Whitmore Park Primary School

Whitmore Park Primary School Inspection report

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103685 Unique Reference Number Coventry Local Authority 308387 Inspection number 28 February 2008 Inspection date Terry Elston 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 650 School The governing body Appropriate authority David Adams Chair Karen Skoro Headteacher 7 June 2004 Date of previous school inspection Halford Lane School address Coventry CV6 2HG 02476 332945 Telephone number 02476 338640 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 28 February 2008 Inspection date 308387 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. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: the effectiveness of measures taken by the school's leadership to raise standards, particularly in mathematics the attainment and progress of boys the extent to which pupils are aware of how to improve their work. The inspector gathered evidence from observations of lessons, discussions with pupils, governors and staff, tracking pupils' progress, analysis of attendance and gaining the views of parents. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a large school that has an additional facility to support pupils with speech and language difficulties. The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority groups is higher than in most schools with almost a quarter coming from Asian or Asian British Indian backgrounds. The number who speak English as an additional language is above that seen nationally. On entry to the school, while children's abilities are broadly average, many have weak language and number skills.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Whitmore Park Primary School, 28 February 2008

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Grade: 3

The quality of education provided is satisfactory with some important strengths that justify its popularity in the area. Pupils enjoy school and attend regularly because they feel well supported by staff who make them feel special. They make satisfactory progress and standards overall by the end of Year 6 are broadly in line with those found nationally. Standards are improving steadily because the school responds well to any weaknesses found. The highlight is science where the school's work on improving pupils' experimental skills has paid off to the extent that standards are above average. Mathematics is rightly the school's main priority for improvement because standards lag consistently behind those of other subjects. Pupils find mathematical investigations and quick recall of multiplication tables particularly difficult. In all subjects, boys attain significantly lower standards than girls and this has been the case for some years. This

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Grade: 3

year, the school introduced more practical ways of teaching subjects such as literacy and numeracy, and provided boys with books more likely to maintain their interest. Early signs are that this is working and boys are starting to catch up. Personal development and well being are good. From the time they enter the school, pupils learn to be good citizens and make a difference to their community. They enjoy the many opportunities to take responsibility and do it well. For example, members of the school council are justifiably proud of their role in improving the school playground, and the ECO committee helps the school live up to its motto of, 'It's our only world. Let's look after it!' Playground Pals provide a valuable service to pupils who are anxious or lonely, and pupils speak highly of the help they give. They develop a good sense of right and wrong and behave well. In lessons, you can hear a pin drop when the teacher is talking.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Many pupils say the best thing about school is the teachers who, as one put it, 'have a really good sense of humour and make lessons fun!' Teachers make good use of interactive whiteboards to add interest to lessons, and pupils love 'dragging' numbers and words across the screen. They plan lessons satisfactorily so that all groups of pupils generally have work suited to their abilities. In some lessons, the pace of teaching drops, particularly when teachers spend too long on one part of the lesson. This means that boys in particular start to lose concentration and miss the point of what is being taught. Teachers assess pupils' work regularly and use the information well to show them how they are doing and what they need to do to improve. The curriculum is rich and varied. Pupils are enthusiastic about provision and value the wide range of visits, visitors and residential trips that help bring subjects to life. The curriculum

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Grade: 3

includes valuable work on how to live healthy lives and keep safe, and during the Healthy Living Week, pupils wrote knowledgeably about the best foods to eat and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Many attend the wide range of clubs after school that enhance their skills in sport and music. The curriculum provides many worthwhile opportunities for pupils to think deeply about issues, as was illustrated by their sensitive writing about the plight of refugees lost in a foreign land. One wrote, Nothing's left, I should just give up. There's nothing left inside me. The curriculum prepares pupils well for the future by including worthwhile opportunities to plan budgets, organise charity events and produce computer presentations. Apart from in numeracy lessons, however, there are few opportunities for pupils to improve their mathematical skills. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Whitmore Park Primary School, 28 February 2008

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Grade: 3

Parents speak highly of the school and the way all staff care for their children so well. Typical of their comments are, 'Lovely school', 'Always something good going on,' and 'Thank you for looking after our children so well because school plays such an important part in their lives.' Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher provides good leadership with a clear focus on raising standards of teaching and learning. She has helped create effective teams, so important in such a large school, that are good at analysing pupils' progress and identifying areas that need to be improved. The headteacher evaluates the teaching well and gives teachers clear guidance on how to improve. Other leaders, however, are not sufficiently involved in this process and this explains why not all the teaching is as good as it could be. Governors are supportive and challenge the leaders when necessary. The school has made

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Grade: 3

satisfactory improvement since the last inspection and is set to improve still further.

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Grade: 2

The school makes good provision for children in the Foundation Stage. Parents are right to feel that the staff know their children well and the well planned induction arrangements ensure they settle quickly into school. Staff make regular assessments of children's progress and ensure that children of all abilities get the support they need. The detailed curriculum planning ensures that children have a good balance of work and play that prepares them well for the next stage of their learning. The classrooms and outdoor areas are stimulating and do much to make learning fun. The lively and well informed teaching means that children make good progress. As a result, by the end of the Reception Year, their knowledge and skills are broadly typical of children their ages.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide more opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to develop their skills in calculation and mathematical investigations. ■ Ensure that the teaching in all classes provides the right stimulus to get the best out of boys.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Involve subject leaders more in evaluating and raising the quality of teaching and learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Whitmore Park Primary School, 28 February 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Whitmore Park Primary School, 28 February 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 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 3 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Whitmore Park Primary School, 28 February 2008

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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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Whitmore Park Primary School, 28 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

2 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Whitmore Park Primary School, Coventry, CV6 2HG Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I thoroughly enjoyed my day with you because you were so friendly. Those who were kind enough to speak to me made it clear that you enjoy school and are proud to be there. Your school is satisfactory, which means it does most things well but could do even better. What I liked most about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You try very hard and your work is of a similar standard to that of most schools.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave very well and nearly always listen carefully to your teachers.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You know the importance of living healthy lives, eating the right foods and taking regular exercise. ■ Your headteacher and other leaders know how to make the school even better so that it keeps improving. ■ Your teachers are good at making lessons enjoyable, which is why you say you like school so much. ■ You enjoy the interesting range of activities provided and it is good that so many of you take part in the many clubs at lunchtime and after school. ■ All staff at the school take good care of you and keep you safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that boys at the school do as well as girls. Boys can help here by always trying to do their best work! ■ Improve your mathematical skills and give you more opportunities to do number work in all subjects. ■ Help those in charge of subjects to check the quality of teaching and learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely Terry Elston Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Whitmore Park Primary School, 28 February 2008

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