Ellenbrook Community Primary School

Ellenbrook Community Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 05–06 July 2012 Inspection number 395701 Unique Reference Number 130396 Local authority Salford Inspection number 395701 Inspection dates 5–6 July 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.

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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 240 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Catherine Provoost Headteacher Wendy Parkins Date of previous school inspection 12 March 2008 School address Longwall Avenue Ellenbrook Worsley Manchester M28 7PS Telephone number 0161 799 6347 Fax number 0161 799 2320 Email address ellenbrook.primaryschool@salford.gov.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 thi nk 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

Nigel Cromey-Hawke Terry Bond Additional inspector Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 17 lessons, taught by eight teachers. They also held meetings with members of the governing body, staff, parents and carers and groups of pupils. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at a wide range of documentation, including development planning, pupils’ work, safeguarding arrangements, self-evaluation records, relevant policies and performance data. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online (Parent View) survey in planning the inspection. They also scrutinised questionnaires from 132 parents and carers, 125 pupils and 20 staff.

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Information about the school

This is an average-sized primary school. The vast majority of pupils are White British with an increasing number of Indian and Chinese pupils. There are very few pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average. The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The headteacher and deputy headteacher both took up post permanently earlier this year, after a period of temporary leadership. There have also been significant other staffing changes recently. The school has several awards, including Healthy Schools status, an Eco- School of Excellence award and the Artsmark silver award. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 This is a good school. Its main strengths are pupils’ outstanding behaviour and safety and outstanding transition arrangements from the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year 1. Ellenbrook is not yet outstanding because achievement and the quality of teaching are good rather than outstanding, and some aspects of leadership and management are underdeveloped.

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Key Findings

 Achievement is good over time. From age-related expectations at the beginning of nursery, pupils leave the school in Year 6 with above average attainment. All groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good progress from their starting points, and in some cases outstanding progress.

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Key Findings

 Teaching is good, with examples of outstanding practice. Effective use of assessment and feedback through good marking in English and mathematics lessons ensures that the learning needs of all groups of pupils are met well, especially for the more able. This rigour is not evident within some topic lessons. This means that these lessons are less well planned and pupils’ understanding of the standards of their work and how to improve it is not as good as it should be. Highly-skilled teaching assistants add to the good teaching.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They are eager to learn and show high levels of respect for adults and each other. The school is an extremely warm, positive learning environment in which pupils feel very safe and well cared for. Parents and carers are very positive about this and all other aspects of their children’s learning. Attendance is well above average and improving rapidly.

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Key Findings

 The determined drive by the headteacher and the whole school team mean that pupils achieve well. The school’s performance has been rigorously evaluated and last year’s dip in attainment, resulting from changes in staffing, has been recovered. Differences in the achievement between boys and girls last year have been minimised, notably in mathematics. The leadership of teaching by senior leaders is effective. However, the monitoring and quality assurance role of subject leaders is underdeveloped.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching by extending the good practice in the use of assessment and marking seen in English and mathematics lessons to all other subjects in order to:  inform planning of lessons in the wider range of subjects  strengthen the feedback to pupils on their learning across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the monitoring and quality assurance role of some subject leaders so that they all have:  a greater involvement in the direct observation and management of teaching  a clearer picture of the quality of provision in their areas of responsibility in order to steer curriculum development. 

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils clearly enjoy their learning and respond well to teaching that is almost always at least good and sometimes outstanding. For example, in an outstanding English lesson excellent relationships between the pupils and the teacher made possible high-level discussion and confident public speaking, skills that will serve pupils well in the next stage of their learning. Parents and carers rightly agree that their children achieve well during their time in school.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Nursery with skills that are broadly typical for their age. Throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage they make good, and sometimes outstanding progress, especially in their personal development. This is because of the good teaching, stimulating environment and high levels of care they receive. Transition into the Year 1 class is excellent, ensuring that children’s learning is built upon effectively and literacy skills, in particular, are increasingly strengthened. Attainment in reading at Year 2 is above average and rises to well above average by the time pupils reach Year 6. Listening to pupils read showed that they enjoy their books. The school’s firm focus on developing knowledge of letters and sounds, from the moment children arrive in school, shows in their ability to pronounce difficult words, and to explain them. Attainment overall by the time pupils leave the school in

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Achievement of pupils

Year 6 is above average. In 2010 it was well above average but dropped to average last year. This was a result of significant staffing changes which had an impact upon the continuity and quality of teaching and the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs in that class. This has been recovered, and current attainment by Year 6 is back up to well above average levels. Last year, boys’ attainment was lower than girls’; the gap has now been closed. The low number of higher levels gained last year in mathematics has also been very successfully recovered. As a result, pupils are making better progress over time than pupils nationally, given their starting points. This includes disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals also make good progress, and Indian and Chinese pupils often make outstanding progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is good with some that is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, no matter what their starting points may be. The atmosphere in classes is one of focused learning and very positive relationships between pupils and adults. In an outstanding Year 6 mathematics lesson, for example, pupils were challenged to solve number problems from Years 7 and 8 programmes of work and then acted as ‘teachers’ to the class to explain how they had resolved them. Constant questioning of their methods by the teacher resulted in high-level understanding, as well as much humour.

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Quality of teaching

Teamwork between teachers and support staff is a particular strength of the school. It features especially within the Early Years Foundation Stage setting and in Key Stage 1 classes. In a Year 2 class, typically, adults provided excellent support for both lower and higher ability groups, as the teacher focused upon the remainder of the class, ensuring that the learning needs of all groups were successfully met. Pupils are clear about their learning targets within literacy and numeracy. Good marking and feedback in these areas ensure that pupils know how well they are doing and can work independently of adult support when necessary to improve their own work.

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Quality of teaching

Parents and carers are almost totally in agreement that the quality of teaching is good. They comment specifically upon how the curriculum provides additional support for pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs, and how it supports their wider learning and personal development. As such, teaching caters well for pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs and for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school also makes very good use of technology to support pupils’ learning and pupils demonstrate high levels of skill in this respect. In an outstanding Year 1 literacy lesson, for example, a group utilised an interactive white board totally without adult help to make a drama presentation, including examples of their own writing on the screen. The school has effective systems for identifying and tracking pupils’ progress in English and mathematics, and this information underpins much of the good planning and

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Quality of teaching

teaching within these subjects. This rigour is not evident in other subjects, however, with the result that in some cases lessons are not as well-planned. Moreover, pupils do not have as clear an understanding as they should of their attainment in these subjects or of what they need to do to improve their work.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, as they respond well to high expectations. Virtually all parents and carers, staff and pupils are highly positive about behaviour and safety over time within the school. There is a warm, helpful and highly-inclusive ethos within the school and a large number of parents and carers included written comments in their questionnaire returns that praised this aspect of the school highly. Pupils are very polite, cooperative and support each other well. Throughout the school, pupils are eager to learn and take an active part in lessons, listening well and showing high levels of respect towards adults and each other. Pupils are highly adept at managing their own behaviour in the classroom and in social situations, helped by clear structures for rewards and consequences. As a result, lessons proceed without interruption. Pupils of all ages are certain that bullying of any kind is extremely rare,

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

as is any form of misbehaviour. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of different kinds of bullying, for example cyber-bullying, through comprehensive coverage within the personal, social and health education curriculum. They actively prevent bullying by their care and consideration for each other, as demonstrated during the inspection by their politeness towards each other and willing engagement in lessons to help each other out.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school places a very high priority upon developing pupils’ understanding of how to keep safe and the need to help each other when necessary. Older pupils regularly support younger ones in their learning. The social and emotional aspects of learning programme, is also highly successful in developing pupils’ awareness of unsafe situations relating to roads, railways, substance misuse and stranger danger. Pupils are very proud of their school and are highly involved in helping its day-to-day operation. They organise music for assemblies, help manage the lunchtimes, act as monitors in many forms, and are very involved through the active school and eco- councils, reflecting the school’s award in this area. Pupils’ views about the school are taken into account frequently, and they are highly involved in shaping their personal learning targets through discussions with their teachers. Attendance is consistently

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

well above average, persistent absence is almost unknown, punctuality is very good and there have never been any exclusions.

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Leadership and management

The recently-appointed headteacher and deputy headteacher, as well as the governing body, lead and manage the school well. The school’s recent performance has been robustly challenged by senior leaders and professional development undertaken with very positive results. Staffing has been consolidated, previous good achievement has been recovered and improved upon after last year’s dip, and attendance has further improved from already high levels. Recent developments in transition arrangements from the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year 1 are outstanding. Together, these demonstrate the school’s capacity for sustained improvement. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school and good plans in place to drive it forward. The senior leadership team, as well as governors, are extensively involved in monitoring the work of the school, including observing teaching. As a result, they know the school’s strengths and weaknesses well, as was

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Leadership and management

demonstrated by the very close match between the school’s self-evaluation and the inspectors’ judgements. The monitoring role of some subject leaders is currently underdeveloped, however, with little direct observation by some of them of the quality of teaching in their subjects. Consequently, their understanding of the quality of provision within their areas is not as good as it should be.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is broad and balanced and makes extensive use of themed topic approaches to make learning interesting and relevant. The provision made for art and design, music and sport is particularly strong and is greatly enjoyed by pupils. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of clubs after school, outdoor pursuits, residential and other visits, and visitors. Pupils benefit from a caring and supportive environment in which everyone is highly valued. All these experiences contribute strongly to pupils’ very good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare them well for the next stage in their learning.

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Leadership and management

Safeguarding requirements are met and child protection policies and practices are regularly reviewed and very efficiently organised. The school promotes equality of opportunity effectively and tackles discrimination well by narrowing gaps in learning and ensuring that the school is a harmonious and happy community.

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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 up 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

Attendance 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

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

Floor standards 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 Ellenbrook Community Primary School, Manchester M28 7PS

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave me and my colleague when we inspected your school recently. Ellenbrook is a good school. You benefit from good and sometimes outstanding teaching that helps you make good progress in your learning. By the time you leave the school in Year 6 the attainment of most of you is above average. Those of you who are disabled or have special educational needs also make good progress, helped by the specialist support you receive. The school looks after you very well, you say you feel very safe and you obviously enjoy your learning. Your behaviour is excellent and your attendance is above average. Well done! Senior staff, and especially the headteacher and governors, lead the school well and are increasingly bringing about improvements.

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Inspection of Ellenbrook Community Primary School, Manchester M28 7PS

To make your school better, we have asked the school to:

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Inspection of Ellenbrook Community Primary School, Manchester M28 7PS

 extend the good practice in marking and the use of assessment seen in both English and mathematics lessons to all your subjects, so that you have a clearer idea of how well you are making progress in these areas  make sure that all subject leaders observe the quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility so that they all have a good understanding of how well you are learning.

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Inspection of Ellenbrook Community Primary School, Manchester M28 7PS

You can all help by telling your teachers how best you learn, and if you have any problems. I hope you continue to enjoy your learning and do well.

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Inspection of Ellenbrook Community Primary School, Manchester M28 7PS

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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