Peel Hall Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.1

Mrs Gaynor Dunkley Headteacher Peel Hall Primary School Greencourt Drive Worsley Manchester M38 0BZ

p.1

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 November 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2012.

p.1

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. The school has expanded considerably; it has doubled in size over the last four years. There are many new staff, including several that are new to teaching.

p.1

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

You have high expectations. These are reflected in the very strong quality of teaching and behaviour management and the immaculate, engaging school environment. You provide swift support for any teachers whose practice falls below expectations and you have effectively challenged performance to ensure that the quality of teaching remains good.

p.1

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

At the previous inspection you were asked to continue to improve the quality of teaching and you have done so. Attendance has improved and persistent absence has reduced. However, attendance remains below the national average. It is better in the juniors when more children are able to come to school independently.

p.1

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Standards in key stage 1 are rising due to some very high-quality teaching and support for pupils with disabilities and/or special educational needs. Standards in writing were not quite as high as in reading and mathematics in 2016; you recognise this and are taking effective action to support those lower-attaining pupils who find writing difficult. In 2016, pupils made good progress from their starting points, as reflected in their key stage 2 test scores. There is very little difference between the achievement of the disadvantaged pupils and other pupils. This is because the school has used pupil premium funding to employ additional teachers to help pupils catch up. Current work in pupils’ books shows that disadvantaged pupils are making good progress in many subjects including religious education, science and English.

p.1

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Approximately 40 pupils have joined the school in the past year, many of whom speak English as an additional language or have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The majority of these pupils arrive into key stage 2. The leadership team often receives little information about these pupils’ needs or abilities. Consequently, published information about pupils’ progress sometimes masks complex challenges that they have had to overcome in order to achieve. Pupils receive a lot of support so that they can quickly settle into school life.

p.2

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Such a lot of changes have brought many new challenges for the leadership team; they admit these have been difficult but they have responded well. You have used resources creatively. For example, you have employed a speech and language therapist to help children whose speech is underdeveloped or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.2

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

I observed pupils behaving well in lessons and at social times. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics class, pupils were learning how to do multiplication. They were engrossed in their learning due to the stimulating resources and engaging presentation provided by the teacher. Pupils with disabilities and/or special educational needs were very well taught by a teaching assistant, who was extremely effective in helping pupils make good progress.

p.2

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Pupils I spoke to report that they feel safe in school and parents I spoke to on the schoolyard agreed. All the parents I spoke to felt that behaviour in school was good. However, a few parents reported through Parent View that they were unhappy with the way in which the school had dealt with some instances of bullying. A few felt that these were not dealt with quickly enough. Lunchtime supervisors told me that behaviour in the dining room is good and that pupils are polite and well mannered.

p.2

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Members of the governing body are highly committed to providing a ‘holistic’ education for all pupils. This is exemplified by the richness of the curriculum and the variety of well-attended clubs that take place after school. I observed pupils after school taking part in cross-country, netball and rehearsing for a singing competition. The quality of singing and dancing was fantastic and the enthusiasm of the teacher and pupils was intense.

p.2

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Senior leaders are held to account by members of the governing body. Governors are provided with regular, detailed updates about all aspects of school life and they rightly challenge where they feel that progress is not rapid enough, for example in attendance. However, minutes of meetings show that they do not always challenge enough about the achievement of different groups. The school website does not meet requirements as it does not include a copy of the school’s admissions policy. Safeguarding is effective.

p.2

Short inspection of Peel Hall Primary School

Staff training around child protection, the prevention of extremism and radicalisation is thorough and all staff I spoke to know what to do if they have concerns about a child. The single central record of the suitability of adults meets requirements. Many pupils require multi-agency support; this is well managed by a dedicated inclusion worker. Many parents are fulsome in their praise of support staff that work extremely effectively to include pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities; this is one of the reasons why attendance is improving.

p.3

Inspection findings

 Leaders and governors have improved the quality of teaching while successfully tackling a whole host of challenges relating to the school’s expansion. They are active participants in a network of local like-minded schools; they share good practice and support each other to check the accuracy of their assessments.  The school improvement plan correctly identifies where provision or outcomes are less strong and all staff know their part in bringing about improvements.  The majority of children enter the Nursery and Reception with abilities well below those typical for their age. There is strong leadership of early years and children are assessed rigorously on arrival. Teachers use this information well to begin the process of helping children catch up.  By the time they leave key stage 2, pupils make good progress in a range of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics. Scrutiny of books shows

p.3

Inspection findings

good progress in religious education, humanities and science. Teachers provide pupils with feedback that is simple and clear to help pupils improve.  I listened to Year 5 and 6 pupils read and looked at their reading records. Although a number of pupils do not read to family members at home, they all read frequently with an adult in school. Pupils read with fluency and confidence. They showed good comprehension of words and many said that they enjoyed reading.  I looked at a range of books from pupils who are the most able and some who are also disadvantaged. I saw very high standards of extended writing across the curriculum and evidence of good progress in mathematics.  I observed handwriting practice in Years 3 and 4. Pupils made good progress due to very clear guidance from the teacher. However, the most able children already had highly developed handwriting and could have used this time more productively.

p.3

Inspection findings

 The leadership and management of behaviour is a strength. Teachers manage some challenging behaviour extremely well. This is due to a clear and consistent approach. Any instances of poor behaviour are diligently logged and monitored. Appropriate sanctions are consistently applied in proportion to the severity of the misdemeanour. Records show a significant reduction in incidents of poor behaviour due to well-focused interventions.  The classroom environment sets the scene for high-quality learning. All classrooms are adorned with beautiful displays and examples of pupils’ work. Achievement is celebrated in art, science and across the curriculum throughout the building.  There are many ways to report bullying in school and many pupils and parents with whom I spoke felt that there was no bullying or that it is dealt with well. However, a few parents and pupils felt that bullying could be dealt with more

p.3

Inspection findings

quickly and effectively. Although the anti-bullying policy states clearly the different ways to report bullying, the process that pupils and parents should follow if bullying recurs is less clear.  Around two thirds of pupils achieve the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. However, due to high-quality support, almost all pupils achieve the expected standard in phonics before they reach key stage 2.  I observed Reception children making excellent progress in phonics due to highly effective teaching. The teacher skilfully captured the attention of all pupils and maintained a rapid pace of learning. She used actions to help the children grasp how to blend sounds together. They had fun and responded excellently to the teacher’s high expectations, good sense of humour, appropriate use of praise and gentle correction of mistakes.  I observed pupils having breakfast at the well-supervised before-school club.

p.4

Inspection findings

The system for registering pupils when they arrive at breakfast club is not tight enough.

p.4

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.4

Next steps for the school

 attendance continues to improve and persistent absence reduces  policies to prevent bullying are reviewed  members of the governing body challenge more rigorously about the achievement of different groups.  the school website meets requirements  the most able pupils are consistently well challenged, particularly in the lower juniors.

p.4

Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Salford. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.4

Information about the inspection

This inspection focused upon several issues including: the progress made by pupils in key stage 1; the effectiveness of the school’s approach to teaching phonics; pupils’ attendance; safeguarding; and the progress made by disadvantaged pupils. I also looked at how well leaders and governors had responded to the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. I met with you and the senior leadership team, a representative from the local authority and members of the governing body. I observed the before-school club, and teaching in all key stages. I spoke with staff and pupils at social times, listened to pupils read and scrutinised reading records and workbooks from a range of subjects. I analysed the single central record and records of child protection, and we looked at aspects of safeguarding together. I scrutinised the school website, school policies, self-evaluation documentation and school improvement planning. I spoke

p.4

Information about the inspection

with approximately 25 parents. I considered the 32 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including a number of free-text comments made by parents.

p.5