Earby Springfield Primary School

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

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Mrs Dawn Liversidge Headteacher Earby Springfield Primary School Bailey Street Earby Barnoldswick Lancashire BB18 6SJ

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 27 June 2017, 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 May 2014.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. The school is going from strength to strength. You have built capacity to improve in your staff team. They all share your positive attitude of ‘we can do it’ when faced with new challenges. The staff who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire are all proud to work at your school. You and your team are highly regarded by parents. Every response to Parent View and the parents I spoke to was positive. Parents value the teaching, the inclusive nature of your school and the extra-curricular activities you provide. They appreciative how staff go the ‘extra mile’ to make sure pupils are happy. They welcome the regular invites into school to share pupils’ achievements.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

Your school is inclusive and welcoming to all. The recent intake of refugees has added a moral, social and cultural dimension to what you offer and enhanced your provision. You encourage pupils to share their experiences, enabling all your pupils to consider and reflect upon world issues. Your staff teach and model real values to prepare your pupils for life in modern Britain.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

Pupils behave well in school. In assembly, they sang a rousing chorus of ‘This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine’, clapping in time to the music. In lessons, pupils listened to the teacher and answered challenging questions. Pupils support each other, cheering when a pupil estimates the size of an angle correctly. They are able to say what they are learning. Older pupils are confident and articulate when expressing their views. In the playground, pupils play cooperatively.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

Leaders have embraced physical activity in school as it suits the pupils and improves their concentration in class. Every pupil completes the daily mile. I saw Year 2 pupils jogging round the school ten times in the drizzle looking exhilarated. Pupils who completed the pupil survey echoed the ethos of the school. Pupils felt they were encouraged to look after their physical health. Older pupils told me they did the mile during the school holidays.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

At your last inspection, the previous inspector asked you to improve teaching further. You have done this methodically. You have analysed information from the pupils to plan next steps for the school. As a result, you have provided additional training in mathematics for your teachers. I saw evidence of pupils explaining answers in their workbooks and in the classroom. Your focus next year will be on reading. You have provided training to build up the skills of your staff. This had paid dividends as your experienced staff now share their expertise with new staff to improve their teaching. This was evident on our learning walk, where pupils were engaged in well-planned and interesting tasks. For example, some pupils wrote about the right conditions for a sunflower to grow, the rest of the group painted a vase full of sunflowers, in the style of Van Gogh. All the pupils were engaged in their learning and producing quality writing and artwork.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

The governing body supports the school well. Governors come into school regularly to get a first-hand view of the school that confirms the written information you provide. However, there is a lack of clarity in some aspects of the school’s work. For example, governors were unsure of the impact the pupil premium grant has on pupils’ outcomes. As with any governing body, governors bring their own unique skill set. Governors recognise that they need to capitalise on these skills to provide the best support and challenge for leaders.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. The designated safeguarding leader tries initially to sort issues out in school or with parents if appropriate. If there is a bigger issue, multi-agency support is enlisted. The school is tenacious in seeking help. The recent influx of refugees has meant the school has had to build positive relationships with a different group of professionals. They have done this effectively to ensure the best possible support for pupils.

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Short inspection of Earby Springfield Primary School

The vast majority of pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire said they were kept safe in school and they were encouraged to look after their physical health. Pupils I spoke to said they were encouraged to keep themselves safe through ‘safety week’. Every parent who responded to Parent View and those I spoke to responded positively. They said pupils were kept safe in school and there was no bullying.

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Inspection findings

 Last year, key stage 2 pupils made strong progress and exceeded national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. High-quality teaching enabled pupils to achieve greater depth in their learning. Teachers prepared these pupils well for the demands of the secondary curriculum. Current pupils are making good progress from their starting points. Their workbooks are of a high quality. Their topic workbooks are of a similar standard. Year 6 pupils told me they were ‘up for the challenge of going to secondary school, but would miss the teachers, our friends and the fun things we do’.  Children enter Reception with skills and knowledge that are lower than those typical for their age, especially in the areas of literacy, numeracy and social and emotional development. Teachers know children well. They complete detailed records of children’s progress, so they are able to provide focused activities to

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Inspection findings

ensure that children learn quickly in these areas. Teachers have created an environment inside and outside where children can develop their early reading, writing and mathematics skills. The children’s learning journeys show that children make good progress from their starting points. This includes the small number of vulnerable children who have not achieved a good level of development. I saw evidence of challenge to extend learning for the most able pupils in their workbooks.  The teaching of phonics in small groups is effective. Year 1 pupils are ready for their phonics check. Leaders have provided phonics training for teaching assistants to extend their knowledge. Pupils are making good progress as a result. For example, I saw a group of younger pupils using their finger torches to point to words. They were enjoying their learning. Pupils from Year 2 who read to me were able to decode words effectively. The most able pupils made good

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Inspection findings

progress, as seen in their detailed reading records. However, you recognise the need to continue to improve pupils’ reading skills. You highlight the value of pupils reading with their parents and want to encourage and motivate more pupils to do so. You have identified reading as a focus for next year and plan to improve pupils’ reading, working closely with parents.  Current school information shows that not enough key stage 1 pupils are working at the expected standard for their age. This is because you have a small, changing cohort, which includes a number of vulnerable pupils. Teaching and learning continues to be good. Lessons are interesting and engage pupils. For example, in one class the teacher had provided five practical activities for pupils to improve their measuring skills. There was a buzz of noise and all the pupils were engaged in their next learning steps. Pupils’ workbooks show that they

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Inspection findings

make progress from their starting points.  Your curriculum is a strength. Topic workbooks and displays show the breadth of subjects that your pupils study. Teachers provided questions to support independent research work on topics. The space topic enabled pupils to work at their own level, extending their knowledge.

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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 further develop pupils’ reading skills, expanding pupils’ vocabulary and increasing pupils’ comprehension, working in partnership with parents  the governing body strengthens its understanding of what it needs to do in order to effectively carry out its statutory responsibilities.

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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

During the inspection, I met with you, the early years leader and the administrator. I met with four members of the governing body. I had a discussion with a representative from the local authority. I considered the 19 written responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and spoke to parents at the start of the school day. I considered the feedback from the pupil and staff questionnaires. I visited classrooms with you, observing teaching and learning, and scrutinised pupils’ work in their books. I spoke to pupils informally about their learning. I listened to some pupils read. I observed behaviour around school. I examined a wide range of school documentation relating to school improvement planning, self-evaluation, attendance, pupils’ outcomes and safeguarding.

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