Middlewich Primary School

Middlewich Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 20–21 September 2011 Inspection number 381394 Unique Reference Number 131727 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 381394 Inspection dates 20–21 September 2011 Reporting inspector Michael Hewlett

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 360 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jackie Thorp Headteacher Sandie La Porta Date of previous school inspection 10 February 2009 School address Park Road Middlewich CW10 9BS Telephone number 01606 738880 Fax number 01606 737979 Email address admin@middlewichpri.cheshire.sch.uk 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 rates council children's services, and inspects services for looked after

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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

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The inspectors visited 18 lessons and observed 10 teachers. Inspectors held meetings with members of the governing body, staff, parents and carers, and talked with pupils. They observed the school's work and looked at the school's self-evaluation, improvement plans, policies, assessment and tracking systems, safeguarding procedures and pupils’ work. Inspectors examined 122 questionnaires from parents and carers, as well as those from staff and pupils. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 Whether recent initiatives to raise standards have been effective in raising attainment.  The quality of teaching to establish whether it is good enough to meet the needs of all pupils.  Whether the school is justified in stating that the school has strengths in the pupils’ contribution to the school and community and in its partnership work.

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Information about the school

This school is larger than the average primary school. Most pupils are White British. A below-average percentage of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages including those learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. An average percentage of pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities, with twice the average having a statement of special educational needs. The school offers specialist provision for pupils with hearing impairment. These pupils are on the school’s roll and spend most of their time in mainstream classes.

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Information about the school

The school has achieved permanent Eco School Status and had its Inclusion Quality Mark renewed in 2010. The school provides before- and after-school care in an independently run provision which is inspected separately.

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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 a good school where pupils achieve well academically and grow in self- confidence. This is because, as one pupil commented, ‘All the adults really care about us and how well we are doing. They just want the best for us.’ Good-quality, determined leadership from the headteacher has effectively tackled a legacy of underachievement and focused on the right priorities. As a result, attainment in English and mathematics continues to improve. Parents and carers comment positively on how happy their children are in school because of the good levels of care, guidance and support they receive.

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Main findings

Most children begin school with skills which are broadly typical for their age. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics is above average, which represents good progress and achievement from their starting points. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who are potentially vulnerable due to their circumstances, make similarly good rates of progress. Provision for pupils with hearing impairment is good and they achieve well. Although most pupils make good progress, there is scope for more pupils to reach the higher levels for their age in both English and mathematics.

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Main findings

Strong features of the school are its excellent partnership work and pupils’ contributions to the school and the wider community. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning, their behaviour is good and they have a good understanding of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. They say they feel very safe and that any concerns they may have will be taken seriously. Pupils have an influential voice in the school and have excellent opportunities to share their views. For example, their newsletter, ‘Middlewich Kid’s Monthly’, is ‘planned, written and produced by us on our own’, explained one pupil. Teaching is good and underpins pupils’ good enjoyment of learning. It supports the good curriculum. However, in some satisfactory lessons the pace of learning is too slow and opportunities are sometimes missed to provide sufficient challenge for more-able pupils. This helps to explain why fewer pupils are doing really well. Attendance levels are above average and

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Main findings

Strong leadership by the headteacher, well supported by other leaders and an effective governing body, has been key to the improvement in pupils' achievement. School self-evaluation is accurate and identifies where improvements need to be made. For example, it has identified that while children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve well and make good progress, opportunities to explore and investigate when learning outside are sometimes constrained by the layout of the buildings. The school has rigorously tackled past underperformance and can show how changes are having a positive impact. This demonstrates the school’s good capacity for sustained improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in English and mathematics further by: - ensuring that the pace of pupils’ learning remains brisk - increasing the challenge provided for more-able pupils in order to accelerate their progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enhance the provision and improve children’s progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage by: - providing a wider range of opportunities for children to explore and investigate when learning outdoors.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils say they enjoy lessons because teachers make them fun. Enjoyment and good progress in lessons were frequently seen during the inspection. ‘Teachers make our learning exciting and keep us interested’, was a comment that summed up pupils’ views. Behaviour was good in all lessons observed and this contributed to the good progress that pupils made. Concentration levels are good and pupils have positive attitudes to their learning.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Since the last inspection, the school has introduced a wide range of strategies to raise attainment and improve progress which are proving to be successful. Approaches being taken to improve pupils' writing and mathematics were having a positive impact on their progress in lessons. Most pupils make good progress, but in a few classes, the progress of more-able pupils is slower because they are not given enough challenge.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils show considerable interest in their learning and the world around them. They show that they value others and respect and understand those who hold beliefs different from their own. As rightly judged by the school, pupils make an excellent contribution to the school’s success through the important roles they play in school and outside. There are many examples of hearing pupils giving signing support to their hearing- impaired classmates. Pupils played a key role in designing recent building improvements, they take on numerous responsibilities around the school and have a strong voice in decision making. Pupils effectively adopt a healthy lifestyle. From an early age, pupils know how to eat healthily and they appreciate the many opportunities they have to take part in fitness activities. Pupils' good basic skills, their good progress and their good personal development ensure that they are well

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

prepared for the next stage in their education. These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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2

Pupils' attainment 1 2 The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2 The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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How effective is the provision?

Pupils' progress is good because teaching is good and teachers focus on the right priorities. A positive feature of all lessons is the very good relationships staff have with their pupils, which ensure pupils are motivated and engaged. Any unacceptable behaviour is dealt with quickly and successfully. Activities are generally well pitched to meet the needs of all pupils. However, work set is not always challenging enough to extend learning for the more able pupils. This results in some pupils finding the tasks too easy, which limits the progress they can make. For example, more-able pupils in a lower Key Stage 2 class enjoyed finding the solutions to a science challenge but found the ‘follow up’ activity undemanding. The best lessons are conducted at a brisk pace, explanations are clear and teachers' subject knowledge is good. The marking of pupils' work is consistently good and explains to pupils precisely how they can improve their work. The work of teaching assistants is of

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How effective is the provision?

good quality. Assistants are deployed effectively and have a positive impact on pupils' progress. This is particularly evident with pupils with hearing impairment. They are valued members of their classes and play an influential role in creating this inclusive community.

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How effective is the provision?

The school's curriculum is good. It provides a wealth of well-organised opportunities to promote pupils' personal development and well-being and is well adapted to meet the needs of different group of pupils. The ‘Happy Hands Signing Choir’ is an excellent example of this, with its members ‘signing’ to pop music. It is open to all pupils within Key Stage 2 as well as staff, and performs both in school and within the wider community. Good cross-curricular links are made between subjects and information and communication technology (ICT) is regularly used within the classroom as pupils research their topics. Visitors and visits to a wide range of localities play an excellent part in enriching the imaginative curriculum for pupils. In developing a cross-curricular approach the school is increasingly successful in threading English, mathematics and ICT into other subjects.

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How effective is the provision?

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low Transition arrangements, at all stages, are organised sensitively so pupils feel confident about moving forward with their learning. The vast majority of parents and carers say that the school is very caring and supervises pupils well to ensure their safety. Inspection findings confirm that care, guidance and support are good. Staff know pupils as individuals and provide impressive support that is tailored to their specific needs. The school’s commitment to encouraging good attendance is successful, resulting in good levels being maintained and pupils arriving punctually.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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2

The use of assessment to support learning 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher's drive for improvement is supported by all staff. She has worked with enthusiasm and determination to ensure pupils' progress is accelerating and their attainment is rising. Good monitoring systems are ironing out inconsistencies in teaching and learning. Other leaders share the headteacher's vision for making the school even better. This is an inclusive school that works effectively to promote equal opportunity and to tackle discrimination by, for example, rigorously evaluating and monitoring the performance of all pupils. This is apparent in the effective support for different groups of pupils, such as the additional interventions for those pupils with hearing impairment. Nonetheless, the school is aware of the need to challenge the more able pupils and is taking the right measures to remedy the situation. Partnership working is excellent. The headteacher takes a leading role in developing

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How effective are leadership and management?

links with other schools, agencies and support services. As a result, intervention and support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is of high quality and improves their learning. The governing body brings a wide range of expertise; it supports and challenges with enthusiasm and commitment. It ensures child protection and safeguarding procedures meet requirements. The curriculum, through its topics and themes, provides valuable opportunities to remind pupils of their role in keeping themselves safe.The school has developed strong links within the local community and internationally through work with schools in Kenya. It also provides good opportunities for pupils to explore the diverse cultures that characterise contemporary Britain. The school has good relationships with parents and carers, who appreciate the care the school provides for their children. It gives good value for

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How effective are leadership and management?

money. These are the grades for the leadership and management

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2

The leadership and management of teaching and learning 2

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children settle quickly because of the good care, the effective partnership with parents and carers and sensitive induction processes. Children are well-behaved and mix well, working and playing together sensibly as they learn to share. For example, while a group of children was picking up small objects with tweezers, they made sure all their friends were given a turn. They also improved their manipulative and language skills as they described the shape, colour and size of each object. Adults talk constantly to children to encourage their language development. They intervene when appropriate to help children to learn new words, to extend their vocabulary and to increase their knowledge. Children are well taught and good use is made of assessment in helping identify what they need to learn next. Teachers' good planning ensures that there is a good balance between indoor and outdoor learning and adult-

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Early Years Foundation Stage

led and child-initiated activities, which promotes good learning. The current layout of the outdoor area means that, on occasions, there is insufficient room for all children to explore and investigate throughout the day. Nevertheless, most children make good progress towards the early learning goals and reach the levels expected for their age by the start of Year 1. Collaborative working with other agencies at this early stage ensures that children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported well, enabling them to make good progress. Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and has introduced a varied curriculum that has imaginative play and children's interests at its heart. Children's welfare and progress are carefully monitored and all aspects of safeguarding are in place.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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2

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of leadership and management in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

The vast majority of those who responded are highly satisfied with the school. This feedback reflects the information gathered by the school from its own surveys. Typically, parents and carers comment very positively about the quality of care and the leadership of the school. Many positive comments were also received about how supportive the school is and how much their children enjoyed school. Within the small number of negative comments received there was no underlying pattern. In their questionnaire responses, a few parents and carers signalled concerns over how the school manages unacceptable behaviour and how it helps them to support their children’s learning. During the inspection, inspectors scrutinised the school’s procedures with regard to these two areas. Discussions were also held with pupils. Inspectors’ conclusions are contained in the body of this report.

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questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Middlewich 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. The inspection team received 122 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 360 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 76 62 43 35 2 2 1 1 The school keeps my child safe 71 58 48 39 1 1 0 0 The school informs me about my child's progress 57 47 50 41 9 7 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 54 44 50 41 9 7 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 60 49 57 47 1 1 0 0 The school helps me to support my child's learning 59 48 50 41 10 8 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 59 48 56 46 2 2 0 0 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) 59 48 43 35 6 5 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 59 48 50 41 7 6 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 39 32 61 50 9 7 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 47 39 55 45 9 7 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 55 45 52 43 5 4 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 68 56 45 37 6 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%.

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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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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9 Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5 All schools 10 44 39 6

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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.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above is for the period 1 September 2010 to 08 April 2011 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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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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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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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.

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Inspection of Middlewich Primary School, Middlewich, CW10 9BS

 Thank you for the welcome you gave to me and the other inspectors when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed our visit. You were eager to talk to us and tell us how much you like your school. This helped us to find out about the school and how well it is doing.

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Inspection of Middlewich Primary School, Middlewich, CW10 9BS

Your school is providing you with a good education. You told us you feel very safe when you are in school. We saw that you enjoy learning and were very impressed by the excellent contribution that you make to your school and to your local community; for example, by the way in which you took responsibility for looking after younger children and your thoughtful contributions to the Middlewich Remembrance Day service. Both your school and your local community are very proud of you. You behave well and know a great deal about staying healthy. You try your best in all the things that you do. This is helping you to make good progress in your learning. All the adults take good care of you. They all want the best for you.

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Inspection of Middlewich Primary School, Middlewich, CW10 9BS

Teachers work hard to find things that interest you and help you to learn. We have asked the school to improve two things. Firstly, we want to see you all getting even better results in English and mathematics. We are asking your teachers to make some improvements in lessons to make sure some of the tasks you are given are even harder. Secondly, we want younger children to have more opportunities to learn and investigate outdoors.

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Inspection of Middlewich Primary School, Middlewich, CW10 9BS

You can all help by continuing to try hard with all your work.

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Inspection of Middlewich Primary School, Middlewich, CW10 9BS

Best wishes in the future!  Yours sincerely

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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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