Shevington Community Primary School

Shevington Community Primary School Miles Lane, Shevington, Wigan, Lancashire WN6 8EW

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is an outstanding school

 The very close working partnership across the federation has played a major part in the very rapid improvement seen in the school since the previous inspection.  Inspirational leadership by the executive headteacher, supported by a talented associate headteacher and a skilled senior leadership team, motivates all staff to give of their best for the benefit of the pupils.  Expectations are equally high in every area of the school’s work. Leaders at all levels have been highly successful in improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.  Teaching is outstanding and the new assessment systems are working extremely well. Pupils, from the least able to the most able, learn quickly, spurred on by an exceptionally well-planned curriculum that sparks their interest. Their achievement is outstanding.  Pupils show fluency in their writing and demonstrate high standards of handwriting and presentation. Nevertheless, some pupils still make

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This is an outstanding school

avoidable errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation because they do not think carefully enough before they start to write.  Children in the early years quickly develop skills that allow them to learn and play happily together, begin to read and write, and to understand number and the world around them.  Governors consistently challenge the school and hold senior leaders to account. They know the school inside out because they receive good quality information and they involve themselves in the life of the school.  Pupils clearly enjoy their work; they tackle learning with great enthusiasm and a sense of fun. Their behaviour is outstanding, as is their consideration for others and the pride they take in their work.  The vast majority of parents are very pleased with the school. A very small number feel the school does not deal well with bullying. The inspector found the school has robust procedures for doing

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This is an outstanding school

so. It has not had to use them for some time.  Pupils are adamant that there is no bullying, only some falling out with each other from time to time. The many pupils who spoke to the inspector were unanimous in saying that they feel safe in school, that ‘teachers keep us safe’, it is ‘easy to make friends’ and ‘everyone gets on well together’.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Teach pupils to think more carefully about their writing before they commit pen to paper, so that they make fewer avoidable errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Work with parents to ensure that they fully understand what bullying is, and how the school deals with bullying and any other form of unacceptable behaviour.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 The leadership of the school has been strengthened greatly since the previous inspection. It now consists of a senior leadership team that is responsible for a strategic view across the federation, and a senior management team, specific to each school, that is responsible for the day-to-day running of that school. The structure is working well. It has increased the level of accountability within the school and the pace of improvement overall.  Staff value highly the close working relationships across the federation. They speak very positively about how these relationships have improved teaching and learning, enabling them to share expertise, learn from each other and participate in some high-quality training.  Staff morale is extremely high. Every staff questionnaire returned showed that staff have very positive views of the school. Staff say ‘we smile now and the children laugh’, while pupils say ‘school is like being at home

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

but you learn’ and ‘teachers make learning fun’.  With clearly defined roles and responsibilities, all leaders carry out their duties to a high standard. As a result, all pupils are making rapid and sustained progress. The legacy of slower progress identified at the previous inspection has disappeared.  Procedures to check the quality of teaching and learning are highly effective. They involve senior and subject leaders, all of whom use their analysis and interpretation of information about pupils’ progress to tackle any new areas of concern. All such areas are followed up robustly, including at pupil progress meetings, where teachers are held to account for how well their pupils are doing.  Staff performance is managed very effectively and good-quality training is an important part of their professional development. Teachers have challenging targets that are linked to the priorities in the school’s

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

improvement plan, their role within the school and their pupils’ progress. Teachers’ pay increases are linked closely to their performance.  Leaders involve staff, pupils and parents in evaluating the school’s effectiveness, in determining its priorities and in deciding on the themes and topics pupils will study. They value each group’s views and use them to build a lively, stimulating, broad and rich curriculum. Pupils have many opportunities to use their literacy, numeracy and computing skills across all subjects, and develop skills progressively in each one.  A good range of well-attended extra-curricular clubs and activities covering sports and the arts further enrich pupils’ learning and personal development. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fully integrated within the curriculum, as is the teaching of British values.  British values are matched to the school’s core values and, each half term, a different value becomes a focus

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

for assemblies and personal development sessions. Consequently, pupils develop a secure understanding of what it means to be part of a modern, democratic, culturally diverse British society, and to recognise and avoid the dangers posed by extremism.  Leaders, including governors, have managed pupil premium funding carefully and effectively to respond to school-specific needs and enable disadvantaged pupils to catch up with, and sometimes overtake, their classmates.  The extra sports funding for primary schools has been used extremely well to increase staff expertise and to provide sports opportunities at breakfast, lunchtime and after school. There has been a marked increase in the number of pupils participating in sport. More pupils now take part in inter-school competitions, in which the school enjoys much success.  The school has very positive links with almost all parents, despite the small number of negative responses

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

received through questionnaires. Parents appreciate the good communication they have with the school. They value the ways in which the school gives all pupils an equal chance of success. They particularly praise how well staff support pupils who have special educational needs or disability, and pupils who need help with learning or behaviour for short periods of time to get them back on track.  The local authority has provided good support for the school since the previous inspection. It recognises, justifiably, both the improvements made and the rapid pace of that improvement.  The governance of the school The governing body of the federation is highly effective. It oversees the three schools in the federation; each school has a lead governor who is responsible for gathering information to share with the full governing body. Governors keep their skills up to date with regular training. Their roles are clearly defined and they have

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

an in-depth understanding of the quality of the school’s work. They are proud to serve the school, ambitious for its future development and set the highest expectations for themselves, staff and pupils. Governors are well informed. They have a detailed knowledge of all of the school’s work, including the attainment and progress of different groups of pupils. They use all of the information they gather very effectively to hold leaders and teachers to account for the quality of teaching and learning and their impact on pupils’ progress. The governing body supports the headteacher well in making decisions about increases to teachers’ pay related to their performance. It also makes sure that all finances are used effectively to secure better learning for the pupils, including the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and the primary schools sports funding.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School staff work closely with parents and others to ensure

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

there is high-quality care for all pupils. Pupils benefit from the culture of safety and security that is established in the school and they are confident that the school will continue to keep them safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Teachers have high expectations of what their pupils can achieve. The fast pace of learning and high levels of challenge mean that all pupils concentrate well and are fully involved in their learning. From the least able to the most able, and regardless of background, all pupils make excellent progress.  Lessons are lively and interesting. The high-quality teaching stems from good subject knowledge and effective questioning techniques. Teachers use these extremely well to structure learning and to adjust it to suit the pace at which pupils are progressing. All of this encourages pupils to think more deeply, find out more things for themselves and become successful learners.  There are high levels of trust and excellent relationships between pupils and their teachers. As a result, pupils display exemplary attitudes to learning, work hard and produce large amounts of good-quality work.  Well-established routines and excellent classroom management mean instructions are given almost

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

imperceptibly and pupils respond straight away. Teachers are skilled at keeping up momentum during a lesson. For example, they know just when to move from whole-class to group or individual work, or to allow a short time for pupils to talk to each other to clarify their thinking before they answer a question.  Teachers help pupils to understand how what they learn in one subject helps them in another. Pupils’ enthusiasm is infectious as they explain, for example, how they bring together literacy and mathematical skills alongside scientific, historical and geographical skills when planning a theme park or managing a chocolate factory. Reading, writing and mathematics then become real for them and they begin to understand how important these skills are in everyday life.  In all classes, teachers place a strong emphasis on learning to think and reason mathematically. This focus on learning, using and mastering important mathematical concepts contributes greatly to the improvements

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

seen in mathematics.  Pupils are taught to write well, including at length, with exemplary handwriting and presentation. The quality of writing has improved significantly since the previous inspection, although there are still examples of careless errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation, particularly in boys’ writing.  The teaching of reading and of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is equally effective. Reading skills are carefully developed through key stage 1, then deepened and extended through key stage 2. Teachers and teaching assistants set a good example in guided reading sessions by reading themselves, while keeping a good weather eye on how well pupils are reading and, when relevant, discussing texts.  The marking and feedback provided to pupils is of a consistently high standard. Teachers understand the new assessment systems and are using them well to record, track and improve pupils’ learning. Much has

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

been done to ensure the accuracy of teachers’ assessments within the new curriculum.  Pupils are closely involved in assessing their own and each other’s learning. They are given time to read and respond to marking comments, thus gaining good insight into how to improve their work. Parents, too, understand the school’s marking system. They feel it gives them a good understanding of how well their children are doing.  Teachers and teaching assistants work well together, under the guidance of the inclusion manager, to ensure that timely advice, guidance and support are given to pupils who have special educational needs or disability. The high-quality support these pupils receive ensures that they make excellent progress. The same high level of support for disadvantaged pupils means that they, too, make excellent progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils show respect and care for others. They thrive in what many parents described as a ‘happy family’ atmosphere and they readily help each other with their work or with personal problems. They are self- motivated and very eager to succeed and they work hard to reach their targets.  Pupils value the opinions of others and they know that their views are valued. They have many opportunities to play an active part in school life and are extremely proud to do so. For example, by being ‘eco councillors’ or ‘young governors’, they help to raise awareness of why it is important to care for the environment, or represent the views of others.  In an assembly led by young governors from Year 6, pupils demonstrated their understanding of democracy as they held a vote to determine what type of shed they should have in the playground to create a quiet,

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Personal development and welfare

weatherproof reading area. They also turned the tables on the staff as they asked some questions that only staff could answer, displaying a great sense of maturity as they did so.  Pupils are fully involved in their learning. They suggest the themes and topics they would like to study, and staff then bring them to life with, for example, exciting events such as visits or unexpected visitors, or letters arriving asking the pupils to do something related to the theme. Pupils are reflective learners who persevere with challenging tasks and become increasingly independent as they work.  The school cares deeply for its pupils. Using its sports funding, it runs sessions on health and well-being, especially related to healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. It also provides well for pupils’ emotional and mental well-being through the nurture group and through sessions such as the one where pupils in Years 5

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Personal development and welfare

and 6 were discussing how they felt about change, and especially moving to high school.  The breakfast and after-school clubs provide a good start and end to the day for the pupils who attend them. They are well attended and well run, with a range of exciting activities for pupils, indoors and outside. The breakfast club has helped to improve attendance and punctuality. Both are now good.  Pupils say they feel very safe in school. When asked to name some of the good things about the school, the first thing younger pupils said was that their teachers keep them safe. All pupils are aware of the different types of bullying they may encounter, including cyber bullying, and they know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and mobile phones.  Older pupils are adamant that they know of no bullying and that they have never experienced any. The school’s records confirm this as do the large majority of parents. Younger pupils thought there was some

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Personal development and welfare

bullying but, after talking it through with the older pupils, they concluded that it was usually a matter of a disagreement between two pupils. All pupils are extremely confident that any member of staff would help them with any concerns, including bullying.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Staff set very high standards for behaviour and pupils respond well. Behaviour is equally exemplary in lessons, in the playground, in the dining hall and as pupils move around the school.  Pupils are polite, courteous and friendly, holding doors open and engaging in sensible conversations with adults and with each other. They thoroughly enjoy the exciting learning environment in which they work and play. Many impressive displays in classrooms share information, celebrate pupils’ work or provide additional learning opportunities.  Pupils acknowledge that there is some falling out from time to time, usually among the same pupils, but over different things, and most often about things that have happened outside of school. They state unanimously that staff deal quickly and effectively with any unacceptable behaviour, and that it never disrupts learning.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Caution is needed when interpreting information about different groups of pupils because year groups are small, and the make-up of each is very different. Judgements about attainment and progress have been made using national assessment information, the school’s own detailed information and the quality of work in pupils’ books. All show clearly that pupils currently in the school are making consistently outstanding progress in English and mathematics, as well as in other subjects.  Standards overall have gone up considerably in Year 2 and Year 6 since the previous inspection. Pupils are exceedingly well prepared for secondary school by Year 6, in both their achievement and their knowledge of how to be successful learners.  The progress of the most able pupils across the school is as rapid as that of their classmates. This is because teachers provide activities that challenge all pupils and deepen their understanding.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Staff also ensure that pupils in danger of falling behind, including those who have special educational needs or disability, are well supported. They are quick to identify the different groups they teach and to adjust their learning so that they receive additional help or are challenged to achieve even higher standards.  Disadvantaged pupils also make excellent progress, sometimes outperforming their classmates. The complexity of some of these pupils’ needs means that their progress varies at times but staff do everything possible to ensure that they catch up quickly and achieve at least as well as other pupils.  Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure, for meaning and for research and show good comprehension skills. They read fluently and, by Year 6, widely. In discussion, one pupil said ‘Every time I’m bored, I read’, then talked about favourite books and how often they had read them.  Pupils write enthusiastically and with great imagination, in different styles and for different purposes, always

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

mindful of their readers. They learn to reason and think logically in mathematics and to use their mathematical skills well in different subjects. In Year 6, pupils bring all of these skills together really well as they work in role as planners, managers, clients and estimators and learn to work to a budget.  Boys did not do as well as girls in the grammar, spelling and punctuation tests last year. Boys currently in the school are doing much better. However, in their rush to record their thoughts, some pupils, mainly boys, still forget to use these skills in all of their writing.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 Shortly after the federation was formed, the governing body took over the running of the pre-school, incorporating it fully into the main school, changing the age range of the school to include two- and three- year-olds. Currently, the roll includes only a very small number of two-year-olds but they are catered for extremely well, as are all of the children in the early years.  The skills with which children start in the Nursery and the Reception year vary from year to year. There are small numbers of pupils in each year group. In the past two years, most children have started in the Nursery with underdeveloped reading, writing and number skills.  The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception year was above that found nationally in 2015 and much improved on the previous year. The school’s information shows that this improvement is set to continue. The expectations for the two age groups in the mixed

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Early years provision is outstanding

Reception and Year 1 class differ so that learning is pitched at the right level for each one.  All of the children are eager learners. They are very settled, confident, and comfortable with the well- established routines. They show good ability to stick at a task and maintain their concentration. Their learning is exceptionally well planned to ensure that early speaking and listening, reading, writing and number skills are included in everything they do.  There is a buzz of excitement and an obvious enjoyment of learning as children explore the many interesting activities prepared for them, indoors and out. For example, Nursery children have great fun dressing up, telling and retelling stories and counting different objects. They make good attempts at writing letters and numerals and some are already beginning to be able to write their own names.  Following a session involving finding rhyming words in rhyming couplets, children in the Reception year

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Early years provision is outstanding

showed off their new skill as they searched for words hidden outside and worked out whether they rhymed or not. They used their developing phonics skills well to read the words and, with great delight, proudly shared their findings with an adult.  Throughout the early years, children’s learning is assessed and tracked rigorously. The close working partnership between Nursery and Reception staff in school and across the federation ensures that assessments are accurate and the information is used to plan next steps in the children’s learning.  All staff have an acute awareness of the unique learning needs of each of the children, including the two- year-olds. They use this knowledge well to capitalise on every opportunity to check and further improve each child’s development. They are vigilant in all matters pertaining to children’s welfare, safety and well- being, and to safeguarding requirements. Judging by the confidence with which the children learn, they

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Early years provision is outstanding

clearly feel safe and secure. Their behaviour is excellent and they play and learn amicably with or alongside each other.  The school works extremely well with parents. It shares their children’s learning with them daily and encourages parents to do the same by telling them what the children achieve at home.  As in the rest of the school, leadership and management are excellent and high-quality teaching ensures that the children’s progress is outstanding. The work in the children’s books, examined alongside the information provided by the school, confirms all of this. All groups of children make equally rapid progress, enabling them to get off to a flying start in Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 106413 Local authority Wigan Inspection number 10012176

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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 Community Age range of pupils 2–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gerard Hunt Headteacher Gabriel Gray (Executive Headteacher) James Marsh (Associate Headteacher/Head of School) Telephone number 01257 252859 Website www.shevingtonprimary.wigan.sch.uk Email address enquiries@admin.shevingtonprimary.wigan.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15–16 May 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Virtually all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium (additional funding for disadvantaged pupils) is above average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Children in the Reception year are taught alongside Year 1 pupils, and pupils in Years 2 and 3 are taught together. Pupils in Years 4 to 6 are taught as separate year groups, although Years 5 and 6 come together for some lessons.  Last year, the governing body took over the privately run pre-school group that operated on the school premises. Catering for children aged two to three, the pre-school is now a full part of the early years

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Information about this school

provision in the school.  The school is federated with two other primary schools, Millbrook and Shevington Vale Primary Schools. It shares the same executive headteacher, leadership team and governing body. Within this setup, it has its own lead governor and head of school, known as the associate headteacher, who was appointed following the federation in September 2014.  The school offers nurture provision for pupils across the three schools. It also runs breakfast and after- school clubs and a twice-weekly sports breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in a range of sessions. Six visits were made jointly with the headteacher. She also analysed the work in the books of all groups of pupils currently in the school, as well as the school’s most recent information about pupils’ progress.  The inspector listened to pupils in Year 1 read and sampled reading in other year groups, as well as sessions where staff were teaching phonics.  Discussions were held with senior and middle leaders, six members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority, to gain their views of the school.  The inspector spoke with pupils, formally and informally. She also took account of the nine responses to the online questionnaire for pupils.  A range of documents relating to school improvement were examined, along with policies and procedures relating to teaching, safeguarding pupils, and provision for disadvantaged pupils and pupils

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Information about this inspection

who have special educational needs or disability.  The inspector took account of the views of the 13 parents who responded to the online Ofsted questionnaire for parents (Parent View). She also gained the views of a number of parents at first-hand as they collected their children from school.  The inspector spoke with staff and took account of the views of the 16 members of staff who completed Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Doris Bell, 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 .

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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

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,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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