Welton Primary School

117868 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 312732 Inspection number 4 °5 December 2007 Inspection dates Joe Clark 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 192 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Helen Webster Chair Mrs Nikki Pidgeon Headteacher 1 April 2005 Date of previous school inspection Elloughtonthorpe Way School address Welton Brough HU15 1TJ 01482 667222 Telephone number 01482 666775 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 4 °5 December 2007 Inspection dates 312732 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average school. Most of the pupils are of White British heritage. There are a few minority ethnic pupils. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. There is a high degree of instability, with the number of pupils leaving and joining the school at a much higher rate than in most schools. Most pupils come from areas where socio-economic conditions are higher than average.

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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: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory but improving school, where standards are average and achievement is satisfactory. The school is well led and managed. Strong action taken by the headteacher has strengthened and stabilised the teaching force. This has improved the quality of teaching and learning, which are now satisfactory. The inadequate teaching identified from the previous inspection has been eradicated. Good systems for tracking pupils’ progress are helping identify underachievement and to accelerate pupils’ progress. The new leadership team is effective and offers good support to staff. Governors know the school well. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good. Consequently, there is good capacity for further improvement. Standards have improved considerably since the previous inspection. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2007, standards were broadly average. Given their starting points, pupils’

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Grade: 3

achievement was satisfactory. Results tend to fluctuate, partly due to the high turnover of pupils. Current standards are average and progress satisfactory. Standards in writing are not as high as in other aspects of English. A good curriculum, including good opportunities for enrichment and diversity, supports pupils’ learning well. Pupils are beginning to make faster progress because of better teaching. Teaching seen during the inspection was mostly good. This better teaching has not been consistent enough for long enough for it to have had a significant impact on pupils’ achievement. Teachers plan lessons carefully, providing a range of interesting and challenging activities for most groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The work provided for more able groups of pupils does not always stretch them enough. Lessons are conducted at a good pace with little time wasted. Relationships are very supportive and encourage pupils to want to learn.

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Grade: 3

Marking is regular, but assessments do not always tell children what it is they must do to improve. Pupils’ personal development is good. They enjoy school and attend regularly. In lessons, they show a willingness to learn which is never less than good and is often exemplary. They take on the limited opportunities they have to exercise responsibility and leadership enthusiastically, and say they would like more. Their understanding of cultures other than their own is good and has improved considerably since the previous inspection. Children are well aware of the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy physical educational lessons and participation in extra-curricular sport is good. They say there is no bullying and that they feel safe in school. Pupils feel safe because the school takes good care of them. Safeguarding systems comply with recent legislation and links with other agencies support pupils’ learning well. Pastoral

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Grade: 3

support is good and pupils receive good guidance on how to improve their academic work. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. One parent’s comment was typical of many: ‘My child has flourished both academically and socially since attending Welton Primary. His confidence has grown which I feel is down to the teaching staff and also the friendly atmosphere within the school.’

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage. Standards on entry fluctuate, but are generally typical for their age. When they join Reception, most children know their letter sounds 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007 and numbers, and build on this to make good progress in developing their basic skills. A well planned curriculum provides good learning opportunities. Children are encouraged to learn by exploration and play, and there are good opportunities for children to think for themselves and start to make their own decisions. Progress is good and, by the end of Reception, nearly all children reach the levels expected for their age; some exceed them. Children gain in confidence because they are encouraged by teachers and adults right from the start. Liaison with parents is excellent. The arrangements to help pupils settle in, both before they start and in the first

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Grade: 2

few weeks are good. Leadership and management are good. Children receive good support from teaching assistants.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide more opportunities for pupils to practice and improve their writing skills.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop marking and assessment practice to provide pupils with clear direction on how to improve their work. ■ Ensure more able pupils are consistently challenged by activities in lessons.

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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.

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Grade: 3

Pupils come into the school in Year 1 with standards that fluctuate more than is usual because of the relatively small numbers in each cohort. Standards usually vary between average and above average. Pupils make satisfactory progress and by the end of Years 2 and 6 are achieving standards that are broadly average. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2007, standards in English and mathematics were above average, though not significantly. Standards in science were average. Standards of writing, though showing signs of recent improvement, are not as high as in other aspects of English. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress. The achievement of more able pupils is satisfactory; with greater challenge, they could achieve higher standards.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are friendly and mix well together. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have a good appreciation of right and wrong and their behaviour both in class and around the school is good. They thoroughly enjoy school and are keen to learn. They attend regularly. They feel valued and have confidence in, and respect for, their teachers and other adults. There are satisfactory links with the community, but links with the local church community are good. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of keeping safe and adopting a healthy lifestyle, for example, through their ‘funky food’ project’. There are limited opportunities for pupils to exercise responsibility, for example, as members of the school council or lunch-time helpers; pupils said they would like more. Children leave school with average basic skills, which allied to their good personal and social skills, prepare them well for the next

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Grade: 2

stage of their learning. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory, but have improved a lot since the last inspection as a result of effective monitoring, changes in staffing and better professional development. Planning and preparation are generally good and provide a range of interesting and engaging activities to help pupils learn. Lesson plans do not always identify who the more able pupils are and how they are to be fully stretched. Pupils said they enjoyed their lessons, especially when they could work in groups and pairs to solve problems and assess each other’s work. Sometimes, they said, their work did not challenge them enough and was too easy. There are too few opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in some classes. Teachers use the interactive whiteboards to good effect when presenting lessons. Planned opportunities for pupils to use computers to help them learn are sometimes missed, but there is good use of information and communication technology (ICT) in Year 6 through an online

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Grade: 3

homework programme. Teaching assistants are very skilled in helping pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to learn. The use of marking and assessment to help pupils understand what they need to do to improve is inconsistent.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provides a good framework to support the learning of most pupils. There is good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and pupils identified as having low English and mathematical skills when they are withdrawn from normal lessons to receive extra support. However, timetable planning to enable this to happen does not always take sufficient account of what pupils are missing when withdrawn and how they will catch up on the learning they have missed. Curriculum enrichment is good with a broad range of after school clubs, such as Spanish and chess, as well as residential visits, trips and visitors to the school. Pupils said how much they enjoyed the enrichment activities on PHAB Fridays. There is scope for pupils to have access to computer-based activities out of lessons. There are good curricular links with the local secondary school. Pupils’ personal development is well supported

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Grade: 2

and developed by an effective programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education, and a programme to support the social and emotional aspects of their learning (SEAL).

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Grade: 2

The pastoral support of pupils is good. All adults in the school demonstrate a caring and compassionate approach to pupils. Good links with other agencies ensure children receive appropriate support when needed. Procedures are in place to safeguard children. Transition arrangements for when pupils enter or leave the school are good, for example, through the close social and academic links that exist with the local secondary school. Academic guidance is good. New systems for tracking pupils’ progress are clear and used by teachers in their planning. Pupils like and understand the targets they are set for improvement. They say the targets motivate them to reach higher standards. Reports to parents are clear and informative about the progress their children are making. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007

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Grade: 3

The leadership of the headteacher is giving a clear direction and focus for improvement. With the effective support of the local authority, issues surrounding staffing and teaching have been successfully resolved. Effective monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning has led to significant improvement and leaders have gained the confidence of the whole staff. There is a strong sense of teamwork and a determination to raise standards and help pupils achieve better. The relatively new senior leadership team provides effective support. Recent changes in staffing have had a positive impact on the consistency of subject co-ordination. Targets for the end of Key Stage 2 national tests are appropriately challenging and are usually met. The governing body has good systems in place for monitoring the work of the school. It provides support and challenge where appropriate. Stability in staffing, effective leadership and

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Grade: 3

management, and improvements in teaching and learning have combined to accelerate the progress pupils are making, but have not been sustained long enough for leadership and management to be judged good. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007

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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

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 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007

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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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

6 December 2007 Dear Children, Inspection of Welton Primary School, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU15 1TJ Thank you so much for your warm welcome when we visited your school recently. We really appreciated the help you gave us and the interesting things you told us about your school. We enjoyed your assembly and were impressed with your singing, especially your alternative version of the Holly and The Ivy! We enjoyed talking to you. This is what we thought about your school. Teaching and learning are improving all the time and you are making better progress as a result. The standards you reach are as good as in most other schools but we think you can do better, especially in your writing. You are doing your bit by working hard in lessons, and behaving sensibly and responsibly at all times. Keep it up! The school takes good care of you. It watches carefully how much progress you make and intervenes effectively when you fall behind. There is a good range of after school clubs and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

activities, as well as trips and outside visits. Your school gives you a satisfactory education but it is improving; a lot of things are already good. Here are some of the things we have asked the school to do to make it better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help to improve your writing skills by providing more opportunities for you to practice and improve. ■ To show you more clearly when your books are marked, what it is you have to do to improve your work. ■ Provide harder work for those of who sometimes find the work too easy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you once again for all your help. Good luck for the future. Joe Clark (Lead Inspector) Gordon Potter 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Welton Primary School, 4 °5 December 2007

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