Shadsworth Infant School

Shadsworth Infant School Rothesay Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 2EL

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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

 This is a good and improving school. The headteacher is inspirational and offers a clear and ambitious vision for the school.  Governors provide strong support for the headteacher, have a robust understanding of the school’s performance and hold the school to account. They also ensure safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements.  Senior and middle leaders share the aspirations of the headteacher and carefully check and monitor pupils’ progress. This has resulted in good achievement, especially in reading and writing.  Early years provision is good. Children settle quickly into the Nursery and Reception classes. They make good progress, particularly in their speech, language and communication skills. Children are well prepared for learning in Year 1.  British values are well promoted though the exciting curriculum. This prepares pupils effectively for the next stage in their education and life in modern

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Britain.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well provided for and make good progress in literacy and mathematics.  Pupils attend regularly, behave well and demonstrate good attitudes towards learning.  The school encourages parents to take an active part in supporting their child’s education. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ progress and good attitudes to work.  Pupils’ good progress is as a result of good teaching. Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together, fostering good relationships with pupils. They set high expectations for all to succeed and pupils respond by working hard.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ skills in mathematics are not always developed effectively so standards are not as high as those seen in reading and writing.  In mathematics, pupils struggle to explain their thinking, especially in problem-solving activities.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited classes and carried out two joint observations with the headteacher and one joint observation with the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders and eight governors.  Inspectors spoke formally and informally to pupils about their experiences in school and listened to their views.  An inspector attended a school assembly.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including information about pupils’ performance and progress, their written work, procedures for safeguarding and for monitoring attendance, the school’s improvement planning and minutes of governors’ meetings.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents spoken to during the inspection, of responses to a recent internal school parent questionnaire and of the 24 completed staff questionnaires. There were insufficient responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) to include any relevant comment in the report.

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Inspection team

Maureen Coleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Shadsworth Infant School is an averaged-sized infant school and serves pupils between the age of three and seven.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who are from minority ethnic heritage or who speak English as an additional language is below that found nationally.  The headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much larger than the national average. These are pupils known to be eligible for additional support through the pupil premium. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well above the national average.  Provision in nursery is part time and full time in the Reception class.  The school holds Healthy School status, Investors in People, Artsmark and Sportsmark.

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Information about this school

 In 2015, the National Institute of Education nominated the headteacher as ‘Inspirational Manager of the Year’ and the school gained the award for ‘School of the Year’.  The school holds the accreditations for Reading Recovery and Every Child a Reader initiative. The school is also an accredited local literacy centre and provides training for individual teachers and schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the teaching of mathematics, in order to raise attainment, by:  making sure all pupils have opportunities to develop and apply their skills in mental calculations  developing pupils’ mathematical language so they can more easily explain what they are thinking.

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The leadership and management are good

 The highly motivated and very capable headteacher has demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence. She has assembled a workforce who share her vision and determination to create an outstanding school over time.  Leaders have created an oasis where their school motto ‘learning, sharing and caring’ permeates every aspect of school life.  The headteacher and senior leaders have acted swiftly and decisively to improve pupils’ attainment in reading and literacy.  Middle leaders undertake a range of activities to check the quality and rate of pupils’ learning. The headteacher, together with her senior leaders, conduct regular observations of teaching. They analyse these observations to support self-evaluation which is robust, accurate and supports the good quality whole-school improvement planning.  The curriculum is well matched to pupils’ individual needs and interests. It gives prominence to the

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The leadership and management are good

development of reading, writing and communication skills and provides effective links across subjects and opportunities for pupils to apply these skills. However, in mathematics pupils are not always given appropriate opportunities to develop their skills and mathematical vocabulary, thus hindering their progress.  Pupils learn about democracy and about British values through the decision making of the school council representatives. Pupils’ views were taken into account by the governing body, for example, during the appointment process for the headteacher.  Leaders make good use of the primary sport funding. The school employs a sports coach, who is a qualified physical education teacher, who has extended the range of physical activities available to pupils and been instrumental in increasing the number of inter-school competitions.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide good support for disadvantaged pupils to help them

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The leadership and management are good

catch up quickly with their classmates. Individual programmes of study, particularly in reading and writing, have accelerated progress and supported good development in pupils’ attitudes to learning.  Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. This helps to foster good relations with everyone and tackles discrimination in all its forms.  The school works closely with families to support and welcome them to school. The provision of free bagels for pupils at the start of each day has proved popular and has a positive impact on attendance and punctuality.  Leaders ensure safeguarding and child protection arrangements are firmly in place. They ensure that staff have a good understanding of all aspects of keeping children safe.  The local authority provides good support to the leadership and recognises the good improvement the school has made over the past year.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 There is good governance of the school. Governors are highly committed and provide strong support for the work of the school. Their energy and insight contribute positively to the strategic drive for improvement.  Meetings with the headteacher and senior leaders provide governors with accurate data. The governors confidently look at information about pupils’ performance together with detailed information about the school’s performance, including areas of strength and areas for development. This enables governors to challenge school leaders to ensure the best opportunities are provided for all pupils.  Governors monitor the performance of teachers and ensure that only teachers who have succeeded in enabling pupils to meet their progress targets receive financial reward. Underperformance is tackled with the utmost rigour.  School finances are well managed and governors meticulously monitor the spending and impact of pupil

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The leadership and management are good

premium and sports funding.  Safeguarding meets statutory requirements. Governors ensure there is a comprehensive review of policies and procedures and that all staff are well informed about how to keep pupils and themselves safe.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils respond well to the school’s positive ethos and wear their uniform with pride.  Adults set clear expectations for behaviour and promote trusting relationships.  Pupils are courteous towards each other and adults, and behave sensibly when they move around the building and outside areas.  Playtime is enjoyable for everyone with good quality and wide-ranging activities available to all pupils.  In classrooms, pupils display positive attitudes to learning. However, in lessons where work is less challenging, just occasionally a few pupils show some restless behaviour.  In whole-school assemblies, pupils listen attentively and are confident to respond to questions and tasks. Indeed, opportunities are provided to enable pupils to be reflective and learn about other cultures and religions, hence making a good contribution to their development in understanding traditional British

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils have a good understanding, for their age, of the high expectations placed on them to behave well at all times. They express complete trust and confidence that adults in school look after them well and any problems they have will be handled sensitively and quickly.  The school has well-developed and effective systems for rewards and sanctions. Any poor behaviour is meticulously recorded. Bullying incidents, including racist and homophobic and other forms based on prejudice, are exceptionally rare.  Pupils’ attendance and punctuality have improved and are now good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good quality teaching has a positive impact on the learning for all groups of pupils, including those who are most able and those in receipt of additional funding.  The headteacher sets high expectations for the teaching staff. Consequently, teachers’ expectations for pupils’ achievement are similarly high and much teaching offers a good level of challenge. For example, in a music lesson pupils were highly engaged producing their own composition following an imaginative lesson using different fruits to represent musical notation.  The teaching of reading and phonics (the sounds that letters and combinations of letters make) are taught exceptionally well throughout the school. Pupils make very good progress in their reading and begin to develop higher-order reading skills by the end of Year 2.  Effective use of pupils’ progress information is generally accurate. This means that teachers set work,

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The quality of teaching is good

particularly in literacy, which is well matched to individual interests and have appropriate expectations of what pupils can do.  The standard of work in pupils’ books and their improving rates of progress, especially in reading, writing and communication, show that teaching is typically good. However, while good in some instances, the teaching of mathematics is not consistent in quality. In mathematics, unlike English, work is not always well matched to pupils’ needs in all classes.  Pupils’ work is carefully and accurately marked. Encouraging comments and clear next steps given by the teacher enable pupils to reflect on and improve their work.  Good relationships with pupils help to foster good attitudes to learning and the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development well.  Support staff are dedicated and highly skilled. They enhance pupils’ learning and implement effective

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The quality of teaching is good

individualised programmes of work with small groups, enabling pupils to make good progress.  Parents who spoke to members of the inspection team were overwhelming positive about their views of the school and the teaching staff. One parent, voicing the views of others, commented: ‘The teachers are always helpful and listen to any concerns we have. They often go the extra mile to make sure our children are happy and are doing well at school.’

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014 and the two prior years, pupils’ overall attainment by the end of Year 2 was significantly below average.  Current school data and inspection evidence indicate that overall attainment in 2015 is in line with national expectations for reading and writing because of good improvement in teaching instigated by the headteacher.  Pupils make good progress in reading and writing, but less so in mathematics. This is because teaching in reading and writing builds successfully on prior knowledge and skills and provides appropriate opportunities for pupils to develop these skills further across other subjects. However, in mathematics some pupils are not given sufficient opportunities and time to develop and use their mathematical vocabulary, and to practise and consolidate their skills in mental calculations.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in all subjects, often

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The achievement of pupils is good

because teaching assistants support them well.  Assessment at the end of Year 2 in 2014 showed that the gap in attainment between those supported by pupil premium and other pupils had narrowed considerably in reading, writing and mathematics compared to results in 2013. In 2014, they were in line in reading and half a term behind in writing and mathematics compared to other pupils.  The most able pupils achieve well as a result of being given work of increased complexity and challenge.  Pupils participate readily in physical activities. Specialist teaching in physical education has increased the opportunities for pupils to engaging in different sports and they respond positively to the physical challenges and make good progress developing new skills and taking part in inter-school competitions.  Equal opportunities are promoted well and the school tackles discrimination effectively. The school spends

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The achievement of pupils is good

most of its additional pupil premium funding to provide additional support to develop the early reading and literacy skills of disadvantaged pupils. Additionally, teaching assistants are employed to work with identified pupils on a short-term arrangement to develop writing and mathematical skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Many children start in the nursery with skills that are typically below those expected for their age particularly in speech, language, literacy and mathematics.  The leadership and management of the early years are good. Children make good progress, especially in speaking, listening and communication.  Staff check children’s progress frequently to make sure activities are set at the right level. Different groups of children, including disabled and those who have special educational needs, are quickly identified and well supported to enable them to make steady progress across all areas of learning.  Children’s work in their learning journals demonstrate good teaching over time and good progress in early writing and mathematical skills. Children are prepared well for Year 1 in some areas of the curriculum but many still have ground to make up in reading, writing, communication and number.  Staff work closely with parents and are readily available to talk to them about any worries they may have

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The early years provision is good

about their children. Parents are encouraged to take an interest in, and look at, their child’s work so they can see the progress their children are making.  Staff show by their own behaviour how to respect others, play and work together and share resources.  The indoor and outdoor learning areas are attractive. They stimulate children’s imagination and creativity and help them learn in different ways, fostering good social skills.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes feel safe, behave well, cooperate with each other and thrive in the caring, supportive learning environment.

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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 119220 Local authority Blackburn with Darwen Inspection number 461921

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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 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 223 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Masters Headteacher Gillian Crompton Date of previous school inspection 9 July 2012 Telephone number 01254 698002 Fax number 01254 279294 Email address office@shadsworthinfant.blackburn.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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