Chapel Street Community Primary School

Chapel Street Primary School Chapel Street, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3GH

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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. It has the following strengths

 Achievement in English and mathematics is good. Pupils do particularly well in English from their starting points.  All groups of pupils achieve well because of the school’s inclusive nature and support programmes.  Teaching is good and improving and is leading to improving pupil progress.  Pupils are safe, have good attitudes to learning and behave well in lessons and around the school.  Senior leaders are well aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and have had a strong impact on improving teaching and pupils’ achievement since the last inspection.  All staff are committed to improving pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Pupils’ achievement in mathematics, although good, is not as strong as that in English.  Teaching in mathematics, although good overall, is inconsistent across classes.  Whilst the school has clear plans for improvement they are not yet linked closely enough to outcomes for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 30 lessons, including a joint observation with the headteacher. They also listened to pupils reading.  Meetings and discussions were held with three groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, the school improvement partner, a representative of the local authority and school staff including senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ books, results of assessments and data showing pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documents, reports by the school improvement partner, and safeguarding and child protection procedures.  Inspectors took account of 23 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in coming to judgements. They also considered responses to the questionnaire completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Robert Birtwell, Lead inspector Additional inspector Peter Marsh Additional inspector Chris Maloney Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Chapel Street is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average.  A large majority of pupils are from minority ethnic groups. Around 50% of pupils are of Pakistani heritage.  The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is broadly average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  More pupils than average join or leave the school at other than the usual times.  There is an after-school club which is not managed by the school’s governing body.  The school meets the government floor standard which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to further improve achievement in mathematics, the school must:  ensure the teaching of mathematics across the school is consistently good and that pupils know precisely what they need to do to improve  strengthen the accuracy and use of assessment information so that activities more closely meet the needs of all pupils  provide pupils with more opportunities to practise their numeracy skills across the curriculum.  Sharpen the use of monitoring and self-evaluation information so that improvement plans are more clearly linked to improving pupil outcomes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills which are low in relation to the expectations for their age. They make good progress and are well prepared to enter Year 1.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is improving and is now close to the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Attainment at Key Stage 2 is also rising and in 2011 was just below the national average in English and mathematics. The proportion of pupils making expected and better than expected progress was above the national average in both subjects, with pupils making more rapid progress in English than mathematics.  Provisional national test results for 2012 show that pupils’ progress in English was well above that expected. Progress in mathematics, although above that expected, was not quite as strong.  School tracking data show a continuing picture of improvement and good achievement from pupils’ individual starting points, although there are some inconsistencies in progress in

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The achievement of pupils is good

mathematics across year groups.  While there are many occasions when pupils apply their literacy skills in different subjects, there are fewer opportunities for them to develop numeracy skills across the curriculum.  The school’s inclusive nature and support programmes mean all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, those of Pakistani heritage and those eligible for the pupil premium achieve equally well.  Pupils made good progress in virtually all lessons seen, and outstanding progress in some. In one mathematics lesson, for example, pupils were actively involved in a variety of challenging activities which encouraged them to think and apply different techniques to solve a range of problems. They made excellent progress in developing a systematic approach to problem solving and clearly enjoyed the lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The vast majority of lessons observed during the inspection were good, and examples of outstanding teaching were seen. The large majority of parents and carers agree that their child is well taught, and inspection evidence supports this view.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations of pupils. They manage behaviour effectively and relationships between pupils and the adults who work with them are good. As a result, pupils respond well to their work. They try hard, concentrate well and say they enjoy most lessons.  The best lessons have a brisk pace, a good level of challenge and activities that are carefully planned to meet the needs of all pupils. For example, in an English lesson pupils watched a video-clip of a surfer as a stimulus to improving their sentence openings. Skilful questioning extended their learning and a variety of activities gave pupils opportunities to discuss and

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The quality of teaching is good

share ideas before completing different writing tasks. As a result, all pupils made excellent progress.  The teaching of reading and writing is very effective. It is well planned and closely matched to pupils’ needs so that they read and write confidently and make good progress.  The teaching of mathematics is good overall and improving rapidly, leading to improvements in pupils’ progress. However, it does not always make good enough use of assessment to ensure that activities are well adapted to pupils’ different needs.  Improved assessment strategies mean that pupils generally have a good understanding of how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. However, scrutiny of pupils’ work in mathematics shows some inconsistencies in the quality of marking and feedback, and that not all pupils are sure about their next steps for improvement.  Teaching assistants are used effectively to support learning in most lessons. This ensures that

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The quality of teaching is good

all pupils, including those who are disabled and have special educational needs can make progress. However, in some lessons some teaching assistants can occasionally remain passive.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are polite, courteous and get on well with each other and adults in the school. They enjoy school and are keen to learn. They behave well, and occasionally outstandingly well, in lessons and around the school.  School records show that there have been no exclusions recorded over recent years.  Attendance and punctuality have improved well since the last inspection.  Incentives and rewards are used consistently and effectively across the school to celebrate good behaviour. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong, and what is expected of them.  Pupils say they feel safe in the school and parents and carers agree. Pupils have a good awareness of issues related to safety. They learn about road safety and how to keep themselves safe on the internet. They value visits from the police and say that there are regular fire drills.  Pupils have a good awareness of different types of bullying, including bullying as a result of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

prejudice. They say that racism is not an issue and that bullying is very rare in school. They are confident that when it occurs the school deals with it quickly and effectively.  A small number of parents who expressed a view in the online questionnaire did not consider behaviour to be good, but inspection evidence confirms that behaviour is typically good both in lessons and around school, and that the school deals effectively with any unacceptable behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders and managers, including governors, are ambitious and have high expectations for the school.  Staff at all levels know what the school is trying to achieve. They are highly supportive of each other and are proud of the school. They feel valued and well supported, and work conscientiously to improve outcomes for pupils.  Performance management by the school’s leaders has tackled areas of weaker performance and has made a strong contribution to identifying development and training needs. As a result, teaching has improved as has pupils’ progress, particularly in English. Staff are now more skilled and able to apply strategies and initiatives more consistently and effectively. For example, the assertive mentoring programme is playing a major role in accelerating pupils’ progress.  Self-evaluation, in collaboration with the school improvement partner, is thorough and accurate and clearly identifies the school’s strengths and areas for development. As a result, the school’s

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The leadership and management are good

actions are carefully targeted, effective and are improving performance.  The school’s tracking and monitoring systems have been improved and are used effectively to identify priorities and inform planning. However, they are not yet used consistently by all staff to ensure that action plans have precisely measurable improvement outcomes for pupils.  The school has, quite rightly, had a strong focus on developing skills in reading and writing, and these are improving significantly from pupils’ starting points. Leaders are now applying the same strategies to improving performance in mathematics, although these have not yet had time to have a full impact.  The curriculum provides effective learning opportunities for all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. A range of enrichment activities provides pupils with opportunities to take part in music and drama. This has a good impact on pupils’ spiritual,

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The leadership and management are good

moral, social and cultural development. For example, recently all Year 4 pupils were involved in a production of Hamlet which was performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre and all Year 5 pupils were involved in a musical project which culminated in a performance at Manchester Town Hall.  The school is an inclusive community which is racially harmonious. There is an effective focus on promoting equality and tackling discrimination. As a result, disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those who receive the pupil premium achieve as well as, and sometimes better than, their peers.  The school works well with parents and regularly seeks their views. School surveys show that parents are very supportive of the school.  The local authority has provided light-touch but effective support which has helped the school to make improvements since the last inspection.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body is better informed than in the past and has a greater understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.  It is increasingly involved in school self-evaluation and holding school leadership to account.  Safeguarding and child protection policies and practice meet government requirements and are regularly reviewed.

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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 105404 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 400778

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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 453 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rachel Skelton Headteacher Jonathan Power Date of previous school inspection 15 March 2010 Telephone number 0161 224 1269 Fax number 0161 248 4092 Email address admin@chapelstreet.manchester.sch.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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