Wearhead Primary School

Wearhead Primary School Inspection report

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114065 Unique Reference Number Durham Local Authority 311469 Inspection number 14 February 2008 Inspection date Sheila Mawer 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 27 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Phillipa Rowe Chair Mrs Karen Evans Headteacher 1 June 2004 Date of previous school inspection Wearhead School address Bishop Auckland County Durham DL13 1BN 01388 537265 Telephone number 01388 537265 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 14 February 2008 Inspection date 311469 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:

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Introduction

■ the standards, achievement and progress by Year 2 and Year 6

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Introduction

■ opportunities for pupils to take extra responsibilities in lessons and around the school

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Introduction

■ how well writing and information and communication technology (ICT) skills are used across the curriculum ■ the quality of academic guidance

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Introduction

■ the rigour in the monitoring and evaluation by leaders in the school.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, the scrutiny of pupils’ work, the school’s self-evaluation and the tracking of of pupils’ progress over time. Discussions were held with staff, governors and pupils, and questionnaires returned by parents were considered. A range of documentation was also examined. 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

In this very small school pupils are taught in two classes. The Foundation Stage children are taught alongside the infant pupils. Falling roles in the school mean that there is only one child in the current Reception year. The school serves an isolated rural population of average social and economic circumstances. Nearly all pupils travel to school by county transport. There are no pupils eligible for free school meals and all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The school holds a number of awards including a School of Innovation, Artsmark Gold and Activemark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 February 2008

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Grade: 2

Wearhead is a good school and as one parent rightly said, ‘It is an integral part of our community.’ It has maintained the good features from the previous inspection and strengthened the curriculum, care and support to outstanding levels. Because of its relative isolation, the school works exceptionally well with other organisations to provide a vibrant curriculum, which helps to promote pupils’ well-being. It successfully participates in sports and is involved in the Creative Partnership initiative with other schools. Sports people and artists from different cultures regularly work alongside pupils to extend their learning and enjoyment. The variety of clubs is excellent, with parents running them alongside staff. Regular visits take place locally as well as further afield, and often with other schools. This has promoted an excellent awareness of cultural diversity and extended pupils’ co-operative skills through working closely with a

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Grade: 2

wider group of children. The school has developed strong international links with a school in Japan. Reciprocal visits by parents, governors, staff and pupils are just one aspect of this successful partnership. Pupils learn Japanese in school and during their visit to Japan, they continued the writing and illustrations of a bilingual story with pupils in Tokyo. Writing and ICT has improved across the curriculum and the very good links made between subjects makes learning more interesting and relevant. The trend over recent years is of good achievement from an average starting point for all pupils. Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do as well as others. In the national tests in 2007, the results for the Year 6 pupils placed them in the top 13% of all schools in the country. In previous years it has not been as high. Standards by the end of Year 6 are significantly above average in English, mathematics and science. There has been an upward trend in standards

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Grade: 2

over the past two years, although they rise and fall as would be expected in such a small school. Reading and science are usually stronger than writing and mathematics. In 2007 the standards in Year 2 were below average, but this was a very small cohort and the results of one pupil can make a marked difference to the overall results. In the current Year 2 the standards are slightly above average. Handwriting skills are weak amongst some pupils in the school and few are using a joined script fluently by Year 6. The quality of teaching is good. It challenges pupils to succeed and they make good progress. Lessons are imaginatively planned and planning takes account of the wide age and ability range. Lessons are characterised by probing question and answer sessions in which all pupils take part. Because lessons are fun, pupils are attentive and work hard to develop important skills. In mathematics some pupils find it difficult to explain their thinking or try different approaches

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Grade: 2

to working out answers. Because the staff focus rather rigidly at times on published work books, there are fewer opportunities for pupils to be involved in real life problem solving activities. This is why pupils generally make stronger progress in English and science than they do in mathematics. Expectations of handwriting and presentation are sometimes not high enough. Teaching assistants give invaluable support to the learning of pupils of different ages and abilities. This frees teachers to work with smaller groups of similar ages. Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral social and cultural development is good. Pupils really enjoy school. It is no surprise that attendance is high as many of them walk long distances in the snow to attend school when transport is not operating. While their keenness to learn is very good, the way that some of them present their work is often untidy.

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Grade: 2

Behaviour is exemplary because of outstanding care, interesting lessons and activities to keep pupils busy at break times. Older pupils relish their opportunities to help new pupils settle into 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 February 2008 school. The school council are proud of the way they represented pupils’ views in selecting healthy lunch options with the cook. Links with the village are strong. Several pupils are members of the ‘Weardale Whackers and Cloggers’ group. They often perform in the village and wider community, keeping the traditions of the local area strong. The school has gained or is working towards several awards in relation to health and sports. These awards have heightened pupils’ good understanding of how to keep fit and healthy. Through their effective personal and social skills and good standards in the basic skills, pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their

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Grade: 2

education. The school takes exceptional care of its pupils through outstanding relationships and this underpins all of its work. Pupils are listened to and feel safe and secure. Safeguarding, risk assessments and child protection procedures meet government requirements. There are good links with external services, especially in the support they give to more vulnerable pupils. In such a supportive environment it is hardly surprising that parents are fulsome in their praise. Their views are summed up by one parent who said, ‘This is an idyllic school where friendship and respect is readily displayed in the wonderful rapport that adults have with the children.’ The quality of academic guidance is satisfactory. Target setting is used well in the infant class to challenge pupils to aim high. Although it has not been extended yet to the junior pupils, their progress is reviewed informally. Marking is not helping pupils sufficiently to know how

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Grade: 2

well they are doing. Pupils do not achieve at higher levels in their writing because staff do not give enough formal guidance in the marking as to where they have made mistakes and where they might improve. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher manages her considerable teaching commitment and leadership role with great skill and dedication. She has strengthened the management of the school since the last inspection and maintained good progress. The role of the governors has been heightened. They are now more effective in holding the school to account as well as being actively involved. All leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and this is reflected in their accurate self-evaluation. They make sure that targets are challenging but achievable. Issues from the last inspection have been addressed well, including a more systematic approach to the monitoring of teaching and learning. This is helping

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Grade: 2

to drive the improvements, though the monitoring is not always rigorous enough. The success of the school shows that it gives good value for money and has a good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

Children make a good start to their education in the Reception year. Although numbers are very small, the planning is focused on providing good opportunities for imaginative play. Outdoor provision has improved with a greater range of resources. In both indoor and outdoor learning, children have the opportunity to choose some of their own activities and gain important skills of initiative and independence. They also quickly gain confidence and skills in being taught with older pupils in the class. Children start school with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress and most exceed the goals expected of five year olds when they start in Year 1. The effective work of support staff in the Foundation Stage ensures that these young children benefit from being taught together as a small group for some of the time. There are effective partnerships with parents, which engage them fully in their children’s early

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Grade: 2

education. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 February 2008

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Help pupils to improve by more developmental marking and extending the good target setting to the junior class. ■ Improve pupils’ problem solving skills in mathematics.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve handwriting skills and the presentation of some pupils’ work. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 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 2 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?

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 1 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?

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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 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 2 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

15 February 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Wearhead Primary School, Durham, DL13 1BN It has been a pleasure for me to visit your lovely school. You made me so welcome and I enjoyed talking to you all. This is the first time that I have been able to talk to all pupils in the schools I have visited, because your school is so small. You and your parents told me that being in a small school makes it very special because you all receive a lot of care and support. I agree with you all. You go to a good school that gives outstanding care and support. Your teachers and other staff work very hard to give you so many exciting activities to do in lessons and after school and that is why the curriculum is outstanding. They also go the extra mile to provide some wonderful visits and bring lots of visitors to the school. Your school provides great opportunities for you to see what is happening in the wider world. The visit to Japan must have

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

been a wonderful experience. There are lots of other things that are really good about your school, including the good teaching. Consequently you are all learning well, enjoying school and making good progress. Your behaviour is excellent too and you all get on remarkably well together. When I asked you about bullying, you told me that it is very rare and that you feel very safe in school. You are proud of the new healthy school meals and the good opportunities you have to take part in physical education. As one of you said to me so thoughtfully, ‘We know how important it is to keep fit and healthy because it keeps us much more focused on our learning.’ Your teachers, Mrs Evans and the governors all want you to do even better. In mathematics, the school will be giving you more opportunities to try different ways to solve problems, as I know some of you find this a bit difficult. The school will also give you more information in the marking of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your work and setting targets in the junior class, so you will know better how well you are doing and what you need to do to improve further. I hope you will all try very hard to improve your handwriting and the presentation of your work by making a really big effort and taking pride in what you do. I know you can write well, but I think you forget when you are trying to write quickly. A special thanks to the clog dancers, who performed so brilliantly for me. I hope your performance went well in the Town Hall. Your parents will be so proud of you as you are keeping the traditions of the area alive. I wish you all well for the future Sheila Mawer Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Wearhead Primary School, 14 February 2008

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