Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School

Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 24–25 April 2012 Inspection number 377272 Unique Reference Number 105652 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 377272 Inspection dates 24–25 April 2012 Lead inspector Sharona Semlali

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 229 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jason Wylie Headteacher Angela McCormick Date of previous school inspection 20 May 2009 School address Blackshaw Lane Royton Oldham OL2 6NT Telephone number 0161 770 6711 Fax number - Email address info@blackshaw-lane.oldham.sch.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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

Sharona Semlali Eithne Proffitt Additional Inspector Additional Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Thirteen lessons or part lessons were observed and 10 teachers were seen. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, governors and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on- line Parent View survey in planning the inspection. They looked at pupils’ work, safeguarding and child protection documentation, school improvement plan, governing body minutes of meetings, behaviour files and the school’s tracking data information. Questionnaires from 91 parents and carers, as well as those from pupils and staff were analysed and scrutinised.

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Information about the school

The school is an average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well-below average. The school meets the current floor standards set by the government, which determines the minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The school has gained its Eco School Bronze Award. Since the last inspection there have been a number of changes to the teaching staff.

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Information about the school

There is an on-site breakfast and after-school club that is not managed by the governing body and will be inspected separately. 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 is not yet good because not all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. Generally pupils make satisfactory progress from the time they start school until they leave. School is a place where pupils feel special. One parent commented, ‘Staff have been wonderful with my daughter. They have gone out of their way to make sure she is happy and settled’. 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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Key Findings

 Achievement is satisfactory. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with the skills expected for their age and at the end of Key Stage 2 attainment is broadly average.

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Key Findings

 Teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage in all areas of learning. The quality of teaching varies slightly in the later key stages although overall teaching is satisfactory. Changes to the teaching staff and movement of teachers between classes mean some teachers are quite new to their year groups.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ attendance has improved over the last three years and is above average, demonstrating pupils enjoy attending school. Generally, in lessons pupils work cooperatively with each other. Pupils know how to keep safe are aware of the different forms of bullying and know the importance of preventing it.

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Key Findings

 School leaders and managers have successfully brought about sustained improvements. These have resulted in a slow improvement in attainment because teachers are now held to greater account for pupils’ progress. Performance targets for teachers are satisfactorily linked to the school priorities. The leadership and monitoring of teaching are insufficiently rigorous. The school improvement plan is accurate although it insufficiently analyses and measures improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement by: - accelerating the rate of progress of all pupils in all lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure all pupils have consistent access to good or better teaching by: - ensuring that all activities used to support learning are meaningful and personalised to match the pupils’ needs - reducing the number of worksheets used so that pupils can have more opportunities to extend their writing - informing pupils of the next steps needed to improve their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: - developing systems to ensure the wealth of information gathered enables leaders to monitor, analyse and evaluate the school’s strengths and weaknesses effectively - producing plans that are specific and measurable to improve pupil achievement - consistently and rigorously monitor the quality of teaching and learning.

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Achievement of pupils

The school successfully promotes pupils’ love for reading. This was observed in a Year 3 class where most pupils concentrated well and enjoyed reading their books by themselves over a sustained period of time. In another class pupils worked collaboratively to extend their speaking and listening skills.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge that are typical for their age. They make good progress in all areas of learning, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development and with their problem solving, reasoning and numeracy skills. At the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage they are well prepared to progress into Year 1.

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Achievement of pupils

Generally pupils make satisfactory progress through school although rates of progress vary slightly within different classes and year groups. This slows pupils’ progress and some pupils do not achieve well. Attainment in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 is above average and is broadly average at the end of Key Stage 2.

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Achievement of pupils

A large majority of parents and carers say the school does a good job in helping their children to achieve. Inspectors found some pupils could attain more given their starting points.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because of targeted and personalised support in class. Systems for monitoring their progress are rigorous and robust ensuring they make good progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is consistently good in the Early Years Foundation Stage because careful planning allows children to follow their own interests and the adults are skilled in knowing when to intervene.

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Quality of teaching

In the best lessons pupils are actively involved in their learning. Teachers’ skilful questioning and good subject knowledge challenges pupils in their thinking. This was observed in a Year 6 lesson where pupils were effectively learning how poets use language for ‘effect’. More-able pupils were focusing on one of Ted Hughes’ poems analysing how he brings together opposite ideas to create ‘effect’ for the reader. Teachers plan meaningful and relevant investigations as observed in a Year 3 lesson where a group of pupils enjoyed working out staff ages once given their year of birth.

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Quality of teaching

Where teaching was less strong some of the activities do not fully engage pupils and are insufficiently matched to their individual needs. In some of the pupils’ books there is an over reliance on worksheets restricting opportunities for pupils to extend their writing. Some pupils are not always informed of the next steps needed to make progress.

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Quality of teaching

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are fully included in lessons. Teachers carefully tailor and personalise their planning and resources for their specific needs. In most classes effective systems are in place to enable pupils to request additional adult support when, for example, they have not fully understood the learning objective.

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Quality of teaching

When pupils read to inspectors and were faced with unfamiliar words they were able to use effective strategies to break the sounds that formed the word down. When asked how they did this, one of the pupils said, ‘I use my sound talk to work them out.’ Pupils enjoy reading and read fluently with great expression. Older pupils also read well. They thoroughly enjoy reading and read different types of books such as poetry, non-fiction and mystery books on their kindle at home. One of the pupils felt that reading supports their writing, ‘because you can get inspiration from what you’ve read’. Parents and carers say teaching is good; inspection evidence demonstrates it is satisfactory overall.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The majority of pupils feel behaviour is good in lessons and over time, although a minority disagree. The large majority of parents felt lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour although a few wrote comments expressing concerns about a few individuals disrupting learning. Inspection evidence found low-level disruption occurs occasionally in a small number of lessons when a few pupils come off-task, but generally they respond to the teachers’ instructions.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

A large majority of pupils and parents and carers say school deals well with all types of bullying, however, a small minority of pupils and parents disagree. A few parents commented on how bullying is dealt with. Inspection evidence gathered through discussions with pupils, staff and scrutiny of documentation found that inappropriate behaviour is dealt with appropriately, although school systems do not always inform pupils of how the issues have been followed up or resolved.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school has successfully implemented a system that encourages pupils to attend school regularly. Pupils and parents strive to gain the highest colour code when they reach attendance of 95% or above.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

A very large majority of pupils felt safe. A typical comment made by parents and carers was, ‘I am pleased with the school. I feel my child is safe and well cared for.’ Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and have a good awareness about preventing cyber bullying. Older pupils help to keep others safe as ‘playground pals’ at lunchtimes supporting and playing with younger children. Pupils help to look after the school environment by ensuring it is litter free.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and members of the senior team are clearly focused on improving pupil performance and have a clear vision for the school. Performance management and professional development are satisfactorily linked to the school’s priorities and these have resulted in some improvements to the quality of teaching. Since the last inspection there has been a slight improvement in attainment, particularly at the end of Key Stage 1. There has been an increase in demand for the places in the Early Years Foundation Stage. New members have recently joined the governing body. They are starting to satisfactorily challenge senior staff more effectively and holding them to account. The improving outcomes demonstrate school leaders have satisfactory capacity to continue to move the school forward.

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Leadership and management

A school improvement tool used by school leaders helps to improve pupils’ attendance, aspirations and attainment. It provides them with a wealth of information about pupils’ achievement as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The school is in the early stages of analysing the information it has to plan appropriate and measurable actions to improve pupil achievement. School leaders do not consistently monitor teaching or measure its impact on learning except through pupil progress meetings and formal lesson observations.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is broad and balanced and generally meets pupils’ needs. Pupils learn to speak Spanish and participate in two hours of choral singing each week. The school works alongside other local schools in the ‘Greater Manchester Challenge’ focusing on developing girls’ writing. This has raised their achievement. The curriculum positively promotes their spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. This was demonstrated through opportunities provided for pupils having moments to reflect.

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Leadership and management

Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements. Appropriate records of employment checks carried out before teachers join the school are maintained by the school. The vast majority of parents and carers indicate school provides a safe learning environment.

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Leadership and management

The school promotes equality of opportunity for all pupils and tackles discrimination appropriately enabling them to achieve satisfactorily. In order to encourage and raise boys’ achievement in reading, each class now reads at least three whole novels a year that captures their interest and stimulates deep discussions.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Attendance: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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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

Floor standards: 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

the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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 Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School, Oldham, OL2 6NT

Thank you for making us feel very welcome when we inspected your school. We were interested in listening to your views about how you felt about your school. We listened to some of you read, looked at some of your work and observed you in lessons. We met with some of your teachers and looked at your responses on the questionnaires.

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Inspection of Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School, Oldham, OL2 6NT

Yours is a satisfactory school because you make satisfactory progress by the time you leave. Younger children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress. It was good to see some of you giving up your time to become ‘playground pals’ to help some of the younger children feel safer and enjoy lunchtimes more. It was pleasing to see that some of you try to look after your school environment by doing ‘litter picking’ and recycling paper. We found that your attendance is continually improving showing that you enjoy coming to school. We could see that when you were really enjoying your lessons you worked well together.

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Inspection of Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School, Oldham, OL2 6NT

In order to improve your school we have asked you teachers to do three main things.

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Inspection of Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School, Oldham, OL2 6NT

 To help you to make better progress in all of your subjects.  To make sure that the teaching is at least good.  To make sure that school leaders more carefully monitor your progress.

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Inspection of Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School, Oldham, OL2 6NT

You can help by concentrating fully on your work.

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Inspection of Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School, Oldham, OL2 6NT

Sharona Semlali 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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