Wrangle Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by:
  • making regular checks on the quality of teaching and using these to hold teachers to account for pupils’ progress
  • ensuring that all members of staff have a good understanding of how to teach phonics effectively
  • improving the school’s planning processes so that they are more effective in driving improvements in provision and achieving higher standards.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning to raise standards, especially in reading and mathematics, by:
  • ensuring that teachers use assessment information about pupils’ skills and knowledge regularly to set work at the right level of difficulty so that all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, make at least good progress
  • raising teachers’ expectations of pupils’ achievement so that they make accelerated progress.
• Improve provision in the early years by:
  • ensuring that adults use assessment information about children’s skills and knowledge effectively to plan a range of activities across the curriculum so that children make at least good progress
  • ensuring that all members of staff use questioning effectively to develop children’s learning to deepen their understanding.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have been slow to implement the new curriculum. To date, the curriculum has not been sufficiently well established. This means that pupils’ knowledge and understanding are not developed as fully as they should be.
• Leaders’ checks on teaching, and how well teachers plan and use assessment information, have not been consistent. This is hindering pupils’ achievement because learning opportunities are not planned well enough to help pupils make good progress.
• Senior leaders’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are sometimes too low. Leaders sometimes use barriers to learning as a reason for slow progress and low attainment.
• Leaders do not follow up the findings from their checks on the quality of teaching quickly or robustly enough. As a result, the quality of teaching is not consistently good throughout the school.
• Leaders have a clear plan for the use of the extra funds for disadvantaged pupils. The impact of their actions, however, is not carefully monitored. This means that disadvantaged pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable.
• The school’s plan for development is not fully effective in driving improvement. Targets for improvement are not always specific enough. Some targets do not link clearly to areas for development.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in phonics in Year 1 is above the national average. However, leaders do not monitor the teaching of phonics effectively and have not tackled inconsistencies.
• Leaders of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make frequent checks on their progress. The additional funding for these pupils is targeted well. It provides specific and specialist support to meet pupils’ learning and medical needs.
• Leaders respond well to the fluctuation in the number of pupils on the roll and the challenges of small numbers of pupils in each year group. Induction procedures are effective because pupils’ welfare needs are quickly assessed and support is put in place. Pupils settle well and make friends quickly.
• Leaders have responded well to the fall in standards in mathematics. The curriculum has been reviewed. Teachers have focused on building basic mathematical skills and identifying gaps in pupils’ learning. The school’s own information about how well pupils are doing shows that they are now making faster progress. This is indicative of leaders’ capacity to secure improvement.
• Very recent revisions mean that the curriculum is now broad and balanced. Pupils learn about significant events in history, and how these have shaped life in modern Britain. Visiting specialists provide pupils with opportunities to develop as artists, for example by working in a variety of media creating complex masks and wire-work sculptures.
• The funds provided through the physical education and sport premium are used well. For example, teachers have improved their skills by working with a specialist coach and undergoing training. There is now a greater range of after-school clubs and competitions that pupils take part in.

Governance of the school

• Governors are passionate about the school and its place in the local community. They have an understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The governing body, however, has not challenged leaders strongly enough over the recent fall in standards.
• The governing body has an overview of the impact of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Occasionally, governors accept leaders’ reasons for the school’s underperformance rather than challenging leaders to raise standards.
• The governing body understands the challenges of a small school and fluctuating pupil numbers. Governors are aware of the impact that changing pupil numbers have on teaching. They are supportive of the headteacher in managing class sizes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders work well with parents and external agencies to make sure that pupils are supported, and any concerns are followed up. Staff know pupils well and are aware of signs of abuse that they might notice. Even so, there have been very few referrals to the designated safeguarding lead.
• Leaders and the learning mentor put in place early help to support families whenever that is possible. The learning mentor has developed close relationships with families. An open door policy helps them to seek support when it is needed.
• Staff receive regular training in safeguarding and child protection, including on domestic abuse and the ‘Prevent’ duty.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is not consistently good. Sometimes pupils are not challenged by the tasks that teachers set. Teachers are not using their knowledge of what pupils can do to guide their planning. Activities are not always tailored to meet pupils’ individual needs. As a result, some pupils do not make good progress.
• In reading, teachers mostly provide opportunities for pupils to use inference and deduction when reading to help their understanding of the text. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are sometimes not high enough. As a result, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• The subject knowledge of some adults is not secure. Phonics sounds, for example, are not always taught as pure sounds. Not all pupils are able to use their phonics knowledge to decode unfamiliar words.
• In writing, teachers’ expectations of what pupils should achieve are too low. They do not always encourage pupils to achieve their best. Pupils are over-reliant on adults for support. For example, pupils do not always use existing skills to try to spell unfamiliar words. Some teaching of writing is more effective. Here, teachers encourage pupils to write for extended periods. They challenge pupils to include grammar that is more complex.
• Leaders have recently introduced a new approach to the teaching of mathematics. This challenges pupils to develop fluency, solve problems and use reasoning. Pupils choose their level of challenge and try to push themselves to achieve more. This new approach, however, is not developed consistently throughout the school. Tasks set sometimes do not challenge all pupils. Teachers do not build on skills well enough to develop pupils’ understanding and competency.
• The progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is checked regularly. Short-term targets are set for pupils and these are assessed carefully to see what impact the support has had. The specialist intervention teacher is used well to target pupils’ areas of need and reduce their gaps in learning.
• Some teaching is more effective. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They use pupils’ assessment information well to set interesting tasks. Teachers challenge pupils to achieve more. Questioning is used well by adults to deepen understanding and to prompt pupils to think more deeply.
• Teaching assistants working in key stages 1 and 2 work well alongside teachers to support pupils’ learning. They use questioning to develop pupils’ understanding, and intervene to reshape learning when pupils need extra support.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Staff quickly assess the welfare needs of pupils new to the school. The learning mentor works closely with families of these pupils. Where appropriate, support is put in place to ensure smooth transition. As a result, these pupils settle well.
• The learning mentor is dedicated to ensuring that pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties receive the support they need to participate in learning. Support is provided for pupils with low self-esteem or attachment issues, and for those who have experienced bereavement.
• Pupils who spoke with the inspector said that they feel safe in school. They know where they can go if they have a concern or problem. They understand how to keep themselves safe online. The junior police community support officers (JPCSOs) take their role seriously. They are keen to make sure that other pupils are safe and have someone to play with at breaktime and lunchtime.
• Pupils know how to live healthy lifestyles. They appreciate the range of extra-curricular clubs available, such as Futsal, cheerleading and netball. They are aware of the dangers in the local area, such as the nearby dyke. They know how to keep themselves safe in and near the water.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Sometimes, pupils are not sufficiently challenged and find work too easy. This is because teachers do not have high enough expectations of what they can achieve. In some classes, pupils are over-reliant on adult direction to focus them on tasks. When not directed by an adult, pupils sometimes disengage from learning and do not get back to work until told to do so.
• Pupils sometimes do not demonstrate good behaviour and are not respectful of other adults or each other. Pupils do not always follow the instructions they are given or follow the expected routines, for example during assembly or when working outside the classroom.
• Pupils said that there are a few minor incidents of bullying, and that these are dealt with well by leaders and the learning mentor.
• At breaktime, pupils play well together. Members of the school council and the JPCSOs are keen to record the names of pupils who are kind or polite to each other. This information is passed to teachers. Good behaviour is celebrated by teachers who nominate a ‘Star of the Week’ or the ‘Polite Pupil of the Week’. Pupils are excited to earn the ‘Great Elite Wrangle Pound’ (GEWP) for good behaviour and work. These can be spent at the GEWP shop at the end of each term.
• Leaders are active in securing pupils’ good attendance. They carefully check up on cases of persistent absence. The learning mentor meets with families to secure better attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils are not making good progress throughout the school. In 2017, standards at the end of key stage 2 were below average in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, too few pupils left the school well prepared for the next stage in their education in all three subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils are not making as much progress as they should. The use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is not checked rigorously enough. In 2016, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieving the expected standard at the end of key stage 2 was below the national average. Improvements are now being made and current pupils’ work shows that the difference between their attainment and that of other pupils is reducing.
• Pupils’ attainment in mathematics is not improving quickly enough. Standards at the end of key stage 2 were below the national average in 2015 and 2016. The latest information from 2017 suggests that attainment has not improved. Current pupils’ workbooks show that the changes made to the teaching of mathematics in key stage 2 are leading to pupils making faster progress. Pupils are still making slower progress than they should in key stage 1.
• Writing in current pupils’ workbooks shows that guidance provided by teachers in key stage 2 is helping to improve pupils’ writing skills. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 was below the national average. The school’s own assessment information shows that achievement was still lower than it should be in 2017.
• Pupils’ attainment in reading was in line with the national averages in 2016 at the end of key stages 1 and 2. Information from 2017 suggests that the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end key stage 2 dipped. Leaders subsequently made changes to how reading was taught in key stage 2. These changes are now having a positive impact on pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The revisions to the curriculum mean that, in other subjects, pupils are now gaining a wider range of knowledge and skills. These are helping pupils to have a broader view of the world around them.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. Their progress is checked regularly and support is focused on specific areas for development and raising attainment.
• The proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was above the national average in 2017. However, current pupils are not making as much progress as they should, due to the inconsistent teaching of phonics.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Adults in the early years do not always use assessment information well enough to extend and develop children’s learning.
• The early years leader does not always ensure that activities meet the needs of all children. Activities are sometimes limited and not planned carefully enough to ensure coverage of the curriculum. Adults do not provide children with enough opportunities to practise and develop their skills. The role play area does not give children enough opportunities to develop imaginative play.
• Adults are enthusiastic and encourage children to participate in activities. Children are keen to join in. Sometimes adults describe what children are doing or comment on role play, rather than asking questions to develop children’s learning.
• Children are kind towards each other and respond well to adults. They are inquisitive and eager to learn. They choose resources independently.
• Assessment of children’s progress is continuous. Staff use an electronic system to record and share children’s achievements with parents. Staff encourage parents to record children’s achievements at home.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective. The learning mentor has a good understanding of children’s welfare needs. She puts support in place when it is required.
• The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year was above the national average in 2017. However, due to inconsistencies in teaching, children currently in the early years are not making the progress of which they are capable.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120685 Lincolnshire 10037598 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Foundation 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 65 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Stuart Pinchbeck Caroline Lister 01205 870 509 www.wrangleprimaryschool.com enquiries@wrangle.lincs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 March 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Wrangle Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• Pupils are taught in three classes. Children in the Reception Year are taught full time and in one class, with their own outdoor provision.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• In 2016, the school did not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in a number of lessons in all classes, some of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. She observed the teaching of early reading skills and listened to pupils read. The inspector also talked with pupils about their school and looked at examples of pupils’ work to gain a view of the impact of teaching over time.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, subject and middle leaders, and members of the governing body. The inspector also spoke with the local authority’s link adviser for the school.
• The inspector spoke with parents informally and considered the 12 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.
• The inspector looked at a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and plans for improvement; the school’s most recent information on the attainment and progress of pupils; information relating to the health, safety and safeguarding of pupils; the school’s most recent data on the attendance of pupils; and minutes from meetings of the governing body.
• The inspector considered the range and quality of information provided on the school’s website.

Inspection team

Helen Williams, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector