St Paul's CofE Primary School

St Paul's CofE Primary School Crompton Street, Walkden, Worsley, M28 3HP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The overall progress pupils make as they move through the school is good. Achievement is good and attainment when pupils leave Year 6 is well above average in reading and mathematics and above average in writing.  Good teaching ensures pupils enjoy school. Lessons are interesting and practical activities, especially in mathematics, sustain pupils’ enthusiam to learn new skills. Reading is taught most successfully and pupils read confidently and gain pleasure from books.  Pupils are a delight to be with and eagerly share their experiences. Behaviour is good and pupils are polite and courteous. Pupils feel safe and look after each other.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively and enhances the school’s happy and caring atmosphere.  Effective leadership by managers and governors has had a notable impact on teaching and achievement. Many aspects of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the school have improved since the previous inspection. Indications are clear that this school is moving forward at a good pace and improvements are set to continue.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are inconsistencies in teaching quality and not enough is outstanding.  Aspects of writing could be better, especially pupils’ presentation of their work.  The monitoring roles of the newly appointed leaders is not yet fully established and occasionally the use of information from assessment and the planning of future actions is not always precise enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. They visited 19 lessons.  Discussions were held with pupils, teachers, the headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority and the School’s Improvement Partner.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and examined their work.  They scrutinised a range of documents including, safeguarding, assessment records, the school improvement plan and self-evaluation.  The views of 15 parents were analysed through the on- line questionnaire (Parent View). Other parents’ views were sought at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Jennifer Platt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Heather Simpson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  Very few pupils are from minority ethnic groups and virtually everyone speaks English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ achievement and progress.  There have been several staff changes since the previous inspection including new appointments to the leadership team.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in writing to the higher level seen in mathematics and reading by:  fully embedding the school’s handwriting policy and ensuring all work is presented neatly  improving pupils’ punctuation skills and ability to write imaginatively in Key Stage 1 .

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the consistency of teaching so that more becomes good and better by:  checking that all lessons are sufficiently challenging and go at a brisk pace  ensuring marking always makes it clear how to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the monitoring roles of the newly established leaders to ensure:  future action plans include sufficient detail to enable success in raising achievement to be measured  assessment information is always used effectively in discussions with staff to check closely on individual pupil’s progress and plan future actions.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children settle happily in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They make good progress from a range of skills when they start school that are broadly typical for their age. Changes in provision over the last two years have greatly improved attainment which is currently higher than expected when children enter Year 1.  Pupils make good progress from Year 1 to Year 6. Rapid progress at the end of Key Stage 2 leads to attainment that is well above average overall although writing is not quite as high. Successful booster groups in mathematics and focussed guided reading activities have increased dramatically the numbers reaching the above average standard of Level 5.  Although attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is usually above average it varies with a dip in 2011. Currently, Year 2 pupils are on target to reach above average attainment. Writing is closer to average. Some pupils are less secure with the use of punctuation and there is a lack

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The achievement of pupils is good

of imaginative writing. Handwriting is not always neat across the school.  Reading is enjoyed throughout the school. Attainment is consistently high. Younger pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds successfully to tackle new words. Older pupils have favourite authors and derive pleasure from reading.  The school’s assessment information shows that attainment is rising across the school. Occasionally, some of the data on pupils’ progress is not always used promptly enough to identify a possible lack of progress. Nevertheless, the needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those supported by the pupil premium are identified well and they make good progress.  Pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills contribute significantly to their progress in other subjects.  Pupils in Years 5 and 6 take part in a very practical life-skills programme. Topics cover business, enterprise, cookery and budget management. These experiences raise pupils’

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The achievement of pupils is good

aspirations and prepare them very well for the future.  Most parents who responded to the Parent View are happy with the progress their children make.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The variety of activities included in lessons supports the pupils’ comment that ‘teachers make lessons fun’. The use of imaginative resources and texts have a positive impact on learning as they capture pupils’ interest and sustain enthusiasm.  In an excellent lesson in Year 6 a video clip of Wallace and Gromit was exploited to the maximum. Pupils benefited from highly effective questions and a great clarity about what was expected of them. As a result, pupils made outstanding progress in developing their skill of writing as a character in a story.  Teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage are experts at providing that extra spark to enthral this age group. The children loved using actions to tell the story of, ‘The Three Little Pigs’. Torrential rain did not prevent them donning their coats and wellies and going outside to build houses for the pigs.  Expectations are usually high and in the best lessons the pace of teaching is brisk. Teachers

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The quality of teaching is good

tell pupils how long they have to complete a task and this sharpens their level of effort and concentration. In lessons that require improvement the pace is not always fast enough with a few examples of work lacking enough challenge.  In most lessons teachers show good subject knowledge. In numeracy and literacy, their use of the correct terminology and a detailed understanding of how to extend pupils’ skills contributes successfully to mostly good progress.  Support for pupils is generally effective because teachers match work accurately to individual needs. Support staff often work well with disabled pupils and those with special educational needs both in class and in small groups. The content of these sessions matches what their peers are being taught so they feel a part of the lesson.  Classrooms are vibrant with many useful prompts that teachers refer to in lessons to enable pupils to become more independent, especially in their writing. Expectations of presentation

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The quality of teaching is good

are not always high enough with a weaker element in handwriting not being fully tackled.  Marking is not consistent throughout the school. Some excellent examples inform pupils what to do to improve but others are more cursory. A few comments are too positive when a review of previous work suggests pupils could produce better work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons and around school even when poor weather prevents them taking a break outdoors. Only occasionally when teaching fails to capture fully their interest is there an undercurrent of restlessness.  The youngest children, including those very new to the Nursery class, quickly learn what is expected of them. They already take turns and have established friendships. It was a delight to see them sharing books and chatting about the pictures.  Attitudes to learning are positive and exceptionally high when teaching is of the highest quality. In Year 1, every child was engaged with their learning as they learned to write descriptive words about the teddy bears they had brought from home. Progress was excellent, as was the imaginative vocabulary in their final descriptions.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and are aware of safety procedures in school. They recognise that using the internet has dangers and know how to avoid these.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most pupils relate very well to others and understand fully how their actions can upset them. However, both pupils and parents identified a concern about bullying. Incidents described are mainly name calling that is usually resolved promptly by the school.  Despite a few concerns pupils clearly enjoy school and it is not surprising that attendance is consistently above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, new assistant headteacher and the new leadership team have become a formidable force for improvement. Over the last year changes have been secured with benefits already showing in improved teaching and achievement. This is a much better school than at the time of the last inspection and continues to improve.  Self-evaluation is accurate and the school knows the next steps to improve. As a result, individual and school objectives are aligned with a major focus on achievement and teaching and learning. Action plans to achieve these objectives are in place although actions are not always sharp enough to enable success to be measured.  Currently, the headteacher conducts all of the monitoring of teaching and has an accurate view of teaching which is in line with inspection evidence. Other members of the leadership team are less involved in monitoring and some inconsistencies remain in teaching quality. Teachers

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The leadership and management are good

and leaders discuss pupils’ progress and tackle underachievement, although in some cases there is a lack of precision in the use of assessment data.  The school fosters good relations and promotes successfully equality of opportunity for all. This is evident in the swift response to school data that revealed more-able pupils did not make enough progress in mathematics. Success is evident in the current Year 6 where over a half of pupils are on target to reach above expectations.  Extra-curricular activities, trips and visits enhance the taught curriculum. Memorable experiences, such as rearing chicks, ensure pupils enjoy school and learn effectively. All required subjects are taught with a good balance between academic, physical and cultural activities.  The effective promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to a strong understanding of other faiths, countries and moral perspectives.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority gives light touch support to this good school. Staff take advantage of some courses but often provides their own training. This effective use of the school’s own expertise ensures training and performance management link closely to the school’s priorities.  A few parents felt communication could improve for working parents but overall they are very pleased with the education provided. Responses on Parent View showed the great majority of those who responded would recommend the school to others.  The governance of the school:  provides effective support especially in managing the school’s finances and ensures the school has a balanced budget after several difficult years  check that the pupil premium funding supports the identified pupils and challenge decisions to ensure that this is beneficial to their needs  is ‘hands-on’ with many governors helping in school with the life-skills activities and day-to-

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The leadership and management are good

day tasks  ensures safeguarding meets requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 105945 Local authority Salford Inspection number 400815

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 233 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Ken Hickman Headteacher Miss Deborah Sandercock Date of previous school inspection 24-25 September 2009 Telephone number 0161 790 7468 Fax number Not applicable Email address office@st.paulscrompton.org.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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