All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Hough Green Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 4PG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 good because

 During their time in the school, all groups of pupils do not consistently achieve better than the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Not enough teaching is good or better. No outstanding teaching was observed during the inspection.  Teachers do not use assessment information consistently well to plan lessons which fully match pupils’ needs so that activities challenge them to achieve the best they can.  Marking of pupils’ work does not consistently show pupils how to improve and teachers do not provide them with enough time to act upon the advice given.  Children do not have enough opportunities in the Early Years Foundation Stage to develop the skills of exploration, investigation and independence.  The skills of school leaders, including the governors, in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning, are not fully developed.

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The school has the following strengths

 The caring leadership of the headteacher has created a happy and harmonious school.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. There is a culture of kindness and respect throughout the school.  Pupils say that they feel safe, and parents agree with this.  The curriculum provides well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Inspection report: All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 June 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 14 lessons or parts of lessons.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff, members of the governing body, parents and groups of pupils.  A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors examined the school’s own documentation relating to pupils’ progress, school self- evaluation and policies relating to safeguarding.  The inspectors listened to pupils from Years 1 and 2 read and spoke informally to pupils during playtimes and lunchtimes.  The inspectors took account of 11 responses to the on-line Parent View questionnaire.  Inspectors took account of 14 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Clare Henderson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Prydwen Elfed-Owens Additional Inspector Inspection report: All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 June 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average. (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 that are looked after.)  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is well above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in order to ensure pupils consistently achieve better than the national average in reading, writing and mathematics in all year groups by ensuring that:  assessment information is used consistently to plan lessons which fully match pupils’ needs so that activities challenge all pupils to achieve the best they can  marking of pupils’ work consistently shows them how to improve and that teachers provide pupils with enough time to act upon the advice given  the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum provides more opportunities for children to develop the skills of exploration, investigation and independence.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by ensuring that:  the skills of senior leaders in monitoring teaching and pupils’ learning are fully developed  leaders, at all levels, check the progress and quality of pupils’ work regularly  monitoring provides a sharper focus on weaknesses in teaching and learning  governors are provided with the training to challenge the school’s performance and how to reward good teaching.  An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. Inspection report: All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 June 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement for pupils requires improvement because during their time in the school not enough pupils make better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their individual starting points. This is because teachers do not consistently use assessment information to plan lessons which challenge all pupils to achieve the best they can in these subjects.  Most children start school with skills that are below those expected for their age. They make good progress in their learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage when the teacher leads the learning. However, when they play on their own, progress slows because the activities available, particularly in the outdoor area, are insufficiently stimulating to enable them to fully develop skills of exploration, investigation and independence.  Test results at the end of Year 6 in 2012 were below average in reading, writing and mathematics overall. At this time, although pupils made the progress expected for their age, not

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

enough pupils achieved better than expected, from their individual starting points. These results were lower than those achieved in 2011.  Pupils get off to a good start with their reading. The teaching of letter sounds from an early age and continuing through every year group enables pupils to tackle unfamiliar words and develop a love of reading. This was evident, for example, in Year 6 as pupils enthusiastically read and adapted, using their own ideas and words, Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make expected progress from their individual starting points. However, not enough pupils make better than expected progress.  Pupils who benefit from the pupil premium make similar, and in some cases, better progress compared to other pupils in the school because money is spent wisely on meeting their individual needs. The school promotes equality of opportunity well for this group of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The attainment of the pupils known to be eligible for free school meals in 2012 in English and mathematics was half a term above the pupils who were not eligible for free school meals. There is evidence to show gaps in attainment between these and other pupils in each year group in the school are closing rapidly and, in some year groups, pupils eligible for free school meals do better than the other pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although the quality of teaching observed during the inspection was generally good, it is not consistently good over time. This is because teachers do not always plan lessons which ensure all pupils make better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics and thereby achieve as well as they can.  Furthermore, leaders do not regularly check that pupils are achieving the best they can by monitoring the work in their books.  The quality of verbal feedback provided by teachers and support staff in lessons is good. The quality of the marking found in pupils’ books is variable. At its best, pupils are given clear guidance in what they need to do to improve their work and they are also provided with the time to do this. However, this is not consistent throughout the school.  The teaching of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium money is managed well and enables them to make at least the same and often better rates of progress than other groups of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

pupils.  Parents say, and the inspection agrees, that care for those with special educational needs is good because all adults ensure pupils receive the correct support to match their needs. As a result, these pupils have equal opportunities and potential discrimination is tackled soundly. June 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Among the positive features of all teaching are the strong relationships and care between adults and pupils which are evident throughout the school.  Teachers generally have good subject knowledge and plan interesting lessons, often using a good range of visits and visitors to enhance pupils’ life experiences. This was evident in a Year 2 mathematics lesson in which information from the class topic, ‘The American Indians’ was used well in capturing pupils, imagination as they calculated which would be the shortest of two routes needed to find the ‘buffalo’ hidden in the playground.  The use of regular homework, including opportunities to read at home, is used well to extend pupils’ reading skills and to foster good home/school relationships.  Specialist teachers are used well to extend pupils, musical and sporting skills. For instance, pupils in Year 4 were observed enthusiastically and skilfully playing guitars.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they enjoy school; they attend regularly and feel safe because ‘everyone helps one another here’. Their enjoyment of school has a positive effect, particularly on their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  School records and pupils’ behaviour in classrooms and around the school show that this is typically good in classes and over time. The school is welcoming and calm, and pupils fully understand the importance of good behaviour. Parents who responded at the time of the inspection raised no concerns about their children’s well-being or safety.  Pupils feel adults listen to them and value what they have to say. They enthusiastically welcome the responsibilities given to them, such as being school councillors or buddies in Year 6 for the younger pupils. Such roles help them to learn to act responsibly and to support each other’s learning well.  Pupils are happy to conform to the school rules which they say help them to keep safe. Systems

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

for recording and for following up any incidents of misbehaviour are consistent and secure.  Pupils are proud of their school. They enthusiastically sang hymns in assembly and were keen to tell the inspectors about the new trim trail which helps them to keep fit and healthy.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school and understand how to keep safe. They say ‘any adult would help if you had a problem’ and that adults have helped them to understand how to take care of themselves on the roads or when using the internet.  Pupils have a good understanding of the different types of bullying and say that staff deal swiftly and successfully with any of the rare incidents that arise.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, care and welfare are good. The children play happily together and are pleased to talk about their learning.  Pupils have a good understanding of right and wrong behaviour and, through regular partner

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and group times in lessons, learn to listen to and respect each other’s point of view.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although leadership, including that by the governors, requires improvement, the caring headteacher ensures that pupils’ well-being is central to all the school’s work.  This vision is shared by all staff and the governing body and, within this happy school, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development flourish.  While senior leaders and governors have worked hard to develop this compassionate school, they have not fully checked that pupils are learning as well as they could through regular and rigorous monitoring of their work or of the quality of the teaching they receive.  Staff are keen to say that senior leaders have encouraged them to improve their teaching skills through a good range of professional development opportunities.  Through strong partnerships with schools both locally and through links with a school in Uganda, June 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management requires improvement

pupils learn to appreciate and understand other cultures and traditions.  Since the last inspection, the school has at times worked with the local authority to improve the quality of teaching and, more recently, to appoint a new headteacher for September 2013.  The curriculum covers all the necessary subjects effectively. It promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well because good opportunities for pupils to extend their artistic, musical and sporting skills are built into learning within the curriculum.  Parents say they are well-informed about the work of the school because of the regular letters the school send home and the work of the very approachable office staff.  The governance of the school:  Governors are supportive and keen to fulfil their role in challenging school performance. However, vacancies and changes within the governing body have slowed this process.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Through regular reports presented by the headteacher and weekly meetings between the recently appointed Chair of the governing body, they have been involved in processes to check the quality of pupils’ learning and teachers’ performance, including that of the headteacher. Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements and governors carry out regular checks to make sure pupils are kept safe. Although systems for reviewing and managing the schools’ finances are secure, governors do not have enough involvement in checking with leaders how effectively the extra pupil premium is being used to support pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their learning . Inspection report: All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 June 7 of 9

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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. Inspection report: All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 18–19 June 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 131217 Local authority Halton Inspection number 412262

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 171 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair F Dalglish Headteacher J Forrest Date of previous school inspection 14 June 2010 Telephone number 01512572450 Fax number 01512572451 Email address head.allsaintsupton@halton.gov.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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