Wrekin View Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further reduce the number of pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, who are regularly absent from school.
• Continue to strengthen the quality of teaching in order to further improve pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics by: developing teachers’ skills in asking timely and probing questions that ensure that pupils, and in particular most-able pupils, are expected to explain their learning in greater depth developing the confidence of pupils in using number so they are secure in their understanding of mental calculations.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher is an experienced and highly effective school leader. He has a clear understanding of what needs to be done to secure improvements in teaching and pupils’ outcomes.
• The leadership team’s monitoring of teaching and learning across the school is consistent and robust. As a result, teaching and learning across all year groups continue to improve.
• Leaders regularly visit classrooms to observe teachers at work and carry out careful checks of pupils’ books and the progress that they are making. As a result, leaders have an accurate understanding of the type of support each teacher requires. Staff training is tailored to individual needs and leads to improvement in the quality of teaching.
• The headteacher holds all teachers to account. Staff’s performance is managed well. Targets that teachers are set as part of their appraisal have a direct impact on outcomes for pupils.
• The school’s population is growing and some pupils arrive with a wide range of complex needs. The school offers specific provision tailored to these pupils’ needs to ensure that they can access the curriculum and, as a result, make good progress.
• The headteacher and leadership team have developed a curriculum that meets the needs of the pupils. The curriculum is clearly designed to raise pupils’ aspirations. The curriculum is based on leaders’ understanding of what will best help pupils to broaden their horizons. For example, the whole school has worked on a business enterprise project that allowed pupils to develop higher order problem-solving skills and team skills, as well as visiting local businesses.
• Senior and subject leaders are proactive and clearly want to improve teaching through support and mentoring. They ensure that their monitoring of their areas of responsibility leads to actions to drive the school forward. In particular, newly qualified teachers and inexperienced teachers are supported well so that they become confident and equipped to become effective teachers.
• Pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well. For example, these pupils benefit from additional small-group teaching in phonics and mathematics. They are helped to participate in school activities such as class visits, and breakfast and after-school clubs and provided with healthy breaktime snacks. The progress of these pupils has accelerated and differences in achievement with their peers are reducing.
• The primary school physical education (PE) and sport funding is also being used effectively to increase the range of sporting opportunities available to pupils. Sports coaches teach PE lessons that pupils greatly enjoy and during which they develop their skills. For example, all pupils in key stage 2 have taken karate lessons and a group of gifted and talented pupils have progressed significantly in karate. Sports coaches also provide training that has increased teachers’ confidence in teaching PE. Leaders ensure that pupils understand how to develop a healthy lifestyle, linking diet and physical activities to increase pupils’ well-being.
• Leaders value the support and challenge they have been given during the regular visits by local authority advisers and have acted quickly on any action points. This has helped the school improve since the last inspection.

Governance of the school

• Governance is highly effective. Governors’ work with school leaders has been instrumental in bringing about the significant improvements since the previous inspection. Governors are passionate about the school and are very well informed about the quality of teaching and the impact it is having on pupils’ outcomes. They have worked closely with school leaders to ensure that the school provides all pupils with a high quality of education.
• Governors have worked closely with local authority advisers to ensure that they have the necessary skills to be able to offer appropriate challenge to the school’s leaders.
• Governors regularly ask senior leaders challenging questions about pupils’ achievement until they are satisfied that everything possible is being done to ensure that pupils achieve well.
• Governors check that staff follow agreed processes to identify and support pupils who may be at risk of harm. All relevant policies are up to date.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are thorough and highly effective.
• School leaders have a passionate belief that pupils need to feel safe and cared for in school if they are to succeed in their learning. This vision has helped create a strong culture of safeguarding within the school, with all members of staff having a clear understanding of their responsibilities in protecting pupils.
• School leaders have ensured that all staff and governors receive regularly updated safeguarding training. The school works successfully with its key partners to ensure that all pupils are safe and cared for well. The school helps parents and carers understand the importance of adopting safe practices such as using the internet safely.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Stronger teaching is ensuring that pupils are now achieving much better outcomes than was the case at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils are highly motivated and excited to learn. They are inspired in many lessons and respond very well to their teachers.
• The teaching of reading in school has improved and is now good. There is a systematic, whole-school approach to the teaching of phonics that provides pupils with a secure understanding of how to use their knowledge of sounds to recognise and build words. Teacher now provide well-thought-out opportunities for pupils to extend their understanding of what they have read through whole-class studies of books. This helps pupils to widen their vocabulary and to develop good comprehension skills.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge. They create a purposeful learning environment and they encourage children to ‘have a go’. For example, in a Year 2 literacy lesson, pupils were challenged to describe different settings using alliteration. Pupils used a range of descriptive language which highlighted a deeper understanding.
• Teachers in all year groups apply the school’s marking and feedback policy consistently. Pupils understand what they need to do to improve their work, particularly in reading and mathematics.
• Other adults are effectively deployed across the school; they work skilfully with groups or individual pupils in lessons. They provide effective support and adapt learning materials to meet the needs of the pupils they are working with. As a consequence, these pupils speed up their learning and keep up with their classmates. For example, in Year 1 and Year 2, other adults teach letters and sounds well to small groups of pupils.
• Teachers use and explain mathematical vocabulary well so that pupils understand more clearly what they are trying to do. For example, in a key stage 2 lesson, pupils made good progress in adding and subtracting a range of different numbers. However, some pupils are not as confident or fluent in using their knowledge of number when carrying out mental calculations. This means that pupils are less able to apply their skills to real-life problems.
• Teachers ensure that work is carefully matched to the needs of the pupils. Occasionally, however, teachers do not ask questions that give pupils, including the most able pupils, opportunities to practise their language skills or to explain their learning in sufficient depth.
• Teachers have benefited from professional development provided by the headteacher and leaders responsible for reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, the quality of teaching seen during the inspection is consistently good in all year groups.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Visits to places of worship, such as a Sikh temple, and visitors from the local church, contribute effectively to pupils’ knowledge of the world around them. As a result, pupils are being prepared well for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand the need for respect and are aware of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.
• The school is highly inclusive and supports a number of pupils who have complex needs. A caring and nurturing approach is apparent throughout the school. This fosters pupils’ personal development and independence as they progress through the school. The warm relationships between staff and pupils give pupils a sense of security and stability.
• Pupils have good social skills and strong moral values. This is because they have frequent opportunities to work together in lessons and they develop good levels of mutual respect for each other.
• In discussion with many parents about the level of care and support provided in school, inspectors found the overwhelming majority to be firmly of the opinion that pupils are well looked after and kept safe in school. Pupils and staff agree. The inspection findings support this view.
• Pupils say that bullying is not an issue. They say that they know whom to go to if they are experiencing difficulties with friendships and that problems are resolved effectively.
• Pupils know how to stay safe while in school and at home. They understand how to keep safe when using the internet and are acutely aware of cyber-bullying.
• The before- and after-school clubs are well run and are valued by parents and children. Pupil premium funding is used to enable disadvantaged pupils to attend the clubs. This illustrates the school’s commitment to providing equality of opportunity for all pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and behave well, both in the classrooms and at break- and lunchtimes.
• Leaders have been successful in addressing the challenging behaviour of a small minority of pupils, who have shown marked improvements in their behaviour over time. The nurture provision provided by the school to pupils who have challenging and complex needs is a significant strength.
• The latest attendance records show how pupils’ attendance has improved because school leaders have worked with parents on promoting good attendance. The number of pupils who are regularly absent from school has reduced since the last inspection, although currently, the proportion is a little above the national average.
• Leaders work closely with a local school that provides specialist behavioural support. Those pupils who attend it for this purpose benefit from support to improve their behaviour and personal development.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ progress from different starting points, including in subjects other than English and mathematics, is improving strongly year on year. Pupils currently in school make good progress.
• In the early years, children make strong gains in their learning and development and increasing proportions of children are well prepared for learning in Year 1. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development has risen each year and, in 2016, it was just below the national average.
• In key stage 1, most pupils built well on their prior attainment and at the end of Year 2 attainment rose to broadly average. Work in pupils’ books and the school’s records show that the most able pupils, like others, are making good progress.
• The provisional results of national tests and assessments at the end of Year 6 last year indicated that pupils made progress that was above that of all pupils nationally in writing and similar to that of other pupils in mathematics. Pupils’ attainment in reading rose to just below average. Many of the pupils did not start their education at the school in the Reception class and had arrived at various points over the last three years.
• In the early years and in key stage 1, children make good progress in their understanding of phonics. Last year, a greater proportion of pupils achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Evidence gathered during the inspection indicates that pupils who are currently in school are now making good progress in reading.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. The school leader for the provision for this group has ensured that these pupils are provided with the support they need to make sure that they make good progress. Additional funding for these pupils is spent well. The pupils who attend the additional resource provision benefit from specialist teaching and small-group support, and as a result, make good progress from their starting points in school.
• Disadvantaged pupils who left Year 6 in 2016 did not do as well as their non-disadvantaged peers or other pupils nationally. However, the school’s checks on the progress being made by disadvantaged pupils in each year group currently indicate that this difference is diminishing rapidly. Additional government funding is used well to provide a range of interventions to support the needs of disadvantaged pupils.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that pupils make good progress in a range of subjects, including science, history and geography, which are effectively taught through a cross-curricular approach. Older pupils are well prepared for secondary school.
• The work of the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, and the school’s tracking information, show that they are making good progress. Provisional assessment information from 2016 indicates that pupils in Year 6 did not make strong progress in writing. However, the most able pupils currently in the school are doing well in writing. Many are working at greater depth within the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The most able pupils are also making good progress in other subjects such as history, geography and science. This is because teachers set suitably challenging work.

Early years provision Good

• A significant proportion of children start the Nursery and Reception Years with skills that are below those typical for their age, particularly in language and communication. Effective leadership by the early years leader, who is well supported by the team of teachers and learning assistants, ensures that children make good progress from their respective starting points.
• Children enjoy a wide range of exciting indoor and outdoor experiences. Adults work well with children. They ask lots of questions and invite them to explain what they are doing and allow children to develop personal interests. This means that children grow in confidence with their communication skills and learn well.
• Children behave well and this helps them to learn. They know the rules and routines, wait patiently to take turns and move around the setting in a confident and mature manner. The early years leader and the team make sure that learning routines are well established early in the year because they manage the induction of children well. Parents are actively involved in their children’s early education. The induction process also makes sure that the transition from home life to school life is smooth.
• Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Adults check on children’s learning and development frequently and find out what stimulates and interests them. This information is used to make learning interesting and fun. All children are excited about learning letters and numbers. The consistent approach to teaching letters and sounds allows children to quickly learn how to read.
• Teachers and other adults ensure that safeguarding and the welfare needs of children are fully met. This helps children to progress happily through their first experience of school and to be well prepared for the next stage of their education in Year 1.
• All groups of children make good progress through the early years. Early literacy and mathematical skills are taught well and provide a strong foundation for learning in key stage 1.
• Although the progress of children from their starting points is good, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is still slightly below the national average.
• All adults are skilled in asking questions of the children that make them think. As a result, children, including those who are disadvantaged, develop a secure understanding of different concepts and are able to apply their knowledge to different situations. For example, children in Nursery were encouraged to select items from a mystery box and described to the other children what these might be used for.
• School leaders ensure that early years pupil premium funding is used effectively to meet the diverse needs of the children.

School details

Unique reference number 133757 Local authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 10020035 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 trust 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 392 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Celina Johnson Adrian Pembleton Telephone number 01952 388088 Website Email address www.wrekinviewprimary.co.uk adrian.pembleton@taw.org.uk Date of previous inspection 1–2 October 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The early years provision comprises a Nursery class for three-year-old children, who all attend part time in the mornings or afternoons, and four-year-olds, who attend one of two Reception classes full time.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is in line with national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan, is above average.
• There is a specially resourced provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities that is attended by pupils from the school and sometimes pupils from other schools. These pupils have communication, speech and language difficulties.
• On occasions, some pupils are educated at the Linden Centre in Telford, which is an assessment centre to promote inclusion and positive behaviour.
• A breakfast and after-school club runs every day and is managed by the governing body.
• Above-average proportions of pupils join or leave the school throughout the school year. Many new arrivals have complex special educational needs and/or speak little or no English.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes and visited small-group intervention sessions.
• They visited 24 lessons, five of which were observed jointly with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• Meetings were held with pupils, the chair of the governing body and other governors, staff and local authority advisers.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about their reading and listened to them read.
• Inspectors examined work in pupils’ books.
• The school’s child protection and safeguarding procedures were scrutinised.
• Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a range of documentation written to support school improvement, including minutes from meetings of the governing body.
• Inspectors took account of the 64 replies to Ofsted’s online Parent View questionnaire. Inspectors considered a parent survey conducted by the school and also spoke with parents.

Inspection team

Ed Masterson, lead inspector Gill Turner Andrew Orgill

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector