Worsthorne Primary School

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

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Mrs Louise Young Headteacher Worsthorne Primary School Brownside Road Worsthorne Burnley Lancashire BB10 3LR

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 20 February 2018, 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 2013.

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. There is a positive atmosphere for learning in classes across the school at Worsthorne Primary. Along with the staff team, you have created a caring and inclusive ethos and a shared ambition for the school to improve further. Staff are proud to be part of the school and say that they feel well supported in their work.

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

The school has a strong sense of community. Pupils show respect and consideration towards each other and the adults who teach them. The vast majority of parents and carers are fully supportive of the school and are appreciative of the high-quality care, guidance and support provided for pupils. This was captured in the comments made by one parent on Parent View who wrote, ‘My child has been very happy at Worsthorne from his very first day. The caring and nurturing ethos of the school is integrated within all aspects of school life from assemblies to lessons.’

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

Pupils behave well, are polite and friendly, and enjoy school. They wear their school uniform with pride and are rarely absent. Attendance is well above the national average. Although a small minority of parents expressed some worries about behaviour, I found nothing during this inspection to suggest that behaviour is a concern. Staff and pupils told me that behaviour is good and that sanctions, to deal with any misbehaviour, are in place but rarely needed. In the lessons I visited, pupils behaved well and showed good levels of concentration. Older pupils, who I spoke to about bullying, said that this was extremely rare at the school. They said that adults would soon deal with any problems should they occur. Pupils also said that they know who to talk to if they have any concerns.

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

At the previous inspection you were asked to raise pupils’ achievement, by further improving the quality of teaching and learning. You have made good progress in addressing this issue, as seen in the improved outcomes at the end of both key stage 1 and key stage 2 in 2017. You recognise that further improvements are needed in mathematics and you are currently in the process of introducing changes to the way in which this key subject is taught. You were also asked to further strengthen the role of subject leaders. The broad curriculum that is now in place is one of the school’s strengths, as a result of the developments you have led in this area.

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

The governing body plays an active role in school life. They regularly attend relevant training to support them in their role, and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for further improvement. Governors are in regular contact with parents and staff. They ensure that all safeguarding requirements are met.

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum which is enriched by a wide range of sports and residential visits. Pupils learn about the beliefs and traditions of people from different faiths and cultures. This helps them to develop a good understanding of values such as respect and democracy. Pupils enjoy learning and the vast majority make good progress, particularly in reading and writing. Pupils appreciate the help and encouragement that they receive from their teachers. They get regular feedback on how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve further.

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

You have comprehensive plans in place to further develop the school, and you do not shy away from the improvements that still need to be made. For example, you acknowledge that the teaching of mathematics requires further development. Furthermore, you agree that subject leaders need to enhance the ways in which they monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching in their areas.

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. The single central record is well maintained and reflects the fact that appropriate checks are made on all adults who work at the school. You ensure that detailed records are kept of any concerns that are raised and you engage with outside agencies whenever necessary. Staff understand the procedures that they need to follow should they have any concerns about a pupil’s welfare. The school site is safe and the identification of all visitors is closely checked. During this inspection, we identified a minor improvement that needed to be made to your record-keeping, though this did not have a negative impact on pupils’ safety. The pupils I spoke to during this inspection told me that they feel safe in school. They demonstrated a good awareness of different types of bullying, including issues relating to e-safety. They said that they receive regular reminders about the

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Short inspection of Worsthorne Primary School

importance of sharing any concerns they might have with a trusted adult.

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Inspection findings

 At our initial meeting we agreed that I would focus on some specific areas so that I could be satisfied that the school remains good. These were: – Is provision in the early years as good as it should be? – Is the teaching of reading effective across the school? – Is the teaching of mathematics effective across the school, particularly for the most able? – Are subject leaders effective in monitoring and evaluating their area of the curriculum?  Children get off to a flying start in the Reception class. There are excellent arrangements in place to ensure a smooth transition into school. Parents value the support that they receive and welcome the opportunity to contribute to the initial assessments that are made on children. Adults use the regular assessments which they make to plan work which engages children and challenges them to think hard and move on in their learning. Children respond enthusiastically to the

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Inspection findings

activities and challenges that staff provide, and demonstrate good attitudes to learning as a result. For example, during this inspection I saw many children showing excellent levels of concentration and persevering with activities over long periods of time. One child brought me her detailed drawing of an owl and explained how she had also accurately drawn a line of symmetry down the centre of the picture. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development, at the end of the early years was slightly below the national average in 2017. However, there are clear signs that the current children will be extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education when they leave the Reception class in July.  The teaching of reading is one of the school’s many strengths. Although there have been some historic weaknesses in pupils’ achievement, particularly in key stage 1 and in the proportion of pupils exceeding the expected standard,

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Inspection findings

evidence from this inspection shows that reading is now taught well. A strong and effective focus on improving reading has had a positive impact across the school. Pupils make good progress in developing early phonic skills. Those pupils who struggle are given good support and the vast majority become fluent readers by Year 3. A wide range of reading material is available for pupils. Older pupils demonstrate good reading behaviours. They read widely and often, both in school and at home. These improvements are reflected in the 2017 test results, which saw an increase in the proportion of pupils reaching and exceeding the expected standard at the end of both key stage 1 and key stage 2.  The work seen in pupils’ books shows that pupils have good attitudes to learning in mathematics and make steady progress as they move through the school. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard at the end of key stage 2

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Inspection findings

was just above the national average in 2017. However, not enough pupils made rapid progress to achieve the higher standard in these tests. Although pupils work hard in mathematics lessons, teachers in some year groups do not provide enough work that challenges pupils to think more deeply or to use their mathematical knowledge to solve problems. School leaders recognise that pupils are capable of making better progress and they have already put plans in place to further improve teaching and learning in this key subject.  The school provides a broad and exciting curriculum. The work that I saw in books shows that pupils develop a good understanding of significant events in history and, in discussions with me, they demonstrated a good knowledge of geographical features such as rivers and deserts. Subject leaders play an important role in ensuring that teachers follow the agreed topics and regularly provide helpful reports, for governors, about how subjects are being taught.

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Inspection findings

However, these reports mainly focus on whether teachers are following the agreed schemes of work, rather than the quality of work being produced. This is because the range of strategies that subject leaders employ to evaluate the quality of teaching in their subjects is quite narrow. As a result, more could be done to identify good practice and support staff who are less confident delivering particular subjects.

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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 provided with more opportunities to use and apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to solve mathematical problems

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Next steps for the school

 the checks that subject leaders make on the quality of work are used to further develop good practice and address any relative weaknesses in teaching in a timely manner.

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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 held meetings with the headteacher and the two assistant headteachers. I also met with the early years lead and the subject leader for English. I met with three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. I spoke with parents, staff and pupils. I visited all classrooms, with the headteacher, to observe teaching and learning and spent time looking at the quality of work in pupils’ books. I listened to pupils read and spoke with a group of Year 6 pupils about various aspects of school life. I observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and dinner time. I reviewed a range of documentation, including the single central record, the school’s self-evaluation, the school’s development plan and records relating to teachers’ appraisal. I also took account of the staff questionnaire and the 69 responses to Parent View.

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