Tredworth Junior School

Inspection Report Tredworth Junior School

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115482 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 290236 Inspection number 14 °15 February 2007 Inspection dates Jacqueline Ikin 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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Tredworth Road School address Junior Type of school Gloucester Community School category GL1 4QG 8 °11 Age range of pupils 01452 524578 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01452 387843 Fax number 246 Number on roll (school) Klim Seabright Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Andrew Darby Headteacher 17 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290236 14 °15 February 2007 8°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 larger than average junior school which serves a culturally mixed community near the centre of Gloucester. A very small minority of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is above average as is the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. The headteacher's dynamic leadership together with the hard working and dedicated staff team has resulted in significant improvements in standards and achievement since the last inspection. Parents and governors say that 'in this school every child really does matter'. The care, guidance and support that the school provides to pupils and their families are outstanding. The child action worker and family learning coordinator make an excellent contribution to this high quality care. Teaching and learning are good. Teaching staff know their pupils very well and have high expectations of them. They check pupils' progress regularly and use a wide variety of strategies to help them to do the best they can in lessons. As a result, the achievement of all pupils is good in relation to their starting points. Standards are average by the time they leave in Year 6. Pupils

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Grade: 2

do not do as well in writing because of weaknesses in handwriting, vocabulary and grammar and standards in this area are below average. The school recognises this and the strategies that have been implemented are beginning to lead to some improvement although further work is needed. Planning for developing handwriting, grammar and vocabulary is not yet rigorous enough. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils grow in confidence because they are helped to succeed and they know that they and their families are cared about, trusted and valued. They love the school, enjoy all that it has to offer and take great pride in their achievements, often presenting their work to parents in the outdoor theatre. The curriculum is good and includes well planned links between subjects and many opportunities to learn in ways that capture pupils' imagination. For example, some classrooms have been made to look like rainforests in order to help

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Grade: 2

pupils understand more about life in tropical climates. However, pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning and are sometimes over dependent on the adults who work with them for things they should be able to do for themselves. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils express their feelings and emotions quite powerfully in their poetry, art and music. They have a good understanding of their responsibilities towards themselves, for example by keeping safe and healthy. Behaviour is good and in lessons it is often exemplary. Pupils' clear understanding of their wider social responsibilities is evident in the effective contribution they make to the wider community through their charity work and their good work on the school council. Together with the good development of basic skills, they are prepared well for their future lives.

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Grade: 2

The overall leadership and management of the school are good. Governors support the school well and take a knowledgeable interest in all that it does. The effective work that the school has already done to improve achievement indicates that it has a good capacity to improve even further. 2 Inspection Report: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 February 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards and achievement in writing by improving teachers' planning for the development of handwriting, grammar and vocabulary. • Provide more opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their work and to develop the skills for independent learning.

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Grade: 2

Attainment on entry to the school is below average. Pupils achieve well to reach average standards by the time they leave. Standards are average in reading and mathematics and above average in science. They are below average in writing. Achievement in writing is satisfactory rather than good. Standards overall have improved dramatically since the previous inspection. A focus on problem solving in mathematics, on practical investigations in science and the teaching of reading in small groups have helped to improve standards. The development of clear systems for monitoring pupils' progress, together with well focused support to meet the needs of all pupils, has also had a significant impact. Pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities do well, as do those pupils who speak English as an additional language. More able and talented and gifted pupils thrive as a result of the opportunities they are given to reach their potential, for

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Grade: 2

example by studying Shakespeare or working with a professional artist. Increasingly good use of interactive whiteboards and computers has had a particularly positive impact on the achievement of boys, who now do as well as girls in all subjects, except writing.

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Grade: 2

The school provides an extremely safe and supportive atmosphere where pupils grow in confidence and are eager to learn. Pupils are extremely proud of their school and their achievements and love to talk to visitors about their work. Behaviour is good overall and often excellent in lessons because pupils know exactly where they stand and what will happen if unacceptable behaviour occurs. Pupils contribute well to the school and wider community through their work on the school council. For example, they raised money to pay for their outdoor theatre. They have an excellent understanding of their own cultural traditions and are very well prepared for the cultural diversity of modern British society. Their understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy is good. For example, pupils clearly explain what they have to do in the event of an emergency in the school. Attendance rates are improving as a result of the school's efforts. The vast majority of pupils attend regularly and the

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Grade: 2

child action worker is having a positive impact on pupils who find this difficult. There is very little unauthorised absence. Pupils' good achievement in literacy and numeracy prepares them well for their future life. 3 Inspection Report: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and use a good range of practical strategies to make learning meaningful. For example, as part of their history project, Year 6 pupils, dressed as Romans, unexpectedly 'raided' a Year 3 classroom to take away their Celtic treasures. This dramatic reconstruction helped pupils to understand some of the events and the way of life of the period. Teachers' good subject knowledge and a step-by-step approach to teaching problem solving are helping to raise standards in mathematics. Reading is taught well in small group activities. There is a good focus on basic skills as well as an introduction to the work of Shakespeare to more able pupils. A more systematic approach to the teaching of spelling and a focus on vocabulary are beginning to have a positive effect on improving pupils' writing although the school acknowledges there is still some way to

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Grade: 2

go. Good use of specialist teachers and instructors, for example in physical education and art, makes a significant contribution to the good standards achieved in these subjects. Good specialist support for pupils with learning difficulties and those who speak English as an additional language enables them to participate fully and make good progress in lessons.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, and enables all pupils to study a broad and interesting range of subjects. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and those who speak English an additional language is well managed. Their needs are identified at an early stage and teaching assistants, who are well briefed, give them good support. There are good arrangements for gifted and talented pupils. For example, pupils who are talented artists have produced high quality work as a result of working with a professional artist. The curriculum is enriched well by carefully planned links between subjects and visits to places of interest such as Gloucester Cathedral. However, pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning. This means that pupils are sometimes over dependent on their teachers for things they should be able to do for themselves. The satisfactory range of after school activities

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Grade: 2

is very well attended and contributes well to pupils' enjoyment of school.

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Grade: 1

The commitment of staff to pupils' welfare is uncompromising and the care, guidance and support given to pupils are outstanding. The school works very effectively with parents and has their trust and confidence. The popular Family Learning Programme, which provides opportunities for parents and pupils to learn together, is an excellent example of this. The staff know the pupils very well and provide well judged advice 4 Inspection Report: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 February 2007 and support for their personal development. As a result, pupils feel very safe and know who to go to if they need help. Arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are robust and regular health and safety checks are carried out. The child action worker provides excellent support for the school's most vulnerable pupils. This includes outstanding liaison with external agencies when it is required. The support for pupils' academic

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Grade: 1

development is good. The school's effective assessment and tracking arrangements ensure that all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and those whose knowledge of English is developing, receive the guidance they need to help them make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The dramatic improvement in standards and achievement owes much to the good leadership of the headteacher. He is a strong presence in the school and his clear vision inspires commitment from all members of the school community. There is a strong sense of energy and enthusiasm, with all staff working as a highly dedicated team for the benefit of the pupils. Senior staff and subject leaders share the headteacher's high expectations for pupils and carry out their roles well. However, more needs to be done to improve standards and achievement in writing and to help pupils acquire the skills of independent learning across the curriculum. Self-evaluation procedures are good, and the school has an accurate view of its strengths and areas for development. Clear systems are in place to keep the school on track in its efforts to improve. This includes regular monitoring of data and checks on pupils' progress to target resources to where they are most needed to ensure that

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Grade: 2

all pupils achieve well. Governance is good. Governors are highly committed to the school and their knowledge of how it works is good. 5 Inspection Report: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 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: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 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? 3 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 1 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?

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. 7 Inspection Report: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 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: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us so welcome and helping us when we visited your school. We really enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn and play. We can see why you are so proud of your school and why you like your headteacher and teachers so much. We think you receive a good education. What we liked most about your school • Your teachers help you to make good progress in reading and mathematics and to do even better in science. • You work hard and really enjoy school and most of your lessons. • You behave well and act in a confident and grown up way to make the school a better place. • Staff take excellent care of you and give you all the support you need to help you get better in your work and in your personal lives. • Your headteacher runs the school well and he is given some good help in this by all the other teachers and the governors. What we think needs to be improved • The quality of teachers' planning so that you reach higher standards in writing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• The opportunities that you receive to help you become more independent as you learn. You can help to make the school an even better place through your work on the school council, and through working hard, especially with your writing. 9 Inspection Report: Tredworth Junior School, 14 °15 February 2007

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