Wraysbury Primary School

Inspection Report Wraysbury Primary School

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109907 Unique Reference Number Windsor and Maidenhead Local Authority 288530 Inspection number 21 February 2007 Inspection date George Rayner 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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Welley Road School address Primary Type of school Wraysbury Community School category Staines TW19 5DJ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 017844 82603 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 017844 82919 Fax number 275 Number on roll (school) Mrs Lesley West Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Claire Murray Headteacher 28 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 288530 21 February 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This village school, located close to Heathrow Airport, is larger than most primary schools. Children's standards on entering the Foundation Stage are generally similar to those expected for their age, although there is considerable variation in most years. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. Pupils' home circumstances vary somewhat, but most come from advantaged homes. The area is one with a considerable traveller culture and almost 10% of pupils come from traveller families. A higher than average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages, mainly from Indian backgrounds. The proportion at an early stage of learning English is also above average. The school has Investors in People status and the Healthy Schools award. There is registered day care on the school site, run by a separate organisation. This was not inspected as the arrangements for running the

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It is dedicated to the academic achievement, care and happiness of its pupils and it secures all effectively. Parents agree. One summed up the views of many by saying, 'My children have loved coming to this school and it has given them the best start in life'. In this caring setting, pupils grow up as thoughtful young people who consider the opinions and feeling of others. They play a full and enthusiastic role in the life of their school and village. The school makes good use of its links with the local area and the diverse backgrounds of its pupils. They therefore develop a good understanding of local cultures. Pupils have appropriate opportunities to learn about less familiar cultures in the wider world, but their understanding of these, while satisfactory, is weaker. Provision is good in the Foundation Stage. The staff understand how young children learn and provide a variety of stimulating activities. Good social development begins

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Grade: 2

here, with children quickly developing independence and good learning habits. The indoor accommodation has been extended and improved to provide a very stimulating and flexible environment for children to learn. It is significantly better than the outdoor area. Although the staff make the best possible use of this, it only offers limited scope for play and exploration. A good curriculum and effective teaching and learning, together with the pupils' positive attitudes, result in good achievement. Standards are above average in Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. The school is aware of the diverse needs of its pupils. It succeeds in ensuring that all are made welcome, fit in well, feel secure and have their needs met. Consequently, no groups of pupils achieve less well than others. The needs of those with learning difficulties and disabilities, or who are at an early stage of learning English, are carefully identified and they are given effective individual

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Grade: 2

support. Therefore they too make good progress. The school works effectively, with the help of parents, to ensure that the pupils' from traveller families are fully engaged in their learning. Consequently, they work hard and achieve as well as other pupils. The very good leadership of the headteacher provides a clear vision for the school's development. This is strongly supported by all staff. The school's leadership has succeeded in securing good improvement since the last inspection in standards, Foundation Stage provision, attendance and information and communication technology (ICT) resources. This track record shows that the school has a good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the outdoor area for the Foundation Stage. • Improve pupils' knowledge and understanding of other cultures. 2 Inspection Report: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and reach above average standards by Year 6. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage, with almost all working securely at expected levels in all areas of learning by the end of the Reception year. Their knowledge of the rules for spelling and using numbers is a little above what is expected for their age. This provides a strong foundation as they move forward into Year 1. Progress in Years 1 to 6 is consistently good in English, mathematics and science and for all groups of pupils. Most pupils learn to write confidently and proficiently in a range of styles and become skilled in matching these to the purposes of the task. For example, they write clear explanations and succeed well when asked to write a story that will engage the reader. The Year 6 pupils have above average skills in choosing appropriate methods to tackle mathematical problems. Occasionally, the accuracy of the work of some pupils

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Grade: 2

is reduced because they do not check their answers carefully.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils say emphatically that they enjoy school and show this by their good behaviour, positive attitudes to work and enthusiasm in joining in with all that the school has to offer. At the time of the last inspection, attendance was unsatisfactory. Parents and pupils have supported the school's effective work to raise attendance to a satisfactory level. Pupils know why it is important to eat and drink healthily and enjoy the many opportunities that they have to be active. They know why rules are important to ensure the safety of all and cooperate well in ensuring that these are carried out. Members of the school council willingly accept responsibility for helping to raise other pupils' awareness in these important areas. Pupils contribute to school life in many ways. For example, they enjoy working as library assistants and carry out prefect responsibilities diligently. These

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Grade: 2

roles, together with good progress in their key subjects, prepare pupils well for the future. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good in almost all respects. They are considerate of each other and show concern for those less fortunate than themselves by their willing involvement in charity appeals. Their awareness of other cultures is less strong. Pupils understand well the cultures that they come into contact with and often learn about life in other places. However, their understanding of ideas and beliefs in less familiar cultures is less strong.

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Grade: 2

Teachers clearly set out their expectations for behaviour and effort, but in a way that avoids being heavy handed. This promotes good relationships with pupils so that the 3 Inspection Report: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 February 2007 great majority work willingly. Teachers use assessment well to ensure that work is well matched to all needs and ages, so that all can make good progress. They work effectively with teaching assistants to ensure that pupils who need extra help receive this. Just occasionally, small numbers of pupils are allowed to become inattentive and when this happens, their progress slows. Teachers ask good questions that encourage pupils to think for themselves and consider the possibility of different explanations for events. In addition to adding to pupils' understanding of the subjects, this helps their personal development by encouraging them to consider different points of view.

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Grade: 2

Teachers use marking well to encourage pupils and often give good guidance on how they can improve their work. This is not fully consistent however.

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Grade: 2

The school is developing a cross-curricular approach to learning. Although this is not yet complete, it is already having an impact by allowing pupils to use what they have learned for 'real' tasks. This boosts their interest and motivation. All pupils have at least two hours physical education a week. They particularly enjoy the swimming lessons in the school's own pool. This helps them to develop an important skill and also contributes to their personal development by encouraging enjoyable activity and promoting an understanding of the need for safety near water. Facilities for ICT have significantly improved since the last inspection and now match those in most schools. Plans are well in hand to further improve resources and also to make good use of these in all subjects. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of trips, residential visits and well attended clubs. Provision in the Foundation Stage has improved well since

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Grade: 2

the last inspection and is now good. A variety of stimulating activities is well matched to the way young children learn though play and exploration. The improved indoor accommodation provides a very good setting for this, but the outdoor accommodation is less helpful, providing only a small dedicated area.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Pastoral care is very good. One parent summed up the school's dedication to this by saying, 'The school has pupils' needs at the heart of all that it does'. As a result pupils feel secure and happy. Staff are well trained and well informed about pupils' needs. All procedures for child protection are carried out diligently and effectively. The school employs a full-time qualified welfare assistant and works well with a range of specialist agencies to provide effective help for pupils who need it. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is regularly monitored to ensure that it continues to meet their needs. Procedures for academic guidance and support are well organised to ensure that all pupils receive any extra help they need to achieve well. In improving these further, the school is increasingly involving pupils in their own assessment and target setting.

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Responsibility for monitoring the work of the school and leading improvement is shared well between senior and middle leaders. Systems for monitoring teaching and learning are well organised and rigorous, and the school is willing to listen to the views of pupils and parents. These approaches have given it a good understanding of its quality and performance, and enable the school to set clear, relevant targets for further improvement. The school has detailed plans for further developing the role of subject leaders. This involves extending strengths already present in English, mathematics and science, in the quality of self-evaluation and assessment guidance, to all subjects. The impact is being seen in, for example, improved accuracy and consistency in the assessment of ICT. The governors support the school well and many are willing to challenge where necessary. Some have

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Grade: 2

been quite recently appointed and they are working well to develop their skills to also be able to do so. 5 Inspection Report: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 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: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 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 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? 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 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: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 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: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming me to your school recently. I enjoyed meeting you and am grateful for the help you gave by talking to me and letting me look at your work. I was able to see that yours is a good school. You succeed well in your work. It was good to see that there are no groups in your school who do less well than everybody else. This is because the adults care for you all very well and make sure you are all happy and have any help that you need. Your parents and the other grown-ups at home also help a lot and I know that the school is grateful for this. You are well taught. Teachers make sure that work is just right for you and give you lots of interesting things to do. They ask you good questions that really make you think. Your understanding of how people live in other places and their beliefs and customs is not quite as good as your other learning. I have asked the school to help you to improve this.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Those of you in the Reception classes are learning quickly. You get on with tasks and work together well, without needing a grown up to tell you what to do all the time. Your rooms have lots of interesting places and things to play with and the teachers and assistants use these really well. I have asked the school to try to make the outside areas just as good. Some of you told me that you really enjoy school. I could see this by the way you behave so well and join in with things so happily. This is an important reason why you succeed so well in all years. You are kind to each other and know that people might have different opinions. You do many things to help the school, such as working on the school council, in the library and as prefects. The headteacher and her staff have already made some good improvements to the school. They know what to do to make it even better. Well done to you all and very best wishes for the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

George Rayner Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Wraysbury Primary School, 21 February 2007

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