Chorlton CofE Primary School

Chorlton CofE Primary School Vicars Road, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester, M21 9JA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Achievement is outstanding. Pupils make rapid progress from their starting points and this is sustained throughout their time at the school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good and often excellent progress and are very well prepared for their next stage in learning.  The standards reached at the end of Key Stage 1 are consistently above average in writing, mathematics and in reading.  At the end of Year 6, significantly higher proportions of pupils achieve the higher Level 5 in reading, writing and mathematics than seen nationally.  Achievement at the highest Level 6 in writing and mathematics is outstanding with a quarter of pupils reaching standards well above those expected for their age.  Teaching is always good and frequently outstanding. Teachers have high expectations for all their pupils and this is reflected in the quality of learning seen in lessons and in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

work books.  Well targeted support, delivered by teachers and highly trained teaching assistants, ensures that all pupils make good and better progress.  Pupils are extremely well behaved and love learning. They are able to work effectively in pairs, groups and individually.  Pupils say they are happy, feel safe and enjoy the diverse range of additional activities offered that widen their experiences.  Pupils are very well mannered, wear their uniform with pride and relish holding positions within the school where they can show how caring, considerate and responsible they are.  The headteacher has created a climate where all staff share in her passion for the pursuit of excellence.  The headteacher and senior staff are relentless in seeking to continually improve the school. This is seen in the recent development of reasoning and problem solving skills in mathematics, and in the teaching of spelling and Level 6 reading.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governing body is particularly strong. Governors know the school well and actively support and challenge the school to improve further.  Christian values underpin the highly motivating range of social, moral, spiritual and cultural activities that pervade the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 part lessons, including one joint observation with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors observed a number of teaching assistants working with pupils in their lessons. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at play and lunchtime both outside and in the dining room.  The inspectors held informal discussions with pupils from all year groups and a formal discussion with pupils from Year 3, 4, 5 and 6. They met with members of the governing body, the headteacher, other school leaders, a representative of the local authority, and a number of parents. They listened to a sample of Year 1 and 2 pupils read.  96 responses to the online questionnaire for parents (Parent View), 22 responses to staff questionnaires, three letters from parents, one telephone conversation with a parent and the analysis of the most recent school survey of parents’ view (100 responses) were taken into

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Information about this inspection

account.  A wide range of documents were looked at including the school’s self evaluation and development plan and those relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors reviewed the standards’ pupils reach over time and those predicted for the end of this academic year.  Inspectors observed the school at work and scrutinised pupils’ workbooks, the reports of external agencies, documents relating to the performance management of teachers and the minutes of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Fiona Dixon, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Pamela Hemphill Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for support from the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils 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 supported through school action is lower than average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average though the range of special educational needs is becoming more diverse.  Most pupils are from a White heritage though a significant number are not British. The number of pupils for whom English is not their first language is well below national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year

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Information about this school

6.  The school holds the Healthy School Award, the Arts Mark Award and is an Eco-Green Flag School.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sustain the high level of achievement and progress made by all pupils, by:  extending the reflective and developmental marking seen in mathematics and English across all subjects  continuing to provide training, planning and monitoring opportunities to ensure the successful implementation of the new primary curriculum for all pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Typically children have joined the school with skills and knowledge that are expected for their age. In recent years this has changed and there is a significant minority entering with skills and knowledge below that expected for their age. Children develop at a good and often better pace and are ready for the step up to Year 1. Children’s listening, concentration and physical development are particularly well developed.  Pupils make at least good progress in Key Stage 1. In the 2013 national phonics screening check pupils achieved more highly than the national average. By the end of Year 2 pupils are consistently achieving above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Rapid progress continues in Key Stage 2. In the national assessments at the end of Year 6 the number of pupils who attained the higher Level 5 in mathematics, reading, writing and English grammar, punctuation and spelling was significantly above national average. Three quarters of

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

pupils achieved this level in reading and well over three quarters in English grammar, punctuation and spelling.  The most able pupils achieve well and this is reflected in a quarter of pupils attaining the highest Level 6 in writing and mathematics. School data and inspection evidence shows that pupils currently in Year 6 are on track to maintain this impressive picture and improve standards even further with some reaching Level 6 in reading.  Well targeted support for individuals ensures that pupils make at least the progress expected of them and there is no difference in the progress made by boys, girls, different minority ethnic groups or those with low, average or above average levels of prior attainment.  Inspection evidence and school data shows that the small number of pupils supported through the pupil premium, including pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, achieve

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

from their starting points, at least as well as their classmates. This level of achievement shows that the pupil premium is used to good effect by the school to effectively tackle all discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for all.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve more highly than similar pupils nationally as the support they receive closely matches their needs. By the end of Year 6 in 2013 all achieved at least Level 4 in reading and writing, and half of them gained the higher Level 5.  Pupils from minority ethnic groups achieve in line with their peers.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is always good and often outstanding. The passion that teachers have for teaching children, their excellent subject knowledge and their understanding of the learning needs of each pupil enables them to challenge and support each one to make rapid progress.  The Early Years Foundation Stage offers an excellent balance of activities led by adults and those chosen by children. Children’s learning is continually checked and the development of their skills and extension of their knowledge is carefully planned. In the Nursery, when children were learning about ‘less than’, they interacted with a puppet crocodile who wanted to eat their cakes. Children quickly understood and were able to apply this mathematical concept as the learning opportunity was so engaging and accurately planned for their current level of development.  Lessons offer a wide variety of learning opportunities that promote high levels of pupil

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

engagement and progress. Year 5 pupils for example, were observed working in groups, using a range of new technologies, to produce a presentation that would ‘win’ them a contract for the production of a high-tech gadget. Pupils’ use of persuasive language, their ability to complete specific roles within a team and their mature cooperation with each other was outstanding.  The most able pupils are challenged across the curriculum. As a pupil said, ‘you never think, phew, that was easy’. This good challenge was evident in a Year 4 lesson on the Ancient Greeks. Following a recent visit to a museum, pupils were fired with enthusiasm to assess historical sources to be able to explain why the past can be interpreted in a variety of ways.  Teachers and teaching assistants regularly check how well pupils are learning and use this to adjust the activity to ensure all are making at least good progress. Astute changes were made

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

for example, to support each pupil in a session for the most able Year 6 pupils to deepen their understanding of balancing algebraic equations and to ensure learning moved forward at a fast pace.  A variety of questioning techniques are used effectively to check pupils’ knowledge, encourage participation and expand understanding. This is a strong feature of teaching across the school. For example, effective questioning enabled Year 4 pupils to explore ways in which they could check the accuracy of their own spelling. Similarly, in Reception, a child was encouraged through questioning to explain why it was difficult, when trying to create a ‘working’ car, to put a wooden dowel axel through a plastic bottle.  Marking of work in English and mathematics is very thorough and helps pupils make progress. Pupils are fully aware of what they need to do to improve their work further and regularly apply these skills to future work. Pupils are adept at assessing their own learning and often give their

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

classmates ideas to help them improve their work. In other subjects all work is marked but not consistently to the same depth as in English and mathematics.  Pupils love to read. Younger pupils are regularly heard to read aloud by parent volunteers and older pupils who act as reading ‘buddies’. There are many opportunities to use factual texts in topic work and to read widely for enjoyment through participation in national events, such as World Book Day. A pupil commented, ‘If you read more you learn more.’  Pupils’ progress, including for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those supported through the pupil premium, is increased through the wide variety of well targeted support, both in and out of the classroom, provided by able teaching assistants.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Staff and pupils uphold the values of this Christian school and as a result, the attitudes to learning and to each other are exemplary. The views of pupils, staff, parents, school data and inspection observation reflect that this is typical of behaviour over time.  Pupils enjoy holding positions of responsibility, of which there are many, and maturely carry out their roles as house captains, junior librarians, school councillors, reading buddies, play buddies, dining room helpers and eco team members. These roles reflect the high level of care and consideration that pupils give to each other and to their school environment. The eco team are currently very proud of their compost heap.  Pupils readily use good manners and happily talk about their positive experiences of school with visitors. They wear their uniform with pride and enjoy the opportunities, like the Chorlton

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

Challenge in Year 6, to grow in confidence and readiness for the next stage in their lives.  In class, pupils are eager to learn and any form of disruption is extremely rare. Pupils collaborate exceedingly well in group and pair work and are keen to make contributions. They listen well to adults and to each other and sustain concentration on tasks.  The small number of pupils who have difficulty in managing their own behaviour when they join the school are given support through personalised plans including the use of the ‘ThInc room’ and this enables them to settle into the routines of the school and achieve well.  Pupils respect their learning environment and every year group, including Nursery, have routines to keep each room neat and tidy.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils say that bullying is rare and if it occurs it is not tolerated and stopped. Pupils are taught about the many forms of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

bullying including cyber bullying. Pupils feel safe, feel well cared for and know what to do if there is a problem. The vast majority of parents, on Parent View, agree their child is safe and well looked after at school.  Attendance is consistently above average and punctuality is excellent.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 ‘She has brought radiance to the school’ is a comment made by the local authority that sums up the views of many. The headteacher has created a climate where all teachers share her passion for the pursuit of excellence.  School leaders have created a culture of shared ownership for improvement. All staff proudly take responsibility for continual development of their own practice to further improve the quality of teaching and learning. This culture allows all pupils to thrive.  School leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of how well the school is doing. They check and evaluate the school’s work robustly in their relentless drive for improvement. Plans for action are precise so that school leaders can measure success easily. Recent developments in the teaching of spelling, reasoning and problem solving skills in mathematics and the teaching of Level 6 reading are all speeding up pupil progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school has put into place plans for the introduction of the new primary curriculum. School leaders aim to continue to provide training, planning and monitoring opportunities so that the high level of achievement and progress currently made by all pupils in the school is maintained.  Highly motivated and experienced middle leaders monitor all aspects of work in their area of responsibility. The school’s procedures for checking the progress that pupils make is exemplary. Well targeted support is promptly put into place if the progress of any pupil slows.  Teachers are held accountable for pupil progress and their performance is linked to salary progression. School leaders rigorously check the quality of teaching; outstanding practice is regularly shared between teachers and teaching assistants to improve pupil progress.  The creative, topic based curriculum inspires pupils’ interests and increases their motivation to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

learn new skills and extend their knowledge and understanding. The emphasis on art, music and the regular use of visits brings learning to life. Pupils also benefit from sharing the experiences of older members of the local community through the ‘Intergen’ project.  Partnership work in the Manchester Teaching School Alliance strengthens the school in their pursuit to advance academic progress, accurately check achievement and allow pupils to develop their talents in sporting and joint learning events, like Chorlton Olympics and science innovation day.  Social, moral, spiritual and cultural learning is an outstanding feature of this Christian school. Activities pervade every area of school life from pupils enjoying ‘wake up, shake up’ each morning to the annual innovative entry into the Chorlton Arts Festival, taking part in the Easter experience in church, receiving a pen pal letter from Spain or raising money for one of the many

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The leadership and management are outstanding

charities the school supports. Pupils are being extremely well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Parents are active in the life of the school, many volunteering to listen to pupils read. They are overwhelmingly happy with the school and appreciate the many additional opportunities the school provides like the Big Comedy Shop as the school ‘actively develops the whole child.’  The primary school sports funding is being effectively used to increase pupils’ opportunities to participate in sport both at a local and county level. Teachers are working with a specialist to increase their skills in the delivery of physical education lessons and pupils are enjoying the promotion of healthy lifestyles through activities such as ‘vigor boarding’ classes.  The local authority provides quality assurance support to the leadership team and agrees that the provision made by the school for pupils is outstanding.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governance is a strength of the school. Governors know the school well through their regular formal and informal visits to lessons, their annual review of subject areas, their meetings with the leadership team and other staff and their contributions to the review and writing of school policies. They share the vision of the headteacher to continually strive for excellence and in doing so they rigorously scrutinise data on achievement to ensure that all pupils are achieving as well as they can. They regularly support the school in their improvements, for example, the development of provision for Level 6 reading and the use of teacher time to lead learning interventions and accelerate progress.  Governors are aware of the use and impact of the pupil premium funding and the primary school sports funding. They are aware of the quality of teaching across the school and actively

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The leadership and management are outstanding

carry out their duties to ensure rigorous performance management for the headteacher, teachers and teaching assistants. Governors ensure all statutory duties are fulfilled.  Governors actively promote the Christian values of the school. They fully support the extensive opportunities offered within and after the school day to promote the social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of all pupils in readiness for life in modern Britain.

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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 105487 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 440722

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 237 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ben Holt Headteacher Debra Birchall Date of previous school inspection 17 June 2008 Telephone number 0161 8816798 Fax number 0161 8618503 Email address head@chorlton.manchester.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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