Peel Brow School

Peel Brow School Fir Street, Ramsbottom, Bury, Lancashire BL0 0BJ

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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

 After the previous inspection, school leaders responded resolutely in tackling the changes needed to secure rapid improvement.  Rigorous staff performance management targets and well-focused professional development have successfully raised the quality of teaching to good.  Governors audited their skills and undertook training. Consequently, they are well informed to challenge and support school leaders.  Most parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire or free text expressed positive views of the school, and all agreed their children are happy there.  The early years provision gives children a secure and very enjoyable start to their learning.  Pupils become mature, polite individuals who behave well and show respect for others.  Records show that progress has accelerated over time, particularly in writing. All pupils currently in the school are achieving well. This includes pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities

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This is a good school

and those who are disadvantaged.  Good teaching enables pupils to progress well from their different starting points, and they leave the school well prepared for the next stage of education.  The curriculum captures and builds on pupils’ interests and is enriched well with activities such as the French Day.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well and ensures pupils acquire traditional British values and become responsible individuals.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Staff have yet to become fully skilled in implementing and using the relatively new procedures and systems to assess and check pupil progress and methods used to teach mathematics.  Some parents do not feel sufficiently well informed about changes and systems implemented by school leaders.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further raise the quality of teaching in order to build on and accelerate current improvements in pupils’ achievement by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

fully embedding all new teaching methods and strategies, particularly in the way mathematics is taught ensuring the new systems for tracking and checking pupils’ progress are fully understood by all members of staff so they make maximum use of the information when planning learning activities to challenge their pupils to do even better developing a collection of examples to show staff exactly what is expected at each age in mathematics and English when assessing their pupils’ progress.  Explore even more ways to communicate with and involve parents so they are always well informed about all aspects of their child’s education.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders, governors, middle leaders and staff acted decisively following the recommendations of the previous inspection. Well-focused plans and targets for improvement are regularly reviewed to make sure actions are proving effective.  All staff undergo rigorous, regular performance management and professional development. They know leaders will check that they act on the feedback they receive after lesson observations. Consequently, the quality of teaching is now consistently good. To make sure every pupil progresses well, staff are expected to share good practice and self-evaluate in order to constantly develop and refine their skills and knowledge. Leaders have identified the need to embed new methods for teaching mathematics so ‘challenge learning objectives’ are included in all lessons for pupils of all abilities to deepen their knowledge and understanding.  Middle leaders are making an increasingly useful contribution to school improvement by monitoring

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

teaching and learning in their subjects, providing role models for teaching skills and sharing their knowledge.  Children make a good, secure and happy start to learning in the early years due to good leadership.  The curriculum is broad, balanced and well planned. Suitable adaptions enable all pupils to progress well in all subjects and gain the numeracy and literacy skills they need in other subjects and for the future.  Clubs are popular, enrich learning and provide further experiences. They include visits out of school, for example to the Maritime Museum in Liverpool, and older pupils enjoyed the residential trip to Robinwood.  The provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities is led and managed well. These pupils progress at the same rate as their classmates.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively. Disadvantaged pupils progress faster than their classmates and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

other pupils nationally, and any remaining performance gaps are rapidly narrowing.  Sport premium funding has been used well to provide additional resources, professional coaching and extra activities, such as netball, yoga and tennis. These have increased pupil participation and given staff new skills, resulting in the school gaining a school games award. Parents are supportive at sports competitions and inter-school events.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Trusting and supportive relationships were seen throughout the school and pupils were observed working and mixing cooperatively in all situations. High priority is given to providing equal opportunities for every pupil to do well and access everything the school offers.  Pupils know the difference between right and wrong and acquire traditional values, such as fairness and duty, promoted well through taking on responsibilities in school as playground helpers or councillors.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Visits, for example to a mosque, prepare them well for future life in our multicultural society.  Most parents say they are kept well informed by newsletters, messaging, the school website and parents’ evenings. However, some parents feel there have been many changes and that leaders do not always take their views into account. Leaders assert that they and members of staff are always willing to meet with parents and there are often parent workshops to show how different subjects, such as phonics, are taught.  The local authority provides support for the school on an ‘as required’ basis. This has included staff training and checking that leaders’ judgements of teaching quality and writing assessments are accurate.  The governance of the school Governors have undergone training, reviewed their skills and reorganised their committee structure since the previous inspection. They have been resolute and unwavering in their drive to improve the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school and have not been afraid to make and stand by difficult decisions. Governors are kept up to date through reports on achievement and know exactly what the school does well and what could be better. Consequently, they challenge and say, ‘so what?’ to ascertain how effective leaders’ actions are proving to be. They are well informed about school, local and national data and compare the school’s performance with that of other schools and ask searching questions, for example about pupils’ writing skills. Governors check the use of pupil premium funding and are well aware that this is effective because disadvantaged pupils often outperform their classmates and progress more rapidly than other pupils nationally. Governors ensure salary increases are only given if staff enable their pupils to progress well. They make sure staff performance management includes further professional development to improve both

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

teaching and management skills. They ensure sports funding provides activities that develop pupils’ skills, enjoyment and participation and help staff learn new skills to pass on to their pupils. Governors make sure that the school teaches traditional values as well as developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and prepares them well for future life in modern British society.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders are resolute in following all safeguarding procedures, records are kept securely and confidentially and staff training is up to date.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The implementation of ‘non-negotiables’ sets out leaders’ high expectations for good classroom practice. Inspection evidence and school records demonstrate that, following rigorous monitoring and professional development, the quality of teaching is now good. Consequently, pupils are now progressing well and their attainment is rising.  Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the lessons they enjoy. These range across the curriculum from English, mathematics and science to ‘crime and punishment’ in history. The majority are keen to learn so they concentrate and apply themselves to their tasks, and say staff always help them if they struggle with anything. The positive relationships between pupils and with staff aid learning and progress. Good behaviour was seen in all lessons.  Classrooms are bright and well organised. Colourful learning areas, books and prompts, such as punctuation, vocabulary and times tables, help pupils become more independent while they work.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Displays give examples of what good-quality work looks like, especially in writing, so pupils aim high and know that staff expect them to constantly try to do better.  Staff have good knowledge of their subjects. Training has led to increasingly skilful questioning that prompts pupils to think harder and explain their reasons.  Leaders have rightly focused on improving mathematics teaching in order to raise attainment. Mathematics lesson are well structured and feature additional ‘challenge learning objectives’ for pupils of all abilities. During ‘French Day’, Year 2 pupils had to think hard in two stages to work out how to translate and use number bonds. Year 6 pupils say the timed game at the start of a lesson ‘warms up our brains’, ready for some very challenging tasks converting units of length, mass and capacity. Strategies are proving effective in improving outcomes, but are relatively new and not fully embedded

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching assistants provide good support for learning. They contribute well to pupil progress, especially for those who find it hard to learn in a whole class, and offer sensitive support to pupils who are vulnerable.  New systems have been introduced to track and monitor progress. They provide staff with accurate information about how well pupils are doing so they plan work closely matched and challenging for all different abilities and target extra help where needed. Staff are still becoming familiar with these systems. There are occasional differences between judgements because there are no examples of work to show what is expected at each different level.  Scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks shows the school marking policy is used consistently. Pupils say their work is marked and that teachers tell them how well they are progressing. ‘Reflect and review’ time is built into each day so pupils can act on teachers’ comments.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Parents feel their children are well looked after and several commented on the calm environment. Pupils are polite and helpful around school, are caring towards others and keen to help. They enjoy responsibilities and older pupils are happy to be play leaders at lunchtimes.  Pupils are well aware of the difference between right and wrong; they know they are responsible for their actions and that actions have consequences.  All parents agree their children are kept safe in school. Pupils say they feel safe because ‘there are always people around to help’. Supportive, caring relationships between pupils and staff were observed, and pupils are confident staff sort out any problems.  Pupils say there is no problem with bullying because staff deal with any worries they may have. They know bullying could happen in many ways, such as repeated name calling, physically or by text, and said

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Personal development and welfare

the Anti-Bullying Day had been useful. The majority of parents agree that any bullying is dealt with well.  Pupils and families who may be vulnerable receive sensitive extra support from staff and external agencies so pupils can participate fully and progress as well as their classmates.  The breakfast and after-school clubs are safe settings for those who attend, giving them a secure start to the school day and support for parents involved in work or training.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils say behaviour is ‘mostly good’ and the very large majority of their parents agree. School records and inspection evidence confirm this.  Since the time of the previous inspection, behaviour in lessons has improved and is now good because staff make sure activities are interesting and motivate pupils to learn well.  Behaviour is managed well. It is based on a code of conduct that pupils understand using symbols based on weather. They agree the rewards and rules are fair and say a raindrop is a warning and rain is ‘really bad’. There is no record of discrimination or racism, and exclusion is seldom used.  Attendance is average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has reduced over time and is below the national average. Regular attendance contributes strongly to pupils’ good progress. Absences are followed up on the first day and requests for term-time holidays are refused.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Year groups vary greatly in size. Most pupils enter the school with skills just below those usually found at their age and there is often a wide spread of ability.  School leaders’ determined actions have raised staff expectations of what pupils can achieve and they know they are accountable for their progress. As a result, attainment has risen, progress has accelerated and pupils leave the school with the skills they need for the next stage of education.  The work in pupils’ books, current school assessment information and inspection evidence confirm that, from their various starting points, all pupils make the progress expected of them and a significant proportion exceed this. This includes those who have special needs or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged.  Pupils progress well in key stage 1. In 2015, attainment at the end of Year 2 was similar to the national average in reading and writing. Attainment was below the national average in mathematics so leaders

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Outcomes for pupils are good

made it a priority to improve the teaching of mathematics. Those currently in Year 2 are on track to at least match previous outcomes in all subjects.  There remains some legacy of weaker teaching that slowed progress for older pupils. Rigorous actions by school leaders mean that their progress has accelerated and they are now making good progress, shown by the work in their books.  In 2015, despite unavoidable staffing disruption, the attainment of pupils in Year 6 matched national averages at the expected level in reading, mathematics and writing. English grammar, punctuation and spelling were just below this. Attainment was above the national average in writing at the higher level. The proportion of pupils making and exceeding the expected progress was close to national figures in reading, writing and mathematics. School assessments show that pupils currently in Year 6 are on course to exceed previous years and again do particularly well in writing.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Staff training and new methods mean that mathematics is now taught well so pupils acquire and use basic number facts in all mathematical concepts. Year 4 pupils rose to the challenge of selecting from different ways to multiply three numbers, such as the grid method. The most able pupils tackled some very challenging higher-level work on area and perimeter, showing perseverance and resilience. Pupils use mathematics in other subjects, such as presenting science results in graphs.  Writing is taught well. Pupils write freely and confidently and say they enjoy writing, and one said, ‘I particularly like writing short stories’. By Year 6, pupils respond to teachers’ marking in greater detail and often ‘self-assess’ and know what they must do to improve their writing. External moderation has confirmed the accuracy of the school’s assessment of writing.  In 2015, the proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check was above

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Outcomes for pupils are good

the national figure. Almost all who did not meet the standard in Year 1 reached it in Year 2. School analysis shows pupils currently in Year 1 will exceed previous years. Starting in the Nursery, early skills are taught consistently, with daily practice of linking letters and sounds (phonics). One of the Nursery children was able to add ‘er’ to ‘old’ to make ‘older’and, without prompting, underlined the ‘er’ to show it was a blend of letters. Children know how to ‘sound out’ new words. Year 6 pupils have the skills they need for future learning. They read with good expression, comprehension and obvious enjoyment, and one said, ‘reading helps us find new words to use in our writing’.  There are extra challenges in lessons for the most able pupils to extend their ability to think and reason. ‘Big maths’ for younger pupils extends their knowledge and some have extra mathematics lessons during lunchtime. Older talented mathematicians took part in a mathematics tournament at the high school, and

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Outcomes for pupils are good

those with strong technology skills act as ‘digital leaders’ across the school. The most able writers have received additional teaching to further boost their skills.  Pupil premium funding is used well, providing extra support and curriculum enrichment, such as trips. As a result, disadvantaged pupils progress more rapidly than their classmates and other pupils nationally. Any remaining attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates are rapidly closing. In 2015 they outperformed their classmates in all subjects.  Pupils with special educational needs or disabilities progress at a similar rate to their classmates because they are well provided for. Staff are well trained in providing support and assessing their needs, and considerate arrangements are in place to ensure these pupils transfer smoothly and confidently to the next stage of their education.

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Early years provision is good

 Children join Nursery with skills just below those typical for their age, especially in personal and social development. All groups of children, including those who are disadvantaged, make good progress in their academic and social development.  The majority reach a good level of development by the end of Reception class. This is above the national average and has risen year on year. Children are ready for further learning in Year 1 and good transition arrangements ensure their learning continues smoothly in the next class.  Trusting relationships between adults and children, together with good-quality care and welfare arrangements, ensure that children feel secure and are kept safe. Good role modelling by adults helps children be polite and have good manners. They are keen to help each other, saying, ‘I’ll get you a pen’ and sharing equipment.  Good-quality teaching stimulates children’s interest, enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning new things in

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Early years provision is good

a purposeful, well-organised environment. A game of pass the parcel during a letters and sounds lesson really captured children’s excitement so they looked eagerly for a letter during their turn. During the French Day, children exclaimed ‘ooh la la’ when they got a sound right.  Early mathematics is taught well. Children enjoyed using grapes and cucumber slices as counters in a practical mathematics activity on symmetry. They have plenty of opportunities to practise early reading and writing skills, and use their knowledge of letter sounds to spell out words, for example in a writing activity outside in the garden.  The outdoor area is spacious, safe and used daily in all weathers. However, it is underdeveloped and lacks equipment to fully extend the range of learning experiences.  Staff have high expectations for all children, including the most able and those who are disadvantaged, and plan activities that ‘stretch’ them. Accurate and constant checks on how well children are learning

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Early years provision is good

enable staff to identify any gaps. These gaps, or ‘hot spots’, are given extra input to improve outcomes for each child.  Leadership of the early years is strong, knowledgeable and effective. Parents expressed very positive views of the early years and staff work hard to help them promote learning at home. For example, there are workshops and ‘stay and play’ sessions. The action plan for further improving the setting is ambitious and accurately focuses on priorities, such as development of the outdoor area.

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School details

Unique reference number 105368 Local authority Bury Inspection number 10012158 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 Foundation Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steven Berrisford Headteacher Danny Mellor Telephone number 01706 823 204 Website peelbrowschool.co.uk Email address peelbrow@bury.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 May 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in separate year groups every morning and pupils in Year 4 and Year 5 are taught together in the afternoons.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and English is their first language.  The school met the government’s floor standards in 2015. These are minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above the national average and has risen over time. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support those 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 disabilities is below the national average, but an above-average proportion have a statement of special needs or an education, health and care

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Information about this school

plan.  The school provides breakfast and after-school clubs each day.  There have been a number of staff changes since the time of the previous inspection and the deputy headteacher took up post in September 2015.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed lessons in all classes. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher and one with the deputy headteacher. The team also visited small-group sessions.  Inspectors talked with some parents and held meetings with pupils, staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The team examined arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching, current achievement data and the systems used to check pupils’ progress.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ workbooks, listened to readers from Year 1, 2 and 6 and observed pupils outside and at lunchtime.  The procedures for safeguarding pupils were inspected.  Inspectors considered the 53 responses in the Ofsted Parent View online questionnaire, comments on free text, the school’s own survey of parent views and responses in the staff questionnaire.  All classes were involved in French-themed lessons throughout day 2 of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Kathleen McArthur, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Schelene Ferris 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

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

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