Ashfield Valley Primary School

Ashfield Valley Primary School New Barn Lane, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 1TA

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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.  Good teaching has secured good improvements in pupils’ progress and achievement since the last inspection.  Extra support for pupils in English and mathematics is targeted well to prepare pupils for the next stage of their learning.  There are very few gaps between the progress and achievement of different groups of pupils. Those supported by the pupil premium funding, those who have special educational needs and pupils for whom English is an additional language all make similar progress to their peers.  Children get a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and develop their skills well, especially in language.  Pupils work well together and make friends easily; their behaviour is good. They feel safe in school and are enthusiastic learners.  Leaders have secured improvements in those areas identified as weaknesses in the last inspection report, and have sustained good results for pupils over time.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This is an improving school. Governors have managed resources well, and consequently the school has been able to increase the number of additional staff to meet pupils’ needs.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Recent significant changes in staffing have led to inconsistencies in the rates of progress pupils make in different years and subjects, as not all work matches pupils’ needs fully.  Subject leaders and those new to their roles are yet to make a strong enough contribution to improving the quality of pupils’ learning. Inspection report: Ashfield Valley Primary School Ashfield Valley Primary School , 22–23 October 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 18 lessons and an assembly. All teachers and most teaching assistants were seen, some in joint observations with the headteacher.  Inspectors met with representatives from the pupils, the governing body and with subject leaders. A telephone conversation with the local authority also informed the inspection.  Inspectors looked at books in all years and across a wide range of subjects. School documents were also seen, including policies, records and monitoring and planning documents.  There were not enough responses to the online Parent View website to generate a report.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Lawton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Chris Maloney Additional Inspector Inspection report: Ashfield Valley Primary School Ashfield Valley Primary School , 22–23 October 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 Ashfield Valley is an averaged-sized primary school.  The school has an on-site nursery which was included within the inspection.  There are significantly more boys than girls in school.  The majority of pupils speak English as an additional language, and currently all pupils identify as minority ethnic heritage. There are a small but increasing proportion of pupils from Eastern Europe, although the vast majority identify themselves as of Pakistani heritage.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is currently above average, although the proportion varies widely year-on-year. The proportion of pupils who receive pupil premium funding is currently above 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 who are looked after).  The proportion of pupils supported by statements of special educational needs is average, and

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Information about this school

those supported by school action and school action plus are also average.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There have been a significant number of staffing changes across the school since the last inspection report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good and better teaching and therefore improve the consistency of pupils’ progress by:  ensuring all work is closely matched to pupils’ needs  ensuring the children have good quality guidance on how to improve their work and time to respond to the advice given.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by developing the role of subject leaders and those staff who are new to their roles, including consistent use of school policies, in order to better inform the actions taken to improve the quality of pupils’ learning. Inspection report: Ashfield Valley Primary School Ashfield Valley Primary School , 22–23 October 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school with skills and abilities below those expected for their age, particularly in speaking and personal and social development. They make good progress in Nursery and Reception and leave the Early Years Foundation Stage almost in line with what is expected, although speaking remains below expectations, particularly for boys.  Achievement at the end of Key Stage 1 is good, as pupils make accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics due to good teaching and well-targeted support for those at risk of underachieving. Recent improvements to resources and changes in teaching approaches have considerably increased progress and attainment.  The increase in additional support in literacy and numeracy, and specifically for speech and language ensures that by the end of Key Stage 1 pupils are prepared well for the next stage of learning.  Although girls outperform boys in all areas, the gap is closing and there are very few gaps

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The achievement of pupils is good

between any other groups of pupils; those supported by the pupil premium, those with special educational needs and those who are supported at school action all make equal progress.  Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 has increased and this has now been maintained over time. Although the proportion achieving higher levels in writing remains below the national average, work towards improving this is already underway and is showing signs of progressing well lower down the school.  There is a small number of pupils from Eastern Europe who have very little English and need specific additional support to be able to take part in lessons. Currently, provision is not yet meeting their needs fully, although the school has already identified this and plans to change provision are underway.  Progress across Key Stage 2 varies widely from year to year, and many pupils benefit from

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The achievement of pupils is good

additional booster support and one-to-one provision to secure their final attainment.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching over time has secured and sustained improvement to pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in both key stages.  New initiatives in mathematics, focusing on mental arithmetic and number have helped pupils to secure good progress. Additional strategies that link mathematics to real life experiences, such as one class that was seen where pupils used real food products to weigh and discuss comparisons between weights and measures, are helping pupils to become more independent problem solvers and use their skills in real contexts. However, this approach is not yet consistent across all classes.  A long-running initiative to improve pupils’ engagement and enthusiasm for learning has increased boys’ achievement in particular, and many teachers have modified their approaches and resources which have successfully increased pupils’ interest and attention.  Teachers and pupils have good relationships, and pupils work well together harmoniously to

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The quality of teaching is good

complete tasks. They share well and ask questions to explore their topics and make links between ideas. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are developed well in all years.  Pupils show a healthy awareness of other cultures and religions. In one class seen, pupils showed maturity and respect when a teacher brought in items from home to explain the baptism process. They discuss and debate social aspects well and show good development of empathy and compassion.  A recent focus on reading has shown increased levels of enjoyment and attainment in Key Stage 1 and is currently being rolled out to Key Stage 2. Pupils read widely and often, and have access to a good range of reading texts.  The feedback teachers give to pupils is not yet consistent across subjects and years. Teachers Inspection report: Ashfield Valley Primary School Ashfield Valley Primary School , 22–23 October 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching is good

do not regularly tell pupils how to improve their work and then give pupils time to make those improvements. When advice is given and comments are made, pupils are not regularly asked to reflect upon and respond to this advice.  A few teachers are not consistently adapting their teaching enough so that the more able are challenged to achieve the most they are capable of, and the less able are supported to work at a level that is appropriate to their needs.  There has been a recent significant change to staffing and due to this; good policies that have proven effective in securing improvements to date are not being consistently adopted. For example, in some classes pupils are not writing enough in subjects other than English.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents and staff are confident the school is a safe place and have few concerns about behaviour.  Attitudes to learning are very positive, and pupils say they enjoy learning and like school.  There are occasional incidents of weaker behaviour during lessons and the school deals with these incidents quickly. Behaviour in classrooms is managed well by teachers.  Pupils know about the various types of bullying and can describe how to stay safe, including staying safe online. They report a few incidents of bullying, and know how to report it to staff. They are confident staff will resolve any incidents that do occur.  Relationships between pupils and staff are good, and pupils make friends easily within the classroom and at playtime. Younger pupils make good relationships with teaching assistants and lunchtime staff and these relationships ensure they are well looked after at all times of the day.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Good knowledge of the pupils and their needs mean that staff can adapt and respond to their particular circumstances as required. For example, lunchtime staff sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to pupils, and the school adapts its opening times for cultural celebrations such as Eid.  Attendance and punctuality are both good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has made significant improvements since the last inspection. The areas for improvement have been addressed by well-targeted projects in each area led by a focus on quality teaching and learning.  Initiatives in reading have significantly increased pupils’ progress and achievement. Strong and consistent leadership of literacy has ensured steady progress in closing the gaps between the attainment of girls and boys, and in addressing weaknesses in literacy over time.  Initiatives in mathematics have also narrowed the gap between girls and boys and have increased the achievement of both groups. Not all staff have had the training and time to plan and review mathematics lessons in their new roles and due to this; successful approaches are not yet consistently applied across all staff.  Pupils are regularly assessed and their progress monitored. However, not all groups have their progress analysed regularly enough. New systems in place to collect and use data more

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The leadership and management are good

efficiently are not yet fully embedded.  Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils take part in focus weeks looking at other cultures, go on trips and activities that promote multicultural development and exploration of faiths and they have access to a wide range of sports and extra- curricular activities.  The additional sports funding is currently spent on an external sports coach to deliver physical education within school so that pupils have access to quality sports expertise during lesson time as well as for extra-curricular sessions. Not all pupils are able to attend after-school sports due to mosque school and this in-school provision enables pupils to participate in a wider range of quality sports activities. This confirms the school’s strong promotion of equal opportunities. Inspection report: Ashfield Valley Primary School Ashfield Valley Primary School , 22–23 October 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has built good partnerships, and parents and the local community regularly attend groups and workshops on the school site. This has created good community relations, particularly through enriching language and cultural links, which are particularly beneficial when children start school.  Provision for safeguarding pupils meets statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors have an accurate understanding of the standards pupils are reaching and compare the school’s progress and attainment in relation to similar schools as well as local and national standards. Governors manage finances and resources well. Regular training and opportunities to visit school are taken up by governors. They are well informed by the headteacher and have challenged the school to improve the key areas of weakness identified in the last inspection report. The spending of the pupil premium funding and sports funding is monitored

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The leadership and management are good

closely to ensure the impact of the spend benefits the pupils for whom it is intended to support. Inspection report: Ashfield Valley Primary School Ashfield Valley Primary School , 22–23 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: Ashfield Valley Primary School Ashfield Valley Primary School , 22–23 October 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 105783 Local authority Rochdale Inspection number 426093

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 241 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sabira Siddique Headteacher Elizabeth Palmer Date of previous school inspection 8 December 2011 Telephone number 01706 522758 Fax number 01706 710264 Email address office@ashfieldvalley.rochdale.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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