Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary’s CofE Primary School Spenbrook Road, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 9JP

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate Outcomes for pupils Require improvement Early years provision Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Safeguarding is ineffective because leaders and governors do not understand national requirements for keeping pupils safe. These weaknesses compromise the quality of school leadership, pupils’ welfare and the early years at the school.  Leaders and governors do not know that the school’s child protection policy is out of date or what changes are required. They have not spotted gaps in the information recorded by the school about the suitability of staff to work with pupils.  Governors do too little to challenge the school. Governors do not meet their legal responsibility to check arrangements made by leaders to filter and monitor pupils’ access to the internet.  Since the previous inspection, leaders and governors have not secured consistently good progress for pupils in key stage 1 mathematics and for the most able readers in key stage 2. The quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in geography is poor and checks by leaders have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

not spotted this problem.  Teaching requires improvement. Targets set for teachers are not challenging enough to drive standards to the highest possible level. In the early years and key stage 1 there are weaknesses in staff’s knowledge of mathematics and in how to stretch the learning of the most able pupils.  Leaders give too little attention to reviewing and improving the school’s provision for four- and five-year olds.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Due to the leadership of the new headteacher, pupils in key stages 1 and 2 have made better progress in their writing, reading and mathematics over the past year. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well.  The work of the school strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual and moral education. Pupils are given many opportunities to think and reflect about their own faith and how this shapes their daily lives. Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 2 of 12

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all necessary safeguarding arrangements are in place to keep pupils safe by: – making sure the single central record of checks on the suitability of staff is complete, maintained accurately and reviewed carefully by leaders – updating the school child protection policy to meet the requirements set out in the statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education 2016’ and by making sure that all staff and governors understand what has changed – developing the knowledge of school leaders and all governors so that they fully understand their safeguarding duties as outlined in ‘Keeping children safe in education 2016’ – establishing clear arrangements by which governors do all they reasonably can to limit pupils’ exposure to risks of inappropriate online material, including checking that the school has appropriate filters and monitoring in place.  Raise the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress across the school, including the early

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

years, by: – improving the sharpness of targets set for teachers, the criteria for success and the clarity of timescales so staff and leaders can be confident as to whether improvements are being achieved – ensuring that reviews of the early years include checks on the quality of teaching during lessons – improving teachers’ subject knowledge about teaching geographical concepts across key stage 1 and 2 and mathematics in key stage 1, so that they can be more ambitious about what they expect all pupils to understand and be able to do – ensuring that the most able pupils are set challenging activities in reading, geography and mathematics lessons which enable them to reach their full potential – setting out a clear overview of how the national curriculum programme of study for geography will be covered and how pupils’ skills will be developed as pupils progress through the school – making sure that reviews of teaching and pupils’ progress by leaders include

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

checking the quality of pupils’ work in geography.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers to its staff. Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 3 of 12

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leadership and management are inadequate because of weaknesses in safeguarding. The failure of leaders and governors to maintain an up-to-date knowledge of child protection indicates a weak, risky culture of safeguarding in the school.  The targets set for teachers are too broad and not sufficiently clear about timescales or how success will be checked and evaluated. This means that teachers are given too little clarity about improving their work.  The school curriculum does not meet the requirements of the national curriculum programme of study for geography, and pupils are making limited progress in this subject. Leaders have not spotted this weakness because they have not checked the quality of pupils’ work in geography across the school. Nonetheless, pupils experience a balanced range of extra-curricular activities, particularly in sport, that enhance their confidence and wider skills.  The headteacher has not given enough attention to evaluating the impact of teaching

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

in the early years. Hence she cannot explain how well these children are being taught or identify precisely what needs to improve.  The headteacher knows what successful teaching looks like; she evaluates what she observes in key stage 1 and 2 lessons with accuracy and identifies clear ways for teaching to improve. The helpful feedback she provides is beginning to support staff in improving their practice.  Across the school, staff have increasing access to training matched to their needs. Checks on the accuracy of assessment are now regular and used to inform ongoing priorities for the school.  Leaders make sure that the quality of marking in pupils’ books is consistent with school policy to acknowledge pupils’ successes as well as points for improvement.  The recent reorganisation of the key stage 2 class for the teaching of mathematics and English is enabling staff to adapt their teaching more readily to the needs of the pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

and has improved outcomes. As classroom space is limited in the school, leaders and governors are keeping classroom organisation under close review.  The spiritual and moral aspects of life feature successfully in the work of the school. Staff positively encourage pupils at school and home to show love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These nine attributes of life are promoted well through regular discussions, wall displays, assemblies and information about promoting pupils’ behaviour at home. While festivals from other cultures and religions are celebrated, evidence of such learning is limited in pupils’ books and in displays around the premises.  The school uses additional funding well. This includes effective use of the pupil premium, for which very few pupils in the school are eligible. The sport premium is used adequately to provide a wide range of additional activities during the school day

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

and after school. Pupils particularly appreciate these opportunities, saying that they enjoy learning many new skills. Under the leadership of the new headteacher funding has also been used carefully to give additional support to pupils who have special Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 4 of 12 educational needs as well as to boost the progress of those who need to catch up in their learning.  Pupils are encouraged to be sociable and to develop their understanding of right and wrong. Class discussions and assemblies teach them to respect others and show respect for diversity. This is helping to promote pupils’ understanding of British values.

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Governance of the school

 The effectiveness of governance at the school has declined since the previous inspection. The governing body did not spot that standards of education and staff morale in the school were declining over time. They do not understand the school’s arrangements for the performance management of teachers. Most significantly, governors do not fully understand their strategic responsibilities for safeguarding in the school.  Governors are beginning to ask leaders more questions about the curriculum, teaching and pupils’ outcomes. However, there is limited evidence of how they are strategically holding leaders to account for improvement. While acknowledging that they need to further improve their work, governors have yet to engage well with any external help, such as that on offer from the local authority, except in managing the performance of the headteacher.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are not effective.  Leaders and governors at Newchurch-St-Marys have failed to consider the new statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education 2016’ in sufficient depth. Leaders and governors do not know which aspects of their responsibilities have changed or increased, or what the implications of this are for their work. Governors have a limited and confused understanding of the previous and current requirements. These weaknesses indicate a weak and risky culture of safeguarding in the school.  Leaders and governors do not know that the school child protection policy is out of date or what changes would make sure it is updated to meet national requirements. They are relying too much on the arrival of a new model policy from the local authority to adopt in place of the old, but are unclear when this will be received and what changes it will contain.

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Safeguarding

 In not understanding their safeguarding responsibilities governors are not well placed to hold leaders to account for the safety of pupils throughout the school. For example, while school leaders have made sure that pupils’ access to online content is appropriately monitored and filtered, governors fail to meet their legal duty to check these arrangements.  While an audit of safeguarding practice was completed recently by leaders and governors, this failed to spot administrative errors in the single central record of checks on the suitability of staff. While by themselves the errors are small and do not put pupils at risk, it emerged during the inspection that there are different versions of the central record on file, with different omissions. The headteacher is unsure which version of the records is current. The lack of thoroughness by those responsible for safeguarding in the school is a concern. The combined impact of these weaknesses

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Safeguarding

compromises the safety of pupils at the school.  Information for parents about safeguarding is promoted appropriately by the school. Where staff have concerns about the safety of pupils or adults they know how to Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 5 of 12 respond and they engage appropriately with other agencies. They have adequate access to training about safeguarding. While staff and governors are aware of their duty to prevent pupils from being exposed to extremist views, governors do not fully understand the relevance of this safeguarding issue to this school as much as to any other school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in the school has declined since the previous inspection and the quality is variable. There are significant weaknesses in the quality of teaching in geography in both key stages 1 and 2. Pupils’ work in geography is of poor quality, undemanding and not developing their geographical skills and knowledge sufficiently. Staff and leaders are not planning adequately how the teaching of pupils in key stages 1 and 2 will cover the requirements of the geography national curriculum programme of study.  There are weaknesses in mathematics teaching that affect pupils in Years 1 and 2. These issues reflect gaps in teachers’ subject knowledge as well as their understanding of how to teach some subjects well.  Where teaching is weak, there is a mismatch between planned activities and the needs of pupils. Teachers underestimate the ability of pupils, including the most able pupils. Teachers’ questions are sometimes unfocused and poorly matched to the intended

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

learning for pupils. Such weaknesses lead to wasted time in lessons and some pupils becoming restless and disengaged. The resulting quality of pupils’ work is not good enough.  The headteacher is beginning to drive improvements to teaching. Information about pupils’ progress, scrutiny of pupils’ books and observations of lessons show that when teaching is most successful, teachers engage pupils’ interests with passion and enthusiasm. They provoke pupils to question, think and evaluate. They encourage pupils to support and learn from one another and they adapt their questions skilfully to the needs of the most able pupils as successfully as to the needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were dressed in fancy dress for a whole- school Roald Dahl Day. In their special literacy lesson they thoroughly enjoyed the challenges from the teacher to identify how the names of different Dahl characters

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

reflect that person’s character. The teacher acknowledged pupils’ contributions and both she and the teaching assistant stretched pupils’ learning well by their thoughtful use of questions. When asked to consider a range of language in some Roald Dahl texts, the most able pupils responded with skill and enthusiasm to the opportunity to spot metaphors, similes and adverbs.  Reading and phonics are generally taught well across the school. The school has improved resources for key stage 1 pupils so they can access a range of challenging texts with which to practise and refine their skills with staff support. New reading resources to challenge pupils’ understanding in key stage 2 are just being introduced but it is too soon to see the benefits, particularly in terms of stretching the abilities of the most able pupils.  From identifying large deficiencies in the school’s approach to tracking and assessing

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 6 of 12 pupils’ progress 12 months ago, the new headteacher has overhauled school systems and made sure that staff know how and what to record across English, mathematics and science. This has raised levels of staff confidence and enhanced staff’s ability to identify the progress being made by pupils in their learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate. This is because arrangements for keeping pupils safe are not effective. The lack of thoroughness in the work of leaders and governors to fulfil their obligations for safeguarding undermines the success of the school’s wider work in promoting pupils’ development and welfare.  Pupils are increasingly being taught how to put their feelings into words and have opportunities to reflect on their differences from others through school activities. The headteacher has challenged staff to identify and respond much more carefully to the barriers that individual pupils may be facing in their lives.  Pupils are taught to take an interest in their environment. Their participation in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in January 2016 gave them exciting opportunities to spot different bird species as well as contribute to a national survey involving more than half

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Personal development and welfare

a million contributors.  The whole pupil group are gaining a good insight into democracy when they are involved in elections for roles on the school council. Those who are elected gain extra insight through their regular contributions to school priorities. They, and other pupils, feel listened to.  During the past year, the headteacher has introduced exciting residential trips to the school for the first time. Pupils, such as those in Years 5 and 6, have developed much better skills of cooperation, confidence and teamwork through abseiling, canoeing, travelling on a zip wire and, according to pupils, through the night-time excitement of staying in a dormitory!  Pupils respect one another and say that bullying is not an issue in the school. They understand how the word ‘gay’ should not be used in a derogatory way. Relationships between pupils in corridors and the playground are good. In the past year they have

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Personal development and welfare

benefited from special events focusing on fire safety, anti-bullying, online safety and cycling skills.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils’ conduct around the school is happy, friendly and caring. They behave well at breaktimes and lunchtimes, playing together sensibly. Pupils listen and respond to adults’ instructions quickly.  On occasion, key stage 1 pupils become unsettled because they are not stimulated to learn by the activity provided and classroom management by staff is inconsistent.  Attendance is broadly average across different groups of pupils. Pupils arrive promptly at school each day and enter lessons on time. There is no persistent absence at the school.  The whole school community is pleased with improvements in pupils’ behaviour as the Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 7 of 12 result of initiatives introduced by the headteacher. In particular, pupils are pleased that they were fully involved in designing the new traffic light behaviour management

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Behaviour

system.  The school environment is well cared for and pupils respect their classrooms and play areas. Pupils willingly take turns at breaktime to gather the fruit waste for the compost and the drinks cartons for recycling.

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Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

 Over time, the school has not sustained the high levels of pupils’ achievement evident at the previous inspection. During recent years, not enough pupils have reached expected standards or exceeded expectations in mathematics in key stage 1, with some gaps emerging in the subject at key stage 2 in 2015. Inspection evidence indicates that mathematics teaching in key stage 1 remains a weakness.  The attainment and progress of current pupils in geography, as shown in their books, is poor in key stages 1 and 2.  In 2015, no pupil made more than expected progress in reading by the end of key stage 2 and not all of the most able readers progressed well. However, Year 1 pupils’ skills in reading familiar and unfamiliar words in the phonics screening check has stayed above average. The most able readers in Years 1 and 2 progressed well in 2016 because teachers make frequent use of new reading books to challenge pupils’ thinking

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Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

and understanding.  Pupils starting at the school show abilities broadly typical for their age. Pupils’ achievement in reading and mathematics by the time they leave school at the end of Year 6 has been broadly average over time. Pupils have made strong progress in their writing skills over recent years. In terms of their overall literacy and numeracy skills the school prepares pupils adequately for the next stage of schooling. New school systems of tracking pupils’ attainment and progress, as well as work in pupils’ books, show that different groups of pupils across the school, including the most able, are now making better progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities currently in the school are achieving well. This is because the headteacher revised systems of assessment, recording and support to meet this group of pupils’ needs this year. This resulted in a

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Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

sharper focus by teachers and teaching assistants on supporting the needs of pupils who do need such extra help in lessons.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 The quality of provision in the early years is inadequate because systems for safeguarding that affect the whole school are inadequate. This weakness undermines the safety and welfare of children within the early years as much as for older pupils.  The small number of children in the early years are placed within the key stage 1 class. The quality of activities for young children is variable and too often they lack challenge. Expectations of children are not always high enough. Staff have insufficient subject Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 8 of 12 knowledge to teach early mathematics well.  The school is not able to fully account for the picture of teaching over time in the early years because the headteacher has not made enough time to evaluate the impact of the quality of teaching for these children. Within the extensive early years

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Early years provision Inadequate

improvement plan compiled for 2016–17 it remains unclear when this will be addressed.  Information about children’s achievement in 2013 and 2014 shows that they made typical progress in their learning from their starting points. While progress was better in 2015 and 2016 and children were ready for Year 1, the school cannot be sure that more could not have been achieved, including for boys and the most able children. Over time, the strongest improvements have been made in children’s achievement in writing and reading. Leaders are making use of this information to review the impact of the early years at the school.  At the time of the inspection, early years children had been attending school for a very short period but they behaved well and related successfully to one another and to adults. Parents who shared their views commented that the school is good at communicating with them about their child’s needs and experiences and settling

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Early years provision Inadequate

children into new routines. Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 9 of 12

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-marys-newchurch.lancs.sch.uk/

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School details

Email address head@st-marys-newchurch.lancs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20–21 March 2013

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about pupil premium and the curriculum on its website.  The school is much smaller than the average primary school.  The headteacher, some teachers and teaching assistants are new to the school since the previous inspection. The headteacher took up post as acting headteacher in September 2015 and was then appointed to be the headteacher from September 2016.  The chair of governors is new since the previous inspection.  Very few pupils are eligible for the pupil premium.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 10 of 12  Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage.  Children in the early years are taught in a mixed-age class together with Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. Children in key stage 2 are taught together except for mathematics and

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Information about this school

English when they split into two smaller classes: one for Year 3 and 4 pupils and another for Year 5 and 6 pupils.  The government’s current floor standards do not apply to this very small school. Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 11 of 12

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Information about this inspection

 Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) observed teaching in each classroom, an assembly and outdoors. Almost all observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  On the first day of the inspection, pupils did not attend normal lessons. Staff and pupils were dressed in fancy dress costumes and pupils undertook a range of activities to celebrate Roald Dahl Day.  HMI looked at a sample of pupils’ work with the headteacher. He also heard some pupils read.  HMI spoke with parents on both days of the inspection. There were no parent responses available through the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View. HMI did consider parent responses to a recent school survey.  HMI spoke to pupils, including those on the school council, to gather their views of the school.  HMI considered a range of information including: reviews of how well the school is doing; plans for the future; documents about the care and protection of pupils and the

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Information about this inspection

school’s own reviews of the quality of teaching.  HMI met with three members of the governing body including the chair, a range of staff and a link adviser from Lancashire local authority.

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Inspection team

Tim Vaughan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report: Newchurch-in-Pendle St Mary's CofE Primary School, 13–14 September 2016 Page 12 of 12 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

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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