Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School

Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School Turncroft Road, Darwen, Lancashire, BB3 2BW

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Although attainment at both Key Stage 1 and 2 has improved, progress across the school and in different subjects remains inconsistent.  The attainment of boys in reading and writing is improving but remains below that of girls.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good in all year groups. Tasks within lessons are not always well matched to the needs of different pupils. Sometimes pupils spend too long listening to the teacher before starting their activities.  Teachers’ marking does not always give precise guidance to pupils on how they can improve their work.  Monitoring and tracking systems are not fully developed to show how actions taken by the school are improving outcomes for pupils.  Actions taken by leaders to improve teaching have not yet addressed all the inconsistencies, and therefore pupils’ achievement is not as good as it could be.

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The school has the following strengths

 Senior leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school and a clear vision for continued future improvement.  The school provides an exceptionally supportive and nurturing environment within which pupils feel very safe and well cared for.  Pupils enjoy school, they behave well and attendance is consistently above average.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and they are well prepared for their time in Key Stage 1. Support staff make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning in lessons and to their personal development.  The governing body are well-informed and have helped to drive improvements.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons, including one joint observation with the headteacher. In addition, inspectors listened to children read and evaluated the quality of pupils’ work in a selection of their workbooks.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority, senior leaders and other staff.  Inspectors took account of nine responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and responses to the most recent parental survey carried out by the school.  The inspection team looked at a range of documentation, including data on pupils’ progress throughout the school, the school’s evaluation of its effectiveness, the school development plan, records of monitoring of teaching and learning, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documentation in relation to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Christine Potter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Steve Rigby Additional Inspector Dave Blackburne Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is slightly larger than the average-sized primary school.  The percentage of pupils supported through school action is approximately 11%, which is broadly average. Approximately 9% of pupils are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, which is also broadly average. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium has increased since the last inspection and is now above average.  Since the previous inspection there have been a significant number of staffing changes.  A breakfast club is provided by the school.  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 consistency of teaching in order to raise attainment and improve the progress of all pupils, but particularly that of boys in reading and writing, by: − ensuring that activities in lessons are clearly matched to the needs and abilities of all pupils − making sure that lessons are organised so that pupils have plenty of opportunity to be actively involved in learning − using feedback and marking to provide precise guidance for pupils on how to improve their work and giving pupils opportunities to respond to this − improving the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) − systematically teaching aspects of grammar, punctuation and spelling in order to develop the structure of pupils’ written work − using opportunities for purposeful writing across the curriculum more effectively to promote specific skills in writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  continuing to monitor rigorously the quality of teaching, further develop teachers’ skills and to share best practice in order to secure consistently good or better teaching across the school  developing the systems for measuring how well actions taken by the school, including special programmes and individual support, are improving outcomes for pupils  improving how leaders and managers use data and other information to measure the progress of groups of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since the last inspection there have been improvements in pupils’ achievement. School data indicate that the declining trend in attainment at Key Stage 1 has been reversed in 2012. Attainment in writing at Key Stage 1 has steadily improved and standards are now in line with national averages. However, although boys are now making better progress in lessons, boys’ attainment in both reading and writing remains well below that of girls.  From starting points on entry to school that are typically below those expected for their age, pupils make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is due to the good-quality individual care children receive, which helps them to settle quickly, and the range of well- planned and stimulating activities that are carefully matched to children’s needs.  There are some variations between cohorts, but the majority of pupils enter Key Stage 1 at broadly expected levels for their age. There are inconsistencies in the progress of different year

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

groups throughout the school because of variations in the quality of teaching. However, pupils make expected progress overall and by the end of Year 6 consistently attain levels in reading, writing and mathematics which are broadly average.  Unvalidated data from 2012 Key Stage 2 assessments suggest that increasing numbers of pupils are now making better than expected progress in both English and mathematics. The percentage of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 in mathematics has risen significantly.  Assessments indicate that skills in phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) at age 6 are not always as good as they should be. A significantly higher proportion of girls than boys achieve expected levels. This is because the teaching of phonics is not sufficiently systematic in all classes.  Gaps in attainment are starting to close. Pupils who are not making expected progress are now identified at an earlier stage. Target cards and pupil progress meetings are helping pupils and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

their parents know how well they are doing. A range of special programmes and individual support, provided by skilled teaching assistants, mean that disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those eligible for pupil premium make progress which is similar to other pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is much teaching that is good. In all lessons the use of praise and encouragement leads to positive relationships between adults and pupils. In the best lessons skilful questioning by the teacher checks pupils’ understanding and contributes to successful learning outcomes. Pupils know what they are expected to achieve because teachers give them clear criteria to measure their learning against and refer to these frequently during the lesson. Pupils are excited and eager to learn, such as when Year 1 pupils explored patterns in the outdoor environment.  The role of teaching assistants in supporting pupils is well developed. They take an active part in lessons and are clear about what pupils are expected to learn. The school has rightly focused on developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Professional development of support staff has provided them with the skills to engage pupils in purposeful conversation. This is particularly

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

successful in the Early Years Foundation Stage and contributes to children’s good progress.  However, where teaching is not as good, expected outcomes and activities are not so well matched to pupils’ widely differing abilities and needs. Pupils frequently spend too long as a whole class listening to the teacher rather than being actively involved in learning at their own level. Work provided for more-able pupils does not always challenge them effectively and they do not have the chance to do enough investigation and problem solving.  Marking and written feedback are not used consistently by teachers to provide information for pupils on how they can improve their work. Guidance provided is not always sufficiently precise to help pupils achieve the next steps in their learning and pupils do not have the opportunity to reflect on written comments and consolidate their skills.  Evidence from pupils’ workbooks shows that grammar, punctuation and spelling are not taught

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

systematically, nor is there sufficient emphasis on developing more complex sentence structure for more-able pupils. Although pupils engage in writing as part of the wider curriculum, opportunities are often missed to help pupils learn specific writing skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are extremely welcoming and friendly. They are polite and considerate towards both adults and each other as they move around the school. The school sets high expectations of behaviour and consistent systems to promote good behaviour are well understood and perceived to be fair by pupils.  Most pupils have positive attitudes to learning and engage well in lessons. However, in the weakest lessons, where pupils have to listen to teachers for too long, they become restless and more reluctant to work.  Pupils feel very safe and well cared for in school. They have complete confidence in the adults in school, including the Pupil Counsellor, to look after them and to help them when they are troubled.  Bullying and racist incidents are rare, and pupils and parents alike feel that behaviour in school is good. Pupils play and learn well together and any issues are quickly resolved.  Pupils demonstrate a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe in other situations,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

including when using the internet. Competitions organised by the Junior Road Safety Officers highlight the importance of staying safe around traffic.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is consistently above average. Improvements in punctuality have been secured through the direct support for families provided by the Pupil Wellbeing Coordinator.  Social skills and a sense of responsibility are fostered through the appointment of pupil monitors and play leaders. Pupils enthusiastically volunteer to look after the school’s chickens.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has moved forward since the last inspection, largely due to the ambition of senior leaders and governors and their commitment to raising achievement. They know the school well and effective self-evaluation means that they have an accurate picture of what still needs to be done to improve. The school is well placed to continue to improve further.  Although more remains to be done to ensure more consistent progress across the school, and to close gaps in attainment, actions taken have contributed to a steady improvement in pupils’ writing.  Senior leaders and the governing body all recognise the inconsistencies in teaching. They have challenged weak teaching effectively and have high expectations of teachers. Actions taken to improve teaching include developing teachers’ skills through sharing good practice both within the school and with other local schools. The headteacher observes lessons regularly and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

provides constructive feedback which enables teachers to reflect on their practice. However, the impact of these actions is at an early stage and, although there have been some improvements, the quality of teaching overall is not improving strongly enough and some inconsistencies remain.  Subject leaders are not yet fully involved in monitoring and evaluation. The systems in place do not provide them with enough detail to track the progress of groups of pupils and measure the effectiveness of special programmes.  Performance management for all staff is well established and ensures that they all feel a strong sense of accountability. Staff, including those who are newly qualified, are well supported by senior leaders. Professional development and training that are related directly to school priorities and to individual staff needs are helping to drive improvement.  There are good relationships between the school and parents. Parents appreciate the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

approachability of staff and are supportive of the school and its work.  The curriculum has been developed effectively and the topic-based approach now helps pupils make links between different areas of learning. It contributes particularly well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through a wide range of extra-curricular activities, visits and enrichments, such as the University of St Peter’s, which provide a range of memorable experiences.  The local authority has provided effective support for the school since the last inspection, including a teaching review that identified priorities for improvement which the school is now starting to address.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors are knowledgeable about the work of the school, understand what needs to be done to improve the school and ask leaders challenging questions.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 They are highly supportive of the school, including when difficult decisions are required to improve provision.  The governing body understands its legal responsibilities and ensures that resources are managed well.

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 119458 Local authority Blackburn with Darwen Inspection number 401844

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 272 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Jackson Headteacher Michele Tracey Date of previous school inspection 7 October 2009 Telephone number 01254 701299 Fax number 01254 761873 Email address michele.tracey@blackburn.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, please

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School details

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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