Howick Church Endowed Primary School

Howick Church Endowed Primary School Liverpool Road, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 0NB

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Children get a good start to their school careers in the Reception class and this good progress continues throughout the rest of the school. Pupils’ achievement has improved significantly over the past two years and is now good. Standards in English and mathematics are above average and pupils particularly enjoy reading.  The quality of teaching is good. Teachers’ knowledge of how well their pupils are doing is accurate. Teachers provide them with detailed advice on how pupils can improve their work. Teaching assistants give impressive support to pupils who sometimes find the work difficult.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaks and lunchtimes is outstanding. They show immense pride in their school and say, ‘We are one big happy family here!’ They feel safe because of the support they receive from their classmates and from older pupils. In their view, there is no bullying in school and all the pupils

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

get on very well with each other.  The talented and committed headteacher shares a clear understanding with managers and governors of how well the school is improving teaching and pupils’ achievement. Teaching and support staff comment, ‘High expectations of pupils and adults mean that our school is improving and that it is going from strength to strength.’

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The challenge provided for more-able pupils is inconsistent across the school. It does not always enable these pupils to reach the higher National Curriculum levels, particularly in relation to boys’ writing in Key Stage 1.  Although pupils enjoy the creative curriculum, they say that there are not enough trips, educational visits and after-school clubs.  The sharing of examples of good and outstanding teaching is not fully developed across the school.  There is sometimes too much teacher-direction in the classroom and this does not allow pupils to take even more responsibility for finding things out for themselves.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed seven lessons or part-lessons. They also heard pupils in Years 2 and 6 read.  They held meetings with pupils and two members of the governing body. They also had discussions with senior leaders, teaching, pastoral, administrative and caretaking staff. In addition, they spoke informally with parents at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors took account of the 17 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the four responses to the staff questionnaire.  They observed the school at work and looked at a variety of documentation, including pupil progress and attainment data, pupils’ work, school development planning and the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance. They also considered minutes of meetings of the governing body and documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

James Kidd, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kirsty Haw Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller-than-average primary school. There is a Reception class and three other mixed-age classes. The Howick Kids Club, which shares the school site, was taken over by the governing body 12 months ago. It is an after-school club, which is led by a higher-level teaching assistant. It operates during term time.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils whose parents are serving in the armed forces, is below average but varies across years.  The percentage of pupils supported through school action is below average. The percentage supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is just below that usually seen.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is low and there are few pupils at an

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Information about this school

early stage of learning English.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Howick Church Endowed Primary School holds the Activemark for its work in sport and games and is a nationally accredited Healthy School. It also has a local Learning Excellence Award for pupils’ creative work in relation to the study of Preston docks.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate further pupils’ achievement and their enjoyment of learning by:  ensuring that the work and activities for more-able pupils, particularly in writing for boys in Key Stage 1, are consistently good enough to enable them to reach the higher National Curriculum levels  reducing the amount of time teachers spend talking in lessons, so that pupils can take even more responsibility for their own learning and progress  extending the sharing of good and exemplary classroom practice across the school.  Enhancing the curriculum by providing more trips, educational visits and after-school clubs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children enter the Reception class with skills which are generally typically expected for their age, although there are variations from year to year. They make good progress across the school and reach above average standards in English and mathematics by the time they leave for secondary education. This demonstrates good achievement from their starting points and marked improvement in their progress since 2010. All parents who responded to Parent View are entirely satisfied with the progress their children are making.  Children in Reception recognise numbers well and are already beginning to make number sentences up to 10. Although pupils’ writing in Years 1 and 2 is improving, boys’ progress in this subject is not as good as girls’. Pupils’ oral skills are improving rapidly in Years 3 and 4, for instance, when they discuss their work on the use of powerful verbs with their partners. In Years

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The achievement of pupils is good

5 and 6, pupils’ skills in literacy are promoted effectively by the creative curriculum, for example when they piece together the work they have covered on Neil Armstrong in history and geography to plan a biography. They use complex vocabulary, such as ‘subjective’, ‘chronological’ and ‘legacy’ when writing their stories.  In all classes, pupils have many opportunities to read, often for pleasure. As a result, pupils read aloud fluently, using their good knowledge of letters and sounds to pronounce new words. Many pupils read widely and with understanding and enjoy reading at home.  The school uses pupil premium funding to provide one-to-one, one-to-two and small group support for eligible pupils. They are also provided with laptop computers to use at home. Their progress is also monitored closely by members of the governing body. Data show, and inspection evidence confirms, that these pupils are making the same good progress as their

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The achievement of pupils is good

peers and that there are no gaps between their performance and that of other pupils in school. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress as a result of well- planned support from teachers and teaching assistants.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall, recognised as such by parents, and there are examples of outstanding practice across the school. There are warm relationships in the classroom, between pupils, and between pupils and the adults who work with them. Pupils have confidence in their teachers and teaching assistants and are never afraid to ask for help if unsure.  In the best lessons, such as a numeracy lesson in the Reception class, there is excellent support from teaching assistants for pupils who find some of the work difficult, effective use of the electronic whiteboard as a teaching and learning tool and activities which enable all pupils to do their best. Similarly, in lessons where teaching is good or better, teachers use questioning very well to motivate their pupils to think more deeply about the work they are doing and pupils are given opportunities to share their ideas in pairs and in groups. In these lessons, for example,

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The quality of teaching is good

when pupils are multiplying and dividing decimals or deciding upon more complex words to use instead of ‘said’ in their writing, pupils are delighted when their classmates succeed in reaching their targets.  On occasions, teachers talk for too long and pupils are not always required to find things out for themselves and, therefore, to take enough responsibility for their own learning and progress. In addition, although activities in the classroom are generally closely linked to what all pupils need to make progress, the challenge for more-able pupils is not always good enough to enable them to reach the higher National Curriculum levels. Boys in Key Stage 1, for example, do not always reach the standards in writing of which they are capable.  Marking is good. Teachers mark pupils’ work in detail and provide pupils with comments which congratulate them on their efforts and the standards they have reached. Through the ‘next

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The quality of teaching is good

steps’ initiative, they also give them accurate advice on exactly what they need to do to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils enter school in the morning with smiles on their faces, looking forward to meeting their classmates and to the activities of the day. They are very eager to learn and delighted to talk to visitors about how much they like their school. Indeed, their behaviour in class and around the school is outstanding: they display very good manners and the utmost courtesy to all. They also behave outstandingly well in the Howick Kids Club, when pupils of all ages support each other in their play and learning.  All parents who contributed to the on-line questionnaire and those who talked with inspectors speak with one voice: they believe their children are happy at school and that staff look after them very well indeed. A testament to the pride which pupils display in the school is their attendance, which is consistently above average.  Pupils feel very safe and secure in school because, in their words, ‘The grown-ups know us and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

are always there if we need them. Our friends and older pupils look after us too!’ They have an exceptional understanding of bullying in all its forms and say that such activity does not happen. They know how to use the internet safely and talk accurately about the dangers of cyber- bullying.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy taking on responsibilities, as prefects in Year 5 and as senior prefects in Year 6, for example. They offer their views on how the school can be improved in the school forum and have played a major part in the school buying new play equipment.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural behaviour exceptionally well. Pupils support a wide range of charities, chosen by themselves, and are rewarded for showing care and compassion by ‘golden time’ activities. Older pupils take the lead in looking after younger ones. They explore different faiths during Faith Week and benefit from visits from

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

representatives from Muslim, Sikh and Christian religions. They use the outside area to learn more about nature and the importance of caring for the environment. Art and music are popular. The walls in corridors and classrooms are adorned with pupils’ paintings and drawings.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership by example by senior leaders, and good levels of teamwork by all members of staff are the hallmarks of leadership and management in Reception, in the main school and in the Howick Kids Club. Staff show great determination to drive forward improvements. They say that performance management arrangements, comprising positive comment and also constructive criticism, have led to on-going improvements in the quality of teaching and, therefore, in pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection. The school knows itself well and leaders are fully aware that the sharing of good and outstanding practice in teaching is not as extensive as it could be.  Pupils enjoy the creative curriculum and say they can see the links between all the topics they study. In Years 5 and 6, for example, they value studying the moon landings in history, geography and English and add that they have more opportunities to improve their literacy skills

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The leadership and management are good

as a result. However, they are also of the opinion, and staff agree, that there are too few extra- curricular activities, trips and educational visits.  Safeguarding and child-protection systems and practice meet current requirements. The school promotes equality of opportunity well and does not tolerate any form of discrimination. It fosters good relations between all members of the school community and parents speak highly of the support older pupils provide for younger ones.  The local authority supports the school effectively. It provides training for subject leaders, takes part in joint lesson observations to improve the quality of teaching and offers support when the school is checking its performance.  The governance of the school:  The impact of the work of the governing body has improved since the previous inspection. Members are more aware of the performance of the school in all areas and hold the leadership

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The leadership and management are good

to account with increasing rigour. They ensure that performance management arrangements are secure and that teachers’ salary progression is linked to improvements in classroom performance and to better pupil progress and attainment. The governing body also keeps a close eye on how pupil premium funding is spent and its impact on pupils’ achievement. Governors are also linked to classes and, therefore, have a good understanding of the quality of teaching and of how it is improving.

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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 119364 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 405856

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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 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tim Young Headteacher Deborah Bramley Date of previous school inspection 7 December 2010 Telephone number 01772 612487 Fax number 01772 614891 Email address head@howick.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

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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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