Norris Bank Primary School

Norris Bank Primary School Green Lane, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire, SK4 2NF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is very well led and managed by an acting headteacher who has the full support of staff members, governors and parents in her work to raise standards for pupils. As a result, the school is improving.  Governors are highly skilled and fully involved with the school. They know its strengths and exactly what it needs to do to improve further.  Pupils benefit from an outstanding curriculum which inspires them and helps to develop their love of learning.  Pupils’ attendance is well-above average. Their behaviour is outstanding in all aspects, and exemplary in class. Pupils enjoy learning and have exceptionally good relationships with their teachers.  Teaching is good. Teachers know their pupils well and plan activities in lessons which pupils find both interesting and engaging. Teachers work well with teaching assistants to support pupils with a wide range of abilities.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

been significantly above average overall for several years. Pupils’ attainment by the time they left school at the end of Year 6 in 2014 was significantly above average in each subject, as it has been overall for four of the last five years.  The proportion of pupils attaining the highest possible Level 6 in mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling in 2014 was well-above average.  The progress of most pupils including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils was good by the time they left school at the end of Year 6 in 2014.  The number of parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) was exceptionally high. The overwhelming majority of parents are of the opinion that the school is well led and managed. They are happy that their children are safe and well looked after.  Early years provision is good in all aspects and has improved since the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is not always good in every class because pupils are not always fully challenged by the work they are given.  Marking is not always of a high enough standard. Teachers do not always clearly identify how pupils can improve their learning, or check closely enough to see if their advice is acted on.  Middle leaders are yet to have a full role in improving the quality of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed a range of lessons in all year groups, as well as the teaching of small groups of pupils, and sessions aimed at helping pupils to learn to read. Some lessons were jointly observed with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and held discussions with pupils from across the school. Pupils’ work in books was scrutinised during lessons and separately with senior staff.  Inspectors considered 154 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s own surveys of parents’ and pupils’ views.  A meeting took place with a representative from the local authority and a local headteacher. Responses to a questionnaire completed by 28 members of staff were considered.  A meeting was held with four governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  A range of school documents was examined. These included external evaluations of the school's work, the school’s review of its own performance, records of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching, data on

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ progress, records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour records and safeguarding documentation.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is well-below the national average. (The pupil premium is additional government funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average; few speak English as an additional language.  Reception provision is full-time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  Since the previous inspection the school has grown and now has two classes in each year group. The school has been refurbished and two Year 6 classrooms were added in 2013. A number of staff, including

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Information about this school

a replacement early years manager, have been appointed. Appointments have been made to the governing body.  The school is currently led and managed by an acting headteacher, while recruitment and selection takes place for a substantive headteacher.  Pre-school and after-school services operate from the site; these are subject to a separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is outstanding across the school, and in so doing ensure that all pupils make at good or better progress in all year groups and in all subjects by:  making sure that pupils of all abilities are always fully challenged by work that is hard enough to enable them to achieve to the very best of their ability  making sure that teachers’ marking is of a consistently high standard throughout the school and that teachers always identify how pupils can improve their learning, and check to see if their advice is acted on.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by extending the role of middle managers to include a clear brief for improving the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The acting headteacher, senior leaders and governors work exceptionally well together. They have managed an expansion in pupil numbers, and a recent building programme to increase the number of classrooms in this popular and well-respected school.  Since September 2014 the acting headteacher, well supported by the local authority and a headteacher from a local partner school, has taken onboard these challenges, as well as significant staffing changes in the early years. She has galvanised the support of staff, governors and parents in driving through school improvements. However, the overall effectiveness of the school is not as good as at the time of the last inspection because pupils’ progress is not consistently good in reading, writing and mathematics across the school.  Middle leaders responsible for English in Key Stage 1 and 2 work together exceptionally well with their senior colleagues responsible for mathematics. They are well trained and regularly share their good

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The leadership and management are good

practice in, for example, improving boys’ writing, with their partner schools. Middle leaders have been very effective in improving the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) and pupils’ spelling and have a key role in working with staff to ensure that the school’s new curriculum is well on its way to being fully implemented. However, they are yet to have a full role in improving the quality of teaching.  Systems for monitoring the quality of teaching, including in the early years, are rigorous. All teachers and teaching assistants are set clear targets as part of their performance management. These are linked to pupils’ achievement, whole school priorities and their professional development.  Pupils benefit from an outstanding curriculum which inspires them, helps to foster their love of learning and encourages them to pursue their interests. Pupils across Key Stage 2 engage in residential learning,

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The leadership and management are good

which includes outdoor pursuits and team-building activities. They regularly visit museums and places of interest, many of which are linked to their local heritage.  Reading, writing and mathematics are promoted well. Work to help pupils to understand the relationship between a range of subjects is exceptionally well -developed. This is exemplified by the school’s garden and how growing, plant cycles and healthy living are linked to subjects such as science and personal, social, health and citizenship education.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils have many opportunities to play brass and string instruments, learn Spanish and find out about the many cultures, and main world religions that people follow in modern Britain.  The primary school sports fund is well spent and used to broaden the variety of sporting activities on offer through the inclusion of, for example, hockey, hand-ball and cricket. Coaching by professionals, and

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The leadership and management are good

increasingly by school staff, has helped to develop pupils’ outstanding skills in gymnastics and helped them to perform exceptionally well in local and national competitions.  The school works very well with the local authority which has recently supported school improvements through its review of teaching and learning and governance, and through the effective support that it has identified for the acting headteacher from a local headteacher of an outstanding school.  The school’s work to promote equality of opportunity is good. This ensures that, for example, there is very little difference between the achievement of boys and girls.  The school takes care to ensure that it has effective arrangements for safeguarding its pupils and children in the early years. All statutory requirements in this respect are met.  The governance of the school:  Governors have taken a highly rigorous approach to the appointment of a new headteacher, while

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The leadership and management are good

ensuring stability in the school through their appointment of a very capable member of staff as acting headteacher.  Governors hold senior leaders to account by setting them challenging targets. They know that the quality of teaching is good because they receive regular reports on pupils’ performance. Governors are happy to reward teachers for successfully reaching their targets.  Governors know that the pupil premium funding is well spent and enables all pupils to play a full part in school life through, for example, participation in educational visits. They are fully aware of the contribution made by teaching activities to disadvantaged pupils’ good progress and have made it a priority to ‘boost’ their attainment even further.  Governors know their school well and regularly meet with teachers and pupils to discuss learning. They know that pupils’ performance in national tests has been outstanding for a number of years, and know

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The leadership and management are good

how well the school compares with similar schools nationally.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils’ attendance is well above average and their behaviour, including in the early years, is outstanding in all aspects. Pupils are very proud of their school; enjoy learning new things and work exceptionally well together. They conduct themselves impeccably when moving around the school and during play times. They are always respectful towards adults and courteous to visitors.  Pupils behave sensibly in the dining hall. They are smartly dressed and help to ensure that their school is tidy and well -looked-after. They are very appreciative of the school garden, which they help to maintain.  Pupils’ behaviour in class is impeccable. Pupils are always ready to learn and listen carefully to the contributions of their class mates and their teachers’ instructions.  Pupils enjoy coming together for key stage and whole-school events. This was exemplified during a Key

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Behaviour

Stage 1 assembly, focusing of New Year’s resolutions and keeping promises, when pupils entered the school hall in silence, listened intently to what their teacher had to say, and eagerly volunteered to answer questions.  Pupils are of the opinion that behaviour is good most of the time. The overwhelming majority of parents are of this view too, as are school staff. Inspection evidence, including an examination of the school’s behaviour records, indicates that behaviour is typically outstanding over time.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils, especially in Key Stage 2, have a very good understanding of what bullying is and are adamant that it very rarely, if ever, happens at school. Older pupils know what homophobic bullying is and say that it is wrong to treat anyone differently because of who they are, what they believe in, or because of the colour of their skin.  All pupils have an excellent understanding of cyber- bullying and know that it can take place on the internet and on electronic devices such as phones and hand-held games.  Pupils’ have a very well developed understanding of how to stay safe while using the internet. They know never to give personal details out when on-line and to always talk to an adult if they are unsure if a website is safe to access.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of safe and unsafe situations. They learn about road safety in Year

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Safety

1 and cycling proficiency in Year 5. Visitors from rail, road, police, and paramedic and fire services help pupils to understand dangers and risks and how to avoid them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching, including in the early years, is good. Teachers know pupils very well and ensure that activities in class are exciting and engaging. Pupils learn in stimulating classrooms with lots of information, including on ‘working walls’, to support them in using their own initiative to improve their reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers and teaching assistants are highly skilled, well trained and work exceptionally well together to support pupils in their learning. As a result of this highly effective partnership most pupils, including the most able and those with special educational needs, progress well and attain highly.  Pupils enjoy mathematics, and achieve well in this subject. This is because of teachers’ good subject knowledge and pupils' well developed skills in reasoning and problem solving. This was exemplified in a Year 6 mathematics class where pupils measured angles. Working together they were able to confidently

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The quality of teaching is good

explain to their classmates how they had devised their strategies for identifying and finding missing angles from a diagram.  Teachers praise pupils for their good work, encourage them to share ideas and help to ‘grow’ their confidence. This was evident in a Year 5 English class where pupils were learning about the importance of rhyme, rhythm and onomatopoeia in performance poetry. After reading and learning different short poems they were highly animated in their group performances that they shared with each other. Such activities, and the good impact that they have on the teaching of reading and the development of pupils’ literacy skills, typify the effective teaching of these subjects in the school.  Pupils work together exceptionally well in pairs, small groups, and on their own. In class they are always on-task and are used to working diligently through various activities. This was the case in a Year 2 class

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The quality of teaching is good

where pupils worked on a wide variety of tasks linked to mathematics, science, art, role play and writing. When they came together to discuss their learning at the end of the session, all demonstrated a good understanding of rounding up and down numbers, and why this was important when calculating shopping costs.  Most teachers ensure that teaching assistants and other adults are fully utilised at all times. This was exemplified in a Year 1 English class where pupils made outstanding progress in identifying the characteristics of a factual piece of writing. This was because of their interest in the subject matter, meerkats, and the excellent support given to the most able, those of middle ability and pupils with special educational needs. However, pupils do not always progress as well as this because the work they are given is not always hard enough to fully challenge them to achieve to the very best of their ability.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers regularly check pupils’ work. Their marking is usually of a high standard and is always up to date. However, teachers do not always identify clearly enough how pupils can improve their learning, or check to see if pupils take their advice and improve their work as a result of it.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Almost all pupils make good and sometimes outstanding progress in all subjects by the end of Key Stage 2. For several years pupils’ overall attainment has been above average at the end of both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. By the time pupils left school at the end of Year 6 in 2014 their attainment in reading, writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling and mathematics was significantly above average and they were very well prepared for their learning at secondary school.  Children enter Reception with levels of skills and knowledge that are usually in line with those typical for their age. Good teaching and the good care and support that children receive from adults helps to ensure that they make good progress and enter Year 1 with well developed skills in all areas of learning. Pupils continue to make good and sometimes outstanding progress through both Key Stages 1 and 2. However, there are variances in the rate of progress that pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics across

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The achievement of pupils is good

the school. Progress is not as good as it could be when pupils are not fully challenged by work that is hard enough to enable them to achieve to the very best of their ability.  Pupils achieve well in reading in most year groups, though the proportion secure at the national phonics screening check in 2014 was broadly average, and not as good as in 2013. Senior leaders are now taking a more rigorous approach to ensure that all staff take a more consistent approach to the teaching of phonics, and that pupils’ performance is closely tracked. The school librarian regularly reviews library resources to ensure that pupils are given every opportunity to read books from a wide range of authors and genres.  Pupils’ progress in writing is mostly good, especially in Years 2, 5 and 6. This is because teachers have high expectations of pupils, and ensure that they have many opportunities to practise their writing skills

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The achievement of pupils is good

across the curriculum.  Pupils’ attainment in mathematics has been significantly above average at the end of both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 for several years. The school’s own data show that in 2014 pupils made good and often outstanding progress in this subject across most year groups.  Pupils with disabilities or special educational needs are exceptionally well catered for by well qualified and caring teachers and teaching assistants. Their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 in 2014 was much higher than that of similar groups of pupils nationally and they made exceptionally good progress. School data indicate that this good progress is replicated across all year groups.  The attainment of disadvantaged pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014 was about two terms behind that of their classmates in maths and reading, and almost three terms behind in writing. The gap between

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The achievement of pupils is good

disadvantaged pupils and their classmates in 2014 was the same as in 2013. Their performance in reading and mathematics was equal to that of their peers nationally, and better in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The overwhelming majority of disadvantaged pupils made good progress in all subjects in 2014.  The achievement of almost all pupils with English as an additional language as well as those from minority ethnic groups at the end of Year 6 in 2014 was outstanding in all subjects, except writing which was good. School data show that these pupils make good and outstanding progress through most year groups.  School data show that the most able pupils progress exceptionally well across the school in all subjects. Their performance in national tests in all subjects in 2014 was outstanding, with a higher- than- average proportion attaining Level 6 in mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling. Teachers have

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The achievement of pupils is good

exceptionally high expectations of these pupils, challenge them in class and encourage them to pursue areas of interest though, for example, project work.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is well led and managed by an experienced teacher who is well respected for her work in the local authority. Though new to the role in September 2014, the early years manager and staff have a clear plan of action aimed at improving early years provision by, for example, further developing links with nursery providers to improve children’s transition into Reception and enhancing work with parents to further improve children’s phonic, reading and writing skills.  Early years provision has improved since the previous inspection. There have been several staffing changes, including the promotion and recruitment of teachers. Children now have access to a well resourced, fully covered and shuttered outdoor area.  Children enter Reception with skills and abilities in-line with those typical for their age in all areas of learning. They get off to an excellent start because adults have exceedingly high expectations of them and

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The early years provision is good

provide them with good care and support. The majority, including those with disabilities or special educational needs, enter Year 1 well prepared and with good skills and abilities.  Children quickly develop in very stimulating and well organised indoor and outdoor learning areas. Resources are of high quality and support children well in developing their reading, writing and mathematical skills. Pupils work exceptionally well together, have good speaking and listening skills and enjoy cooperating with each other, sharing resources and talking about their learning. Their inquisitiveness and ability to follow instructions contribute well to their good progress.  Adults continually assess how well children are learning, and regularly monitor their progress. This information is captured and recorded in children’s high quality ‘learning journeys’ which are shared with parents.  Children are well supervised at all times. They behave exceptionally well, move between classes and

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The early years provision is good

different areas of learning sensibly and are very familiar with daily routines such as preparing to play outside.  Parents are happy that their children are making good progress. They are of the opinion that they are safe and well cared for and are happy with the information that they receive on their 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 106065 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 453275

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 399 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Brian Hoy Headteacher (Acting) Natalie Evans Date of previous school inspection 16 November 2010 Telephone number 0161 432 3944 Fax number 0161 975 5114 Email address headteacher@norrisbank.stockport.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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