Stanley Primary School

Stanley Primary School Wordsworth Avenue, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY3 9UT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils of all abilities and from all backgrounds, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good progress as a result of the help and guidance they receive.  Teaching is typically good across the school and sometimes it is outstanding. It is strongest in Years 5 and 6.  Stanley Primary School is a very friendly and welcoming community, which promotes mutual respect and caring in both pupils and staff. As a result, they are very respectful of each other and pupils exude confidence.  The headteacher has the full support of the staff, governors and parents. Together with his leadership team he knows what needs to be done and has continued to make improvements.  All staff keep pupils safe, sustain their good behaviour and develop their ability to work as part of a team.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy, including when using

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the internet.  Pupils’ good academic and personal achievements are developed across the school through a broad and well balanced range of subjects.  The governors make a good contribution to improving the school. Together with the senior leadership team they check the quality of teaching well and make sure teachers are held to account for the progress their pupils make.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all teaching is good or better. Occasionally, staff do not use English accurately enough to be a good model for pupils to learn from, particularly at Key Stage 1.  Opportunities for pupils to develop reading and writing skills, particularly at Key Stage 1, in all subjects are sometimes missed.  Some less-able pupils and a few middle-ability pupils occasionally find the work too easy and do not always get enough challenge from teachers.  Marking does not always show pupils how to improve their work and pupils do not fully understand how to produce even better work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons including small group activities, parts of lessons and the teaching of phonics (the links between letters and sounds).  Inspectors listened to pupils read from Years 2 and 6 and held discussions with a group of pupils from across the school.  Pupils’ work was scrutinised during lessons and separately in Years 2, 4 and 6.  Inspectors took account of 12 responses from parents to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the school’s own surveys of parents’ views. There were no questionnaires completed by members of staff.  Meetings were held with three members of the school’s governing body, including the Chair of Governors, and a conversation took place between the lead inspector and the school’s professional consultant.  A number of school documents were examined; these included development plans, the school’s review of its performance, records of the quality of teaching, school data on pupils’ progress,

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Information about this inspection

minutes of governing body meetings, records of attendance, consultant’s reports, behaviour records and safeguarding documentation.

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Inspection team

Andrew Morley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kirsty Haw Additional Inspector Sharon Lambert Additional Inspector Derek Barnes Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support students known to be eligible for free school meals, children of service families or those looked after by the local authority.  A small proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups but very few speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs who are supported at school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school provides before- and after-school clubs which are well attended by pupils.

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Information about this school

 The school is supported by and links with an on-site nursery, Stanley Kittens.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the proportion of good and outstanding teaching across the school by:  ensuring that all staff make good use of the school’s information on pupils to plan lessons that are tightly matched to the needs of groups of pupils and that this is checked by leaders  providing opportunities for pupils to reflect on and respond to their teachers’ suggestions on how to improve their work and encouraging them to use these opportunities  providing more opportunities for pupils to engage in sustained pieces of work independent of their teachers  improving the very small proportion of teaching that is not yet good, through sharing the school’s own good practice in teaching.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further accelerate pupils’ progress in reading, particularly at Key Stage 1, by:  ensuring all adults model and promote language and communication skills accurately and well  providing pupils with wider opportunities to practise their reading skills at other times than their daily reading lessons  provide reading activities which always challenge all groups of learners, particularly some of the less-able pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From their starting points to the time they leave Stanley Primary, pupils make good progress. Learning throughout the school is enhanced by the excellent relationships between pupils. In all year groups they were seen during the inspection to support and encourage each other.  Standards on entry to the Early Years Foundation Stage are low, especially in the area of communication, language and literacy. Children are taught well and leave the Reception class having reached standards that are close to what is expected nationally for children of their age. This indicates that they have made good progress during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  By the time pupils leave Key Stage 1, they reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are close to average. This represents good progress. The phonics screening test which checks pupils’ understanding of letters and the sounds they make shows that pupils are at the

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The achievement of pupils is good

expected level at the end of Year 1. The school records show that pupils have made good progress with their phonics despite starting at a low level of understanding.  In Key Stage 2, over time, pupils attain standards that are above the national average. Progress by the end of Key Stage 2 is good in both English and mathematics when compared to national figures. Progress in mathematics is better than in reading and writing. This is because there are not yet sufficient opportunities for pupils to refine their reading and writing skills across the curriculum.  Pupils enjoy reading and are provided with plentiful opportunities to read widely and often as well as to listen to stories, which they enjoy. Some pupils can sound out the words they read well, but are yet to develop skills in understanding the meaning of the words they read. They do not have opportunities for extended opportunities to practise and apply their reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Overall, pupils who have special educational needs make good progress, however, a small number of these pupils are not challenged enough on a daily basis so that they accelerate their progress further.  The small minority of pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress.  Pupil premium funding is used well. It is directed towards supporting pupils so that the gap between their attainment and that of all other pupils is narrowing year-on-year. In 2013, at Key Stage 1 these pupils did equally as well as their peers. In 2013, Year 6 tests showed these pupils were doing as well as other pupils nationally in English and better in mathematics. They made equal progress to that of their classmates through Key Stage 2. The funding is also used effectively to improve pupils’ self-esteem and confidence.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has a positive impact on learning and progress because it motivates and inspires pupils. The vast majority of lessons are well planned and learning proceeds at a brisk pace which keeps pupils engaged.  A strong feature of lessons is the high-quality relationships. Pupils and teachers have great respect for each other and pupils cooperate well with each other when working in groups.  Where teaching is most effective, teachers provided very stimulating resources to engage and enthuse the pupils. In a Year 5 writing lesson, for example, pupils were very excited as they worked with their friends to write about a woodland setting. They developed some excellent language as they touched, smelled and manipulated twigs, pine cones and grass. All exhibited good learning and worked well with each other.  Progress accelerates in Years 5 and 6 due to teachers having good subject knowledge and effective questioning skills. This was clearly highlighted in an excellent Year 5 lesson, linked to

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The quality of teaching is good

using multiplication skills to solve coordinate problems. The teacher asked good questions to check out what pupils understood and skilfully directed them to more challenging problems. Good questioning and the introduction and clear explanation of technical aspects of the subject raised pupils’ confidence and ensured pupils were always prepared to try, making some very good progress.  Pupils enjoy learning through themes or topics. Teachers look for connections between different subjects to make learning more interesting and meaningful. However, the opportunities to transfer and develop reading and writing skills to other subjects and the use of information and communication technology are not as strong as they could be.  In weaker lessons teachers set the same work for the whole class and do not match work at the right level for some pupils; this was particularly the case for some of the less-able pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

Sometimes the work set lacked challenge and expectations of what pupils can achieve are sometimes not high enough. Work was sometimes too easy and did not always take pupils forward in their learning.  Teachers mark work frequently and accurately providing pupils with good advice as to how they should improve their work. However, pupils are not always given the opportunity and encouragement to respond to this advice.  Pupils are sometimes too reliant on their teachers. Pupils are not given sufficient opportunity to engage in tasks whereby they have to work on their own, not directly guided by an adult, and be responsible for their own progress.  There is some inconsistent teaching in the school because some teachers’ skills are not yet effectively developed by the sharing of the good practice in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good attitudes towards their learning. They fully participate in their lessons and remain engaged and enthusiastic at all times. The behaviour of pupils around the school is good and they move around the school quietly and calmly.  Pupils are polite and courteous to each other and to all adults. They say ‘good morning’ and hold doors open without prompting. They are happy and proud to be in school and are eager to arrive on time in the morning. This all contributes to a harmonious, friendly and welcoming atmosphere around school. The provision of a wide range of interesting activities outside at break and lunchtime means there is always something to do and all adults interact with the pupils and lead activities.  The older children show great maturity and take their work as ‘playground pals’ very seriously. This is greatly appreciated by the younger children who enjoy the support of their friends.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils’ safety is a priority. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe and describe the school as being ‘very safe’. The pupils say that if they need help they know who to go to and that issues are always dealt with fairly.  Pupils are unanimous in their rejection of bullying in any form. They say that the school teaches them about what forms bullying can take and the dangers of each. Pupils treat each other with great respect and this was very evident in a Year 3 and 4 achievement assembly when pupils showed great appreciation for each other’s success.  Parents are supportive and the majority of parents who responded to Parent View and the school’s own surveys indicate that they are pleased with the way in which the school makes sure children are well behaved and deals with bullying effectively.  Attendance is average and improving further as a result of work by the school to reward good

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership team, including governors, works well together. There is a real clarity and sharing of a vision to ensure that the pupils of Stanley Primary School are well cared for and supported in their school life.  School improvement planning is well focused and based on evidence from monitoring. The leadership team is quick to make changes and implement new ideas when necessary.  Policies and procedures in school are developed collaboratively. This approach enables teachers to be most effective as they have ownership over the approaches used. The leadership team has an accurate view of teaching in school and works hard to ensure progress is still made when classes have experienced a change of class teacher.  The monitoring of staff performance is used well to help the professional development of individual staff and bring about improvement. Targets are set clearly and reviewed regularly.  The track record for bringing about improvement in all year groups means that leaders and

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The leadership and management are good

managers demonstrate they have the capacity to bring about further improvements. Middle leaders and subject leaders work well together. English and mathematics are now both well led by two enthusiastic teams. There is a range of skills in these teams and there is a real commitment to evaluating strengths and areas for development in their subjects.  Leaders and managers have developed a curriculum that the pupils say they enjoy. The curriculum is enriched by significant educational visits and a whole range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils were very proud of the school’s recent success in the Blackpool Athletics Final.  The way subjects are taught has yet to attain its full impact on progress as there are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop their reading and writing skills in different subjects.  Provision for teaching different subjects makes sure that pupils are very well prepared for life in

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The leadership and management are good

a global society and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength. The school benefits from significant links with schools from across Europe. There are current links with schools in Spain, Poland and Greece. The pupils engage in charity work and there is a good link with a school in Malawi as part of the Feet First charity.  All safeguarding requirements are met. Child protection procedures are comprehensive and all training is up to date. Health and safety is a priority within the school.  Leaders and managers work effectively to communicate with parents and carers. They provide many opportunities for parents and carers to come in to school and share learning. The parents and carers respond well to this welcoming approach and speak highly of the school team.  The local authority now provides only ‘light touch’ support to the school. The school benefits from good links with a range of partners, including: Mereside Primary School, Blackpool Primary

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The leadership and management are good

Partnership and Edge Hill University.  The new primary school sports funding is being used to provide specialists sports coaches to deliver physical education lessons alongside school staff, to enable regular competition with other local schools and to provide extra sports equipment in school. Pupils and staff benefit from the extra professional development offered by specialist coaches.  Leaders and managers use the pupil premium money well to bring about improvement. This is carefully monitored by the governing body so that pupils overcome barriers to learning. The impact is evident as the gap between the pupils who receive pupil premium funding in school and those who do not is narrower than the gap nationally.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is committed to helping the school improve and governors are frequent visitors to the school in both a monitoring and supporting capacity. Governors are provided

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The leadership and management are good

with appropriate information about the quality of teaching and comprehensive data about school performance. They are actively involved in the management of the performance of all staff. They question the headteacher about decisions taken by the leadership team including how to reward good teachers and to tackle underperformance. Governors attend frequent training so they can fulfil their role more effectively and most recently this has been on holding the school to account for its use of pupil premium funding.

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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 131070 Local authority Blackpool Inspection number 440458

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 618 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Briggs Headteacher Craig England Date of previous school inspection 23 November 2010 Telephone number 01253 761022 Fax number 01253 839384 Email address admin@stanley.blackpool.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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