Park Primary School

Park Primary School Rutland Street, Colne, Lancashire BB8 0QJ

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is a good school

 The headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteachers are a strong senior leadership team. They have created a culture where staff work together with a shared vision to provide the very best for every pupil.  Leaders and governors have successfully addressed the weaknesses identified at the last inspection and are committed to driving forward improvement at a good rate.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to ensure that learning excites and stimulates pupils. Effective training for staff continues to strengthen this.  Learning gets off to a good start in the early years. A broad range of interesting activities enables children to explore, experiment and grow in confidence.  The skilled family support worker and learning mentor work closely with senior leaders to provide valuable help and encouragement to children and

p.1

This is a good school

their families. They promote the shared determination of all staff to nurture pupils’ personal, social and academic development. As a result, attendance has improved since the last inspection.  The governing body has improved significantly since the last inspection. Governors are now knowledgeable about their role and provide effective challenge and support to school leaders.  The vast majority of parents are of the view that their children are happy, safe and making good progress in their learning, and inspectors agree.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough disadvantaged pupils and those who need to catch up are reaching the expectations for their age.  Assessment systems in subjects other than English and mathematics do not yet show clearly pupils’ next steps in learning.  The leadership and management skills of middle leaders new to role are not yet developed sufficiently well to have a significant impact on driving forward improvements.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to build on the good progress that pupils are making so that more disadvantaged pupils and those who have fallen behind reach the expectations for their age.  Further develop the school’s new assessment system so that the progress pupils make in other subjects is measured as carefully as in English and mathematics.  Develop the role of middle leaders so that they have a greater involvement in supporting the school’s rapid improvement.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 As a result of determined and focused leadership from the headteacher and senior leaders, the school has improved significantly since the last inspection. Following a turbulent time of changes in senior leadership, school leaders and governors are clear sighted about the school and the areas that can be further improved. Based on accurate self-analysis, their plans for future improvements are accurate and robust. This places the school in a strong position to move forward with even greater vigour.  Senior leaders have good systems in place to check the work of teachers. They systematically review the progress that different groups of pupils make and ensure that swift action is taken to ensure that all have an equal chance to succeed. Following the previous inspection, senior leaders have put actions into place to improve the use of grammar, punctuation and spelling in pupils’ writing by introducing daily grammar

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

sessions. These focused lessons and a whole-school approach to marking that checks that pupils are applying what they have learned, have improved progress in writing by the end of key stage 2.  Most pupils now make the progress they should in reading, writing and mathematics because of improved teaching and greater rigour in monitoring pupils’ progress. However, gaps in learning still remain for some pupils because of less effective teaching and leaders not checking carefully enough on pupils’ progress in the past. As a result, even though all groups of pupils are making good progress, those who fell behind in the past and some of the disadvantaged pupils have not yet reached the expectations for their age.  Good-quality professional development has led to a confident, well-motivated teaching staff. Senior leaders are providing opportunities for staff to learn from each other and to work with other good and

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

outstanding providers. Performance management targets are linked to the progress pupils make and an overall contribution to improving the school.  The school is making good progress in developing greater leadership capacity. The appointment of three assistant headteachers has further strengthened the senior leadership team. Together with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, they are moving the school forward at an accelerated rate. English and mathematics leaders are very much involved in the monitoring of pupils’ progress in their subjects. Working with senior leaders, they put actions into place from their findings and monitor progress carefully. The role of new middle leaders, however, is not yet fully developed in order to support senior leaders in driving forward rapid improvement.  The leadership and provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability are good. Pupils make good progress from their starting points whether in class, working in small groups or in the nurture

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

provision because of the effective teaching and pastoral support they receive.  The curriculum has been designed to maximise pupils’ enjoyment and progress and to provide them with opportunities they may not otherwise have. While placing emphasis on English and mathematics to accelerate progress, there are good opportunities to practise these skills in other lessons. The curriculum is organised around well-designed topics, which are supported by a good range of visits and visitors. For example, as part of a topic about the Romans, a visitor showed pupils artefacts, taught them about Roman food and brought resources so that they could dress up as Roman soldiers. Pupils also visit Ribchester Museum as part of this topic. These memorable experiences help to bring learning to life. They contribute well to pupils’ enjoyment of school and to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  A wide range of clubs, including street dance, rugby, choir and Change4Life, which are led by school staff

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and external providers, develop pupils’ social skills and provide opportunities to try something different or further develop their skills. For example, the Apprentice Club challenges pupils to think creatively in order to plan a project that is collaborative, competitive and fun.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is central to all learning and pupils are taught to think about and celebrate British values from an early age. Topics such as ‘It’s OK to be different’ and the ‘Building bridges’ project, which involves working with pupils from another local school where there is a wider multi-ethnic population, provide pupils with opportunities to understand and respect differences. The pupil parliament, school council, a visit from the mayor, assemblies and work in personal, social and health education promote a good understanding of democracy. Older pupils have a clear awareness of

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

the dangers of exploitation and extremism.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively so that the gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school is closing. The family support worker and learning mentor work closely with senior leaders to provide highly effective support to children and their families so that every pupil has the best possible chance to succeed. Additional staff provide extra support for disadvantaged pupils who need it, enabling them to be successful and take part in all that the school offers.  The primary school physical education (PE) and sports funding is used wisely by school leaders. The school is part of the Pendle Schools Sports Partnership, which encourages the participation of all pupils in sporting activities and provides increased opportunities to take part in competitive sport. There are opportunities to participate in sports such as curling and boccia. For pupils who need help in developing

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

their gross motor skills, access to a hydrotherapy pool is available. A specialist PE coach brings expertise to the delivery of PE and provides valuable training for teachers. Sports coaches also offer opportunities for pupils to develop their skills in activities such as gymnastics and dance.  The support given by the local authority has been highly effective. The advice and guidance have led to improvements in teaching, learning and assessment. Reflective staff have welcomed the support provided. Work with other local schools has also provided effective support and challenge in driving forward improvements.  The governance of the school Governors have embraced the recommendations from the external review and now hold their own annual effectiveness review. They have attended a range of training and are now skilled in understanding data and the progress pupils are making. Governors are well informed about what is

p.4

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

working well and what needs further improvement. Governors now focus much more on school improvement. They hold the senior leaders to account through pertinent questioning in order to ensure that improvement is being driven forward at a rapid rate. The governing body checks how well school leaders improve the quality of teaching and ensure that performance management is closely linked to the priorities of the school. They ensure that pupil premium and primary school PE and sports funding are spent effectively and have a good impact.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding leaders and governors ensure that the relevant training is undertaken by staff. Timely and effective relationships with other agencies ensure that pupils are kept safe and their welfare needs are met.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last inspection and is now typically good. Teachers use what they know about the pupils to plan work that is interesting, fun and challenging.  The headteacher, senior leaders and teachers have worked effectively with the local authority to improve outcomes for pupils. Training and support for teaching staff have ensured that they have the skills and knowledge to make the improvements that governors and senior leaders expect.  Senior leaders, teachers and teaching assistants have created an environment that encourages pupils to learn with confidence and independence. Pupils are not afraid to make mistakes and understand that learning from these helps to improve their skills and deepen their understanding.  Well-planned lessons carefully build on what pupils already know to extend and deepen learning. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, pupils used what they had learned previously about different ways to work

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

out the answer to a multiplication question before working in small groups to choose which of these they would use to solve the mathematical problems they had been given.  Skilful questioning is used well to check pupils’ understanding, clarify misconceptions and make pupils think for themselves. Teaching assistants provide good support in lessons as they are well directed by the teacher and know what to do.  Daily opportunities for pupils to develop their grammar, punctuation and spelling skills enable them to use what they have practised to further improve their writing. An example of this was in a Year 6 lesson where pupils used a castle scene from a computer game to stimulate their imagination. Ideas from grammar lessons were then explored and utilised to enhance writing. From this came sentences such as, ‘The sun tears through the shadows like an arrow through a target’. There are also good opportunities to

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

reinforce and apply writing skills in other areas of the curriculum.  More opportunities are being provided in mathematics for pupils to develop their reasoning and problem- solving skills. However, in some lessons, when pupils are doing number work, they spend too long practising something they can already do.  The teaching of reading is good. Phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) is taught well and pupils have the opportunity to read a wide range of texts. Competitions, visits from an author and an attractive school library promote the love of reading well. As a result, pupils make accelerated progress.  The most-able pupils are provided with good opportunities to deepen their learning. For example, in a mixed class of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils, the most able were completing a complex reasoning challenge where they were required to crack a letter code in order to solve a mathematical problem.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Disadvantaged pupils make good progress as a consequence of targeted teaching. The school’s information shows that the gap is closing between disadvantaged pupils and others in the school. This is as a result of the good teaching and focused support they now receive.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are supported well. Their individual needs are carefully identified and addressed in a supportive and nurturing learning environment in which pupils thrive.  Careful scrutiny of the progress and attainment of cohorts, groups and individual pupils by both senior leaders and teachers has enabled every gap in pupils’ learning to be exposed and a plan put in place to ensure that these are plugged. This approach is helping those who have fallen behind to catch up.  Assessments in other subjects are not as rigorous as those in English and mathematics and do not yet clearly show pupils’ next steps in learning. The school is aware of this and is addressing it.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Staff go out of their way to support pupils with whatever welfare need becomes apparent. Parents speak highly of how they have been supported in a personalised way to secure the best for their child. The family support worker and the learning mentor are skilled in working with families and liaising with external agencies. They work closely with the senior leadership team to ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to access learning and that their personal needs are met.  In the ‘Oak’ and ‘Rainbow’ nurture rooms, skilled staff provide nurturing support in a calm atmosphere for pupils who need to build their confidence and self-esteem. Trained staff liaise closely with class teachers to ensure that these pupils are challenged appropriately in their learning and supported effectively to promote their well-being.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 Staff are good role models. This transfers to the way pupils treat each other around school and in lessons. Pupils are polite and respectful to adults and to each other; they feel welcomed and valued. Consequently, pupils enjoy coming to school. Awards are given to each class weekly for ‘Park Child’, ‘Worker of the Week’ and ‘Author of the Week’. This demonstrates a good balance of focus between personal development and academic achievement.  Through assemblies, personal, social and health education and a curriculum rich with opportunities to develop well-being and cooperation, pupils learn how to stay safe, eat healthily, look after themselves and consider others. Specialists, including police, the fire service and road safety teams are invited into school to support pupils’ understanding of potential dangers and stereotyping.  The curriculum and wide range of extra-curricular experiences offered to pupils promote their spiritual,

p.5

Personal development and welfare

moral, social and cultural development well. For example, a Jewish visitor, parents from other countries talking to pupils about the food and lifestyle of their home country, and holding an Eid party give pupils practical opportunities to learn about other cultures and faiths.  Pupils demonstrate a secure understanding of what bullying means and the many forms it takes. The school holds an anti-bullying week and Year 4 led an assembly on this for the whole school. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that staff deal quickly with any unkindness that occurs. Discussions with parents, comments from Parent View during the inspection and the school’s own survey show that most parents agree with this. Pupils have a good understanding of different types of discriminatory behaviour and say that this does not happen at Park Primary.  Pupils and parents have been involved in training for the Prevent duty and how to stay safe on the

p.5

Personal development and welfare

internet. There is also a range of other opportunities provided for parents to work in partnership with the school to support their child’s academic and personal development. Drop-in sessions in each class are held for parents and carers on a rolling programme. Adult first-aid courses and curriculum workshops, including a six-week adult learning ‘Science spectacular’, all help to support home and school working together in partnership.

p.6

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  As a result of improvements since the last inspection, the school is a calm, orderly and purposeful place to learn.  Pupils behave sensibly at all times, including when moving around the school, during playtimes and at lunchtimes. They are friendly, polite and courteous. Pupils hold open doors for adults and each other and are very well mannered. Staff are skilled at supporting a small number of pupils who sometimes find it difficult to manage their own behaviour.  Behaviour in class is good. Pupils listen carefully to what their teachers have to say, consider the views of their classmates and follow instructions carefully. This creates a positive climate for learning. Most pupils take a pride in their work; however, there is some inconsistency in the presentation of work in a few classes.  The school’s successful work with families has helped to boost pupils’ current attendance so that it is

p.6

Behaviour

similar to the national average. Persistent absence is also much reduced. Good attendance is celebrated weekly at awards assemblies. Reward points are also given to pupils for their hard work, positive attitude to learning, kindness to others and good manners.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils are good

 Since the last inspection, senior leaders have put in place a range of actions to improve teaching and provision and, as a result, pupils throughout school are now making good progress. Standards of attainment by the end of Year 6 are rising. Inspection evidence, including evidence seen in pupils’ books and from school information, confirms that across school, the different groups of pupils are making good progress.  Children come into Reception class with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age, especially in communication and language, literacy, mathematics and personal, social and emotional development. Children make good progress in relation to their starting points and the number of children achieving a good level of development increased in 2015. As a result, a greater proportion of children are now better prepared for their transition into Year 1. Boys’ communication and language, literacy and

p.6

Outcomes for pupils are good

mathematical skills, however, still lag behind those of girls.  Good phonics teaching equips pupils with skills to develop their reading and writing. As a result, from their starting points that are below those typical for their age in reading, pupils make good progress. Since the last inspection, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been at or above the national average.  By the time pupils leave key stage 1, although they have not caught up in full to reach the national average, pupils have made good progress across the different subjects from their much lower starting points.  Since the last inspection, achievement in key stage 2 has improved and is now good. Published data for the end of key stage 2 in 2015 showed much improved standards of attainment on those previously reported. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected Level 4 overall was close to average and this

p.6

Outcomes for pupils are good

represented good progress from their much lower starting points on entry to Year 3.  Pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics in key stage 2 has shown considerable improvement compared with previous years. Almost all pupils made the expected rate of progress in reading, and over half did better than this. Although at least nine out of 10 pupils made expected progress in writing and mathematics, the proportion making more than expected progress was below that of other pupils nationally. The low-attaining pupils who left key stage 2 in 2015 made significantly better progress than low-attaining pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. However, some pupils have not yet caught up with expectations for their age, especially in writing and mathematics. The school is addressing this by providing pupils with additional support and challenge.  The achievement of disadvantaged pupils is good. They make similar progress to their peers. However,

p.6

Outcomes for pupils are good

although the gap in attainment is narrowing between these pupils and others in the school, it is not fully closed. The school has yet to accelerate the good progress being made in order for more disadvantaged pupils to catch up with others in the school and reach the expectations for their age.  The progress of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is good over time. This is evident from the work seen by inspectors in pupils’ books. The school’s leadership team measures the impact of programmes of support well. They discuss the progress of these pupils in detail and ensure that support is at the right level. As a result, the school ensures that the education received by pupils who have special educational needs or disability meets their needs well.  The most-able pupils across the school achieve well overall. Most are well supported to reach their potential because of challenging teaching. Although the proportion of pupils in key stage 2 that reached

p.7

Outcomes for pupils are good

the higher levels of attainment in 2015 was below average, it improved on the previous year, and notably so in reading and English spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Skills pupils learn in reading, writing and mathematics are used well in other subjects. This was evident in pupils’ work in books across other subjects.

p.7

Early years provision is good

 All aspects of the leadership and management of the early years provision are good. Teachers and skilled teaching assistants work as a closely-knit team and have high expectations of the children. They are caring, well trained and make it a priority to ensure that children are safe, well looked after and happy.  Children entering Reception class make at least good and often better progress because adults use a comprehensive system of assessing where children are up to in order to plan carefully the next steps of learning.  The good teaching they receive, through adult-led activities and a wide range of interesting and exciting opportunities for independent learning, ensures that progress is maximised. Adults skilfully question children to extend their thinking and consolidate learning.  Good use is made of the stimulating indoor and limited outdoor space. Resources are attractive, well organised and inviting so that children are provided with a wealth of opportunities for imaginative play

p.7

Early years provision is good

and exploration. An example of this is when children showed great concentration and patience while chatting together happily as they decided to search for worms in the garden area. They explored which receptacle would be best to stop the worms ‘slithering away’ before attempting to sound out the word they had decided to use to describe how the worms were moving.  Positive, nurturing relationships with all adults and consistently high expectations of appropriate behaviour ensure that children adopt a positive attitude to learning. Children demonstrate sustained concentration because learning is fun and interesting.  Children in need of additional help and support are identified quickly and given the right support. Teachers make use of the school’s nurture provision and work alongside specialists to make sure that every child gets the best possible start.  Staff encourage parents to work with the school to support their child’s learning. They provide workshops

p.7

Early years provision is good

for parents and additional support for phonics after school. However, the staff recognise that there are still more opportunities to be explored in order to further develop the partnership with parents.  Safeguarding is effective and there are well-established routines that help children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure. The relationship with key stage 1 is strong and children are well prepared for their move up to the next class.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 119172 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 10001789

p.8

School details

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

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 374 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ralph Latham Headteacher Sarah Midgley Telephone number 01282 863225 Website www.colnepark.lancs.sch.uk Email address head@colnepark.lancs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 January 2014

p.8

Information about this school

 Park Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There are 13 classes, with a shared provision for the two Reception classes.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is well above average. Pupil premium funding is additional government 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 proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is slightly below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  Since the previous inspection, there have been several staffing changes, including the appointment of a

p.8

Information about this school

new headteacher, deputy headteacher and three assistant headteachers. The school received support from an associate headteacher prior to the appointment of the headteacher.  The local authority has provided support to the school since the last inspection and work has been carried out with a local network of schools.

p.8

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons in all classes and in a range of subjects, including joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They visited an awards assembly, listened to pupils read, talked with them about their enjoyment of reading and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also observed nurture provision and a number of small groups working with teaching assistants.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms and assessed the school’s promotion of spiritual moral, social and cultural development. They observed pupils as they moved around the school, during lunchtimes and at breaktimes in the playground.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, early years leader, curriculum leaders, learning mentor and family support worker.  An inspector met with representatives of the governing body and with two school improvement

p.9

Information about this inspection

representatives from the local authority.  Two groups of pupils discussed their opinions about the school and their learning with inspectors. Inspectors also spoke informally with pupils in the playground and at lunchtime.  Account was taken of pupil and parent questionnaires provided by the school, staff questionnaires, and parental comments from the Parent View online survey. There were insufficient responses recorded on Parent View for this survey to be published. Inspectors also had conversations with a number of parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including minutes from meetings of the governing body. They scrutinised information on pupils’ outcomes across the school, the school’s evaluation of its own performance and its improvement plan. Behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding were also scrutinised.

p.9

Inspection team

Gillian Burrow, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Julie Downing Ofsted Inspector Vanessa MacDonald 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.9

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.10

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.10

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.10

Inspection team

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

p.10

Inspection team

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

p.10

Inspection team

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

p.10