Park View Primary School

Park View Primary School Park View Road, Prestwich, Bury, M25 1FA

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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.  Better leadership and management since the last inspection have improved teaching and raised standards.  Despite changes to senior staffing, an excellent lead from the acting headteacher and good backing from the rest of the staff have kept up the pace of improvements.  Senior leaders often visit lessons and give colleagues feedback and advice to help them improve their teaching.  Good teaching now ensures that all pupils make good progress. Achievement has risen as a result and is good throughout the school. Reading is a particular strength.  Teachers keep a careful eye on how each pupil is doing so they can give them all work at just the right level. They quickly see if any individuals start to fall behind, and make sure these pupils are given extra help to catch up.  Pupils are well behaved in class, try hard and are keen to do well with their learning.  Pupils enjoy school and feel safe there. Their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

attendance has gone up, to be above average.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to make achievement outstanding.  Marking does not always show pupils clearly how to improve in future.  Occasionally, learning slows for parts of lessons when some pupils wait for the next task.  Chances are sometimes missed for pupils to show initiative and make choices about their own learning.  In a few lessons, pupils’ progress is not checked as they work, so that misunderstandings are not spotted or opportunities are missed for challenging pupils to improve.  Most staff, especially those who are in charge of different subjects, do not have enough chance to work alongside their colleagues in the classroom to share ideas and expertise.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited substantial parts of 21 lessons. Shorter visits to classes were also made to observe pupils being taught reading, and to see how some pupils were given extra help with their learning.  The team had formal discussions with staff and pupils, with representatives of the governing body and with an officer of the local authority. Inspectors also spoke informally with many individual pupils and with teachers about their lessons.  Examples of pupils’ work were examined in their books and on displays.  Several younger pupils read to inspectors.  Inspectors took account of 36 replies to the online questionnaire (Parent View), as well as 94 replies to the school’s own questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Steven Hill, Lead Inspector Additional Inspector Sheila O’Keeffe Additional Inspector Peter Martin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This primary school is of above-average size, with a Nursery which provides part-time education for 50 younger children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The majority of pupils are White British but about a third come from a wide range of different minority ethnic heritages. An average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs who receive the level of support known as ‘school action’ is below average. The proportion supported at ‘school action plus’ or who have statements of special educational needs is also below average, but a few year- groups have a high proportion of such pupils.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for extra funding from the pupil premium (which is provided to support the learning of pupils who are entitled to free school meals or in the care of the local authority) is similar to that in most schools.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s floor targets, which set minimum standards for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A new deputy headteacher took up post 18 months ago. She has been acting headteacher in the school since September, following the retirement of the previous headteacher. This term, the assistant headteacher has been on long-term leave. Other members of staff have filled in the resultant gaps in the senior leadership team.  The school runs a daily breakfast and after-school club for its own pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding by:  ensuring that pupils are always involved throughout lessons and never have to wait for their next task with nothing specific to do  always checking how well pupils are coping during lessons so that misconceptions can be addressed and pupils challenged to make their work better  providing more opportunities for pupils to use their initiative and to make decisions for themselves about how best to get on with their work  marking pupils’ written work so that they are given more specific advice about how to improve and checking that this advice is always followed.  Provide teachers, especially those with subject responsibilities, with more chances to work alongside colleagues in the classroom and share their expertise.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and understanding that are lower overall than those expected nationally. They make good progress, with many getting much closer to expectations by the end of Reception.  Progress through Years 1 and 2 has accelerated since the last inspection and pupils now achieve well. In 2012, attainment at the end of Year 2 was at least average for the first time in all subjects, and pupils did particularly well in reading.  Achievement by the end of Year 6 has been good for several years and has been increasing steadily. A previous relative weakness in mathematics was eliminated by the end of Year 6 in 2012. Attainment for this cohort was slightly above average overall, which represents good progress from their low attainment when they started in Year 3.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium make as much good progress as their

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The achievement of pupils is good

classmates. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress in the light of their starting points. For both these groups, standards are getting closer to those of their classmates as they move through the school.  Boys do as well as girls, and pupils from different ethnic groups make as much headway as others in the school. Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve well and reach the same standards as their peers.  Pupils make particularly good progress in reading. In the younger classes, they gain a good understanding of how letters in words represent different sounds, and learn to enjoy reading.  The focus on reading continues in older classes where, in ‘guided reading’ sessions, pupils gain sophisticated skills as they are challenged to interpret a range of difficult texts. Pupils read often and develop clear tastes for different genres. Their enjoyment of fantasy led to good progress in

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The achievement of pupils is good

both literacy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills when Year 6 designed adventure games on the computer.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers manage classes well so that learning is purposeful and lessons are orderly. They have high expectations of work and behaviour and pupils try hard to meet these.  Lively explanations make lessons interesting, often enhanced by the use of interactive whiteboards to make things clearer. Engaging practical activities keep pupils involved, and linking work in different subjects together makes learning more meaningful.  Teachers make good use of discussion to help pupils sort out their ideas and keep them all involved. Pupils’ high level of involvement in lessons gives them enthusiasm for learning and boosts their progress. Occasionally, pupils have to wait passively for the next task without having anything specific to do, or watch and listen passively for too long, and then their concentration weakens.  A key feature in pupils’ improving progress is the routine setting of different work for pupils of

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The quality of teaching is good

different ability. This means that the level of challenge in lessons is just right, so that work is neither too difficult nor too easy.  Teachers give pupils good opportunities to use their literacy and ICT skills to support learning in other subjects.  Good opportunities are provided for pupils to work in small teams. This was seen when pupils made excellent progress in their thinking, speaking and listening skills as the teacher prompted them to share ideas when solving the mystery of a robbery in a museum. However, pupils are rarely required to show initiative or to make choices about their own learning.  In the large majority of lessons, the adults keep a careful eye on how everyone is getting on. They step in quickly to put pupils right if they are confused, and continually prompt them to refine their thinking and improve their work. However, in a few lessons, the adults focus too much on one or more groups in the class, so that pupils working independently do not all get the

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The quality of teaching is good

support and challenge they need.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly and assessed accurately. They are told what has been successful and why. However, teachers’ comments do not always tell pupils in detail how they can improve in future. When such pointers are given, they are not often followed up by pupils in their next pieces of work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy school and form good relationships with each other and with staff. Boys and girls from different backgrounds get on well together at work and at play. They work well in pairs or in small teams, but are also independent when they need to be.  In lessons, pupils concentrate well, work hard and are keen to learn. They show resilience in learning, cheerfully tackling mistakes in mathematics, for example, and taking a pride in their eventual success. They maintain good behaviour even when tasks slow down in pace and pupils’ interest flags.  Pupils have a good understanding of different kinds of bullying, such as that involving electronic messaging, and of what to do should issues arise. They say bullying is very rare, and have great confidence that the adults will sort out any incidences quickly. In discussion, pupils were very positive about behaviour, saying that it had improved considerably and that any misbehaviour

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

was dealt with well.  A few parents expressed doubts about how well the school maintains good behaviour and deals with bullying. The majority of parents, however, share their children’s positive views and this was corroborated by the school’s records as well as by what was observed during the inspection.  Pupils feel very safe in school and show care and consideration for others when moving around indoors, in the playground and from building to building. They generally have a good understanding of keeping safe in different situations, and Year 6 gave several examples based on their training last year with the ‘Crucial Crew’. However, their understanding of how to keep safe when using the internet and electronic communication devices is patchy.  There are some good examples of how pupils who struggle with maintaining good behaviour have been supported sensitively but firmly to improve their behaviour, settle into school and

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the last inspection, the senior leadership team has successfully developed an ambitious shared vision for the school based on seeking high achievement for all pupils. This push for improvements has been sustained despite the recent disruption to senior leadership.  A strong focus on improving teaching and learning has been based on observation of lessons and review of the work in pupils’ books, with clear feedback to staff to help them build on good practice and eliminate weaknesses. In parallel with this, better checking of pupils’ progress has given a clear picture of how well individuals and groups are doing. This has been used by teachers and senior leaders during ‘pupil progress meetings’ to identify those who need extra help, and put this in place. Achievement has gone up as a result.  The local authority has provided a good level of support to the school, particularly in helping leaders in their analysis of teaching and progress, and so improving both.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teaching is well managed and it is improving. Targets for teachers are ambitious and linked to detailed expectations of pupils’ progress. Targets are also set in relation to aspects of each individual’s classroom practice and there are targets for those with leadership roles. The acting headteacher is currently introducing a new system which makes much more rigorous connections between performance and pay, and more specific identification of training for teachers to help them meet targets.  Staff with leadership roles for subjects play an increasingly effective part in driving improvements, but have few opportunities to work alongside colleagues in the classroom to share their expertise.  The curriculum is lively and interesting, with special events much enjoyed by pupils, such as Year 1’s medieval day, including a feast, seen during the inspection. It promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The specialist teaching of music and French make

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The leadership and management are good

particularly strong contributions to spiritual and cultural development. These subjects are greatly enjoyed and high standards are reached by many pupils.  The pupil premium has been used well to ensure that relevant pupils get any extra academic help they need and this has contributed well to them making the same good progress as their classmates. Funding has also been used to ensure that these pupils have full access to the different aspects of school life, such as residential visits.  Links with parents have been improved and more systems are in place to involve them in school activities. They are given better information about their children’s progress as well as about the curriculum and school events.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has good systems to learn about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. These enable it to challenge the school about its performance so that governance has

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The leadership and management are good

contributed positively to the higher expectations shared by staff. The governing body has a good grasp of performance management and is supporting the senior leaders in making this more rigorous. Governors have ensured that the pupil premium funding is used well and that safeguarding procedures meet 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 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 105307 Local authority Bury Inspection number 404982

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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 438 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jeff Rose Headteacher Tracy Bevan Date of previous school inspection 11 November 2010 Telephone number 0161 798 7632 Fax number 0161 798 6081 Email address parkview@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, 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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