Boothstown Methodist Primary School

Boothstown Methodist Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 15–16 February 2012 Inspection number 377330 Unique Reference Number 105942 Local authority Salford Inspection number 377330 Inspection dates 15–16 February 2012 Lead inspector Judith Straw

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 231 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kim Phythian Headteacher Karen Armfield Date of previous school inspection 9 October 2006 School address 6 Chapel Street Boothstown Worsley Manchester M28 1DG Telephone number 0161 7903263 Fax number 0161 7903145 Email address boothstownmethodist.primaryschool@salford.gov.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 a nd 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 inspects 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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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Judith Straw Peter Jones Additional inspector Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 14 lessons taught by seven teachers. They also visited guided-reading sessions in order to hear children read. They held meetings with groups of pupils, members of the governing body and staff and had informal conversations with parents and carers bringing their children to school. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school's work, and looked at data the school has collected on pupils’ progress, safeguarding procedures, school improvement planning, records of the school’s monitoring and review processes and the work in pupils’ books. They also considered the 76 questionnaires returned by parents and carers as well as analysing responses from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average. The proportion of pupils for whom English as an additional language is well below average. The number of pupils with special educational needs is well below average and currently there are no pupils with disabilities. The school exceeds the current government floor standards, which sets minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.

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Information about the school

A new headteacher took up her post in November 2011. She had previously been the deputy headteacher. In September 2011, the school opened a 26 place Nursery class. At the time of the inspection, the Year 6 class and half of Year 5 were on a residential trip to the Lake District. 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

■ This is a good school. Pupils’ attainment has been above average for the last five years. All pupils achieve well. The vast majority of parents and carers are very happy with the quality of education provided for their children.

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Key Findings

■ Teaching is good overall; a proportion is outstanding but some inconsistencies in quality remain across the school. Effective support in lessons helps pupils with special educational needs to make the same good progress as other pupils. The impact of the curriculum is good because of the strong focus on core skills, but not at the expense of creativity, enrichment and enjoyment and because it is engaging and motivating and well adapted to pupils’ needs.

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Key Findings

■ Pupils feel entirely safe in school and parents and carers are unanimous that their children are safe. Behaviour is typically excellent because of the positive outlook of the majority of pupils and the high expectations set for good behaviour. The ethos of the school, the role modelling by the staff and pupils' enthusiasm results in excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Key Findings

■ The new senior leadership team, well supported by the governing body, is ambitious for further improvement. The leadership of teaching is effective. Searching and accurate self-evaluation has enabled the school to identify areas of weakness and take prompt action to address them so that attainment is again rising. A rigorous new tracking system is allowing the school to keep a much closer watch on individual pupil's progress.

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Key Findings

■ The school is not outstanding because teaching is not yet outstanding and at present, although all staff share the same vision and ambition to improve the school, much of the work in analysing progress data falls on the shoulders of the headteacher and deputy headteacher. This expertise is not shared sufficiently among all staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Further improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by:  ensuring that learning always proceeds at a brisk and appropriate pace and that pupils are actively involved in their learning  matching work more precisely to individual needs  deploying teaching assistants to best advantage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  providing training for subject leaders and class teachers in using data on pupils' progress to further raise attainment and accelerate progress  ensuring the systematic and regular monitoring of teaching highlights and disseminates good practice and always offers advice on how to improve.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and abilities broadly in line with those expected for their age. They settle quickly into the bright and stimulating environment and achieve well. By the time they enter Year 1, the great majority of children have reached and often exceeded the learning goals set for them. Children enjoy their learning and are inquisitive and curious about the world around them. They especially enjoy the very well equipped outdoor learning areas, for example, during the inspection they were planting broad beans and describing what will be needed to make the beans grow and thrive. Reflecting the views of many parents and carers of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, one person commented ‘our once shy daughter is now thriving at school and enters and leaves the building with a huge smile on her face’.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1. Attainment in reading is average in Year 1, above average by the end of Year 2 and well above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils in Key Stage 1 enjoy their reading and are very happy to talk about what they have read. They relish the challenge of writing stories, for example new versions of Cinderella and respond with enthusiasm to problem-solving in mathematics. Pupils with special educational needs make equally good progress in their learning because they are well supported by working in smaller groups with teaching assistants.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils achieve well by the end of Key Stage 2 and their attainment is above average. In 2011, the proportion of Year 6 pupils reaching the higher Level 5 in English and mathematics was significantly above average. The school has recognised that while attainment is above average in English, progress is slower than it is in mathematics, especially in writing and for boys. Leaders have taken prompt and effective action to address this so that the progress of all pupils is accelerating and the gap between boys and girls is narrowing. Pupils take time and trouble to plan their writing first and then produce their best work in their writing folders. This was evident from a detailed scrutiny of Year 6 pupils’ books across a range of subjects. Parents’ and carers’ unanimous view that their children make good progress and that the school meets their particular child’s needs is fully justified.

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Quality of teaching

Consistently good teaching over time is evident in the Early Years Foundation Stage from tracking information and in the happy, relaxed and yet disciplined environment in which the children work and play. Very thorough planning and team work between the adults ensures that all pupils progress well in learning letters and sounds. During the inspection the Reception class were developing sequencing skills successfully through organising pictures and patterns in a variety of media.

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Quality of teaching

Good and outstanding teaching is evident in Key Stages 1 and 2. The teachers' enthusiasm and pupils' very positive attitudes to learning ensure that most lessons progress at a good pace with plenty of active learning. Teaching assistants are clear about their roles and support the learning of different smaller groups of pupils well. Lessons are often enhanced with music to set a mood or scene and to add pace and rhythm to activities. For example, in an outstanding English lesson in Year 2, inspired by stimulating resources pupils were writing attention-grabbing sentences, using their imaginations and then writing clearly and accurately. In the minority of lessons where teaching is less effective, it is because teachers spend too long on introductions so that the pace is slower and teaching assistants are not deployed to support learning throughout the entire lesson. Occasionally, the work is not sufficiently tailored to the needs of different ability levels in the class so that opportunities

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Quality of teaching

are missed to stretch higher-attaining pupils. Marking and assessment are consistently good across all key stages and ensure that pupils know how to reach their targets and improve their work.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers use the diverse and rich curriculum to accelerate pupils’ progress in the important basic skills. Topics are often chosen after consultation with pupils about their interests. For example, pupils in Year 6 wanted to focus on why the Second World War started, what is was like to be in the blitz, what it was like to be evacuated and how British people coped with the war. Pupils are equally interested in local matters and recently enjoyed a project on the Bridgewater canal. Teachers promote the pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by helping them to be curious, independent learners, interested in the world around them and able to appreciate books, poetry, music and the arts. Parents and carers are unanimous that their children are well taught. Inspection evidence endorses this view.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The overwhelming majority of pupils are confident and feel safe and happy in school. They spoke of their trust in the adults to look after them well. Pupils know about different kinds of bullying but said that instances of bullying are very rare and quickly dealt with by the school. Pupils said that it is extremely rare for lessons to be slowed down by bad behaviour. Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their well established trend of above average levels of attendance over several years.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils have an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves safe and their respect for each other, adults and visitors is very evident in their courteous and respectful behaviour and their good manners. The pupils are lively and know how to enjoy themselves, responding well to the high expectations set by the school. Members of the governing body spoke of their pride in the pupils' excellent behaviour when they accompany school trips. Parents and carers are similarly positive. They are unanimous that their children are safe and well-looked after. The vast majority felt that behaviour is well managed by the school and agreed that lessons are very rarely disrupted. The very few concerns expressed related to the school’s strategies to ensure discipline rather than the behaviour of the pupils. These were discussed with the school. Inspection evidence supports the positive views expressed. The behaviour and safety of pupils was judged to be outstanding because of the great

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

contribution pupils make to their own learning and their outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and acting deputy headteacher have a very clear vision for the school. Actions taken to improve attainment in writing and to accelerate progress for all, have had a good impact. The rigorous tracking system has resulted in accelerated progress for all pupils in both mathematics and English. Senior leaders set challenging academic targets and support all staff in their continuing professional development to further improve teaching and assessment. Robust monitoring of planning, lessons and marking is taking place but just occasionally not enough advice is offered on how teachers might improve their practice and share good and outstanding practice.

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Leadership and management

Staff are in the process of re-structuring and developing the curriculum and it is becoming even more creative, interesting and relevant. The impact of the curriculum on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is evident in pupils’ whole-hearted enjoyment of assemblies, their willingness to consider and reflect in lessons and their awareness of their own culture and that of other people across the world.

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Leadership and management

The vast majority of parents and carers commend the school highly feeling that there is a good response to any concerns expressed. The most persistent concern expressed in the questionnaires was about the size of the playground which many feel is too small for the number of pupils in school and that it would be better if they could have more space for team and running games. The school fully accepts that this is a valid criticism and is looking for ways to extend the area available for pupils to play.

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Leadership and management

Members of the governing body are extremely knowledgeable about the school’s work. They support the school effectively and are involved in self-evaluation and in challenging the school to do even better. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements fully meet statutory requirements and ensure that equality of opportunity is at the heart of the school’s work and that discrimination of any kind is tackled rigorously. The success of the new leadership teams’ actions, the effectiveness of the rigorous new tracking system and the improved achievement of pupils across the school, combined with the expertise and support of the governing body demonstrate that there is good capacity to improve further.

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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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1DG

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave my colleague and me when we visited you in school this week. We would especially like to thank the pupils who talked to us and those who read to us. You were excellent ambassadors for your school.

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1DG

We have judged that yours is a good school. Here are some of the things that helped us to make that decision. ■ You are achieving better than pupils in many other schools. ■ You make good progress because you have good teaching. ■ Your behaviour is excellent and you treat each other and adults with courtesy and respect. ■ You say that you feel safe and well looked after in school and your parents and carers agree. ■ You have excellent attitudes to learning, are curious about the world around you and your support of charities shows that you are interested in trying to make other people’s lives better. ■ Your school leaders do a good job.

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1DG

Part of our job is to look for ways in which the school can improve further. We have asked the school to make sure that all teaching is as good as the best by making sure lessons are not too hard or too easy and that learning is brisk. We have also asked that all staff become as skilled as the senior staff in checking up on your progress. You can play your part by continuing to attend as well as you do and enjoying your learning.

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1DG

Judith Straw Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available 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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