Wherwell Primary School

Inspection Report Wherwell Primary School

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115960 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290378 Inspection number 9 °10 January 2007 Inspection dates 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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Wherwell School address Primary Type of school Andover Community School category SP11 7JP 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01264860384 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01264860384 Fax number 108 Number on roll (school) Mrs Linda Moore-Rosindell Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Andy King Headteacher 4 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290378 9 °10 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This school is smaller than most. It draws its pupils from a wide area, including several villages and the nearby town of Andover. Pupils' socio-economic circumstances are generally advantaged. They enter the school with expected standards for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is generally below average, although there is some variation in each year due to the impact of small changes when numbers are low. The great majority of pupils are of White British heritage and none are at an early stage of speaking English. Because of local population trends, a higher than normal proportion of pupils enter the school other than at the normal time. For example, about half of the 2005-6 Year 6 pupils entered after the start of Year 3. The school holds Investors in People status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Parents agree and say that their children are happy here and make good progress. One said, 'I feel confident that the school is a place where our son will flourish.' Staff are committed and effective in caring for pupils so that they feel secure and enjoy school. All in the school take good advantage of its small size to give their community a strong family atmosphere. This ensures that even the significant number of pupils who arrive after the normal starting dates settle in quickly. The Foundation Stage provides well for children, who make good progress there. Their social development is particularly good because of the very good opportunities for learning to work cooperatively with others while finding things out by playing and exploring. By Year 6, good teaching and their own positive responses mean that pupils achieve well to reach above average standards. Very good opportunities to develop

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Grade: 2

and use their skills in different situations and to find things out for themselves help pupils to achieve very well in mathematics and science. Achievement is least strong in English, where skills in writing develop less well than those in other aspects of the subject. Improvements to opportunities for pupils to learn to write confidently in a range of styles are beginning to help, but are too recent to have yet had full impact. Teachers encourage pupils to learn by finding out and sharing their ideas with each other. They plan lessons well for the mixed age classes, to ensure that work is at the right level for all pupils to make good progress. The older pupils respond well to encouragement to help the younger ones. These working relationships contribute to the very good integration in the school, with most pupils having good friends in other years. Pupils' personal development is good. Their behaviour and enjoyment of school

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Grade: 2

are outstanding. However, they do not have enough opportunities to find out about life in other places to develop good understanding of other cultures. Senior leadership is capable and united. The headteacher has a clear vision for the way forward, which he communicates effectively to the staff. Since the last inspection, leadership and management have succeeded well in maintaining strengths and focusing effectively on areas in need of improvement. This track record shows that the capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' writing so that standards and achievement in English match those in mathematics and science. • Provide more opportunities for pupils to learn about other cultures.

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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 their areas of learning by the end of the Reception year. They quickly learn to 2 Inspection Report: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 January 2007 understand the need for rules and how to work co-operatively with each other. In Years 1 to 6 most pupils develop very good ability in using their mathematical skills to solve problems and in finding things out in science by investigating and experimenting. English standards are slightly above average and most pupils achieve well, but less emphatically so than in their other subjects. While pupils' reading, speaking and listening skills develop as well as their other areas of learning, their writing skills are less strong. Most pupils become competent in spelling and using correct grammar, but their mastery of a range of writing styles is limited. The school

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Grade: 2

succeeds well in ensuring that no groups of pupils achieve significantly less well than others. For example, the needs of those with learning difficulties and disabilities are carefully identified and they are given effective individual support, so that they make as good progress as do their classmates.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. Pupils say emphatically that they enjoy school and show this through their good attendance and willingness to join in. The care and understanding that pupils show for each other are major strengths of the school. The school strongly encourages older pupils to look after the younger ones and they do this with high commitment and enthusiasm. As a result, even the very youngest children quickly become confident members of the school community and the older ones develop their caring skills and sense of responsibility very well. Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They understand the need for rules and are proud that they sometimes help to make them. Pupils say that the very small amount of misbehaviour is usually by new arrivals, who improve, '... when they see how the rest of us behave'. Pupils confidently explain why a healthy diet and exercise are important. They willingly

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Grade: 2

contribute to school life, for example, by working on the school council, and feel that their ideas are listened to. The rather isolated location of the school makes it difficult to be highly involved in the local community, but pupils enthusiastically contribute to charity appeals. Pupils recently planned the costs, designs and marketing of Christmas cards. Such activities contribute to their good preparation for their futures. Although pupils learn about their own culture, they do not have a strong understanding of ways of life in other cultures.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan varied and interesting activities that encourage pupils to learn by investigating and sharing their ideas. Occasionally, activities go on for a little too long when pupils are ready to move forward, so that the pace of work temporarily becomes slower than normal. Clear procedures for gaining 3 Inspection Report: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 January 2007 pupils' attention ensure that little time is lost between activities. Teachers succeed well in maintaining authority, while remaining relaxed. Consequently, relationships are good and pupils are eager to work hard. Teachers often ask pupils to evaluate their own work, or to help others who are not coping so well and pupils respond readily to this. This makes good use of the opportunities provided by the mixed age classes. The younger pupils say that they know somebody will help them even if the adults are

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Grade: 2

busy and the older ones say it helps them to remember what they have learned earlier. Teachers use marking well to encourage pupils, but do not always give clear guidance on how they can improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is regularly reviewed to ensure that it helps pupils to make good progress. Learning programmes are well planned to provide for all pupils in the mixed age classes. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 learn French and plans are in hand to extend this to other years. Pupils really enjoy the expert music teaching and many learn to play an instrument. Good use is made of links with other schools to provide enhancements to the curriculum, for example, through well qualified sports coaching. Pupils say that they enjoy the varied extra-curricular clubs and show this by their good attendance. Significant improvements have recently been made to the information and communication (ICT) facilities, so that pupils now have good opportunities to use computers to improve their ICT standards and to enhance their work in other subjects. A good programme of personal, social, health and emotional learning contributes well

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Grade: 2

to pupils' personal development. Opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills have not always been sufficient, but the school is now giving them more chances to write in a range of contexts in different subjects.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. All procedures are carefully and effectively carried out and staff have had appropriate training. The school makes sure that all pupils are made to feel welcome and helped to settle in. This is an important factor in ensuring that pupils feel secure and confident and achieve well, even though many arrive after the start of teaching programmes. As one parent put it, 'I have no doubt that my daughter's increased confidence is due to the excellent settling in process.' The school carefully identifies all pupil's starting point and tracks the progress of each to ensure that all receive good guidance and support. It is now working to improve this further by involving pupils more in evaluating their own work and setting their own targets. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are carefully identified. The school works well with parents to plan their individual learning

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Grade: 2

programmes. 4 Inspection Report: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 January 2007

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Grade: 2

There is good focus on achievement, balanced with ensuring that the school is a happy, secure place in which pupils thrive and grow up well. The school shares ownership well by giving each teacher responsibility for leading a key strategic area. This contributes well to unity of purpose and morale. The school has an accurate view of its quality and performance. It regularly seeks the views of pupils and parents. Monitoring of teaching and learning is systematic and gives clear guidance to teachers on how they could improve their lessons further. The headteacher carries out most lesson observations though, which reduces opportunities for other staff to develop their leadership skills, or share their ideas. Governors are well organised, support the school well and are willing to challenge it where necessary. Since the last inspection, good achievement has been maintained and improvements secured where necessary, for example in mathematics, which was the weakest subject,

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Grade: 2

but is now the strongest. Improvements to accommodation and resources have significantly enhanced learning. For example, pupils who need additional help can have this in dedicated tutorial areas. ICT is making a strong contribution to learning and younger pupils have better opportunities to learn by playing and exploring outside. The school is currently focused well on raising writing standards to the levels of other areas of learning, although improvements are too recent to have yet had full impact. 5 Inspection Report: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 January 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: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 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 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 1 The behaviour of learners 2 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?

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: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 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: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 January 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 and some things about it are very good. You succeed well in your work. You achieve especially well in mathematics and science. You also learn to read very well and become very good at speaking and listening. Your writing is not quite as strong as the other areas of your work. The teachers know this and are working hard to give you more chances to write in different ways, so that your writing can become as good as your other work. I have also asked the headteacher to give you more chances to learn about the lives and cultures of people who live in other places, as this is the other area that is not as strong as most of your learning. Teachers work very hard to make lessons interesting. They are good at making sure that, even

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

though there are children of different ages in each class, they give you all the right level of work for your age. This helps you all to learn as well as each other. One of the best things about your school is how well you all care for each other. Some of you told me that you are really grateful for the way in which the adults look after you so well. I could also see how well you help them in this. I saw lots of examples of pupils helping each other, usually without having to be asked. You also help a lot by being extremely well behaved and working hard and also by your good attendance. Some of you told me that you really like the opportunities to learn to play musical instruments and to take part in sports and other activities. You show this by joining in with them very well. The headteacher and his staff work together well and have worked hard to make the school as good as it is. They know what to do next to make it even better. Well done to you all and very

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

best wishes for the future. George Rayner Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Wherwell Primary School, 9 °10 January 2007

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