Haslam Park Primary School

Haslam Park Primary School Wigan Road, Bolton, Lancashire, BL3 5QL

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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.  This is a very happy and caring school. Pupils thrive within a calm and purposeful learning environment.  Achievement has improved since the previous inspection. Pupils throughout the school make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and standards have risen at the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2.  Teaching is good. Pupils are interested in lessons, enjoy learning and try their best.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are thoughtful, respectful and have a clear understanding of right and wrong.  Pupils feel safe in school. Parents are confident that their children are well cared for.  The headteacher provides strong leadership. Her drive and determination have led to better teaching and improvements in pupils’ achievement over the past three years. The school is well placed to improve further.  The governing body provides a good level of challenge and support to the school because

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

governors believe that nothing but the best is good enough for the pupils. The governing body has, therefore, helped the school to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching. Occasionally, progress in lessons slows when pupils are not given enough time to fully develop their learning.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills in their topic work.  Pupils do not have enough opportunity to develop and use their information and communication technology (ICT) skills in their other work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 16 lessons. In addition, they observed the teaching of small groups of pupils receiving extra support for English and mathematics.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils and to parents as they brought their children to school in the morning. They took account of responses to the school’s parental questionnaires but there were insufficient responses from parents to the online (Parent View) survey.  Meetings were held with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body, staff and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including those relating to child protection and safety, the school’s monitoring of teaching and school improvement.  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

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Inspection team

Andrew Morley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Ellwood Additional Inspector David Halford Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Haslam Park is an average-sized primary school that serves the immediate area on the outskirts of Bolton.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, which in this school provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are both average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is much higher than in most schools, as is the proportion of pupils new to learning English.  The school has several awards, including Artsmark and Healthy School Status.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality and consistency of teaching from good to outstanding by:  ensuring that pupils are always given the time they need in lessons to fully develop their learning  providing more opportunities for pupils to be independent and investigate so that they take more responsibility for their own learning  making full use of opportunities for teachers to share and benefit from the school’s existing outstanding teaching and that of partner schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills in a wider range of subjects, and make more effective use of ICT to support their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school with skills and knowledge that are generally below and, increasingly, well below those typically expected for their age. Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because they are well supported and guided in their learning. They work and play well together, taking turns and sharing fairly. Children grow in confidence, are eager to explore the exciting activities available and enjoy learning.  At Key Stage 1 pupils continue to show very positive attitudes in lessons. They are eager to learn and keen to cooperate and make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Achievement by the end of Key Stage 2 has improved in all areas since the previous inspection and is now good. Most pupils make good progress across Key Stage 2 because the quality of English and mathematics teaching is good. The school has improved strategies for teaching mathematics and there is evidence of improved attainment in all Key Stage 2 classes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has worked hard to improve the quality and consistency of writing, which is now good across the school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the well-targeted extra support they receive. Their individual needs are identified early and a variety of extra activities put into place to help them to catch up. Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those new to speaking English make the same good rate of progress as other groups, reflecting the school’s good promotion of equality of opportunity.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals also receive additional support where needed. Test results and pupil progress data show that this effective support helps these pupils to do as well as others in the school. This is the case in both English and mathematics and, consequently, the gap between their attainment and that of other groups is narrowing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has worked hard to ensure all pupils are achieving well in reading and this has paid off, with pupils making better progress and demonstrating good comprehension skills. Most pupils have a good knowledge of the sounds that letters make (phonics) and know how to ‘break words down’ when they are unsure about new vocabulary. Teachers work well in partnership with parents to improve further the quality of pupils’ reading. The best readers are fluent and read with expression.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good across the school. Teaching is typified by strong relationships, effective behaviour management and learning activities that help to promote pupils’ engagement and interest. When pupils progress most rapidly and teaching is at its best, pupils have regular opportunities to work collaboratively. In these lessons teachers have high expectations and good subject expertise and pupils have a good understanding of how to improve their work.  Teachers plan work well for pupils’ ability levels because they make good use of information about what pupils already know and understand. Consequently, the tasks and activities are mostly at the right level of difficulty, neither too hard nor too easy.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good, with the team ensuring activities are stimulating and pupils engaged so that the individual needs of children are met. For example,

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils made good progress in their exploration of how plants grow because there was good guidance to ensure the children were focused on the development of language.  A strength of the teaching in many lessons is the organisation of activities that enthuse pupils and set out at the start of the lesson what is expected of them. In one Year 3 and 4 class, for example, pupils made outstanding progress in their understanding of division, which was supported by high-quality work in their books.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and so are able to explain ideas clearly and confidently. This was evident in a mathematics lesson for pupils in Years 5 and 6 in which they were learning to develop mental calculation skills. The pupils were confident that the teacher could help them overcome any difficulties if they arose.  All classrooms provide a stimulating and enriched place for the pupils to learn. Display is used

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The quality of teaching is good

effectively to celebrate achievement and to support learning.  Pupils are committed to their work and take pride in their work. However, they do not yet have enough opportunities to use ICT confidently to develop skills and support their learning across the curriculum, such as in history and geography. Nor do they have enough opportunities to practise and develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills through their topic work.  Pupils are keen to do their best. However, in a few lessons pupils are not given enough time to work on the main purpose of the lesson and hence to extend their learning as much as they could.  Teaching assistants are used very well to support individual pupils or small groups. They have a positive effect on pupils’ learning.  Marking is used well to show pupils how improvements could be made. However, while pupils are skilled in checking aspects of their progress, teachers place insufficient emphasis on pupils’

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding of their role to take charge and be responsible for their own progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well. In lessons and around the school they are considerate, polite and friendly. In lessons they show positive attitudes to the teacher, their learning and each other. This makes a strong contribution to the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that pervades the school.  They are kind and considerate to each other and play well together. Pupils are eager to take on responsibility at playtimes and lunchtimes. For example, older pupils look after younger ones as playground leaders. They demonstrated their skill and care by helping the adults look after the younger children and organise games on the playground.  They take responsibility seriously and are proud of their contribution to the school through, for example, the school council.  Pupils spoke with great affection about their school and appreciate the diverse cultures of their friends. As one pupil said, ‘We all play well together and never fall out’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 They have good relationships with adults, feel safe and are confident that any poor behaviour is dealt with promptly and effectively.  Pupils consider behaviour to be good and are confident that any rare instances of bullying are dealt with effectively by adults. Pupils know what constitutes bullying, including cyber-bullying. There are no recorded racist incidents and there have been no exclusions. Name-calling is rare and pupils confidently say that it does not happen because of someone’s race, disability or religion.  Children with behavioural difficulties benefit from programmes tailored to their needs and this has had a positive impact upon their learning and their personal development.  The school has worked and continues to work well with parents to improve punctuality and attendance. Attendance rates have risen and persistent absence has decreased.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides good leadership and is supported well by staff, who share the same drive and ambition. This has resulted in significant improvements since the previous inspection, particularly in better rates of progress and improved teaching across the school.  Senior leaders are accurate and honest in their judgements about the school. They know what still needs to be done and have set appropriate priorities to improve the school further.  Leaders share a determination to develop teachers’ skills, in order to improve teaching further, by ensuring teachers have the opportunity to learn from the outstanding practice of their colleagues and in partner schools. This is currently not having enough impact on moving teaching to outstanding as it is not yet fully developed throughout the school. Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching in lessons and pupils’ work and provide guidance to teachers on

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The leadership and management are good

how to improve their teaching. This has helped to eliminate weak teaching. High-quality training is provided to meet whole-school and individual teachers’ needs.  The progress of individual pupils is tracked closely by leaders and teachers and all are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity. This information is used increasingly well by teachers to plan lessons that are specifically focused at the individual pupil.  The leadership team are keen to develop what is already a good curriculum. There is a strong focus on developing pupils’ basic skills of literacy and numeracy. It provides a broad range of activities which enrich pupils’ experiences both within and outside school. Pupils are very appreciative of the wide range of extra-curricular activities. The leadership team are aware of the need to develop ICT and make sure that reading and mathematics are taught more systematically across all subjects. In the Early Years Foundation Stage there is a good balance of

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The leadership and management are good

teacher-led activities and those that the children choose for themselves.  The school develops the spiritual, moral and social aspects of the pupils’ learning well. Assemblies provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on their lives and how they can help others. The pupils have opportunities to learn about other cultures through events such as ‘Black History Week’. The leadership team are keen to ensure there are increasing opportunities within the curriculum that celebrate the rich cultural diversity of the school.  The school has good links with Ladybridge High School and the work with the local cluster of schools is supporting improvements across the school.  Relationships with parents are positive and the school works hard to involve them as part of the community.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements.  The local authority has provided good support which has contributed to school improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly supportive of the school and governors question school leaders robustly. They have a thorough understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and are confident in their knowledge of data on the school’s performance. Governors understand fully what the pupil premium grant is for and that performance management must support improvement in the quality of teaching and be linked to any pay rises. Governors take up training opportunities and are willing to undertake more in order to further improve their skills. They are aware of the quality of teaching. They make sure that all statutory responsibilities, including budgetary and safeguarding, meet requirements.

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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 105168 Local authority Bolton Inspection number 400762

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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 290 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rita Garthwaite Headteacher Mya Bradbury Date of previous school inspection 9 December 2009 Telephone number 01204 333393 Fax number 01204 333396 Email address office@haslam-park.bolton.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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