Cams Lane Primary School

Cams Lane Primary School Cams Lane, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 3SW

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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

 Senior leaders’ determination and skills drive improvement and promote learning. Committed governors and a dedicated staff share their senior leaders’ ambitions. Consequently, the quality of teaching and learning has rapidly improved since the last inspection.  Children in early years get a good start to their life in school. They make good progress and are well prepared for the key stage 1 curriculum.  Pupils achieve well in school, particularly in reading and mathematics, because of the quality of teaching they receive. They make good progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their next stage of education.  Governors know the school well because they receive high-quality information from senior leaders and frequently visit the school to check for themselves. They ask probing questions and hold leaders closely to account.  Teachers’ good subject knowledge and effective questioning ensure that pupils develop good levels

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This is a good school

of skill, particularly in mathematics and science.  Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school; consequently, their rate of attendance is above the national average.  Pupils’ conduct around the school is good. They are eager to participate in the learning activities provided for them.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Governors do not make the best use of middle leaders’ knowledge to inform their checking of the school’s performance.  Opportunities to enhance communications with parents, particularly those of early years children, are not fully developed.  Boys do not write as well as girls.  Some teachers do not make consistently good use of information about what pupils already know when they plan lessons.  Opportunities for pupils to enhance their confidence by undertaking roles of responsibility are not fully developed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so as to accelerate further pupils’ progress, especially for boys and in writing, by: – ensuring that teachers consistently use their ongoing assessment of pupils’ learning to carefully plan tasks that are appropriate to pupils’ abilities – continuing to promote the systematic teaching of writing skills, particularly for boys.  Improve leadership and management by: – ensuring governors make best use of the knowledge and expertise of middle leaders in the school to inform their evaluation of the school’s performance – continuing the development of communication with parents, particularly those of children in early years.  Enhance pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by: – providing further opportunities for pupils to develop their confidence in learning and by undertaking roles of responsibility and leadership within school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Senior leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses because of their frequent and rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning. The headteacher has rapidly developed the strength and effectiveness of the senior leadership team since taking up her post last year. Senior leaders, together with governors, have developed a vision for improvement that they share with staff. Senior leaders’ determination, commitment and motivation of staff has led to sustained improvement in the quality of teaching.  School improvement planning is clear and effective. It includes appropriate priorities and is based on leaders’ accurate evaluations and the contribution of staff, governors and the views of pupils shared through the school council. Governors regularly and effectively review the impact of actions taken by senior leaders and ensure that the brisk pace of improvement is maintained.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Appropriate and much-improved management of the pupil premium grant ensures that it is closely targeted to where it can have the best impact on pupils’ learning. Leaders’ close monitoring of outcomes ensures that they sharply evaluate its effectiveness. The appropriate use of part of the grant ensures that the most able disadvantaged pupils receive effective support and challenge to promote their learning.  Leaders’ good use of the additional sport funding improves teachers’ confidence and skills in teaching physical education and promotes pupils’ greater involvement in sport. Additional specialist coaches provide expert training for staff and pupils during lessons in key stage 2. An increased range of opportunities provided by the school’s membership of the local sports partnership promotes pupils’ wider experience of sport, including fencing, basketball and tennis. The school’s investment in resources

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

ensures that pupils have the appropriate equipment. This leads to high rates of participation; consequently, pupils, including those who have special educational needs or disability, adopt healthier lifestyles.  The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. It is further complemented by a wide variety of clubs that develop pupils’ sporting, artistic and academic interests, and many opportunities for pupils to experience the wider world of modern British society through a variety of educational visits and residential trips. Consequently, pupils are well equipped for their next stages of education.  The middle leadership of key stage 1, early years, English and mathematics is strong. These middle leaders are clear about their roles and fulfil their responsibilities. They use their detailed knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects to bring about improvements. A minority of middle leaders are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

recently qualified teachers who are new to the role of subject leader. They demonstrate the commitment and enthusiasm for the areas of responsibility but have more limited experience of analysis and leadership.  This is a school where pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is promoted well. Pupils who have special educational needs or disability participate in the full range of activities and life of the school. All pupils are treated with understanding and respect through the effective promotion of fundamental British values.  Leaders are beginning to forge effective links within the local community to enhance the learning opportunities for pupils, for example through links with the local church. Additional volunteers now work in school to hear pupils read, with the intention of accelerating their progress.  Leaders’ regular communication with parents, including online, ensures that parents are well informed

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

about the life of the school. Nearly all parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. A small minority of parents, however, would like more information about the progress and achievement of their children. Parents of children in early years have limited opportunities to contribute to the records of their children’s progress and learning. Leaders are taking appropriate actions to address this. They plan additional opportunities for parents to have secure access to up-to-date information about their children’s progress and easier ways to contribute to the school’s electronic records of achievement but this is in an early stage of development.  The governance of the school Governance of the school is good. Governors share leaders’ vision and commitment to improvement and frequently hold them to account through incisive questioning at meetings. Governors know their school well because they receive detailed information from senior leaders and check its validity

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

through frequent visits to school. Governors, particularly those with financial skills and experience, closely monitor the school’s budgets and spending, including the additional pupil premium funding and sports funding, to ensure they get best value from their resources. Governors are involved in the planning of school improvement priorities. They monitor the outcomes and impact of actions rigorously through frequent and regular meetings with the school’s senior leadership team and other less formal and less frequent meetings with some subject leaders. However, governors do not make the best use of the knowledge and expertise of middle leaders to inform their evaluations. Governors regularly evaluate their own performance, including their recent participation in a full review of governance. Governors take appropriate actions arising from their self-evaluation to address any identified gaps in their knowledge or practice. They attend appropriate training, including training

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

related to radicalisation and extremism. Governors have sharply defined roles and responsibilities because of the effective reconstitution of the governing body. Governors have a detailed knowledge of the school’s performance management policy, including its links to teachers’ pay, and ensure that it is implemented robustly.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. – The governing body ensures that the school meets statutory requirements for safeguarding, including the careful checking of the suitability of all adults who work in the school. – Checks relating to safeguarding are thorough and all records are kept meticulously. Any concerns regarding the safety or welfare of children are quickly and appropriately acted upon. Consequently, the school has a culture of safety where pupils’ welfare is paramount. – Leaders and teachers are vigilant in protecting pupils from the dangers posed by radicalisation and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

extremism because they have appropriate training.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers’ high expectations and secure subject knowledge have raised pupils’ expectations and achievement, particularly in reading and mathematics. Teachers ensure that, from a young age, pupils develop their confidence in mathematical investigations. For example, in a Year 1 class, pupils explored how they could fold tissue paper shapes to investigate simple fractions and then applied their newly acquired knowledge to explain how quarters and halves could combine to make a whole one  All teachers have a strong subject knowledge and teach writing systematically across the school. The effective use of visitors such as authors further promotes pupils’ interest in writing. As a result, nearly all groups make at least expected progress. Boys, however, do not make the same progress as girls in writing. Pupils write for a wide variety of purposes because of teachers’ effective use of links between different subjects. Teachers seize the opportunity to promote writing through competitions to good effect.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Some pupils’ poetry about emotions is soon to be published following their success in a recent writing competition.  Teachers’ effective promotion of reading ensures that pupils develop a love of books. Pupils enjoy their free access to the school library and regularly change their books. Pupils are well supported in developing their reading skills by staff and a number of volunteers from the community. Consequently, they become proficient readers who are confident in their use of expression.  Phonics, the sounds letters make, is taught well because of the expertise of the recently appointed senior leader in key stage 1. She ensures teachers and teaching assistants have appropriate training and secure subject knowledge. Staff use this effectively to teach phonics and consequently pupils make good progress.  Teachers’ effective use of questions encourages pupils to explain their answers. Their questioning probes

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and develops pupils’ understanding and knowledge. For example, in key stage 2, a teacher asked pupils to explain what it was they liked in the descriptive writing that they were marking. She then used the children’s answers to progress their learning by demonstrating their effective choice of vocabulary and writing styles.  Teachers regularly make good use of homework to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning using themes which link to work in class, for example undertaking a home study project on Canada or the making of Roman shields.  Teachers make good use of links between subjects to practise and develop core skills. Pupils develop their formal writing styles, for example through writing up science experiments that include the forming of hypotheses and drawing of conclusions.  A minority of teaching, however, does not take account of pupils’ abilities or assessments of their previous learning. Consequently, pupils sometimes do not understand the concepts being taught or what

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

is required of them because work set is too hard and, as a result, their progress slows.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy coming because they say teachers help them learn and lessons are fun. Parents share this viewpoint and nearly all are overwhelmingly supportive.  Pupils know how to stay safe and look after themselves because of the high-quality teaching they receive. They speak confidently about staying safe while online and how they would keep safe within and beyond their local community. Pupils’ knowledge has been enhanced by visits to the school from representatives of the NSPCC, local firefighters, drama workshops and ‘Crucial Crew’ days where older pupils experience a variety of different safety scenarios.  Pupils are well supported to become good citizens. They have a secure understanding of the rule of law and modern British institutions such as the monarchy. Pupils have a good understanding of democracy

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Personal development and welfare

because of visits from the local mayor and experience of democratically run school elections.  Pupils also have a good understanding of respect and tolerance for others. This is demonstrated in a number of interactive displays found around the school that feature pupils’ work and recorded explanations of the meanings of fundamental British values.  The school has good relationships with outside agencies and is proactive in referring any concerns that may place children at risk of harm and following up actions to ensure pupils remain safe.  Leaders rightly recognise the need to enhance further pupils’ personal development and provide opportunities for pupils to undertake roles of responsibility such as school councillors and eco warriors. Other opportunities for pupils such as play leaders are being developed but have not been fully embedded.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils’ conduct around the school is good. Pupils are polite and welcoming; they hold doors open for adults and eagerly engage in conversations to share what they have been learning.  Pupils have a secure understanding of bullying; they say it rarely happens. They are confident that adults will deal with any issues quickly and effectively. Most parents share this view, although a few parents indicated some dissatisfaction about how the school deals with bullying. However, inspectors found no evidence that the way the school deals with bullying is unsatisfactory.  Pupils enjoy school. Attendance figures are in line with or above the national averages for all groups including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs or disability.  Exclusion is used rarely by leaders and only as a last resort. A small number of exclusions have been carried out this year for wholly appropriate reasons and in line with the school’s behaviour policy.

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Behaviour

Leaders’ effective evaluation of the circumstances leading to exclusion means that pupils are well supported when they return to school and repeat incidents are rare.  Staff recognise the efforts of pupils and successfully encourage commitment to learning through the effective use of rewards. Golden stars of the week are identified weekly in assembly, house points are keenly collected and special merit awards are worn with pride on pupils’ uniforms.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. They are nearly always attentive and eager to participate in their learning. A small minority of individual pupils exhibit more mature attitudes to their learning, showing confidence. They self-assuredly lead debate and comment during lessons. For example, in a Year 5 English lesson, one pupil, in response to another pupil’s answer, started a mature discussion about the strengths and drawbacks of using similes. Some pupils, however, lack self-assurance to participate fully in

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Outcomes for pupils have improved since the last inspection and work in pupils’ books shows this improvement is being sustained and enhanced.  Pupils make good progress in their understanding of phonics because of the good teaching they receive. As a result, the proportion of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, who achieve the expected standards in the Year 1 screening check shows sustained improvement over time and is at least in line with national figures. The few pupils who do not achieve the required standards in Year 1 quickly catch up in Year 2.  In 2015, the proportion of pupils achieving the standards expected in reading, mathematics, grammar, punctuation and spelling was above the national average. In writing, the proportion achieving the expected standards was in line with national figures. The proportion of pupils achieving higher than expected levels of attainment was above the national average in reading, mathematics, grammar,

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Outcomes for pupils are good

punctuation and spelling but below the national average in writing.  In 2015, pupils from all groups made significantly better progress in test outcomes in mathematics than pupils made in 2014. Pupils made similar progress to that which is expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics across key stage 2.  Disadvantaged pupils form a very small minority in each cohort. They make similar progress to other pupils in school.  The work in pupils’ books shows improving outcomes, particularly in mathematics and writing, because of the better quality and more systematic teaching they receive. In a small number of cohorts, however, boys do not make as much progress as girls in writing. Approximately eight out of 10 pupils in all year groups currently achieve that which is expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics.  The most able pupils’ achievement is similar to that of the most able pupils nationally because the

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Outcomes for pupils are good

teaching they receive provides appropriate levels of challenge. The most able disadvantaged pupils receive appropriate support using a variety of strategies because of the effective use of the pupil premium grant. In 2015, all most-able pupils, including those who were disadvantaged, surpassed the levels expected for their age and made better progress than their peers nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Work in most-able pupils’ books shows that this achievement is being sustained.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make effective progress from their starting points because the support they receive is well managed by the school’s special educational needs coordinator.

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Early years provision is good

 The leadership of the school’s early years provision is good. Leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and plan appropriate improvements. Leaders ensure assessments are accurate by regularly checking them with other schools.  Children are well supported during their moves into and out of the early years. Teachers work closely with parents and providers around the time children enter the school. The leader of early years, a senior leader in the school, is also the Year 1 class teacher. She uses her in-depth knowledge of children effectively to ensure individual needs are met and children get a good start to their experience of the national curriculum and key stage 1.  Most children enter the early years with levels of development in line with those which are typical for their age and make good progress from their starting points. This is because of the quality of teaching and

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Early years provision is good

care they receive. In 2015, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development was above the national average. The low numbers of children in the cohort who are disadvantaged makes any comparison with school or national figures unreliable. Current assessments and children’s work show continued improvement in the progress they make. Children leave the early years well prepared for key stage 1.  Activities engage and stimulate children’s thinking and learning. Children on their way to work on an imaginary construction site were heard to be discussing plans about the structures they were about to build before they got there. Upon arrival, they set about the task with purpose and collaborated as a team to finish the project quickly.  The use of the outdoor area to support children’s learning is developing quickly because leaders are investing time and effort in this aspect of provision. Recent structural alterations to the building mean

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Early years provision is good

pupils now have free access to a safe outdoor learning area. Plans are in place to enhance this provision.  Children are polite and courteous. They are keen to learn. They play well together and effectively develop their inquisitiveness and social skills because of adults’ good use of questions.  Children are kept safe because well-trained and vigilant staff implement the school’s safeguarding policies with rigour and act quickly and appropriately to deal with any concerns.  Leaders ensure that welfare requirements are met.  Parents of early years children receive effective communication about the general life of the school, but communications that celebrate children’s experiences, and identify development and learning, are more limited. Consequently, there is less opportunity for parents to contribute to this aspect of children’s development. Leaders are aware of this and are taking appropriate actions to address the issue, through

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Early years provision is good

the development of notice boards and electronic communications.

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School details

Unique reference number 105305 Local authority Bury Inspection number 10012156

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 199 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jeremy Clarke Headteacher Marie Graves Telephone number 0161 724 8018 Website www.camslane.bury.sch.uk Email address camslane@bury.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 July 2014

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Information about this school

 Cams Lane Primary is a smaller-than-average primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is below average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above average.  The school meets the requirements for publishing information on its website.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed a range of lessons and looked at pupils’ work. They listened to pupils reading and talked with pupils about their lessons and school life.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, representatives of the governing body and the local authority’s school improvement adviser who works with the school.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised documentation relating to pupils’ progress and the management of the school, including the arrangements to ensure that pupils are kept safe.  The inspectors spoke with parents and staff and took account of the 29 responses to the online parent questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors took account of responses made by staff through the staff questionnaires. There were no responses to the online pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

John Nixon, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Stephen Rigby 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

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

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

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

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