Heysham St Peter's Church of England Primary School

Heysham St Peter's Church of England Primary School School Road, Heysham, Morecambe, Lancashire, LA3 2RF

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the needs of all its pupils extremely well. Pupils make excellent progress in all years. By the end of Year 6, they attain standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are well above average.  Children get an excellent start to their learning in the Reception class.  Teaching is at least consistently good across the school, and outstanding overall. Staff have high expectations and set challenging work that motivates pupils and enables them to make rapid progress. High-quality marking ensures that pupils know exactly what they need to do to improve.  There are detailed systems to check how well pupils are doing, and effective extra support is swiftly put in place when it is needed.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very closely together to support the learning of individual and vulnerable pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those who are disabled or who have special educational needs.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The most able pupils make very good progress, but they do not progress quite as rapidly as other pupils because they are not always given work that is demanding enough.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively and pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupils behave outstandingly well in lessons and around the school. They have excellent attitudes to learning. Pupils are very proud of, and greatly enjoy their school. They get on extremely well with one another and there are very strong relationships between pupils and staff.  Pupils say that they feel completely safe in school and are very well looked after. They say that bullying is almost unknown and that there is none in school at the moment.  The curriculum is rich, varied and well balanced and engages pupils very effectively in their learning. There is a wide range of enrichment activities.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is led and managed very well. The headteacher, staff and governors have high ambitions. They are committed to continuous improvement and achieving the best for each child. They have successfully brought about improvements to teaching and achievement since the previous inspection.  Staff share good practice within the school, but there are too few opportunities for them to share and celebrate outstanding practice in other schools.  Parents are highly positive about the school and very supportive of it.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons, or part lessons. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with school leaders and with four governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. Inspectors also met a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met two groups of pupils and also spoke informally to other pupils in lessons and during break and lunchtimes.  Inspectors looked at the work pupils were doing in lessons and in their books over time. They listened to pupils read and talked to them about their enjoyment of reading.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and examined a number of documents concerning pupils’ current achievement and progress, development plans and information about the quality of teaching and learning. They also looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements. Minutes of governing body meetings were also considered.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the 80 responses to the online Parent View questionnaire and also spoke to parents informally. They also considered the 22 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Robert Birtwell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in eight classes from the Reception Year to Year 6, including one mixed-aged class.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well below average. These are pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below 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.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise the attainment and accelerate the progress of the most able pupils by:  making sure that they are always given work that is challenging enough for them to reach the highest levels and make the best possible progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve teaching by:  providing more opportunities for staff to share and celebrate outstanding practice in other schools.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher provides very strong and effective leadership to a dedicated team of staff. Leaders and managers at all levels, including governors, are very ambitious and have high expectations for the school. Their actions have secured improvements to the quality of teaching and learning, achievement and behaviour. They have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection.  The school has a clear and accurate view of its strengths and areas for development. All adults who work with pupils are committed to the school’s values and consistently apply its policies. This contributes to pupils’ smooth and rapid progress in all aspects of their learning from the early years onwards.  Although the school is performing very strongly, there is no complacency, and the school improvement plan identifies where it could do even better. For example, leaders are aware that there is room for still

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The leadership and management are outstanding

better performance by the most able pupils and there are plans in place to achieve this.  Systems to check and analyse the achievement and progress of pupils have been strengthened. School leaders use this information very effectively to monitor the quality of teaching, and middle leaders closely evaluate pupils’ performance. Any underachievement is quickly identified and is addressed by providing pupils with extra support if needed. As a result, all groups of pupils in the school make rapid and sustained progress. This shows the school’s successful commitment to equal opportunities for all pupils.  There is a clear focus on ongoing improvement in teaching. High-quality training and professional development have led to a rise in the quality of teaching since the previous inspection, and it is now outstanding overall. Teachers are committed to securing the best outcomes for each pupil. All teachers

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The leadership and management are outstanding

have targets linked to pupils’ achievement and progress, and these are taken into account when making recommendations about teachers’ pay.  The curriculum is rich, varied and well balanced. It provides excellent educational opportunities and engages pupils very effectively in their learning. It is enhanced by a broad range of activities, clubs, trips and visits covering sport, drama and culture. For example, Year 6 pupils spoke enthusiastically about a residential outdoor activities trip they had been on, and other pupils were proud to have performed in Young Voices in Manchester.  Staff routinely observe and share outstanding practice within the school, but there are too few opportunities for them to share and celebrate outstanding practice in other schools.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very successfully promoted throughout the school. Pupils are kind, considerate, reflective and responsible, and do not tolerate discrimination in any

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The leadership and management are outstanding

form. There are strong links with the local church and community, and a clear focus on social and moral issues. Pupils spoke proudly and with feeling about the school’s very impressive Remembrance display. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Procedures for safeguarding pupils are fully in place and are effective.  The school is using the additional primary school sport funding very successfully. Specialist coaches take lessons, run activities and train staff, and the school has signed up to three sports partnerships. As a result, more pupils participate in a wider range of sporting activities, and the school competes very successfully in sports competitions. This has a positive effect on pupils’ physical well-being and lifestyles.  The local authority provides light touch but effective support for this very successful school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is very effective in meeting its responsibilities. Governors have a very clear

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The leadership and management are outstanding

understanding of the school’s performance, and are very ambitious for it. They have a good knowledge of the use and analysis of data and are very well informed about the quality of teaching and how this is linked to pupils’ achievement. They know how the pupil premium funding is spent and the impact it has on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils.  Governors visit the school regularly in a variety of roles. They are very supportive, but hold the school to account very effectively by asking penetrating questions and by setting challenging targets for the headteacher. They make sure that pupils’ achievement is taken into account when making decisions about teachers’ pay and ensure that the school’s finances are sound and well managed. They undertake regular training to improve their own skills, and make sure that all policies, including those relating to safeguarding, are regularly reviewed, updated and implemented effectively.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. They are very polite and well-mannered, enjoy talking about their work, and get on exceptionally well with one another and with staff.  Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning. They involve themselves fully in all lessons and work very effectively both individually and as part of a group. They are very keen to do well, settle quickly and enthusiastically to the work they are set, and respond very well to questions and challenges. As a result, there are no interruptions to learning and lessons proceed very smoothly.  Inspectors saw excellent behaviour in lessons, in assembly and around the school. Pupils are very proud of their school. They wear their uniforms smartly and are very respectful of the school environment and grounds. They enjoy taking on responsibilities as house captains, school councillors or as ‘playground

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Behaviour

friends’, for example.  Pupils say that poor behaviour is extremely rare, and school records confirm this. There have been no exclusions in recent years, and no racist or discriminatory incidents. Pupils do not tolerate racism or discrimination. ‘Everybody gets on and behaviour is really good’, said one pupil. On the very rare occasions that pupils misbehave, the school acts effectively and appropriately and there are no repeat occurrences.  Pupils greatly enjoy school. Following an informal discussion with one inspector, a group of Year 3 pupils prepared a presentation describing the school as ‘wonderful’ and ‘the best school in the world’ because ‘we are caring, helpful, kind and lots of other amazing things as well.’ As a result, attendance is high.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils say that they always feel completely safe in school. They have a very good knowledge of different types of bullying and understand the difference between bullying and falling out. They say that bullying is almost unknown and are adamant that there is no bullying in school at the moment. They would report it and have every confidence that it would be sorted out quickly if it happened.  Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in different situations, including personal safety, on roads, when cycling and when using the internet. Older pupils are very aware of issues linked to child abuse and know how to report any concerns they have.  Almost all parents who responded to the Parent View survey think that their children are happy, feel safe and are well looked after at school. Informal conversations with parents support this. ‘I have three

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Safety

children here and they all absolutely love it.’ said one. Another commented, ‘Fantastic behaviour, great teachers and progress – what more could you ask?’

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils make excellent progress because teaching is always at least good and is outstanding overall throughout the school. There are high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour, and pupils respond very well. Pupils greatly enjoy lessons and show a real desire to do well and improve. They say, ‘teachers make lessons fun and interesting’, and ‘lessons are hard: teachers push us, but not too hard.’ As a result, pupils, in their own words, ‘learn a lot in a fun way.’  Challenging work engages pupils very well in their learning and leads to rapid progress. Staff have very secure knowledge of the subjects they teach, and tailor work and activities skilfully to meet pupils’ particular needs, based on accurate assessments of how well they are doing. Pupils are successfully encouraged to work individually or as part of a group. Questioning is used very effectively to check pupils’ understanding and to challenge them to extend their learning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 In mathematics for example, Year 2 pupils were learning how to collect, record, analyse and present information to answer questions about their favourite pets, fruit or breakfast foods. Different pupils had different tasks that were well matched to their abilities, and questioning was used very skilfully to ensure that all pupils were appropriately challenged. The pupils showed great interest in the work, had to think hard about what they were doing and made excellent progress.  Staff mark pupils’ work regularly, consistently and very well. Praise is used very effectively to motivate and engage pupils, and staff give clear guidance about the next steps in pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils are confident that they know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve their work.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very well together to support pupils who find learning more difficult. This support is very well focused and enables disadvantaged pupils and those who are disabled or

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

have special educational needs to make excellent progress in line with other pupils.  Whilst teaching is outstanding overall and staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, occasionally expectations of the most able pupils are not quite high enough across the school. At times these pupils could be challenged to make even better progress and reach even higher standards.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils throughout the school, including children in the Reception class, reach well above average standards and make excellent progress. They are very well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Children make a strong start in the Reception year, and this continues in Years 1 and 2 because they are very well taught. By the end of Key Stage 1 they reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are well above average.  Pupils continue to make rapid progress in Key Stage 2 because they receive high-quality teaching. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 are maintained and are also well above average. For the last two years, almost all pupils have made the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics, and the proportion of pupils who made more than the expected progress is consistently above average. This represents excellent progress from pupils’ starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Inspection evidence from lesson observations, the work in pupils’ books and the school’s data show that all groups of pupils are making excellent progress throughout the school, and that achievement is outstanding over time.  Pupils make excellent progress in reading because it is very well taught throughout the school. Pupils read regularly and to a high standard, and staff make sure that pupils have a very good knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make). The proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics check in 2014 was well above average.  Pupils achieve very well and make strong progress in writing. They write very effectively in a variety of styles in different subjects. For example, inspectors saw some very powerful writing related to the centenary of the beginning of the First World War.  Pupils’ mathematical skills are very strong. They have an excellent grasp of numeracy and can use and

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

apply their knowledge and skills to solve real life problems very effectively.  Disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium achieve very well. They receive very effective support if they need it, either individually or in small-group sessions. As a result, they make rapid progress. There are too few disadvantaged pupils in each year group to make a reliable comparison of their attainment and progress in relation to other pupils nationally but they perform as well as their classmates in school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make excellent progress. Their individual needs are well understood and their progress is carefully checked. They receive well-targeted, very effective support from teachers and teaching assistants, and their achievement and progress match that of other pupils in the school.  The most able pupils make very good progress overall, because they are increasingly given more

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

demanding and challenging work. However, they do not make progress quite as rapidly as other pupils because this work is sometimes not challenging enough to enable them to reach the highest levels and make the best possible progress.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children make excellent progress in the early years as a result of very effective leadership, excellent teaching and very strong provision.  Most children join the Reception class with skills and knowledge that are generally at least in line with those typical for their age. They make excellent progress and almost all children reach or exceed a good level of development and are very well prepared for learning in Year 1.  Children learn very well in stimulating indoor and outdoor learning areas. Teaching is at least good, and is outstanding overall. Staff work closely together to ensure that learning is always motivating and engaging, and that children have opportunities to explore, investigate and enjoy their learning. For example, children enthusiastically searched for suitable materials outdoors before making ‘stick men’ and carrying out a variety of linked activities, making excellent progress.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Staff continuously assess how well children are learning and use this information to plan activities to further develop their learning. Questioning is used very effectively to encourage children to communicate and think about what they are doing. The needs of individual children are well met, including disabled children, those who have special educational needs and those for whom the school receives additional funding.  Children’s behaviour is excellent. They work happily and very well together, participate fully in all activities and have strong relationships with staff.  There are very close links with parents. Parents are very happy that their children are well taught and progressing well in a safe and caring environment.  The leadership and management are excellent. Staff have taken every advantage of the opportunities offered by the restructuring into a single year class, and this has had a very positive impact on children’s

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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 119537 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 448837

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 245 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bill Liu Headteacher David McPartlin Date of previous school inspection 30 June 2010 Telephone number 01524 852155 Fax number 01524 852155 Email address bursar@stpetersheysham.lancs.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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