Wyke Primary School

113743 Unique Reference Number Dorset Local Authority 289709 Inspection number 2 May 2007 Inspection date Malcolm Greenhalgh 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 215 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Simon Andrews Chair Stephen Crumpler Headteacher 19 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection Deane Avenue School address Gillingham SP8 4SH

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01747 825665 Telephone number 01747835627 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 2 May 2007 Inspection date 289709 Inspection number .

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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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is situated on the outskirts of the small Dorset town of Gillingham. Pupils enter school with broadly average levels of attainment and the proportions of pupils registered for free school meals or who have learning difficulties and disabilities are below the national averages. The vast majority of pupils in the school are White British.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. The headteacher has created an extremely caring atmosphere where there is mutual respect and a purposeful working atmosphere. The school day runs very efficiently with no time wasted and as one parent said, 'There is a strong sense of values throughout the school mixed with the perfect injection of fun!' Overall, the school enjoys excellent support from the parents. Pupils make good progress and achieve well from the time they enter the Reception class to the time they leave. Overall, standards in English, mathematics and science are above the national averages with significantly high numbers of pupils reaching Level 4 and Level 5 by the end of Year 6. There is some variation in the progress pupils make in mathematics and the school recognises that in Years 3, 4 and 5 progress is satisfactory and not as strong as the progress made in English. The pupils' personal development is excellent. They feel very safe in school and are very keen

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Grade: 2

to live healthy lives. They contribute extremely well to the school and the wider community, display outstanding levels of behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. They thoroughly enjoy their time in school and make very good progress in important life skills. The school deserves great credit for this achievement because of the way it cares for, guides and supports the all-round well-being of the pupils and ensures individual needs are met. As a result, pupils are keen to contribute and eagerly take on responsibility. The quality of the curriculum and teaching is good. Lessons are well planned to meet the needs of the different groups of pupils and there are excellent relationships between staff and pupils. Very clear instructions are provided by the teachers and pupils respond very well to this. Pupils are very motivated by the praise they are given and have excellent attitudes towards learning.

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Grade: 2

There are some areas for improvement in the teaching of mathematics, particularly in the use of practical resources to support learning and in the consistent teaching of methods and terms. The personal, social and health perspective of the curriculum is strong and there is much emphasis on additional activities in the form of clubs and residential visits. The school is very well led and managed by the headteacher who has built a very effective team to support school improvement. The school knows itself well and sets good priorities for further improvement. There are very good links with the other local schools enabling them to share good ideas. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and has maintained areas of strength. The school is very well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve how well pupils achieve in mathematics in Years 3, 4 and 5 so that the good progress made in English is matched. • Improve the quality of teaching in mathematics, especially in the use of practical resources to support learning and the consistency of use of mathematical methods and terms.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress and achieve well. They enter the school with average levels of attainment and leave with levels of attainment in English, mathematics and science that are significantly above the national averages. The school focuses effectively on the achievements in other aspects of the curriculum. A recent HMI subject report identified achievements in 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 2007 personal, social and health education as good. Pupils get a very good start in Reception across all areas of learning and this is built upon effectively in Years 1 and 2 where pupils make good progress in reading and writing and where standards, year on year, are generally above average. Standards in mathematics are broadly in line with the national averages by the end of Year 2. Standards are maintained in Years 3 to 6 with evidence of good progress raising standards further. The school's effective analysis of data from a range of sources supports this view.

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Grade: 2

Progress in mathematics in Years 3, 4 and 5 is satisfactory.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their all-round personal development are outstanding. Pupils are very keen to join in physical activities and to eat healthily. The school's recently won FA Chartermark and Active and Healthy School status show that the school and pupils alike are determined to be healthy and active. The Year 6 pupils thoroughly enjoy taking on the responsibility of creating the routines for the daily whole school 'wake and shake'. To see the vast majority of pupils taking a serious part in this pre-school routine was tremendous. The parent questionnaires were overwhelmingly of the view that pupils thoroughly enjoy their time at the school and feel very safe. Attendance is also well above the national average. The caring atmosphere around the school is much to do with the pupils and the way they support routine organisational tasks such as setting up activities in the classroom and

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Grade: 1

organising the resources for assembly. Through the school council they also organise the whole process of supporting a wide range of charities. The business and organisational skills they gain, alongside their abilities to collaborate and work independently, add greatly to the good progress they make in literacy and numeracy to ensure they are well prepared for the future.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers are skilled in the way they plan lessons to meet the needs of individual pupils and the way additional support is provided. Teachers give very clear instructions to pupils to identify expectations and this goes a long way to ensure the calm but purposeful atmosphere that is common in all classes. The positive relationships between staff and pupils are a key strength and the result is that pupils have respect for both the staff and for other pupils and have excellent attitudes towards their work and behaviour. Teaching in mathematics is not a strong as it is in English in Years 3, 4 and 5. The monitoring and evaluation processes in school have already recognised this and an action plan is in place. At present, there is not enough use of practical resources to support learning and there are inconsistencies in teaching methods and the use of mathematical terms. Nevertheless, assessment

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Grade: 2

procedures are good and sufficient performance data are gathered throughout the school enabling teachers and senior managers to identify strengths and weaknesses in learning.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a very well balanced curriculum that focuses on key skills to ensure good progress is made but also ensures other National Curriculum subjects are taught effectively. For example, improving the geography curriculum is part of the present school development 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 2007 plan. Improvements are needed in planning the mathematics curriculum to ensure better use of practical resources to support learning. The school also puts much emphasis on personal, social and health education which is reflected in the outstanding personal development of the pupils. There is a large number of well attended extra-curricular clubs provided for the pupils at various times of the day and additional residential visits are a strong feature of the curriculum.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support for the pupils are outstanding. The school meets all statutory requirements for child protection and risk assessment and has very good systems in place to identify the progress pupils make in their academic and personal development. This process starts in the Reception class and continues throughout the school. The effort the school puts into this aspect of developing the whole child is extremely well appreciated by the parents who clearly see the benefits of this. The school has worked hard to achieve a range of awards and has developed good links with the local community to support the work that it does. The assembly during the inspection was a superb example of this community approach when a governor, leading the assembly, gave a very powerful message to pupils and staff about the need to care for others, even those that you may not get on with.

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Grade: 2

The school is very well led by the headteacher who is a well respected figure in the local community and within the local authority. His leadership has been an important element in the development of a school that provides outstanding care, guidance and support helping to ensure that the personal development of the pupils is also outstanding. Leadership and management have also been responsible for guaranteeing that the pupils' good academic achievements are not just within the basic skills but also across a very broad range of subjects and aspects of personal development. He is very well supported by a strong senior management team and a governing body that provides a good balance between being supportive and being a critical friend. The general management of the school is also strong, including a budget that is used effectively to sustain the progress made. Effective links with other local schools exist

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Grade: 2

which contribute particularly to curriculum development. The school takes new initiatives on board to improve the school such as effective data analysis across all year groups. The level of self-evaluation is very good and this provides the school with a clear picture of where its strengths and weaknesses are and how the school needs to prioritise for improvement. This process has recently identified the improvements needed in mathematics. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and is very well placed to improve further. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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?

1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils, Inspection of Wyke Primary School, Gillingham SP8 4SH Thank you very much for the way you greeted me on my recent visit to your school. I thoroughly enjoyed the 'wake and shake' start to the day and I was very impressed with the way you go about your work around the school. You show a great deal of care and support for others and contribute very well, particularly the older ones amongst you, to the general day-to-day running of the school. You are keen to live healthy lives and support the local and wider communities. Your enjoyment of school is very well reflected in the good progress from Reception to Year 6. Your progress in mathematics slows down a bit in Years 3, 4 and 5 and I support the school's view that this is an area that needs to be improved. It is particularly important that teachers use more practical apparatus to help you to understand your work and that they always use the same words when they describe the methods you need to use to answer

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

questions. You can help in this by making sure you use the apparatus that is made available to you when you are finding things difficult. The teaching in the school is good and you are provided with a very wide range of subjects and activities to do both during and outside of the normal school times. The school shows a great deal of care for your well-being and ensures you are safe. Members of staff check your work regularly to see how well you are doing and provide you with good additional support when you need it. The headteacher and staff are very dedicated and work very effectively to ensure your time in school is successful. They know what the school does well and where it could do better. Because of this they are able to plan which areas to improve next. Overall, I judged your school to be good with outstanding features. Yours sincerely, Malcolm Greenhalgh Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Wyke Primary School, 2 May 2007

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