Kearsley West Primary School

Kearsley West Primary School Primrose Street, Kearsley, Bolton, Lancashire, BL4 9BZ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership at all levels is good. The determination from senior leaders and governors to eliminate weak teaching has been instrumental in ensuring the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning have continued to improve since the last inspection.  Provision in the early years is good. Children, from significantly below typical starting points, make a good start to their learning in the early years. Adults provide good support to help to meet each child’s individual needs.  All groups of pupils make at least good progress in Key Stages 1 and 2, particularly in reading and writing. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ standards in reading, writing and mathematics are average.  Teaching is good. Pupils engage well with their teachers and most are fully committed to succeed in their learning.  The behaviour of pupils is good and, at times, outstanding. A culture of high ambition abounds and the school motto: ‘be safe, be happy, be

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning,’ is fully evident.  Pupils feel safe and secure because of the mutual respect and good relationships they share with each other and all adults.  The vibrant and interesting curriculum gives pupils a deeper understanding of the world. It promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well.  Studying topics which, for instance, consider qualities of tolerance, empathy and respect, enables pupils to become caring young citizens of modern Britain.  The improvements in the quality of teaching and achievement since the previous inspection mean that the school is well placed to continue to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ achievement is not as strong in mathematics as it is in reading and writing.  A small proportion of pupils are absent or late for school too often and, as a result, do not achieve as well as they should.  The skills of the new subject leaders in checking the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning in all areas of the curriculum in order to raise achievement are not fully effective.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited parts of lessons in every class, discussed the views of pupils’ learning with them and carried out a scrutiny of the work completed in pupils’ books.  Inspectors observed two lessons jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, staff and a representative of the local authority as well as with members of the governing body.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including safeguarding records, the school’s improvement plan, and the school’s data for tracking pupils’ progress. Reports on pupils’ achievement, records of pupils’ behaviour and the school’s monitoring of the quality of teaching were analysed.  The inspectors listened to pupils in Years 1 and 6 read and spoke formally and informally with pupils during playtimes and lunchtimes.  The inspectors took account of the 24 responses received at the time of the inspection from the online

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Information about this inspection

questionnaire (Parent View), as well as the school’s questionnaire of parents’ views.  The inspectors took account of the 28 responses to the inspection questionnaires for staff.

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Inspection team

Clare Henderson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for support through the pupil premium, is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have 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.  Early years provision in the Nursery class is available part-time and in the Reception class is full-time.  The headteacher and four teachers have joined the school since the last inspection in 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment and accelerate their progress in mathematics by making sure pupils have more opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in a wider range of contexts.  Continue to support new subject leaders in their role of checking the quality of teaching and how well pupils learn in all subjects of the curriculum, in order to raise achievement further.  Raise attendance further by continuing to work with the pupils and their families who are absent or late for school too often.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, deputy headteacher and governors have moved this school forward successfully since the last inspection. Staffing changes during this time have improved considerably the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics. Leaders and staff also ensure that good behaviour flourishes. Staff are eager to say how much they welcome the changes, how much more they are now involved in school improvement and that teamwork is now a major strength.  Leaders have effectively managed the relatively high turnover of staff. Teachers new to the school and to subject leadership have learnt quickly from shadowing senior leaders. However, their work in checking on the quality of teaching and how well pupils are achieving in their subjects is at an early stage. As a result, their impact on improving these areas further is as yet limited. This is why leadership is not yet outstanding overall.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has dealt well with a dip, since the last inspection, in the quality of pupils’ achievement in mathematics. It now provides effective and extensive staff training to help improve teaching further. This training has increased the skills of teachers and teaching assistants and, as a result, all groups of pupils currently in the school make good progress in mathematics.  The success of the school lies in the strong systems and procedures now in place that facilitate and guide its work. Self-evaluation is incisive so no opportunity is missed for improving the school’s work.  Evidence from rigorous checks on pupils’ progress, scrutiny of their work, of teachers’ planning and from lesson observations is used well to improve teachers’ performance and its impact on pupils’ achievement. The school makes good use of external moderation to test its own assessments and judgments of pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The special educational needs leaders’ effective work ensures that those pupils who find learning more difficult than most make good progress in all year groups. This is an example of the school’s successful promotion of equality of opportunity.  The staff, especially those in the office and educational welfare staff, work closely with families to improve attendance. Strong links exist with parents and there have been some improvements in rates of attendance and in punctuality. However, senior leaders and governors acknowledge that they need to find additional ways of working with the few who are absent from school or late too often.  The school has made good use of the primary school physical education and sports funding. There is a range of after-school clubs, some provided by an outside agency and some by school staff. The funding provides more sporting opportunities for pupils to take part in a wider range of sports, for instance, cycling

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The leadership and management are good

and dodgeball. Teachers are better-trained to ensure pupils develop skills effectively and some pupils participate in inter-school sporting events, such as cross-country. As a consequence, pupils are developing healthy lifestyles.  The local authority has provided good support, particularly in managing the high number of staffing changes, and is confident that the leaders have the abilities to carry on making improvements.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. This is evident in how well pupils get on with each other, irrespective of backgrounds. The school strongly promotes values such as tolerance and respect and all classes discuss what these mean to their own lives.  Through assemblies and lessons pupils learn to appreciate the value of, and reasons behind, rules and laws, and about the consequences when they are broken. They also gain an understanding of cultures and

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The leadership and management are good

religions which are different from their own, indicating the school’s determination to tackle any discrimination and to foster good relationships. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  The range of activities taught within the interesting curriculum meets the needs of the Reception children and older pupils well. The curriculum focuses on developing important literacy and numeracy skills through, for example, role play and exciting topics such as the swinging sixties or the Second World War. A good range of visitors and outside trips provide pupils with a good understanding of the world in which the pupils live.  Senior leaders are very clear about the needs of the pupils. They direct the spending of pupil premium funding carefully to support disadvantaged pupils’ learning. This has had a notably positive impact on the achievement of this group of pupils.  Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. The careful vetting of staff and the robust child protection

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The leadership and management are good

procedures ensure that pupils are safe and cared for well.  The governance of the school:  Governors are actively involved in driving the school’s progress. They have established a very effective working relationship with staff and are often in school to support the curriculum or to work alongside the teachers. This adds to pupils’ enjoyment and success in learning. Members of the governing body know the school well and are keenly aware of what still needs to improve. The extensive training they have undertaken has equipped them to effectively challenge the school’s performance. Governors have strong systems in place to manage the school’s finances so the available funds are spent wisely to improve pupils’ achievement. The governors have all the necessary skills to check thoroughly information on pupils’ progress and to ask searching questions when necessary. Governors regularly compare the progress of pupils in the school with that of pupils nationally.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors are both supportive and suitably challenging. As seen in the minutes of the governing body meetings, they diligently hold the school to account through sharp questioning of senior staff. They ensure that considerations of teachers’ performance are linked to areas for development, school improvement and salary progression. Governors work to make sure that support is provided to tackle pupils’ previous underperformance and to quicken current pupils’ progress.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils, staff and most parents are positive about the standards of behaviour both in lessons and around the school.  Pupils demonstrate good attitudes, being generally excited, eager to learn and highly motivated. Sometimes they lose concentration if tasks do not fully interest or challenge them.  Behaviour records indicate that incidents of bullying and racism are rare and pupils’ views support this.  Pupils are proud of their school and eagerly embrace the responsibilities they are given; for instance, Year 6 pupils are the ‘gardeners’ to younger pupils who are the ‘seeds’.  Pupils feel behaviour has improved considerably in the last two years. They are friendly and confident with visitors, welcoming them and opening doors. Pupils are clearly very proud of their school and wish to share their experiences with other people.  As a result of the school’s recent work, attendance and punctuality are improving, and attendance is now

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Behaviour

closer to the national average. This is due to the diligence of the staff who work closely with pupils and parents to encourage better attendance. However, the school acknowledges that it needs to find additional ways to ensure all pupils attend school regularly and on time.  All pupils feel special and relationships are very good, both among pupils and between pupils and adults. Pupils interact well with each other and their varied social and ethnic backgrounds do not get in the way of friendships . All pupils feel welcome in the school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All pupils who spoke with inspectors said they felt safe and had confidence that they could go to any adult for help if they needed it, and that any problems would be successfully resolved.  The school site is secure and visitors are thoroughly vetted before being allowed into school.  Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. They are well aware from their lessons that they should not give personal information to strangers online, nor post inappropriate messages.  Parents agree the school provides a caring and supportive environment within which their children are looked after well. This helps pupils to settle in and do well.  External agencies visit the school to talk to pupils about a wide range of safety issues. For instance, the local railway services have introduced a wrestling club so pupils can take up a hobby rather than being

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Safety

tempted to get involved in vandalism. This helps pupils to feel safe and prepares them well for any likely dangers that they might face.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall across the school. Teachers display good subject knowledge and this ensures they plan lessons which challenge pupils of different abilities appropriately.  Teachers have high expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving. Most pupils respond well and are fully engaged and motivated to learn in lessons.  The most able pupils make good progress because teachers build effectively on what the pupils already know. Role-play activities extend pupils’ reading and writing skills effectively, and enable pupils to develop independence and cooperation skills. For instance, pupils researched and reported on rivers and considered environmental issues, such as pollution.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. Additional adults support pupils well in the classroom. The adults are well briefed by the class teachers so they are clear about the learning that needs to take place.

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The quality of teaching is good

At other times, pupils have additional help in small groups or individually as needed. Disadvantaged pupils who are among the most able are effectively challenged through Level 6 mathematics work and tasks that require them apply their higher reading skills.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Staff quickly identify pupils’ needs and provide appropriate support. Mathematics is generally taught well. Pupils’ progress pupils is accelerating and achievement is improving.  While pupils’ progress is good and has improved well, particularly for the most able, in the end of Year 6 tests in 2014, it is not outstanding overall. This is because pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in a wide range of contexts.  Improvements since the previous inspection in the way reading is taught have resulted in rising standards in reading, particularly in Key Stage 1. Children in the Nursery classes start to learn phonics (the sounds

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The quality of teaching is good

letters make) and how to use them in their reading and writing. Children’s knowledge of phonics develops well through Key Stage 1. During the inspection, inspectors noted that pupils used these skills well to read unfamiliar words. By Year 2, most pupils read fluently and confidently.  Writing is taught well and pupils make good progress because the interesting curriculum provides them with many opportunities to practise and reinforce writing skills in other subjects. Most teachers give helpful guidance to pupils as to how they can improve their work, especially in literacy and numeracy. Pupils act on the advice.  Teachers extend very effectively pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Topic work allows pupils to reflect on and discuss feelings, rights and responsibilities, differences in cultures and religious belief. This extends well pupils’ respect for tolerance and understanding of others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Extra classes enable pupils to consolidate and extend their previous learning and practise a range of skills in which they may be less confident.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of pupils is good. The school’s information and work in books show that pupils make good progress in all year groups. From starting points at the beginning of Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress.  Test results overall were broadly average in reading and writing and below average in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014. Standards were higher in reading and writing because the school gave extra attention to these aspects since the last inspection. It provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to extend their reading and writing skills within the highly imaginative and creative curriculum.  Pupils do not achieve as well in mathematics as they do in reading and writing because they do not have enough opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in a wide range of contexts. Furthermore, there is a small proportion of pupils with poor attendance and punctuality who do not achieve as well as they

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The achievement of pupils is good

should in all subjects because they are not in school regularly enough.  The results of the 2014 national screening check on how well Year 1 pupils understand phonics (the sounds letters represent) were average. This shows a rising trend over three years as result of changes in the teaching of reading. The popular reading corners and author of the week, together with whole-class reading sessions, including books on-line, allow pupils to come together to enjoy reading in a relaxed environment. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils have a good knowledge of different authors and use this information to help them choose new books.  In 2014, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, many of whom have special educational needs, was behind other pupils in the school. In mathematics the gap was three terms, in reading two terms and one term in writing. In relation to non-disadvantaged pupils nationally, they were five terms behind in reading,

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The achievement of pupils is good

writing and mathematics. School evidence shows that these gaps in attainment are closing rapidly for pupils currently in the school.  School information shows that, from their individual starting points, the progress of the disadvantaged pupils compared both to other non-disadvantaged pupils in the school and nationally was good in 2014.  Disadvantaged pupils currently in the school make at least as much good progress as their peers and some make more. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress and achieve well. They are well supported in lessons, in small groups or on a one-to-one basis as appropriate to their specific needs.

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The early years provision is good

 A majority of the children begin in the Nursery with communication, social and mathematical skills that are significantly below those typical for their age.  Children quickly learn to follow the early years routines. Adults establish strong links with families through, for instance, on-going meetings in the Nursery and Reception classes. At these, they discuss what children will be learning in reading, and how parents can help their children’s learning at home.  Children are safe and cared for well. They learn rapidly to share and to get along with each other. During the inspection, for instance, children included others in their play as they built shelters for the zoo animals or worked together to find the animals missing from the zoo.  Children develop well their reading, writing and mathematical skills through play. This was evident as children, continuing the zoo theme, named, collected, counted and wrote about the different animals they

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The early years provision is good

meet in the zoo.  Learning is firmly based around children’s interests. All the adults build skilfully on these to extend children’s speaking, listening and mathematical skills, as well as their overall confidence. Adults have a clear knowledge of each child’s needs.  Adults record children’s progress accurately. They build a profile of individual children’s achievements which help staff to identify what children need to do next to develop their learning further. They share this profile with parents, who say they keep them as a memory of their child’s happy time in the early years.  Staff develop children’s physical and social skills well. They promote children’s health and well-being through a good range of activities. Learning to climb, to make decisions and follow instructions, such as tidying up at the end of the session, all contribute well to this development.  Children show good progress in developing confidence and concentration skills as they explore letters and

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The early years provision is good

sounds, begin to read and to practise their writing skills.  The early years leader provides good leadership and management. She has responded positively to a report and advice given to improve outcomes for the children. For example, the much improved indoor and outdoor areas are impacting very favourably on standards, and the checks carried out by all adults on how well children are learning are now more rigorous. A strong team is in place with a clear plan for the future.  The good quality provision is having a positive effect on children’s learning. From their different starting points, children of all abilities do well by the end of Reception Year across all areas of learning. As a result, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development was closer to average proportions in 2014. This indicates children are prepared well for entry into Year 1.

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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 105186 Local authority Bolton Inspection number 456145

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 249 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Viv Dennis Headteacher Lesley Cooper Date of previous school inspection 26 April 2012 Telephone number 01204 332600 Fax number 01204 332601 Email address office@kearsleywest.bolton.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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