Rawtenstall St Paul's Church of England Primary School

Rawtenstall St Paul's Constable Lee Church Of England Primary School Hollin Lane, Rawtenstall, Rossendale, Lancashire, BB4 8HT

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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’ achievement has improved since the last inspection and most pupils make good progress. They reach standards at the end of Key Stage 2 which are above average overall, and well above average in mathematics.  An exciting range of activities and a focus on developing language skills help children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Most teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teachers plan carefully to meet the needs of different pupils. Teachers praise and encourage pupils who, in turn, are keen to learn.  Pupils behave well and are clear about what is expected of them. They are polite and welcoming, and keen to take responsibility.  The curriculum is well planned and reflects the interests of the pupils. The rich and varied experiences provided by the school contribute particularly well to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher provides strong leadership. Her vision, and that of other senior leaders, has ensured that teaching and learning have improved. She has developed an enthusiastic staff team, who share her ambition for the school.  Governors have an extremely good understanding of the school and have helped to drive improvements.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is of outstanding quality and the best practice seen is not yet consistent across the school.  Standards in writing are lower than those in reading and mathematics at both key stages. 20–21 November 2012 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 16 lessons, including one joint observation with the headteacher, and made a number of short visits to small group sessions. They listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of early reading skills. They also looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Discussions took place with pupils, members of the governing body, including the Chair, a representative from the local authority, senior leaders and other staff.  Inspectors took account of 33 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), one letter from a parent, the school’s analysis of the most recent parent and pupil surveys carried out by the school, and 14 staff questionnaires.  The inspection team looked at a range of documentation, including data on pupils’ progress throughout the school, the school’s evaluation of its effectiveness and its development planning, records of monitoring of teaching and learning, records relating to behaviour and attendance,

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Information about this inspection

and documentation in relation to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Christine Potter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Desmond Stubbs Additional Inspector Geoffrey Yates Additional Inspector 20–21 November 2012 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 This is a slightly larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is below average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  A breakfast and after-school club are managed by an external provider and are subject to a separate inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the previous inspection there have been a significant number of new appointments to the teaching staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or outstanding, by ensuring that:  teachers do not talk for too long and that lessons always move quickly enough to keep pupils interested  teachers give pupils plenty of opportunities to develop their own ideas and try things out for themselves  pupils are always clear about exactly what is expected of them  the outstanding practice that exists within the school is shared more fully.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further accelerate progress in writing, so that attainment is in line with that in reading and mathematics, by:  ensuring that all teachers’ marking gives clear guidance on how pupils can improve their work and that pupils are given regular opportunities to respond to this  providing more opportunities for extended and purposeful writing in other areas of the curriculum  fully embedding the new writing programme across the school, including opportunities for pupils to talk about and practise what they want to write. 20–21 November 2012 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment and progress have improved over the past three years. From starting points when children start school that are generally slightly below those typical for their age, good teaching leads pupils to make good progress throughout the school.  Children get off to a good start and do well in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Staff get to know the children quickly and they plan very well for their individual learning. Children’s language skills are developed well in focused lessons and imaginative play, and there is a buzz of activity as children talk about what they are doing. The teacher encourages them to make up stories as they play outside which helps them make good progress in communication skills both here and indoors.  Systematic teaching of the links between letters and sounds means that children quickly develop early reading skills. Children in Reception are excited as they find they can read whole words

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The achievement of pupils is good

and they cannot wait to find out what happens later in the book. This love of reading continues throughout the school. An above-average percentage of children reach the expected standards in reading words in Year 1.  Progress is strongest at the end of each key stage. Most pupils make at least the progress that is expected of them in all subjects and the percentage making better than expected progress has increased to above national averages. This is particularly the case in writing, where, although standards remain lower than in reading and mathematics, pupils are now making much better progress than in the past. The school is well aware that progress in writing is not yet fast enough to make up for previous underachievement.  All teachers are involved in regular procedures to check on pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics. They therefore know how well pupils are doing and what to do to support

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The achievement of pupils is good

individuals further. The organisation of pupils into mixed-age ‘learning pods’ and ‘life skills’ sessions contributes very successfully to pupils’ good progress.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are provided with good support and make good progress due to closely monitored individual teaching and ‘intervention pods’.  The needs of the small number of pupils for whom English is an additional language are also met well. The school has made effective use of money derived from pupil premium funding to support frequent one-to-one work for eligible pupils. These groups of pupils do as well as others and, in some cases, better than similar pupils nationally.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is usually good and there is some that is outstanding. Good relationships and the use of praise to encourage pupils’ learning are strong features of all lessons. Teachers use information from assessments particularly well to plan in detail for pupils’ different abilities. They have a precise understanding of the levels children are working at and how to move them on. Teaching assistants really help pupils to learn in lessons. They work intensively with small groups and individual pupils to ensure that they all make good progress.  In the best lessons, teaching moves at a brisk pace and pupils remain interested and focused. Teachers ask questions which check pupils’ understanding and give them the chance to develop and explain their ideas. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 used their knowledge of number and place value well as they suggested ways of working out more complicated percentages. Year 3 and Year 4

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils were able to follow their own lines of enquiry and investigate their own ideas as they experimented with separating solids.  However, in the small number of lessons where teaching is less effective, the pace slows and pupils lose interest. Teachers sometimes talk for too long and pupils do not have enough opportunities to work things out for themselves. Sometimes, they do not know exactly what is 20–21 November 2012 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching is good

expected of them.  Teachers’ marking is not always good enough, particularly in writing. A clear policy has recently been put in place but not all teachers are using written comments well enough to show pupils exactly how to make their work better. Where there are comments, pupils are not always given opportunities to follow them up.  Pupils are highly appreciative of their teachers. They say that teachers make learning interesting and fun and they enjoy the extra support at their own level which they get in the ‘learning pods’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most pupils behave in a courteous and considerate manner. They have good attitudes to learning and mostly behave well in lessons. However, occasionally they do not behave so well because the pace of the lesson is not fast enough and they lose interest.  Pupils are proud of their school. They like being part of student leadership groups, as councillors, play leaders, prefects and so on, because they can take some responsibility for improving the school.  The school sets high expectations for behaviour through a consistent system which pupils understand. Pupils with specific behavioural needs are supported and mentored to help them manage their behaviour.  Pupils feel safe and well cared for in school. Workshops and lessons help them understand different forms of bullying and the need to respect others, whatever their background. There are very few incidents of bullying or racism and these are dealt with promptly and effectively. The

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

pupils’ own anti-bullying squad helps pupils sort out any difficulties.  All pupils have a nominated key-worker who they can talk to if they have any concerns. Parents agree that the school keeps their children safe. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in situations beyond school, including when using the internet.  The school has acted decisively to improve the punctuality and attendance of all groups of pupils. Attendance is now above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has high ambitions for the school. She is supported particularly well by the deputy headteacher and the governors. Actions taken have significantly improved the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement since the last inspection. Following a period of change, there is now greater stability in staffing. Staff are well motivated and demonstrate a shared sense of responsibility and commitment to further improving the school.  Senior leaders have an honest and accurate picture of the school and what still needs to be done. A thorough analysis of the reasons for pupils’ lower attainment in writing has led them to introduce a detailed and very specific writing programme across the school this term, and to seek the support of a writing consultant. This has yet to be adopted consistently across the school.  The headteacher and other leaders regularly check the quality of teaching by watching lessons

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The leadership and management are good

and looking at pupils’ work. This has helped to eliminate weak teaching. Teachers receive clear guidance on how to improve their teaching. Targets in their performance management are linked to school priorities and the school ensures that progression through the pay scales depends on these targets being met.  The updated curriculum is very well planned to make sure there is a clear progression in the skills pupils are expected to learn. Good links are made between different aspects of learning. Pupils contribute their ideas to topic planning and it therefore reflects their interests well. However, there are still some occasions when opportunities are missed for pupils to practise 20–21 November 2012 6 of 9

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The leadership and management are good

their writing skills purposefully in different subjects.  The school provides a range of rich experiences and after-school activities, which contribute very well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A particular strength is the weekly whole-school focus on one aspect of personal development, such as building confidence or contributing to the school.  The majority of parents are supportive of the work of the school. The parents’ forum provides them with opportunities to discuss relevant issues with senior leaders. Curriculum workshops are held regularly to enable parents to support their children’s learning.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements.  The local authority has provided strong support for the school, especially in its drive to improve the quality of teaching.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body are very knowledgeable about the school. They hold

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The leadership and management are good

additional meetings to make sure they understand issues relating to teaching and pupils’ progress. They are highly supportive of the school, particularly when difficult decisions regarding staffing are needed. They ask very challenging questions which hold the leaders to account, especially for the use of pupil premium funding or where they have committed additional finances to support school improvement. They demonstrate a good understanding of their legal responsibilities. 20–21 November 2012 7 of 9

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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. 20–21 November 2012 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 119367 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 401836

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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 267 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Karen Mychaljyshyn Headteacher Suzanne Howard Date of previous school inspection 24 February 2010 Telephone number 01706 215893 Fax number Not applicable Email address head@constablelee.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, 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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