Audenshaw Primary School

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

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Mr Philip Williams Headteacher Audenshaw Primary School Ash Street Audenshaw Manchester M34 5NG

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 17 October 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 November 2014.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are determined to ensure that pupils develop as well- rounded and successful individuals. You and your deputy headteacher complement each other very well. You have wasted no time in driving forward improvements since the last inspection. You are ably supported by a strong team of governors and staff who share your high expectations. The school continues to go from strength to strength.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Audenshaw Primary School is a friendly and supportive community where morale is high. The school’s motto, ‘putting children first’, lies at the heart of what the school does. Pupils are polite and welcoming. They enjoy coming to school and their attendance is above average. A typical comment from pupils is, ‘Teachers are nice and you learn a lot.’ Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They show very positive attitudes to learning. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils relish the opportunity to earn rewards for good work. They enjoy taking on positions of responsibility. For example, older pupils organise poetry competitions and act as librarians during lunchtime. The school council takes an active part in helping to make the school better. For example, leaders have acted on their ideas to improve the range of equipment in the playground.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Parents who responded to the online survey, Parent View, are very supportive of the work of the school and the way it is led. As one parent commented: ‘The headteacher and staff are approachable and supportive. Any behaviour issues are dealt with promptly.’ Another parent said: ‘My child has made fantastic progress. Pupils’ achievements are recognised in assemblies.’ The overwhelming majority of parents would recommend the school to others.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Your self-evaluation of the school is accurate and you have identified the school’s priorities for improvement. You and your deputy headteacher have developed effective systems for monitoring pupils’ progress. All members of staff who responded to the Ofsted survey said that they are proud to work at the school. Staff feel listened to and value the support that you give them.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Since the last inspection, there have been changes in the composition of the governing body. It now has a wider range of skills and expertise to support and challenge leaders effectively. Governors are each linked to specific areas of the school’s work. They are passionate for the school and know it well.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

You have responded well to the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. You were asked to raise attainment in phonics. Training has been used well to improve the quality of teaching and assessment of phonics. You have grouped pupils carefully so that teaching can be better matched to their needs. During the inspection, pupils used their phonics skills well to sound out unfamiliar words. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 has improved significantly since the last inspection. Pupils now make good progress in phonics.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Since the last inspection, you have taken action to develop the work of middle leaders. Middle leaders are enthusiastic and know their roles well. They now monitor and evaluate their subject areas more effectively. This is having a positive impact on the quality of education in the school.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Another area for development from the previous inspection was to ensure that all pupils, including the most able pupils, are challenged. Teachers have raised their expectations of all pupils. The most able pupils have opportunities to extend their learning through work such as reasoning and problem-solving in mathematics. Inspection evidence shows that the most able pupils are making stronger progress than in the past. However, there is still work to do to ensure that the most able pupils in all classes are challenged further.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

There is a strong culture of keeping pupils safe in school. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. As the designated lead for safeguarding, you ensure that records are thorough. Rigorous checks are conducted to ensure that all staff are safe to work with children. Training for all staff and governors is up to date. Staff know the school’s procedures well. Any concerns are followed up quickly in order to make sure that pupils are well supported. Leaders have established effective links with a range of external agencies, in order to keep pupils safe.

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Short inspection of Audenshaw Primary School

Pupils say that they feel safe and that bullying is rare at the school. They told me that staff act quickly to resolve any issues. Pupils learn about the importance of staying safe in the community through the local police; for example, they learn about road safety. Leaders ensure that pupils and parents are given helpful information to support pupils’ safety when using the internet. Almost every parent who responded to Parent View agreed that their child is well looked after and safe in school.

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Inspection findings

 At the beginning of this inspection, we agreed on a number of key areas to investigate, the first of which related to the provision for children in the early years. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development has increased significantly since the last inspection. However, it was below the national average in 2017. An increasing number of children enter the Reception Year with low standards in literacy. Children’s language skills are well supported, for example through speech and language therapy. Learning journeys show that adults use a variety of ways to develop children’s speaking and listening skills. Workshops in reading and phonics help parents to support their children’s learning at home. Leaders have improved outdoor spaces with a variety of equipment to develop children’s learning. As a result, children get off to a good start and are ready for Year 1.  My second line of enquiry related to the progress of the most able pupils. This

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Inspection findings

was identified as an area for development in the previous inspection report. You have introduced a whole-school focus on challenging all pupils, which is bearing fruit. Inspection evidence indicates that work is mostly well matched to pupils’ needs and supports their good progress. However, in some classes the most able pupils are not provided with suitably challenging work so that they can achieve higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  My line of enquiry relating to the progress of pupils in reading matched your own concerns. You had already identified that pupils did not make enough progress in reading by the end of key stage 2 in 2017. You have put in place strategies to address this. Your whole-school focus on developing pupils’ reading comprehension skills is starting to make a difference. Teachers ensure that pupils use accurate spelling and punctuation when writing. You have invested in high-

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Inspection findings

quality books for the library to develop a love of reading. My review of assessment information and a scrutiny of pupils’ work indicate that attainment and progress in reading are improving. However, these remain areas for further development across the school.  Leaders know the barriers to learning for the small number of disadvantaged pupils who attend school. Pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide additional staffing to improve learning. As a result, the differences in attainment between these pupils and other pupils nationally are diminishing.  You have developed a stimulating curriculum with well-planned topics that interest and motivate pupils. These are further enriched by an interesting variety of educational visits. For example, pupils have visited museums and the theatre. Older pupils enjoy participating in residential trips, where they take part in outdoor activities. Pupils also have many opportunities to learn and play a range

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Inspection findings

of sports, including dodgeball and rugby. All of this encourages pupils to engage in a healthy lifestyle and also promotes their well-being.

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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 most able pupils are challenged to achieve higher standards  the standards that pupils reach in reading continue to improve across the school.

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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 Tameside. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, I met with you, the deputy headteacher, middle leaders and teachers. I met with six members of the governing body. I also met with a representative from the local authority. I met formally with pupils and also spoke with other pupils during breaktimes. I visited a number of classes, where I observed teaching and learning, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils. I also listened to pupils read. I scrutinised pupils’ work across the school. Parents talked with me as they dropped their children off at school. In addition, I took account of 28 responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire, including 25 free-text responses. I also considered the views of 17 staff and 41 pupils through Ofsted’s online questionnaires. A range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation and information about pupils’ attainment and progress. I evaluated safeguarding procedures, including policies about keeping children safe,

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Information about the inspection

records of training, safeguarding checks and attendance information. I also undertook a review of the school’s website.

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