Heaton Park Primary School

Heaton Park Primary School Cuckoo Lane, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 6TE

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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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This is a good school because:

 Achievement has improved significantly since the last inspection. It is now good and all groups of pupils make good progress.  Pupils do well in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is good. Lessons are lively and follow an interesting curriculum. Lessons meet the needs of individuals and give them the confidence to learn.  Good support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, those known to be eligible for pupil premium and pupils with English as an additional language ensures their good achievement.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are well prepared for their future education.  Staff effectively assess the needs of each pupil. When a pupil could do better, good levels of guidance are offered to help them.  Behaviour is good and pupils are polite and caring. Pupils feel safe and bullying is rare and managed very well.  The senior leaders and governors share a high ambition for the school. Good

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This is a good school because:

management of teachers constantly develops their skills. This has a positive impact on achievement and pupils’ learning.  The school has a good capacity to continue to improve in future.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Pupils do not deepen their understanding of basic mathematical skills through problem solving and investigations.  A few older pupils in Key Stage 2 do not do as well as they should in aspects of grammar, spelling and handwriting.  Occasionally teaching assistants do not engage enough with pupils to promote the best possible learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in every class, held discussions with pupils and staff, met the chair of governors and the school effectiveness partner employed by the local authority. In addition, the inspection team evaluated the quality of pupils’ work available in their books and folders.  Inspectors took account of 17 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection and in forming judgements.  The inspection team looked at a range of school documentation. These included the documents related to safeguarding, the improvement plan, the school’s self-evaluation, records related to behaviour and attendance and to pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Inspection team

David Byrne, Lead inspector Additional inspector John Ashley Additional inspector Paul Lathom Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average and includes an above average proportion of children who are looked after.  A higher than average percentage of pupils are supported by school action. This is also the case for the percentage of pupils receiving support for school action plus or with a statement of special educational need.  Just under a third of pupils are from a minority ethnic group which is higher than average. The percentage of pupils for whom English is an additional language is above average.  There is a higher than average rate of pupils joining and leaving the school at times other than the start of Early Years Foundation Stage and the departure at the end of Year 6.  The school meets the government’s floor standard, which is the minimum expected for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve further the achievement in Key Stage 2 in English by: - devising stronger interventions to boost their knowledge and understanding of sounds and letters so that they have better skills of spelling and for some, reading - implementing strong procedures for establishing a consistent approach with regard to their style of handwriting - adapting the curriculum to give pupils who are unsure of aspects of grammar and punctuation more effective guidance and support.  Raise further the achievement of pupils in mathematics across the school by: - establishing a clear policy for enabling pupils to progressively deepen their understanding of numeracy and calculation by applying it to a wide range of contexts - monitoring the impact on attainment of the increased opportunities for problem-solving and investigational activities on pupils’ attainment.  Develop the effectiveness of all teaching assistants and increase their involvement in school life

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

by devising strategies for including all such staff in regular performance management.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From starting points in the Early Years Foundation Stage that are below those typical for their age, attainment rises at a good rate across the school. This good progress results in virtually all pupils reaching the expected standards by the end of Year 6 and an above average proportion exceeding them. Attainment in English and mathematics has risen and is above average. Robust data held by the school, rigorously monitored by the local authority, indicates that the improvement is being sustained across the school.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, effective teaching and management of the children’s needs, ensures that the needs of each individual are met. By the end of Reception, the proportion of children reaching the standards expected for their age increases at good rate.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress in developing their understanding of sounds and letters (phonics). Pupils have the confidence to tackle new

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The achievement of pupils is good

words using their knowledge. By the end of Key Stage 1, standards are average and pupils read with enjoyment and write with conviction. During a Year 2 lesson, many pupils were keen to write about their teddy and showed great confidence and competence for their age.  In Key Stage 2, attainment in literacy is above average by the end of Year 6. However, a few pupils in upper Key Stage 2, often new arrivals, have not fully benefited from the good start made in Key Stage 1. Where this is the case, the pupils are less secure in aspects of spelling, use of grammar and punctuation. The quality of handwriting in upper Key Stage 2 lacks consistency.  Pupils achieve well in mathematics. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children quickly grasp the basic idea of number and calculation. In Key Stage 1, good progress continues. By the end of Year 2, most pupils have a secure understanding of the value of digits in numbers and the

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The achievement of pupils is good

basic principles of adding and subtracting.  In Key Stage 2, pupils extend their good knowledge and deepen their understanding of numbers and calculations. By the end of Year 6, an above average proportion of pupils exceeds expectations.  Despite the good achievement in mathematics, pupils are not yet experienced enough in transferring their good basic knowledge to different contexts, for example by solving problems in science and in exploring the outdoors.  Due to good quality teaching and support, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, those eligible for pupil premium and pupils with English as an additional language do very well. Their attainment moves forward at a faster rate than expected nationally. Pupils of Asian background also make strong progress exceeding that made nationally.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Throughout the school, good relationships exist between teachers and pupils. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs benefit from good teaching and are fully included in lessons.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to the inclusion of pupils requiring additional support. There are times however, when support staff could intervene more effectively during lessons to improve the rate of learning of some individuals and groups.  Good levels of training and professional development have equipped staff to teach communication skills effectively. A good emphasis on promoting speaking and listening has a positive impact on learning, especially for those pupils learning English as an additional language. The improved vocabulary that results from this approach supports some excellent developments in the promotion of reading.  Teachers skilfully use children’s books and stories to link to writing. They encourage pupils to

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The quality of teaching is good

write frequently in contexts that are real to them. Recently, for example, pupils have created their own leaflets based on a visit to a local park. They are now available in the visitors’ shop.  For a few older pupils in Key Stage 2, the teaching of basic skills linked to developing their awareness of letters and sounds is not fully effective. This holds back their achievement.  Mathematics is taught well. During an excellent lesson, pupils showed great enthusiasm to discuss different ways of solving a calculation problem. Even those struggling with the task felt confident to talk about their difficulties with others.  Teachers are not fully exploiting benefit of enabling pupils to apply their mathematical skills to a wide variety of contexts. At times, explanations in lessons are too long and holds back learning because the pace slows.  Assessment is efficient and reliable. Work is closely matched to individual needs. Teachers

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The quality of teaching is good

regularly check on the progress of pupils during lessons. Good guidance is provided. Where necessary, teachers reshape the lesson to accommodate unforeseen developments. This is a strong feature of the good teaching observed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good and at times outstanding. Staff and pupils understand the systems adopted to promote good behaviour. This consistency underpins trusting relationships evident throughout the school and means that lessons are very rarely disrupted.  Both the pupils, and the majority of parents who expressed a view, say that the school deals with any undesirable behaviour very well. Pupils report that bullying is very rare and say that everyone is respected regardless of background or gender.  Pupils benefit from an environment that encourages safety and promotes personal well being. They benefit within the curriculum from learning about road safety including safe cycling. Pupils are aware of the risks presented by using the Internet and are very alert about the potential dangers of venturing into social network sites. The school has effective procedures to highlight the risks of abusing the health of the body through for example, eating a poor diet,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

using inappropriate drugs, and abusing alcohol.  The school’s leaders have worked very effectively to reduce absence in recent years. As a result, attendance has risen sharply. It is now average and continuing to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The head teacher and senior leaders have successfully raised achievement since the last inspection. The quality of leadership at all levels has increased and ensured improvement in the use of assessment and tracking data to sharpen school targets.  Senior leaders monitor the school accurately. Effective leadership is in place for the Early Years Foundation Stage, for the provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and for English and mathematics.  Professional development has a high profile. Teachers willingly work with other schools to improve their expertise. These good partnerships contribute to the improved achievement. Teaching assistants are a vital part of the staff team, but they are not part of the performance management cycle. This holds back their full impact on pupils’ learning.  The local authority provides effective support for the school. Excellent analysis by of the

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The leadership and management are good

school’s assessment data by local authority staff bolsters the quality of the school self- evaluation. This has sharpened the quality of school improvement planning and raised achievement.  The curriculum provides pupils with an exciting range of activities to inspire and motivate them. Good levels of spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development are secured.  An increased use of educational visits broadens experiences for pupils, some of whom rarely venture beyond their immediate locality. A departure from the standard curriculum through events such as the Heaton Park ‘University’ enables pupils to explore a variety of non-academic subjects and widen their learning. Each Friday afternoon, pupils burst with enthusiasm to get to their cookery class, or learn about gardening.  All safeguarding procedures are secure and meet requirements. Everyone is responsible for securing the safety of pupils. Staff recognise and respond to any risks and events.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: - the impact of the governing body on attainment and provision is good and has improved considerably since the last inspection - under the very strong leadership of the chair of governors, the governing body holds the school to account and sets high expectations for the school’s performance - good value for money is secured from the budget for all pupils including those known to be eligible for pupil premium, and for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.

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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 105306 Local authority Bury Inspection number 400744

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 370 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Kevin Morris Headteacher Mr Paul Lord Date of previous school inspection 16 March 2010 Telephone number 0161 773 9554 Fax number 0161 798 8327 Email address p.j.lord@bury.gov.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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