Northfold Community Primary School

Northfold Community Primary School Ringway, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, FY5 2NL

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Children have a good start to their time in school due to stimulating activities and good teaching in the Reception class.  Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 and enter Year 3 with standards that are average overall and improving due to consistently good teaching.  Pupils make good progress in Years 3 to 5 and many pupils make even better progress in Year 6 where teaching is sometimes outstanding. Consequently, standards have improved and are currently above average.  Pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs make better than expected progress as the school is very effective at supporting pupils with specific needs.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and their effective questioning encourages pupils to think carefully about their answers. This accelerates their progress.  Pupils’ behaviour is good when they work and play together. Relationships are strong. Most

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pupils are keen to learn and they treat one another and the adults in the school with respect and courtesy.  The headteacher provides strong leadership that is driving up standards and improving the quality of teaching.  Governors know the school well and provide good support and challenge for further improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in mathematics in Key Stage 2 is not as rapid as it is in reading and writing because there are not enough opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in calculations and solve mathematical problems in other subjects.  Teachers in the Reception class and Key Stage 1 do not plan enough opportunities for children to learn independently and this occasionally restricts their progress.  The quality of teachers’ marking is variable and does not always give pupils enough information on how to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons or parts of lessons of which three were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, they listened to some Year 2 and Year 6 pupils read and observed teaching assistants working with pupils both in and out of lessons.  Inspectors spoke to a range of pupils, including the school council, about their work and play in school.  They met with four members of the governing body as well as teaching staff, senior and middle leaders and the learning mentor. They also met with a local authority representative.  Inspectors took account of the 27 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 27 responses to the staff questionnaire. They also looked at the school’s parent and pupil questionnaires and spoke informally with some parents.  They observed the overall work of the school including its improvement plan and systems for checking pupils’ progress. They also looked at documents, including those relating to

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors also looked at a wide range of other evidence including pupils’ current work in books and displays across the school.

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Inspection team

Janette Corlett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Elisabeth Fenwick Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below average and the proportion at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  Most pupils are from a White British background and no child is at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language.  The school currently meets the government’s floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A breakfast and after school club operates on the school site.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is outstanding by:  providing a better balance between adult-led sessions and those where pupils play and learn independently in lessons in the Reception class and Key Stage 1  ensuring that teachers’ marking is of a consistently high quality in all year groups and gives pupils specific information on how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics in Key Stage 2 by:  ensuring that pupils have sufficient opportunities to practise their skills in calculations and to solve mathematical problems in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good and improving because teachers expect pupils to do their very best and ensure that tasks are usually well matched to pupils’ individual needs and levels of ability.  While there is some variation from year to year, children usually join the Reception class with skills that are slightly below those typical for their age. They make good progress because of effective teaching in a safe and stimulating environment. Pupils continue this good progress in Key Stage 1, particularly in reading due to the good quality teaching of the sounds that letters make (phonics). By the end of Key Stage 1 standards in reading, writing and mathematics are average.  Pupils also make good progress in Key Stage 2. However, progress in mathematics over time is not quite as strong as in reading and writing because pupils have too few opportunities to practise the skills they learn in numeracy lessons in other areas of the curriculum.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are known to be eligible for pupil premium funding make good progress. The school has worked hard to close the gap between the progress they make in English and mathematics when compared with other pupils in the school. This gap is closing rapidly due to the impact of effective, well-targeted support.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good, and sometimes better, progress as the school is committed to ensuring they receive high quality support in an exceptionally welcoming environment. Support is well planned and pupils work with teaching assistants who are skilled in meeting their needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is usually good and a growing proportion is outstanding due to the school’s actions to improve the quality of teaching. Teachers use questioning well to probe pupils’ understanding and accelerate their progress. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are well developed as pupils are encouraged to discuss and develop their thinking through working with others.  Teachers explain to pupils clearly what they are learning about in lessons and they set targets well to support pupils’ learning. Pupils use these targets as a guide and are increasingly able to assess their own learning and whether or not they have achieved their objective. For example, in one lesson in Year 6 the teacher asked each pupil to apply their writing target to improving a simple sentence and this reinforced their understanding of how to improve their work.  Teachers regularly mark pupils’ work and give frequent praise for pupils’ efforts and

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The quality of teaching is good

achievements. Sometimes teachers’ written comments do not give sufficient information on how pupils’ work can be improved and this limits the effectiveness of the marking.  Occasionally, there is not a good enough balance between teacher-led learning and pupils’ independent learning in lessons in the Reception class and Key Stage 1. This sometimes limits pupils’ progress and the development of their ability to make choices or decisions for themselves.  While mathematics skills are taught effectively in specific mathematics lessons, opportunities for pupils to develop these skills further by using them in other subjects, such as science, are sometimes missed.  The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is particularly well adapted to their needs. They receive a well-balanced programme of specific work and support that ensures they make the same good progress as their classmates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils usually behave well as they move in and around the school and in lessons. Most of them are keen to learn. They answer questions readily and contribute well to class discussions.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school because they are well supervised and trust that all the adults care for them and are willing to listen to any concerns. Pupils are confident in asking for help when it is needed.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs particularly enjoy coming to school because they are made to feel very welcome and are valued members of the school community. An example of this, seen during the inspection, was when a group of pupils in Year 3 learned sign language to help them to communicate with their friends with hearing impairments.  Parents are very supportive of the school and feel that they are well-informed about their children’s progress. They typically comment that the school is friendly and ‘just like a family’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

They say staff are approachable and that their children are eager to come to school each day. Parents particularly appreciate the headteacher being at the door each morning to welcome pupils and to talk through any concerns.  Pupils say that behaviour in the school is good and they know that they are always treated fairly. They were keen to tell inspectors that there is very little bullying of any kind in school. The school has robust procedures in place to deal with bullying and pupils have recently had training about the dangers of cyber-bullying and how to keep themselves safe from this.  Pupils appreciate the wide range of activities that the school provides before, after and during school time. Those pupils who attend the breakfast and after-school clubs enjoy the good range of activities on offer, including an eagerly anticipated special event to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  Attendance is above average and has improved over time. This is because the school has

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

worked well with parents to reduce the number of families who take holidays during school term time. It is also due to the highly effective support provided by the learning mentor to ensure that pupils attend regularly, are on time and are happy and ready to learn.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong leadership which has a positive impact on improving teaching and outcomes for pupils, as well as developing the rigorous systems which underpin the work of the school. Some school leaders are relatively new to their roles but already provide good support for improvement.  Increasingly accurate checking of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, tracking of information on pupils’ progress and comprehensive checking of the quality of teaching and learning have been key to the school’s success. The school knows itself well and has identified correctly the key areas for improvement.  Performance management has been used effectively to improve teaching and drive up standards. Teachers have clear targets for improvement that have had a positive impact on pupil outcomes. Good professional development has further supported improvements in teaching, particularly the teaching of phonics.

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The leadership and management are good

 The topic-based curriculum provides many opportunities for pupils to strengthen their reading and writing skills, although it is less successful in promoting pupils’ mathematical skills.  The curriculum is effective in promoting pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and gives pupils an ever-increasing number of memorable experiences. For example, Year 6 pupils recently visited a residential outdoor learning centre that supported their personal development and provided a stimulus for further interesting work on their return to school.  Good partnerships with a range of outside agencies are particularly effective in supporting disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. There are also strong links with the local high schools that support pupils well in moving on to the next phase in education.  School leaders have a strong commitment to making sure that pupils are safe and safeguarding

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The leadership and management are good

procedures meet requirements.  The local authority provides light touch support as appropriate to the needs of this good school.  The governance of the school:  Governors are well able to support and challenge the school. They have a good understanding of pupils’ progress and personal development and they play an increasingly effective part in improvement planning. Many governors spend time with pupils during the school day to gain first hand knowledge of pupils’ experiences. One governor attends the school council meetings and this means that pupils’ views are regularly taken into account by the full governing body. Governors are aware of the school’s arrangements for the appraisal of teaching staff. They receive appropriate information on the outcomes from this to allow them to make informed decisions on teachers’ pay and progression. While governors are aware of how the pupil premium funding has been allocated, they do not yet hold leaders to account for the impact of

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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 119290 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 403378

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 204 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Brian Eden Headteacher Alison Wilson Date of previous school inspection 20 May 2008 Telephone number 01253 854193 Fax number 01253 854193 Email address head@northfold.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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