St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School

St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School Hallfold, Hall Street, Whitworth, Rochdale, OL12 8TL.

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not a good school because:

 Inconsistency in the quality of teaching means pupils do not make good progress or achieve well over time.  Teachers do not always provide work that matches pupils’ ability and marking is not used consistently to precisely show pupils how to improve.  There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to work things out for themselves.  Pupils are not adept at using punctuation, spelling and grammar accurately and do not have enough opportunity to write at length in different subjects.  Pupils’ ability to apply their mathematical calculation skills to solve number problems is not well enough developed.  The checks made on the quality of teaching lack sufficient rigour.  School development planning is not focused tightly enough on raising pupils’ achievement.  The governing body has not systematically challenged senior leaders since the previous inspection in order to improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Improvements made by the interim headteacher are being successfully built upon by the current headteacher, who has high ambitions for the school.  Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils’ progress accelerates in Years 4, 5 and 6 because of good teaching in these classes.  Behaviour is good, with pupils being polite and considerate. Pupils say they feel safe in school.  There is good promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The curriculum is effectively enriched by extra- curricular activities and educational visits.  The governing body and leaders make sure that safeguarding requirements are met.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 10 lessons or parts of lessons taught by seven teachers. All of these were joint observations with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with the members of the governing body, parents, staff, pupils and representatives of the local authority.  The inspector observed the school's work, and looked at school documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, records of meetings of the governing body, assessment information and curriculum planning. Work in pupils’ books and displays around the school were examined. The inspector listened to groups of pupils read.  Account was taken of the 10 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in carrying out the inspection.

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Inspection team

Melvyn Hemmings, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Bartholomew’s is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There is an above average proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average, as is that of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  An interim headteacher was in post from September 2012 until Easter 2013, when the current headteacher was appointed.  There is a children’s centre onsite and a privately managed breakfast club is provided for pupils in

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Information about this school

the school. Both of these are subject to separate inspections and the reports published on the Ofsted website.  The school has gained a number of national awards, including the Physical Education Award Gold, and holds Healthy School status.

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What does the school need to do to improve further

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is good or better by:  making sure that pupils are always given work that that is matched to their ability so it is not too easy or too hard  ensuring that teachers use marking consistently to show pupils precisely how to improve  teachers providing pupils with sufficient opportunity to work things out for themselves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further

 Raise pupils’ achievement in writing and mathematics by:  improving pupils’ abilty to use punctuation, spelling and grammar accurately  providing sufficient opportunties for pupils to write at length in different subjects  improving pupils’ problem solving skills in mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further

 Improve leadership and management by:  rigorously checking the quality of teaching to provide precise areas for development and ensuring that teachers respond to them successfully  improving school development planning so it is tightly focused on raising pupils’ achievement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further

 An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children make good progress and achieve well from their skills on entry, which are below those typical for their age. In Years 1 to 6 progress and achievement are not good overall because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. Pupils make better progress in Years 4, 5 and 6 because teaching is stronger in these classes.  By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics is broadly average.  Attainment in reading is average at the end of Key Stage 1 and by the time pupils leave school. Recent improvements to the way pupils are taught to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to read unfamiliar words are accelerating progress but have not had time to impact fully on attainment.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage enjoy their activities and grow in confidence as they learn to make choices for themselves. They work well together, sharing equipment and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

taking turns fairly.  In Years 1 to 6, pupils are enthusiastic and eager to do well. They collaborate well, concentrate for lengthy periods and show interest in the views of others.  Pupils’ writing is creative but lacks accuracy in the use of correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to write at length in different subjects to practice and improve their writing skills.  Pupils’ have secure calculation skills across the four rules of number. However, they are not adept at applying these to solve number problems in real-life situations.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the same progress as other pupils because of the extra support they are given.  The interim headteacher improved the way funding for pupils eligible for the pupil premium is used to raise their attainment in English and mathematics and this is continuing. Consequently,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

small group and individual support is more effective in accelerating the progress of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. This demonstrates the school’s successful promotion of equality of opportunity. Although their attainment in English and mathematics is lower than other pupils in school, by about two terms, the gap between them is narrowing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In teaching that requires improvement, pupils are not given activities that match their ability and are too hard for some and too easy for others. Marking is not used effectively to provide pupils with the precise next steps they need to take to improve their learning. Teachers provide too much direction and not enough opportunity for pupils to work things out for themselves.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults provide activities that effectively meet children’s individual needs. They use information about how well children have learned to help them plan future lessons. There is a good balance between activities led by adults and those chosen by children.  In Years 1 to 6, the good teaching, mostly evident in Years 4, 5 and 6, is characterised by teachers having secure subject knowledge that enables them to ask searching questions to find out what pupils know and to deepen their understanding. Teachers make clear to pupils what

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

they are to learn and check their understanding as lessons progress. Pupils are given time to think about what they have learned and how they might do better.  Such teaching was evident in a mathematics lesson for pupils in Years 5 and 6 in which they made good progress in learning how to solve problems involving ratio and proportion.  Teaching assistants are generally deployed well to provide extra support for all pupils, particularly disabled pupils, pupils eligible for the pupil premium and those who have special educational needs. It enables them to make the same progress as other pupils.  Teachers promote pupils’ spiritual and moral development well by encouraging them to reflect about the world around them and by high expectation of their behaviour. They foster pupils’ social and cultural development by giving them opportunity to work collaboratively and to learn about different cultures.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ show respect and consideration for others. They are well behaved, polite and courteous. Their behaviour ensures that lessons run smoothly with minimum disturbance to learning. Pupils say that behaviour is good, though some pupils misbehave at times in lessons.  Pupils know about the different kinds of bullying, including cyber and physical, and are adamant that no bullying occurs. They are confident that staff would deal with any such behaviour promptly if it did. The views of pupils, parents and staff and scrutiny of behaviour logs confirm that behaviour is good and has been so over time.  There is a good knowledge among pupils of how to keep themselves and others safe. They understand the dangers relating to roads, railways and water and what they need to do if approached by a stranger. The curriculum is planned well to develop pupils’ understanding of these issues.  Pupils attend regularly and come to school on time. This ensures that there is no delay in

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

starting activities.  Pupils want to learn and respect the right of others to do so. The inclusive nature of the school successfully encourages pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, to support each other and take part in all activities. As a result, there is a calm atmosphere that is conducive to learning.  Pupils add to the life of the school by taking on a variety of responsibilities, such as being a school councillor. In so doing they give a voice to pupils in how the school develops. This is evident in the way that, after discussion with pupils, the council persuaded leaders to provide a wider range of equipment for use at lunchtimes.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has quickly identified the school’s strengths and weaknesses and has a very clear view of how good the school could be. The improvements made by the interim headteacher are being successfully built upon, such as by clarifying further the roles and responsibilities of senior leaders and strengthening links with parents.  Recent improvements to the management of staff performance and training of teachers and other adults, more effectively meets whole school and individual staff needs. The link between the performance of teachers and their salary increases has not been clear in the past but is now coming under close scrutiny by the headteacher.  Lesson observations have been undertaken regularly by senior leaders. They provide areas for development but lack precision in bringing about rapid improvement. Subsequent observations do not rigorously check if staff have responded positively to identified areas for development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has appropriate procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance so that the correct areas for development are prioritised. However, the plans for improvement are not tightly enough focused on raising pupils’ achievement. Nevertheless, the school’s recent track record shows sufficient ability to take it forward.  The school’s promotion of equality of opportunity and tackling of discrimination is adequate. In some areas it is proving successful, such as in improving progress made by pupils supported by the pupil premium.  The local authority has worked closely with the school since the previous inspection and is now providing lighter support as it has confidence in the school’s leadership to continue the improvement made since September 2012.  The curriculum provides a variety of interesting activities and successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is enhanced by educational visits, such as to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.  The governance of the school:  Governance requires improvement. Since the previous inspection it has not provided sufficient challenge to leaders to improve the school’s performance. However, since September 2012 the involvement of the governing body in influencing the school’s development has been improved. Members now have a clearer understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have taken part in relevant training to improve their expertise and governors ensure that safeguarding requirements are met. Governors have an accurate view of the quality of teaching. They do not yet have a full understanding of how the management of performance is used to improve staff expertise, tackle underperformance and reward good teaching. The governing body manages the budget well and is improving its ability in hold ing the school to account for the way the funding for pupils eligible for the pupil premium is used

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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 119374 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 405858

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 124 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gerald Varley Headteacher Nerys Hughes Date of previous school inspection 20 June 2011 Telephone number 01706 344631 Fax number 01706 868568 Email address head@st-bartholomews.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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