St Luke’s CofE Primary School

St Luke’s CofE Primary School Langport Avenue, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4NG

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils achieve well and make good progress as they move through the school. From low starting points, they reach the national average by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is usually good and there are some outstanding features. Lessons are exciting and well planned. Children in the Early Years make excellent use of the exciting indoor and outdoor areas.  Reading is taught well from the outset. Pupils in Year 1 are now reaching levels in the national phonics screening check that are in line with the national average, and Key Stage 2 pupils make rapid progress owing to skilful teaching.  Additional support is highly effective and helps individuals or groups of pupils who are struggling to make good progress.  Pupils feel safe, behave well and work hard in lessons. They are polite, friendly and proud of their school.  Leaders strongly promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result, pupils

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

have a high level of respect, tolerance and appreciation for each other and those from other cultures and faiths.  All staff are fully committed to making sure that every pupil has an equal chance to succeed and to helping those who are facing challenging circumstances.  Actions taken by leaders, including governors, have led to improvements in teaching, achievement and attendance since the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Achievement in Key Stage 1 is not as strong as in Key Stage 2 and too few pupils in this stage reach the higher levels.  Sometimes teachers do not check pupils’ understanding during lessons and then adjust tasks to make sure work set is at the right level. Questions asked are also occasionally too easy for pupils and brief answers are too readily accepted.  Because checks on pupils’ progress are not consistently thorough in Key Stage 1, support is not always provided to those who need it most in this key stage.  The school improvement plan contains too many priorities and lacks measurable short-term targets, and so leaders and governors cannot make best use of it.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. They saw 24 part lessons, five of which were jointly observed with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Discussions were held with groups of pupils, members of the leadership team, the headteacher and six members of the governing body. Inspectors also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 11 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also spoke informally to parents as they brought their children to school.  Responses to the inspection questionnaire from 26 staff were received and their views taken into account.  The inspection team listened to pupils read, talked to them about their learning and reviewed the work in their books.  The inspectors reviewed a number of documents, including the school’s checks on how well it is doing, the school improvement plan, data on pupils’ current progress, leaders’ reports following lesson observations,

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Information about this inspection

and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of a large Nursery and two Reception classes.  Most pupils come from a wide range of different ethnic minority backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are therefore eligible for the pupil premium is also well above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to help pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is below average.  Before- and after-school care is provided by the school.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in Key Stage 1 and increase pupils’ progress rates by raising expectations and the level of challenge, particularly for the most able.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further speed up the rate of progress by making sure that teachers:  systematically check pupils’ understanding and knowledge during lessons in order to re-adjust tasks when pupils find them too easy or too difficult  ask pupils more probing questions to make them think harder and give fuller answers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the effectiveness of leadership and management so that it is outstanding, by:  ensuring that full checks are made on the progress of all pupils, especially in Key Stage 1, so that support is provided for those who need it most  refining the school improvement plan and including measurable, interim milestones so that all leaders, including governors, know how successful actions being taken are.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers at all levels are effective and staff morale is high. This ensures the school does not stand still and the focus on improvement and driving the school forward is firmly embedded. As a result, achievement, the quality of teaching and attendance have all improved since the previous inspection.  Teachers’ assessments are accurate and robust systems exist across the school. The school’s own assessment information, together with that provided by the local authority, is thoroughly analysed and plans and support are put in place to help raise achievement further.  Leaders carry out regular checks on the quality of teaching and track the progress made by different groups of pupils. However, checks on pupils’ progress in Key Stage 1 are not always as thorough as they could be and, as a result, some pupils do not get the support they need. Governors are now more involved in checking the progress of pupils through the school and have a much clearer and more accurate

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The leadership and management are good

understanding of how well the school is doing. Rigorous pupil-progress meetings are used to hold teachers to account. These meetings are effective, particularly in Key Stage 2, in ensuring additional support is provided for pupils who are in danger of falling behind.  The management of teachers’ performance is carried out systematically. Annual targets are set for teachers and closely linked to the school improvement plan. Teachers’ salaries are only increased where there is evidence that pupils are making at least good progress.  In the main, the school improvement plan centres on the right priorities. However, the document itself is extremely lengthy and does not make it easy for all leaders, including governors, to be sure of current priorities. Regular reviews are carried out but the lack of measurable, interim milestones means that leaders, including governors, do not know precisely whether actions being taken are successful until the

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The leadership and management are good

end of the year.  The curriculum has been well planned to make sure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Topics cover a wide range of subjects and literacy and numeracy links are included. A good range of visits, visitors and clubs provide memorable experiences for pupils and add to their enjoyment of school. The school has devised a new approach to assessment to match the new curriculum and is currently trialling this. It is too early to judge the impact of this approach.  The primary school sport premium has been used effectively by leaders to provide specialist sports coaching and improve the training and confidence of staff in their ability to teach physical education. It has also been used extensively to provide more playground equipment, such as climbing walls, and to purchase additional resources. As a result, more pupils participate in a wider range of physical activities

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The leadership and management are good

and teachers’ skills and knowledge have improved. The local authority provides light-touch support together with an extremely detailed, annual summary of how well the school is performing. A cycle of checks on the accuracy of teacher judgements also helps support the school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good overview of the school. Since the previous inspection, governors have become much more involved in checking on the quality of teaching. As a result, their understanding of how well different ages and groups of pupils are doing in different subjects has improved.  Appointed governors set targets for the headteacher and check that pay increases for teachers are linked to their performance. Governors have a broad range of skills which they put to good use, for example, managing the school budget. They keep a close eye on finances, know how the pupil premium is spent and what difference this is making to disadvantaged pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Along with other leaders, governors ensure that pupils are safe in school and that all safeguarding requirements are met in full. Careful checks are made when appointing staff and regular health and safety walks around the school are carried out.  Governors undertake their statutory duties conscientiously. They have ensured that the school has responded well to the challenges posed by the new curriculum and its implications for assessment. They make sure that key values, such as tolerance and understanding of the beliefs of others, are carefully promoted.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good, both in lessons and at playtimes. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and most persevere in order to complete tasks. School rules are well established and pupils know what is expected. They also know the sanctions and rewards that the school has put in place. Pupils are very polite, helpful and keen to discuss their work with visitors.  Pupils have a good level of understanding about the different types of bullying, including verbal, physical and cyber bullying. They do not feel that bullying is an issue in their school but say they know whom to talk to if they feel upset, and that any such issues are dealt with swiftly. Parents also feel that behaviour is good and that the school deals with incidents appropriately.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel very safe at school because they trust the adults working with them to help them deal with any problems. Parents who expressed their

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

views support this. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.  The arrangements for breakfast club and after-school care are a valuable resource for parents and the breakfast club provides a good start to the day for pupils who attend. All age groups socialise well together. As a result of having a good breakfast and access to well-managed social activities, including ‘Wake and Shake’, pupils are keen and ready to learn by the time lessons begin.  Equality of opportunity is central to the school’s belief and as a result, discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Leaders strongly promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils have a clear sense of right and wrong. They treat all adults and each other with the highest levels of respect. They also have a strong understanding and appreciation of different cultures and faiths owing to the wide

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

range of beliefs and heritages within their own school. Links with other schools, including China and Australia, provide additional opportunities to develop this aspect and some pupils have even visited China as part of their education.  Pupils enjoy school. Attendance has improved significantly in the last year and is now above average. This is as a result of effective actions taken by leaders and improved systems that have been put in place.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers prepare lessons well and use the school’s good information about pupils’ progress to set tasks to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. Lessons follow on sensibly from previous learning. Good relationships between adults and pupils make sure that pupils feel valued and encouraged.  Teaching assistants form a strong partnership with teachers. They work effectively to support all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those who are disadvantaged, to make sure that they understand what they need to do and provide additional help if needed. As a result, these pupils make good progress and achieve well.  Most teachers check on pupils’ learning during the lesson and use questions well. However, at times, they do not re-adjust tasks when pupils find them too hard or too easy. For example, pupils in Year 2 were working on adding and taking away numbers to ten when some could use numbers up to 100.

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The quality of teaching is good

Expectations and levels of challenge were therefore too low to allow pupils to make rapid progress. Additionally, questions are not focused sharply enough to really probe pupils’ understanding and challenge their thinking. Sometimes, teachers accept brief responses when pupils would benefit from being expected to explain their answers more fully.  Pupils are clear about what they are going to learn as this is shared at the outset of lessons and, when necessary, teachers carefully show them how to use the skills that they need to develop their understanding. Teachers have good subject knowledge and provide helpful, practical equipment for those pupils who need it to help them complete the tasks they have been set. Pupils, including those in the Early Years, are also highly skilled at using information technology, for example digi-cameras and iPads, to help them with their work.  Classrooms are bright and well organised. Displays in classrooms provide useful prompts to help pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

remember key information and celebrate examples of good work.  Marking is regular and thorough and books examined showed some examples of highly effective marking, especially in Year 6. Where pupils respond to and act upon the helpful comments made by the teacher, there is clear evidence of improvement in quality of work produced and accelerated progress.

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is good

 Children start school with skills, knowledge and understanding that are often below those typical for their age, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. Staff rapidly develop supportive relationships with children, and provide a wide and worthwhile range of learning activities both indoor and outdoor. As a result, children make good progress and most are well prepared for Year 1.  Progress across Years 1 to 6 is good overall and pupils leave Year 6 with standards which are broadly similar to the national average. In Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress in writing and mathematics and outstanding progress in reading. Leaders have accurately identified this and are taking steps to ensure that achievement in writing and mathematics matches that of reading. Work in books and school’s own information show that progress rates are already accelerating.  Many pupils join or leave the school at times other than at the start of their primary education and this

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is good

has an adverse effect on standards, especially at Key Stage 1 where they are significantly below average. The school’s own information shows that in 2014, over a third of pupils joined partway through Key Stage 1, many with little or no English and several with complex learning or social needs. However, standards are rising in all subjects and the gap with national standards is closing. Leaders are aware that they need to track and compare the progress of those pupils who join the school to that of pupils who have been at St Luke’s from the start of their primary education, in order to provide additional support wherever needed and raise standards further.  Reading is strongly promoted across the school with well-stocked libraries and areas to browse reading material. Phonics (letters and the sounds they make) are taught successfully; pupils make good progress and develop good reading habits and a love of books. While the proportion of pupils reaching the required

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is good

level in the Year 1 phonic screening check in 2013 dipped and was below national average, the school’s own information for 2014 shows results picked up to match the national average.  The most able pupils are now reaching the higher levels at the end of Key Stage 2, showing that their needs are being met well. Teachers plan work that provides the most able with opportunities to think for themselves, to carry out research and to work at tasks that challenge them to the full. However, too few reach the higher levels in Key Stage 1; this is because there is sometimes a lack of challenge and these pupils do not achieve as well as they could in this key stage.  The school’s own assessment information and work sampled in pupils’ books confirm that all groups of pupils achieve well, including those from different ethnic minority groups and those who speak English as an additional language.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because of the support

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is good

they receive both within and outside lessons. Structured teaching sessions are provided for individuals or small groups. This practice helps them to keep up with their classmates, demonstrating the school’s active promotion of equality of opportunity.  School leaders carefully check and follow the progress of all groups of pupils. School’s own data show that the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is rising year-on-year. Pupils who left the school in Year 6 in 2013 were approximately three terms behind their classmates in writing and mathematics but there was no gap in their reading attainment. Compared to other pupils nationally in 2013, disadvantaged pupils were approximately two terms behind in writing and three terms behind in mathematics with again no gap in reading. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress in writing and mathematics and outstanding progress in reading in Key Stage 2 along with others in their class. This is because funding is used well to provide

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is good

additional adult support in literacy and numeracy and to purchase equipment and software to help pupils learn more rapidly.

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is good

 Most children join the school in Nursery but there are some who join in Reception Year. Children receive a very warm welcome to help them build their confidence and independence while developing their early basic skills. Children learn how to get on and work together effectively from the outset. Parents are allowed to stay and observe or work with their children at the start of the year. As a result, children settle quickly and good relationships are formed between school and parents. Children behave well and listen attentively to adults at all times.  Children make good progress in both Nursery and Reception classes and build well on the skills and knowledge they have when they join the school. Information provided by the school shows that there has been a steady improvement in the overall standards reached. At the end of Reception, most children are working at a good level in personal, social and emotional development and also in their physical

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is good

development, but they are slightly below in their literacy and mathematical skills.  Teaching is consistently good and on occasion, outstanding. For example, a small group of boys using a digi-camera were highly engrossed in looking at snails. They were fascinated by them and began imaginative play by asking, ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ when snails crawled off the leaves provided. The teacher then skilfully developed the language and learning further by asking the boys to look at the shape on the shells and describe how the snails felt when they picked them up. This resulted in the very highest levels of interest and concentration.  All adults work closely with children and provide good levels of support during activities. Staff are particularly effective in promoting children’s speaking and listening skills as they show children how to use language by their own speech, and question them about what they are doing. Exciting activities are

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is good

planned and there is a good balance between activities which are adult led and those that children choose themselves.  Good leadership and management ensure that children work and play in a safe, attractive and purposeful environment where each child is known as an individual. Good systems are in place to track children’s progress and regular observations are carried out to make sure that planning builds on children’s current levels. Time and money have been well invested to make sure that both the indoor and outdoor environments promote all areas of learning.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 448295 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 105503

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 432 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tan Ahmed Headteacher Saeeda Ishaq Date of previous school inspection 23 September 2009 Telephone number 0161 2733648 Fax number 0161 2733735 Email address admin@st-lukes.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 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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