Lancaster Road Primary School

Lancaster Road Primary School Lancaster Road, Morecambe, Lancashire, LA4 5TH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 achieve well and make good progress throughout the school, including those eligible for the pupil premium, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  Teaching in all classes is good, with some that is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations and good subject knowledge.  The teaching of writing has improved since the last inspection and this has raised achievement.  Behaviour is good. Pupils get on well with their teachers and each other. They feel safe in school and are keen to do well.  The curriculum is well organised to provide pupils with a range of learning opportunities and contributes to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  School leaders, including governors, have a clear idea of how well the school is doing and where it needs to improve. They have secured improvements to teaching and achievement, especially in writing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet outstanding. Teachers do not always ensure that all pupils are challenged enough to consistently make more than the expected progress.  Teachers do not always give pupils clear enough guidance about what they need to do to improve their work, and do not always check that this advice is followed.  Data is not always analysed and used effectively by all staff to monitor pupils’ progress and to match learning tasks to all pupils’ needs and abilities.  Middle managers do not take sufficient responsibility for pupils’ learning and progress in their subject areas.  Teachers do not have enough opportunity to share outstanding practice across the school or to observe outstanding teaching in other schools.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 29 lessons or part lessons, including one joint observation with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with school leaders and managers and with three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. Inspectors also met a representative from the local authority.  Discussions were held with two groups of pupils and inspectors spoke informally to other pupils in lessons and during break and lunchtime.  Inspectors looked at the work pupils were doing in lessons and in their books over time. They listened to pupils in Year 2 and Year 5 read and talked to them about their enjoyment of reading.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and examined a number of documents. These included data concerning pupils’ current achievement, development plans and performance- management information. Inspectors also looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements. Minutes of governing body meetings and the school adviser’s

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Information about this inspection

reports were also considered.  Inspectors took account of 14 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also considered 36 responses to the questionnaires completed by staff for the inspection.

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Inspection team

Robert Birtwell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Pamela Davenport Additional Inspector Maureen Hints Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in 14 classes with two in each year from Reception to Year 6.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and children from service families) is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is around 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?

 Raise achievement by:  ensuring that work is always sufficiently challenging so that all pupils make at least consistently good progress  making sure that all staff consistently analyse and use pupil progress data to plan tasks that better match the needs and abilities of all pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning by:  ensuring that there is more consistency in teachers’ marking so that pupils are always given very clear guidance about what they need to do to improve their work, and that teachers check that this advice is followed  sharing existing outstanding practice more widely across all subjects and classes, and providing teachers with more opportunities to observe outstanding teaching in other schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that middle leaders are more consistently responsible and accountable for pupils’ achievement in their subject areas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with knowledge and skills that are generally below those typically expected for their age. They make good progress overall and are well prepared to enter Key Stage 1 with standards that are much closer to those expected for their age.  Progress in Key Stage 1 is good. At the end of Year 2 pupils attain broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils continue to make good progress when they move into Key Stage 2. In 2012 there was a dip in Year 6 pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics. The school’s data shows that the attainment and progress of current Year 6 pupils has improved and they are on course to achieve above-average outcomes in national assessments this year.  The school’s tracking information shows that pupils currently make good progress and achieve well throughout the school whatever their starting point. This is supported by inspection

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The achievement of pupils is good

evidence from lesson observations and work in pupils’ books.  Reading is taught effectively across the school and pupils make good progress. Staff ensure that pupils read regularly and have a good knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make). Although the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the national phonics check was below average in 2012, it is expected to be around average this year.  There has been a strong focus on improving pupils’ writing skills since the previous inspection and this has raised attainment and improved progress.  The dip in performance at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2012 was mainly as a result of a weaker performance in mathematics. School data shows that this is not a consistent trend, and that this weakness has been addressed. Pupils have secure basic skills and are making good progress in mathematics across the school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs did not achieve as well as other pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

in 2012. School evidence shows that these pupils are now making better progress as they receive effective extra support, either individually in lessons or in small groups.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium, including those eligible for free school meals, make progress similar to other pupils in the school. Test results at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2012 showed that the attainment of these pupils was around two and a half terms behind other pupils. School data shows that this gap in performance is closing rapidly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good across the school, with some that is outstanding. Pupils made at least good progress in the vast majority of the lessons seen during the inspection and work in pupils’ books confirmed that teaching has been good over time.  Almost all the parents who responded to the online Parent View survey thought their child was well taught and made good progress, and inspection evidence supports this.  There are good relationships between pupils and teachers, and pupils are keen to do well. Teachers know pupils well and have high expectations. They use praise effectively to motivate and engage pupils. All lessons have clear learning objectives and success criteria, and teachers use questioning effectively to check pupils’ knowledge and reinforce their understanding.  In the best lessons, where pupils make the most rapid progress, teachers plan and deliver imaginative lessons that are carefully matched to the needs of all pupils, and there is a good

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The quality of teaching is good

pace and challenge to learning.  In a science lesson, for example, pupils worked enthusiastically to apply their previous learning to design an insect to survive in a particular habitat and to explain its adaptations. There was a good balance of independent and collaborative learning, and the teacher’s skilful use of prompts and questions ensured that all pupils were challenged. As a result they greatly enjoyed the lesson and made outstanding progress.  In other lessons where the pace of learning is slower, work is less well matched to pupils’ different needs and abilities and there is not enough challenge for pupils to make more than expected progress.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, but the quality is variable. At best pupils receive detailed comments and suggestions for improvement, and teachers check that pupils respond to these comments. However, some marking is less detailed and does not provide pupils with enough

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The quality of teaching is good

guidance about what they need to do to improve their work.  The systems for collecting and analysing information about pupil progress are robust. However, not all teachers analyse and use this information consistently or effectively to ensure that they always plan lessons that meet the needs of all pupils.  Teachers and teaching assistants work well together and use a range of methods to provide extra help and support for pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs and those who are eligible for pupil premium funding. This includes extra support within classes and individual or small group teaching outside the classroom. This ensures that any gap in achievement between these groups and other pupils is closing.  Whilst there is outstanding teaching in the school, there are insufficient opportunities for teachers to share this best practice or to observe outstanding teaching in other schools.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well both in lessons and around the school. They are polite and well-mannered to visitors and have a clear understanding of right and wrong, reflecting their strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school is calm and orderly. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn. Attendance has improved and is now around average.  Pupils feel very safe in school, and well-cared for. They know how to keep themselves safe in different situations, including when using the internet. They have a good knowledge of the different forms bullying can take, including racism, name-calling and cyber-bullying. They say that bullying is rare in school, but that staff sort it out quickly when it does occur.  A consistent approach to managing behaviour means that learning continues without interruption. School behaviour logs show that poor behaviour is rare, but that it is dealt with

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

effectively when it happens.  Almost all parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) expressed positive views about the school, although a few raised doubt about behaviour and bullying. This inspection found that the attention given to pupils’ well-being and personal development is a strength of the school. There is a strong expectation that pupils will respect and care for each other in all aspects of school life.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, senior leaders and governors know the school well and are committed to making it better still. They have accurately identified the school’s strengths and areas for improvement, and have addressed the key issues raised in the previous inspection. As a result there have been improvements in the quality of teaching and achievement, particularly in writing, and attendance has risen. There is a positive atmosphere throughout the school.  Pupils’ progress is regularly and accurately monitored. Any underachievement is addressed by providing pupils with extra support when they need it, and gaps in performance between different groups of pupils are closing. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to equal opportunities.  Effective systems are in place to monitor the quality of teaching over time. This contributes to teachers’ professional development by identifying where further training and support are

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The leadership and management are good

needed. Information about the quality of teaching and pupil progress is used by the headteacher when advising the governing body about salaries.  The headteacher and senior leaders have been developing the role of middle leaders to ensure that they become more responsible and accountable for their subject areas. However, this has not yet been implemented fully or consistently, and some middle leaders are not as actively involved as they might be. As a result the quality teaching and achievement are not rising as fast as they might.  The curriculum is well planned and provides a broad range of learning opportunities to meet the needs of all pupils. There is a strong focus on promoting positive values, which is enhanced by a good range of enrichment including sport, drama, music and practical activities such as maintaining the school garden. There are also numerous trips and visits. These are well appreciated by pupils. As a result there are many opportunities that promote pupils’ spiritual,

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The leadership and management are good

moral, social and cultural development throughout the school.  The local authority has an accurate view of how well the school is doing and has provided support in identifying and delivering training for staff and governors  The governance of the school:  Governors are well-informed about how well the school is doing. Members of the governing body visit the school regularly and have a good overview of performance data. They hold the school to account by asking challenging questions, and by setting ambitious performance targets for the headteacher. They ensure that information about pupils’ progress is taken into account when making decisions about teachers’ pay. They have a good awareness of how pupil premium funding is spent, and the impact this is having on pupil performance. They ensure that finances are well managed and that the school meets its statutory requirements, including those related to safeguarding.

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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 119137 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 412299

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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 411 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Adrian Toulmin Headteacher Paul Gabriel Date of previous school inspection 28 September 2009 Telephone number 01524 410914 Fax number 01524 405905 Email address head@lancsroad.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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