Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School

Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 5–11 Inspection date(s) 26–27 March 2012 Inspection number 378275 Unique Reference Number 111314 Local authority Halton Inspection number 378275 Inspection dates 26–27 March 2012 Lead inspector Nigel Cromey-Hawke

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare provision, managed by the governing body, was inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 106 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair J Hayes Headteacher E Harrison Date of previous school inspection 13 December 2006 School address Church Street Runcorn WA7 1LD Telephone number 01928 572091 Fax number 01928 560425 Email address sec.runcornallsaints@halton.gov.uk

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Registered childcare provision Runcorn All Saints EYG Number of children on roll in the registered childcare provision Date of last inspection of registered childcare provision November 2007 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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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspector observed teaching and learning in 11 lessons, including joint observations with the headteacher, observing six teachers and seven classes. The inspector also held meetings with members of the governing body, staff, parents and carers and groups of pupils. The inspector observed the school’s work, and looked at a wide range of documentation, including development planning, pupils’ work, safeguarding arrangements, self-evaluation records, policies and performance data. The inspector took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. The inspector scrutinised paper questionnaires from 33 parents and carers, 103 from pupils and 16 from staff.

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Information about the school

This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes. The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage, although the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is average, although, only a very few are at the early stages of learning to speak English. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well-above average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is well-above average. The proportion of pupils who leave or join the school partway through a Key Stage is well-above average. The school meets the current government floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress

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Information about the school

The school has Healthy School status, Enquiry School status and the Artsmark Silver award. The school operates its own breakfast club. The governing body of the school also manages the on-site independent Nursery, whose provision is included within this inspection. There is an on-site children’s centre which is subject to a separate inspection, the report for which can be found on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the school

Since the last inspection the school has undergone a complete change in staffing. In the last three years significant changes have occurred at senior leadership level, and in the last year over half of the teaching staff has changed. 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. It has stabilised its staffing after a period of significant change. Most pupils, parents and carers are very positive about the school and the way it looks after its pupils. It is not good because achievement and teaching are not consistently good and there is scope to improve aspects of leadership and management.

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Key Findings

 Achievement is satisfactory overall and is good within the Early Years Foundation Stage. Attainment on leaving the school in Year 6 is broadly average including in reading. Previous weaker teaching in Key Stage 2 has led to underachievement in some areas. This is being rapidly recovered and most pupils now make satisfactory progress. Effective support for disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those in the early stages of learning to speak English enables them to make good progress.

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Key Findings

 Teaching and learning are satisfactory. There is an increasing amount of good or better teaching as staffing becomes more settled and higher expectations begin to have an impact upon learning. Satisfactory lessons feature a lack of pace, underdeveloped speaking and listening skills among pupils, a poor match of activities to pupils’ needs (notably the more-able) and inconsistent use of assessment guidelines to support independent learning.

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Key Findings

 The behaviour and safety of pupils are good. They enjoy school and safe practices are effectively promoted. Attendance is satisfactory and has been rising rapidly over a sustained period of time.

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Key Findings

 Self-evaluation is broadly accurate and has informed key strategies for bringing about further change. Some aspects of these plans lack a sharpness of focus making implementation and evaluation of impact less secure. Consequently, the drive for improvement is not yet consistently effective across the school and the school’s capacity for sustained improvement is satisfactory. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and achievement by ensuring that the quality of learning and progress in all lessons is at least good by; - providing sufficient pace in lessons to challenge pupils and maintain their interest - developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills so that they learn more effectively from adults and each other in lessons - ensuring that there is a closer match of activities to pupils’ needs, especially the more-able - sharing the good practice seen in some lessons in helping pupils understand how to improve their work across all classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: - ensuring development plans include actions focused on raising attainment so that it is clear exactly what needs to be improved and the impact of actions upon outcomes can be more effectively evaluated. 

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Achievement of pupils

The achievement of pupils is satisfactory. Attainment upon leaving the school varies year- on-year due to the often very small sizes of year groups. It is broadly average overall. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with basic skills that are lower than those typical for their age. They make good progress there because of the good teaching in an environment that caters well for their needs. Progress throughout the rest of the school varies and is satisfactory overall. Previous underachievement caused by weaker teaching and a lack of continuity as pupils moved from class to class is being eradicated steadily as staffing has stabilised. Staff expectations have been raised and new ways of working introduced to support pupils’ learning. The programme to support reading throughout the school is having a significant impact. Reading attainment for current Year 2 and by the time pupils leave school now matches national levels. Although expectations are higher, as yet,

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Achievement of pupils

this is not consistent and more-able pupils do not always make enough progress in English and mathematics.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents and carers are highly supportive of the changes being brought about within the school. They consider that it meets the needs of their children well and that they make good progress. The inspection judged achievement to be satisfactory. In lessons learning is satisfactory and some pupils are now making accelerated progress and lost ground is being rapidly recovered. As a result, most pupils acquire knowledge, develop understanding and learn and practise skills in a satisfactory way. Lessons observed during the inspection demonstrated that the vast majority of pupils are keen to succeed and apply themselves well when provided with appropriate activities and guidance. This is especially the case within English and mathematics, where additional support programmes help boost pupils’ learning and computer programmes are regularly used to reinforce pupils’ understanding. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress, as do pupils

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Achievement of pupils

who are at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language, because of the extra support they receive, often from specialist teaching assistants. Pupils who join the school partway through a key stage quickly have their needs and interests assessed and make progress in line with others in the school.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching and learning across the school are satisfactory. Much teaching is now good, notably within upper Key Stages 1 and 2, with a small amount that is outstanding. Characteristics of the better teaching are good planning that uses assessment data well to ensure that a range of activities is provided to meet the often wide range of needs within the mixed-age classes. These lessons support pupils’ confidence and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well as they enthuse and motivate pupils to learn. Detailed and closely focused marking is used successfully within these lessons, as well as the effective use of assessment guidelines, to show pupils what levels they are working at and what they need to do to improve further. In one such lesson, pupils acted as ‘teachers’ to assess each other’s work as well as examples provided by the classroom teacher. In this fast-moving and challenging lesson, using real-life situations, high quality

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Quality of teaching

learning about the properties of shapes and the use of coordinates took place that was greatly enjoyed by all.

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Quality of teaching

This level of rigour and challenge is not yet consistent across the school. As a result, pupils’ engagement sometimes slips and their confidence and progress are weaker. In some cases, for example, speaking and listening skills are not yet fully embedded. Consequently, pupils are not getting the benefit of listening to the contributions of other pupils or adults within the class. Levels of pace and challenge are also not always sufficiently high to fully engage all pupils, and their interest flags as a result. Satisfactory lessons are not using the curriculum effectively to build on pupils’ prior learning and expectations are not high enough. Activities are not always as closely matched to pupils’ needs as they should be, particularly for the more-able. This means that such pupils’ potential is not always maximised by the teaching they receive. The match of teaching to the needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is good due to the prompt identification of

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Quality of teaching

their learning difficulties. The teaching of reading is satisfactory and improving, with good practice evident in respect of those pupils in the early stages of English acquisition.

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Quality of teaching

Parents and carers consider that teaching is largely good. This is more positive than the inspection but parents and carers recognise that changes in staffing in the past have resulted in variable expectations and practices within some classes that are only now being overcome.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Typically, behaviour both within classes and around the school continues to be good. All pupils meet at the start of the day for a collective ‘Rise and Shine’ activity session, attended by parents and carers, which together with the breakfast club helps pupils to get a healthy and prompt start to their day in school. The levels of care and support the school provides for pupils with behavioural needs are considerable. As a result, disruption to lessons is unusual and very well managed. The school can point to marked improvements in behaviour over time for pupils with particular needs. Pupils regularly monitor each other’s behaviour and help each other out when someone has a difficulty, for example as trained playground buddies and road safety officers. Behaviour thus makes a very positive contribution to their learning and well-being.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils say they feel very safe in school and the school goes to great lengths to promote pupils’ understanding and tolerance of others. Public services as well as the local parish are involved successfully in teaching pupils about keeping themselves safe. There are strong links with the on-site children’s centre which result in a good programme of family learning. As a result, the school is a warm, harmonious community where bullying of all types, including cyber-bullying and racial discrimination is very rare. When it is encountered it is dealt with sensitively and very effectively. Parents and carers agree with inspectors and have very few concerns about this aspect of the school and consider it keeps their children very safe. One even commented that she had not moved away from the area as she had planned because of the quality of care and support provided by the school for her children. Attendance is satisfactory overall. There has been a sustained and convincing improvement

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

over time from low to currently above average levels, with persistent absenteeism also below that of similar schools.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher and recently appointed deputy headteacher have a clear vision for the school and are driving improvement forward with determination and skill. Links with the Nursery and children’s centre are good. Staffing has been completely changed, new roles and responsibilities have been allocated and areas of past underachievement identified and targeted. There is clear evidence of higher expectations of learning. Many new ways of working are not yet fully established, however, and practice varies. Teaching is monitored regularly but actions to improve weaker aspects are not yet fully effective. However, some aspects of staff training such as in reading are successfully raising attainment. The school knows its strengths and weaknesses well. Management of both teaching and the school’s performance is satisfactory. However, systems are not yet fully embedded and the school’s development

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Leadership and management

plan does not spell out precisely what needs to be done to raise achievement, and shortcomings in teaching remain. The school has the capacity to bring about sustained improvement, as demonstrated by an improving picture in terms of outcomes.

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Leadership and management

The governing body has a good understanding of the school and has supported it strongly through its recent period of staffing instability. Its members make visits to classes, provide support for reading and play a full part in development planning. Leaders and members of the governing body promote equality and deal with discrimination satisfactorily. This is a happy community that welcomes newcomers. While some difference remains in pupils’ progress, the school is starting to close the gaps between the performance of groups. Governors ensure safeguarding practices are met with good practice being demonstrated in vetting and checking procedures and staff training.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is satisfactory. It has recently been reviewed and is increasingly utilising a programme of skills related to thematic units that better target pupils’ learning needs within the mixed-age classes. It has yet to be fully embedded and currently promotes satisfactory achievement. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. The strong Christian ethos of the school contributes to pupils’ good spiritual development. Social and moral development effectively leads to good behaviour. The promotion of other cultures and ways of life of other countries is being extended through the revised curriculum. However, pupils’ understanding of the diversity of the wider world is less well developed.

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Leadership and management

Most parents and carers are highly supportive of the work of the school but some also recognise that the school has yet to consistently operate some of its new ways of working and expectations about learning across all classes.

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childcare provision

Adults ensure that children and their parents receive a warm welcome into both the Nursery and Reception classes. Children settle happily in the safe and stimulating environment. There is a strong focus upon developing language skills and the establishment of clear routines and expectations that help children’s learning and personal development. Children’s learning is well recorded and this information used to inform the next stage in their learning. Parents and carers are kept well informed about their children’s progress and interests. Children make good progress across all areas of learning because of the good teaching in an environment that caters successfully for their needs. The vast majority of children are working securely within the early learning goals by the time they leave the Early Years Foundation Stage setting.

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childcare provision

Behaviour is good. Children who have disabilities and those with special educational needs also make good progress because of the additional support they receive. The school has utilised its cramped site imaginatively and created a vibrant ‘outdoor’ learning area within an enclosed courtyard that children enjoy using. This is supplemented by the careful use of the grassed play area shared with older pupils. This ensures a good flow of activities from inside to outside for the children. Leadership and management are good. A real strength of the provision is the communication between the Nursery and Reception staff, with joint planning and shared experiences for staff in each setting. This results in a good balance of teacher- led activities and those children choose for themselves. Staff training is up-to-date and welfare requirements are fully met.

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childcare provision

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage of the registered childcare provision, inspected under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare A ct 2006

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childcare provision

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage for the registered provision

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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 Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School, Runcorn, WA7 1LD

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave me when I inspected your school recently. You were very friendly and enthusiastic about what you do.

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Inspection of Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School, Runcorn, WA7 1LD

Runcorn All Saints is a satisfactory school. You make good progress throughout the Nursery and Reception classes because of the good teaching, leadership and management and provision there. Your progress throughout the rest of the school is satisfactory. This is because of some weaker teaching in the recent past. This situation is improving rapidly with changes in staffing, higher expectations and new ways of working being introduced. The progress of those of you who find learning difficult is good, due to the extra support you receive. The large majority of you reach broadly average levels of attainment by the time you leave the school in Year 6. The school looks after you well and you say you feel safe. Behaviour is good and attendance, although average over time, has been improving rapidly since the previous inspection. The leadership and management of the school are currently satisfactory, but, again, improving rapidly. To improve the school further, I have

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Inspection of Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School, Runcorn, WA7 1LD

 make sure that you make at least good progress in all your lessons  improve aspects of the school’s overall plans that decide the steps the school is to take to get even better.

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Inspection of Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School, Runcorn, WA7 1LD

You can help by telling you teachers how best you learn and if you have any problems. I wish you the best for the future.

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Inspection of Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School, Runcorn, WA7 1LD

Nigel Cromey-Hawke 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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