Aughton Town Green Primary School

School report Aughton Town Green Primary School Town Green Lane, Aughton, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 6SF

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This is a well-led school. The headteacher and the deputy headteacher are effective and conscientious leaders, well supported by senior and middle leaders and by very knowledgeable governors. They are driving improvements forward at a brisk pace.  Pupils feel safe and secure in school. They behave well in lessons and at playtimes. Their attitudes to learning are very positive.  There are effective systems in place for checking on the quality of teaching and its impact on the progress that pupils make throughout the year.  As a result of good teaching, pupils achieve well. They make good progress from their starting points and reach above-average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The achievement of pupils with special educational needs is good as a result of the very strong support the school provides for them.  Any gaps that remain between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils in the

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school are being addressed and are closing.  The early years provision is effective in giving children a good start. They quickly become enthusiastic learners and they take these positive attitudes with them as they move up through the school.  Parents express great confidence in the school’s leaders and staff. Above-average attendance figures exemplify the strong partnership between home and school.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A small minority of teaching requires further improvement.  Pupils’ progress rates are variable in some year groups.  The quality of marking varies and pupils are not always given opportunities to respond to the advice they are given in marking to help them improve or correct their work.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in a range of lessons across all of the year groups in school. Two observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher. The inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 2 and 6 and discussed with them the books they have enjoyed and those they are currently reading.  The inspectors met with a group of governors, with senior and middle leaders, with a group of pupils and with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors took into account 98 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Inspectors also met with a group of parents during the inspection to hear their views about the school.  The views that staff expressed in the questionnaires they returned were also taken into account.  In observing the school’s work, inspectors looked at and evaluated the work in pupils’ books; this activity was carried out jointly with the headteacher. They also reviewed a wide range of documentation, including

p.2

Information about this inspection

safeguarding documents, the school development plan, records of pupils’ attainment and progress and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

p.2

Inspection team

Diane Auton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is larger than most other primary schools.  Almost all pupils are White British, with a very small number of pupils from a range of other ethnic backgrounds. Currently, no pupils are at an early stage of learning to speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is very small in comparison to that found in most other schools. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  A new headteacher and a new deputy headteacher were appointed in September 2012.

p.3

Information about this school

 Children attend full time in the early years provision.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is good or better in every class, so that pupils’ progress is consistently good or better across the school, by:  continuing to guide and support improvements through sharing teachers’ expertise and good practice, particularly in ensuring work is neither too hard nor too easy for pupils  making sure that marking is consistently effective in every class  making sure that pupils are always given opportunities to respond to the advice their teachers give them when they mark their work.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has set out a clear agenda for ongoing improvement. Everyone shares his vision for taking the school forward and staff morale is high.  Support for teaching is effective, with systematic checks being made on the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ progress. The deputy headteacher, the special needs coordinator and all of the other senior and middle leaders contribute well to this process through lesson observations, regular analysis of pupils’ work and through sharing good practice with colleagues. This has ensured that teaching is good or better in most classes. Leaders know there is more to do to eliminate a small residue of less-effective teaching in the school and to even out some remaining inconsistencies in pupils’ progress that have resulted from weaker teaching.  Additional funding to support the learning and progress of disadvantaged pupils has been used well. This

p.4

The leadership and management are good

is shown in their improving achievement, which illustrates the school’s successful promotion of equal opportunities for all of its pupils.  Challenging staff performance targets are linked to the school’s priorities, which are set out clearly in the strategic development plan. Staff development is supported by a programme of good-quality training for staff at all levels in the school.  The curriculum takes a full account of the skills and knowledge pupils need to learn, with a clear focus on developing their basic skills in literacy and numeracy. There are well-planned activities to promote pupils’ personal, social and health education. All of this has a positive impact on their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares them well for their future lives in modern Britain.  The school uses its additional funding for school sport well. A good range of activities are available for all

p.4

The leadership and management are good

age groups and there are many opportunities for pupils to enjoy sport and physical education after school and to take part in competitive events. The skills of staff have been enhanced and there are good levels of participation and enjoyment by pupils.  The local authority has worked with the school in an advisory role and has helped to provide consultant support to assist with ongoing improvements.  The governance of the school:  Governors have ensured that good-quality leadership and provision have been sustained over the period since the school’s last inspection. They have made astute leadership appointments. They have helped to check and review the quality and impact of teaching and have taken effective actions to address areas of underperformance. Appropriate plans are now in place for the next steps that need to be taken to ensure full consistency in teaching quality.  Governors receive regular, accurate reports on pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching from senior

p.4

The leadership and management are good

and middle leaders. They are fully aware of national standards and able to compare the school’s performance against them. This means they are very well informed and able to hold the school rigorously to account.  Governors make sure that checks of staff performance are thorough and that leaders and staff are set challenging targets linked to pupils’ progress and school priorities.  They know how the pupil premium funding is spent and the difference it is making to disadvantaged pupils. They make sure that primary sport funding is spent wisely and make checks on the impact of this expenditure.  They make sure that the safeguarding policy and procedures are fully in place.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  They behave well in lessons, around the school and at playtimes. They say they enjoy coming to school and they are enthusiastic about the good range of extra activities they can access after school.  Pupils of all ages show positive attitudes to learning and this contributes well to the progress they make. In most lessons they organise themselves well, listen to instructions and work productively with a partner or in a group.  Pupils’ books show that they take a pride in their work and that they usually try their best to present it neatly.

p.4

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils have trusting relationships with the adults in school. They say they feel confident that there is always someone to turn to if they need help. Parents express great confidence in the care the school provides for their children.  Pupils show a good, developing understanding of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying. They say that bullying is almost unheard of in their school and that when pupils fall out with each other staff always help them to sort matters out.  There are opportunities for older pupils to take on responsibility, for example as play leaders. The school council represents the pupil voice well in regular meetings with school leaders.  All necessary checks on adults are carried out and staff training in child protection is updated regularly.  The school provides sensitive and caring support for its potentially vulnerable pupils and their families.

p.5

Safety

Staff work well with outside agencies to ensure that support is targeted appropriately for children and families who require it.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 The predominantly good quality of teaching in the school is having a positive effect on pupils’ learning and progress.  Teachers mostly have very high expectations of what pupils can do and achieve and pupils respond well to this. In a lesson in Year 2, for example, pupils greatly enjoyed a challenging team game where they competed to find words where both a hard and a soft sound were represented by the letter ‘c’. In this lesson, the achievement of this large group of the most able pupils in Year 2 was impressive. With skilful support from their teacher, they went on confidently to compose and write sentences using some of the words they had identified, working accurately and enthusiastically.  Reading is taught well. Year 2 pupils who read to an inspector used their knowledge of letters and sounds to work out new words and read with interest and expression.  Pupils are given opportunities to write within a range of subjects and for different purposes; this is

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

contributing well to the school’s successful drive to raise achievement in writing.  Teachers mark pupils’ books regularly. The school has recently revised its marking policy, with good guidance provided for staff. However, although there is some excellent marking, the policy is not yet consistently implemented across the school. For example, sometimes pupils are not given clear advice about what they should do next to carry on improving. Even when marking is good, pupils are not always given the time and opportunities they need to act on what their teachers are telling them they should do.  Teaching is usually planned well to ensure that pupils of all abilities are stretched and challenged and that all of their differing learning needs are met. Occasionally, however, when activities are too hard or too easy for them, pupils lose focus in lessons and their progress is not as rapid as it might otherwise be.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who need extra help, such as those with special educational needs, are supported well by teachers and teaching assistants. Additional help is provided by well trained staff for those who need it, sometimes individually and sometimes in groups, and this helps to ensure that those pupils grow in confidence and make good progress.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in English and mathematics were significantly above average at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014. This represented a considerable improvement on the broadly average standards reached by pupils in the previous year.  At the end of Key Stage 1 in 2014, standards in English and mathematics were above average; they were well above average in mathematics. The most able pupils did well and the proportion of pupils who reached the higher level was above average.  Most pupils in Year 6 in 2014 made the nationally expected rate of progress from their starting points in English and mathematics. The proportion making more than the expected rate of progress in those subjects was smaller than the national proportion, however. Leaders have been quick to identify this as a cause for concern.  In the current year, overall progress across the classes in both of the key stages is good. This is the result of actions that are being taken by leaders and staff, who have correctly identified some variations

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

in progress between year groups. They are taking appropriate and urgent measures to iron out these inconsistencies, some of which are linked to the few remaining weaknesses in teaching, but there has not been time for the full impact of this to be measured.  The school’s most able pupils are doing increasingly well. In the current Year 6, for example, an above- average proportion of pupils are on track to reach the highest Level 6 in writing and mathematics; this is the level most pupils should reach at the age of 14. This represents a considerable improvement on previous years.  At the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014, there were some gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of the other pupils in the year group. This was a small group of pupils, including some who had joined the school at a later point in Key Stage 2. The group was broadly in line with the national group in reading, but about two terms behind the others in their year group in the school. In writing,

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

they were about a year behind the national group and about five terms behind the others in their year group. In mathematics they were about four terms behind the national group and about five terms behind their Year 6 classmates. Inspection evidence and the school’s data for disadvantaged pupils across the school shows that attainment gaps between disadvantaged and other pupils are closing rapidly in the current year.  Pupils achieve well in reading. A majority achieved the required standard in the Year 1 phonics check in 2014 and attainment in reading was above average at the end of both key stages This is because the links between letters and sounds (phonics) are taught successfully in the Reception class and in Key Stage 1, giving pupils the tools they need to build on their skills in Key Stage 2. Pupils of all ages show a genuine interest in books and enjoy reading. Standards in reading are high by Year 6.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils with special educational needs achieve well from their individual starting points as a result of the very good provision the school makes for them.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 Significant improvements in provision have been achieved over recent times.  Most children join the Reception class with typical skills and knowledge for their age. In some years the school’s intake includes a small minority of children who are at a slightly more mature stage in some aspects of their learning and development.  Children settle in quickly and are happy and secure because staff are caring and supportive.  Behaviour is good and children enjoy playing together and learning to share and take turns. They know the routines of the classroom and can follow instructions and work with a partner.  By the end of the Reception Year, most children have reached a good level of development and they are well prepared for transition to Year 1.  The well-led team of practitioners has reviewed and revised the Reception curriculum and the way it is planned. As a result, it is now matched closely to children’s developing learning needs. Staff ensure that

p.6

The early years provision is good

activities are interesting and fun and children’s enjoyment of learning is clearly evident. All of this is enabling them to make good and sometimes excellent progress in all of the areas of learning.  Assessment procedures have been overhauled and improved and staff have been trained to implement the new systems. The information gained from accurate assessment is shared with parents and is used increasingly well in planning the next steps in children’s learning. This is helping to ensure that all groups of children achieve equally well.  The indoor learning environment is well presented and resourced. It supports the children’s learning and progress well. Staff have correctly identified the need to make further improvements to the outdoor area so that they might extend the range of activities they currently offer; the school has already started to address this but developments are still in progress.

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 119287 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 449295

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 321 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Rostron Headteacher Nick Huxley Date of previous school inspection 20 October 2008 Telephone number 01695 423688 Fax number 01695 424406 Email address head@towngreen.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 .

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