Head defends Winshill Village Primary and Nursery School after being given 'inadequate' rating by Ofsted

A Burton primary school has been rated inadequate by education inspectors who noted that teachers' subject knowledge was weak, especially in reading and mathematics.

Inspectors from education watchdog Ofsted also said that over time leadership at Winshill Village Primary and Nursery School in Brough Road has been inadequate and monitoring and evaluation have not focused sufficiently on the quality of teaching and as a result, the quality of teaching and pupils' outcomes had declined significantly.

However Andrea Goodson, head teacher at the Brough Road school, has said that it would not receive the same rating if inspectors returned now.

The school was inspected in November with inspectors also noting that until recently, governors had not held leaders to account over the progress pupils made and they had "not challenged leaders sufficiently well to have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school".

They also noted that:

• Assessment systems were not used effectively to monitor pupils' progress and to plan learning that was appropriate to pupils' needs.
• Pupil premium funding it received had not been used effectively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Teachers' expectations of what pupils can and should achieve were too low, especially for middle-ability pupils
• Pupils were not challenged to apply their basic skills in different subjects well enough.

After the inspection Ofsted rated the school as inadequate overall. Effectiveness of leadership and management was also rated as inadequate, as was quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Outcomes for pupils was also said to be inadequate.

However personal development, behaviour and welfare was judged as good, as was early years provision. At its last inspect it was rated as good for overall effectiveness, said a spokesman for Ofsted.

Mrs Goodman, who has only been the job for nine weeks when the inspection took place, told the Burton Mail that significant improvements had to be made to the school.

She said the school was taking steps to improve and had made good progress throughout the academic year , noting that inspectors praised staff for how well all 219 pupils were cared for during their visit.

The report highlighted that leadership at the school is "inadequate" and has not been focused on the quality of teaching.

The report said: "Leadership over time has been inadequate. Monitoring and evaluation have not focusing sufficiently on the quality of teaching. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils' outcomes have declined significantly since the previous inspection and are inadequate."

Mrs Goodson said she could not comment on the continuing problems with leadership at the school, as she only took on the role of head teacher in September 2017, but said inspectors were very complimentary of the work she has been doing since she took on the role.

She also highlighted that later in the report, inspectors said: "The new head teacher and other senior leaders are having a positive impact on addressing the school's weaknesses."

She said: "Ofsted has been really impressed with the work we have been doing since the inspection. We have been working to improve in the areas they pointed out as problems."

The report also highlighted issues with the ways funding had been spent. It said: "Pupil premium funding has not been used effectively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils."

However, the head teacher said that a review into funding at the school will be carried out in April.

She said: "We are going to be looking into the ways our funding is spent and how much goes where.

"We are going to look for new ways we can spend the funding to support our children's learning. We have already hired extra teachers and teaching assistants to support them."

The report also said: "Teachers' subject knowledge is weak, especially in reading and mathematics. As a result, the expectations that teachers have of what pupils can be expected to achieve are too low. This is particularly evident for the middle-ability pupils, who have underachieved consistently for at least two years."

She said: "The teachers it is referring to are newly qualified and just starting out in their careers, so there will be gaps in their knowledge. They will be going on courses to improve their skills and make them even better teachers."

Meanwhile, the report noted that children in the early years department are doing much better, and the school received a 'good' rating in that area.

The report said: "Children in the early years make good progress due to effective teaching and leadership. The proportion reaching a good level of development has risen year after year."

Also rated 'good' was personal development, behaviour and welfare of children, and inspectors said the procedures to keep children safe in school are effective.

To this, Mrs Goodson added the school has seen great success in a new scheme, called 'it's good to be green'.

She said: "In our new scheme, everyone starts off as green. If they do something they shouldn't, they get a yellow card, meaning they miss a play time, and if they do something worse, they get a yellow card, which is a missed break or lunchtime.

"It has been working really well and we're pleased at how well our children behave."

A meeting with parents was held at the school on Friday, January 26, where the head teacher was on hand to respond to any concerns parents had about the rating.

Mrs Goodson added: "We are working hard with the teachers to make sure that the children leave in year six, they are at the same level or above as the average for all other children in the country.

"If someone walked off the street and into our school, they would not think it is an inadequate school."

What is Ofsted?

Ofsted is the education watchdog, its inspectors visit schools, colleges, universities and nurseries throughout the UK and every four years provide an assessment on each establishment.

It may rate an education provider outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

An inadequate rating sees the provider placed in special measures.

Inspectors then revisit the provider every six months and set strict improvement targets and often introduce hiring freezes.

If these improvements are not sufficiently met then Ofsted may move to close the school.

Read the full report here:

Winshill Village Primary and Nursery School, Brough Road, Winshill, Burton, DE15 0DH

Inspection dates 21–22 November 2017

Overall effectiveness: Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management: Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment: Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare: Good

Outcomes for pupils: Inadequate

Early years provision: Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection: Good

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an inadequate school.

Leadership over time has been inadequate. Monitoring and evaluation have not focused sufficiently on the quality of teaching. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils' outcomes have declined significantly since the previous inspection and are inadequate.

• Until recently, governors have not held leaders to account for the progress that pupils make in school. They have not challenged leaders sufficiently well to have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school.
• Assessment systems are not used effectively to monitor pupils' progress and to plan learning that is appropriate to pupils' needs.
• Pupil premium funding has not been used effectively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Teachers' subject knowledge is not secure in reading and mathematics.
• Teachers' expectations of what pupils can and should achieve are too low, especially for middle-ability pupils
• Pupils are not challenged to apply their basic skills in different subjects well enough.

The school has the following strengths

• The new head teacher and other senior leaders are having a positive impact on addressing the school's weaknesses.
• Children in the early years make good progress due to effective teaching and leadership. The proportion reaching a good level of development has risen year after year.
• The school’s work to support pupils' personal development, behaviour and welfare is good. An effective behaviour management strategy has resulted in a significant reduction in poor behaviour. Leaders' actions and the direction of the new head teacher have strengthened this aspect of the school’s work.
• Procedures to keep pupils safe in school are effective.

Full Report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Improve the quality of leadership to secure and sustain improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils' outcomes by ensuring that:

• all teachers have secure subject knowledge in reading and mathematics and use this to plan activities that are appropriate to the needs and abilities of the pupils in their classes;
• all staff receive professional development opportunities that meet their specific needs;
• assessment systems are used effectively to track pupils' progress.

Improve governance of the school by ensuring that governors:

• have a secure understanding of how pupils are achieving and use this information to hold leaders to account
• make sure that pupil premium funding is used effectively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils
• use time with leaders effectively, for example through meetings of the governing body and link governor visits, to secure the accuracy of governors' evaluation of the school's performance.

Improve teaching, learning and assessment in the school by ensuring that:

• teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve are high enough to accelerate progress for all pupils, but especially middle-ability pupils
• opportunities for pupils to apply the basic skills taught in English and mathematics are followed up through the pupils' work in other subjects.

An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

An external review of governance should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management: Inadequate

• Since the previous inspection, leaders have been ineffective in maintaining the good standards that were in place. Leaders' actions to hold staff to account for the progress made by the pupils in this school have been poor. As a result, leaders have not taken enough action to support teachers, and the quality of teaching is now inadequate. The progress made by pupils has declined and is inadequate.
• Over time, leaders' evaluations of the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils' outcomes have been unrealistic. Inspectors saw evidence of this in leaders' reports to governors. A lack of focus on the progress made by the different groups of pupils in the school has led to insufficient challenge to stem the decline in outcomes.
• Until recently, leaders have not had a robust system in place that allowed them to measure pupils' achievement accurately. Leaders had not ensured that teachers knew how to assess effectively. As a result, the accuracy and use of pupils' progress information has been flawed, which has hindered teaching and learning. Leaders recognise that the school's internal assessment information for last year is inaccurate.
• In response, the head teacher and senior staff have begun to address the inaccuracies in assessment by providing effective training and support for teachers. Governors are included in the plans for training to improve their understanding of the progress made by pupils, so that they can hold leaders to account.
• Current leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and recognise that too many pupils are not making enough progress. This has led to some recent improvements in the progress made. The leadership of special educational needs (SEN), for example, ensures that specific funds are spent correctly. However, the impact of the use of the additional pupil premium funding has not been accurately evaluated over recent years.
• While leadership changes since September 2017 have injected a sense of urgency to school improvement, some aspects of the school's work were already on the up before this. For example, the early years provision has improved steadily year after year. Over time, leaders have been attentive to pupils' safety and welfare. In addition, behaviour management has strengthened over the past year, and staff now have consistent expectations of pupils' behaviour.
• School improvement plans are now focused on the most important priorities for the school. These plans include clearly defined actions that are linked to a programme of checks that help leaders to hold others to account. It is clear that the school's current leadership demonstrates the capacity to bring about improvements.
• Furthermore, leaders have established a range of external support through local collaborations and brokered through the local authority. This has enabled leaders at all levels to work alongside consultants to upskill the leaders and drive school improvement.
• Leaders have ensured that the curriculum for pupils is broad and balanced. The school's topic approach provides pupils with a range of themed weeks when fundamental British values are promoted well. A range of extra-curricular linked trips is used well to provide a rich range of experiences. For example, pupils make visits to the local fire station, Tamworth castle and a space centre. The primary school sports funding is used to employ a specialist sports teacher, which has improved the quality of teaching in physical education and sport.
• The newly appointed head teacher has strengthened the leadership of the school. With her drive and guidance, senior leaders have drawn up action plans that build further on the work to improve the school that had started during the previous academic year. Leaders work is now more closely focused on implementing these plans for improvement. As a result, they are able to check on the work of the school and hold staff to account for the improvements they have been asked to make.
• Parents are generally very positive about the work of the new head teacher in the short time that she has been in post. Many commented that her presence in the morning, meeting pupils at the start of the day, is appreciated. A number commented positively on the changes made in dealing with pupils' behaviour.

Governance of the school

• Governors have not acted on the recommendations given during the previous inspection. Governors' understanding of the progress made by pupils is still weak. As a result, governors have not held leaders to account sufficiently well because they do not have a secure grasp of the school's strengths and weaknesses.
• Governors have not ensured that they have discharged their statutory duties, including monitoring the impact of the pupil premium funding and ensuring that the school's performance management process is robust.
• Recent changes to the governing body have put them in a stronger position to ask the challenging questions of leaders that they should. Records of the work of governors show that they have recently commissioned external support for the school and the governing body itself. This is a positive step and indicative of a changing culture in the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have provided a range of training for all staff on how to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse. This means that staff have a good understanding of the needs of the school community. Families and pupils are well known, which helps the school provide targeted support, including the use of external agencies.
• The checks made on the recruitment of staff are done well and the records kept about these checks are accurate.
• The school's curriculum supports leaders' drive to create a culture of safeguarding. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of keeping themselves safe and can talk confidently about road safety, social media and password security.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment: Inadequate

• Teaching over time has been inadequate and leaders have not taken appropriate action to improve the practice in the school. Current leaders understand that the teaching that pupils receive is not meeting their needs.
• Teachers' subject knowledge is weak, especially in reading and mathematics. As a result, the expectations that teachers have of what pupils can be expected to achieve are too low. This is particularly evident for the middle-ability pupils, who have underachieved consistently for at least two years.
• Teachers also demonstrate gaps in their knowledge of the teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Inspectors' discussions with pupils showed that pupils do not have a full understanding of English terms that are commonly used, such as proper nouns, synonyms and fronted adverbials. This leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge that limit their potential progress.
• Relationships between adults and pupils are generally positive. Pupils are often engaged in tasks and work collaboratively to solve problems. Where teaching is more effective, there is a useful flow of questions that prompt and probe pupils to think hard and explain their reasoning.
• Currently, teachers do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of the progress that pupils are making. The head teacher has taken steps to improve assessment arrangements, and the accuracy and reliability of assessments, by using in-school moderation and standardised tests. However, these changes are in the early stages of implementation. Leaders identified that the assessment information available for the previous academic year is inaccurate. Even with these inaccuracies, the progress made by some year groups is not rapid enough to help pupils catch up.
• Teaching assistants are deployed well when they have a secure understanding of the learning objectives and a clear idea of how to pitch the work to meet the needs of all pupils. When this happens, it supports groups of pupils to make accelerated progress. However, this is not consistent across the school.
• Teachers provide pupils with an opportunity to develop their understanding of grammar and punctuation. Opportunities for these skills to be reinforced through other subjects are limited because teachers do not ensure that pupils transfer these basic skills well.
• Leaders have worked hard to develop the school's use of practical equipment to help pupils to master mathematical concepts. This work is still at an early stage but inspectors saw examples of well-chosen resources helping pupils to acquire the skill of multiplying fractions. However, these opportunities are not available consistently across the school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare: Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils' personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils said that they feel safe in school. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. The school council reported to inspectors that adults deal effectively with bullying.
• Pupils talked positively about their role in befriending other pupils who look as if they need a 'buddy'. Pupils take this role seriously and enjoy the responsibility of looking after others.
• The majority of pupils' attitudes to learning are positive. In a minority of cases, pupils' attitudes are less positive because their work is too hard or too easy for them to complete. In a few cases, adults do not intervene to re-shape learning in response to pupils' needs.
• Parent surveys and face-to-face discussions revealed that a number of parents are very positive about the school's work to support pupils' well-being. One parent sought out inspectors to praise the school's efforts in meeting her child’s particular needs.
• The school’s curriculum helps pupils to develop their self-confidence. Teachers promote a 'can-do' attitude that builds confidence and resilience to overcome learning and personal challenges.
• Pupils' personal, social and emotional health education is supported well through 'drop-down' days, when the whole school focuses on particular areas to develop, for example friendship.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school's behaviour management policy has a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes in lessons and around school. Leaders have worked hard to improve the consistency of the way in which staff deal with pupils' off-task behaviour. This consistent effort has already resulted in a significant reduction in the school's use of 'yellow and red' warning cards. Because of this, the times when pupils are distracted from learning have reduced and, as a result, opportunities for pupils to make more progress are improved. Parents have noticed this positive change too and a number of parents specifically pointed this out to inspectors.
• The very large majority of pupils behave well in lessons and at less-structured times, such as playtime and lunchtime. Behaviour in the dining room is good, and pupils talk quietly to their friends and socialise. They follow instructions from the supervisory staff well.
• Attendance is good and remains above the national average. Leaders recognise the importance of holding parents to account for term-time holidays, and records of governors' work show that this has been discussed. All pupil groups have attendance that is equal to or better than the comparative group of pupils nationally.

Outcomes for pupils: Inadequate

• There has been a decline in pupils' outcomes over recent years. Too many pupils make insufficient progress from their starting points in school. Progress is inconsistent due to the inadequate teaching.
• Pupils' achievement in reading is weak. In the 2016 reading test in Year 6, the progress of all pupils, disadvantaged pupils and middle-ability pupils was significantly below the progress of similar pupils nationally. In 2017, while there was an improvement on 2016, the progress of pupils in the Year 6 reading test was still significantly below that of similar pupils nationally. The proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening fell significantly in 2017.
• Pupils' achievement in mathematics is also weak. At the end of key stage 2, the middle-attaining and disadvantaged pupils made progress that was significantly below the progress of similar pupils nationally. In key stage 1, attainment remains in the bottom 10 per cent for all schools.
• The school’s own assessment information confirms that the progress made in other year groups is not rapid enough for the pupils to catch up. Evidence gathered from inspectors' book scrutiny with leaders shows that, while progress is improving, it is not yet consistent enough or fast enough for current pupils to catch up.
• The pupil premium funding is not used effectively to support the disadvantaged pupils in school. As a consequence, differences between their outcomes and those of other pupils nationally are not diminishing rapidly enough.
• The small number of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities have also made poor progress in the past. However, recently, leaders have taken action to ensure that the needs of this group are being met by teachers in the classroom.
• Where teaching is more effective, pupils make stronger progress, but too many are hampered by a legacy of poor teaching.

Early years provision: Good

• Children start the early years provision with skills and knowledge that are low for their age. An increasing proportion starts with limited language skills.
• The proportion of children who achieved a good level of development by the time they left the Reception Year has increased consistently over three years. This is also true for the disadvantaged children. This means that more children are prepared for the next stage of their education in key stage 1 and have made good progress from their starting points.
• The leadership of the early years provision is good, and this results in good teaching and behaviour. The leader has recognised the needs of the children and made sure that the environment and activities meet their needs well.
• In lessons observed, the language opportunities provided to children through engaging play and directed play led to good progress in this area. For example, a nursery group of pupils felt the need to attend to the teacher's pretend injuries. The resulting conversation provided a good model of language and vocabulary extension.
• Teachers plan activities that engage the children's attention. For example, children in the Reception class were observed building a spaceship out of boxes, foil and bottles. The activity combined a number of skills of communication and shape and developed children’s manual dexterity.
• Teachers' assessment of children’s development is accurate. A scrutiny of the learning journeys used to capture records of the children’s skills and knowledge showed good teacher knowledge. These observations were carefully matched to future learning opportunities to make sure that children have the opportunity to consolidate and extend their skills. Parents are kept suitably informed about their children's early education.
• Safeguarding and welfare requirements are met. The early years leader has undertaken a range of training to support her in this role. As a result, children in the early years are safe and well supported.
• A combination of effective leadership in early years, the progress from children's starting points and the rise in the good level of development demonstrates a much stronger aspect of the school than is reflected in the school’s overall effectiveness grade.