership team that ensures there is a stimulating ethos and orderly atmosphere for learning. A thorough system to track pupils' progress is now beginning to be used effectively so targets can be set for pupils and their progress measured. School leaders ensure children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage, with a secure grounding in early literacy and numeracy skills. The school views its effectiveness accurately and knows what needs to be done to raise standards. Although a number of measures have been initiated to address identified weaknesses, they are too recent to have made a significant impact. The governors give satisfactory support to the school. Although they already offer suitable challenge to the headteacher, they recognise the need to develop their

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Grade: 3

monitoring role further and to ask appropriate questions in order to bring about further improvements. 5 Inspection Report: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007 .

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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: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 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 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

3 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 3 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 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?

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: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 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: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for the way you welcomed us to your school. We really enjoyed our visit and talking to you. We think yours is a satisfactory school with some good features. The children in the Reception Year get off to a really good start. We saw that your behaviour is good and that you obviously enjoy coming to school. The leadership and management of your school are satisfactory. We are impressed with the support, care and guidance you receive and your personal development is good. The teaching and curriculum are satisfactory so you make progress through the school. We have asked the school to make some improvements in order to help you make the best possible progress. What we have asked the school to do now: • To give you more regular writing tasks to help you improve. • To give some of you more difficult work so that you can improve even more. • Plan work so that boys are as interested as girls and do as well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you again for your help and you have my best wishes for the future. 9 Inspection Report: Wellesley Primary School, 17 °18 January 2007

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