Walgrave Primary School

Walgrave Primary School Inspection report - amended

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121864 Unique Reference Number Northamptonshire Local Authority 314122 Inspection number 28 November 2007 Inspection date Arnalena (Nina) Bee 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 124 School The governing body Appropriate authority Alan Denton Chair James Ayton Headteacher 3 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Kettering Road School address Walgrave Northampton NN6 9PH 01604 781275 Telephone number 01604 781275 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 28 November 2007 Inspection date 314122 Inspection number

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Amended Report Addendum

Report updated to resolve formatting inconsistency

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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

Walgrave is a smaller-than-average-size school. Pupils come from the village of Walgrave and three other surrounding villages. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. However, numbers are not distributed evenly throughout the school. The proportion varies from class to class and affects the standards achieved year on year. Children start the school with levels of attainment that are similar to those expected for their ages. The headteacher was appointed in September 2006.

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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: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 2007

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Grade: 3

Walgrave is a satisfactory school with a number of good features. One of its main strengths is the rich curriculum that is offered to its pupils. As one parent rightly wrote, 'Pupils are given a wealth of educational and life enriching experiences.' Parents and pupils are particularly appreciative of the large number of extra-curricular activities that greatly enhance learning as well as promoting pupils' personal development. Pupils develop very good relationships with each other and the adults who help them. They proudly talk about how much they enjoy coming to school. As a result, attendance is excellent. Pupils work well together and develop the skills needed to work alone. They are keen to take on responsibilities and contribute well to the school, the local community and further afield. For example, through the school council and Eco-group, pupils become more responsible and learn that they too can have their say. The

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Grade: 3

beautifully designed and painted toilet walls and the leaves being made into compost in the garden say it all. Pupils talk maturely about singing to senior citizens and their growing awareness of the wider world is developed further when they collect money for numerous world charities. The children in the Reception class quickly settle into school and adopt very positive attitudes to learning. By the time pupils leave in Year 6, the school turns out well-rounded individuals. Personal and social skills are well developed and pupils acquire a satisfactory level of basic literacy and mathematics skills. A parent captured it well when she described the school as 'one big happy family'. Standards are average at the end of Year 6 and pupils' achievement is satisfactory. However, achievement is more rapid in the Reception class and some parts of Key Stage 2 because teaching is better. Pupils' progress is inconsistent from class to class and is determined by the quality

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Grade: 3

of teaching that they receive. Teaching is satisfactory. Whilst sometimes pupils achieve well, the school's own data show that a few pupils have not done as well as they should have done as they moved through Years 1 to 6. The monitoring of teaching and learning has not been rigorous enough. Pupils are generally given satisfactory academic guidance to improve their work. They have targets for literacy and mathematics but teachers do not always reinforce these effectively. As a result, not all pupils know what they are supposed to do to improve. The quality of teachers' marking ranges from good to inadequate. All pupils are well cared for during their time in school and given good support and many opportunities to develop personally. Parents overwhelmingly agree. The headteacher has identified the strengths in the school and the areas that need more focus. He has improved the way progress is tracked in reading, writing and mathematics. The new

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Grade: 3

system clearly shows how well pupils are doing. Those few who are not doing as well as they should are now easily identified because progress is checked more regularly. Although teachers have more specific information on how well pupils are doing, they do not always use this effectively to plan activities which are suitable for all pupils in their class. Pupils sometimes find activities too easy or too hard. Some parents confirm this. The new senior team has done a valuable job in training teaching assistants and volunteer helpers but has not had time to make teaching more consistent throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

Teaching in the Reception class is good. It effectively addresses the needs and abilities of all children. As a result, children thoroughly enjoy coming to school and learn well. There is a 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 2007 secure outdoor area and a large covered space in which for children to play as they learn. Most children reach and many exceed the expected levels by the time they start in Year 1. Personal and social skills are well developed because they are effectively promoted. The adults who work with these young children have high expectations with regard to listening and doing as they are told. As a result, the children listen attentively, behave well and show very good attitudes to learning. Parents are generally pleased with the progress their children make. As one parent wrote, 'My child is so enthused by school, she wants to write and practise forming her letters

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Monitor and evaluate how well pupils are doing more carefully to ensure that work is always matched accurately to pupils' capabilities and needs, and that teachers' marking enables pupils to know exactly what they need to do to improve. ■ Ensure that teachers refer to pupils' targets for improvement more during lessons and when they mark their work, so that pupils can see how well they are doing towards reaching their targets. A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged as satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5.

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Grade: 3

National test results in 2007 show that standards at the end of Year 6 were average in English, mathematics and science. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher- than-expected result was broadly average. The recent focus on reading, last year, has improved standards in reading at the end of Year 6. Standards were average at the end of Year 2 but data show that a few more-able pupils in Year 2 did not do as well as they were expected to. In both year groups, the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities was above average. The progress pupils make varies from class to class because of the differences in teaching that pupils receive. A good system is now in place to track pupils' progress more effectively in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are no longer able to slip through the net and not do as well as they should because progress is now checked more regularly. However, this system

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Grade: 3

has not been in place for long enough to eradicate the inconsistencies in achievement that are still affected by variations in teaching. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make similar progress to their classmates.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. As a result, pupils are caring, polite and respectful of each other and of those who are less fortunate than they are. They develop a growing awareness of faiths and cultures other than their own, especially from the well-planned visits to different places of worship. Behaviour is good and sometimes outstanding. Pupils gain a good idea of the need to keep themselves safe and develop a healthy lifestyle. They talk confidently about healthy foods and why exercise is important to their bodies. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their weekly visit to the local pub for a hot lunch, saying it is both 'delicious' and 'healthy'. Good opportunities are given to older pupils to learn about the world of business, 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 2007 as they work as 'apprentices'. For example, pupils in Year 6 speak enthusiastically about a

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Grade: 2

'designing a tee-shirt' project they were involved in. These pupils speak very maturely about how such projects raise money for the school and for different charities.

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Grade: 3

Teachers and the adults who support in the classrooms develop very good relationships with the pupils. As a result, pupils are keen to participate and enjoy what they do. There is much good teaching where pupils learn well. In the most effective lessons, teachers use the rapidly developing systems of tracking and target-setting to extend individual pupils. They carefully plan activities so that all pupils are sufficiently challenged. In less successful lessons, classes are not always well managed and basic listening skills are not well promoted. As a result, pupils do not listen properly and then have difficulties doing the activities they are given. Not all teachers use the information gathered on individuals to accurately plan activities to suit the needs and abilities of all pupils. Some pupils then find tasks too easy and others too difficult, which means that not all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities,

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Grade: 3

make the progress of which they are capable.

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Grade: 2

The topic approach is very thoughtfully planned. It involves evaluations by pupils as well as teachers. The many activities that promote the physical education programme contribute well to pupils developing a healthy lifestyle. The teaching of French has been introduced this term for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Pupils say they thoroughly enjoy these lessons. This was clearly evident as they sang Frère Jacques with much enthusiasm and confidence. A good programme of planned visits out, which reinforce and develop skills and knowledge taught in many subjects, has recently been introduced for all year groups. Pupils' personal, social and team- building skills are enhanced further through residential trips, where they learn to live alongside each other. The curriculum enables pupils to develop satisfactory basic literacy and mathematics skills. Plans to improve the satisfactory provision for information and communication technology

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Grade: 2

Pupils are very well cared for. Attention to health and safety arrangements in and around school is excellent. Pupils learn and play in a very caring, safe and supportive environment. They know that if they have a problem there is always someone around to help them. Links with outside agencies are good and, in particular, make sure that pupils with specific needs are catered for well. Academic guidance is satisfactory overall. Reports sent home to parents give good academic guidance on what pupils need to improve. However, academic guidance, through the use of targets, is inconsistent. The best examples of teachers' marking give pupils good guidance on what they need to do to improve. However, much marking does little more than acknowledge that work has been completed. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 2007

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has gained the confidence and support of pupils, parents and governors since his appointment. He has involved them all in identifying what is needed to improve the school further. Improvements in developing the curriculum have been impressive, in particular by creating an 'outside' classroom and improving ICT facilities. The issues identified in the previous inspection have been tackled well. A new system has been introduced that now tracks the rate of pupils' progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Assessment information is beginning to be used well by some teachers to inform their planning. Targets for improvement are in place for literacy and mathematics. The headteacher acknowledges, however, that there is still a way to go before these new initiatives impact fully on achievement, teaching and learning. Nevertheless, they show the school has the capacity to improve further. Senior leaders are not

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Grade: 3

rigorously monitoring and evaluating what is going on in the classrooms. For example, they have not picked up by looking at pupils' work that there are ongoing inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning. The governors support and challenge the school well. They are actively involved in the work of the school and are well aware of the school's strengths and the areas that need further improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 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: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 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 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 1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 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 3 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: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Walgrave Primary School, Walgrave, Northamptonshire, NN6 9PH Thank you for making our visit so enjoyable. We thought your behaviour was good. We were very pleased to hear how much you enjoyed coming to school and about the delicious lunches you eat in the pub on Wednesdays. We especially liked hearing about what you do when you work as 'apprentices'. We think your school provides you with a satisfactory education and there are some things that are good. We are writing to let you know what we found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are all very well cared for in school and your parents agree.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teaching is satisfactory and in some classes it is good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers plan many interesting visits for you to take part in which make learning even more fun and exciting. ■ There are lots of out-of-school clubs arranged for you. Many of these help you keep fit and healthy. ■ We think you are very kind to each other. You are also very polite to the adults who help you and those who visit your school. We have asked the school to do a few things to make it even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that teaching is good in all lessons so that you all learn well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Check that in all lessons you are given activities that are neither too easy nor too hard.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that when teachers mark your work, they clearly tell you what you need to do to get even better, and how well you are working towards your targets. Keep smiling and having lots of fun as you learn. Nina Bee Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Walgrave Primary School, 28 November 2007

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Annex B

Inspection of Walgrave Primary School, Walgrave, Northamptonshire, NN6 9PH

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Annex B

Thank you for making our visit so enjoyable. We thought your behaviour was good. We were very pleased to hear how much you enjoyed coming to school and about the delicious lunches you eat in the pub on Wednesdays. We especially liked hearing about what you do when you work as ‘apprentices’. We think your school provides you with a satisfactory education and there are some things that are good.

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Annex B

We are writing to let you know what we found out about your school.

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Annex B

☺ You are all very well cared for in school and your parents agree. ☺ Teaching is satisfactory and in some classes it is good. ☺ Your teachers plan many interesting visits for you to take part in which make learning even more fun and exciting. ☺ There are lots of out-of-school clubs arranged for you. Many of these help you keep fit and healthy. ☺ We think you are very kind to each other. You are also very polite to the adults who help you and those who visit your school.

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Annex B

We have asked the school to do a few things to make it even better.

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Annex B

• Make sure that teaching is good in all lessons so that you all learn well. • Check that in all lessons you are given activities that are neither too easy nor too hard. • Make sure that when teachers mark your work, they clearly tell you what you need to do to get even better, and how well you are working towards your targets.

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Annex B

Keep smiling and having lots of fun as you learn.

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