St George's CofE Primary School

St George's CofE Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 1–2 March 2012 Inspection number 377328 Unique Reference Number 105932 Local authority Salford Inspection number 377328 Inspection dates 1–2 March 2012 Lead inspector Vanessa MacDonald

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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 167 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rowena Platt Headteacher Pamela Heywood Date of previous school inspection 2 July 2009 School address Concord Place Salford M6 6SU Telephone number 0161 737 6688 Fax number 0161 745 7937 Email address stgeorges.ceprimaryschool@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 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 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

Vanessa MacDonald Dave Blackburne Additional inspector Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice by two additional inspectors. They observed 11 lessons taught by seven different teachers. The inspectors listened to pupils from two different year groups reading, and talked with them and other groups of pupils about their lessons and school life. In addition, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, teachers and representatives of the governing body. The inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised documentation relating to pupils’ progress and to school management, including the arrangements to ensure safeguarding. They also analysed 42 questionnaires received from parents and carers and those completed by staff and pupils. No responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were available when planning the inspection .

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Information about the school

St Georges is a smaller than average-sized primary school. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage with a growing minority of pupils from a variety of minority ethnic backgrounds. The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average but is increasing. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above the national average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above the national average, although an average proportion has a statement of special educational needs. The school meets the current floor standard. It has Healthy School status, Eco Schools Bronze Award, and International School Award level 1. The school has a breakfast club which was part of the inspection. 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 satisfactory school. Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is a strength. The school is not good because there is a need to improve the effectiveness of leadership and management at all levels to impact on overall outcomes and improve pupils' attainment, achievement and attendance consistently over time.

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Key Findings

 Achievement over time is satisfactory although progress is improving and is often good is lessons. Children join the Nursery class with skills well below those usually expected for their age. They make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Attainment is now average at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, which is an improvement from the last inspection.

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Key Findings

 Teaching has improved recently. Most of the teaching seen during the inspection was good, but over time its impact is satisfactory rather than good, reflecting pupils’ satisfactory progress. Lessons are now focused and tasks are usually well matched to pupils’ different needs. Opportunities to share the best practice are not fully in place and pupils’ independent study skills are underdeveloped.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ behaviour and safety are satisfactory. Pupils say that behaviour has improved. The school is an orderly and welcoming environment. Pupils are happy and keen to work. In the majority of lessons observed, they were well- behaved. Attendance has been below average in recent years but has improved in this current school year. The school recognises the need to sustain and build on this by raising the profile of attendance with pupils and their parents and carers.

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Key Findings

 Leadership of teaching and the management of performance are satisfactory. Whilst some effective action has been taken to improve teaching there is more to do to ensure consistency and changes are too recent to have had a full impact on pupils’ achievement over time. The school development plan sets out appropriate actions to bring about improvement, but success criteria are not defined sharply enough, and this reduces leaders’ ability to assess the impact of their actions.

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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?

 Ensure that in all lessons teaching is at least good, and hence accelerate pupils’ progress and raise attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6, by: - sharing fully the most effective practice across school - extending opportunities for pupils to learn independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sustain and build upon recent improvement in attendance by: - employing creative approaches in engaging pupils to improve their attendance - working further with a small number of parents and carers to improve the attendance of persistent absentees.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: - developing and improving the impact of subject management on teaching, learning and pupils’ progress - ensuring that whole-school and subject-development planning has clear, measurable success criteria relating to pupils’ progress 

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Achievement of pupils

Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and achieve well from their starting points. In Key Stages 1 and 2, progress is satisfactory but improving. Attainment is broadly average in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6, but is improving because of more effective teaching. The good teaching in most classes is now enabling pupils to approach more challenging tasks with growing confidence, though opportunities for pupils to work independently are limited. In the minority of classes where teaching is less effective, however, progress is slower. All parents and carers who responded to questionnaires think their children make good progress.

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Achievement of pupils

The school’s data indicate that there is no significant variation between the achievement of different groups of pupils, including boys and girls, those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those speaking English as an additional language. Pupils’ attainment in reading by the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is broadly average. The introduction of regular, targeted teaching of letters and the sounds they make, and guided reading sessions, are giving younger pupils the tools they need to move their learning forward. Pupils’ attainment in writing is not as strong as in reading and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2, but the gap is closing because writing is currently a focus across the school. Pupils are now writing for a wider range of purposes, with more opportunities to write across the curriculum and their progress is improving. The quality of pupils’ handwriting is more consistent with the introduction of a specific handwriting style. However, there has

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Achievement of pupils

not yet been time for upper Key Stage 2 pupils to learn to write consistently in a fluent and joined hand. In lessons observed, Year 6 pupils made good progress in planning and writing a play script using features that they had been taught. Pupils in Year 2, particularly the more able, were able to apply their prior learning of features of information text well to create their own examples about where chocolate comes from.

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Achievement of pupils

Teaching assistants work effectively with disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and with pupils who speak English as an additional language, so that these groups of pupils also make satisfactory and improving progress overall.

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Quality of teaching

The majority of the parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire thought that their children were well taught. Inspection findings show that teaching is satisfactory overall in its impact on achievement. It has improved because of recent action taken by school leadership. Most of the teaching in lessons is now good but improvements have not been embedded long enough to ensure that pupils have achieved well over time. Most lessons are planned well to take the range of learners’ needs into account, including for more able pupils. The pace of learning is generally brisk and this is helping pupils to make effective progress in the good lessons. Most teachers have high expectations of pupils, although opportunities for pupils to work independently and in groups on a range of tasks are limited.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching assistants generally contribute well to all pupils’ learning and progress, particularly to that of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. Teaching promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively through the planned curriculum and there is mutual respect, as illustrated by the pupil who commented that ‘we all have respect for each other’. Positive relationships in the classroom mean that pupils are secure and happy and ready to learn. Pupils commented that ‘everybody has a talent and we celebrate it’. In the small number of less-effective lessons seen, pupils’ interests were not fully captured and tasks were not always matched well to their learning needs.

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Quality of teaching

In a Year 4/5 lesson, pupils responded well to questioning to use and apply their knowledge of mathematical concepts and models to answer division calculations. The accurate on-going assessment of pupils’ progress has led to an amendment of planned learning part-way through, to ensure that all pupils understood fully. In the Nursery, pupils were enthralled by the changes which took place by turning icing sugar powder in to a mixture. The opportunity to explore independently, and appropriate questioning by the teacher, ensured that pupils’ learning was effective.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils’ work is marked frequently, following a consistent policy across school. Teachers' marking provides pupils with clear, visual information about next steps to improve their work, though this is more developed in English than in mathematics. With the new tracking system, teachers now use the information to plan work which is matched more effectively to pupils’ needs, including the more able. This good practice is becoming embedded across the whole school. However, some aspects are not as well established or consistent across all year groups. The use of pupil self- assessment strategies, especially by the older pupils, is limited and this reduces their opportunities to reflect on their work.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour and safety are typically satisfactory. Inspectors observed mainly good behaviour though there were a few instances of low level disruption. In discussion with pupils, they reported that behaviour has improved from the previous year and that there were fewer problems. They were confident that any issues would be dealt with and were clear about the behaviour policy, both in terms of rewards and sanctions. Members of the school council had been involved promoting anti-bullying policies and in talking about that to younger pupils. The staff have had specific training in promoting positive behaviour and older pupils are beginning to be trained as peer counsellors to promote this positive behaviour further.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils say they feel safe and they are friendly towards each other. They are aware of different risks, particularly those taught by the police and other agencies relating to road safety, cyber-bullying and stranger danger. Activities, including those enjoyed in outside areas, are orderly and well organised. Parents and carers and pupils feel that the school deals effectively with bullying but a few parents and carers are still concerned about some disruptions to lessons. The school works well with a wide range of agencies to support pupils who may be vulnerable because of their circumstances and with their families.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Until recently, attendance has been below average but is showing an improvement this current school year. Although pupils spoken to understand the importance of coming to school, regular attendance is not given a sufficiently high profile and the school recognises the need to work more creatively with pupils, parents and carers to promote this and to secure and build on recent improvements. There are a small number of persistent absentees, which has decreased recently through the work the school does with parents and carers, and the school recognises the need to continue to work to reduce this further.

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Leadership and management

With support from consultants and links with another school, leaders have been successful in improving teaching since the last inspection. The clarification of learning intentions for lessons, matching of tasks to pupils’ needs, use of progress-tracking information and consistency of marking have been strengthened through support and training. Leaders and managers have improved the procedures for tracking the progress of groups of pupils and individuals more accurately and, along with progress reviews, these are used well to ensure appropriate levels of challenge and support in learning activities. The improvements to teaching are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Subject leaders are involved in addressing developments in their subject, although the focus, impact and outcomes are not consistent across all subjects, or consistently shared with all staff. Leaders and managers at all levels choose and plan appropriate

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Leadership and management

actions for raising attainment and promoting pupils’ learning and progress. However, success criteria to measure the impact of their actions against pupils’ progress are not sufficiently precise or focused. There are opportunities to share best practice, for example with teaching, across the school which are not always fully exploited.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is satisfactory. Leaders and staff are developing a curriculum with links between subjects but these are not yet fully embedded. Improvements to provision for reading, writing and mathematics, including targeted additional interventions, are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. This helps to promote equality of opportunity for success. The curriculum is enriched by opportunities to develop skills in sports and the arts, for example, through links with other schools and Salford University and by a range of after-school activities. Within the curriculum, the promotion of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Any suggestion of discrimination is firmly tackled.

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Leadership and management

Pupils take advantage of the well-organised breakfast provision. The school successfully engages with its parents and carers through, for example, attendance at celebration assemblies and a range of workshops to help them support their children’s learning.

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Leadership and management

The governing body is supportive; it acknowledges the improvements made and knows that attainment needs to be higher. It is aware of the need to hold the school more rigorously to account. Safeguarding meets requirements. There are effective policies and procedures to protect pupils. The school has a clear overview of its strengths and areas for improvement and work is underway to address these. Improvements to teaching and learning and attainment demonstrate the school’s satisfactory capacity to improve.

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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 St George's CofE Primary School, Salford, M6 6SU

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave the inspectors when we visited your school. As you know, we came to see how well the school is doing and how you are all getting on with your learning. We enjoyed our visit and it was a pleasure to meet you all.

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Inspection of St George's CofE Primary School, Salford, M6 6SU

We found that St George’s is a satisfactory school where improvements are starting to happen. Your education gets off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. Your behaviour is satisfactory overall, and we could see how many of you are well-behaved and polite young people. Your attendance has improved recently and for most of you is now average. Keep up the good work and see if you can make it even better! It was good to see that you work hard in your lessons and enjoy your work. The adults are working hard too, to make sure that you are provided with a curriculum that is interesting and matches your needs. Because of this, your learning and progress are both improving.

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Inspection of St George's CofE Primary School, Salford, M6 6SU

The school’s leaders agree with us that further improvements are needed, so that you can all achieve as well as possible. These are some things I have asked them to do next, because I think they will help your school to carry on improving.

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Inspection of St George's CofE Primary School, Salford, M6 6SU

 Make sure that teaching is always good or better.  Provide you with opportunities to work more independently.  Use more strategies to enable you to continue to improve your attendance.  Improve the big plan that they make for the school each year by putting more details in it about how they are going to measure how well the school is doing.

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Inspection of St George's CofE Primary School, Salford, M6 6SU

You can help by continuing to work hard and attend school all the time.

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Inspection of St George's CofE Primary School, Salford, M6 6SU

Vanessa MacDonald 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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