St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe Graves Street, Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 4GE

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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.  There have been year-on-year improvements in pupils’ performance at Key Stage 1 with outcomes in 2013 showing significant improvement in reading, writing and mathematics. The vast majority of pupils make at least good progress and achieve standards which are higher than the national average by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is good and is occasionally outstanding. In most lessons, teachers motivate pupils well.  The headteacher is highly ambitious and has put into place a broad range of changes aimed at ensuring that teaching is continuously improving and that pupils are given sufficient opportunities to achieve to the best of their ability.  Governors have ensured that the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection.  The senior leadership team, staff and governors have devised and put into place a number of innovative ideas. They have ensured that their ‘learning community’ is at

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the forefront of developments in education.  The vast majority of parents are highly supportive of the school and appreciate all the opportunities available for them to be directly involved in the education of their children.  The overwhelming majority of parents embrace the changes that have taken place in the school over the last two years, as one parent put it, ‘The transformation at St. Andrew’s is amazing’.  Pupils are very caring towards each other and display very mature attitudes when working alongside classmates with special educational needs. They are respectful, and say that they feel very safe at school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Tasks set in lessons are not always challenging enough for the most-able pupils.  Not enough opportunities are available for pupils to work independently and find things out for themselves. Inspection report: St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe, 15–16 October 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Eighteen lessons, as well as small group activities, parts of lessons, and phonics sessions (the links between letters and the sounds they make), were observed.  Inspectors listened to pupils read from Years 1, 2, 4 and 6 and held discussions with three groups of pupils from across the school.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ books in lessons and with the school’s headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Inspectors considered 36 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), as well as the school’s own surveys of parents’ views, and a letter from a parent. Questionnaires completed by 15 members of staff were taken into account.  A meeting was held with a representative from the local authority school improvement service.  A meeting was held with two governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  Various school documents were examined. These included monitoring records of the quality of

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Information about this inspection

teaching, external school evaluations, the school’s development plan and the school’s review of its own performance, minutes of the governing body meetings, records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour records and safeguarding documentation and data on pupils’ progress.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Terry Bond Additional Inspector Clare Nash Additional Inspector Inspection report: St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe, 15–16 October 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is below 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 by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average, as is the proportion of pupils who 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 in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The school offers a breakfast club and after-school service, both of which are managed by the governing body.  Since the last inspection the school has recruited eight new governors, including a new chair of governors, and several new staff members, including two teachers and an apprentice office manager.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is good or outstanding by ensuring that:  tasks and the questions teachers ask of pupils always reflect pupils’ different abilities and are consistently challenging, particularly for the most able  pupils are given enough time to learn independently and work things out for themselves. Inspection report: St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe, 15–16 October 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school nursery with skills and abilities which are below those expected for their age. Good provision, combined with good relationships with the school’s adjacent pre- school service and a very strong caring and nurturing approach ensures that that all pupils get off to a good start and make good progress.  Regular pupil progress meetings ensure that any pupils falling behind are quickly identified and provided with support through, for example, small group teaching activities. As a result of this, the vast majority of pupils make good progress through Key Stage 1, to attain standards which are higher than the national average.  Standards attained by all pupils in reading and mathematics at Key Stage 1 are exceptionally high. Boys’ attainment in writing is now above the national average for their peer group.  Results at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2013 were not quite as good as in 2012. However, close

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The achievement of pupils is good

monitoring of pupils’ performance by exceptionally well-trained teachers has ensured that the vast majority of pupils made at least good progress through Key Stage 2 to attain standards at the end of Year 6 which were higher than the national average.  The performance of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language is closely checked. They make good progress, and their attainment is at least equal to that of their peers in school.  Tailored support and small-group teaching activities ensure that pupils entitled to support through pupil premium funding make good progress across all subjects; their performance in writing and mathematics is much better than similar groups of pupils nationally. They are currently, on average, two terms behind their classmates, but are rapidly catching up.  The school is well known for its valuable work with disabled pupils and those with special

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The achievement of pupils is good

educational needs. All such pupils make at least good progress in English and mathematics.  The school has invested significantly in various reading and phonics teaching and training programmes. As a result of this, pupils’ overall performance in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 is well above the national average.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching observed during the inspection was good, with some that was outstanding, and a small amount that required improvement. Pupils are made well aware of what they are expected to learn during each lesson.  Relationships between teachers and pupils are excellent, and have a positive impact on pupils’ learning and development. This is especially the case in the Early Years Foundation Stage where pupils are very confident in following the instructions given to them by adults and in choosing their own activities and working cooperatively with their fellow classmates.  The vast majority of teachers have the highest possible expectations as to what pupils can achieve and aim to ensure that all pupils are stretched and attain to the best of their ability. However, very occasionally tasks and questions to pupils do not reflect their different abilities and are not always challenging enough, particularly for the most able.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The majority of lessons move along at a rapid pace and ensure that pupils are provided with a wide range of activities and opportunities to work independently and find things out for themselves. This was the case in an outstanding Year 5 mathematics lesson where pupils were involved in a range of activities linked to symmetry. Pupils’ thinking was constantly challenged through effective use of questioning. ‘Mini plenary’ sessions ensured that all pupils understood what was expected of them and that the teacher could pick up on any misconceptions.  Similarly, in a very stimulating lesson in Reception pupils demonstrated a high degree of flexibility and independence as they worked in small groups, and on their own, writing about all Inspection report: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe, 15–16 October 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching is good

things associated with autumn. Bowls of fruit, bread, conkers and plants fired their imagination and ensured that they were not short of things to write about.  However, from time to time, pupils are not given enough time to learn independently and find things out for themselves.  The quality of marking is of an exceptionally high standard, with a consistency of approach throughout the school. Pupils regularly evaluate their own work, and indicate through a ‘traffic light’ system how well they think they have done and the extent to which they have understood an activity.  This consistent approach to marking, including the identification of how pupils can improve their work, means that the vast majority of pupils know how well they are doing in their learning and understand what they need to do in order to improve even further.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy participating in the school’s breakfast club and after-school activities. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. They enjoy taking on responsibilities, and they are proud to welcome visitors into their school.  The majority of parents are of the opinion that behaviour is at least good in school most of the time. The school’s behaviour log confirms that behaviour is typically good over time as there are very few incidents of poor behaviour recorded in the school’s behaviour log.  Those pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they were very confident in speaking to an adult about any concerns that they might have and indicated that bullying is rare and is always dealt with swiftly.  Pupils know what discriminatory behaviour is and know that it is wrong to treat anyone differently because of the colour of their skin, religion or because of where they come from. All

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

pupils said that they would tell a teacher if they heard anyone being called bad names.  Pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay safe while using the internet. They know to report inappropriate ‘pop-ups’ to an adult and have a good awareness of cyber-bullying and of the importance of never accepting messages from strangers while ‘on-line’.  Pupils enjoy taking on board responsibilities as monitors, playground buddies and as members of the school council. During the inspection inspectors observed many examples of older pupils caring for younger pupils during break times and of them helping teachers to prepare the outdoor play area for Reception pupils.  The vast majority of teachers ensure that behaviour is consistently well managed and are expert at dealing with behaviour that arises from pupils’ special educational needs. However, pupils can occasionally become distracted and fidgety in lessons, when they are not fully engaged.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is very ambitious and has a very clear vision for the school. During her short tenure at the school she has instituted a wide range of changes which have had a significant impact on improving the quality of teaching and raising levels of achievement for pupils.  She is supported by a very able senior leadership team, a well trained and committed staff and a very supportive governing body. The headteacher leaves nothing to chance. All plans for further improvement are well thought-out and shared within the school community.  The senior leadership team is very keen to work with parents and to explore as many ways as possible in which they can be directly involved in the education of their children. Examples of this include providing advice to parents on how they can help their children to improve their reading and writing.  Well-focused leadership ensures that the school continues to increase the number of pupils

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The leadership and management are good

reaching the higher levels of attainment. During the inspection a teacher from the local high school was observed delivering a very effective English lesson to a group Year 6 pupils as part of Inspection report: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe, 15–16 October 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management are good

a gifted and talented programme. Senior leaders are keen to identify and support teachers in their professional development. Performance management procedures are clear. All teachers have whole-school, class and personal targets. These are stretching and closely linked to staff development opportunities. Governors ensure that no recommendations for promotion or to move up the teachers’ pay scale are approved unless the teacher’s targets are fully met.  The school’s curriculum, including its new International Primary Curriculum, provides good opportunities for pupils to practise their skills in reading, writing and mathematics across a range of subjects including art, history, geography, science and religious education.  The school ensures that pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is well promoted. Currently, international links are being created with a school in Pakistan in order to

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The leadership and management are good

broaden pupils’ global perspective. In order to enhance pupils’ understanding of life in multicultural Britain the school is developing a project with a local school with a diverse pupil profile.  The local authority has a very good relationship with the school and has worked closely with it to review all aspects of teaching and learning and to broker links with a number of outstanding schools.  Safeguarding procedures are followed closely and meet requirements.  The governance of the school:  Although the majority of governors have been appointed since the last inspection, they are knowledgeable about pupils’ progress, are very supportive of the school and are eager to ensure that it charts an effective course towards becoming outstanding. Governors know how performance management links to pay and that the setting of demanding targets for teachers has improved the quality of teaching. Governors ensure that they are up to date with their

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The leadership and management are good

training and are currently restructuring their roles in order to have a greater presence in school.  Governors know that pupil premium funding is well-spent and that small group teaching activities, support from mentors and motivating extra-curricular activities are helping to raise levels of attainment for pupils who are supported using the pupil premium. Governors have endorsed the school’s plans for utilising its physical education and sports grant, which includes, offering swimming lessons for all Key Stage 2 pupils and enhancing the school’s after-school clubs. Inspection report: St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe, 15–16 October 2013 7 of 9

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. Inspection report: St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe, 15–16 October 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 105350 Local authority Bury Inspection number 426082

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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 aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 256 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Greig Moran Headteacher Pippa Jackson Maitland Date of previous school inspection 5 October 2011 Telephone number 0161 7232426 Fax number 0161 7259675 Email address standrewsradcliffe@bury.gov.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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