Woodland View Junior School

Inspection Report Woodland View Middle School

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120912 Unique Reference Number NORFOLK Local Authority 291908 Inspection number 14 °15 November 2006 Inspection dates David Manuel 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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Ivy Road School address Middle deemed primary Type of school

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Spixworth, Norwich Community School category Norfolk NR10 3PY 8 °12 Age range of pupils 01603 898292 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01603 891407 Fax number 234 Number on roll (school) Mr D Parry Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr James Mulvany Headteacher 25 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291908 14 °15 November 2006 8°12 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 smaller than average middle school. Almost all pupils come from White British backgrounds. Attainment on entry is above national expectations for their age. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is slightly above average but the proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs is above average. This is a popular school and in the past two years applications exceeded the number of places available. Pupils come not only from the village of Spixworth but also from smaller villages nearby.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. The school's successes are due to effective leadership and management. The headteacher has built successfully on the strengths identified in the previous inspection and has created a vibrant atmosphere for learning. All staff work well together and have an accurate view of the school's future needs for improvement. The school provides good value for money. The vast majority of parents are very supportive of the school. The quality of teaching and learning is good and there are examples of outstanding practice. Teachers plan lessons well and make learning really exciting. Relationships between teachers and pupils are excellent. These characteristics result in pupils making good progress during their time in the school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are supported well by teachers and teaching assistants alike and a significant

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Grade: 2

number of these pupils reach nationally expected levels by the time they leave the school. More able pupils achieve well but a few do not always reach the higher levels expected of them in writing. Targets set for pupils within some subject areas are sometimes not specific enough and not sufficiently related to the key skills for that subject. Attainment on entry to Year 4 is above expectations for their age in the key areas of reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils benefit from stimulating teaching across the age range. Results from the national tests in 2006 for pupils in Year 6, show that standards were well above average in mathematics and science and above average in English. Results in writing were comparatively lower than the others. When pupils leave the school at the end of Year 7, evidence indicates that standards continue to be above and sometimes well above the levels expected for pupils of this age in English,

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Grade: 2

mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT). Pupils are extremely happy in school and enjoy their lessons immensely. They relate exceptionally well to each other as they work and play together. Behaviour is very good. Pupils are encouraged and supported to develop as independent learners and are keen to do their best. All pupils feel safe and secure and appreciate the help that teachers provide. The school strongly emphasises the importance of healthy lifestyles. A good and well balanced curriculum promotes learning well for all pupils. Learning is enriched by an exceptional range of activities outside the school day, including clubs and visitors. The leadership and management are good. The school carries out regular self-evaluation and judgements are accurate. The school improvement plan identifies the most important priorities for development. Governors provide good support and are fully

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Grade: 2

involved in monitoring developments. The school has good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing. • Ensure greater consistency in setting individual targets, related specifically to the relevant skills within each subject. 2 Inspection Report: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Test results at the end of Year 6 are consistently above the national average, with achievement ranging from average to above average. Results in 2006 show that standards were well above average in mathematics and science and above average in English. These pupils had achieved well from their starting points in Year 4. Progress was not as good in writing as in other subjects. The school has now introduced good strategies to reverse that trend. By the end of Year 7 when pupils leave the school, the good standards in these subjects are maintained. Standards in ICT and creative subjects are also above nationally expected levels due to the good curriculum provision.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils enjoy coming to school because there is 'lots to do and learn and they show a keen interest in their work. Attendance is good. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They feel safe and behave safely; their behaviour is very good and often outstanding and bullying is rare. The outstanding relationships between adults and pupils and between pupils themselves greatly enrich the vibrant atmosphere in school. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptional. They know right from wrong and respect the school's systems for managing behaviour and rewarding good work. Pupils are regularly consulted and take a very active part in school life and that of the wider community. Healthy lifestyles are promoted extremely well. Discussions in the school council have raised awareness of the benefits of healthy living very effectively and their 'jam busters' initiative helps protect the environment

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Grade: 1

and promote healthy lifestyles. Pupils regularly raise funds for local, national and international charities. There are well established links with local schools, such as the creative arts partnership and the school sports partnership. Visits to historic and environmental centres add to the exceptional range of activities outside the school day. Pupils are provided with an excellent insight to life in their own society and to that of others around the world. They develop a good range of independent study skills and learn how to work effectively in teams. These skills prepare them well for the next steps in their education and to make a contribution to society.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good with some outstanding features and supports good levels of learning by pupils. Lessons demonstrate the high quality of relationships between pupils and teachers and the school's high expectations of behaviour. Teachers' planning caters 3 Inspection Report: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006 well for the full range of attainment and is complemented by the grouping of pupils by ability in English and mathematics to target their needs more closely. Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together and this factor is particularly effective in supporting pupils with learning difficulties. The more able pupils are not always challenged consistently and set specific enough targets to ensure that they build on their earlier learning and reach the levels of which they are capable, particularly in writing. New procedures have been introduced to remedy this.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and well organised to meet the full range of pupils' needs and capabilities. Good planning provides diverse and interesting experiences, including French. Of particular note are the improvements achieved by the effective implementation of ICT to support learning in all subjects. Improvements contribute well to the quality of teaching and to the development of skills that pupils need to ensure that they are fully equipped for their future lives. The excellent range of activities and after-school clubs outside the school day are much enjoyed by the pupils and make significant contributions to enriching the learning opportunities on offer. These include specialist coaching in seasonal sports, indoor clubs, music and performing arts. Pupils with learning difficulties and those with identified talents are well supported and monitored to enable them to meet their academic targets. The well planned

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Grade: 2

programme for personal, social and health education adds to the breadth of the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Care, support and guidance arrangements are good and give considerable impetus to the enjoyment of learning and general well-being of pupils. The procedures for child protection and safeguarding pupils' welfare are thorough and effective. Appropriate risk assessments are undertaken and pupils and parents have great confidence in the school. Pupils are happy, feel safe and consider that the school looks after them very well. The needs of vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs are catered for well. Entry into school and the onward transition to secondary education is well planned to guide and inform pupils and parents about the changes they will experience. The recently introduced 'e-tracking' assessment procedures are proving invaluable to teachers in monitoring and guiding pupils on their academic progress and what they need to do to improve further. Pupils place great trust in their exemplary relationships

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Grade: 2

with staff, which effectively underpin the high quality pastoral care and guidance that they receive. 4 Inspection Report: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Good leadership and management are key factors in the school's successes. Since taking up his position after the previous inspection, the headteacher has built on the strengths identified at that time. With the strong support of the committed staff there is a constant evaluation of the school's performance. New, relevant and well-considered strategies are introduced, aimed at improving the school still further. The enthusiastic staff support each other well and regularly review the school's future needs for improvement in their particular areas of responsibility. The governors provide good support for the school and share a clear commitment to not only maintaining its success but to improving provision and standards even further. Governors monitor their curriculum areas well and provide good information to parents. The latest initiatives are aimed at ensuring greater challenge for all pupils, particularly the more able.

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Grade: 2

Finances are managed well and resources and teachers' skills are utilised to the full. 5 Inspection Report: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006 .

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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: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006

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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? 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 2 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 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: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006

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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: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 November 2006 Dear Children Woodland View Middle School, Ivy Road, Spixworth, Norwich, Norfolk. NR10 3PY Thank you for being so helpful and friendly to us when we visited your school. We really enjoyed ourselves. You told us that you were really proud of your school, you were always busy and there were lots of things to do. We agree with you, it is a good school with some outstanding features. Here are the things that we think are best about your school. • You reach high standards in mathematics and science and good standards in English. • You are very well behaved and work hard in lessons, making good progress. • Teachers and support staff work hard and you appreciate all that they do for you. • You have a good curriculum which provides a lot of interesting learning opportunities and as you know, you have a lot of exciting extra activities and clubs. • Through your school council and other jobs, you help the school a lot and also are kind by

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

helping people who are poorer and less fortunate than yourselves. • The headteacher, staff and governors lead and manage your school well. These are the things that we think could be better. • You need to work hard to improve your writing and we have seen some signs that this is beginning to happen. • Teachers need to make very clear to you exactly what new skills you need to learn so that you all do as well as you should. You can help your teachers with these things so that you can do even better. Keep working hard; you are a credit to your school. We wish you every success in the future and we believe that there are even more exciting times ahead for you all. Yours sincerely David Manuel Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Woodland View Middle School, 14 °15 November 2006

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