Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Church Road, Singleton, Poulton-le-Fylde, FY6 8LN

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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 have positive educational experiences and are well prepared for the next stage in education and their future lives.  Achievement is good and pupils make good progress through the school. As a result, they reach increasingly above average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is consistently good. Teachers know the pupils well and so are able to set work that effectively challenges different groups. Classrooms are managed well so that lessons run smoothly and little time is wasted.  Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. They feel safe and secure and take pride in their school. Attendance is high and pupils arrive punctually.  The astute leadership of the headteacher has been central to the school’s good improvement since the previous inspection. The governing body and staff work well as a team and morale is high. Self-evaluation is accurate and enables

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

leaders and governors to target the correct areas for development. Action taken has been successful in improving the quality of teaching and raising achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not yet enough outstanding teaching and learning across the school.  In some lessons, introductions are too long and there is too little time for pupils to be independent and explore learning for themselves.  Teachers do not consistently provide information to pupils that will help them to move forward in their learning.  Pupils need more opportunities to use information and communication technology (ICT) in applying their basic literacy and mathematical skills across the curriculum. Inspection report: Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10 January 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes and this consisted of seven lessons. In addition, they observed the teaching of small groups receiving particular support for English and mathematics. The headteacher conducted three joint observations with an inspector.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils and to parents as they brought their children to school in the morning. They took account of 50 responses from parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Meetings were held with the governing body, staff and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including the school’s monitoring of teaching and the improvement plan.  Inspectors heard four groups of pupils read and checked the school’s assessments of pupils’ progress in reading. They also looked at the school’s tracking system showing pupils’ progress in mathematics and English.

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Inspection team

Andrew Morley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Allyson Ingall Additional Inspector Inspection report: Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10 January 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 Singleton is a smaller than average sized primary school with a number of pupils travelling into the village to attend the school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The majority of pupils are White British and there are few who speak English as an additional language.  The school has Healthy School status and holds the Activemark Quality Award.  The school exceeds 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?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring introductions to lessons are precise in providing the information necessary and allowing more time for pupils to explore learning for themselves and with their friends  teachers providing personalised feedback in lessons and marking consistently providing information to help pupils improve their work  providing more opportunities for pupils to use ICT in lessons, particularly in applying key reading, writing and mathematical skills during their topic work. Inspection report: Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10 January 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement from their attainment on entry, which is at that expected for their age, is good. They make good progress and attain increasingly above average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Children make outstanding progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, settling in quickly and enjoying all they do. They work and play well together, taking turns and sharing fairly. Children grow in confidence and are willing to make choices for themselves.  In Years 1 to 6, pupils tackle their activities with enthusiasm and have good concentration. They have positive attitudes and persevere when faced with difficulty. Collaboration is good, as evident in a literacy lesson for pupils in Years 3 and 4 in which they were engaged in high quality debate to support their writing.  Pupils write imaginatively, using a variety of styles, such as poetry and narrative writing, to express their ideas. Pupils say they read often and talk enthusiastically about a wide range of

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The achievement of pupils is good

books and authors.  Pupils have secure mathematical calculation skills, including quick mental recall.  Pupils are committed to their work and their presentation is good with pupils taking pride in their work. However, they need more opportunities to use information and communication technology (ICT) confidently to support their learning across the curriculum, such as in history and geography, when researching information on the internet.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good and at times outstanding progress because of the well-targeted extra support they receive, including the work of the learning mentor. Their individual needs are identified early and a variety of intervention programmes put into place to ensure they are met.  There is no significant difference between the achievement and learning of different groups. The small number of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium make the same good progress

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The achievement of pupils is good

as other pupils because funding is targeted effectively on raising their achievement. This has been particularly successful in improving their reading skills since the previous inspection.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils make good progress because the quality of teaching has improved greatly and is now good. Teachers now have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Curriculum and lesson planning, the management of pupils’ behaviour, and the presentation of pupils’ work are of a consistently good quality in all classes.  Teaching in the Reception class is outstanding with the team ensuring activities are stimulating and pupils engaged so that individual needs of children are met. There is a good balance between adult-directed activities and those chosen by children for themselves. As a result, their development as independent learners is fostered well.  A strength of the teaching in many lessons is the organisation of activities that enthuse pupils. In one Year 6 class, for example, pupils were asked to develop an introduction to a biography. Pupils explored different celebrities and this excited and motivated them to achieve a high

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The quality of teaching is good

standard of work.  Teachers take the opportunity to plan activities that are practical. Children in the Reception class had great fun exploring melting ice in a practical and scientific way, making outstanding progress.  While teachers usually provide activities that are interesting and which fully involve and interest pupils, there are occasions when pupils spend too long listening to teachers and not enough time actively and independently involved in learning. Consequently, their attention wanders and learning is not as effective. Inspection report: Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10 January 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers check pupils’ work during lessons so they can pick up any misconceptions and adjust their plans accordingly to promote learning. They use questioning to find out what pupils know and can do. Nevertheless, such questioning is not always sharp enough in order to extend the thinking skills of different groups.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly. However, inconsistency of approaches leads to pupils not always knowing how to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons and around the school pupils are considerate, polite and friendly. Many pupils talked about how well they get on together and one typical comment was ‘we like helping each other.’ In the Reception class, children’s behaviour is impeccable.  At lunchtimes, pupils are well-mannered and most sensibly chat at the dining tables or help to clear away although sometimes the noise levels is too high. At playtimes, they behave well and line up in an orderly fashion to come back into school. Pupils are eager to take on responsibility at playtime and lunchtime, when, for example, older pupils look after younger ones.  Pupils have and appreciate the range of responsibilities they are given, including, playground, lunchtime and class prefects.  Pupils have a sound awareness of how to keep safe and say they feel very safe in school. They show a good knowledge about safety when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say bullying is rare. Parents and staff agree. There are no recorded racist incidents and there have been no exclusions. Name-calling is very rare and pupils confidently say it does not happen because of someone’s race, disability or religion.  Parents are very appreciative of the support the school provides for their children and are unanimous that the school provides good care and support.  Attendance is high. Routines are in place to check attendance and the importance of good attendance is emphasised strongly. This has resulted in year-on-year improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s ambitious vision for further improvement is shared by all leaders and the governing body. All leaders lead by example, consistently communicating high expectations to staff and channelling their efforts to good effect.  Leaders base their actions on robust self-evaluation, which gives a clear picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. As a result, there has been good improvement since the previous inspection and there is a good team to take the school forward.  The leadership of teaching, including professional development and management of teachers’ performance, has successfully improved the quality of teaching and raised pupils’ achievement, particularly in reading and mathematics.  The rigorous analysis of pupils’ attainment and progress and the introduction of half-termly meetings with senior leaders to discuss individual pupil’s progress, enable teachers to quickly

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The leadership and management are good

identify where additional help is needed. Leaders need to ensure teachers’ marking and feedback ensures all pupils know what they are to learn next.  Leaders are aware of the need to think carefully as to how they can use monitoring to improve the quality of teaching and make more lessons outstanding, particularly in respect to ensuring that teachers reduce introductions to lessons and give pupils more time to explore learning.  Staff model professional standards in all of their work and show respect and courtesy for pupils and each other. There are good relationships throughout the school and this contributes positively to pupils’ learning and development.  The promotion of equality of opportunity and the tackling of discrimination is good. The school Inspection report: Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10 January 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management are good

has rigorous systems for checking the performance and progress of different groups of pupils.  All statutory safeguarding regulations and duties are met and regularly reviewed. The school integrates issues of safety within the curriculum.  The curriculum is inspiring and well organised. It is enriched by a variety of well-attended extra- curricular activities and visits to places of educational interest. The ‘home projects’ which allow pupils to research their topics at home and ‘Fantastic Fridays’, which allow pupils to explore enterprise activities, are enjoyed by the pupils. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively.  The leadership team are aware that further work to integrate ICT into pupils’ the daily experience of the pupils will further enhance the curriculum.  The school works successfully in partnership with others, including the Hodgson Academy to

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The leadership and management are good

support the more able pupils. Involvement with parents is very positive and they are kept informed about school activities and how their children are progressing. The school works well with the local authority and is used as an example of good practice for other schools.  The governance of the school:  The governance of the school is good. Governors have played an important part in the improvement of Singleton. They have been effective in supporting the school and asking important questions about plans for future developments. They hold leaders to account and ensure that performance management takes place and links to salary progression. They are regularly updated on the quality of teaching and the training needs of staff. They are regular visitors to the school. Governors look at school assessment data and use them to make comparisons against similar schools locally and nationally. Governors make sure that money,

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The leadership and management are good

including the pupil premium funding, is used effectively to benefit pupils. They ensure that safeguarding requirements are met. Inspection report: Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10 January 2013 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. Inspection report: Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10 January 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 119560 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 401851

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alec Davies Headteacher Amanda Clayton Date of previous school inspection 12 January 2010 Telephone number 01253 882226 Fax number 01253 893461 Email address head@singleton.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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