Higher Openshaw Community School

Higher Openshaw Community School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 17–18 January 2012 Inspection number 377249 Unique Reference Number 105471 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 377249 Inspection dates 17–18 January 2012 Lead inspector Jane Millward HMI

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 313 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Robert Wright Headteacher John McAllister Date of previous school inspection 28 June 2007 School address Saunton Road Higher Openshaw Manchester M11 1AJ Telephone number 0161 223 3549 Fax number 0161 231 8319 Email address admin@higher-openshaw.manchester.sch.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspe cts the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Jane Millward Jean O'Neill Her Majesty's Inspector Additional inspector Philip Martin Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Fourteen lessons were observed, taught by 13 teachers. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, a representative of the local authority, the Chair of the Governing Body and members of staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documentation including the school development plan, pupils’ work, progress data, minutes of governing body meetings, attendance data and safeguarding records. They analysed 111 inspection questionnaires completed by parents and carers and those submitted by staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Higher Openshaw is larger than most primary schools. It provides full-time nursery education. The school has before- and after-school provision. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is much higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is higher than the national average as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. The proportion of pupils joining and leaving the school at times other than the usual times is greater than the national average. Attainment is above the current government floor standard. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 Higher Openshaw Primary is a satisfactory school, where pupils have very good attitudes to learning and positive relationships exist between staff and pupils. The pastoral care that the school provides is effective and pupils’ well-being is a high priority for the school. Pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable are cared for through a well targeted approach.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Overall, pupils’ attainment is in line with national expectations, although attainment is better in mathematics. Reading attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is now average.

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Key Findings

 Pupils make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Key Findings

 Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals attain well in all subjects when compared to national averages. Most pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress.

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Key Findings

 The majority of pupils are very well behaved. They are polite and courteous. Incidents of racist behaviour are extremely rare.

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Key Findings

 The quality of teaching is satisfactory. In some lessons, pupils were actively involved in their learning and work matched their abilities well. However, in other lessons, more- able pupils were not challenged enough because assessment data were not used well enough to inform teachers’ planning.

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Key Findings

 While leaders hold an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses in school, there has been a lack of effective monitoring and evaluation to secure better teaching and outcomes. Actions identified in improvement planning are not sharply focused and their impact is not easily measurable.

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Key Findings

 The governing body is supportive of the work in school but it does not hold the school to account to secure future improvements with sufficient rigour. Roles and responsibilities of middle leaders are developing in order to further improve outcomes in their subject areas.  The curriculum does not make enough cross-curricular links or always ensure that teaching builds on pupils’ previous skills and understanding. There are insufficient opportunities for extended writing throughout the curriculum. Opportunities to develop pupils’ understanding of cultural diversity are limited.

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Key Findings

 Attendance rates have improved and pupils’ attendance is high.

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Key Findings

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment and improve rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics by: - ensuring the more able are sufficiently challenged - matching work to the needs of all learners - increasing the opportunities for extended writing - ensuring teachers use assessment information to move pupils on in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management at all levels to ensure that: - monitoring and evaluation procedures lead to higher standards and improved action planning - the governing body contributes more effectively in evaluating how well the school is doing - middle leaders have a greater impact on their subject areas.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the curriculum to increase the impact on pupils’ achievements by: - ensuring pupils develop their knowledge, understanding and skills - developing pupils’ understanding of their own culture and that of others - developing cross-curricular links.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enjoy school and actively participate in lessons, for example, children in nursery enjoying making and tasting porridge. Parents and carers feel their children are making good progress at school and that their needs are well met. The inspection found that progress was satisfactory. Achievement in mathematics is stronger than English. Children start school with skills typically below what are expected. Progress is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and by the time they start Year 1 their skills are in line with expectations. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is broadly in-line with national expectations. The school has implemented a range of strategies, including staff training and interventions to support pupils who need to improve their reading skills. Pupils are keen to read and display positive attitudes to reading. They are taught strategies to decode words and a programme to teach phonics (the sounds that letters make) is in place. By the end of Years 2 and 6

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Achievement of pupils

attainment in reading is average. When pupils leave Year 6, attainment is average. No pupils achieved the higher level in English in 2011. Current data show some improvements with more pupils on-track to reach age-related expectations with most improvements in English by the older pupils. In the past, too many pupils have made too little progress, but due to a greater focus on the raising of achievement, progress is beginning to improve. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress.

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Quality of teaching

All parents and carers who completed the questionnaire felt their children were taught well. However, the inspection found that the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Many teachers make good use of other adults to support learning, especially for pupils who require extra support. Information and communication technology is used effectively to enhance learning, for example, in a Year 6 lesson where pupils discussed how to improve their class blog. Where good teaching was observed, it was characterised by well targeted questions to ensure pupils were moved on in their learning. High expectations ensured pupils were keen to succeed and learning was given relevance, for example, in a mathematics lesson pupils used football scores to work on the mean, mode and median scores. This and similar lessons develop a fascination and curiosity in learning and pupils make good progress. Pupils in the Reception class enjoyed creating a petrol station where they filled up their bikes with

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Quality of teaching

fuel, posing purposeful questions to each other. However, inspectors also observed lessons which were less effective. Learning was slower in these lessons due to a lack of challenge. Teachers did not use assessment information carefully to ensure pupils’ learning was moved on and hence learning slowed. Too often pupils were given the same activity regardless of ability. Adequate use is made of the outdoors, but some areas for learning are under used. Phonics teaching is well structured and promotes a good response from the children. Regular assessments in the Early Years Foundation Stage are made covering all areas of learning; however, not enough use is made of parental contributions.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils show positive attitudes to learning at all stages, showing consideration to their peers and to adults in class and around school. They generally listen well to one another and respond well to activities such as ‘talking partners’ which contribute well to their learning. Pupils behave safely around school and disruptive incidents are rare. Pupils are confident that poor behaviour will be dealt with. As one pupil reported, ‘If someone is unkind, you tell a teacher and they sort it.’ They say any bullying is quickly dealt with and that pupils look after one another. For example, the older pupils ‘buddy’ the younger pupils at playtimes joining in with shared games. Racist incidents are rare and there have been no fixed-term exclusions. Parents judge that there is a good standard of behaviour. Pupils demonstrate a good awareness of risk and unsafe situations. They have a well developed awareness of

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

internet safety. Behaviour is managed well by staff in lessons and there is very little disruption to learning, due to good support for more-challenging pupils.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is high and pupils are punctual. Furthermore, rates are consistently improving. The school has worked to reduce absence rates and has successfully introduced a range of strategies to encourage pupils to attend school regularly and on time.

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Leadership and management

The leaders know all the pupils and their families well. The headteacher promotes a caring environment where pupils feel secure. Care, guidance and support are strong. The school, due to the endeavours of staff, is the hub of the community. Many systems and procedures to ensure school improvement are in their infancy but there are some early signs of positive impact. A programme for monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning is in place and this does give the school’s leaders an accurate view of the school’s performance and ensures that improvement planning identifies the right priorities. However, currently the monitoring of provision does not link sufficiently to staff professional development, or on improving outcomes for pupils. Middle leaders are willing and enthusiastic to bring about change. Roles and responsibilities are being defined and, as such, it is too early to monitor their impact. Leaders promote equality of opportunity satisfactorily. Members of the

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Leadership and management

governing body are very supportive of the school. The Chair of the Governing Body is highly visible in school and works well with the school’s leaders. However, while members of the governing body are very supportive, they do not gain first hand evidence of how well the school is doing and rely on reports from the headteacher and other leaders.

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Leadership and management

Generally, the curriculum meets learners’ needs as is evidenced by satisfactory achievement of pupils. Some links are made across subjects and some learning has purposeful and relevant links. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted satisfactorily. Although there are opportunities to engage in artistic, musical and sporting activities, these are not well linked into the curriculum, and pupils have limited understanding of their own heritage. Pupils show respect for cultural diversity, but the school does not enable them to engage more deeply in the richness of cultures which the school encompasses. Links with parents and carers are effective and the school listens to the views of parents and carers and pupils. For example, pupils were involved in the purchase of new playground equipment. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. The school has a satisfactory capacity to make further improvements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Higher Openshaw Community School, Manchester, M11 1AJ

On behalf of the inspection team I would like to thank you for the very friendly welcome you gave us when we inspected your school recently. As you know we came to see how well you were doing and what you said helped us with our findings.

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Inspection of Higher Openshaw Community School, Manchester, M11 1AJ

Higher Openshaw is a satisfactory school. We were very impressed by your behaviour; you were extremely polite and courteous. From conversations with you and from your questionnaires it is clear that you feel safe in school and you know who to turn to if you have a problem. We agree that your teachers take good care of you. Your achievement is satisfactory but we can see you are starting to attain better in your lessons and are beginning to make faster progress.

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Inspection of Higher Openshaw Community School, Manchester, M11 1AJ

It is our job to find out how schools can do even better. We have asked your headteacher, teachers and the governing body to work on three things in particular:

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Inspection of Higher Openshaw Community School, Manchester, M11 1AJ

 to raise attainment and improve your progress in reading, writing and mathematics  improve the effectiveness of leadership and management at all levels  create an exciting curriculum that will help you learn better.

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Inspection of Higher Openshaw Community School, Manchester, M11 1AJ

We know that you will want to help in every way you can, so please continue to try hard in lessons and continue to attend school regularly. I wish you every success in your education.

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Inspection of Higher Openshaw Community School, Manchester, M11 1AJ

Yours sincerely procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is availab le from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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