Adlington St Paul's Church of England Primary School

Adlington St Paul’s Church of England Primary School Railway Road, Adlington, Chorley, Lancashire PR6 9QZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Endemic weaknesses in leadership and management have led to a significant decline in the quality of teaching and learning.  The work in pupils’ books demonstrates slow progress in writing and mathematics.  Leaders have not done enough to support staff to improve. Monitoring is poor in quality. It does little to improve teaching and learning.  Disadvantaged pupils underachieve considerably. Leaders and governors squander the funding for these pupils.  Governors do not hold leaders to account for the lack of school improvement.  Middle leaders have not been supported to develop their roles. They are willing to improve but lack direction.  The poorly taught curriculum lacks depth. Staff do not have a good enough understanding of curriculum expectations.  Weak assessment practice means that teachers are unable to match tasks to pupils’ needs. There is a lack of challenge for the most able pupils.  Teachers do not understand the needs of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. These pupils make slow progress in a range of subjects.  Due to the lack of engagement in pupils’ learning, low-level disruption persists. This slows progress in lessons.  Teaching assistants lack direction. They have too little effect on the quality of learning.  Adults in the early years are not effective in moving children’s learning forwards.  Leaders do not have an accurate picture of provision in the early years.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Strong Christian values are promoted well and underpin pupils’ views.  Pupils are well cared for. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive.  Leaders’ use of the primary school sport and physical education (PE) funding is effective.  Pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check have been broadly in line with the national average for the last three years.  Leaders have focused on improving pupils’ handwriting. Pupils’ presentation has improved.

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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?

 As a matter of urgency, rectify the weaknesses in leadership and management by ensuring that: – robust processes for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning are implemented across the curriculum to inform clear actions for future improvements – the curriculum is developed in greater detail so that pupils develop a deeper understanding of their learning in all subjects – there is significant development for leaders at all levels, including governors, so that their skills are enhanced and they are clear about their roles and responsibilities for school improvement – the funding for disadvantaged pupils is used strategically to raise these pupils’ outcomes – there is a clear strategy on how to improve outcomes for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.  Improve the progress of different groups of pupils in all key stages by ensuring that: – carefully planned tasks meet the needs and different abilities of pupils

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– the most able pupils are challenged to achieve the highest standards – pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receive appropriate support to make sure that they progress well in their learning – staff are aware of strategies to support disadvantaged pupils so that these pupils make good progress in all aspects of their learning.  Improve the quality of teaching to establish higher aspirations, by: – developing a wider range of questioning strategies to develop pupils’ thinking skills – providing relevant professional development so that teachers have a good grasp of curriculum expectations in English, mathematics and across the curriculum – providing opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical reasoning skills – supporting teaching assistants to have a more positive influence on pupils’ learning, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Improve the quality of teaching in the early years, by ensuring that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– adult interactions with children focus on furthering their learning – there is a clearer focus on learning in different areas of the early years environment to stimulate children’s interest and engagement. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders’ inability to improve the school has led to a significant decline in the standards of teaching and learning. There are too few signs of positive change since the previous inspection that are directly attributable to the actions of school leaders. Leaders’ plans to develop the school lack substance. Actions are too poorly defined and do not focus on improving teaching and learning.  The poorly taught curriculum fails to meet the needs of pupils. The introduction of the new national curriculum has exposed significant weaknesses in the leadership of teaching and learning. Teachers’ awareness of standards in different curriculum areas is poor. Middle leaders agree that the school’s curriculum is fragmented and lacks depth. For example, pupils’ work in science is focused on the coverage of topics rather than developing pupils’ scientific understanding. This is common across other subjects, including history, geography and computing.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Teachers have not been provided with professional development to prepare them for the rigour of the new national curriculum. The targets that leaders set for teachers’ professional development do not provide clear actions to help teachers improve their own practice. Some staff feel demoralised by the lack of direction. They do not feel supported by leaders.  Leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning is of a poor quality and does not lead to actions to improve teaching and learning. Leaders do not set clear actions for staff to improve their skills. As such, school improvement has stagnated. This has led to a decline in pupils’ achievement. Middle leaders are not provided with the opportunities to develop their leadership skills or the time to monitor their subjects.  Leaders have wasted the pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders and governors do not review how well the funding is used. There are no specific learning

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

activities designed to support the progress of these pupils. Consequently, the academic outcomes for this group of pupils are in free fall. Work in pupils’ writing and mathematics books shows little or no progress from the start of the year. By the end of key stage 2, their progress is significantly lower than the national average and is declining.  Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make very slow rates of progress. The use of additional funding for these pupils cannot be accounted for clearly. Leaders do not have a clear view of how to improve outcomes for these pupils. They do not review the support that is provided for these pupils in terms of their outcomes. There are no formal support structures in place to support the learning of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.  Leaders have not provided training for teachers on how to make best use of teaching assistants. There is no shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities of staff.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Pupils’ understanding of other cultures remains limited, despite this being an area for improvement at the last inspection. Leaders have not taken effective action to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Leaders have introduced some problem-solving activities in mathematics to address the declining standards in the school. However, these actions have not been swift or rigorous enough to iron out inconsistencies in pupils’ progress and attainment in this subject.  Leaders and governors have slowly become aware of the school’s shortcomings. The headteacher has taken positive steps by commissioning support from the local authority. However, this is at a very early stage.  Leaders have focused on pupils’ handwriting, which is having a positive impact on the presentation of pupils’ work.  Leaders have restructured pupils’ homework to focus on basic skills in reading, spelling

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

and multiplication to fill some of the gaps that pupils have in their learning.  Leaders use the primary school PE and sport funding well to offer activities at lunchtimes for pupils, as well as a range of extra-curricular clubs and sporting competitions.

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Governance of the school

 Governors are becoming increasingly aware of the issues facing the school. However, they have not held school leaders to account rigorously enough to ensure that the decline in standards has been addressed effectively.  Governors have not fulfilled their responsibilities for the use of the funding for disadvantaged pupils. The funding has been mismatched to pupils’ needs and has had little impact. There are no records of the specific support provided for these pupils. Governors are not provided with enough detail about the progress of disadvantaged pupils to be able to evaluate the use of the funding.  The minutes of governing body meetings show that governors are starting to ask more pertinent questions about the attainment and progress of pupils. This is a reaction to the declining standards in the school but is at an early stage of development.  Leaders and governors have continued to promote the Christian ethos of the school

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Staff have received training and updates in line with statutory requirements. They are aware of the potential signs of abuse. They know what to do in order to raise concerns. Records of incidents and concerns are kept securely. Policies are up to date and the checks made on newly appointed staff have been completed well.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. This is because of the positive relationships they have with staff. It is to the credit of classroom staff that the widespread problems within the school have not affected these relationships. Pupils have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe. The pupils with whom inspectors spoke understand the need to keep personal information safe when online and are aware of the dangers of talking to others over the internet.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The decline in the standard of teaching and learning is due to poor assessment practices, a lack of understanding of how to support the learning of key groups of pupils and low aspirations for pupils’ achievement. The poorly thought out curriculum is threadbare and does not develop pupils’ understanding of subjects across the curriculum. Staff do not have a sufficiently robust framework from which to work when planning pupils’ learning in many subjects. The result is a disparate series of tasks that do not effectively promote pupils’ skills or understanding of the subject that is being taught.  Teachers have been battling against a tide of change. Some feel they are drowning in the enormity of the task ahead due to a lack of direction from leaders. Teachers have a poor grasp of the different curriculum areas. They have not been prepared for the rigour of the new curriculum and, as a consequence, they are failing to provide an

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

acceptable standard of education for pupils in the school.  Weak assessment practice is rife. Teachers have not been equipped with the skills and understanding of the new curriculum expectations to accurately assess pupils’ attainment to inform their planning of learning activities. Tasks are not matched to pupils’ next steps in learning. For example, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are taught the use of apostrophes to shorten words or make two words into one, despite not being able to use a full stop or capital letter correctly. Assessments practices are extremely weak. Staff have little understanding of how assessment links to pupils’ learning.  Teaching is poorly planned and fails to meet the needs of significant groups of pupils. The work in pupils’ writing and mathematics books shows little progress for significant groups of pupils, such as those disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. There is wide variation in the progress of the most able pupils in writing and mathematics between different year groups.  Many pupils in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2 are over reliant on using phonic strategies to read unfamiliar words. This inhibits their ability to read fluently and expressively. There is a marked difference between the different abilities of pupils. For example, the most able pupils in key stage 1 read well while disadvantaged pupils struggle. Texts are not matched to pupils’ abilities and there are inconsistencies between how often staff hear pupils read.  In classrooms, pupils disengage because of the lack of opportunities that they have to participate in their learning. Pupils shout out answers against a background of low-level noise which, in some classes, teachers constantly battle against. This slows the progress pupils make, which is evident in the work in pupils’ books.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teaching is typified by closed questioning, which does not allow pupils to reflect on their own learning. For example, pupils’ mathematics books show few opportunities for them to apply their skills through problem-solving activities. There are no opportunities for pupils to reason about the mathematics that they use. This has resulted in weak progress for pupils by the end of key stage 2.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The poorly taught curriculum does not develop pupils’ skills and understanding in a range of subjects. There is no consistency in pupils’ learning from one year to another because schemes of work lack detail. Middle leaders are not provided with time to develop their areas of responsibility or to support staff in their delivery of the curriculum. This disjointed approach has led to learning that is shallow. Progress in many subjects, such as geography, history and computing, is inadequate. Pupils’ writing and mathematics skills are not developed well in subjects across the curriculum.  The use of teaching assistants varies considerably between classes. In many year groups, teaching assistants are used to mitigate pupils’ off-task behaviour or to stand around waiting for the class teacher to finish explanations, only to repeat the teacher’s instructions. Teaching assistants have little impact on pupils’ learning. However,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

inspectors did find some positive use of teaching assistants, for example in Year 1, where the teacher directed the teaching assistant well to work with a small group of pupils.  There are small pockets of more-effective practice within the school, such as in Year 1 where pupils’ mathematical misconceptions are addressed by the class teacher. There is also some evidence of effective challenge of the most able pupils in mathematics in Year 3. However, there is little evidence of this effective practice across the school.  There has recently been a focus on developing pupils’ handwriting, which is starting to improve the presentation of pupils’ work. This is a good example of what can be achieved by staff when all pull together with clear vision for improvement.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Leaders have not acted upon the recommendation from the previous inspection to develop pupils’ understanding of different cultures. Pupils in Year 5 find it difficult to identify the work that they have done on other cultures. In Year 6, pupils comment on the different faiths that they have studied. The slow rate of school improvement undermines the otherwise good work of the school to promote pupils’ personal development and well-being.  Pupils are confident and they generally take pride in their work. The focus of the school to develop pupils’ handwriting has contributed well to this.  Pupils relate their thoughts and actions to the positive promotion of Christian values at the school. As a result, pupils are respectful of others’ views and opinions.  Pupils and leaders agree that bullying does not happen at school. Pupils say they feel

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Personal development and welfare

safe and are secure in approaching a member of staff with any concerns.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Some pupils’ behaviour in lessons hinders their learning. A small minority of pupils constantly call out, which creates noise in classrooms and teachers then have to shout over this. Pupils’ disruptive behaviours arise from a lack of engagement in their work. Staff do not set high enough standards for pupils’ conduct in lessons. As such, behaviour requires improvement rather than being good.  Pupils’ attendance is good and matches the national average. Leaders are taking appropriate action to tackle small pockets of persistent absence.  At break and lunch times pupils play well, although there is a lack of resources provided with which they can play.  Pupils agree that staff deal with behaviour appropriately and parents have no concerns about pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are delightful to talk with. They are respectful and humorous, and are a credit to their parents.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Pupils underachieve considerably in a number of subjects across the curriculum. In writing and mathematics, pupils’ books show slow progress for different groups of pupils. A distinct lack of challenge means the most able pupils do not achieve as well as they otherwise should.  Published data also shows that disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities underachieve considerably. Leaders have not implemented effective support for different groups of pupils. As a result, the progress and attainment of these pupils, in reading, writing and mathematics, is very slow.  Although standards are broadly average in reading and writing, and just below average in mathematics, at the end of key stage 2, this does not represent strong achievement. Pupils make considerably weaker progress in writing and mathematics than they should.  In mathematics, progress has been consistently lower than average for the last three

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

years, and the provisional results in 2017 represent a significant decline. There are little or no signs of improvement.  Pupils’ progress in writing in 2017 was also significantly below average. The work in pupils’ books shows marked variations in progress between different groups of pupils.  At the end of key stage 1, the proportions of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading and in writing are lower than the national average. Too few pupils achieve better than this.  In mathematics, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 is above average. However, too few pupils achieve greater depth in this subject.  Pupils’ lack of progress across the curriculum leads to them underachieving considerably. Subjects across the curriculum are underdeveloped. Pupils’ computing work is of a very low standard and shows no progress in the development of their computing skills. History and geography are poorly taught and the work in pupils’

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

books shows a lack of understanding and depth of learning.  The school has a three-year trend of improvement in outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check, where results are in line with the national average. This is explained by the heavy emphasis that is placed on phonic skills.  Due to the slow progress pupils make, they are not well prepared for the next stages in their education.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and outcomes in the early years. There is no focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning.  The trend of achievement in the early years over the last three years has been erratic. These inconsistencies are due to significant staffing changes. The positive results seen in 2017 are not sustainable.  The quality of teaching and learning is poor. Adults do not contribute effectively to moving children’s learning forwards. Adults do not question or prompt children to think for themselves about how to improve their learning. Ineffective teaching promotes children’s misconceptions in phonics, and incorrect terminology is used by adults when teaching shape.  Children are often disengaged because tasks do not match the next steps in their learning. This is especially so for boys, who spend time in the outdoor area running

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Early years provision Inadequate

around rather than learning.  The outdoor area is poorly resourced and there is a dearth of opportunities for children to learn. Token activities for the use of number do not allow children to explore their learning in depth. There is little to promote children’s communication and language development in the outdoor area.  Adults do not provide the stimulus for children’s active learning. Children are unsure about their learning in different areas of the early years environment and they have little understanding of tasks. Adults do not check effectively on children’s learning.  The curriculum does not provide a broad range of experiences to challenge children. Weak assessment practice means that children do not progress as they should. The environment is chaotic and hinders their learning.  The progress of children who have SEN and/or disabilities is poor. These pupils do not achieve as well as they could because their needs are not understood.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Adults’ relationships with children are positive. All adults approach children in a caring way. Children’s confidence is clear in the way they move around the areas of learning. Staff ensure that safeguarding is effective and all of the welfare requirements are met.  Parents are positive about the provision in the Reception class. Parents value the welcoming atmosphere in the Reception class and are happy with the care their children receive.

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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.adlingtonstpauls.lancs.sch.uk

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School details

Email address head@adlingtonstpauls.lancs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10–11 July 2013

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information on its website about the use of the pupil premium funding nor the school’s accessibility plan for pupils who have disabilities.  The school is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.  The school receives formal support brokered through the local authority. This support is at an early stage of development.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school has a low proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than average and is generally declining each year.  The school has an average proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in each class, which included joint observations with the headteacher.  Inspectors examined a range of pupils’ work in mathematics, writing and from across the curriculum.  Inspectors heard pupils read, both individually and during class activities.  Inspectors spoke with pupils formally in groups and informally around school.  Inspectors spoke with some parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors took account of the views of 59 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and 13 staff who completed the staff survey.  Inspectors made observations of pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at playtimes and when pupils were moving around the school.  Meetings were held with four governors, senior leaders, middle leaders and local authority representatives.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance and its areas for development.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at attendance and behaviour records.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding documentation and considered how this related to daily practice, as well as speaking with staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Leszek Iwaskow Ofsted Inspector 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

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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