Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

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

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Mr Kevin Ward Headteacher Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School Chapel Fields Lane Hindley Wigan Lancashire WN2 3QS

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 13 September 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 July 2014.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have dealt effectively with most of the areas for improvement at the last inspection. There is greater challenge for the most able pupils in mathematics across the school. You have ensured that staff present all pupils with a greater challenge in mathematics so that all groups of pupils are making faster progress. You have given improving attendance similar attention so that attendance overall is slowly rising and the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has begun to reduce.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

You are determined to ensure that all pupils have an equal opportunity to be successful. You are uncompromising in your drive to make sure that pupils achieve well and feel safe. Pupils behave in an orderly way and you have successfully created a positive culture in which children learn. The effective learner strategy that you and your staff have developed is successful in encouraging pupils to be well organised, highly motivated, resilient, curious, creative and keen to become good citizens. Parents have written very enthusiastically about the encouragement and support given to their children.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas that require further focus. Improvement planning addresses the weaker areas and regular checks take place to make sure that the actions of all staff are making a positive difference. For example, senior leaders recognised that there were too many interventions to support pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Your thorough audit of interventions has weeded out those that were ineffective so that now SEN pupils are making good progress.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

You and your staff work hard to engage with parents and to support the local community. An example of this is the produce market which is run by parents in school twice each week. Parents are invited to special events which help them to understand what is expected of their children throughout the year. Reports are sent home each term. As a result, parents are kept well-informed about their children’s progress.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

The school environment is bright and welcoming. In response to a request from the school ambassadors, you now have a school dog called Bramble. She is well trained and well behaved and each class in turn has responsibility for Bramble’s care and welfare. Pupils told me how much they enjoy this responsibility. You have recently undertaken a whole-school review of the curriculum and made significant changes to promote a more inspiring, practical and interesting curriculum. Pupils enjoy topics such as robots and dragons, in fact and fiction. You have made sure that the new curriculum appeals as much to boys as to girls because you have identified that in some year groups boys are performing less well than girls. Your teachers are already finding greater interest and enthusiasm from the boys in their classes. The curriculum is enhanced by many experiences such as visiting Jodrell Bank and spending a day at the beach, learning about the coast and enjoying donkey rides.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

Senior leaders have taken effective action to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning remains good. Progress is improving in both writing and mathematics but less so in reading. This is correctly identified as the key focus for improvement in the current year. Improving attendance remains a priority for the school. There is more to do to bring it to at least national expectations.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

Safeguarding has the highest priority to you and your staff and is seen as being everyone’s responsibility. Staff training is regular and continually updated in response to national and local issues. Staff told me that they feel well prepared to deal with child protection issues and know they can gain expert advice if it is needed. Staff appreciate the new online system in school which allows all staff to note any concerns, which can be followed up when necessary. Parents expressed full confidence in the school’s safeguarding measures.

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Short inspection of Hindley All Saints CofE Primary School

Pupils feel safe and very well cared for in school. They explained to me how the school helps them to keep safe. They understand about the hazards of using the internet and social media. They explain the dangers to avoid when using the road or going near to railway lines. Visiting speakers from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children inform pupils about abuse of children and the Childline help line. They are proud of their knowledge of first aid. Pupils told me that there is little or no bullying in school and that they have enjoyed personal, social and health sessions on how to be a good friend. The school’s work with outside agencies is good.

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Inspection findings

 You and your staff have responded quickly to a recent dip in the performance of pupils in reading and have developed many strategies to promote the progress of reading for pupils of all ages. You have rightly recognised that pupils need more practice in ‘reading between the lines’, reading for understanding and fluency. You have developed your own system to support pupils by rereading passages and so building their self-confidence and resilience. Teachers and teaching assistants have been trained to further develop their skills in the teaching of reading. They are now better prepared to support disadvantaged pupils and any others who might be ‘reluctant’ readers. These measures are already helping to raise standards in reading so that there was some improvement in progress and attainment in reading for pupils in 2018. You have invested in a superb new library which has a rich and varied supply of fiction and non-fiction books. Pupils

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Inspection findings

appreciate comfortable seating, soft toys for pupils to read to and enjoy, and some pupils read to Bramble. Your Harry Potter room is a very imaginative area and it inspires pupils across the school to read more frequently. You have further encouraged pupils to read by supplying everyone in key stage 2 with iPads, fully equipped with reading programmes. The new curriculum has a focus on broadening pupils’ vocabulary. Your records show that pupils are making good progress this year.  The attainment and progress of the most able pupils in mathematics, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, have increased in all year groups. The deputy headteacher has completed training in primary mathematics and this has been cascaded effectively to all teachers. You have introduced special revision sessions which are designed to address specific identified weaknesses. You have closely analysed the performance in tests of the most able pupils and identified

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Inspection findings

that that they need more practice in working at speed and developing deeper learning in their mathematics work. A scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks shows that they are now being presented with challenging work and many opportunities for problem-solving.  The attendance of pupils rightly remains a key priority for the school. You have succeeded in improving attendance overall and reducing the percentage of pupils who are persistently absent but both figures still compare unfavourably to historic national averages. You have developed a new policy which is not to allow any holidays to be authorised in term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. You are working closely with the local authority attendance team to improve the level of persistent absence. You are also developing your partnership with parents by emphasising the importance of regular attendance in reports and newsletters. The attendance of every pupil is closely checked, and

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Inspection findings

leaders take immediate action if it falls below the national average of 96%. Overall, attendance is slowly rising but there remains the need to further reduce the level of persistent absence.  There have been many changes in staffing and leadership roles since the previous inspection. All new key stage and subject leaders and the new special educational needs coordinator have settled very well into their roles and fully demonstrate the capacity to further improve the school. New leaders have been supported with very effective training and feel empowered to take the school forward. They are enthusiastically implementing the effective learner strategy, exploring and developing the new curriculum and sharing their good practice across the local cluster of schools. The responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire indicate very high staff morale and enthusiasm.

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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

 the school continues to develop a positive partnership with parents to ensure that they understand the importance of regular attendance  changes to reading are embedded, particularly for the disadvantaged pupils, to ensure that progress continues to improve so that it is in line with the strong progress that pupils make in writing and mathematics.

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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 the deputy headteacher and we agreed the key lines of enquiry. I met with all the staff at morning briefing and with a group of staff at the end of the school day. I also met with the chair of the governing body and a group of pupils from Year 6. I reviewed the six responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the school’s most recent parental questionnaires. I looked at the 17 responses to the Ofsted online staff questionnaire.

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Information about the inspection

The deputy headteacher and I looked at work in pupils’ books in mathematics. We also visited classes in key stage 2 to observe learning. I spoke to many pupils during lessons and at playtime and observed their behaviour. I listened to pupils in Years 5 and 6 reading. I reviewed a range of documents, including an evaluation of the school’s performance and information about pupils’ progress and attendance. I looked closely at the school’s safeguarding and welfare arrangements, including policies and other documentation and discussed these with the safeguarding lead, the chair of the governing body and with pupils.

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