All Saints Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Ms Toni Elliott Headteacher All Saints Primary School Belle Vue Street Gorton Manchester M12 5PW

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 1 March 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2011.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. Since your arrival in January 2014, you have established a very clear vision for the school, strengthening the school further. Staff, parents, pupils and governors appreciate your friendly, inclusive approach and have confidence and trust in your leadership. You have instilled a strong sense of teamwork among staff and established high expectations for pupils. You are ably assisted by your deputy and, together, your complementary skills ensure that there is a strong focus on achieving the very best for your pupils.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

Middle leaders are enthusiastic and feel increasingly empowered and accountable for pupils’ learning. All parents who spoke to me, or responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, are positive about all aspects of the school and would recommend the school to others. Parents particularly appreciate that you are friendly and approachable; for example, several commented on how you and the staff are always willing to listen to parents’ views and will ‘go out of their way to help’. This is a happy, purposeful school where pupils, parents and staff see All Saints as the ‘hub of the community’.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

Since the previous inspection, pupils’ progress has accelerated across the school. Most pupils make expected progress by the end of Key Stage 2 and a high proportion make more than the progress expected of them. Increasingly, many make good progress between the end of Reception and Year 2. However, you are not complacent and are keen to ensure that all pupils make equally strong progress in all subjects, particularly those pupils who are both disadvantaged and most able. These pupils, in particular, make less progress in writing and mathematics than you would like. The plans you have put in place are already noticeably leading to improvement in pupils’ learning.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

Since the previous inspection, the curriculum has developed considerably. Pupils respond well to a wide variety of lively and engaging topics. The introduction of a ‘wow’ experience at the beginning of each topic has ‘kick-started’ pupils’ enthusiasm and excitement. It has given purpose to their writing and imparted meaning to the skills and knowledge they are learning.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

The involvement of parents in school and in their child’s learning is a strength. You provide a wide range of opportunities for parents to come in to school and learn alongside their child. For example, you offer a weekly ‘joining a lesson’ session, where a parent can sit and work with their child on an aspect of mathematics or literacy. Parents are very complimentary about the ways they can be involved in school and how it has helped them support their child’s learning.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

At the previous inspection, inspectors identified a need to allow the most-able pupils to get on more quickly with different tasks from those of their classmates. They also required the school to provide more sharply focused individual targets for pupils and give them more detailed individual feedback on what step to take next to improve their work.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

Leaders have addressed all of these aspects effectively, for the most part:

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

 The majority of most-able pupils are given activities that are challenging. By looking at work in books, inspectors found that pupils are encouraged to draw on a range of skills and are challenged further by being asked additional questions or by being set tasks to complete. However, as agreed, there is still work to be done on improving the progress of the most-able disadvantaged pupils.  All pupils are given precise learning targets in reading, writing and mathematics. They talk confidently about what they are learning and know what they could do to improve. Opportunities are given for all pupils to respond to the comments that are made about their work and often teachers will add extra challenge in their comments to encourage pupils further in their learning.

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Short inspection of All Saints Primary School

There are good systems in place in all areas of safeguarding and these are understood by staff. Regular and appropriate training for staff is undertaken and up to date. Leaders have effective relationships with other agencies and your inclusion team are determined to ensure that pupils are kept safe and their welfare needs are met. Pupils say they feel safe and well cared for in school. They are assured that adults will help them if needed. Pupils talked knowledgeably about the ways that staff have taught them to keep safe and talk confidently about how to ensure that they stay safe in a range of situations including personally and online. All parents feel that you and the staff keep their children safe and well looked after. As a result, pupils are very happy and keen to come to school.

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Inspection findings

 You have an honest and accurate view of the school’s strengths and the areas that need further development. Everyone in school is clear about the direction they are heading and, as a result, you and your leadership team have good capacity for further improvement.  You have ensured that you know each teacher’s strengths and areas for development accurately; as a result, you are confident about who your strong teachers are and who still needs some support. I agree with you and the Chair of the Governing Body that a priority for the school is to secure stability in teaching staff as soon as possible.  Governors play an active and informed role in evaluating the school’s effectiveness and know the school well. Governors care deeply about the school and are keen to celebrate success, but are also rigorous in challenging where needed.  The information you gather about pupils’ progress is a strength. It is used by

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Inspection findings

all leaders, teachers and governors very effectively to identify which pupils or groups are making progress and which need some additional support or challenge. Your half-termly ‘health checks’ and termly pupils’ progress meetings ensure that all staff feel responsible for every pupil’s learning, and give them an opportunity to reflect on how they could further adapt their teaching to meet their pupils’ needs.  Your newly formed team of middle leaders is keen to make an important contribution to furthering the improvements in school. They talk with growing confidence about pupils’ learning in their areas of responsibility. They have the opportunity to monitor lessons and pupils’ books and lead team meetings. You have rightly identified that one of your priority areas is to continue to grow and nurture this team.  You have also identified the need to improve the progress and attainment of those pupils who, though disadvantaged, are among the most able in your

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Inspection findings

school. To this end, you have taken decisive action, including appointing a senior member of staff to lead intervention. This role is to teach targeted groups of pupils and to keep a close eye on their learning needs and progress. This is already having an impact on speeding up their progress.  Attendance is above the national average. You have good systems for monitoring attendance and punctuality. There are a range of effective rewards for good attendance. You do still have a few pupils who are persistently absent from school but the focus you have had on this, and the efforts to support families, have resulted in some successful improvements.  Pupils’ personal development, behaviour and spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness are good. Pupils are polite, kind and thoughtful to each other. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their self-worth both formally and informally. For example, as part of your ‘Aspiration week’,

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Inspection findings

it was delightful to see pupils from Reception to Year 6 enjoying talking knowledgeably about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Pupils visibly enjoyed the ‘Jobs fair’ that your team organised, where a range of adults shared the work they did and fuelled pupils’ ideas about their future plans.  Teachers use their subject knowledge well to provide engaging and motivating learning activities in class. They also use questioning skilfully to prompt pupils’ thinking. Where pupils make mistakes, these are used positively by teachers to provide an opportunity to develop learning further. As a result, pupils are very comfortable about getting something wrong: as one pupil said, ‘We learn from our mistakes.’ Work in pupils’ books shows good progress over time and demonstrates a consistency across school in using the school’s marking and presentation policy. Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to supporting pupils’ learning and meeting pupils’

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Inspection findings

needs.  The quality of the curriculum offered to pupils is good. There is a strong emphasis on giving pupils a range of practical equipment to help them learn. Throughout the school, lessons are rich in opportunities for writing, and speaking and listening. Many pupils have a wide vocabulary and are self- assured. For example, when I walked around school, many pupils came up to me, shook my hand and asked how I was.  Children make very good progress in the early years, the vast majority from starting points that are lower than usual for children their age, particularly in communication, literacy and mathematics. Children are offered a wide range of stimulating learning experiences, both indoors and outdoors, that they visibly enjoy engaging in. As a result, children are happy and keen to learn. Staff here have high expectations and, as in the rest of the school, there is an emphasis on speaking; consequently, many children talk confidently in

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Inspection findings

front of others, using full sentences where appropriate. The good use of assessment information ensures that provision and learning are matched very closely to children’s needs. Adults have very positive relationships with children, and teach and support them well in their learning.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and governors, should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 they continue to keep a close eye on improving further the attainment and progress of the most-able but disadvantaged pupils throughout the school  they continue to develop and nurture the newly formed middle leadership team  they secure a stable teaching staff throughout the school as soon as possible. I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Director of Children’s Services for Manchester City Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, I met with you, your deputy and members of your middle leadership team. I also met with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of Manchester local authority. We visited eight lessons, attended part of a school ‘Jobs fair’, and I scrutinised pupils’ work. I took account of one response from a parent to Parent View, as well as the views of six parents spoken to before and during the school day. I took account of 27 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during break and lunchtime. I looked at a number of documents, including information about pupils’ achievement; your school self-evaluation; the school improvement plan; and documents and checks relating to safeguarding.

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