Padiham Green Church of England Primary School

Padiham Green Church of England Primary School St Anne's Street, Padiham, Burnley, BB12 7AX

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary in class and in all other areas of the school. They say that they feel very safe and that adults take very good care of them.  Pupils make good progress and their achievement has improved since the last inspection.  Pupils entitled to support through the pupil premium achieve well, many outperform their peers in school.  The teaching of mathematics is strong. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in this subject by the end of Year 6 is higher than the national average.  The quality of teaching has improved. It is now consistently good and some is outstanding.  The leadership of the headteacher and senior leadership team is good. The school’s effectiveness has improved, and most weaknesses identified in the last inspection have been remedied.  Parents are very complimentary about the school. They say that they greatly appreciate its approachability and the openness and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

availability of the headteacher.  Governance is good and has ensured that the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection. Governors’ knowledge and understanding of how well the school is doing and what it needs to do to get even better is continually improving.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Feedback to pupils through marking could be better, and pupils are not always clear about their next steps in learning, and this slows progress in writing.  In a few lessons, activities do not always provide sufficient challenge to pupils to achieve to the very best of their ability.  Teaching assistants’ time is not always utilised as effectively as it should be, especially at the beginning of lessons.  Information on pupils’ performance is not yet as accurate as it could be, or shared fully with governors and staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Ten lessons, as well as small group activities, parts of lessons, and phonics (the links between letters and the sounds they make), were observed.  Inspectors listened to pupils read from Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 and held discussions with two groups of pupils from across the school.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books in lessons and with the school’s headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Inspectors took account of 17 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), the school’s own surveys of parents’ views, two letters and meetings with parents. Questionnaires completed by 17 members of staff were taken into account.  A meeting took place with a representative from the local authority school improvement service.  A meeting was held with a total of three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  Various school documents were examined. These included, the school’s data on pupils’ progress,

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Information about this inspection

minutes of the governing body meetings, the school development plan and self-evaluation, records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour records and safeguarding documentation, monitoring records of the quality of teaching and external school evaluation reports.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Evans Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is well above the national 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 pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average, and no pupils speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the last inspection the school has undergone a number of refurbishments and some

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Information about this school

remodelling, this has enabled it to provide new office and classroom space, an art studio, outdoor creative learning opportunities and access to a ‘secret garden’.  Before- and after-school provision is organised and managed by the school and governing body and was part of the inspection .  The school works closely with a National Leader in Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding, and in so doing raise pupils’ attainment and accelerate their progress, especially in writing, by:  ensuring that all feedback to pupils, especially through marking, is of the highest possible standard, and clearly indicates to them how best to take the next steps in their learning  regularly challenging pupils to achieve as much as they possibly can by ensuring that activities during lessons are always matched to their different abilities  ensuring that the skills of teaching assistants are always fully utilised as soon as lessons commence.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that data and information on pupils’ performance is accurate and shared fully with governors and staff.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement has improved since the last inspection, and their overall performance, both at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 is the best that it has been for the last three years.  Pupils’ performance in mathematics is good, and their attainment by the end of Year 6 is higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in reading has improved, however, pupils’ attainment in writing, is still below the national average, despite the school’s good focus on improving the teaching of writing.  Children join Reception with skills and abilities which are much lower than those expected for their age. They benefit from good teaching, and learn in a well-organised and stimulating environment. However, although they make good progress, they enter Year 1 with overall levels of development below those expected for their age.  Good teaching, including skilful use of questioning and encouraging pupils to work

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The achievement of pupils is good

independently, ensures that the majority of pupils in Years 1 and 2 make good progress through Key Stage 1, but overall standards are still lower than the national average by the end of the key stage.  The school ensures that the progress of all pupils is closely monitored, and that support is provided, including small-group and one-to-one teaching, precisely when it is needed. School leaders are careful to ensure that such support is available to pupils of all abilities, including the most able.  Good organisation of learning, and involving pupils in the evaluation of their lessons, helps to ensure that pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs achieve as well as, and sometimes better than, their peers in school and similar pupils nationally.  Those eligible for pupil premium funding achieve well. This is reflected in the above average levels of attainment of those eligible for free school meals in reading, writing and mathematics,

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The achievement of pupils is good

which are above those of their peers in school and much higher than similar groups of pupils nationally.  Good teacher subject knowledge and full use of the school’s newly built outdoor facilities to, for example, develop measuring and calculation skills, have helped to ensure that the proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in mathematics by the end of Year 6 has improved, and is now higher than the national average. However, the quality of feedback to pupils through marking varies, especially in writing. This has meant that levels of attainment in this subject are not as good as in reading and mathematics.  The school’s renewed focus on teaching phonics, (the sounds that letters make) in Reception, and Years 1 and 2, and specialist teacher training, has improved pupils’ performance. The proportion of Year 1 pupils who met national screening check requirements in 2013 was greater than the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s new library and encouraging pupils to read as often as they can have helped to improve reading. The proportion of pupils who reach the higher levels in this subject is above the national average.  The school ensures equality of opportunity and that gaps between boys and girls in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2 no longer exist and are no more significant than those found nationally.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most lessons observed during the inspection were good, some were outstanding. All lessons start with clear objectives, and clear success criteria, these are shared with pupils who are often asked to read them from the class interactive whiteboard.  Teachers are very skilled at questioning pupils, deepening their understanding and at getting them to think about and recall prior learning. In the best lessons, teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge, particularly in mathematics, and excite pupils through their enthusiasm.  The majority of lessons move along at a good pace, and engage pupils who are eager to learn and share their ideas with their classmates.  Most teachers ensure that all pupils are actively engaged in lessons, and are challenged to learn as much as they can. This was the case in a good Year 2 mathematics lesson where the teacher provided a range of activities which were well matched to the different abilities of her class.

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The quality of teaching is good

Pupils were encouraged to use their initiative and work out the best method for adding and multiplying two digit numbers. Less-able pupils worked well with a teaching assistant finding numbers buried in sand and adding these together.  However, teachers do not always provide a wide enough range of activities to ensure that work is pitched at just the right level to ensure that all groups of pupils make good progress and are consistently challenged. Similarly, teaching assistant time is not always effectively utilised, particularly in those lessons where teachers engage in a long dialogue with the whole class at the beginning of lessons.  Teachers are careful to make sure that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are developed across a range of curriculum areas. For example, the school’s well-thought-out Abracadabra theme in Year 5 and 6 successfully promotes the use of literacy, numeracy and art in science.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In an outstanding Year 5 English lesson, pupils made excellent progress as they worked in mixed ability groups and recounted a scientific experiment that they had observed at their local high school. All were encouraged to refer to their individual targets and write a bare-bones ‘skeleton’ of what they had observed. Pupils’ scientific language was extended as they confidently used terms such as ‘hydrogen peroxide’ and ‘irreversible’ in their discussions.  Overall the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection. However, pupils do not always know how to improve their learning, especially writing. This is because the quality of teachers’ feedback to pupils varies, especially through marking, and does not always indicate clearly enough how they should take the next steps forward.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils behave exceptionally well in class and around school. Records show that the good and often outstanding behaviour observed during the inspection is what happens normally. Pupils are very proud of their school and take great delight in showing visitors their new facilities, and talking about how much they enjoy learning. Pupils’ love of learning is exemplified by their above average attendance.  Parents, in their letters to inspectors and during meetings, expressed a high level of satisfaction with the school. They said that they thought behaviour was always at least good, and that the school provided an exceptionally safe place for their children to learn.  Those pupils who spoke to inspectors demonstrated a good understanding of bullying, and noted that they were given anti-bullying advice and were taught how to stay safe when using the internet. Pupils know, ‘not to add anyone you don’t know as a friend’, and never to ‘click on

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

anything that doesn’t concern you’ when on-line. They are adamant that bullying in the school is rare, and always dealt with. Parents responses to parent view and the school’s own surveys confirm this, as do teachers’ responses to the inspection questionnaire.  Pupils say that they are very confident in talking to adults, including the headteacher, about any concerns that they may have. They are very trusting of those responsible for caring for them because they know that their concerns will always be taken seriously and dealt with swiftly.  All staff expertly manage behaviour and ensure that all pupils are fully aware of acceptable standards in school. The school seeks to resolve any matters regarding behaviour to the satisfaction of parents and pupils. All incidents, however minor, are carefully recorded in the school’s behaviour log.  Pupils are adept at regulating their own excellent behaviour. This was demonstrated in a large

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

Year 4 physical education lesson as five groups of pupils calmly moved around sampling various activities relating to balance and coordination after being instructed to do so by their sports coach.  Pupils’ excellent behaviour contributes to the friendly, caring Christian ethos of the school, as evidenced by their ability to sit quietly and attentively throughout a whole-school assembly before courteously exiting at the end and making their way in an orderly manner to class.  The school prides itself on the regular positive feedback that it receives from visitors and members of the community on the behaviour of pupils and on their ‘old-fashioned manners’.  Pupils behave exceptionally well during the games and activities which they thoroughly enjoy in the school’s before- and after clubs, Early Birds and Night Owls.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leadership team are well respected among parents and in the community and have the full support of teachers, teaching assistants and all school staff. All staff who completed the inspection survey stated that they were proud to work at the school and that the school was well led and managed. Collectively, the senior leadership team and governors have ensured that the quality of teaching and learning have improved since the last inspection.  Teachers are very appreciative of the professional development that they have benefited from and say that this has been effective in improving their teaching practice. All training opportunities are linked to individual teachers’ targets which form part of the school’s performance management system.  The headteacher and governors are determined to ensure that no pupil is disadvantaged owing to their circumstances or family background. New developments including the school’s new

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The leadership and management are good

purpose-built art studio, its impressive outdoor area and ‘secret garden’ all contribute to the school’s aim of developing the potential of all pupils.  The school works very well in partnership with the local authority school advisory service which has helped to identify priorities for improvement, including in teaching, and brokered a mentoring link to a school with National Leader in Education status.  The school uses its funding for physical education and sport very effectively to extend the services of a very experienced Bolton Wanderers Foundation Coach who teaches in the school. Through the extra funding, he now provides multi-sports activities in the evenings for groups of pupils, including those entitled to support through the pupil premium, and delivers sports training for staff so that their skills are extended.  The school’s New Dimensions curriculum successfully creates a sense of fascination and

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The leadership and management are good

enjoyment of learning and promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Good opportunities are provided for pupils to use their reading, writing and mathematical skills across the curriculum. They are encouraged to record information and to write about the many new and innovative aspects of their school, of their residential experiences at Tower Wood Education Centre, and their charity work in the community. However, writing still remains a priority for the school, particularly as it is still below the national average by the end of Year 6.  While the overall quality of planning is good, and school priorities are agreed by staff and governors, data and information on pupils’ performance are not as accurate as they could be, and are not shared as fully with governors and staff as they should be.  Safeguarding procedures are followed and meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors know where the school’s strengths lie, and that it has been successful in improving the quality of mathematics and is working hard to continually improve the quality of pupils’ writing. They ensure that they participate in the life of the school and regularly attend assemblies and celebration events and share their time with the school. For example, the Chair of Governor’s talks to younger children about his work as part of the school’s focus on ‘people who help us’. Governors ensure that all teachers meet their targets, and that they adhere to expected Teachers’ Standards, when considering pay awards. They keep themselves up to date with developments in education through their training.  Governors are aware that the pupil premium funding supports small-group teaching activities and additional teacher assistant time, and know that this has significantly raised levels of attainment for entitled pupils. Governors are less aware of how the school’s additional funding

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The leadership and management are good

for PE and sports is used, and of the impact that this is having.

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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 119366 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 426145

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 201 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Duncan Headteacher Mark Dixon Date of previous school inspection 8 February 2012 Telephone number 01282 776855 Fax number 01282 687010 Email address head@padihamgreen.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

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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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