Woodplumpton St Anne's CofE Primary School

Woodplumpton St Anne's CofE Primary School Woodplumpton Road, Woodplumpton, Preston, Lancashire, PR4 0NE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Pupils do well. By the end of Year 6, most are attaining higher than expected standards and nearly all have made better than average progress.  Many pupils of all ages excel in mathematics. Their reading develops well, especially in Key Stage 2.  Pupils particularly enjoy mathematics and science because they like the way they are encouraged to learn by solving problems and working things out for themselves.  Teaching and learning are good; some teaching is outstanding, anything less than good is rare.  Staff take huge pride in creating stimulating and bright classrooms in which pupils enjoy learning.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The pupils are a delight; they behave exceptionally well. Pupils say they are happy, feel safe and look forward to coming to school. Nearly all parents agree.  Leadership, management and governance are good. Teachers are set clear targets for

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improvement and are given good training opportunities to help improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ standards even further. Safety requirements are met fully.  Pupils are very well prepared for moving on to their next schools.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In writing, pupils, especially the more able, are not given enough opportunities to find out more things for themselves or to think more carefully about what and how they are learning.  Some of the older pupils tend to be careless in their spelling and use of capital letters.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nearly all teachers and saw substantial parts of nine lessons.  Meetings were held with senior staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  Many informal discussions took place with staff and pupils.  The inspector took into account the views of 17 parents who responded to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the views of others who made contact by telephone.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work and records of their past and current progress.  Documents relating to behaviour, safeguarding, attendance, school improvement and self- evaluation were analysed.

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Inspection team

Alastair Younger, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average size primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is smaller than average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus and through a statement of special educational needs are smaller than average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium (extra funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those who are looked after by the local authority) is smaller than the national average.  The large majority of pupils are White British.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The headteacher was absent during the inspection. In her absence the assistant headteacher, with support from the local authority and an associate headteacher managed the inspection on

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Help pupils to make even better progress in writing by: – giving pupils, especially the more able, more opportunities to find out more things for themselves and to think more carefully about what and how they are learning – making it very clear to pupils which words are so often used or so important that they must be spelled correctly every time they are used. For older pupils these should include things such as the name of their own school, days of the week and the months of the year – ensuring pupils of all ages always use capital letters correctly, especially for proper nouns and after full stops.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Reception class with skills that are broadly as expected for their age. Attainment at the end of Year 6 is much better than the national average. This shows that pupils are making good progress.  Progress in mathematics is particularly strong. Teaching and learning in this subject have been the focus of school improvement for the past two years. Many pupils say it is their favourite subject, they like the way it is taught and they know it is the subject in which they are doing best. They particularly like the way they are encouraged to investigate and solve problems in mathematics using the skills they have been taught earlier.  Reading is usually well taught and pupils make good progress, especially in Key Stage 2. In the national screening test for phonics (letters and the sounds they make) at the end of Year 1 last year, results were about average but attainment in reading by the end of Year 2 is above

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The achievement of pupils is good

average.  Progress in writing is good, but not as good as in mathematics and reading. Pupils meet their writing targets but not enough exceed them. Pupils develop a good vocabulary and write imaginatively, often with very neat handwriting. Too often though, they just do as they are told rather than being given a freer rein to use their intelligence, for instance, by presenting work in a more innovative or personal way. Some writing is careless. In one piece of work, nearly a half of the class had not written the name of their school correctly, some mis-spelt it, others used capital letters seemingly randomly.  Children in the Reception class make good progress but some learning activities tend to be led and dominated by adults rather than children being encouraged to learn more independently. The same is happening in writing with Year 5/6 pupils.  No group of pupils, including those know to be eligible for free school meals (those in receipt of

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupil premium funding), achieves consistently differently to any other. In many year groups the sample of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, for special educational needs support or having a minority ethnic heritage often amounts to a single pupil. Differences in bigger groups, such as boys and girls are no more predictable because results for a single pupil can cause a 10% change in average results. For all pupils though, their progress is very carefully checked on an individual basis and appropriate support is given when needed for either academic or emotional reasons. This ensures that all pupils are given equal opportunities to thrive.  A strength of the school is that pupils make good progress across a much wider range of subjects than those where progress is reported on in national league tables and official documents. This means that pupils are receiving a very well rounded education. A wonderful

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The achievement of pupils is good

example of this was in a Year 5/6 music lesson, where pupils were being encouraged to ‘feel’ the music and gain an all-round experience of it rather than just learning dry facts about it. Here was an example of pupils’ spiritual and cultural needs being met exceptionally well.  The all-round progress that pupils make, coupled with their outstanding personal development means that they are exceptionally well prepared for moving on to their next schools.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is usually good, a little is outstanding and anything less than good is rare. Teachers are very conscientious and aware of their importance in promoting spiritual, moral, social and cultural values alongside the learning that contributes to pupils’ progress.  Classroom displays are of a very high standard. They include lots of valuable guidance and information alongside displays of pupils’ work that strongly celebrate achievement. All in all, the way teachers organise their classrooms is appreciated by pupils and contributes significantly to pupils’ enjoyment of school and the progress they make.  Teachers are very adaptable. Most share teaching responsibilities with others and share expertise across different classes. This brings a particularly good variety to teaching and learning. Underpinning this is a strong sense of consistency and teamwork and the understanding all staff share about individual pupils and their circumstances.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Science is nearly always taught through investigational and practical work. Mathematics teaching focuses very strongly on practical work, the use of good quality resources and a strong focus on problem solving. Pupils very much like this and respond well by making particularly good progress. The teaching of English is less adventurous. It is more predictable and less fun. In an otherwise very well-taught English lesson, it soon became clear that all ten pairs of pupils were going to end up with a very similar and predictable version of a new school brochure rather than being encouraged to take chances and be innovative in their work.  Teachers plan lessons well and take great care to check carefully the progress of individual pupils. Most marking is good and nearly all includes helpful comments to help pupils improve their work. There is an over-tolerance of careless mistakes in pupils’ writing. While it could be

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The quality of teaching is good

discouraging to pupils if every mistake was pointed out, teachers do not show sufficient awareness about certain ‘non negotiables’ that ought to always be pointed out because they could easily affect test results.  Teaching assistants are well briefed before lessons and contribute well to pupils’ learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are delightful. They behave exceptionally well. They show a particularly good awareness and are polite to visitors while remaining inquisitive about their purpose. Pupils clearly know they are getting a good deal day-in and day-out. They show pride in their achievements, which, apart from their learning, include older pupils looking after younger ones in the playground and tidying up the Reception children’s cloakroom. Here are examples of pupils’ exceptional moral and social development.  Pupils are enthusiastic learners. They work hard, listen well and when given the opportunity they use initiative.  Attendance is above average. Pupils are happy about coming to school, feel they are safe and are confident that if they have problems then staff will help them out. When the attendance of any pupil is seen to be slipping the school’s response is quick and effective. Sometimes this involves very prudent use of the pupil premium funding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Very occasionally, the behaviour of an individual with specific problems causes concern among a tiny minority of parents. The school works very effectively to reassure these parents that everything possible is being done to minimise the effect of misbehaviour on their own children. Nearly all parents are very reassured.  There are very few instances of serious misbehaviour on record and the school has not needed to exclude any pupil in recent years. There is no physical bullying but there is a bit of arrogance in a tiny minority of pupils, which leads to insensitive behaviour on very rare occasions. This is very well dealt with by staff.  When given the chance, nearly all pupils appreciate being given responsibility for their own learning. A few are not always as forthcoming with their own ideas, for instance in writing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Even in the absence of the headteacher, the school functions smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Systems have been evolved with the full agreement and contribution of all staff. There is a tremendous singularity of purpose and teamwork within the school that is exceptional.  A good programme of training is in place to help staff and governors improve their practice. Nearly all of this is provided by the local authority. There is a good focus on promoting pupils’ learning. Staff and governors are encouraged to bear in mind their other responsibilities, such as the safeguarding and care of pupils and the support for them. Teachers are left in no doubt about what they have to do to gain promotion or an increase in salary and are set challenging targets to achieve it. In this way, reward is closely linked to performance.  This year, the main focus for improvement is the teaching of writing. The school knows that this

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The leadership and management are good

is a priority but has been wisely determined to consolidate improvements in mathematics before shifting its focus.  There are good systems in place to make sure that the good standard of teaching and learning is maintained. Over the past year, and with a very stable staff these have become more informal because senior staff, including the headteacher have become more involved in teaching and, therefore, visit all classes on a regular basis, see what pupils are learning and often share the teaching. The local authority keeps a close eye on standards. It recognises that, while being convincingly good, it could be even better.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning within the school and the progress that pupils are making. The Chair of the Governing Body in particular, is a regular visitor and many governors have specific responsibilities, such

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The leadership and management are good

as for numeracy, literacy and special educational needs, which they oversee well. Within a tightly managed budget, governors make sure that reward for improvement in teaching is hard earned but fair. Governors also ensure that all safeguarding requirements are met. Many governors bring valuable, specialist expertise including finance, human resources and health and safety. Governors have been careful to make sure that the pupil premium funding is appropriately spent and approve the way it is used to broaden individual pupils’ experiences, and improve their attendance.

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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 119576 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 403398

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 93 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jonathan Taylor Headteacher Claire Tuffin Date of previous school inspection 22 November 2007 Telephone number 01772 690460 Fax number 01772 690460 Email address bursar@woodplumpton-st-annes.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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