Pinfold Primary School

Pinfold Primary School Pinfold Lane, Scarisbrick, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L40 8HR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Senior leaders and the governing body do not ensure that school improvement plans focus on improving the quality of teaching and pupil progress.  Members of the governing body are not sufficiently involved in checking the school’s performance. As a result, governors are not able to support and challenge the school’s senior leaders as much as they should.  Teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills across all subject areas.  Teachers and other adults sometimes give pupils too much direction. This prevents pupils from being able to fully develop their skills of working independently of adult support so that they learn as quickly as they can.  Although pupils’ work is regularly marked, teachers’ comments do not always tell them clearly enough what they need to do to improve. This limits pupils’ progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 This is a very inclusive school where every pupil is equally valued. The care and support given to pupils are first rate.  Pupils say they feel very safe in school and parents overwhelmingly support this view.  Pupils are extremely polite and courteous to each other and to adults.  Attendance has improved over recent years and is in line with the national averages.  The behaviour of pupils and their attitudes to learning are often exemplary.  Teaching is good in most aspects. This leads to almost all pupils making good progress from their starting points, at all stages throughout the school, in reading, writing and mathematics.  The curriculum provides pupils with an interesting range of subjects and topics that ensures that they enjoy school. This contributes very effectively to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed five lessons taught by two teachers. They also looked closely at the work in pupils’ books and the school’s data on pupils’ progress.  The inspectors looked closely at a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding and child protection, the school’s analysis of its performance, the school’s improvement plans and minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspectors met with two members of the governing body, school staff and had telephone conversations with a representative of the local authority and with the Chair of the Governing Body.  Inspectors talked with pupils and listened to some Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils reading.  The inspectors took account of the 26 responses from parents recorded in the online questionnaire (Parent View), together with the two letters from parents and a telephone conversation with a parent. Questionnaires completed by 12 members of staff were also taken

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Inspection team

Alan Parkinson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Chris Maloney Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Pinfold Primary is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is broadly in line with the national average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children of service families and those children that are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language are below national averages.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well above the national average. The proportion of those supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress, does not apply in this school because fewer than 11 pupils took the

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Information about this school

recent end of Key Stage 2 assessment tests.  There are two classes: one class for Reception-aged children and Year 1 and 2 pupils, and one class for pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6.  The proportion of pupils that leave or join the school at times other than the start of the Reception Year is well above average.  The school uses a local high school to provide alternative provision for some pupils.  The school accommodates a nursery and an after-school club. These are not managed by the governing body and are subject to a separate inspection.  In 2012, the school achieved the Let’s Get Cooking Golden Spoon award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, including governance, by:  ensuring that the school’s actions are carefully planned to focus on measurable improvements to the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement  ensuring that systems are in place to enable governors to more effectively check the school’s performance and provide effective support and challenge to the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that much of it is outstanding to further raise pupils’ achievement, particularly in English and mathematics, by:  ensuring that the marking of pupils’ work by teachers consistently provides pupils with clear and specific guidance on what they need to do to improve  reducing the amount of worksheets used during lessons to enable pupils to have more opportunities to work independently and practice and develop their writing skills in other subjects  reducing the amount of time that teachers and other adults explain tasks and activities to enable pupils to get on with their work and learn more rapidly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 This is a very small school where a year group may be as small as two pupils. Attainment varies widely from year to year.  Children start Reception with skills and abilities that vary but that are generally below those expected for their age. Good teaching, together with a range of stimulating and appropriate indoor and outdoor activities, enables them to make good progress from their starting points. Children clearly enjoyed learning; in one lesson children were dressed as kings and queens, from their history topic work, while developing their writing skills.  Pupils make good progress throughout the school and leave at the end of Year 6 with attainment that is broadly average and sometimes better in all areas, including English and mathematics.  In the last three years standards in mathematics have been steadily rising and in 2012, at the end of Key Stage 1, were broadly in line with those seen nationally. Standards in reading and

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The achievement of pupils is good

writing were not as strong but improved from 2011.  At the end of Year 6, standards in mathematics have been above the national average for the last three years. Standards in English have improved from being below the national average in 2011 to above in 2012.  The whole-school reading programme is very effective; it is helping pupils to develop their reading skills well. They make good use of their phonic skills (linking letters to the sounds that they make) to help them read difficult words. Pupils say they enjoy reading and read regularly at home and school. This is helping to support pupils’ learning across a range of subjects and topics.  Lesson observations, listening to pupils read and inspectors’ checks on pupils’ work confirm that pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the work in pupils’ books shows that they have too few opportunities to apply their writing skills well across

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The achievement of pupils is good

all subject areas. As a result, pupils’ achievement in writing is not as strong as it is in reading and mathematics.  Overall, disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those from minority ethnic groups receive effective support to improve their speaking, reading, writing and numeracy skills well. In such a small school, where large differences in data about pupils’ achievement can often be as a result of the performance of one pupil, there is no significant difference to the achievement between different groups of pupils across the school.  Pupils who join the school at times other than the start of Reception settle quickly into the school, due to the good support they receive, and achieve as well as other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching provides pupils with many opportunities to become actively involved in lessons. Teachers’ good subject knowledge enables them to explain well and extend pupils’ understanding. Pupils respond well to effective questioning that encourages them to think for themselves. Teachers use a wide range of resources, including information and communication technology, to help pupils learn well.  On some occasions, pupils receive too much direction from teachers and other adults because they spend too much time talking and explaining work to pupils. This prevents pupils from being able to develop their skills to work independently of adult support and learn more quickly.  Teachers sometimes make too much use of worksheets during lessons. This limits the opportunities for pupils to apply and develop their writing skills further.  Teaching contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development through

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The quality of teaching is good

activities such as school assemblies, links with the local community, school trips and by encouraging cooperation and very effective group working.  Pupils’ work is regularly marked with the majority of written comments using praise to encourage. However, teachers do not always provide pupils with clear and specific written comments on what they need to do to improve. This means opportunities to take learning even further are missed.  Teaching assistants are used well and make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly the disabled or those with special educational needs and those identified by the school for additional support. This enables them to make progress that is consistent with all other pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils in lessons and around the school is impeccable. Pupils are extremely polite and well mannered and are very welcoming towards visitors.  Pupils say they feel safe because they are well cared for by teachers and other adults. They show exceptionally caring attitudes towards each other. Pupils also learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, they learn about road safety, how to use the internet safely and learn how to swim.  Pupils display extremely positive attitudes towards school. Pupils say they enjoy learning and are proud of their school. This view is supported by the vast majority of parents  The school has developed extremely strong links with parents and the local community. For example, the school holds a ‘Dads and Lads cookery’ session on Saturday mornings for which it has received the Let’s Get Cooking Golden Spoon award.  The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop as responsible individuals. Some

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

pupils make a significant contribution to the school community by taking on positions of responsibility such as the playground leaders and as members of the pupil council. Members of the pupil council work hard to raise money for additional equipment and to support charities such as Tickled Pink and Children in Need.  The responses to Parent View and the views of parents spoken to during the inspection are extremely positive. They indicate that parents overwhelmingly agree that pupils behave well in school, that they are not bullied and that they are well cared for at school. Parents say that they are extremely happy with the education and overall support given to their children by the school.  The school provides some alternative provision for some pupils at a local high school to help prepare them to move to the next stage of their education. This support given to pupils shows the school’s commitment to offering an equal opportunity to all its pupils and ensures that they

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

all achieve well.  Attendance, from being below the national average, has been improving steadily over the last three years and in 2012 was slightly above the national average. The school is providing very good support to pupils and their families who have specific needs and difficult circumstances to improve attendance even further.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders and governors do not make sufficient use of the school’s self-evaluation and development planning processes to further improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. As a result, the capacity to sustain and build upon the current good teaching and good achievement is limited.  The headteacher shows a tremendous passion and commitment to the school. She, together with other staff, works tirelessly to provide the best care, guidance and support to all pupils to provide them with the opportunities to engage fully in their education and life of the school.  The headteacher makes regular checks on the quality of teaching and gives feedback to staff on the quality of their teaching. However, feedback to staff does not always have enough focus on the work in pupils’ books, including the marking of work, to check the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning over time well enough.  Information from the school’s systems to check the quality of teaching and the schools self-

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The leadership and management requires improvement

evaluation processes is used to provide opportunities for staff training and development and to advise the governing body about teachers’ pay awards.  The curriculum is well planned. It meets pupils’ needs and interests and supports their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and prepares them well for the next stage of their education.  The school provides pupils with a variety of enrichment activities such as the trips and visitors to the school that enable pupils to develop a greater understanding of the world around them and provides good opportunities for pupils to develop a wide range of academic and social skills. For example, as part of their design and technology and science work, pupils really enjoyed the ‘Building Bonkers Bugs’ activities and won the Rolls Royce Science finalists 2013 award and the Lancashire County Council’s Chairman’s Challenge award.  Safeguarding policies and procedures meet the statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has benefited from effective and valuable support from the local authority. This support has included training for governors and advice and guidance on the quality of teaching and learning.  The governance of the school:  Although governors are regular visitors to the school, they do not have a robust view of the school’s performance, particularly with regard to the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. As a result, they have not been able to give enough support or challenge to the school and use the self-evaluation and improvement planning processes to further improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. However, governors have already identified the need to be more effective and develop their role and as such have included this as an area for development in the current school improvement plan. Governors are now beginning to use performance management systems to set appropriate and more challenging targets to further

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The leadership and management requires improvement

promote school improvement. They have a good understanding of the school’s finances. This includes allocating the pupil premium funding to provide additional support to pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their education. However, they do not robustly check the impact of this spending on improving pupils’ literacy and mathematical skills.

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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 119209 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 411969

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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 31 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne McGuire Headteacher Gill Gillison Date of previous school inspection 24 March 2010 Telephone number 01704 840338 Fax number 01704 840338 Email address head@pinfold.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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