Ormskirk Lathom Park Church of England Primary School

Ormskirk Lathom Park CE Primary School Hall Lane, Lathom, Ormskirk, L40 5UG

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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.  Pupils achieve well. This is an improvement on the findings of the previous inspection.  Teaching is good. All staff are effective in ensuring pupils of all levels of ability learn well in the two mixed-aged classes.  The school provides very good support for pupils with special educational needs and those with behavioural difficulties.  Staff make very effective use of new technology in lessons.  Pupils behave well and have excellent attitudes to learning in lessons. Older pupils look out for younger ones very well in this small school.  The school helps very well pupils who transfer into the school from other schools.  The headteacher provides good leadership for staff and the governing body makes a good contribution to the overall direction and planning for the school.  The school’s continuing improvement shows it has a good capacity to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough pupils make outstanding progress in English.  Pupils do not use their skills of reading and writing as well as they might in different subjects across the curriculum.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed four lessons, looked at pupils’ workbooks during lessons, spoke with pupils and listened to some reading in Years 2 and 6.  He held meetings with staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  He observed the school’s work and looked at documents relating to safeguarding, pupils’ progress and attainment, and the way in which the school evaluates its own performance and plans for improvement.  He took account of the four responses from Parent View, the on-line questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Frank Carruthers, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  All pupils are of White British heritage.  There are no pupils eligible for the pupil premium on roll currently.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The governing body manages a breakfast club.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to raise pupils’ achievement in English, by:  ensuring leaders review the curriculum to establish more opportunities for pupils to use their reading and writing skills and to write at length in subjects other than English  providing more opportunities for pupils to read widely from books in the library and from other sources in different subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The range of children’s skills when they start school varies widely from year to year. This is because the intake is small with sometimes only one child in the Reception Year. Children make good progress in the mixed-aged Reception/Key Stage 1 class. Younger children learn from the good work of older pupils and want to emulate their efforts.  Pupils achieve well in Years 1 and 2. Their skills of reading develop quickly thanks to regular opportunities to read and daily lessons about letters and sounds. The school’s focus on accelerating the progress that pupils make in Key Stage 1 has had a positive impact since the previous inspection.  Pupils enjoy having a go at writing and they soon learn to write simple words with a good deal of spelling accuracy. Progress in mathematics has also improved since the previous inspection. Although achievement is good overall, the proportion of pupils exceeding expectations for their

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress is more limited in English.  Pupils continue to achieve well in the mixed-aged Key Stage 2 class. The proportion of pupils making the progress expected of them as they get older is good. This is because they are taught well and their enthusiasm for learning is enhanced by an interesting curriculum.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 varies from year to year because of the wide range of attainment evident in the small year groups.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because staff, including teaching assistants, cater for their needs very well. There is no significant trend of gaps between the performance of these pupils and other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good achievement is the result of consistently good teaching. There are outstanding elements to the teaching. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Pupils want to work hard to please the adults teaching them.  Teachers encourage older pupils to help the younger ones. For example, two Year 2 pupils began making a scrapbook of their memories and the teacher planned to use them to help the younger ones get started on their own.  All adults who support the class teachers are used highly effectively. They often take small groups of pupils at a similar level of attainment, regardless of their age, and pitch the work at a good level of challenge for them.  All staff use interactive whiteboards and computers very effectively. This helps to maintain a brisk pace to lessons. For example, Key Stage 2 pupils used the interactive whiteboard confidently to demonstrate to the whole class how to convert fractions into their decimal

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The quality of teaching is good

equivalents.  Since the previous inspection teachers have improved their use of information from assessments to track how much progress pupils are making. Staff now know exactly how well pupils are doing and what they are expected to achieve by the end of each school year. The regular assessments in reading, writing and mathematics enable any under-achievement to be spotted quickly and acted upon.  A focus since the previous inspection has been improving opportunities for pupils to use their skills of writing at length in subjects across the curriculum. The full outcome of this work is yet to be felt. Opportunities for pupils to read widely from books in the library and other sources in subjects across the curriculum remain less well developed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are confident and outgoing. They report that they enjoy school and its friendly atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else.  They have no concerns about bullying and a good understanding about how to stay safe. The parents who responded to the Parent View agree that their children are safe and happy in school. This is endorsed by past records of behaviour.  A few pupils have specific behavioural difficulties and they respond well to the school’s very positive, supportive code of conduct. Some pupils transfer into the school because they have not settled well in previous schools. They thrive in the welcoming ethos of the school.  The youngest children make very good progress in their social and personal development when they start school. Older pupils play happily with younger ones at playtimes and chat pleasantly over lunch together.  In lessons, pupils are very attentive and respond well. They talk enthusiastically about visits

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

out of school and work they have done with student teachers from the nearby university.  Levels of attendance are in line with the national average and punctuality is generally good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has responded well to the areas for improvement arising from the previous inspection. The staff set about improving assessment procedures and systems for making checks on pupils’ progress so it could be accelerated in both key stages. Staff are now much sharper in their analysis of how well pupils are doing and use the information gained well to raise achievement.  Priorities in the school improvement plan and targets for staff in the systems used to monitor and improve their performance are well focused on pupil progress. Staff training opportunities are also valued as a means of improving their performance. Teaching assistants make good use of opportunities they have to improve their expertise. As a result they make a significant contribution to the overall quality of teaching.  Leadership of the curriculum is good with all teachers sharing the commitment effectively. Enhancing pupils' range of experiences at school has been another positive focus since the

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The leadership and management are good

previous inspection. Nevertheless, a review of the curriculum has not identified well enough the opportunities for pupils to use their reading and writing skills in subjects other than English and in researching topics.  All pupils take a full part in the curriculum, breakfast and extracurricular clubs, demonstrating the school’s commitment to equal opportunities for all. In the recent past the pupil premium has been used to provide one-to-one support effectively and to finance pupils to accompany their classmates on adventure holidays.  The local authority provides effective, light touch support for the school through a service-level agreement. The school makes efficient use of other agencies to support pupils with special educational needs.  All elements of safeguarding pupils’ welfare and safe recruitment of staff are in place.  Leadership and management are not outstanding, as the achievement of pupils in English is

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The leadership and management are good

not as good as it could be.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a clear overview of how the school is performing.  It contributes well to the management of the school and challenges the headteacher to account for actions taken and their impact.  There is a good range of expertise among its members who make visits to the school.  Financial management is strong and effective steps have been taken to eliminate a past deficit.

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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 119371 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 405857

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 21 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mandy Gorst Headteacher Jean O'Brien Date of previous school inspection 18 January 2011 Telephone number 01704 892375 Fax number 01704 892375 Email address head@lathompark.lancs.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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