Clayton Brook Primary School

Clayton Brook Primary School Great Greens Lane, Bamber Bridge, Preston, PR5 8HL

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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 and achieve well from starting points that are well below those expected.  Teaching is typically good. Reading is particularly well taught.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and they behave well. The few pupils who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour are helped to improve.  The headteacher, senior staff and governors have a good understanding of what the school is doing well and what needs to be developed. This has allowed them to take decisive action that has enhanced the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements resulting in a much improved school.  The well above average numbers of pupils with special educational needs receive effective support that enables them to make good progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is good rather than outstanding. Lesson introductions sometimes continue for too long.  Not enough emphasis is given to pupils using and applying their numeracy skills in solving problems.  The quality of marking is inconsistent. Also, teachers do not do enough to make sure that pupils take notice of the comments that have been made.  Opportunities are sometimes missed by senior leaders when monitoring teaching and learning to focus on how much information about pupils’ progress can be gathered from pupils’ exercise books.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 15 lessons. Additional short visits were made to lessons.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils chosen at random, members of the governing body and with senior staff. The lead inspector also had a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors heard pupils read and talked to them about the types of books they enjoy and why.  Pupils’ current work and the school’s assessment data were scrutinised along with other documents including the school’s records for monitoring teaching and behaviour logs.  There were insufficient responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) for the information to be accessible. The school had carried out its own surveys of parents’ views and this information was taken into account during the inspection.  Most members of staff completed the voluntary staff questionnaire and these were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Geoffrey Yates, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Terry Bond Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  There are very few pupils from minority ethnic heritages.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding (in this school this supports pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority) is well above average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has achieved many awards including the Race Equality award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching from good to outstanding by:  making sure lesson introductions are concise  ensuring pupils are given plenty of challenging opportunities to use and apply their numeracy skills when solving mathematical problems  making better use of marking and making sure that pupils take notice of the comments made by their teachers  ensuring senior staff focus more precisely on the work pupils have done in their exercise books when monitoring the impact of teaching on progress  sharing more the outstanding practice that exists in the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children typically join the school with very low starting points for their age, particularly in their speech and language skills and in their personal skills. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because of good teaching. There is a good balance of teacher-led work and opportunities for children to make their own choices both inside the classroom and outside. For example, many activities are available that develop children’s reading and writing skills. Children were keen to tell an inspector that the word ‘ring’ included the combination of letters that they had learned about that morning. However, by the time they enter Year 1, children’s skills are still below those that are expected for their age.  At the end of Year 2 attainment has been below average for a number of years but in 2012 it improved to average. This represents good progress. The school’s tracking system and

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The achievement of pupils is good

inspection evidence demonstrates that good achievement has been maintained across Key Stage 1 but progress in mathematics is not quite as strong as progress in reading and writing.  Good progress continues in Key Stage 2 but whilst attainment is improving it is just below average in English and mathematics by the time pupils leave. Nevertheless, pupils make good progress during their time in school, often from very low starting points. Inspection evidence demonstrates that the attainment gap is narrowing and pupils are catching up with their peers nationally.  In literacy lessons teachers are helping pupils to improve their writing skills. For example, pupils in a lower Key Stage 2 lesson keenly discussed their ideas about how metaphors and similes might be used to improve their writing and then used them well to make their work more exciting.  While pupils are given plenty of opportunities to improve their basic number knowledge in

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The achievement of pupils is good

mathematics lessons they do not always confidently apply their numeracy skills when they are asked to solve problems. For example, Year 5 pupils cannot mentally calculate the missing angle in triangle, when given information about the other two angles.  Throughout the school, good progress is made in reading. Pupils say they enjoy reading and achieve well. The effective teaching of phonics (linking sounds and letters) is making sure that younger pupils are improving their early reading skills and by the end of both Years 2 and 6, pupils’ current attainment in reading is broadly in line with the national average.  The school makes good use of the extra money from pupil premium funding to enhance the learning opportunities of the pupils. This includes, where required, pupils being given additional support in class or in withdrawal groups. As a result, these pupils make the same good progress as others both in English and in mathematics. Although in previous years the attainment of

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils who were known to be eligible for free school meals was below that of other pupils the gap has been reduced significantly. The school’s records indicate that currently there is no significant difference between the attainments of pupils eligible for free school meals and that of other pupils in English and mathematics.  The very high number of pupils with disabilities or special educational needs receive very well organised, regular and well-targeted support which enables them to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know pupils very well. Since the last inspection a robust programme of monitoring by senior leaders has led to a successful programme of professional development to support areas of teaching weakness. As a result teaching has improved. It is of a good quality with some teaching being outstanding.  The very good relationships between staff and pupils ensure a very good atmosphere for learning. Good use of assessment information makes sure that the work is well matched to pupils’ needs. Teachers make good use of questioning to check out pupils’ understanding.  The work of support staff is important in helping pupils with special educational needs both in class and in small groups to make good progress. A good emphasis is placed on developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills and this is helping pupils become increasingly confident in using these skills.  The teachers’ excellent understanding of the needs of children in the Early Years Foundation

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The quality of teaching is good

Stage ensures that children make good progress. Children are encouraged to be independent. Resources both inside and outside are used successfully to extend children’s skills. For example, children were asked to count the number of children riding on a toy broom stick and if one child dismounted how many would be left.  In Years 1 to 6, teachers expect pupils to achieve and behave well; as a result, lessons generally run smoothly. The school’s behaviour management plan is implemented effectively and with the minimum of fuss, despite some pupils having the potential to present some very challenging behaviour. However, occasionally teachers talk for too long at the beginning of lessons resulting in pupils not having enough time to work things out for themselves.  Reading is taught well across the school. This is because teachers are skilled in helping pupils develop their reading skills and provide sufficient time in lessons for pupils to read. Teachers

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The quality of teaching is good

ensure that pupils are given good opportunities to extend their writing skills.  Where teaching is outstanding, teachers recognise when pupils are not learning as well as they might and make changes so that their progress is rapid rather than good. Teachers work very successfully to provide activities that make learning interesting.  There is inconsistency in the quality of marking. Pupils’ books are marked regularly and marking is sometimes of a good quality but not always so. Teachers do not always check that their comments have been responded to.  Teachers promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The importance of respecting others and being fair to everyone is a key part of what the school sets out to do.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 This is a school where all members of staff are acutely aware that they must not only meet the academic needs of the pupils but also their personal needs, with such a high number of pupils with social and emotional issues. This they do exceedingly well. This is a key factor in ensuring that pupils make good progress.  Pupils want to achieve well. Older pupils respond well to the opportunities provided for them to take on school responsibilities. These include being a member of the school council or helping to serve out salad at lunch-time  Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good overall. Incidents of unacceptable behaviour are dealt with very well. Pupils are mostly polite and are willing to share their experiences about school. For example, they enjoy learning to play the recorder and attending the breakfast club.  Parents who completed the school’s own questionnaire were confident that the school provides a

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

safe environment and that pupils enjoy school and behave well. A scrutiny of records and observations during the inspection confirms their views are correct and demonstrate that behaviour over time is good overall  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe and are confident that any issues they raise will be dealt with promptly by the school. They recognise dangers when using the internet and know how to avoid these problems. One very young child commented, ‘There are things on the internet that we must not look at’. Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying. They are confident that should any ever occur, adults would deal with it quickly, fairly and firmly.  Attendance has improved and is now broadly average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leadership team, well supported by governors and staff, promote a clear vision for the development of the school. They work well as a team ensuring that the school provides high-quality care, which makes certain that pupils feel safe and greatly enjoy school.  The school has an accurate view of itself. There are good systems in place to monitor the delivery of lessons but the school needs to look at pupils’ work in exercise books more in order to check the impact of teaching on the amount of progress made by pupils.  The performance management of staff is rigorous, effective, and successfully links outcomes for pupils to teachers’ pay. Actions taken have led to improvements so that teaching is now good. Teachers and teaching assistants receive helpful training that is targeted on those areas where improvement is needed. However, not enough is done to share the outstanding practice in

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The leadership and management are good

teaching that exists in the school.  The management structure is effective and leaders at all levels have been instrumental in implementing initiatives to improve the quality of education pupils’ receive. These initiatives include before and after school activities that are well attended.  All pupils have an equal chance to succeed without discrimination. The school celebrates the differences between pupils from all backgrounds and abilities, and meets all requirements for safeguarding children.  Staff strongly promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through the well planned curriculum. There are whole school topics that enable pupils to experience a wide range of activities.  The local authority has contributed well to the improvements made by helping to check teaching and learning and now provides ‘light-touch’ support.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

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The leadership and management are good

The governing body discharges all its legal responsibilities well. Governance has improved since the previous inspection and is now good. Through their four main committees they make sure that all aspects of school life are discussed fully during meetings, with pupils’ achievements central to the work of the ‘Raising Achieving committee.’ As such, they have a good understanding of the school’s performance data and are rightly proud of the improvements made since the previous inspection. Governors keep a close check on the school’s budget, making sure that, for example, pupil premium money is used to good effect. Governors have a good understanding of how performance management is carried out and how good teaching is linked to pay awards. They help to make sure that teaching that is less successful is addressed.

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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 119331 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 401831

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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 199 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Howard Tattersall Headteacher Sarah Sadler Date of previous school inspection 16 November 2009 Telephone number 01772 313878 Fax number 01772 313878 Email address head@claytonbrook.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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