Wigan St Andrew's CofE Junior and Infant School

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

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Wendy Massey Headteacher Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School Mort Street Springfield Wigan Lancashire WN6 7AU

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

Following my visit to the school on 20 September 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 October 2012.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

You are rightly extremely proud of your school. Since the last inspection you, alongside your deputy and assistant headteachers, have worked tirelessly to maintain high standards.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

You have addressed the areas for improvement from the last inspection. You make sure that teachers effectively challenge the most able pupils and move them on quickly in lessons. In addition, teachers also make effective use of adults who support pupils’ learning.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

One of the strengths of the school is the pastoral support you give to pupils and their families. This support means that staff encourage all pupils to do their best and achieve well. A number of parents commented on the caring attitude of the school. A typical comment from a parent was; ‘St Andrew’s is a lovely school that takes pride in nurturing its pupils.’

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

There is a real community feel to the school. It has long and established relationships with many families. The school has a popular brass band that celebrates its culture and heritage. Children in early years get off to a good start. They are given a range of opportunities and make good progress. They are resilient and respond well to challenge. For example, they particularly enjoy their number challenges.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

Teaching is good. You have had a very stable staff since the previous inspection, which means that teachers know the pupils they teach very well. Pupils make good progress across all key stages and as a result there are no dips in performance or times when they have to catch up quickly.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

Behaviour is very good. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They report that poor behaviour is rare and when it does occur it is dealt with quickly and effectively by teachers and other adults. One pupil said, ‘Mostly we all get along really well.’

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

You have made sure that senior leaders are given responsibilities that match their strengths. They are diligent in the way they monitor the work of the school and are fully aware of what the school does well and what needs to improve.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

Governors have developed their role since the last inspection. They are dedicated to the school and they ensure that they hold leaders to account for the work they do. As a result, successful standards of achievement by the end of Year 6 have been maintained.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

You and other school leaders are totally committed to making sure that all pupils in the school are as safe as they can be. Your work and the work of the assistant headteacher to ensure that many vulnerable families get the support they need are highly effective.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

Staff receive valuable training that allows them to understand fully how to execute their duties to keep pupils safe. Pupils say that they feel safe. They report that there is no bullying in school and the use of derogatory and prejudiced language is extremely rare.

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Short inspection of Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

Safeguarding policies and procedures are robust. You and the governors ensure that systems for recruiting and vetting staff are strong and that all staff receive regular safeguarding updates in line with the latest government guidelines.

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Inspection findings

 During the inspection I concentrated on four lines of enquiry. The first focused on the achievement of the most able pupils, particularly in mathematics and reading. The school’s own assessment data shows that an increasing number of pupils are working at greater depth both in reading and mathematics. Last year you rightly identified that pupils needed more opportunities to use their reasoning skills in mathematics. In lessons, pupils are given opportunities to apply reasoning and investigation skills when working with numbers. For example, pupils in Year 5 were investigating and explaining how they could add Roman numerals together using their knowledge of the modern number system.  The most able pupils can read with comprehension and pace. This allows them to appreciate and understand a wide variety of books. Consequently, these pupils are making better progress in reading.  I also considered whether or not pupils had access to a broad and balanced

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Inspection findings

curriculum. There is a well-planned broad and balanced curriculum that meets the requirements of the national curriculum. Pupils are able to recall a range of facts about subjects they have studied. For example, they understood the process of mummification when studying the Egyptians in Year 3 and they could locate the capitals of the countries of the British Isles by the end of Year 2. However, pupils are not always excited by their lessons, particularly in history and geography. The activities they are given are sometimes a little tedious and as a result are not particularly memorable. In addition, the presentation of their work is not as good as it should be and is often untidy and careless. Leaders are aware that lessons would benefit from being more engaging in some subjects and already have plans in place to address this.  Another line of enquiry was how well reading is taught in key stage 1 and the

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Inspection findings

early years. Evidence in pupils’ books and evidence gathered while hearing some pupils read show that the teaching of reading is effective and pupils make good progress. Pupils enjoy reading. They can use their phonic knowledge to sound out words and they understand and can retell stories to adults.  Lastly, I looked at the attendance of pupils and in particular the attendance of disadvantaged pupils. The school has worked extremely hard to improve the attendance of all pupils, especially those who are persistently absent. You, personally, work tirelessly with families to make sure that their children come to school. This work has been very successful and attendance rates for all pupils continue to be above the national average. In addition, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has improved considerably and the very low attendance of some pupils has been eradicated.

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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

 pupils are given more rich and memorable opportunities in a range of subjects  pupils present their work to a high standard in all subjects.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection I met with you and other members of staff, including the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher. I also met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. I had a meeting with some pupils and spoke to others as they played on the playground.

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Information about the inspection

I took account of responses to the online questionnaires for parents and pupils. I visited classrooms to observe pupils’ learning and looked at their work in books. I reviewed information about pupils’ progress, attainment and the curriculum. I scrutinised the school’s self-evaluation document and looked at safeguarding. I also evaluated the impact of the school’s procedures and policies for keeping pupils safe.

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