Old Hall Primary School

Old Hall Primary School Springside View, Bury, Lancashire, BL8 4LU

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This is a good school. It is led well by the headteacher. She helps to ensure that pupils receive a good and improving level of education and aim high for their future careers.  The headteacher is supported effectively by other senior leaders in the school who are helping to improve teaching.  Governors hold the leadership to account and are very supportive of the school. They are well trained and regularly review and visit the school.  The range of subjects taught and the activities and clubs that take place are very much valued by pupils.  Achievement is good across the school and particularly in reading. This is shown in pupils’ books, observations of learning in classrooms and through discussions with pupils and parents.  The quality of teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teachers inspire pupils to learn well and to take pride in their work.  The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils show

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

very high levels of interest in their work and are keen to succeed.  The work of the school to keep pupils safe is also outstanding. Pupils have excellent knowledge of issues such as those related to bullying and Internet safety.  Pupils’ attendance rates are consistently high. They enjoy coming to school. The school works extremely well to ensure that any absences are carefully followed up.  Children get off to a very positive start to school life when they enter the Reception class. This is because teaching and care are of high quality.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all pupils, particularly the most able, make better-than-expected progress in writing and mathematics.  The checks made by subject leaders on learning in lessons do not always specify what improvements are needed in pupils’ writing and mathematical skills.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited a range of lessons across all classes. The headteacher joined three of the visits.  Work in pupils’ books was closely checked by inspectors.  Inspectors took account of 36 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). They also looked at responses to a parental questionnaire recently carried out by the school and talked to parents informally on the school grounds.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils and inspectors spoke to pupils at breaks and lunchtimes.  Inspectors also held discussions with governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority and school staff.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, documents relating to the school’s plans for improvement, its procedures for checking the quality of teaching, records relating to behaviour and attendance and

p.2

Inspection team

Clarice Nelson-Rowe, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium (disadvantaged pupils) is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding 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 average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher took up post in September 2012. After a period of illness, she returned to the school in

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching further to help more pupils particularly the most able, make better-than-expected progress in writing and mathematics by ensuring that:  pupils consistently receive work at the right level of difficulty  pupils improve the quality of their writing, including spelling, and respond to teachers’ comments  pupils can use methods to help them check and correct calculations more quickly  pupils know what they need to do to improve their progress in mathematics.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders know and share with staff the specific skills that pupils need to improve on in writing and mathematics, as a result of more effective checks on learning in lessons.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The school is led well. The headteacher has returned from a period of illness with great determination to ensure that teaching, achievement and behaviour improve. Senior leaders, school staff and governors are also driving improvements well and tackling areas of the school that need to improve further.  The school has an accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses. Information on pupils’ achievement is reviewed regularly and actions are taken quickly to address any weaknesses. Teachers are aware of the close link between the quality of their teaching, the impact on pupils’ achievement and any pay awards.  Leaders have worked well to ensure that information on achievement is accurate and is used to make improvements in teaching. Information given to parents on how well their children are doing is detailed and informs parents on how their children are doing against national expectations. Parents who spoke to

p.4

The leadership and management are good

inspectors agreed that information that they get from the school about their children is good.  The local authority has supported the school well. This is particularly with regard to helping the school to maintain stability during the absence and return of the headteacher.  The checks on teaching are regular and varied and involve a range of leaders in the school. Subject leaders have a clear view on what they need to improve on in their areas and help staff to improve their teaching and subject knowledge. However, some of the checks by leaders on learning in lessons do not clearly indicate what specific subject skills pupils need to improve on in mathematics and writing.  Pupils enjoy a rich range of activities and subjects. Personal, health and well-being education, as well as preparing pupils for adult life, including life in multi-cultural Britain, are strongly promoted. In discussions with inspectors, pupils clearly linked trips and visitors to subjects that they study. For example, pupils

p.4

The leadership and management are good

spoke enthusiastically about learning about the Jewish religion and visiting a synagogue and museum.  Through the school’s ‘Aspiration Project’, pupils are well prepared for the future in terms of getting them to think about a range of careers for which they can aim.  The use of the new primary school sport funding is being used effectively to extend the range of sporting activities and to improve pupils’ physical skills. Activities include fencing, dodge ball, gymnastics, and swimming.  The governance of the school:  Governors are highly committed to the school. They visit the school regularly and review how well they are helping the school to improve. They are well informed about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and use a range of information, including nationally published information, to check on how well pupils are achieving. Governors are aware of how the accuracy of information on pupils’ achievement is

p.4

The leadership and management are good

improving. They have helped to address weaknesses in teaching in the school. Even though numbers of disadvantaged pupils are small, they are very aware of how well the pupil premium is being used and how well different groups of pupils are doing in the school. They ensure that the performance of teachers is managed well to ensure that teaching is at least good in the school.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Classrooms are happy and exciting places in which to learn.  Relationships are very positive between pupils as well as between adults and pupils. Staff also model respectful and helpful relationships between each other.  Pupils are respectful of the school environment and demonstrate exemplary behaviour. For example, pupils were observed during lunch time in the dining hall, ensuring that their volume of sound did not go beyond the level of music being played. They also left very little mess behind them when they had finished eating.  In lessons, pupils work very hard. They support each other well and work well on their own. The quality of presentation and completion of work in books shows that pupils take great pride and interest in their work. Pupils say that they are not perfect, but behaviour is typically good and often better, in and outside

p.4

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils feel very safe and well cared for. As one pupil rightly reported, ‘They know us well here.’  Pupils have a strong understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including when using the Internet. Their knowledge of what bullying means and examples of bullying based on different types of prejudice is excellent. This is due to the high importance the school gives to ensuring that pupils are taught well about issues related to safety.  Pupils very much enjoy school. All groups of children attend very well. In 2013, the school’s attendance figure was in the top 20% of all schools nationally and is currently rising further. The school pays strong attention to safeguarding pupils, and follows up any absences rapidly and rigorously.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall and improving. This is because leaders and teachers are paying good attention to information on how well pupils are doing over periods of time. They ensure that lessons are planned to tackle any weakness in pupils’ learning from previous lessons.  Teaching assistants are skilled and review the impact of their work regularly as a team. They help children well to improve their reading skills and encourage pupils, particularly those who lack confidence or who have communication difficulties, to take part in class discussions successfully.  The teaching of reading and writing has much improved. Pupils enjoy their learning, as activities are varied and often engage all their senses. Pupils are inspired well by teachers to write creatively, such as making up their own stories or writing poetry based on the experiences of others about whom they have read.  The teaching of mathematical skills is improving. This is because the school has recently invested in

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

training for staff and new resources to make mathematics more interesting for pupils and to meet the requirements of the new curriculum. Good questioning by teachers helps pupils to think deeply about what they are learning and to use technical words when describing or explaining mathematical ideas.  Across the school, marking is frequent and most teachers give good advice to help pupils how to improve. However, pupils do not always improve their work consistently in response to teachers’ comments. Also, some pupils are not always clear about what skills they need to improve on in mathematics.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils are making good progress in all classes across the school. This is very evident from pupils’ work and from observations of learning in lessons.  Although they vary from year to year, children usually enter the Reception class with skills which are overall typically expected for their age. The progress that they make is usually good and sometimes outstanding.  Throughout Years 1 and 2, pupils continue to make good progress. By the end of Year 2, they consistently reach above average levels in reading, writing and mathematics.  The results in Year 1 national reading tests and in work in the school show those pupils’ reading skills are improving strongly. Pupils enjoy reading as well as writing. They value the variety of books in the school library and stories that they study in lessons to promote their love of reading.  Although there was a dip in 2013, by the end of Year 6, pupils usually reach overall standards that are

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

above average. Recent 2014 results also indicate a good increase in the proportion of pupils reaching higher levels in reading and mathematics.  The numbers of disadvantaged pupils in the school are small and vary from year to year. In 2013, however, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were around two terms below in mathematics and writing but similar in reading, when compared to other pupils nationally. Currently, their progress across the school is close to others in the school from their varied starting points. This is because staff, leaders and governors have improved the attention that they pay to how well they are achieving overall. School information on 2014 national tests for Year 6 indicates that there is little difference between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates in standards in English and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their levels of

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

ability and need. This is because the school has a good commitment to ensuring that all groups of pupils do well.  From Years 3 to 6 pupils make particularly good progress in reading. They read fluently and expressively. Work in books shows a good ability to read information for research on topics in a variety of subjects.  Pupils write thoughtfully and use a good range of language in a range of topics across the school. Writing is usually well presented. Their progress in writing is developing, but sometimes they do not improve the quality of their writing, including spelling, with response to teachers’ comments. Pupils enjoy mathematics and their progress is developing well. Pupils say that they value the increased opportunities to solve a range of mathematical problems together. In lessons, they also work well on solving problems on their own and enjoy the challenges that teachers give them. Occasionally, some pupils do not always take

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

advantage of using methods to help them to check for accuracy in their answers quickly.  Work in pupils’ books shows that the most-able pupils are increasingly given appropriate work to help them to achieve better. Most of this group of pupils are now making good progress. However, some observations of their learning made by inspectors and school records on checks on teaching indicate that this not yet consistent across the school. This is particularly the case in mathematics and writing.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 Children generally enter the Reception class with skills and knowledge which are in line with age-related expectations. They make good and sometimes outstanding progress during the year.  Children are given a very positive start to their education when they enter the Reception class. This is due to good and sometimes outstanding teaching, care and team work amongst the staff. Children are very well prepared for the next stage of their education, when they start Year 1.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are provided for well and skilfully supported by staff. They are helped to be fully involved in activities and their progress is checked on well. As a result, they progress quickly.  Due to highly effective leadership of what is provided in the Reception class, all staff have detailed knowledge of children and what is needed in lessons to help to develop children further. The quality of

p.6

The early years provision is good

teaching is good and increasingly outstanding. As a result, children are now increasingly reaching higher levels across a range of skills by the time they leave the class.  Discussions with and letters from parents indicate that they are very pleased with the speed of development of their children’s skills in reading and writing.  Children’s behaviour and attitudes to learning are excellent. They display high levels of engagement and excitement during lessons. They also show excellent ability to move from one activity to another. For example, during an observation children, along with staff, were dancing and reciting rhymes to help them to remember how letters are formed and their sounds. However, children then settled down very quickly to sitting quietly at their tables to write the letters and words they had learnt.  The environment is well presented and changes made to the structure of the classroom now enable

p.6

The early years provision is good

children to use the outdoor as well as the indoor environment more freely to extend their learning. There is very good attention given to the welfare of the children.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 105294 Local authority Bury Inspection number 449132

p.8

School details

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

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 166 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Barrie Rostron Headteacher Deborah Ainscoe Date of previous school inspection 9 September 2010 Telephone number 0161 761 2051 Fax number Not applicable Email address oldhall@bury.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9