Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School

Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 104893 Local Authority Sefton Inspection number 355658 Inspection dates 9–10 November 2010 Reporting inspector David Byrne

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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 362 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rev T Rich Headteacher Mrs J Evans Date of previous school inspection 4 April 2008 School address Brookhill Road Waterworks Street, Bootle Merseyside L20 3JL Telephone number 0151 9222136 Fax number 0151 9222360 Email address head.ChristChurch@schools.sefton.gov.uk

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Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 9–10 November 2010 Inspection number 355658 Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 2 of 14

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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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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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the documentation in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 1234 234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 3 of 14

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 19 lessons, which were taught by 16 different teachers. Observations were made of the school's work. Meetings were held with pupils, staff and a selection of governors. The inspectors looked at a variety of school documentation. This included the procedures for maintaining safeguarding and child protection, the data on pupils' progress, the school development plan, information about governance and documents relating to the management of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The team analysed the questionnaires returned by 88 parents and carers and also those supplied by pupils and staff.  The typical attainment at Year 6 and the progress occurring across the school to establish if it is good enough.  Whether or not assessment systems are effective enough in guiding teachers and

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Introduction

pupils.  The impact of the creative curriculum on teaching and learning and pupils and whether it is having a positive impact on outcomes.  The effectiveness of the support provided for less-confident pupils and their families in order to reduce absenteeism.  The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation and monitoring systems in maintaining the school's educational direction.

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Information about the school

This is a large school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for school meals is high. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Since the last inspection there have been changes in the leadership of the school. During the inspection the school was led by an acting headteacher and temporary senior leadership team. A new Early Years Foundation Stage was opened in September 2010. Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 4 of 14

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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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Main findings

This is good school in which the large majority of pupils make good progress in both their academic and personal development. From low starting points in the Early Years Foundation Stage, attainment rises across the school to broadly average by the end of Year 6. Across the school, the improvement in pupils' speaking skills is rapid and they make good progress in reading and writing. The rate of progress, however, differs between classes with most variation in Key Stage 2, owing to some differences in expectations between classes. The caring ethos that pervades the school enables everyone to feel valued and cared for. Good day-to-day provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities contributes to these pupils' good progress. The school works closely with families to minimise absence but attendance remains low. Teaching usually motivates and engages pupils, the majority of whom have good attitudes and take pride in their work, although

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Main findings

there are occasions when the more able are not challenged enough. By the time pupils leave school, the large majority are well behaved, sensible and caring young people. The curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 is satisfactory and has a number of imaginative features. Good efforts put into enhancing pupils' learning by accessing the natural environment, encouraging exploration in the arts and sport are successfully widening pupils' experiences. Opportunities for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning are, however, inconsistent and many pupils lack the confidence and skills to lead their own learning, which holds back some elements of progress. The leadership team, guided by the acting headteacher, maintains the school's good educational direction. The school is well run, with the support of effective office staff. Pupils and adults are safe and secure at all times. Improved use of assessment is raising

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Main findings

expectations of pupils and improving systems for monitoring the effectiveness of the school. The involvement of staff and governors in school self-evaluation is strengthening with more attention being given to using the evaluations to sharpen the targets for school improvement. The current temporary nature of the leadership within the school and the developing profile of school self-evaluation give the school a satisfactory capacity to improve in future.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement further by: working with staff to share good practice so that teaching consistently challenges and extends the performance of pupils giving more opportunities for pupils to be independent in lessons Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 5 of 14

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

strengthening efforts to work with families to improve attendance.  Strengthen the impact of leadership and management by: refining systems for involving staff and governors in the process of school self- evaluation leading to sharper, measurable targets for school improvement.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils enjoy school: they take a great pride in their work and listen with good levels of attention to each other and to their teachers. Pupils are mostly quiet and well behaved, which contributes to a good atmosphere for learning in lessons. During an excellent literacy lesson in Year 6, pupils were totally engrossed in empathising with the feelings and senses of the first convicts dispatched to Australia. They discussed together what the people may have seen, smelt, heard and felt, which inspired them to write. A higher proportion of children than is typical for their age start Early Years Foundation Stage with low skills and levels of development. In their time in the Nursery and Reception, the proportion of children attaining expectations for their age increases at a good rate. Even with this improvement, attainment for some is below average at the start of year 1. Between Years 1 and 6, progress continues at a good rate and by the end of

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Year 6 their attainment in English, mathematics and science is typically average for their age, although pupils' attainment in mathematics is slightly lower than their attainment in English. The school has rightly focused attention on this subject and put in place good strategies to speed up progress. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Given the starting points of children to school and their attainment on departure, achievement is good. Pupils' views are valued. They contribute to decision making through the school council, and also the eco council. They like helping others, for example, older pupils play with younger ones during breaks and pupils help out at lunchtime with organising and tidying up. The excellently managed provision for promoting healthy living gives pupils a good understanding of the choices required to eat healthily and look after their body. Good

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

access to sport and the encouragement of walking to school successfully raises the pupils' awareness of the importance of exercise. Pupils say they feel safe and that if any undesirable behaviour occurs it is dealt with swiftly by staff. Pupils develop good skills for resolving disputes between themselves. Absence is higher than average but is reducing steadily. Whilst pupils' personal development is good, the low attendance, coupled with average academic abilities, means that preparation for the pupils' next stage of education is satisfactory. Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 6 of 14

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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3

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall with some variations between classes. Lessons have a clear purpose, which is shared with pupils and generally match the pupils' needs. Setting pupils by ability in mathematics and English means that the diverse needs of pupils are better met, although at times the most able are not stretched enough. Warm relationships between pupils and teachers and support staff contribute to the good behaviour and generally good self-image displayed by most pupils. In the best lessons, pupils participate in debates and discussions, which leads to good quality written work. On some occasions, however, teachers talk too much and over-direct pupils. This reduces the confidence of some pupils in taking responsibility for their learning and slows progress. Teachers and support assistants are skilled at using their good knowledge of pupils to provide suitable work. The marking of pupils' work in English and mathematics varies in

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How effective is the provision?

quality but is mostly positive and helpful. Clear targets for improvement are set out and pupils and parents and carers are aware of the next steps. This helps pupils to make good progress. The curriculum meets the needs of most groups of pupils. It has strengths in the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities but is less secure in that for more-able pupils. Good strategies are established for promoting speaking, reading and writing, which enable pupils to do well in overcoming what are, in some cases, considerable barriers to learning. Whilst practical work is valued, independent tasks that Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 7 of 14

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

challenge pupils in aspects of mathematics, science and information and communication technology have a relatively low profile. The need to widen pupils' experience of the world around them has a high priority. The introduction of residential educational visits for all from Year 2 upwards, access to learning in the environment and building links with sports coaches and artists all extend learning successfully. A good range of extra-curricular clubs are popular with pupils. The day-to-day care for pupils is of a good quality. Good links with agencies from health, education and welfare services gives good support to pupils and families whose circumstances make them vulnerable. The Family Support Worker strives to minimise absence and supports families in many positive ways; however, more needs to be done to reduce absence. Well-established and effective arrangements help children to settle quickly when they start school and move on smoothly to their secondary school after Year

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 2

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

A strong senior leadership team is successfully moving the school forward and maintaining the good progress of pupils. There is shared ambition and determination amongst all staff to do the best for all pupils. Great strides are being made to strengthen the involvement of staff and governors and the process of school self-evaluation. Successes are being celebrated and realistic views exist about areas that need to be improved. As a result greater clarity is developing about what, when and how to improve the school. The school's clear vision is not backed up by sharp, measurable areas for improvement. The governing body is supportive of the school. It has a satisfactory understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses but is not fully conversant with the significance of assessment data as a device for monitoring school performance. The partnership with parents and carers is good. Parents and carers are very supportive of

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How effective are leadership and management?

the school and rate it highly. They appreciate the efforts of the school to involve them in their children's education. Good partnerships with external providers, for example, the Paul Hamblyn Trust and with Creative Partnerships (now called Curious Minds), contribute to the well-being and experiences of pupils. Safeguarding procedures keep pupils safe and secure. All adults in contact with pupils during the school day are rigorously checked to make sure they are fit and proper. Some aspects of the recording of incidents and the quality of some policies underpinning safeguarding are minimal and need upgrading. The school tackles discrimination and promotes equality of opportunity well. It is committed to promoting community cohesion, but has not yet established a clear strategy for evaluating Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 8 of 14

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

the impact of the school's work on pupils' attitudes. The good outcomes for pupils and the wise financial management of resources by the governing body give the school good value for money.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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2

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Good leadership and management are responsible for the creation of a newly built, high quality learning environment. By establishing an Early Years Foundation Stage unit that integrates together the Nursery and Reception children a positive impact is evident on the quality of provision. Excellent relationships between staff and with children create a safe, secure and caring environment. This helps children to settle quickly and be confident to explore and interact with others. A higher than typical proportion of children starts school with low levels of personal, social and emotional development and communication, language and literacy. There is a relatively high proportion with speech and language difficulties. Good quality teaching and access to a large and well-organised learning area both indoor and out, moves children forward at a good rate. A good combination of activities selected by the children and those led by adults enables children to become

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Early Years Foundation Stage

increasingly confident. Children develop greater confidence to speak with others and rapidly expand on their knowledge and understanding of the world. They develop a good understanding for their age of what constitutes healthy eating. The good provision is rooted in the way that staff know each child well and tailor activities to match their needs. For example, a theme on 'Night and Day' was skilfully exploited to create darkened play areas and attracted children who were excited to use their imaginations to play 'in the dark'. Good initiatives enable children to build up their understanding of the sounds that letters make and to recognise numbers and their sequences up to five. Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 9 of 14

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Assessment is manageable and effective in guiding teaching and in evaluating the effectiveness of provision. Good initiatives are in place to keep parents and carers informed and to encourage their involvement in their children's education. These include activity boxes, story sacks and good quality children's profiles which plot each child's progress. The school is in the process of establishing a clear annual action plan that reflects self-evaluations of the impact of the provision to identify areas for improvement. The effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage gives children a good start to school but despite the good progress occurring, attainment at the end of Reception is still below average.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Around a quarter of parents and carers returned the questionnaires. The large majority are very supportive of the school. They feel that their children enjoy school and are making good progress. They state that they are kept informed about their child's progress and given information about what is going on in the school. The quality of teaching and the impact of leadership and management on their children's education are rated highly. A very small minority expressed some concerns about the behaviour of some pupils. The inspection findings endorse the positive views expressed. Regarding behaviour, during the inspection behaviour was observed to be good and pupils stated that they feel safe. Recent developments have improved the quality of the way behaviour is managed across the school and incidents of undesirable behaviour have fallen as a result. Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 10 of 14

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 88 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 362 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 51 58 36 41 1 1 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 49 56 36 41 3 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 42 48 40 45 5 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 41 47 43 49 4 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 50 57 35 40 3 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 49 56 35 40 4 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 35 40 46 52 3 3 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 38 43 42 48 4 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 38 43 45 51 4 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 30 34 40 45 11 13 3 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 31 35 47 53 9 10 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 40 45 42 48 4 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 48 55 35 40 4 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%. Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 11 of 14

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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.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures in clude those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements. Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 12 of 14

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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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. Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 13 of 14

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Bootle L20 3JL

Thank you for your friendly welcome when my colleagues and I visited your school recently. You are being given a good education. You learn well and you make good progress to reach average attainment in English, mathematics and science. Teaching is good overall and those of you who find learning difficult, are given good support. Your behaviour is good and you treat others with care and respect. You told us that you feel safe in school. Our discussions with you show that you have a good understanding of how to live safe and healthy lives. You willingly help out and the school and eco council gives you the chance to influence decisions about your school life. Whilst you seem to enjoy lessons, an above average proportion of you do not always attend regularly. This reduces the progress of these pupils. Your teachers are caring and dedicated to doing the best for you all. Even though you have not got a permanent headteacher, staff are managing the school well and the school

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Bootle L20 3JL

is moving forward. We feel that your school can improve further and we have asked it to improve some things. These are:  to give you more opportunities to be independent in lessons and to continue to support families to improve attendance.  to make sure all teaching is consistently good  to improve the way that staff and governors keep an eye on the school and seek ways of improving it further. You can help the school by continuing to work hard and helping each other. We wish you all the best for your future.

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Bootle L20 3JL

David Byrne Lead inspector Inspection report: Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School, 9–10 November 2010 14 of 14

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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