Diggle School

Diggle School Sam Road, Diggle, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL3 5PU

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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 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’ achievement is good. In all keys stages they make good progress in their learning.  Standards in reading are very high. Pupils read widely and often and with real enjoyment. This enables pupils to learn well in other subjects.  The school is a happy secure and welcoming place for pupils to learn well, where they feel safe and well cared for by everyone in the school.  Behaviour of pupils is generally very good in and around the school. Older pupils take on responsibility roles which they take very seriously. Pupils are very proud of their school.  A rich curriculum provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop knowledge and a love of learning and practice their key skills in a range of subjects.  School leaders have a strong commitment, shared by all staff, to the continued raising of standards, improving the rate of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Robust systems of monitoring pupils’ progress and quality of teaching are bringing about continued school improvement.  Governance is much improved since the last inspection. Governors are well informed, provide challenge to school leaders and staff and hold the school to account for its performance.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The work set in lessons does not always enable pupils to learn as well as they can whatever their ability.  Outdoor provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage does not provide enough opportunities for the children to learn independently.  Although marking is good in some classes, in others it does not always tell pupils how they can improve or give time for them to do it.  Middle leaders do not play a sufficiently active role in the monitoring of their subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 14 lessons delivered by eight teachers including two joint observations with school leaders. In addition inspectors paid short visits to a group of classes, heard some pupils read, carried out a learning walk and observed a school assembly.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, staff, representatives of the governing body, a group of 10 parents, a local authority representative and two groups of pupils. Inspectors also talked to pupils in lessons and on the playground.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a range of documents including: the school’s own information about pupils’ progress; planning; the monitoring of teaching and learning and teacher performance; organisation of the curriculum; safeguarding information; and minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors took account of 45 responses to the online questionnaire (parent View), a survey of

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Information about this inspection

parents’ views carried out by the school and 20 responses to the inspection questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Peter Martin, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sharon Bruton Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Diggle School is a smaller than average-sized primary school serving a rural community in Oldham.  The vast majority of its pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding (the pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, come from armed forces families and those who are looked after by the local authority) is lower than in most schools.  The proportion of pupils who have a disability or a special education need is also below the national average.  The school holds the Healthy School and the Eco-School Bronze awards.  The school meets the current floor standard set by the government: that is, the proportion of pupils gaining the expected level, Level 4 in both English and mathematics, and the proportion of pupils making the expected progress in English and mathematics.  The school organises a before- and after-school club for the pupils of the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 To improve teaching so that all is at least good and more is outstanding by:  ensuring that the learning needs of pupils are met by providing work which matches more closely to their learning abilities and is sufficiently challenging  ensuring that marking consistently tells pupils how to improve their work and that time is given for them to improve it  providing more opportunities in the Early Years Foundation Stage outdoor provision for children to work more independently  providing more opportunities for pupils to check on their own progress and evaluate how well they are doing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 To develop the role of middle leaders to enable them to more effectively monitor and evaluate the standards in their subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Most pupils enter the Reception class with skills that are typical for their age and some above it. They quickly settle down to the routines and make good progress in their first year and enter Year 1 with skills that are typical for their age or above. The majority of children achieve a good level of development.  Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1 and have consistently achieved well above the national average by the end of Year 2 for the previous five years. Attainment dipped in 2013 but school data shows that this is not typical of the school and that despite the lower attainment these pupils still made good progress from their starting points.  Progress in Key Stage 2 has been slower in previous years and, although attainment was rising in 2012 and was above the national average, the progress of pupils was only average. However,

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The achievement of pupils is good

in 2013, following a thorough review of its teaching and learning by the school, there has been a marked and rapid improvement in the attainment and progress of its pupils in this key stage. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 in the national tests is now well above the national average.  In the national tests at the end of Year 6 all pupils achieved the level expected of them in reading and writing and almost all in mathematics. The numbers that achieved the higher levels were well above national averages.  Also the proportion of pupils making the progress expected of them is above the national average in reading and writing and at the national average in mathematics, and the proportion exceeding the expected progress is close to the national average for all subjects.  Internal school data shows that good progress is being made across all year groups.  The school’s effective use of pupil premium funding ensures that these pupils make good

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress. They make progress and attain as well as, and in some cases better than, other pupils in the school and better than similar pupils nationally. The school has successfully closed the gaps.  Similarly, pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities, because of well targeted support, make good, and in some cases, outstanding progress.  The teaching of phonics (linking letters with the sounds they make) is very effective. The proportion of pupils achieving the standard set by the government in the annual reading check in Year 1 was well above the national average in 2012 and increased by a further 13 percentage points in 2013. This is contributing to the high standards being achieved in reading.  Pupils read daily in school. They read widely and often and display a real love of reading, fostered by the school and well supported by parents at home. Reading is a strength of the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s commitment to equal opportunities for all its pupils is shown by the high level of pupils’ attendance, and the lengths the school goes to to ensure that every pupil, including pupil premium pupils, are able to experience all the opportunities the curriculum provides for them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The evidence of lessons observed, work in pupils' books and the school’s own internal monitoring confirm an improving picture of the quality of teaching, which is largely good and sometimes outstanding.  Teachers make lessons fun and engaging and set high expectations for the pupils’ work. They provide good links between subjects through interesting topic work which enables pupils to practise their key skills in different contexts. They regularly check on the progress and understanding of the pupils during the lessons and use good questioning skills to develop pupils’ thinking and provide further challenge. Lessons are generally delivered at a good brisk pace although on occasions teachers take too long to explain the learning and so do not allow pupils to get on with independent work quickly enough.  In the very best lessons the work set for pupils is challenging and allows pupils the opportunities

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The quality of teaching is good

to pursue their own lines of enquiry and to make decisions. For example, in a Year 4 lesson on mathematics on measure, the pupils investigated the relationship between different parts of their body, such as the length of mouth compared to the distance between the mouth and eyes. They were asked to draw conclusions from their investigations and to critically evaluate the validity of their evidence.  In less effective lessons, the work set for some pupils does not fully match their ability and provide them with the appropriate level of challenge. This leads to some low-level inattentiveness.  Pupils say they enjoy their lessons ‘they’re exciting’, ‘they make us think hard’. They were happy to discuss what they had learnt, for example, some pupils spoke enthusiastically about a science lesson where they investigated the properties of yeast and found out all about microbes.  Positive relationships are a common feature of all lessons and pupil with teacher and pupil with

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The quality of teaching is good

pupil relationships are a strength of the school. Pupils are generally very keen to learn and most lessons run smoothly with little disruption to learning.  Marking is up to date and gives positive encouragement for pupils’ effort. In the very best practice it informs pupils of how well they have done and what they need to do to improve. In some classes, though not all, pupils are encouraged to assess their own work to determine how well they think they have done. Time is given for pupils to respond to the marking and improve their work. However, this is not done consistently.  The teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. The Reception class provides a calm nurturing atmosphere where children settle quickly and gain confidence. Well planned activities ensure that children make good progress. However, a lack of outdoor resources reduces the opportunities provided to the children to explore and find out things for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are used effectively in lessons and in planned additional support and make a valuable contribution to the progress of pupils.  Phonics teaching is very effective. Sessions are lively and well organised; as a result the high standards continue to improve and are well above the national average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are very polite and friendly and have excellent manners. They are very proud of their school and say they feel very safe and well cared for by all the adults working in the school.  The vast majority of parents say that their children are happy and feel safe at school and are well cared for by all staff. Parents say that ‘it is a warm and caring environment’ and ’has a family atmosphere’.  Pupils are very keen to learn and cooperate with their teachers and work well with each other in lessons. Minor inattentiveness occurs rarely and then usually because the work set for pupils is too easy or pupils have been listening for too long and want to get on with their independent tasks.  Pupils are generally very mature and independent. For example, on wet days even the very youngest change into their outdoor clothes and wellingtons efficiently and without fuss. The older pupils are very conscientious about the various roles they take on such as helping in the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

dining room or acting as play leaders for the younger pupils, they say, ‘We take our jobs very seriously and it is lovely to help one another.’  The school has a very active school council, which is given real opportunities to express their views and make suggestions to make school better. They feel listened to by school leaders and their teachers. They are proud of the various fundraising projects the school undertakes and are responsible for organising some of them.  They have a good understanding of bullying and are adamant that there is no bullying in their school: ‘There used to be but there isn’t anymore.’ They are confident that if any occurred it would be dealt with by the school. School behaviour logs confirm this. The majority of parents agree with this view and think behaviour is good and their children are kept safe and well cared for by the adults in the school, ‘The staff and headteacher know all the children as individuals.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance at the school is excellent and is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is well below the national average. This ensures that disruption to the pupils’ learning is kept to a minimum.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership team has been strengthened since the last inspection with the appointment of a deputy headteacher.  Senior leaders have a commitment to bring about continued school improvement and this is shared by all the staff and governors.  Since the last inspection the school has carried out a full review of its approaches to teaching particularly in Key Stage 2. This has resulted in a rapid improvement in end of Key Stage 2 attainment and good progress is being sustained in all year groups.  There is a very robust system for checking on the quality of teaching and teachers’ performance in place. Regular monitoring and evaluation of teaching supported by well targeted further training are ensuring an improving picture of teaching quality. Teacher performance is closely linked to pay progression. Teachers are committed to self-improvement and feel well supported in their professional development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils are assessed regularly and their individual progress is tracked carefully. Regular pupil progress meetings, held every half term, use this information to identify pupils who are falling behind and to help plan additional support to help them catch up.  School leaders use the end of key stage data and their own internal assessment information to evaluate accurately the school’s performance and to set new targets for further school improvement. These priorities and targets are set out in a comprehensive and detailed school- improvement plan which enables school leaders, teachers and governors to effectively monitor progress and measure success in achieving the goals.  Parents say that communications have much improved in the last two years. They particularly like the weekly class letters which tell them what their children have done and they will be doing in the coming week. They appreciate the approachability of the headteacher and staff but feel

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The leadership and management are good

more could be done to celebrate ‘the good things that are going on in the school’.  Systems are now in place to enable subject leaders to monitor standards in their subject. However these are at an early stage of development and it is too early to judge the impact this has had on learning.  The school provides an enriched curriculum and a wide range of experiences to broaden the learning experience of its pupils. This provides the pupils with good opportunities to practice their key skills of reading, writing and mathematics in other subjects. Activities such as the school orchestra and choir, residential trips and visits and visitors and learning about other peoples’ beliefs and cultures contribute greatly to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils, which is another strength of the school.  The school has had a good tradition of providing extra-curricular sport. Planned use of the

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The leadership and management are good

additional funding for sports provision focuses on ensuring the sustainability of its good provision whilst providing additional opportunities for participation in clubs and entry to sports competitions, and providing training for staff to ensure sustainability in the future.  The local authority has provided well targeted support for the school to develop its leadership and the quality of teaching, which has contributed to the school’s improvement.  The school meets all its statutory duties regarding the safeguarding of pupils.  The governance of the school:  Governance has much improved since the last inspection. Governors are kept fully informed by the headteacher and through their subject link governors. They carefully monitor the quality of teaching and pupil performance, paying particular attention to the use and impact of pupil premium funding. They are fully aware of the school’s current priorities and targets and

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The leadership and management are good

monitor progress against them throughout the year. They seek further training regularly to develop their own expertise and effectiveness. They hold the school to account for its performance.

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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 105665 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 426091

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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 189 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Rea Headteacher Angela Covey Date of previous school inspection 29 February 2012 Telephone number 0161 770 5246 Fax number 01457 872114 Email address info@diggle.oldham.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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