Wren Park Primary School

Inspection Report Wren Park Primary School

p.1

112758 Unique Reference Number City of Derby Local Authority 289400 Inspection number 8 November 2006 Inspection date Andrew Cook HMI Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Jackson Avenue School address Primary Type of school Mickleover, Derby Community School category Derbyshire DE3 9AY 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01332 512732 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01332 512732 Fax number 373 Number on roll (school) Mr Paul Barlow Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Alex Buckley Headteacher 29 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289400 8 November 2006 4 °11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors over one day.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a larger than average primary school. The proportion of children that are eligible for free school meals is below average. The percentage of children with learning difficulties and statements of special educational need is also below average. About a quarter of children are from minority ethnic groups. A very small number of children have a language other than English as their first language. The headteacher took up post in September 2006 having been the deputy headteacher. The school has a number of awards including Investors in People, Basic Skills Quality Mark, Active Mark Gold, Arts Mark Gold and Healthy Promoting Schools.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school. Staff work together as a team, making sure that children receive good teaching, make good progress and enjoy a well balanced curriculum. As a result parents and carers are very pleased and know that the school works hard to provide a good education for their children. Children's achievement and standards are good. Early on in the Reception classes children make good progress and this continues throughout the school. Standards at the end of Year 6 peaked in 2005 when they were exceptionally high. This year tests taken in the summer showed standards had dipped, more so in Year 2. The school has been quick to get back on course for better results. Action taken so far appears to be having a positive effect and predictions for results in the future look realistically positive. The good progress children make is in part due to their good personal development and well-being. This very positive feature of the school's work creates the Wren Park

p.4

Grade: 2

experience where children flourish. Children enjoy school. Their behaviour is good and they have very good attitudes in all that they do. An emphasis on keeping safe and healthy helped by good quality physical activities ensures children learn valuable lessons about lifestyles. The curriculum is good and the school values the breadth of subjects taught. Increasingly the curriculum is effectively being taught in a way that helps children study topics through different subjects. Good improvements have been made in information and communication technology (ICT) since the last inspection and standards are now good. Teaching is good and children enjoy their lessons, work hard and make good progress. Many aspects of teaching are good but the way in which children find out how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve is not always effective across the school. The new headteacher has made an excellent start since his appointment in September

p.4

Grade: 2

2006. He leads a good team of staff and has a clear vision for the school's future. Together with the senior management team and governors the school is well led and managed. Already, since the beginning of this new chapter in the school's development, parents and children appreciate some of the changes made and can see that what was good about the school is being built upon.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Reverse the dip in standards seen in the 2006 summer tests so that standards return to previous high levels. • Ensure that all children know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve their work. 2 Inspection Report: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006

p.4

Grade: 2

Children make good progress and reach standards that are above average. Standards at the end of Year 6 peaked in 2005 when they were exceptionally high. Children start off in the Reception classes with broadly expected abilities and quickly make good progress so that by the time they start Year 1 they have reached standards that are above average. By the end of Year 2 standards are generally above average and the gap between Wren Park's results and the national average is more significant. By the end of Year 6 standards take another big jump and are much higher than the national average. Even though the overall picture of achievement and standards is good there have been some 'blips'. In 2006 there was a significant fall in Year 2 test results and boys did less well than girls. There was also a dip in the percentage of children that reached the above average standards in English and science and to a lesser degree mathematics

p.5

Grade: 2

in the Year 6 tests. Although these results for Year 6 were still much higher than the national average the amount of progress these children had made was not as impressive as progress made by Year 6 children in the previous year. The school has reacted well to this slip in standards and although it is early days, predictions for better test results in 2007 seem realistic.

p.5

Grade: 2

Children enjoy school and the provision for their personal development and well being is good. Conversations with children show that they are confident, have very good attitudes about school life, and think carefully about what they do. The school council is active and has helped bring about improvements like the 'Friendship Stop' where children go at playtimes if they feel lonely. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. However, the way in which the school finds ways of helping children experience and learn about different cultures could be more high profile. Children's behaviour is good and they show care for each other and work and play safely. Attendance is good. All children understand the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and the school promotes healthy eating well. Children get a good amount of time to take part in physical activities and further develop their skills in a range of sports clubs. The progress children make in English,

p.5

Grade: 2

mathematics and ICT, along with their personal development, stands them in good stead for the next stage of their education. 3 Inspection Report: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good throughout the school. Children talk about enjoying lessons because they find the work challenging. This challenge is common and is underpinned by very good relationships between adults and children. In classes where there is more than one year group teaching is effectively matched to children's different abilities. Good use is also made of teaching assistants who work with individual children or small groups. ICT is used very effectively in lessons. For example, during the inspection children were seen using an internet currency converter to convert English pounds to Albanian Lek. The school has acted on the dip in standards in 2006 tests and focussed attention on improving the quality of teaching and learning. It is now better placed to improve the progress that children make.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Whilst there is an emphasis on English and mathematics the school values the importance of other subjects such as art and physical education. Good improvements to ICT have taken place since the last inspection when standards were found to be too low. An extensive range of ICT equipment is effectively used helping children to make good progress in this subject. The curriculum is planned in blocks and is sufficiently detailed. It is well matched to the range of children's abilities and to the classes where there is more than one year group. New resources have been bought to improve the curriculum for boys but how effectively this accelerates their progress has yet to be measured. The school is successfully finding ways to link learning in different subjects. For example, a recent whole school topic on food resulted in creative learning taking place in many subjects and some excellent displays of work in the school hall. There is a good range of visits

p.6

Grade: 2

and visitors that add to the curriculum and make learning more enjoyable for children.

p.6

Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support is good. The school has in place all formal procedures for keeping children safe. Safety checks are made and any necessary action taken. Children have every confidence in the adults in school and know what to do if they have concerns. Guidance and support for children's academic progress varies. Children's work is regularly marked and sometimes comments given help children to understand where they went wrong or how well they have learnt. However, there is no consistent whole 4 Inspection Report: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006 school approach in this area and children are not always clear as to what they need to do to improve and make better progress.

p.6

Grade: 2

Since he took up post in September the new headteacher has made an excellent start. One parent commented, 'Although Mr Buckley has only been in post a short time we are aware of two instances where his management was impressive'. His style is to lead a team and it is evident that teamwork is key to the success of the school. Governors are part of this team. They are good at getting involved with improvement plans, keeping checks on how well things are going and at the right times providing challenging questions. Parents are very positive about the leadership and management of the school. They appreciate the efforts made by the school to keep them informed of how things are done through activities such as 'curriculum evenings'. The school has accurately evaluated how well it is doing. When standards slipped in the 2006 tests the school was able to weigh up what were the reasons for this. Actions have been put in place to improve standards but not enough focus has been put on

p.7

Grade: 2

addressing the fall in mathematics in Year 2. More could also be done to plan ways of checking the impact of these actions. The headteacher is right in identifying that getting standards back up to the very high level reached before is one of the important targets for the academic year. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and along with the first rate start the new headteacher has made the school has good capacity to improve further, and continue to provide good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006 .

p.7

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: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006

p.9

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: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 November Dear Children Wren Park Primary School, Jackson Avenue, Mickleover, Derby, DE3 9AY I am writing to say thank you for showing me what a good school you have. I was very impressed with your good behaviour and the way in which you worked hard in lessons. I remember the assembly I visited and how we all thought about being special. As I went around your school I could see that you all agreed with this because you carefully looked out for each other. You told me that you enjoy school and that lessons are good. I agree. Your teachers are doing a good job. They are making sure you make good progress in your work and are helping you learn how to make good decisions in life, such as about what to eat and how you keep healthy. Mr Buckley has made an excellent start in his new job as Headteacher. He is very lucky to have a good team of adults that all work together well and help him with all the jobs he knows need

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to be done. Mr Buckley told me many good things about your school and how he checks that things keep improving. To help the school to do this I have given Mr Buckley two jobs which I think you can help with too: • Make sure that children throughout the school do their best in lessons and in tests • Help all children to know what they have done well and how they could improve. I hope all of you always do your best so that you are proud of what you do. Best wishes Andrew Cook - Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools 9 Inspection Report: Wren Park Primary School, 8 November 2006

p.11