Button Lane Primary School

Button Lane Primary School Button Lane, Northern Moor, Manchester, M23 0ND

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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 make good progress. They read well and their handwriting is legible and neatly presented.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get off to a super start because of the very good links made with parents.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have risen over the last two years in the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  Pupils are eager to do their best. They work well on their own and with a partner or in groups.  In a large majority of lessons, teaching is good or better. Teachers check how much pupils have learned and generally use the information well to plan what to teach next.  Pupils like coming to school, their attendance has increased step by step over the last three years to above the national average. Pupils feel safe.  Notable features of this school are how well pupils behave. Pupils are kind to each other and play well together; they show respect for

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

adults.  Good improvements have been made because of the strong leadership and the high quality teamwork of staff who admire the drive of the senior leaders and share their passion for providing the best they can for the pupils.  The governing body supports and challenges the school well. This school continues to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching.  There are some missed opportunities for moving pupils to the next steps in their learning and, in some lessons, a lack of sufficient challenge for a minority of pupils.  A small number of the systems used by the school do not give senior leaders enough information for immediate and rapid action to achieve the best possible outcomes.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 30 lessons, parts of lessons and small group work, taught by 14 teachers or teaching assistants. Inspectors looked at the school’s recent checks on the quality of teaching.  The inspectors observed the school’s work, including the school’s analysis of how well it is doing and its improvement plan, documents relating to behaviour and safeguarding, minutes of the governing body meetings, information on pupils’ progress and pupils’ work.  The inspectors held meetings with pupils, staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and with a school improvement partner.  The inspectors took account of the 14 responses from parents recorded in the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), together with the replies to a staff survey, letters received from parents and informal conversations with several parents.

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Inspection team

Barbara Flitcroft, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Rebecca Lawton Additional Inspector Maria McGarry Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Button Lane Primary is a larger than average sized primary school.  The proportion of girls at the school is well below the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is slightly below the national average and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above the national average and the proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is in line with the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the last inspection, some new teachers have joined the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching so as to raise pupils’ achievement further by:  better matching the challenge of learning activities to the pupils’ abilities, especially in mathematics  making sure that pupils learn quickly during every part of each lesson  enabling all teachers to have opportunities to learn from those whose teaching is already outstanding  fully instructing support staff about how they can help pupils to make the best progress, especially in reading  checking that the quality and breadth of resources for the youngest children are the best possible.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Refine some leadership and management systems to ensure that:  teachers who are new to the school are fully informed about the strategies that other staff have been trained to use in order to raise standards  the way they check the quality of skills of newly qualified teachers is thorough  the areas where more improvement is needed are reviewed more frequently than other areas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement has improved gradually over recent years. Now, a very large majority of pupils make good or better progress.  A significant proportion of children start school with skills and abilities that are well below those typically expected for their age. They get off to a super start and make good progress through the Nursery and Reception classes and confidently try to read, write and use numbers and shapes in their indoor and outdoor play.  Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 also make good progress. By the end of primary school, pupils’ attainment is in line with the national average and slightly above in reading. Progress in English is slightly better than that in mathematics.  Any pupils not making sufficient progress are identified and given effective and innovative support which helps their learning. For example, older pupils buddy younger ones and help them with their reading. All pupils involved gain from this, and older ones gain in self-confidence.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Occasionally, this additional support is not put in place as rapidly as it could be.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding do just as well as others. This is better than similar pupils across the country. Specialist one-to-one tuition is provided for those pupils with the most need and this is helping to accelerate their progress.  A good range of well-attended clubs such as breakfast, sports activities and kiwi club help pupils to make better progress, attend school more regularly and broaden their horizons.  Pupils are developing a good understanding of how to use letters and the sounds they make (phonics) to support their reading and writing. For example, outcomes of the Year 1 tests were above the national average.  Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs make good progress. They are well supported through targeted teaching and the effective use of teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Their progress is followed carefully and, as a result, the gap is narrowing between the achievement of these pupils and others in the school.  Parents are very positive about the school’s work. One commented, ‘My son has really come on, his language development is getting better.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers explain the learning activities clearly and make good use of up-to-date technology and events in the local area to illustrate their teaching points. In the best lessons, teachers show very good subject knowledge and pupils learn quickly. In parts of some lessons, however, the pace drops and learning slows.  Occasionally, teachers do not match the work set exactly to the ability of the pupils, especially in mathematics. In a small minority of lessons, work is too easy for more-able pupils or too hard for the less able pupils to grasp because of gaps in their knowledge.  In the vast majority of lessons, teaching assistants help pupils to learn new skills very well. Occasionally, the teaching assistants have not been given enough instructions to move the pupils’ learning forward at the best pace.  Staff use subjects across the curriculum well to improve pupils’ skills of reading, writing and

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The quality of teaching is good

mathematics. For example, in a Reception class at registration, children counted the number of boys, then the number of girls and then worked out how many children there were altogether by counting the total.  Often, teachers ask pupils searching questions; they also expect pupils to ask questions and to say when they need some extra help. Pupils discuss their learning in a mature way in class and help each other cooperatively.  Marking is effective. Pupils engage in marking dialogue with their teachers. Teachers use red pen and the pupils use green to discuss their learning and how this can be improved. Sometimes, pupils mark each other’s work and give advice.  Lesson planning throughout the school is thorough and activities are carefully considered to ensure that there is no unnecessary repetition of work in the mixed-aged classes. Lessons interest and involve pupils and all are motivated to learn.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Nursery class, warm relationships nurture the children to develop their skills and personalities well. The nursery unit is well organised to address all the areas of learning. However, a minority of resources are shabby and opportunities for physical development are not as strong as other areas of learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Overall, staff manage pupils’ behaviour well so that it is good. Pupils listen carefully in lessons and usually get started on their work without any fuss. On the whole, pupils are eager to learn.  Around the school, pupils behave well, have good manners and are courteous. They are polite and considerate and play together cooperatively at breaktimes and lunchtimes on the playgrounds.  Pupils know right from wrong. They follow the school rules and reflect on important issues.  Pupils are knowledgeable about different forms of bullying, such as sending nasty text messages and cyber-bullying. This information has been high priority recently because it was a special week nationally for anti-bullying. Pupils agree that there is no bullying in this school but acknowledge that sometimes they have disagreements.  School works hard to encourage good attendance and punctuality. This is achieving success

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

because attendance has risen steadily over the last two years and is currently above the national average.  Pupils know that school keeps them safe and their parents agree. The pupils trust that adults in school are there to help them and they know they can discuss any of their worries.  From time to time, pupils have talks about safety from visitors in assembly, a recent one being about tram safety. Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy, and willingly take part in physical events, such as the Tesco fun run and healthy heart workshops with a local academy for older pupils. Younger pupils work with coaches from Manchester United.  Pupils support charities such as St Ann’s Hospice and Childhood Leukaemia. The one most dear to them is Team Nathan which raises funds for sensory equipment.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. As a result of the school’s work on British culture and that in other countries and continents, such as Hungary and Africa, pupils are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

now more culturally aware than at the time of the last inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have led steady improvement since the previous inspection. As a result, achievement and teaching are now good. The leaders’ ability to carry on making improvements is good.  Leaders know the school well and have identified the right priorities for driving improvement, such as helping parents to improve certain skills they need.  The school uses the services of external quality assurance consultants. The support provided is very successful and the school continues to benefit from the guidance provided. Senior leaders use the pupil premium funding well to quicken the pace of pupils’ progress. For example, a daily breakfast club provides a warm welcome, healthy food and play activities whilst encouraging pupils to be punctual and prepared for the start of the school day. Pupils are now doing better.  The school provides high quality teaching for disabled pupils and those with special educational

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The leadership and management are good

needs. Those pupils whose circumstances might put them at risk are given the support they need to thrive as well as their peers.  School leaders do their best to make sure all pupils have the best possible chances in school and no one is left out.  The school has good links with other local primary and secondary schools. Staff from the local academy come into school to assist with physical education. This helps them to get to know pupils before they transfer to secondary education.  Training for the staff has improved the quality of teaching. However, staff who are new to the school have missed out on some aspects of this.  Arrangements to improve the performance of teachers are good. Targets for staff are specific, challenging and linked to pay progression. The school has some outstanding teachers but leaders have not yet used them to demonstrate their skills to all the other teachers.  The school has a rigid cycle of checking and reviewing provision to keep leaders and governors

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The leadership and management are good

informed about how well it is doing. This works quite well. However, the amount of time spent on this does not truly reflect the priority of concern. For example, in the cycle, equal time is devoted to English and mathematics. However, pupils’ progress in English is faster than in mathematics.  Four newly qualified teachers have recently joined the school and were supported well when they started. They have brought new energy and enthusiasm and have already built up good relationships with staff and pupils. These teachers work hard but the way in which senior staff check on their progress is not thorough enough in some aspects of their work.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is very keen for the school to continue to improve. Members are knowledgeable about school’s work and work closely with leaders at all levels, challenging and supporting their actions, which include improving the performance of staff and ensuring senior

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The leadership and management are good

leaders use pupil premium funding well. They make sure that pupils and staff are safe.

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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 131938 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 406459

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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 341 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Patricia Gaskell Headteacher Michelle Joyce Date of previous school inspection 1 February 2011 Telephone number 0161 9451965 Fax number 0161 9454257 Email address head@buttonlane.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, 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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