John Wilkinson Primary School and Nursery

Inspection Report John Wilkinson Primary School

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123434 Unique Reference Number Shropshire Local Authority 292663 Inspection number 15 November 2006 Inspection date Graham Sims 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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Coalport Road School address Primary Type of school Broseley Community School category TF12 5AN 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01952 882950 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01952 882950 Fax number 146 Number on roll (school) Keith Rendell Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Jacqueline Carter Headteacher 28 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292663 15 November 2006 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

John Wilkinson Primary School is smaller than most primary schools. Its pupils are almost all of White British heritage and come from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is average. Many of these pupils have complex needs. The number of pupils in each year group varies widely, from 34 in Year 6 to only 16 in Year 4. Apart from Year 6, all pupils are taught in mixed-age classes. Many pupils have only two terms in Reception before starting Year 1. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have both been in post for less than a year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: John Wilkinson Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

What a delightful place John Wilkinson Primary School is! The ambience is striking as soon as one walks in the door: hardworking, well-prepared staff, polite and friendly pupils, bright and cheerful rooms with excellent artwork and displays, and a sense of calm within which learning flourishes. It is, indeed, a good school, which does not require a great deal of improvement to become outstanding. Pupils and parents agree. 'This is the best primary school there is,' said one pupil, whilst others nodded in agreement. 'I am delighted with the education my children have received; the staff are excellent; very impressed by the range of experiences offered; there is a warm and friendly atmosphere,' are typical of the comments of many parents. Good leadership and management have ensured the continuation of the good quality education noted at the time of the last inspection. The school's previous long-serving

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Grade: 2

headteacher left a legacy of well established routines, excellent standards of behaviour, a creative curriculum and many other strengths. The new headteacher has brought her own impetus which has already led to further improvements and a clear focus on raising the achievement of all pupils. Some initiatives, such as improving aspects of the teaching of mathematics, have had an immediate impact. Others, such as the implementation of new procedures for target setting and tracking pupils' progress need more time to become fully embedded and for the results to be seen in even better progress. Pupils achieve well during their time at the school, reaching above average standards by Year 6. Children make a good start when they join the Reception, and the above average standards attained by last year's group were the best ever. Standards are not quite so high at the end of Year 2, but the school has taken effective steps to halt a

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Grade: 2

decline in reading and mathematics standards and recognises the need to ensure higher expectations for the more able pupils. Key factors contributing to the pupils' good progress are the good quality of teaching and learning and a good curriculum which has some outstanding features. The rich variety of activities, which supplement the more formal curriculum, good partnership activities with other schools and a strong emphasis on subjects like art and physical education, motivate the pupils and help them to have positive attitudes to school. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good, owing much to the good care, guidance and support provided by all of the staff. Pupils clearly enjoy school. They have a good understanding of how to lead a healthy life and to keep themselves safe, and they enjoy undertaking responsibilities. Good levels of literacy and numeracy, well developed computer skills, self-confidence and the ability to work collaboratively

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Grade: 2

ensure that pupils are well equipped for the next stage of their education.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in reading and mathematics, particularly for the more able pupils, by the end of Year 2. 2 Inspection Report: John Wilkinson Primary School, 15 November 2006 • Embed the new tracking and target-setting procedures so that staff and pupils have a clearer idea of what each pupil should be expected to achieve.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress during their time at the school, reaching above average standards by Year 6. Standards at the end of Year 6 have risen steadily over the last few years. Pupils who left in 2005 made exceptional progress in Years 3 to 6; other cohorts have made good progress. Each year group contains a very wide range of ability. Whilst the overall picture is one of average attainment on entry to the school, the starting point for some year groups is below average. Children make good progress in their Reception Year, particularly in communication, language and literacy. In most years, standards are average, or just above, by the time children start Year 1. The most recent group achieved above average standards. Over the last few years, standards at the end of Year 2 have fallen in reading and mathematics. Whilst those with learning difficulties make good progress because of the extra support they receive, some of the more able pupils do not do quite as well

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Grade: 2

as might be expected. In 2006 (a group with a large proportion of pupils with learning difficulties), standards were below average in reading, just below in mathematics and just above in writing. Greater emphasis on the development of reading skills and a whole-school focus on the teaching of mathematics are already starting to have an impact so that standards in reading and mathematics are improving again.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. Parents comment on how impressed they are with the friendliness of the pupils and the way older pupils look after the younger ones. Pupils are commended for their excellent behaviour when away on school trips, and a similar standard is evident in lessons and around the school. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They enjoy helping and are keen to point out ways in which the school council is working to bring improvements. Through work in art and music and well chosen assembly themes, pupils develop good cultural understanding. That the great majority of pupils enjoy school is evident in their response in lessons, the very high participation rate in extra-curricular activities and in their conversation. The average attendance level, however, does not quite reflect this enthusiasm. 3 Inspection Report: John Wilkinson Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Dedicated, hard-working staff who are willing to try out new ideas and approaches to learning are key to the school's success. There are no weak links and pupils receive consistently good teaching throughout the school. Staff are very aware of the wide range of age and ability in each class and spend much time preparing different tasks and activities to meet pupils' needs. Additional teaching and support for those with learning difficulties and disabilities is particularly effective. However, the more able pupils are not always challenged sufficiently to progress beyond the expected level for their age. This, and various periods of prolonged staff absence in the lower part of the school, account for the slight decline in pupils' performance in Years 1 and 2. Excellent relationships between staff and pupils, a good variety of teaching methods and styles, increasing use of new technology and the pupils' positive attitudes and

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Grade: 2

willingness to participate all help pupils to learn well.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a rich curriculum in which the emphasis on creative work in art and music is a key strength. A good partnership with the local secondary school and other local initiatives provide additional staff expertise and further enriching experiences in areas such as dance, drama and physical education. Good provision for physical education and a wide range of sporting activities, combined with an increasing emphasis within the curriculum on how to lead healthy lifestyles, ensure that pupils have a very good understanding of what they need to do to be healthy. However, the snacks and lunches brought by some pupils show that not all of them put this understanding into practice. An extensive range of very well supported extra-curricular activities, visits to places of interest and a residential visit for pupils in Year 6 add significantly to pupils' educational experience.

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Grade: 2

Excellent relationships between staff and pupils, and pupils' comments such as, 'This is the best primary school because it is safe, everyone is really nice, the teachers are really encouraging and teach you properly', indicate a high standard of care. Procedures for ensuring the safety and welfare of pupils are rigorous. The care provided for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities has been recognised by the recent award of a quality mark for interesting and innovative practice in special educational needs. Staff know their pupils well, but systems for tracking pupils' progress and setting meaningful targets which raise expectations and help teachers and pupils to know what they are aiming for have only recently been introduced. These systems need to 4 Inspection Report: John Wilkinson Primary School, 15 November 2006 become fully embedded to prove their merit in guiding and supporting pupils in their

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Grade: 2

One of the headteacher's key strengths is her ability to motivate staff and pupils. The staff are enthusiastic about their jobs and are keen to take on responsibilities and try out new ideas. For example, one has helped the school to become more aware of how it can educate children to become more healthy. There is clearly an excellent sense of teamwork, with staff keen to lend their expertise and learn from each other. The headteacher and deputy have a very good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and are now involving staff and seeking the views of parents and pupils more in determining priorities for development. They have introduced more rigorous systems to monitor pupils' progress and evaluate how effective the teaching is, although these systems still need to become fully embedded in practice. Governors discharge their responsibilities well. The continuing high standards of personal

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Grade: 2

development, effective measures to improve the quality of pupils' writing and, more recently, performance in mathematics and the upward trend in standards at the end of Year 6 indicate that the school has good capacity for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: John Wilkinson Primary School, 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: John Wilkinson Primary School, 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 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 3 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

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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: John Wilkinson Primary School, 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: John Wilkinson Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I really enjoyed my visit to your school the other day and would like to thank those of you who took the time to talk to me about the school. A number of you told me that yours is the best primary school around. I am not sure what other schools in your area are like, but yours is certainly a good school. These are the main things I found out about your school: • Nearly all of you are making good progress in your work, and the standards you achieve by the end of Year 6 are better than in many schools. • You are friendly, polite, very well behaved and enthusiastic about your school. • You have a very good understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle, but not all of you choose the healthiest of foods for your lunch or break time snack. • You are taught well in every class, and those who find it difficult to learn receive very good additional help. • The school provides many interesting activities which you particularly enjoy, especially

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

those in art and physical education. • The staff take good care of you, making sure that you are safe and well looked after. • The headteacher, senior staff and governors manage the school well and are always looking for ways of making it even better. It would not take much to turn your school into an extremely good school. To help them to do this, I have asked the headteacher and staff to improve the standards you reach in reading and mathematics by the end of Year 2. This is because some of the more able ones amongst you are capable of moving on a bit more quickly than you do at the moment. I have also asked them to carry on with the target-setting systems that have been introduced this year. These will help you and the staff know exactly what level you are expected to achieve and should motivate you to do even better than you are doing at present. You are already very cooperative with your teachers. If you continue to show the same

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

enthusiasm for school and try to reach the highest standards of which you are capable, you will help the staff to make your good school even better. 9 Inspection Report: John Wilkinson Primary School, 15 November 2006

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