Carleton St Hilda's Church of England Primary School

Carleton St Hilda's CE Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 5–11 Inspection date(s) 14–15 March 2012 Inspection number 379837 Unique Reference Number 119557 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 379837 Inspection dates 14–15 March 2012 Lead inspector John Coleman HMI

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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 aided Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 198 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elaine Pacey-Patrick Headteacher Beverley Grime Date of previous school inspection 28 September 2006 School address Bispham Road Carleton Poulton-le-Fylde FY6 7PE Telephone number 01253 882225 Fax number 01253 895920 Email address bursar@sthildas-carleton.lancs.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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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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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 12 lessons taught by seven different teachers. Meetings were held with the chair of the governing body, senior staff, representatives of the local authority and groups of pupils. Inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at a range of school documentation, including data showing pupils’ attainment and progress, school policies, the minutes of the governing body meetings, reports from the School Improvement Partner, safeguarding records and pupils’ work. Inspectors could not take account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection because they were insufficient in number. Questionnaires were scrutinised from a sample of 100 pupils, 10 staff and from 128 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Carleton St Hilda’s CE Primary School is a smaller than average sized primary school. It is situated in a residential area and occupies an extensive site with large open grass spaces. On site there is an independently managed Nursery, and child care is available before and after school. This provision is subject to separate inspection by Ofsted. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. A lower than average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language or is of a minority ethnic heritage. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with a statement of special educational needs, is above average. The overwhelming majority of pupils experience some form of pre-school provision, such as in a Nursery. The school has achieved several nationally recognised awards, including Healthy

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Information about the school

School status and Active Sports Mark. The school meets the current floor standard.

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Information about the school

Since the last inspection, there have been very few staffing changes. A new deputy headteacher took up post in January 2012; she is a former teacher in the school. In the last two years there has been significant absence of staff, including of some senior leaders. 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

 In accordance with section 13(3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.

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Key Findings

 This is not a satisfactory school because leaders have failed to improve teaching and the rate of progress made by pupils, which were identified as points for improvement at the last inspection. The management of teachers’ performance and the leadership of teaching are not effective enough. Teaching is mostly inadequate or satisfactory and the proportion of good teaching is too low. As a result, the progress made by significant groups of pupils is inadequate. Given that most pupils join the school with skills and abilities that are above those expected for their age, too few reach above average standards.

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Key Findings

 Teachers’ expectations of pupils are too low, especially for the higher attaining pupils, for girls and in pupils’ writing. In part, this is because the targets set for pupils lack challenge. The pace of learning in lessons is often slow and pupils lose interest.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ behaviour and safety are satisfactory. Arrangements for safeguarding are suitable. Pupils feel safe and say they are well cared for, and parents and carers agree. A typical quote from the many written comments received is, ‘St Hilda’s is very focused on ensuring a happy safe environment for children to learn. I chose this school because I wanted my children to be happy and enjoy learning and I have not been disappointed. It would be difficult to find a more dedicated and focused headteacher.’

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Key Findings

 Provision and outcomes in the Early Years Foundation Stage are inadequate. Teaching does not engage children in activities that are well matched to learning needs. This is because teachers’ planning fails to set learning targets that are based upon a secure understanding of what children already know and can do. The pace of teaching is too slow and does not reflect the best techniques and methods needed for children of this age group.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly improve the impact of leaders’ actions on improving the quality of education provided, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, by:  reviewing the delegation of senior and middle leaders’ roles and responsibilities  increasing the rigour of leaders’ monitoring and evaluation procedures  ensuring the governing body provides sufficient challenge to school leaders  providing better and more accurate reporting from senior leaders and the local authority to the governing body  raising the bar for the setting of targets for pupils’ attainment to ensure that all groups of pupils are expected to make good progress  reviewing the school’s policy to secure more effective teaching and learning  providing staff training in leadership skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Eradicate all inadequate teaching and improve satisfactory teaching to good, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, by:  improving the quality of teachers’ planning to identify the skills and knowledge to be learned by pupils  improving the use of assessment information to ensure lesson plans take full account of pupils’ starting points  ensuring whole school consistency in implementing the school’s approach to teaching  providing staff training that is matched to the improvements needed in the quality of teaching  ensuring teaching is always brisk and that regular checks are made on pupils’ progress in lessons  improving the marking of pupils’ work so that feedback informs pupils about how to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ academic outcomes and achievement, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, by:  ensuring greater challenge in lessons especially for higher attaining pupils  improving the teaching and marking of writing  ensuring a greater consistency of good quality teaching throughout the school  increasing expectations of the progress made by girls.

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Achievement of pupils

Achievement is inadequate. In the lessons seen by inspectors, pupils did not make consistently satisfactory or better progress. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children made inadequate progress due to weak teaching. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils’ progress ranged from inadequate to good, again reflecting the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching.

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Achievement of pupils

Many pupils enter the Reception class with skills and knowledge which are above the levels expected for children of this age. These higher attaining pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. By the end of Year 2 the proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 3 is below average. By Year 6 this shows little improvement and the proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 is below average. This represents inadequate progress for this significant group of pupils even though the overall standards of attainment reached are above average by the end of Years 2 and 6. In reading, pupils reach attainment levels that are above average. Conversely, standards in writing are below average.

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Achievement of pupils

The progress made by girls in Key Stage 2 is less than that made by boys and is significantly below average. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to most pupils.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents’ and carers’ views are that pupils make good progress. This view is inaccurate but may be because the percentage of pupils attaining the expected Level 4 in English and mathematics, when combined, are above average. However, this figure does not reveal the serious shortfall in the rate of progress made by too many of the pupils.

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Quality of teaching

Inadequacies in teaching mean that pupils make insufficient progress. In particular, teaching does not help pupils to overcome weaknesses in writing and does not extend the higher attaining pupils. There is little good teaching and too much is either satisfactory or inadequate. In the Early Years Foundation Stage teaching is inadequate.

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Quality of teaching

Throughout the school, weak teaching is characterised by a lack of attention to pupils’ prior learning. Lesson plans do not sufficiently identify the skills and knowledge to be learned by pupils and are not linked enough to pupils’ starting points. As a result, in many lessons, teachers’ expectations of the progress that pupils can make are too low. Lessons are often slow-paced; pupils lose interest and say that the work is too easy. Teachers’ marking is inconsistent and in the main does not give sufficient guidance to pupils about how to improve their work.

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Quality of teaching

Good lessons occur when teachers are clear about what they expect pupils to learn, and in these lessons the work set is challenging enough for all pupils and work is done at a good pace. Checks on pupils’ progress and learning are frequent and more work is set once the pupils show secure understanding. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson the teacher gave a clear explanation before she commented to the pupils, `let’s crack on,’ as they learned about the degrees in a triangle. Pupils worked at a good pace and one pupil said, `I didn’t get it but I do now.’

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Quality of teaching

Almost all parents’ and carers’ views in the questionnaires are that teaching is good. Whilst inspectors judge differently, there are some notable features to pupils’ experience in lessons which may explain this. In most lessons seen, there are good relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils’ conduct is no barrier to their learning and in most cases they show suitable attitudes to learning. The deployment of the many teaching assistants results in mostly effective guidance for groups of pupils and this aids pupils’ personal development. The curriculum offers a broad range of visits and visitors to enrich pupils’ experiences. This makes an effective contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils enjoy coming to school as is shown by their above average attendance. They are punctual and welcoming to visitors. In and around the school, pupils’ behaviour is mostly courteous and cooperative. In lessons where teaching is good, pupils’ attitudes to learning are equally good. However, where teaching is weaker a few pupils do not pay sufficient attention. Parents and carers views are mainly positive but there is a small proportion who think that bad behaviour causes disruption to some lessons. Overall, pupils’ behaviour makes a satisfactory contribution to their learning, despite the significant underachievement of individuals and groups in some classes. Pupils feel safe and say that staff look after them well. Pupils play harmoniously together outside and, due to the vigilant supervision of staff, pupils’ needs are attended to promptly and suitably. Pupils say that there is a little bullying,

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

usually unkind name calling, but this is dealt with speedily by staff. Parents and carers made several written comments in support of the caring way staff support their children. The comment, `St Hilda’s is an extremely caring school’, typifies many,

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Leadership and management

Leaders in the school have an inaccurate and over generous view of the school’s performance, which is due to weak monitoring procedures and insufficiently rigorous evaluation. Until very recently, few formal records existed about the outcomes of the monitoring of teaching. Middle leaders are restricted in their ability to monitor the quality of teaching and the rate of pupils’ progress because the delegation of responsibilities does not make the most of their skills and expertise. For example, the Early Years Foundation Stage leader teaches in Key Stage 2 and has no opportunities to observe the practice in the Reception class. Similarly, leaders with responsibility for literacy and pupils’ assessments do not carry out their roles fully because the headteacher takes over this work. Targets which are set for pupils’ attainment are too low and do not place sufficient expectation on pupils’ progress and improvement. Consequently, there is too much complacency throughout the

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Leadership and management

school in relation to the quality of teaching and the academic standards reached by pupils, especially the most able.

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Leadership and management

Professional development opportunities are provided for some staff but these are mainly aimed at individual needs and there is little training targeted at whole school improvement. Reports to the governing body, from the headteacher and the local authority, do not analyse the areas of underperformance in the school sufficiently. As a result, the governing body is ill-informed and does not sufficiently challenge school leaders to ensure the school improves. Since the last inspection no significant improvement has been made to address the areas for improvement identified at that time. Higher attaining pupils continue to underachieve and the quality of teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 is still not good enough. As a result, the capacity of the school to improve is weak.

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Leadership and management

Parents and carers views are that the staff, and in particular the headteacher, care for the pupils’ well-being. The governing body ensures that arrangements for safeguarding meet all the requirements. Leaders have robust procedures to promote pupils’ welfare, health and safety. For example, fire risk is regularly assessed and staff are trained appropriately in first aid and child protection procedures. The school keeps a record of any racist incidents, which are few in number, and pupils say that there is no discrimination in any major way. However, there are inequalities in the rate of progress made by different groups of pupils. Overall, the curriculum is satisfactory and provides a suitably balanced range of experiences. Notably, many trips and visitors are used well to extend and enrich pupils’ learning and social development. Links with schools in India and South Africa promote pupils’ cultural

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Leadership and management

development very well. The school provides daily opportunities to reflect on moral and spiritual themes through well managed and delivered assemblies.

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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 o n 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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7PE

 Thank you for welcoming the inspection team into your school when we visited you recently. We would like to share with you what we found out about your school. We found that most of you behave well, attend school regularly and are courteous to each other and to visitors.

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7PE

We judged that the overall effectiveness of Carleton St Hilda's CE Primary School is inadequate. These are the main reasons for this judgement.

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7PE

 Overall, the teaching is not good enough and this does not help all pupils to reach the standards that they should.  Leaders in the school do not check regularly and closely enough on the progress you make in lessons.  In particular, you do not make enough progress in writing. Also, the more able of you do not all reach the highest levels and girls make less progress than boys.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage do not do as well as they should.  The headteacher and staff care for you and make sure you are kept safe. You said you feel safe. Inspectors agree with this.  Leaders have not improved the school enough since the last inspection.

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7PE

All schools need to develop and improve and, because it is not performing well enough, the school is being placed in ‘special measures’. This means that other inspectors will visit the school regularly to check on how quickly improvements are being made. They will check that improvements are made to the quality of teaching, the leadership and management of the school and will assess how much progress you are making. You can help by working hard and always paying good attention in lessons.

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7PE

Thank you once again for all your help. We wish you well in the future.

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7PE

John Coleman Her Majesty's 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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