Leverhulme Community Primary School

Leverhulme Community Primary School Breightmet Drive, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, BL2 6EE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Over time, not all pupils reach the levels of attainment they should, particularly in writing at the end of Key Stage 1. There are, however, signs of improvement.  While the overall quality of teaching is good, some teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve during lessons or of the quantity of work produced.  Pupils sometimes produce responses that are the same as other pupils. They do not always get the opportunity to record their findings in their own words.  Expertise in the use of data to analyse pupils’ progress is not shared amongst senior leaders or distributed to class teachers.  There is a lack of rigorous analysis of the impact of the different subjects in the curriculum on raising standards.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage where they make good progress as a result of consistently good teaching.  The behaviour of pupils is good. They say they enjoy coming to school and that rare incidents of bullying are dealt with very well by school staff.  School leaders have been successful in improving attendance. They are beginning to improve the quality of pupils’ writing.  The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development is a strength of the school.  Parents say they are happy with the quality of education provided by the school and feel their children are looked after well.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive effective support so that they make good progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons or parts of lessons.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and looked at the work in their books.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and different groups of people involved with the school. These included pupils, members of the governing body, members of the teaching staff and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took into account the results of the school’s recent parental surveys. Responses on the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were too few to report.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including plans for improvement, records of the school’s checks on pupils’ and teachers’ performance, safeguarding and attendance documents, minutes of meetings of the governing body and school policies.  A further visit was made to the school by Mark Williams, HMI after the inspection was completed to gather additional evidence regarding the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning.

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Inspection team

Faheem Chishti, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Terry Bond Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Leverhulme Community Primary is an above average sized primary school.  The very large majority of pupils is of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, is about double the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  There has been a recent appointment of a new deputy headteacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils' achievement, particularly in writing and in Key Stage 1, by ensuring that :  teachers give pupils work that is sufficiently challenging to extend their learning  teachers ensure mistakes identified in pupil’s work, particularly relating to pupils’ writing, are followed up and corrected  pupils have regular opportunities to write using their own words.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  rigorously checking the information collected about pupils’ progress and sharing the results of this fully with all teachers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards attained at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 are below the national average. This is particularly so in writing. In the past in Key Stage 1 the standard of writing of many pupils has been around two terms behind those expected for their age by the end of Year 2. Attainment in reading and mathematics at the end of Year 2 has fluctuated from year to year.  There are, however, signs of improvement in writing and particularly so since September 2013. Work in pupils’ books in Key Stage 1 points to examples of better progress and pupils’ targets being met. For example, one pupil in September was able only to write simple phrases with incorrect spellings and a lack of punctuation. By February 2014 the pupil could produce pieces such as ‘’Come in’ said the wolf. Then Little Red Riding Hood crept in the little cottage. She was shocked at what she saw. What big eyes you have!’  However, in both Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils’ writing skills are sometimes held back by

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

corrections, in spelling for example, not being routinely made. In addition, by sometimes producing the same work as others, pupils are not always challenged to extend their thinking by writing answers in their own words.  Most children start school with skills that are well below those typically expected for their age. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes and are well-prepared for their future learning. The result of the good progress is that, broadly speaking, when they start Year 1, their skills are below those expected of their age.  In Key Stage 2, while the rate of progress is faster in some classes than in others, most of the Year 6 pupils who left school in 2011 and 2012 had made good progress in English and mathematics. Nevertheless, overall attainment was still just below average. In 2013, progress slowed in writing and mathematics and standards slipped further below the national average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Attainment in reading, however, rose slightly and in 2013 was slightly less than one term below the national average. Work in pupils’ books points to targets being met this year.  Reading skills are taught well using phonics (learning letters and the sounds they make). Pupils use these skills well to improve their basic literacy skills successfully. Their progress in reading is good.  Pupils' attainment in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 has dropped slightly each year since 2011. Teaching of mathematics has improved in recent months and is aimed at raising standards, particularly for the most-able pupils in Year 6. However, the impact of this intervention on standards has yet to be fully seen.  The progress of the most-able pupils requires improvement because it is not yet fast enough and too few pupils attain the highest levels, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive effective support so that

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

they make good progress. Those entitled to extra support to meet individual education targets are helped to grow as confident learners.  At Leverhulme Community Primary, pupil premium funding is used to good effect. In 2013, in both reading and mathematics, attainment gaps narrowed between pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and that of their peers. In mathematics, the attainment of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals matched that of other pupils in the school and in writing, pupils eligible for free school meals made faster progress and reached higher standards than other pupils. In reading they were less than half a term behind their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Current teaching across the school is good. Some outstanding teaching exists, most notably in Reception and Nursery, and scattered around the whole school.  When learning is best, teachers enthuse pupils with a love for learning and provide interesting and engaging activities that challenge them well. In a Key Stage 2 religious education lesson, for example, the teacher set up different tasks that stretched the most-able pupils’ thinking, while at the same time providing new learning and enjoyment for all pupils. This enjoyment is often seen through the range of interesting subjects that often have an enquiry-based approach at the heart of learning. In Reception, children play and work together harmoniously in a safe environment. They are inquisitive and have an opportunity to read on a regular basis.  Inspectors also found some teaching over time requires improvement. In such cases, tasks set

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The quality of teaching is good

by teachers do not allow pupils to wrestle with the sort of challenging problems that would stretch their learning significantly. For example, some writing tasks occasionally require pupils to copy writing. Sometimes pupils are asked to produce the same responses as other pupils rather than writing in their own words. Similarly, some reading tasks hold pupils back because they do not have to apply their skills to tackle difficult words or texts. In addition, while some teachers provide accurate next steps and ample time for pupils to respond to comments, on other occasions some work is left unmarked and corrections not made so pupils do not learn from their errors. Some teachers identify pupils’ targets and show how they can achieve this but this practice is not consistent in all lessons.  The teaching of writing remains a priority for Leverhulme. This was an area for improvement from the previous inspection report three years ago. Pupils’ work in books shows that

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The quality of teaching is good

improvements are being made. For example, pupils in Year 5 are using flashbacks to grab the interest of readers. However, in some classes, the filling in of missing words or a lack of opportunities to edit work is not extending pupils’ skills in writing. This is particularly so for the most-able pupils.  The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good because skilled teaching assistants ensure that pupils receive support which is matched well to their needs.  Good use is made of information and communication technology (ICT) throughout the school, particularly in the heavily-timetabled ICT suite. Pupils also use other computer devices in the classroom to help them learn.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils respond well to the school's calm atmosphere and an interesting curriculum that, on the whole, engages them well with their learning. Being 'Playground Squaddies' and participation in the school council keeps pupils involved in the running of the school and provide good opportunities for leadership roles.  Behaviour is well managed by staff who follow a clear behaviour management policy based on yellow and red cards. Sanctions such as detentions and standing by the wall are rarely used.  The headteacher has a positive and supportive relationship with pupils whose behaviour gives cause for concern and communicates well with other adults in school and parents about this.  The pastoral work of other adults such as the learning mentor is also very good. In fact, pupils say they wish the 'Oasis Room' was open more often. Inspectors agree that this room is underused and activities such as the ‘Rainbow Project’ would be of benefit to pupils even more,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

to enhance their social and emotional well-being.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say bullying happens only rarely in the school and on these occasions it is dealt with very efficiently by the school staff. Staff agree with this, although finding recorded evidence of the school’s response to bullying was more difficult, as the school does not have a rigorous, systematic recording policy.  The school has worked hard to improve pupils' attendance which is now broadly in line with that of most other schools. Pupils are encouraged to arrive on time every day due to a rigorous regime of late slips issued at the front door to all pupils arriving late.  Pupils behave well in the playground and get on well together. Resources are adequate with ample space to play, although some pupils say there is not enough to do at playtimes.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have secured improvements in pupils’ attendance and attainment in reading. Attainment in writing is also beginning to improve. However, these improvements have yet to a have a strong enough impact to move achievement to good.  Leaders’ monitoring of current standards in teaching broadly matches the picture seen by inspectors during the inspection, although inspectors are of the view there is some that requires improvement.  Subject leaders regularly monitor their subjects through the scrutiny of books, teachers’ planning and observation of lessons. They know their subjects well and generally work together as a strong team, sharing resources and expertise. Their individual plans for improvement are linked well to the whole school improvement plan. However, the use of data to analyse pupils’ progress is a little cumbersome at present and information gained is not shared amongst senior leaders or

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The leadership and management requires improvement

distributed to class teachers. In addition, although the curriculum has helped to promote good learning habits and behaviour, there is a lack of rigorous analysis of the impact of the different subjects on raising standards in this school. Some teachers’ expectation that pupils will fill in missing words for example is not extending pupils’ thinking or writing skills.  Pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development is a strength of the school. Daily assemblies provide a good awareness of spirituality. A wide range of trips, visits and other curriculum enhancement activities ensure that pupils respect each other and have a good awareness of different cultures and religions.  All pupils have equal access to all school activities and school leaders are committed to improving opportunities for all to succeed as well as they can.  The local authority currently provides light touch support to the school, even though recent test

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The leadership and management requires improvement

results dipped. The school, however, is often visited by other practitioners who come to Leverhulme Primary because of its reputation as a good model for effective international curriculum development.  Teachers' performance is monitored by school leaders and staff have targets linked to their classroom practice. There is a rigorous cycle of checking progress against these targets. There is fluidity in leadership structures with recent new staff to the school, as well as established staff moving responsibilities.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is actively involved with the school with link governors having a high profile with their chosen classes.  The governing body is made up of parents of children as well as community members and education professionals who know the school really well. The minutes of governing body meetings show that recruitment of governors, both from parents and staff, has been difficult.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

There is, however, robust financial and legal management and all safeguarding requirements are met. Governors make appropriate use of information to plan the use of funding such as the pupil premium. They make sure that such funding is having a positive effect on eligible pupils’ learning by comparing their progress with that of other pupils.  Governors use the new sport funding to employ specialist teachers to work alongside class teachers. This has had a positive impact on the professional development of school staff and is beginning to bring healthier lifestyle benefits for pupils.

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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 131271 Local authority Bolton Inspection number 440880

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 381 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Byrne Headteacher Nigel Ashton Date of previous school inspection 2 March 2011 Telephone number 01204 333123 Fax number 01204 333124 Email address office@leverhulme.bolton.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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