Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School

Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School Helmshore Road, Holcombe, Bury, Lancashire BL8 4PA

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is a school that requires improvement

 School leaders and managers have not secured consistent and rapid improvement since the last inspection. Evaluation of the impact of the school’s work to improve is not rigorous enough in pinpointing what is effective and what needs to be changed.  Governors are not effective in holding the school to account for the progress that pupils make.  Leaders’ and teachers’ expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment are not high enough. Despite some improvements, such as in mathematics in Key Stage 2, not enough has been done since the last inspection to rapidly accelerate pupils’ progress and raise attainment, particularly in writing.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement because pupils’ progress is too variable across subjects and some groups of pupils, such as the most-able and lower-attaining pupils, do not make enough progress from their starting points.  Progress in writing is below average and is slower

p.1

This is a school that requires improvement

than in reading and mathematics. In writing, boys make less progress than girls.  In the early years, too few children are well prepared to begin Key Stage 1.  The leadership and development of some subjects, such as history, are weak and, as a result, pupils achieve less well than should be expected.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The school ensures that pupils’ personal development and welfare are good. Very caring staff work hard to ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for, and that their emotional needs are met.  Pupils are confident, enthusiastic learners. They say that they enjoy school and this is shown by above average attendance rates. Their behaviour is good in lessons and around school.  Pupils speak knowledgeably about the school’s work to teach them to keep themselves safe. They say that they feel safe in school.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development well and this, combined with the good work to support pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, is why this aspect has been judged to be good.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to further raise attainment and increase pupils’ progress, particularly in writing and especially for boys by: raising teachers’ expectations of how much progress pupils should make over time and throughout the school accurately assessing what pupils know and can do already and using this to set work which develops the skills they need to make progress quickly focusing on pupils who are not attaining as well as their peers and implementing clear and effective strategies to ensure that they catch up and keep up increasing the challenge for the most-able pupils to ensure that more of them achieve the highest standards and make better progress.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by: increasing the pace of improvement through setting clear timescales and deadlines by which pupils’ progress and attainment are to improve rigorously evaluating which strategies work well and their impact on pupils’ progress, and using this information to plan future actions more closely monitoring the performance of all staff to ensure that expectations are consistently high ensuring that all subjects are well led, the demands of the National Curriculum are met and, as a result, teaching, learning and assessment are at least consistently good across all subjects.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders’ and managers’ expectations are not high enough and they have not established an ambitious culture focused on rapid improvement. The school’s evaluation of actions taken to bring about improvement lacks rigour and detail. Progress in bringing about improvement has been too slow and, as a result, not enough pupils are making the progress of which they are capable.  Leaders’ management of teaching is not effective in ensuring that teaching is consistently good in all classes and subjects and for all groups of pupils. Systems to monitor the performance of teachers are not effective in holding teachers to account and, as a result, pupils’ progress varies.  New assessment systems are in place, but the move from one system to another has made comparison and analysis difficult. The analysis of pupils’ progress and attainment is neither detailed nor effective in supporting improvement because information is incomplete and comparisons between groups have not

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

been undertaken.  Equality of opportunity is not promoted effectively because leaders and managers do not ensure that all groups achieve equally well. Most-able pupils, lower-attaining pupils and boys do not always make good progress. However, disabled pupils, pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils make progress in line with other pupils and some make good progress.  Leaders have not fully evaluated the impact of the curriculum and used this to bring about improvement. Not all subjects are led well and so the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not as strong as in other subjects, such as mathematics where leadership is effective. In history, for example, there are too few opportunities for pupils to think critically, weigh evidence and develop perspective and judgement as outlined in the National Curriculum for history.  Through the academic year, the school provides some extra-curricular activities, but these are limited in

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

number and more are provided for Key Stage 2 pupils than for Key Stage 1. This issue has been raised by parents. Where pupils attend extra-curricular activities, they speak positively of these, especially the sporting clubs. They say these develop their skills and are ‘fun’.  Senior leaders are aware of the need to improve the school. They have worked with other professionals and organised training for staff delivered by the local authority in teaching phonics (the sounds that letters make). This has resulted in higher attainment in phonics in Key Stage 1. Further staff training and improvements made to the way in which mathematics is taught have brought about an increase in pupils’ rates of progress, particularly in Key Stage 2. These actions demonstrate leaders’ capacity to improve. Recent changes to the teaching of writing have yet to show their full impact on pupils’ progress.  The pupil premium funding received to support disadvantaged pupils is spent carefully and there are

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

examples of some pupils making good progress. More generally, disadvantaged pupils make progress in line with the rest of the pupils in school. The evaluation of the spending of this funding lacks detail so it is difficult for governors to assess precisely which actions have had the greatest impact over what period of time.  The PE and sport premium for primary schools has been spent on sports coaches to work with teachers to improve their skills. This funding has been effective in motivating pupils to take part in sport and has increased their understanding of the elements of healthy lifestyles. Pupils report that they enjoy sport and they show good attitudes to keeping healthy. However, currently, only one sports club is running weekly and is for Key Stage 2 pupils only.  The school provides many opportunities which contribute to pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. Pupils’ artistic skills and musical appreciation are developed particularly well. All pupils in

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

upper Key Stage 2 learn to play a musical instrument and last academic year pupils worked with musicians from an orchestra.  The school prepares pupils effectively for life in modern Britain through the teaching of British values. During the inspection, pupils demonstrated a good understanding of democracy and they have good opportunities to discuss and debate issues. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 were observed learning about how debates are organised and preparing for a debate, to which their parents were to be invited.  Safeguarding of pupils is effective and the school liaises with parents appropriately to support pupils and keep them safe. Parents say that school staff are accessible by the gate in the morning and at the end of the school day, so there are good opportunities for parents to raise concerns should they wish. Records of support and intervention are kept securely and staff receive regular training in safeguarding.

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school requires improvement because the governing body has not ensured a fast pace of improvement. Governors have been involved in checking on the school’s performance but they accepted evaluations from senior leaders that lacked rigour and detail. Not enough was done to challenge these evaluations and hold senior leaders to account to ensure that all the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection and subsequent monitoring visits were being addressed successfully. However, recently, the level of challenge from governors has increased and they have now gained their own accurate understanding of the school’s performance. A review of governance was completed after the last inspection, a skills audit was undertaken and new governors were recruited. Governors have participated in extensive training and are more ambitious for pupils, with an understanding of which groups of pupils need to make better progress in which subjects.

p.4

Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement. Uneven teaching results in some variation in achievement, particularly across subjects and for groups of pupils. Strategies to develop pupils’ writing skills are less effective than those to develop pupils’ mathematical skills. The quality of pupils’ work in topic books is not as good as in other subjects. In history, for example, pupils’ historical enquiry skills are underdeveloped.  Assessments of pupils’ skills and knowledge are not always accurate or used to best effect to identify what pupils need to do next to improve. Sometimes, pupils spend time on activities they can do easily. This is particularly true for the most-able pupils. Their books show that too often they are completing the same work as other pupils, with little additional challenge to help them further develop and deepen their skills and knowledge.  Leaders and teachers are aware of any pupils who are not achieving as well as their peers. Arrangements

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

are in place to support their learning at the correct level, but clear strategies to accelerate their progress so they catch up have not been established. In some classes, the work for some lower-attaining pupils is too easy, so slowing their progress.  New ways of supporting pupils, especially boys, in developing their writing skills have been implemented this academic year. Teachers have been well trained and a highly consistent approach was observed during the inspection. Teachers are focusing on ways to help pupils improve their own work and pupils were seen to respond enthusiastically to their teachers’ guidance. These new strategies have only just been put in place, but there are signs of improvement in the quality of pupils’ writing.  New sessions to develop pupils’ basic mathematics skills have been effective in increasing pupils’ progress in mathematics. Pupils are grouped according to their level of skills and knowledge rather than by age

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

and the work is pitched at the correct level to ensure that they make good progress. In upper Key Stage 2 in particular, more pupils are working at above average levels in mathematics than is typical in most schools.  Reading is taught well. Pupils have good opportunities to develop their reading skills across the curriculum. Pupils say that the school helps them to read and that they enjoy reading. Training for staff in the delivery of phonics in the early years and Key Stage 1 has resulted in fast-paced sessions where pupils make good gains in their knowledge. Improvements in the teaching of phonics in Key Stage 1 are helping to develop pupils’ fluency in reading.  Disabled pupils, pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils are given appropriate support from teachers and teaching assistants. As a result they make similar progress to other pupils and some make good progress.

p.4

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. This work is underpinned by the ‘Rainbow of Respect’; all pupils have taken part in creating a large display of the values embraced by the school. Pupils talk confidently about the values within the Rainbow of Respect and it is clear that they form a large part of daily life in school.  Pupils are proud members of the school community. They show confidence in lessons and around school. At break and lunchtimes older pupils organise games and activities for younger ones.  Pupils show respect for each other and for staff and know that, when discussing issues, they need to consider the viewpoints of others. Leaders and staff focus on supporting pupils’ emotional health and well-being as well as their physical safety. Supervision is good and pupils say that they feel safe in school.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and this includes when using the internet. They know what

p.4

Personal development and welfare

they have to do, such as not communicating with someone they do not know. They say that if they had concerns they would be confident to report them to adults.  Pupils say that any kind of bullying is extremely rare and that should it occur, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils understand what ‘derogatory language’ is and say that this too is very rare. They report that pupils speak to each other and to staff in a caring way. They also say that adults speak kindly to them too.  Pupils understand what it takes to be a successful learner and they enjoy opportunities to research and find out things for themselves. For example, upper Key Stage 2 pupils told the inspector that they are working in groups to find out about aspects of Judaism and are looking forward to teaching their classmates when they present their findings.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good in lessons and around school. Pupils behave in a sensible way and look after the school environment well. Cloakrooms are kept tidy and equipment used at playtime and lunchtime is put away carefully.  Attendance is above average and pupils enjoy school. Currently no pupils are persistently absent.  Pupils are polite to each other and to adults, and show self-discipline through their adherence to the school rules. They try hard to earn rewards and are keen to please their teachers.  Pupils are enthusiastic participants in lessons. An example of this was seen in Key Stage 1 where pupils were keen to share ideas with their talk partners in order to improve their work and make their writing more interesting and of better quality.

p.5

Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes for pupils are not consistently good. Published test results for 2014 showed that the proportion of pupils making the progress expected of them by the end of Year 6 was in line with, or above, the national figures in reading, writing and mathematics. However, although the proportion making more progress than expected in reading was average, it was below average in mathematics and writing. The school’s own unvalidated results for 2015 show that there was a great improvement in mathematics with most pupils making more than expected progress, but a dip in progress in writing.  Outcomes for the most-able pupils vary. The school’s own unvalidated information for 2015 shows that in mathematics most pupils were working at an above average level by the end of Key Stage 2, whereas in writing a below average proportion of pupils was working at the higher levels. In Key Stage 1, the proportion of most-able pupils who achieved the higher level in writing was about double the 2014

p.5

Outcomes for pupils require improvement

national figure but no pupils achieved the higher level in mathematics. In reading, a broadly average proportion of most-able pupils achieved the higher levels at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  Across the school, there is little difference in the rates of progress of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils and other pupils relative to their starting points. Furthermore, there are some examples of these pupils making much better progress than others as the result of targeted support to meet their needs.  From 2014 to 2015, the school’s unvalidated results show that the proportion of pupils in Year 1 achieving the required standard in the phonics screening test more than doubled and was broadly average. This demonstrates good progress from pupils’ starting points at the beginning of Year 1.  Pupils’ progress varies across the range of subjects they study. In some subjects, such as history, there is

p.5

Outcomes for pupils require improvement

a lack of depth. Conversely, pupils’ good progress in developing their artistic skills is evident in the high quality of work around the school. Pupils made a notable contribution to a mural which is displayed in the local community garden.  Pupils are not fully prepared for their next stage of education because their attainment in reading and mathematics is not matched by their attainment in writing, and overall achievement varies between these subjects from year to year. Published data for 2014 showed that combined attainment was above average but the school’s own unvalidated information for 2015 showed that this had dipped below the 2014 national figures.

p.5

Early years provision requires improvement

 The overall effectiveness of the early years requires improvement because a smaller proportion of children than in schools nationally reach the level of skills and knowledge required to ensure that they are well prepared for Year 1. In particular, teaching does not develop children’s reading, writing and understanding well enough and a below-average proportion of children reach the expected level in these areas.  The leadership and management of the early years require improvement because expectations of the progress children should make are too low. Most children start school with skills and knowledge which are broadly typical for their age but too few make good progress during their time in Reception. In addition, where some children have difficulties in areas such as self-confidence and self-awareness and in communication and language, not enough is done to help them to catch up. Phonics is taught well, but

p.6

Early years provision requires improvement

expectations of how rapidly children should move through the phases of learning are too low.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving. New activities which focus specifically on developing children’s individual skills have been implemented by early years teachers. These activities are structured to develop children’s independence. The children respond enthusiastically and talk about ‘being proud’ of their achievements. Activities both indoors and outside hold children’s interest and make a good contribution to their learning.  Children behave well and are happy, confident and curious learners. For example, the inspector observed all the children happily joining in a music session, singing and using actions. This made a good contribution to improving children’s confidence and communication skills.  Effective arrangements are in place to ensure that children are safeguarded. Good communication with

p.6

Early years provision requires improvement

parents and pre-school visits to other settings enable staff to gather useful information about the children joining the school and this is used well to help them to settle in quickly.

p.6

School details

Unique reference number 105338 Local authority Bury Inspection number 10002274

p.7

School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.7

School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elaine Allum Headteacher Ellie Lorenzo Telephone number 01706 823498 Website www.emmanuelholcombe.bury.sch.uk Email address emmanuelholcombe@bury.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 17–18 September 2013

p.7

Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school and pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes. Some year groups contain fewer than 10 pupils. There are consistently more girls than boys.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the authority) is low. There are no disadvantaged children in the early years.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and no pupils speak English as an additional language.  In 2014, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Part-way through the last academic year, a new leader was appointed for the early years and, in

p.7

Information about this school

September 2015, a part-time teacher was appointed to the Reception class. She took up her post at the start of the current term.

p.7

Information about this inspection

 The inspector gathered a range of evidence from the school’s documentation, assessment information relating to pupils’ progress and attainment, work in pupils’ books and observing lessons. Documents examined included safeguarding records, the improvement plan, school policies and external reports from the local authority.  Nine part-lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector observed the headteacher giving feedback to staff.  The inspector met with two groups of pupils and talked to pupils informally at break and lunchtime while observing their activities. She observed the teaching of phonics and talked to Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils about how the school helps them to read.  A meeting was held with the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body. Meetings were also held with the headteacher, teachers and subject leaders.  The inspector took account of 42 responses to the online questionnaire Parent View and the 64 parent

p.8

Information about this inspection

questionnaires presented by the school and completed in July 2015. In addition, the inspector talked to a few parents at the start of the school day.

p.8

Inspection team

Andrée Coleman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspection team

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.

p.9

Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.9

Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

p.9

Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9