St Dunstan's RC Primary School

St Dunstan’s RC Primary School Bacup Street, Moston, Manchester M40 9HF

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher has worked tirelessly since her appointment to drive forward school improvement. She is supported well by the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders who have a clear and collaborative focus on what needs to improve.  The majority of staff share this vision and work well as a team to ensure that standards in school have continued to improve.  Governors know the school well and challenge senior leaders to continue to drive improvements.  Since the last inspection, standards in reading, writing and mathematics have improved. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics in 2015 was close to or above the national average at Key Stage 1 and 2.  Pupils make good progress from their starting points because the quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Pupils behave well and enjoy coming to school.

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This is a good school

This is shown in their consistently above average attendance.  The curriculum is well-planned and the use of specialist teachers in art, music and sports contributes well to pupils’ personal and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Improvements to the early years provision since the previous inspection ensure that children get off to a good start and make good progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to practise and apply their mathematical skills to solve problems and show mathematical reasoning.  Teachers do not consistently plan tasks which allow pupils to apply and develop their reading skills across all subjects.  Subject leaders are not fully using the range of information available to them to prioritise and measure the impact of improvements in the subjects they lead.  The early years outdoor environment does not provide children with the same quality of provision as that found indoors.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching further by ensuring that: teachers consistently plan tasks which allow pupils to apply their reading skills across subjects pupils have more opportunities to apply their mathematical skills to problem solving and reasoning activities in mathematics and other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the skills of subject leaders so they use the range of information available to them to prioritise improvements in the subjects they lead and to measure how well these contribute to school improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the significant improvements in the early years by developing the outdoor environment so that the quality of provision is enhanced further and continues to improve children’s outcomes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school has improved since the last inspection. Since taking up her post, the headteacher has worked tirelessly to bring about improvements to the school. She is well-supported by the deputy headteacher. Together with other senior leaders they have developed a strong and collaborative team who accurately know the key priorities for the school.  There is an improved culture across school with the majority of staff sharing a vision of high expectations and improved outcomes for pupils. As a result, there have been improvements in pupils’ outcomes at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 and significant improvements to the provision in the early years. Teaching has improved and is now good.  Systems for checking on the quality of teaching are now regular and rigorous. Senior leaders regularly collect information from lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ books and analysis of assessment information. The outcomes from these are shared in senior leaders’ meetings as well as in phase meetings.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Consequently, all staff are aware of how well pupils are doing and where there needs to be improvement. This is having a positive impact on ensuring that practice is continually improved.  Procedures for managing the performance of staff are closely linked to school improvement priorities. Teachers are set targets which demonstrate high expectations and pay progression is closely linked to teachers’ performance. The headteacher does not shy away from having difficult conversations when staff do not meet the high standards expected. Training is provided to support teachers in developing their practice.  Good use is made of the sports funding to develop pupils’ skills and well-being. There has been an increase in the range of sports available to pupils through after-school clubs and lunchtime activities. An increasing number of pupils are participating in sports clubs and the school has had success at inter-school sports

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

events. Teachers have received training to support their development in areas such as dance, especially those at an early stage in their career.  The curriculum is planned to ensure that there is an even coverage of subjects. A recent review has developed the use of ‘challenge questions’ at the beginning of topics. High-quality specialist teachers contribute well to pupils’ good progress in art, French and physical education. Some pupils learn to play musical instruments, such as the guitar, which develop their musical skills.  Many leaders of subjects, other than English and mathematics, are new to their role. They are keen to develop their roles and improve outcomes in their areas of responsibility. They have recently had training to help them to develop their understanding of how to use the information available within the school’s monitoring and evaluation systems. However, there is more to be done to enable them to fully use this

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

information to identify priorities to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in their respective subjects and to check how successful any actions have been.  Leaders have developed opportunities for pupils which help prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils have a strong voice in the school; their views are actively sought by leaders on a variety of issues. Year 4 and 5 pupils recently presented an assembly on ‘great British values’ which was a collaboration of work. This focused around what British values means to them in their context as well as in the wider world.  The school has strong Christian values and pupils are taught about the importance of these. Pupils are also taught about different cultures, including Islam and Judaism, through themed weeks, enhanced with visits and visitors. The ‘Different Day’ and ‘Africa Day’ celebrations taught pupils about different cultures through

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

dance, food, customs and costumes. Parents were active supporters of the day bringing activities and experiences alive with contributions from their own cultures. This supports pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school has benefited from the focused support, direction and training provided by the local authority.  The school makes good use of pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils, both in their academic development and to support their personal development and well-being. This ensures that they have equal opportunity to participate in all the school offers. As a result, disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes are good.  The governance of the school Governance has improved. Following the last inspection, governors swiftly undertook a review of governance and identified key aspects of their work to improve. Governors attend relevant training to develop their skills and knowledge.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Governors know the school well and visit the school regularly, joining leaders and the school improvement professional in monitoring school effectiveness. Governors have links with leaders within school and meet with them to discuss their areas of responsibility. Consequently, they are able to offer support but also hold leaders to account for school performance. The governing body receives a range of information from the headteacher and other leaders, as well as reports from external advisers who work alongside the headteacher. They have a good understanding of the new assessment requirements and the performance of pupils currently at the school. Careful consideration is given to how funding is spent so that it has a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes. Governors have a good understanding of the procedures for performance management of teachers, including the rewarding of effective practice. They ensure that targets are closely linked to the priorities

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

of the school.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Training for staff is up to date and includes how to protect pupils and assess the dangers of extremism and radicalisation. Leaders work in partnership with parents to keep them informed of the importance of keeping their children safe online, including the appropriate use of social media. The leaders and site manager manage the access to the school site by parents and pupils well, given the difficulties of two separate buildings divided by a road way.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the last inspection. The new tracking system and the regular meetings about how well pupils are doing ensures that teachers are clear about the expectations for learning in English and mathematics. They know where pupils need to develop their skills and consequently, using good subject knowledge, plan lessons which address this.  Teachers use questioning well to check on pupils’ understanding and to encourage them to explain their answers. In a Key Stage 1 class the teacher asked pupils to explain how they knew how to work out half of a number, encouraging them to use different strategies to do this.  Teachers provide pupils with a good range of opportunities to practise their writing, which are sometimes linked to their topic. Pupils are encouraged to apply their understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling to their writing. Books show that they do this successfully and pupils use these features with

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

improving accuracy.  Teachers plan different ways to help pupils organise their ideas and structure their writing. In Year 2, pupils were writing a persuasive letter as if they were an object in the room. One pupil explained to the inspector that he didn’t like being walked on as a carpet, while another was unhappy about being sharpened all the time as a pencil.  Pupils enjoy reading and younger pupils are able to apply their knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) well to read words which are not familiar to them. In phonics sessions, teachers and teaching assistants provide pupils with good opportunities to practise and apply their skills so that learning is consolidated. In one session, pupils were able to identify words with the new sound ‘oy’ and then practised writing these in a sentence.  Older pupils read with accuracy and their fluency is developing well. They read books which are often linked

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

to their topic, such as the Second World War, and are able to work out the meaning of some unfamiliar words. Pupils understand the importance of reading and most have favourite authors whose books they enjoy reading.  Teaching assistants are used well to support small groups and pupils who have additional needs. They use questioning well to support learning and encourage pupils to develop their understanding.  Pupils benefit from specialist teachers in some subjects. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils were encouraged to describe emotions ‘seen’ in a painting before being shown how to use charcoal to create their own portrait. In a French lesson, pupils were keen to answer questions about animals and colours. The teacher’s good subject knowledge and adeptness at building on learning ensured that pupils swiftly moved to answering in sentences and translating for one another.  Pupils are given feedback which is often detailed and provides them with guidance on how to improve their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

work, particularly in English. There is a consistent approach to the use of colour coding to show pupils what needs to improve and a developing consistency in pupils responding to this guidance.  Mathematics is taught well and pupils’ books show that they are able to follow strategies to work out calculations with success. Teachers plan activities which are well matched to pupils’ needs and enable them to make good progress. There are some opportunities for pupils to solve word problems related to number calculations. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to solve problems or develop reasoning skills in mathematics and other subjects.  Guided reading sessions have been reviewed and staff have received training on how to develop these further. As a result, there is a consistent format to planning of these sessions and regular opportunities for pupils to develop their comprehension skills. In the best examples seen, pupils are given tasks which

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

encourage them to use and apply their reading skills to predict what might happen next or probe what was happening at different points in the book. However, sometimes tasks are not sufficiently well matched to the needs of pupils for them to fully develop these skills and extend their learning in English and other subjects.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are respectful of one another and say that bullying of any form or use of derogatory language is rare. Pupils say that any such incidents are swiftly dealt with. They are confident that there is an adult that they can go to if they have any concerns.  Pupils have a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, and have been involved in anti-bullying week, taking part in a play. Visits from other agencies, such as ChildLine, support pupils in knowing how to get help if they need it and who to discuss their worries with. A report by pupils shows this message was positively received.  Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe with, for example, talks about stranger danger. Older pupils have opportunities to ‘debate’ issues which are topical and of interest to them. As a result, they have

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Personal development and welfare

an understanding of the dangers of ‘grooming’ and what ‘extremism’ means in the wider world context.  The school has a strong ethos which is focused around their Christian values. Some pupils are appointed school chaplains. They have visited other schools to learn about their faith and share their learning with others. This provides pupils with good opportunities to develop their spiritual understanding.  Parents are made to feel welcome in school and are provided with regular communication. The school’s parent support adviser and a school social worker provide parents with guidance and support on issues which may be affecting them and their families.  Pupils are encouraged to be active and there are a range of activities in school and after school to develop their physical fitness. Pupils were asked about which sports they would like to have and what other skills they would also like to develop. The introduction of rugby has not only developed pupils’ sports skills but

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Personal development and welfare

also skills of discipline and resilience.  Pupils are taught about healthy eating and how to look after their bodies. School meals encourage pupils to make healthy options, such as choosing from a salad bar and fruit options. Key Stage 1 pupils have access to milk and fruit at morning playtime. Pupils’ understanding of the dangers of smoking, drugs and alcohol are not as well developed.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are well-mannered, polite and self-assured. They conduct themselves around the school well and any lapses in this are addressed quickly by staff. Older pupils support younger ones with their reading and also during playtime activities.  The ‘family time’ system enables pupils from different year groups to come together on a regular basis in class-sized groups. This encourages pupils to mix with pupils from different year groups and helps transition between different year groups.  In lessons, pupils are keen to learn and they respond well to instructions. The majority of pupils work hard to complete tasks and enjoy lessons where they can work together in groups. In some classes a small number of pupils become distracted, particularly when the pace of learning slows. This is quickly addressed and does not impact on the learning of others.  Since the last inspection the behaviour system has been reviewed and altered and there is now a more

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Behaviour

consistent approach to behaviour management. This has resulted in a decline in exclusions from school. There are a small number of pupils who have more challenging behaviour who are supported appropriately.  Pupils enjoy coming to school as is shown in above-average attendance year-on-year. Very few pupils are frequently absent from school and there are good procedures in place to check regularly on these pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ outcomes have continued to improve since the last inspection. By the end of Year 6 in 2015 the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was similar to the national average. Almost all pupils made the progress expected of them and the proportion making more than expected progress was above national figures in reading, writing and mathematics.  In Year 2, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards has continued to improve since the last inspection with the majority of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents good progress from starting points which were below those of other pupils of a similar age.  The proportion of pupils achieving the national expectation in the phonics check in Year 1 improved on the previous year and is closer to the national average. Additional training and a consistent approach to the

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Outcomes for pupils are good

teaching of phonics by teachers and teaching assistants is having a positive impact on pupils’ understanding of how to use these skills in reading and writing.  The progress of pupils currently in the school is good. School assessment information and inspection evidence shows that pupils are making good progress from their different starting points. Leaders ensure the accuracy of judgments through regular checking on pupils’ outcomes and through joint moderation of assessments within school and across a local cluster of schools.  The achievement of pupils who are supported by the additional pupil premium funding is good. These pupils make the same and sometimes better rates of progress as their peers. At the end of 2015, disadvantaged Year 6 pupils performed as well as pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics and better than their peers in school in reading, writing and grammar, spelling and punctuation.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and disability is good. These pupils are closely tracked and appropriate and timely intervention is put into place to ensure that they achieve well. Teaching assistants are used well to support pupils who need additional support to develop their skills and behaviours for learning.  The most-able pupils make good progress in line with their peers. The provision for the most-able pupils was recently reviewed to check that the needs of these pupils were being met. Strengths were noted in tasks being planned and in questioning to support these pupils being challenged. Inspection evidence would support these findings. Additional provision to enhance opportunities for the most-able pupils has also been introduced. These include a book club to develop reading skills, projects such as investigating the metro system in Year 5 and pupils acting as ‘digital leaders’, updating the school website and working with other

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Outcomes for pupils are good

pupils.  Pupils who have English as an additional language make good progress from their different starting points because they are supported well in class.

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Early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of the early years is good. The shared leadership is effective because leaders share a common vision and have clear actions in place to drive improvements. They have accurately identified the priorities for improvement and the actions which have been put into place to achieve them have been very successful.  The proportion of children who reach the expected standard by the end of Reception has improved year-on- year, though has remained below national averages. The proportion of children predicted to reach the expected standard this year is expected to increase again. Consequently, an increasing number of children are prepared well to start Year 1. Improved assessment systems ensure that as children move into Year 1, staff are aware of what areas children need to continue to develop.  The majority of children start Nursery with skills and knowledge which are below those for their age and a

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Early years provision is good

good number are significantly below those expected for their age. This applies across most areas of learning. School assessment information and observations show that children are making good progress from their starting points.  The quality of teaching is good across both Nursery and Reception classes. Through the use of effective questioning by adults, children are encouraged to make decisions about their learning and explain their reasoning. One child had made a ‘princess’ castle and wanted a road in front of it. She was encouraged to choose the materials she wanted to use to make this, collecting these and cutting the paper to size before designing the road.  Adults work well across the settings to extend learning in the activities which children are engaged in. A small group of boys had made an aeroplane and through appropriate direction recorded their design and discussed what they might adjust.

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Early years provision is good

 Phonics is taught well and children benefit from small group sessions. Adults model well how sounds are made and swiftly pick up where there might be any mispronunciation. A range of games and tasks are used to keep children interested and motivated, including ‘sounds speed trial’ and deciding if a word is a ‘nonsense’ word.  Good-quality texts are used across the setting and many activities are planned to support the learning from this. For example, the book ‘How to grow your dinosaur’ generated activities related to growing seeds, checking how much sand was needed to fill a pot and role play involving dinosaurs.  Children behave well in the setting and move between the independent activities sensibly. Children usually play and work well cooperatively. Occasionally, adults need to intervene when children become a little over exuberant and need to refocus on their task.  Children are given a good range of opportunities to practise their writing skills. Children were writing

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Early years provision is good

appointment cards in the doctor’s surgery, recording their results as they explored shapes in a ‘feely’ box and drawing and labelling their designs.  Children are taught the importance of keeping safe by wearing hard hats when ‘building’ a wall and being shown how to carry scissors safely. Regular checks on the equipment by adults and clear routines contribute to ensuring that children are kept safe.  As a result of effective analysis of children’s needs, additional funding has been spent to improve children’s outcomes. Resources have been used to improve children’s communication and speaking skills. Sets of resources are available to parents to support learning at home and parents are also able to spend time with their child in the setting. The introduction of online learning records enables parents to look at and contribute to their child’s learning.  Adults use the outdoor environment well. During the inspection, a small group of children were bringing

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Early years provision is good

their bikes to the ‘car wash’ while another group were being supported in solving the problem of how to get an object to travel down a drain pipe. However, the quality of the outdoor environment is not as well developed as indoors for developing children’s outcomes across all the areas of learning.

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School details

Unique reference number 105526 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 10002221

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 345 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lynda Walker Headteacher Gabrielle Eccles Telephone number 0161 6815665 Website www.stdunstansmoston.com Email address admin@st-dunstans.manchester.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27-28 November 2013

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Information about this school

 St Dunstan’s RC Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Two thirds of pupils are from minority ethnic groups, some of whom speak English as an additional language. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is similar to the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is above the national average. The pupil premium 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.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Since the last inspection there has been considerable staff turbulence and change, including to senior

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Information about this school

leadership. The headteacher was appointed from September 2014 and the deputy headteacher from April 2015. A significant number of senior and middle leaders have also been appointed since the last inspection.  There is a private breakfast and after-school club on site which is subject to a separate inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed a range of lessons or parts of lessons and also looked at pupils’ work.  The inspectors listened to pupils from four different year groups reading, and talked with them and other groups of pupils about their lessons and school life.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, representatives of the governing body and representatives of the local authority.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised documentation relating to pupils’ progress and to school management, including the arrangements to ensure that pupils are kept safe.  The inspectors spoke to parents, took account of the eight responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s consultations with parents. The views of staff were also taken into account, informed by the 12 returns to the Ofsted questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Vanessa MacDonald, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector David Woodhouse Ofsted Inspector Alison Burbage 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 .

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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.

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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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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