Lunts Heath Primary School

Lunt's Heath Primary School Wedgwood Drive, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 9RJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Pupils are making outstanding progress as they travel through the school. Progress is rapid and has been sustained over the last three years.  Attainment at Key Stage 1 over the last five years has been significantly above average. By the end of Key Stage 2, attainment is significantly above the average in English and mathematics, although not always at an equally high standard in other subjects  The relationships are excellent and this supports pupils’ very effective learning. The learning is often exciting and provides relevant and worthwhile experiences for all pupils.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are exceptionally well supported and therefore make excellent progress.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium make the same outstanding progress as others in the school. Work they are set is very well planned to get the best out of pupils and progress is rapid and sustained.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The teaching assistants are highly trained and make a huge impact on pupils’ learning in reading, writing and mathematics.  Rigorous assessment, and the tracking of the pupils’ progress and how well the school is doing provide sharply focused improvement plans for English and mathematics.  Attendance is well-above average and has been for some considerable time.  Excellent behaviour and safety contribute to outstanding outcomes. Pupils’ attitudes are exemplary.  Improvement in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement has been rapid. Leaders have rightly recognised the areas for further improvement. However, inconsistencies in the opportunities for pupils to respond to teachers’ marking remain.  The headteacher is the driving force in this very popular school. She ensures a very high standard of education, shows a relentless drive with pupils’ progress and ensures that spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of learning

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

permeate throughout the whole school.  The very able senior leadership team, new deputy headteacher and middle leaders have an excellent overview of pupils’ progress and attainment.  The governors are relentless in ensuring that all pupils make as much progress as possible in this very caring and supportive school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 20 lessons. They also made a number of short visits to lessons and listened to pupils read in Years 1, 2, 4 and 6. The teaching of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) was observed in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Separate meetings were held with members of the governing body, staff, and a representative from the local authority.  Three different groups of pupils were interviewed as well as informal discussions with groups of pupils.  Inspectors reviewed information from 46 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View) or parental letters sent in.  They took account of the views of staff from 15 questionnaires.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation including national assessment information, the school’s assessment of pupils’ learning, the school’s view of its own performance, local authority reports, information about the subjects

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Information about this inspection

pupils study, pupils’ work and safeguarding and attendance documents.  On the first day of the inspection most of Year 6 were attending a transition day at the local high school. On the second day Year 1 were on a school trip to Southport.

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Inspection team

Jean Tarry, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Kathleen Harris Additional Inspector Christine Potter Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Lunt’s Heath Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding is below the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding provided for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is lower than the average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is lower than average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards that set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  There have been some staff changes in the last 12 months due to retirement and the school

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Information about this school

now has four members of staff at the start of their career.  The school runs many after-school clubs, which are managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching in all classes and subjects to that of the very best in the school by:  ensuring that pupils are given every opportunity to respond to the outstanding feedback given to them by their class teachers  ensuring that work in pupils’ books in other subjects is of an equally high standard as in the English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children start school with skills and knowledge that are typical for their age, especially in literacy and social skills. They make good progress over time in Reception and achieve well because of the well-matched tasks in the group work.  As pupils travel through the school they make outstanding progress from their individual starting points at the start of Key Stage 1 to the end of Key Stage 2. They are exceptionally well prepared to transfer to the next stage of their education.  Pupils’ attainment is significantly above average at the end of Key Stage 1. This improves further at the end of Key Stage 2. Attainment has continued to improve since the last inspection, in reading, writing and mathematics. School data, confirmed by the inspection evidence, show that this outstanding improving trend is set to continue this year and next year .  The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels of attainment in reading, writing and

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

mathematics is often higher than average and continually increasing.  The most able pupils’ achievement is really excellent and this is due to the fact that all tasks are very well matched to their ability and they receive high levels of challenge in both writing and mathematics.  From the Reception Year onwards, the well managed teaching of phonics enables pupils to read very well indeed. Pupils develop a real love of reading a range of books as they move through the school. Reading takes a very high priority across the school, with initiatives such as daily readers or guided reading groups. Attainment is continually rising in reading, especially at the end of Year 2 and 6. The progress the most able pupils make with their comprehension tasks in reading is excellent.  The disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make at least good and sometimes outstanding progress due to the targeted support from exceptionally well trained

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

teaching and support staff. The extra support given to help these pupils with their basic skills is having a real impact with their reading, writing and mathematics.  The pupil premium funding ensures that eligible pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, are making progress similar to other pupils in English and mathematics. This group makes at least good and often outstanding progress. In Year 6 in 2013, the attainment of eligible pupils in English and in mathematics was in line with their classmates. The school data and inspection evidence shows that any gaps evident in attainment between eligible pupils and others in previous years have now closed. This clearly shows the school’s success in promoting equality of opportunity for all its pupils.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The outstanding teaching ensures that pupils make rapid progress. Often there is a high level of engagement and an excellent pace to the pupils’ new learning. Pupils are totally involved and thoroughly motivated to learn as much as possible. However, teachers in all classes do not ensure that work in the pupils’ books in other subjects is of an equally high standard as that in English and mathematics.  The quality of the teachers’ marking in all classes is very effective; it is regular, consistent and celebratory. Teachers’ comments in books always ensure that pupils know what they need to do next to improve their work. However, teachers do not always ensure that pupils are given every opportunity to respond to the outstanding feedback given to them.  The quality of teaching is exceptionally high and particularly in Year 2 and Year 6. These teachers are very good at sharing their expertise when planning together and helping each other

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

improve their practice and the provision for all pupils. More experienced staff are particularly good at helping and supporting staff who are new to the profession and whose teaching is not yet consistently outstanding.  In Year 2, pupils were determined to show how well they could master their mathematical skills as teachers challenged their understanding, which resulted in them making rapid progress. The pupils were very confident and they demonstrated a high level of determination as they attempted to work with two digit numbers by using repeated addition and multiplication.  In Year 6, pupils learnt how to successfully link subjects together to see the relevance of their writing as they worked on producing an information text on nutrition. Others made rapid progress in mathematics, showed a mature attitude and had a strong work ethic as they investigate how to find the area or the circumference of a circle. The teaching constantly

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

challenged the pupils to achieve their very best.  Teachers’ training is very well focused on reading, writing and phonics and this has continued to make a significant difference to pupils’ learning. Teachers help and support the most able readers with their comprehension through well-planned guided reading activities. Often pupils are asked to read very difficult texts which make them think really hard or improve their ability to read between the lines or draw conclusions based on evidence.  Teaching assistants have been involved in high-quality training and this work has had a significant impact on pupils’ mathematics, reading, writing and their understanding of phonics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. Most pupils, parents and staff agree. Behaviour observed was exemplary both indoors and outdoors. This makes for calm purposeful classrooms where all individuals thrive. Pupils are extremely friendly, exceptionally polite and always considerate. They thoroughly enjoy coming to their school, are very excited by their new learning and always try their very best to succeed in everything they do. They are rightly proud of their school and do everything they can to make visitors feel welcome.  Pupils develop an excellent sense of responsibility as they organise their learning. Behaviour strategies are extremely effective. As a result many pupils act as really good role models and are intrinsically motivated to help their classmates to improve their work.  Pupils develop a high level of responsibility as they work as play and sports leaders. The older pupils are reading buddies for the younger ones and this contributes to their outstanding

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

achievement in reading.  Attendance has been above average for some time and is now well-above average. There are very effective monitoring systems in place and links with parents are very strong. Many parents help and support their children with their homework tasks.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Parents and staff believe that pupils feel very safe, secure and happy in school. Pupils know about name-calling and physical bullying and say that it seldom occurs. However, they do know who to talk to if this happens. They know how to keep themselves safe and talk sensibly about the dangers of inappropriate use of the internet.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The leadership of the headteacher is extremely effective as she is constantly driving improvement by ensuring that teachers concentrate on the progress pupils are making from their starting points. She leaves no stone unturned and rightly identifies any dips in progress.  The monitoring of the quality of teaching by senior leaders and subject leaders at all levels is carried out very well indeed. The middle leaders make a significant contribution to the provision and outcomes across the school. This has led to improvement in teaching across all key stages, although some teaching is not yet at the same outstanding level as there are some staff who are at the very early stages of their career.  The headteacher and teachers assess pupils’ knowledge and skills very well indeed. This means that the school’s data that tracks pupils’ attainment and progress is effective and very reliable. The school leaders at all levels hold the staff to account for the progress of all the pupils,

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The leadership and management are outstanding

including the link between this and teachers’ movement up the pay scales.  School leaders constantly check how well additional funds are used. For example, pupil premium funding is used to provide a range of support. The new primary school sports funding is used to improve pupils’ achievement, health and well-being through a wide range of high-quality sporting opportunities. The impact of this funding can be seen in outcomes for pupils, which are good and often outstanding, and how well pupils are prepared for their transition to high school.  The partnerships with external agencies are very effective and this is helping to ensure those with special educational needs make good and often outstanding progress.  The outstanding curriculum provision is a huge strength of the school. It provides and meets the needs of all pupils very effectively and ensures that pupils achieve much better than the national

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The leadership and management are outstanding

average from their starting points.  There is an extremely positive impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects of learning and their overall development. All pupils’ thrive in this supportive school community, which a member of staff describes as having very strong leadership and a committed team of staff who all work very hard for the good of all the children.  The local authority has effectively moderated the school on a number of occasions since the last inspection. The school has fully engaged in the process and responded to recommendation about the collation of evidence. The school has been regarded as a ‘light touch’ school for some time.  The governance of the school:  The governors have an accurate view of pupils’ achievement through rigorously analysing performance data, and of the quality of teaching. Governors have constantly ensured that leaders have addressed identified weaknesses in teaching and checked that performance-

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The leadership and management are outstanding

management systems are implemented effectively.  They ensure that the pupil premium funding is allocated to support the learning of those pupils for whom it is intended. They have checked closely why this support has been effective in narrowing the gap in the attainment of these pupils compared with similar pupils nationally.  Statutory duties are fulfilled and meet requirements and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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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 111199 Local authority Halton Inspection number 444178

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 332 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jill Greaves Headteacher Dee Denton Date of previous school inspection 2 March 2010 Telephone number 0151 4233322 Fax number 0151 4206977 Email address head.luntsheath@halton.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 and 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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