Wyken Croft Primary School

Wyken Croft Primary School Inspection report

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103696 Unique Reference Number Coventry Local Authority 308392 Inspection number 10 °11 June 2008 Inspection dates Jenny Batelen 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 696 School The governing body Appropriate authority George Jones Chair Derek Gardiner Headteacher 21 June 2004 Date of previous school inspection Wyken Croft School address Wyken Coventry CV2 3AA 02476 613932 Telephone number 02476 602408 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 10 °11 June 2008 Inspection dates 308392 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 four Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Wyken Croft is a very large primary school situated in the outskirts of Coventry. The school is popular and more than half of the pupils come from outside the school's catchment area. There is a wide range of extended provision offered on site, including a Children's Centre, before- and after-school provision and holiday clubs.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with significant outstanding features. The sustained improvement of recent years is due to the outstanding leadership of the headteacher, extremely ably supported by the senior management team and the governing body. The middle management of the school is so structured that all staff are able to contribute to school improvement and thus to enhance their own professional development. The progress that the school is making shows that the school has outstanding capacity to improve further. One parent, representing many, comments, 'We have seen the school go from strength to strength in recent years.' A particular strength of the school is pupils' outstanding personal development. They develop into confident, articulate, polite young citizens. Pupils spoke enthusiastically of how their teachers help them to learn because they 'make education fun' and many parents spoke of how their children enjoy coming to school. Exemplary behaviour in classrooms and around the school

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Grade: 2

demonstrates the mutual respect and consideration that exist between all members of the school community. Pupils carry out a wide range of responsibilities extremely conscientiously, for example through the school council and 'eco warriors' initiatives. Pupils are developing the skills to equip them well for their future lives. An example of this includes the good development of basic skills, links with a bank for Year 3 and running the healthy tuck shop. The outstanding pastoral care given to all pupils ensures their well-being and safety at all times. Children receive good teaching in Foundation Stage where they make good progress. They continue to achieve well and make good progress through the school and comfortably reach above average standards by the time they leave Year 6. This is because good teaching and well-managed classrooms create excellent learning environments. Pupils with learning difficulties

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Grade: 2

and/or disabilities make the same progress as their classmates as a result of well-organised and focused provision. An extremely carefully planned, exciting curriculum with many links made between the different subjects contributes to pupils' good progress. The use of a specific programme to support their personal development gives pupils the chance to regularly discuss social and emotional issues and develop their speaking and listening skills. There are many opportunities for further learning through the generous provision of before-and after-school clubs. Some past inconsistencies in assessment mean that there has not always been a clear view of the achievement of all pupils. The school has worked hard to improve these systems and more robust procedures for data analysis and target setting are now in place. However, these are still being embedded and there has been insufficient time to raise standards and achievement

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Grade: 2

further. This is evident in the fact that although pupils are clear about what they want to achieve, they are not always sure what they need to do in order to take that next step in learning.

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Grade: 2

The nursery is popular and oversubscribed and the very good relationships with parents are built before children join the school. Most children have the skills expected of children at this age when they start nursery. However, the current group includes more children who are starting school below expectations than previously, particularly in aspects of writing, linking sounds and letters and calculation. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage. By the end of Reception, most children reach above average standards in all areas of learning, with mathematics 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 2008 standards being just above. They make particularly good progress in their personal development and writing. Leadership of the Foundation Stage is effective. Adults work well as a team, ensuring the right priorities for development are identified. Teaching is consistently good. Children leave the

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Grade: 2

Reception classes as articulate and confident speakers because of the many opportunities they are given to develop these skills within their learning. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is well planned and stimulating, creating a continuous experience from nursery to Reception through most areas of learning. This allows children to support each other and helps nursery children become familiar with, and confident about moving into, the Reception classes. The outdoor learning environment is well used to extend play activities and develop children's personal skills. However, it is not used appropriately as well for structured learning to support other aspects of children's learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Enable pupils to become more independent learners by consistently sharing the targets for pupils' next steps in learning with them and encouraging them to share in the assessment process.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well, comfortably reaching above average standards by the time they leave. Standards have been improving steadily in recent years, though until this year standards in mathematics have lagged somewhat behind those in English and science. There is good challenge for more able pupils, as reflected in the numbers who achieve the higher Level 5 in all three tested subjects. However, because the school's tracking systems are not yet robust enough, not all pupils are achieving as well as they could. This is evident for example in Years 4 and 5 where pupils' progress in writing and maths has been satisfactory rather than good. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress, as do pupils from ethnic minorities and those with English as an additional language. This is because staff have an outstanding knowledge of individual pupils and their needs Despite these high standards, the school is not complacent and has identified mathematics as

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Grade: 2

an area for development. This focus has led to good improvement in mathematics, where standards have caught up those in English, and this reflects the effectiveness of the initiatives put in place.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They are developing extremely well into responsible and caring young people, who are being prepared exceptionally well to take their place in society. They are well mannered and are delighted when they achieve good behaviour awards. Class assemblies develop pupils' spiritual and cultural awareness very well when, for example, they are asked to empathise with children who have endured the earthquake in China. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 2008 Pupils have an excellent awareness of how to be healthy and stay safe. The vast majority take every opportunity to be active and most make healthy choices at lunchtime. The take-up of school lunches has increased by 80 per cent since healthy menus have been available. Pupils are well aware of potential dangers, when using the Internet for example, and play and move

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Grade: 1

around the school very sensibly. Their enjoyment of school is outstanding and many say that the best thing about their school is the teachers, because they make learning exciting. Pupils make an excellent contribution to the school and wider community, being involved in local events and collecting considerable sums for charity. The Problem Poppers ° trained older pupils ° are highly valued by the younger pupils when they help sort out minor fall-outs in the playground. Pupils' preparation for their future learning is good and is recognised by parents, who say such things as, 'My child has had an excellent foundation to their future learning.'

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Grade: 2

There are some outstanding features of teaching. For example, classroom management enables all pupils to be actively involved in their learning. A variety of teaching methods and questioning techniques are used to ensure that pupils are constantly engaged and able to show their knowledge and acquisition of skills. Teachers' thorough knowledge of all their pupils ensure there are well-planned activities appropriate to their abilities and needs in most lessons. Pupils waiting to go into a mathematics lesson were full of excitement about the 'tables' they were learning and how their teacher would help them if they had any difficulties. Other adults in the classrooms are clear about their role and contribute significantly to the progress made in lessons. Occasionally teachers do not ensure that planning meets the needs of the different groups of pupils and this leads to a lack of challenge in a few lessons.

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Grade: 1

The continuous and dynamic curriculum developments over the last three years have enabled pupils to make clear links in their learning across subjects and make good progress. The curriculum gives pupils many opportunities to use computers and other forms of technology, both within the classroom and in the ICT suites, and so they are very confident users. Extra activities, such as the science circus workshops and the star dome, had children exclaiming with delight at their 'wow factor'! The many lunchtime and after-school clubs are enthusiastically attended. The school works hard to ensure children are confident when they start at the school and equally support this process for pupils moving to secondary school. The provision of a range of community clubs and adult learning sessions on site is helping parents to support their children's learning in a very focused way. Before-and after- school clubs allow all ages of pupils

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Grade: 1

The pastoral care provided for pupils is of exceptionally high quality and is the principal reason for pupils' outstanding personal development and well-being. All adults know pupils and their circumstances very well and often 'go the extra mile' to ensure that all are cared for and feel valued. The root of this is the excellent relationships that exist between all adults and pupils 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 2008 in the school. Parents are very much included and feel especially happy that they are able to come in and discuss any issues with leaders or class teachers. Child protection and health and safety procedures are extremely rigorous and very good use is made of outside agencies to support pupils with particular needs. Academic guidance and support is good. Very good systems have recently been put in place to track pupils' progress. These are being used excellently to identify any in danger of falling

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Grade: 1

behind and these pupils are then given very effective support to help them catch up. These systems are also being used well to follow the progress of different groups, such as those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or those who do not speak English at home. However, these systems are not yet being used consistently to share clear targets for next steps in learning with pupils.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding leadership of the headteacher is driving the improvements in the school. He has developed a management team that ensures that all areas of the school are continually challenged to improve. Senior and middle managers have specific areas of responsibility and there is a clear structure to enable communication across all areas. Initiatives are driven by excellent self-evaluation at all levels, identifying areas for development. Governors are proactive and have clear processes for supporting the school, challenging the school to improve further and ensuring that financial systems are secure. To further enhance the management of the school, there is a well-trained administrative staff team. Monitoring of teaching and learning is used to support professional development and the performance management process is clearly linked to school priorities. The leadership and management are clearly responsible for

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Grade: 1

the good ethos for learning that there is throughout the school. The enhanced use of data as a management tool to raise standards further is in its early stages but is leading to a better understanding of the progress of the different groups within the school. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 2008 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 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 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 June 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Wyken Croft Primary School, Coventry, West Midlands, CV2 3AA Thank you very much for making us so welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to you and joining you in your lessons and the exciting activities you were involved in for science week. You are proud of your school and we think you should be. We found it to be a good school with many outstanding features. This is what we found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave very well, are extremely polite and friendly, and care really well about each other.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy coming to school because your teachers make learning fun and, as a result, you work hard and are keen to get involved in your lessons. ■ You make good progress and reach above average standards because you are being taught well. ■ You know a lot about leading healthy lives, take part in plenty of activities, and enjoy the healthy lunches that the school provides. ■ You are able to continue to learn out of lessons through the many clubs that your school runs and through the Phoenix club. ■ You do many things to help each other and people outside of school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher and all the teachers work hard to make sure that you are safe and that you are able to do your best in your lessons. They also have really good plans to make sure that your school continues to get even better. ■ All your teachers make sure that you have lots of exciting activities to do throughout your time in school. We have asked your teachers to do one thing that, with your help, will make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you to understand what your targets are and how you can achieve them, so that you will know if you are doing as well as you can. My best wishes to you all. Yours sincerely Mrs Jenny Batelen Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Wyken Croft Primary School, 10 °11 June 2008

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