Boothstown Methodist Primary School

6 Chapel Street, Boothstown, Worsley, M28 1DG Inspection dates 14-15 October 2015

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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 Good

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This is a good school

 The school provides a happy and motivating environment where pupils grow in confidence and develop enthusiasm for learning.  Good leadership promotes a strong sense of teamwork among staff and supportive relationships between staff and pupils.  Leaders are successfully improving the school. Teaching is improving as a result of well-planned professional development.  Good teaching supports pupils who are currently in school to make good progress across a range of subjects. Pupils usually achieve above average standards in national tests and assessments.  Teachers’ high expectations for self-reliance help pupils develop mature personal skills that prepare them well for the next stage of their education.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted extremely well.  Pupils make a significant contribution to the positive ethos of the school. They reflect the school’s values in their good behaviour,

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This is a good school

demonstrating respect for each other.  Pupils feel safe and secure. They understand about bullying and feel it does not happen in school.  The early years provision is good. Children make good progress from their varied starting points. Provision in the Reception class and the promotion of children’s language and communication skills are particularly strong.  Governors have a clear vision for the school and are committed to ‘providing more outstanding experiences for children’. They provide good support and challenge to leaders.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not make outstanding progress. Progress at Key Stage 1 is not as rapid as it is at Key Stage 2.  Mathematics, information and communication technology (ICT) and spelling are not taught as successfully as other subjects. Handwriting is not given enough attention at Key Stage 1.  Adults do not always support children in Nursery to make the best possible gains in their learning when they choose activities for themselves.  Subject leaders are not driving improvements in their subjects as sharply as they could.  A very small minority of parents are of the opinion that communication with the school is not good enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that all pupils make the most rapid progress possible in all classes and all subjects, by:  making sure teaching builds on what pupils already know and can do at a rapid pace in each year group in mathematics, ICT and spelling  making sure all pupils in Years 1 and 2 are provided with activities with the right level of difficulty to move learning on rapidly and enable them to persevere with challenging tasks  improving pupils’ handwriting at Key Stage 1  making sure adults in the Nursery make the most of opportunities to guide and extend children’s learning when children are choosing activities for themselves.  Improve leadership further by:  ensuring that subject leaders analyse precisely what pupils do well or struggle with in each year group, check the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress and evaluate the quality of pupils’ work in order to drive improvements in their subject area more rigorously

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 improving communication with parents to make sure that parents fully understand school policies and feel their concerns are responded to fairly.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders have created an extremely positive culture for learning, based on twelve core values that staff and pupils respect and follow. Values such as ‘trust’ and ‘service’ guide teaching and behaviour. Pupils grow in confidence and staff work as team to ensure pupils achieve well.  Senior leaders have an accurate understanding of strengths and relative weaknesses based on their checks on teaching and on pupils’ work, alongside meetings to discuss pupils’ progress. Leaders work constructively with the local authority and schools in the local cluster to assure the accuracy of assessments and share good practice. School development planning is focused on the right strategic priorities.  Teachers’ performance is managed effectively. Teachers have targets that are appropriate to their responsibility areas and to raise pupils’ achievement. Professional development is planned well to improve teaching and learning. Staff are keen to develop their practice further.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The curriculum provides pupils with a broad education that is full of interesting and enriching experiences. Pupils enjoy learning in a range of subjects through topics and in the outdoors. Their experiences are enriched through trips and visitors to the school and additional activities such as gardening, choir, reading clubs, puzzle clubs and sports.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well in lessons and through the values that are at the heart of the school. Pupils understand the importance of qualities such as justice, compassion, truthfulness and perseverance, and such values are reflected in their good behaviour. They show respect for people from different backgrounds and with different faiths, built on an understanding of global events and the diversity of modern Britain.  Leaders and governors are committed to promoting equality of opportunity and ensure that discrimination

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

of any kind is not tolerated. The pupil premium is used to provide additional support and resources to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils so they make similarly good progress from their starting points as other pupils.  Subject leaders ensure suitable coverage of the national curriculum and have planned interesting topics to motivate and engage pupils. However, they have not analysed the precise strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ progress in sufficient depth to identify exactly what needs to be done to raise achievement further in each year group. For example, they have not analysed strengths and weaknesses in teaching different aspects of mathematics or the precise gaps in pupils’ knowledge of spelling. Consequently, subject improvement plans are not clear enough about how to improve these aspects.  Additional sports funding is used appropriately to extend the breadth of activities provided in physical

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

education (PE) lessons. It has been used very successfully, to enhance the outdoor areas and motivate pupils to keep fit during break times. Some parents would like to see more opportunities for pupils to take part in competitive games and leaders are seeking to address this by participating in a ‘sports cluster’.  Safeguarding is effective and all statutory requirements are met. Staff have received training and are aware of procedures to follow should they need to raise concerns. Work with external agencies is well established and supports vulnerable pupils effectively.  The vast majority of parents who responded to Parent View or spoke with inspectors are very pleased with the quality of education and care provided by the school. They feel that their children are safe, happy and achieving well. A very small minority are dissatisfied with the way their concerns are dealt with. Their concerns are mostly about ‘fair treatment’ in behaviour management and feeling informed

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

about the progress their children make.  The local authority provides an appropriate level of support. Advisers have reviewed provision in the early years and are working with school leaders to ensure pupils make the best possible progress in all classes.  The governance of the school: Governors have a clear vision for the school. They challenge and support leaders effectively to make sure pupils receive a rounded education and develop the personal skills that prepare them well for the next stage of their education. Governors have a good understanding of national assessment data and of the performance of pupils currently at school. They are aware of the relative strengths and weaknesses in teaching and are challenging leaders to improve performance in mathematics, spelling and ICT. Governors manage finances effectively. They monitor the impact of additional funding, such as pupil premium, to make sure it is spent appropriately and makes a difference to the achievement of pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

They ensure that teachers are rewarded appropriately, and only progress along the salary scale when performance merits it.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is securing good progress for pupils who are currently at school. Pupils enjoy learning; they say that lessons are fun and varied. Classes are well resourced and pupils have lots of opportunities for practical and outdoor learning, which enhance their written and investigative work.  Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive and supportive. Teachers give pupils the confidence to try things out and contribute their views. Pupils become increasingly self-reliant and self- motivated because working routines and expectations are well established. These skills prepare pupils well for the next stage of their education.  Teachers ensure pupils benefit from a broad and interesting curriculum that develops a range of skills. In a music lesson in Year 5 for example, pupils performed their own, excellent musical compositions with aplomb, because skilled teaching enabled them to build on their musical knowledge and skills confidently.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Questioning is used effectively by teachers to probe and extend pupils’ understanding. In Year 6, for example, pupils reflected on their perceptions as they examined different historical sources from the Second World War.  Teachers assess pupils’ learning effectively. They tune into pupils’ needs well in lessons and provide additional help to make sure pupils fully understand new learning. Good quality marking helps pupils to correct errors or extends their learning by providing further challenge.  Pupils are taught to check their work against ‘success criteria’, which helps them to make improvements. For example, in Year 2 pupils were able to correct errors in their descriptive writing and in Year 4 pupils improved their creative writing and use of imagery successfully.  Teaching assistants are deployed well to enable pupils to gain from intensive instruction in small groups. They make a good contribution to the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) and different

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

ability groups benefit from support at various times. Parents are particularly pleased with the support for pupils who need extra help with their learning and personal development.  Teaching at Key Stage 1 builds on pupils’ learning effectively over time, but there are occasions when activities do not have exactly the right level of challenge to move learning on as rapidly, or enable pupils to persevere with challenging tasks.  Reading skills are taught very effectively, so pupils develop a love of reading and capably research and read for information. They learn to write competently in a range of styles and for different purposes and have a wonderfully rich vocabulary. However, handwriting is not given enough attention at Key Stage 1, so pupils do not learn a fluent style until they are in Key Stage 2. Spelling is not taught systematically enough across the whole school to enable pupils to spell words with complex patterns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Mathematical knowledge has not been secured sufficiently well in the past meaning that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge as they move through the school. While teaching in mathematics is securely improving as a result of training and checking pupils’ progress carefully, it is not yet at the same high standard as teaching in reading and writing.  Teaching in information, communication and technology (ICT) does not extend the learning of some pupils who are already very adept at using technology.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils make a significant contribution to the school through their positive behaviour and by upholding the school’s core values. Older pupils are keen to take on responsibility, for example in raising funds, by being playground or reading buddies, answering the telephone and welcoming visitors.  Pupils are well mannered and considerate when working or playing in classrooms, the dining hall and outdoor spaces. They play and socialise happily during break times, making the most of the many interesting activities provided. For example, they keep fit in the outdoor gym and tyre park or enjoy reading, chatting or taking time for reflection in the quiet areas.  Pupils on the school council make sure they represent all pupils by regularly seeking their views. They are rightly proud of the improvements they have led, for example in the development of outdoor areas.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. Pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 show a thirst for learning and relish

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Behaviour

opportunities to persevere with challenging work. However, younger pupils can stray off task when working collaboratively or on longer activities, especially if the activities are not challenging enough.

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Personal Development and Welfare

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils speak highly of their school, saying it is a happy and safe place, ‘like a big family’. They feel well cared for and confident that staff will help them if they have any concerns.  Pupils have a mature understanding of different types of bullying and say it does not happen in school. They understand that using derogatory language is not acceptable and say that, ‘calling people gay, or making fun of the way they look’ does not happen in school.  There are rare occasions when a few pupils do not behave according to the behaviour code. Such incidents are recorded in detail and dealt with appropriately to make sure unacceptable behaviour does not recur.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They understand the importance of looking after their health and know how to keep safe when they are on line.  The vast majority of parents endorse the views of the pupils and feel their children are safe. Those who

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Personal Development and Welfare

spoke with inspectors were full of praise for the school saying, for example, ‘children love the school; they feel protected, encouraged to learn and enjoy the whole learning experience’. A very small minority of parents feel behaviour is not always managed ‘fairly’ and express concerns about incidents they perceive as bullying. Pupils did not express any concerns of this nature and there was no evidence from them that pupils felt unfairly treated.  Pupils’ enthusiasm for school is reflected in their good attendance. An education welfare officer, employed by the school, follows up absences very quickly. There have been no permanent exclusions. Fixed term exclusions are rare and very well documented.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils make good progress from their starting points in a broad range of subjects and develop effective skills to drive their own learning. Pupils currently at school are working at least at age related expectations in each year group; many pupils are working above typical standards at Key Stage 2.  There is still some variability in rates of progress however, which prevents some pupils from making consistently outstanding progress or reaching the very highest standards that they are capable of. Progress is not as rapid in Years 1 and 2 as it is in Years 3 to 6. Pupils make faster progress in reading and writing than they do in mathematics across the whole school.  Past data show that pupils’ attainment in national tests at Year 2 and Year 6 has been above or significantly above average for several years, up to 2014. The school’s data show that standards attained in 2015 were not as high as in previous years. There were many more pupils with disabilities or special

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Outcomes for pupils are good

educational needs than is usual, and although these pupils made good progress in reading and writing, they did not make good enough progress in mathematics.  Leaders have taken action to ensure pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs receive effective support if they start to fall behind. They now make the same good progress as other pupils.  Those pupils who speak English as an additional language are supported well to develop their English language skills early on. Consequently they make the same good progress as other pupils.  The most able pupils make good progress overall to achieve high standards by the end of Year 6. However, they are not always provided with activities that are highly challenging in Years 1 and 2 to enable them to reach the highest standard they are capable of by the end of Year 2.  There are too few disadvantaged pupils to make meaningful comparisons with national averages about

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Outcomes for pupils are good

their attainment. They make good progress and achieve as well as other pupils in school from their various starting points. Gaps in the achievement between disadvantaged pupils and others in school are narrowing as a whole although this varies between year groups.  Pupils develop exceptionally good reading skills and a real love of reading. Younger pupils are eager to read and work out unfamiliar words confidently; older pupils read with expression and understanding. Pupils’ writing shows imagination and flair. They have a wide vocabulary and understand the most important features of different types of writing in a range of subjects. Their spelling skills lag behind, however, and remains an area for improvement.  Pupils’ mathematical and ICT skills are not developed as well as other skills across all subjects. Consequently their progress is not as rapid in these subjects.

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Early years provision is good

 Children learn happily in a stimulating environment where they can investigate and explore. All areas of learning are promoted well indoors and in the outdoor classroom areas. Children love exploring in the garden area where they dig for treasure, make mud pies or tend to the bug hotel.  Children’s knowledge and skills when they start in the Nursery are varied and differ from year to year. Children who are now in the Reception class had knowledge and skills in line with or below those which are typical for their age. Children who have just started in the Nursery have knowledge and skills above those typically found, particularly in language and communication, providing them with a strong foundation for learning.  Children make good progress from their starting points. In 2014 the proportions of children who reached a good level of development and achieved at least expected stages in all areas of learning were above the

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Early years provision is good

national averages.  Good teaching engages and motivates children. Children’s knowledge and skills are assessed accurately and activities are planned with care to make sure they capture children’s interest and build on what they already know. Phonic skills are effectively taught to children in small groups and children love practising these skills when they read along to stories and write. They develop their language and mathematical skills through a range of interesting activities.  Adults question and prompt children effectively, helping them to gain in understanding and improve their language and thinking skills. Adults are particularly skilled at this in the Reception class, in both adult-led activities and those selected by children. There are times in Nursery, however, when adults miss opportunities to guide children’s learning when they choose activities for themselves.  Children’s behaviour is good. Children are active and inquisitive learners who cooperate and share

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Early years provision is good

together. They are well supervised in a safe environment and they understand how to keep themselves safe.  Leadership is effective in ensuring children are happy and safe and learning activities are stimulating so they make good progress. Children develop confidence and good social skills. Assessments are checked with schools in the local cluster and clearly identify the next steps in children’s learning.  Parents are pleased with the provision. They say staff are welcoming and children ‘can’t wait to get into school’. They know their children are safe and say they ‘just love their teachers and all the different activities’.

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School details

Unique reference number 105942 Local authority Salford Inspection number 461739

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 228 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kim Phythian Headteacher Karen Armfield Telephone number 0161 790 3263 Website www.boothstownmethodistschool.co.uk Email address boothstownmethodist.primaryschool@salford.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 15 February 2012

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school. Children in the early years are provided for in a full-time Nursery class and a Reception class. The Nursery class provides for children from outside the immediate vicinity of the school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average. (The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority).  The vast majority of pupils are white British. A very small proportion speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The school participates in a cluster network with other primary schools in the area.

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Information about this school

 A breakfast club and after-school care are provided on the site. These are not managed by the governing body and receive a separate inspection report which is published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed the school’s work and teaching in all classes. Observations in seven classes were conducted jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors carried out a full scrutiny of pupils’ work in their mathematics, writing, and topic books. The pupils’ books were selected randomly and represented a spread of ability from each class. English and mathematics subject leaders joined inspectors for the work scrutiny. Inspectors looked at children’s learning journals from the early years and listened to pupils read.  Inspectors talked to pupils and took account of their views about their learning, behaviour and safety.  Inspectors took account of parents’ responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). 41 of these responses had been completed since the start of the academic year 2015/2016 and there were 86 responses in total. Inspectors spoke with many parents at the school entrance at the start of the day

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Information about this inspection

and with several parents who requested a meeting.  Inspectors discussed the school’s work with all teaching staff, leaders, eight governors and a representative of the local authority. They took account of 16 questionnaires completed by staff.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation including that relating to safeguarding, assessment, information about pupils’ progress, the school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning.  The school was inspected in June 2015; however, the inspection that took place at that time was deemed to be incomplete. The inspection was completed in October 2015 using the section 5 reporting arrangements that were in place in June 2015.

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Inspection team

Jean Olsson-Law, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Christine Howard Kevin Johnson Yvonne Brown Ofsted Inspector Ofsted 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

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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