Crumpsall Lane Primary School

Crumpsall Lane Primary School Crumpsall, Manchester, Lancashire, M8 5SR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Leaders’ actions to improve the school have not been equally effective in all key stages. As a result, not all pupils are making consistently good progress.  Too few pupils are well prepared for Year 1 by the end of the Reception Year.  Pupils’ progress in lessons is not always good because work set is too easy for some or too difficult for others.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good in all year groups. School policies, such as the marking policy, are followed closely in some classes and not as closely in others.  Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement. When the work set is too easy or too difficult, pupils lose interest and do not pay attention.  A small minority of pupils say that they do not feel safe in school.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils is not monitored closely enough for leaders and the governing body to be sure that this group is making progress in line with other pupils in school and

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

nationally.  The school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness is not rigorous enough. Leaders and governors do not evaluate the impact of their actions in enough detail.  Senior leaders have not ensured a rapid pace of improvement and standards have not risen quickly enough, especially in Key Stage 2.

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The school has the following strengths

 Senior leaders and staff have raised standards in Key Stage 1 in reading, writing, mathematics and phonics (the sounds that letters make).  The school provides good opportunities for pupils to participate in sport at break times and after school in various clubs. As a result, they have positive attitudes to exercise.  Pupils from a wide variety of cultures learn about each other and celebrate their similarities and differences. They have good opportunities to meet children from other countries and to travel abroad, such as on a recent visit to Turkey. These experiences make a good contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching over time including looking at the school’s progress data, pupils’ work in books and observing lessons.  The inspectors observed 20 part lessons taught by 15 different teachers and a teaching assistant. Of these, three lessons were observed jointly by an inspector and the headteacher, and two by an inspector and the deputy headteacher. In addition, the lead inspector observed the headteacher and deputy headteacher giving feedback to staff.  The inspectors met with two groups of pupils, talked to pupils informally at break and lunchtime, and listened to pupils reading. Inspectors observed the teaching of reading through phonics and talked to Key Stage 2 pupils about how the school helps them to read.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body. Meetings were also held with senior leaders, subject leaders and teachers.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took account of parents’ views from the 14 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). In addition, two inspectors talked to several parents prior to the start of the school day.  Inspectors also took account of the 18 responses to the staff questionnaire completed during the inspection.  The school’s work was observed and the inspectors looked at a number of documents, including safeguarding records, the improvement plan, the school’s data for tracking pupils’ attainment and progress, external reports from the local authority and teachers’ planning.

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Inspection team

Andree Coleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from minority ethnic groups and over half speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average. These are pupils supported through pupil premium funding, which is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  Children in the early years attend full time in the Nursery and in the Reception classes.  In 2014, the school did not meet 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 .  Since the last inspection, the leadership of the school has been strengthened by the appointment of new

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Information about this school

subject leaders and three assistant headteachers. A new leader for the early years took up her post at the beginning of this term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good by:  raising teachers’ expectations of the quality and quantity of work that pupils should produce  ensuring that activities are at the correct level of difficulty to motivate pupils, including children in the early years, to learn and concentrate well  implementing the school’s agreed marking policy consistently so that all pupils receive clear guidance as to how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of each key stage by:  using assessment information about what pupils already know to plan lessons that help them learn rapidly as the result of work that is neither too easy nor too difficult  set, review and revise higher targets for pupils’ progress and attainment by the end of each key stage, including in the early years  give pupils greater opportunities to write at length independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils’ behaviour is consistently good and that all pupils feel safe in school at all times.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of leadership and governance by:  using the evaluation of data, lesson observations and work in pupils’ books to evaluate the impact of actions and to ensure that improvement strategies are successful  ensuring that the evaluation of the school’s performance is used to hold staff at all levels to account  closely comparing and analysing the progress of different groups of pupils to ensure that all groups, and especially disadvantaged pupils, are making good progress  increasing leaders’ and governors’ expectations of the rate of improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders’ actions to improve the school have not been equally effective in all key stages. Standards have risen rapidly by the end of Key Stage 1, but not as rapidly in Key Stage 2. In the early years, a smaller proportion of pupils is ready to start Year 1 than is the case nationally.  Leaders’ management of teaching is not effective in ensuring that all teaching is consistently good. Although there is some good teaching in school, it is not evident in all classes. Monitoring to check on the quality of teaching has improved some of the teaching, but not in all classes where this is needed.  Information about pupils’ attainment is collected, but progress data are not collected and analysed frequently to ensure all groups are making good progress. This assessment information is not analysed in sufficient detail for leaders to check if all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed.  The rapid improvement in standards in reading, writing and mathematics in the end of Key Stage 1

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The leadership and management requires improvement

assessments in 2014 and the good progress seen in pupils’ books in Year 6 demonstrate that leaders have the capacity to further improve the school.  Leaders are aware of the need to tackle discrimination and are taking steps to do so. However, the impact of this work has not been evaluated. For example, information about the spending of the pupil premium funding has been shared with governors, but there is little detail about the precise difference this funding has made to the attainment and progress of this group of disadvantaged pupils. The attainment of disadvantaged pupils is variable and in some year groups is lower than for other pupils.  Targets are set for pupils but they are not always high enough. For example, only about 40% of children in the early years are expected to reach a good level of development, which is the level of skills they need to ensure that they are ready to start Key Stage 1. The national figure in 2014 was 60%.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school works hard to ensure that there are mostly good relations between pupils and diversity is celebrated. Pupils mix well and have an appreciation and understanding of the diverse world in which they live.  Senior leaders and subject leaders are very enthusiastic and keen to improve the school. Subject leaders have developed and implemented a new curriculum in response to changes to the National Curriculum, along with new systems to assess pupils’ attainment and progress. The impact of these changes is at an early stage.  The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced, and weekly assemblies promote British values well. Pupils have learned about democracy, the process of election and about how the law protects citizens.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils are effective and meet statutory requirements. Staff are appropriately trained and there are several senior staff trained as the designated person for child protection.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Comprehensive records are kept to ensure that pupils are safeguarded well.  The primary physical education and sports funding has been spent wisely. Teachers have been supported to develop their skills in teaching physical education and pupils are more enthusiastic participants in sport. The school’s evaluation shows that pupils have increased their skills and that teams are more successful in competitions. At break and lunchtime, pupils were observed enthusiastically taking part in team games and activities.  Since the last inspection, the local authority has monitored the school’s performance and has brokered support from another school. The headteacher, governors, leaders and staff have worked with those offering the support and have strived to improve the school. It has improved, but not rapidly enough.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a broad understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement but

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The leadership and management requires improvement

has an over-generous view of the school’s effectiveness and pace of improvement, which is too slow. Governors understand the performance management systems and what is done to reward good teaching and tackle underperformance. However, the evaluation and analysis of data, lesson observations and pupils’ work in books is not rigorous enough in identifying where the school’s actions to improve have been successful or not or in holding leaders and staff to account for the school’s performance.  Governors are not aware of the degree of inconsistency in the quality of teaching and are not effective in challenging the school to improve. The progress and attainment of various groups of pupils is not carefully evaluated to ensure that the pupil premium funding is effective in supporting disadvantaged pupils.  Governors are very supportive of the school, have engaged in improvement work and are keen to help the

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement because pupils do not always concentrate in lessons. Where the work is too easy or too difficult, they lose interest. In contrast, in lessons where the level of difficulty is just right and the subject matter is interesting, pupils are enthusiastic and show good attitudes to learning. An example of this was seen in a lesson in Key Stage 2 where pupils were writing an information text about frogs.  Pupils are mostly well mannered and polite, holding open doors and remembering to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.  Pupils have many opportunities to work together cooperatively in pairs and small groups. Sometimes this is very effective, with all pupils participating and playing a part in the activity. At other times, this is less effective as some pupils are reluctant to participate, leaving the work for others to complete.  Some pupils take great pride in their work and their presentation is of a high standard. They work hard to

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Behaviour

earn their pen licence, which allows them to write in pen rather than pencil. Not all pupils take great pride in their books and there is not enough guidance from teachers to ensure that presentation improves.  Pupils understand the different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Pupils understand the term ‘racism’ and say that there are very few racist incidents, but when there are they are dealt with very seriously.  Most pupils who spoke to inspectors spoke positively about school and said that they enjoyed their learning and activities. Pupils’ attendance is slightly above average for most primary schools.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement. In the school’s survey of pupils, a very small minority say that they do not feel safe in school. In discussion, pupils explained that this occurs when not all pupils behave as well as they should.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. They were able to explain to an inspector what they had to do to use the internet safely.  Leaders work hard to ensure the school site is secure and there are several adults outside supervising the pupils at breaks and lunchtimes. The pond is very well supervised so that pupils can enjoy this feature of the school grounds safely.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement and results in some variation in pupils’ progress over time in reading, writing and mathematics. Not all teachers have equally high expectations of the quality and quantity of work that pupils are expected to produce. In most books, pupils’ work fully meets the objectives that the teacher has set for the lesson. It is neatly presented, with pupils taking pride in their work. However, this is not consistently the case in all subjects and across all classes.  In some classes, such as in Year 6, pupils have greater opportunities to write at length than in other classes. This helps them to develop their skills by applying their learning.  In a minority of lessons, the work for pupils is too easy and in others it is too hard. In pupils’ mathematics books in lower Key Stage 2, inspectors saw pieces of work which were too easy for the pupils who were in the

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

higher ability group and set at a level for much younger pupils. Teachers collect assessment information about what pupils know and can do already, but this is not used to ensure work is set at the correct level of difficulty to enable pupils to make good progress.  The school has a comprehensive marking policy, but the extent to which it is followed varies between classes, as does the quality of the guidance given to pupils by teachers.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language are given support to help them learn to speak English. This is particularly effective in Key Stage 1, as demonstrated by the above average attainment of pupils who speak English as an additional language in reading, writing and mathematics combined in the 2014 Key Stage 1 assessments. The support is less effective in Key Stage 2; in 2014, Year 6 pupils who spoke English as an additional language did not achieve as well as other pupils in the school in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive support and intervention from teachers and teaching assistants. The effectiveness varies, with pupils making more progress in mathematics than in reading and writing.  The teaching of phonics is effective and, as a result, standards are rising as measured by the Year 1 phonics screening test. Pupils in Year 2 who read to an inspector used their phonics skills well to help them read. Pupils in Key Stage 2 who spoke to an inspector expressed positive views about reading and said that the school helps them to improve their reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment varies between key stages. In 2014, standards by the end of Key Stage 1 were broadly average in reading and writing and significantly above average in mathematics. This was a great improvement on the previous year. Conversely, standards reached in the national tests in Year 6 in 2014 were significantly below average and showed little improvement on the previous year.  Current attainment is broadly average in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, with pupils working at slightly higher standards in reading and in mathematics than in writing. According to the school’s own data, a broadly average percentage of pupils have made the progress expected of them from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 in reading and writing, and an above average percentage have made expected progress in mathematics.  The percentage of pupils making more than the progress expected of them by the end of Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics in 2014 was considerably below that of pupils in most schools. The school’s

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

current data indicate that the percentages are rising, but are still a little below the 2014 figures for primary schools nationally.  In 2014, disadvantaged pupils in Key Stage 1 achieved slightly higher standards than other pupils in the school and other pupils nationally. In Key Stage 2, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment in mathematics was around one and a half terms behind other pupils in the school but around half a term ahead in reading and writing. Compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally, they were around two and a half terms behind in mathematics and two terms behind in reading and writing.  Disadvantaged pupils’ progress is slower than that of other pupils nationally. The school is working with mixed success to close the gaps in the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils compared with other pupils nationally.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those who have special educational

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

needs make similar, variable progress to other groups in school. The effectiveness of the support they receive varies during their time in school.  The school’s current data shows that the percentage of the most able pupils working at a level above that typical for pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 is broadly average at both the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. At Key Stage 2, this represents good progress for this group and is a significant improvement on the results in the national tests in reading, writing and mathematics in 2014.  Pupils’ attainment in phonics is rising and has improved over three years. Pupils in Year 1 are working at slightly above average standards in phonics.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 The overall effectiveness of the early years requires improvement because too few children reach the level of knowledge and skill required to ensure that they are well prepared to start Year 1.  The leadership of the early years requires improvement because expectations for children’s attainment and progress by the end of Nursery and Reception are too low. Most children have starting points that are lower than those typical for their age, particularly in communication and language. They make expected progress and a minority make good progress, but this is not always rapid enough to enable them to reach a good level of development.  Where activities capture children’s interest and imagination, such as the climbing frame which had been turned into a pirate ship, children learn well and develop their language skills. Not all teaching and learning activities capture children’s interest and imagination as effectively.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Phonics is taught well, enabling children to learn to read. A greater proportion of children achieve the expected level by the end of the Reception Year in reading than in writing and mathematics.  Children mostly behave well but where they lose interest in what they are doing, adult intervention is not always quick enough to re-establish their interest and ensure that they do not misbehave.  Effective arrangements are in place to ensure children in the early years are safeguarded and feel safe. Staff are caring and encouraging in their conversations with children.

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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 105486 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 462318

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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 460 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Claire Nangle Headteacher Sally Barrett Date of previous school inspection 21 May 2013 Telephone number 0161 740 3741 Fax number 0161 795 1572 Email address headteacher@crumpsall.manchester.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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