Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

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

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Mrs Samantha Oates Headteacher Fulwood and Cadley Primary School Cadley Causeway Fulwood Preston Lancashire PR2 3QT

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 22 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 September 2011.

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection, and has ensured that Fulwood and Cadley School continues to improve. You and the other members of the leadership team have very successfully established a culture in the school in which pupils’ academic progress and pastoral well-being are equally valued and developed. As a result, pupils feel happy and well cared for, are eager to learn and achieve well. Staff morale is high; they say that they feel proud to work at the school. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school, and every parent that I spoke to or who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, said that they would recommend the school to other parents.

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

The pupils act as articulate and engaging ambassadors for the school. They are polite and welcoming, and are eager to show off work of which they are especially proud when they talk about their favourite topics in school. In class, pupils are interested and motivated to learn. Their good behaviour continues around school and on the playground, where it is noticeable how well the older pupils support and play with the younger ones. The school’s successful ‘reading buddies’ system has further strengthened these bonds, with many older pupils pairing up with younger ones to help them to practise reading. Where a small number of pupils need additional support to help them to manage their own behaviour, the school has recognised this and has put very effective provision in place to help them. The areas for improvement that were identified at the last inspection have been tackled successfully. Leaders set about improving the quality and consistency of

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

teaching and learning across the school, and evidence shows that their work has had the desired impact. Staff are appreciative of the opportunities that they have had to develop their practice, through attending training sessions or meeting with teachers from other schools. Governors are confident that appointments to the staff team have further enhanced the overall quality of teaching and learning. The local authority recognises the good quality of teaching and leadership in the school. They regularly call on a number of the school’s teachers to lead training sessions and meetings to support other schools.

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

In the last inspection report, the quality of the outdoor provision for children in early years was seen as in need of further development. This is not now the case. Children in early years have access to a large and well-maintained outdoor area which provides them with ample opportunity to explore and experiment. Their play and learning are supported well by the early years staff, who encourage children to work together cooperatively and help them to develop their speaking and listening skills. As a result of this highly effective provision, which is mirrored by the quality of provision in the classrooms themselves, children in early years at Fulwood and Cadley get off to a flying start with their learning.

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

While much has been achieved since the last inspection, you and the rest of the leadership team are not complacent. There is a determination, shared by all of the staff, to press ahead and make the school the very best that it possibly can be. To this end, you make effective use of resources, including pupil premium funding, to ensure that the differences in progress between disadvantaged pupils and their peers nationally continue to narrow. You appreciate that outcomes for pupils, particularly in writing and for the most able pupils, are not yet outstanding. Currently, not enough pupils reach the highest levels of attainment in writing by the time they leave Year 6. This is because pupils make errors with some of the more basic writing skills, such as not using question marks and apostrophes accurately or not organising their writing in paragraphs. These errors detract from the overall quality of their writing, even though many pupils display a wide vocabulary and

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

apply more complex skills well. Teachers and pupils need to set their sights higher to ensure that the quality of writing is consistently as good as it can be.

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

Leaders have made sure that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of a high quality. Ensuring that pupils are safe and well cared for is central to the ethos and practice of Fulwood and Cadley School. Staff and governors receive regular training to ensure that they are able to recognise signs that a child may be in danger of harm, and have a good understanding of how to act if they are worried about a pupil’s well-being. Leaders are diligent in ensuring that concerns are followed up, and have established strong relationships with external agencies so that they can work together to secure the necessary help and support for pupils and their families. Thorough checks are made on staff, governors, volunteers and visitors to the school to ensure that they are suitable people to work with children. The overwhelming majority of parents say that they feel that their children are safe

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Short inspection of Fulwood and Cadley Primary School

and well looked after in school, and speak highly of the level of support that the school provides. One parent’s comment that ‘the nurture provision in particular is excellent’ was typical of the views of many parents, particularly those whose children had benefited directly from the additional support on offer. The pupils themselves agree with their parents’ views, and say that they feel safe in school. Pupils also have a good understanding of things that they can do to keep themselves safe, such as when using the internet, and are confident that staff would help them if they did have a problem.

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Inspection findings

 Leadership throughout the school is strong. Your skills and knowledge as a headteacher have been recognised by the local authority and are utilised by them in your part-time role as a school adviser. On days when you are not in school, other members of the senior leadership team seamlessly step up to ensure that the school continues to run smoothly. This arrangement also positively supports their leadership development. Consequently, there is very strong capacity in leadership to continue the school’s improvement journey.  Governors show a strong level of commitment to the school and provide leaders with an appropriate and effective blend of support and challenge. Leaders and governors have a very accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and share the same high levels of ambition for the school’s future.  The school’s ethos is underpinned by a set of core values, linked to key British

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Inspection findings

values such as democracy and respect for others. It is clear from pupils’ work on display, their conduct around school and discussions that I had with them, that pupils understand the importance of these values and try to live up to them. They have a strong sense of right and wrong, and are considerate of the needs of others. Consequently, the school is a happy and harmonious community.  The school very successfully engages with parents and carers. Parents are positive about the quality of communication between school and home, and know that if they have a concern that there will be someone in school who will help. Pastoral care is a strength of the school, both in terms of meeting pupils’ specific social and emotional needs and also in providing support for families.  Leaders have ensured that the pupil premium funding is effectively used in providing support for disadvantaged pupils. These pupils’ needs are assessed and

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Inspection findings

then addressed through a wide range of ‘packages’ of support which are specifically aimed at breaking down different barriers to learning. The impact of this support is carefully tracked. Evidence confirms that disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are making good progress from their starting points, and that many of the most able disadvantaged pupils are on track to achieve the highest levels, particularly in reading.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well catered for. Teachers and leaders make regular checks on their progress and attainment, and extra support is put in place to help them to catch up. This is having a positive impact on their progress.  The school’s curriculum provides pupils with a broad range of interesting and relevant learning opportunities. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the various topics that they had studied and skills that they had learned in diverse subjects

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Inspection findings

such as art, science and geography. The teaching of history is particularly effective, as could be seen in the level of empathy in pupils’ historical writing and in their knowledge of different historical events and periods.  The curriculum is very effectively enhanced by a wide range of clubs that take place at lunchtimes and after school. Pupils were particularly proud of having had the chance to represent the school in a recent dance festival at Preston Guild Hall, while others have enjoyed playing in school football, netball and hockey teams.  The school’s work to improve the effectiveness of phonics teaching has been successful. Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics check have improved each year. Pupils who had struggled with phonics are now confidently using their phonic knowledge to help them to read more fluently. The older, more capable readers have positive attitudes towards reading and say that they especially enjoy

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Inspection findings

reading books in class that are linked to their topics.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 teachers ensure that pupils consistently and accurately use the key writing skills appropriate for their age group, and identify and correct errors in their written work  teachers encourage pupils to reach for the highest possible standards when producing pieces of writing.

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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 Lancashire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Prior to the inspection, I identified a number of lines of enquiry which formed the basis of my work in the school.

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Information about the inspection

 How effectively are school leaders using the pupil premium funding to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils?  How well are the most able writers in key stage 2 progressing, and are enough of them reaching the highest standards of attainment?  How effective is provision in the early years, particularly for those children who are being taught in mixed-aged classes?  Are the school’s arrangements for keeping children safe effective? During this short inspection I met with you, the deputy and assistant headteachers, teaching and support staff, and three members of the governing body. I spoke by telephone to the chair of the governing body. I met with a representative of the local authority. I considered the 17 responses from parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and spoke to parents at the start of the school day. The 21 responses to the online questionnaire for staff were considered, as were the 62

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Information about the inspection

responses to the pupil survey. Together we visited a number of classrooms across all key stages to observe teaching and learning, talk with pupils and look at their work. I met with a group of pupils during the day and heard a number of other pupils read. I also observed pupils’ behaviour around school throughout the day. I conducted a detailed review of safeguarding, including checking on the school’s policies, procedures and record-keeping and talking with the leader with responsibility for safeguarding, other staff and governors about how the school ensures that children are kept safe. I also considered a range of other documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, local authority reports and information about pupils’ progress and attainment.

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