Springside Primary School

Springside Primary School Springside Road, Bury, Lancashire BL9 5JB

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Since the last inspection, the actions taken by the headteacher and governors have improved the quality of education provided by the school. Their clear vision has been translated into effective planning for further developments.  Overall, pupils across the school make good academic progress in English and mathematics, as well as in the other subjects of the national curriculum. More pupils than previously are now working at standards above those expected for their age.  A considerable number of pupils join the school at other than the usual times. Staff help them to make up significant gaps in their learning.  Pupils’ knowledge and use of phonics have improved greatly since the last inspection. The teaching of reading is good. However, except for the most able, standards of reading in key stages 1 and 2 have deteriorated this year. Pupils do not read widely enough for pleasure either at home or in school.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well led. These pupils make strong progress from their varying starting points.  Teachers use their good subject knowledge to plan interesting programmes of work which motivate pupils and help them to build on what they already know.  Leaders and teachers have created a pleasant and purposeful atmosphere. The vast majority of pupils behave well in class and at social times.  Pupils’ attendance, particularly that of disadvantaged pupils, has improved considerably. Overall attendance is now just above the national average for primary schools.  Changes to the curriculum have put high- quality reading books at its centre. Well- planned links across subjects give pupils opportunities to revisit and consolidate knowledge and skills.  Strong development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills is built into the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

curriculum and the everyday life of the school.  In the Nursery and Reception classes, children make a good start to their education. The leadership of the early years is very effective and ensures good teaching, strong progress and high-quality care.  Across the school, the difference between the academic progress of disadvantaged pupils and that of their peers is narrowing. However, this group still makes less progress than non- disadvantaged pupils, especially in writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress and attainment in reading at key stages 1 and 2, by: – further supporting parents and carers in helping their children to read at home – providing more time in school and a wider variety of books for pupils to read for pleasure.  Improve the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils, especially in writing, by: – widening the range of strategies used by teachers and teaching assistants to address the barriers to learning faced by this group in the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 After the last inspection, the headteacher and governors took stock and made short- and long-term plans to improve the school. They have worked well together and have systematically and successfully addressed all the areas for improvement which inspectors identified.  The headteacher has gradually developed a stable team of senior and middle leaders which is now very effective. She ensured that they had undertaken appropriate leadership training and shadowing before allocating responsibilities to them. She knows her leaders well and has maximised the impact of their individual strengths on improving the school.  Teams of staff at varying stages in their career lead areas of the curriculum. Each team has a senior leader and at least one middle leader. In this way, all teaching staff are involved in the monitoring of the curriculum, teaching and pupils’ progress.  Staff at all levels, but particularly middle leaders, initiate change and pilot initiatives

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

before they are implemented across the school. Consequently, changes such as the introduction of the new curriculum are tried and tested for their impact on teaching and pupils’ progress. Staff are enthusiastic about the changes made since the last inspection and told inspectors that they feel that they are consulted well before leaders and governors make decisions.  The monitoring of teaching involves a wide range of activities including lesson observation, work scrutiny, data analysis and questionnaires for pupils. Leaders have an accurate view of the strengths of teaching and have used the appraisal process and training well to make improvements.  Leaders have sought external expertise to provide an outside perspective and ensure that self-evaluation is accurate. Funding from the Department for Education facilitates effective leadership support from the executive headteacher of a multi-academy trust

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and collaborative working with the schools within it. In addition, teachers and leaders benefit from sharing best practice with a cluster of local schools organised by the local authority.  The local authority conducts annual reviews of the school and provides an experienced school-effectiveness partner who works alongside leaders. Her detailed knowledge of the school enables her to write useful reports which have informed the school’s accurate self-evaluation and good-quality development planning.  In spending the pupil premium funding, leaders have taken into account the barriers to learning faced by disadvantaged pupils. Appropriate actions are well funded. Extra pastoral staff have helped pupils to overcome social and emotional barriers and have greatly improved their attendance. The school ensures that no pupil misses opportunities for enrichment activities because of a lack of ability to pay.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Disadvantaged pupils are helped by extra teaching staff and extra resources to catch up with their peers. Although these strategies are having some impact on diminishing differences, these pupils still underachieve in relation to their peers, especially in writing.  The provision for pupils with SEND is well led and very effective. The school uses external specialists to help pupils with specific needs. Leaders involve the parents of pupils with SEND in the identification of their children’s needs. Good support in class, in small withdrawal groups and in one-to-one sessions ensures that individuals make strong progress from their starting points.  Leaders have made sure that Springside is a highly inclusive school. Everyone is welcomed. Inspectors witnessed teaching and support staff working with vulnerable and sometimes difficult pupils with patience, empathy and respect. Pupils and parents told inspectors that nobody uses discriminatory language in relation to race, religion,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

culture or sexuality.  Pupils spoke to inspectors enthusiastically about the range of extra-curricular activities they undertake. These include a wide variety of sports as well as model making, music, drama and outdoor pursuits.  Leaders have used the physical education (PE) and sports premium well. Specialist coaches teach pupils and also help staff to develop their own teaching skills. An increasing number of pupils participate in extra-curricular sport and competitions with other schools. The grant has also enabled leaders to provide better resources for the teaching of PE and for physical activity at social times.

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Governance of the school

 Members of the governing body bring a very wide range of relevant skills to their role, including those related to health and safety, politics, education, performing arts, finance and business. They have used their considerable experience to contribute to the improvements made to the quality of education provided by the school since the last inspection.  Each governor has taken responsibility for monitoring and supporting at least one aspect of the life of the school including individual subjects of the curriculum, safeguarding and the pupil premium funding. In this way, as a body, they know the school very well and can ask detailed and challenging questions of senior leaders.  Staff appreciate the time that governors dedicate to making frequent visits to the school to see first-hand the impact of their policies on staff and pupils.  The governing body fulfils all statutory responsibilities and governors understand the

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Governance of the school

part they play in safeguarding pupils and staff.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Teachers make sure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe in all areas of their lives, including in the local community and when they are online. They also make pupils aware of the dangers of extremism and radicalisation. Pupils say that they feel safe in the school and their parents agree.  Leaders have ensured that the school is a vigilant community. Staff, governors and pupils know that safeguarding the whole school community is everyone’s responsibility. The local authority helps the school to check the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children. Staff are trained to recognise signs of abuse and neglect.  Staff use the school’s efficient procedures to report and record any concerns about the welfare of pupils. They work with outside agencies to ensure that pupils receive specialist help if they need it and they are tenacious in checking that these agencies

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have good knowledge of the subjects they teach. They use it well to sequence learning logically to build on prior work, to frame questions and to develop subject-specific vocabulary.  The work which teachers set is well matched to pupils’ prior learning and capabilities. Platinum, gold, silver and bronze tasks give pupils opportunities to work at the right level and to challenge themselves to achieve their best.  Teachers use praise and humour to foster positive relationships and motivate their pupils. In line with the school’s teaching and learning policy, they successfully use active-learning techniques to motivate classes. They encourage pupils to become involved in discussion and practical activities with a competitive element.  Pupils have frequent opportunities to correct their own work and that of their peers. They use this, and teachers’ feedback, to improve and make further progress. Teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

use pupils’ errors well as the focus for clarifying misconceptions and extending understanding.  Teachers’ good classroom management and well-established routines ensure that no learning time is wasted. When specific groups are not being directly supervised by an adult, during guided reading for example, well-planned systems for self-correction enable pupils to mark their own work. They do this sensibly, make improvements and move on. In turn, this means that teachers and teaching assistants can support other groups or individuals without interruption.  Planning for learning includes opportunities for pupils to revisit work previously learned so that they can then apply it to new contexts. One lesson began with pupils playing a game to revise the rules of algebra before applying this knowledge to plan aspects of a music festival.  The teaching of mathematics has been transformed. Pupils no longer learn to use

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

mathematics in isolation from real-life contexts. In mathematics lessons they use reasoning and problem-solving skills from Year 1 upwards.  Teachers have undertaken considerable training in the teaching of phonics. In the early years and key stage 1, teachers and teaching assistants are highly skilled in teaching the link between sounds, letters and spelling patterns. They ensure that pupils increasingly use this knowledge in their writing.  In English, and across other subjects of the curriculum, teachers place well-chosen texts and stories at the centre of learning. These gain pupils’ attention from the outset and feed their imaginations.  The school’s cross-curricular approach to learning, with high-quality texts used as the starting point, ensures that pupils reinforce literacy and numeracy skills across subjects other than English and mathematics.  Pupils and parents told inspectors that homework is set regularly for all ages. Year 6

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

pupils said that homework helps them to reinforce what has been learned in class.  Parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and those who spoke to inspectors, said that they receive regular and useful information about their children’s progress in all aspects of school life.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive. They listen respectfully to the contributions of others and then build upon them. They collaborate well, share and take turns  In discussions with inspectors and through Ofsted’s online questionnaire, parents praised the school for the academic and pastoral care that it affords their children.  The school provides strong care and welfare for those who are vulnerable or going through difficult times in their lives. Staff give very good pastoral and academic support to Traveller pupils when they come on and off the school’s roll other than at the usual times.  The school council gives all pupils a say in school life and shows them democracy in action. Each class elects a secretary and chairperson. Older pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities such as helping younger ones as play leaders

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Personal development and welfare

and reading buddies.  One of the school’s stated core values is ‘to build and develop a mutual respect, tolerance and appreciation of others’. This is reflected in all aspects of school life, including relationships, resources and displays. The school promotes diversity and encourages pupils to embrace difference of every kind. The curriculum reflects differences in race, culture, religion and sexuality.  Pupils know how bullying can affect the lives of individuals. They told inspectors that bullying does not happen in their school. They trust the school’s staff to prevent it or deal with it should it ever happen.  Pupils feel safe in the school. They are confident that teachers have taught them how to keep themselves safe from physical and emotional harm.  Personal, social and health education is addressed during themed days and across a variety of subjects of the curriculum. Pupils know the importance of exercise and how

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school is an orderly community with a calm and pleasant atmosphere. The vast majority of pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and at social times.  Pupils told inspectors about the ‘well-being and ready to learn’ policy. They explained the system of rewards and sanctions and said that it worked well almost all of the time. A very small number of pupils who have specific emotional and behavioural needs do not always understand rewards and sanctions and so are helped by skilled staff to pay attention and behave well.  The vast majority of pupils follow instructions quickly. They respond positively to well- established routines and move around the school quietly and calmly. At social times, they enjoy each other’s company and chat and play well. They are respectful towards one another and are courteous to visitors.  Pupils’ overall attendance has been very weak for at least three years but leaders have

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Behaviour

reversed this trend. The school’s attendance is now just above the national average for primary schools. Without those pupils who are admitted to and leave the school at other than the usual times this picture would be even more positive.  Teaching and support staff work hard with pupils and their families to improve the attendance of individuals. In this they are helped by educational welfare officers from the local authority. They use a wide range of rewards, sanctions and support. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils has improved considerably and is almost in line with that of others in the school.  The school’s work with families to improve pupils’ punctuality has also borne fruit. The headteacher and deputy headteacher greet each pupil individually every morning as they arrive at school. This has contributed to pupils wanting to be at school on time and this year far fewer pupils are late.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Unvalidated results in national tests show that, with similar prior attainment to last year’s pupils, the current Years 2 and 6 have made more progress than those in previous years. The proportions attaining the expected standard and greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics combined at key stage 1 and the expected and higher standard in English and mathematics combined at key stage 2 have risen to above national averages for 2018.  Inspectors’ observation of lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work and teachers’ assessments showed clearly that pupils currently in the school make strong progress. A significant proportion of pupils joined the school at varying points after the start of Year 1. Staff have supported them well in making up for gaps in their learning but for some there is not enough time before national tests to catch up fully with their peers.  The school’s work to ensure that the most able pupils are sufficiently challenged has

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Outcomes for pupils Good

been effective in reading and mathematics. For current Years 2 and 6, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher standard/greater depth in reading and mathematics has risen considerably. Standards in writing have remained similar to those attained in previous years.  In both key stages 1 and 2, inspection evidence and unvalidated results show that improvements to the mathematics curriculum and teaching have had a significant impact. Pupils’ progress and attainment in mathematics have improved greatly. In Years 2 and 6, the proportions of pupils who have achieved the expected standard and higher standards/greater depth are now higher than the 2018 national average.  From Year 1 to Year 6, pupils apply mathematics confidently to everyday situations. They successfully combine reasoning and problem-solving with their mathematical knowledge and understanding.  In key stages 1 and 2, at the expected standard, pupils’ attainment in reading has

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Outcomes for pupils Good

deteriorated. This is in part due to the lower standards achieved by those joining the school at other than the usual times. However, although inspectors found the teaching of reading to be good, standards are negatively affected by pupils not having enough opportunities in school or at home to read widely for pleasure.  Improved teaching of phonics has resulted in a significant rise in the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the phonics screening check. The school’s results for this year are now in line with the 2018 national average.  The differences between the progress of disadvantaged pupils and that of their non- disadvantaged peers are diminishing across all year groups in reading and mathematics. This is in part due to better attendance. However, despite improvements, disadvantaged pupils still achieve less than their peers, especially in writing.  Good curriculum sequencing has ensured that in English pupils write with increasing

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Outcomes for pupils Good

accuracy and sophistication in relation to spelling, grammar, genre and style. The development of the use of a wider vocabulary, particularly by disadvantaged pupils, to improve the quality of writing is an ongoing school priority.  Pupils make good links between subjects. Good curriculum planning allows them to develop specific skills in subjects such as science and geography while also enhancing their proficiency in literacy and numeracy.

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Early years provision Good

 In the early years children make a good start to their education and leave Reception well prepared for starting Year 1.  Children enter the Nursery class with skills broadly typical for their age. This also applies to entry to Reception, when 30% of children are new to the school. Progress overall during children’s time in the early years is good across all areas of learning. The proportion of pupils who reach a good level of development by the end of Reception is above the national average.  The head of the early years effectively leads a strong team of staff which ensures that the learning and pastoral needs of the children in their care are well met.  The indoor and outdoor areas used by children are well resourced and provide a stimulating learning environment. Inside, children’s work is celebrated in colourful displays.  Children move smoothly from one activity to another. There is a good balance between

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Early years provision Good

activities suggested by adults and those chosen by children themselves.  Staff have taught children how to behave well and interact well with one another. They use equipment sensibly, take turns, share and work well collaboratively when teachers ask them to do so.  Staff are well qualified and their teaching has been enhanced by a rich programme of training. Teaching is characterised by good-quality conversations between adults and children. Staff are skilled at using questions which increase children’s understanding and develop and extend their vocabulary.  The curriculum is planned thematically so that skills and knowledge are frequently revisited to build on what the children have already learned.  Staff in the early years have built strong relationships with parents and involve them in their children’s learning. Parents speak positively about the school and how they feel that their children are safe and well cared for.

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Early years provision Good

 In the early years, the school has begun to use an electronic system by which staff record their observations and assessments of children. This system allows parents to see regularly how their children are progressing. As this system is new, the school is using the previous system of paper-based learning journals alongside it. Parents told inspectors that staff are approachable and always ready to discuss children.  Children’s welfare and pastoral needs are well met. They are safe and well supervised.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19–20 January 2017

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Information about this school

 Springside Primary is a little smaller than the average primary school.  The number of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is almost double the national average.  The proportion of pupils who receive support for SEND is considerably higher than the national figure.  The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is considerably higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is lower than the average for primary schools.  The proportion of pupils whose first language is not or is believed not to be English is lower than the national average for primary schools.  Staff work in collaboration with other local schools via a school improvement network.

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Information about this school

 Bury local authority provides a school-effectiveness partner and a school improvement partner.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited classrooms to observe teaching and pupils’ learning.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s baseline assessments of pupils when they started Nursery and Reception.  Inspectors observed and spoke to pupils during lessons and at playtimes.  Inspectors met formally with two groups of pupils. An inspector heard a range of pupils read.  Inspectors held discussions with staff, middle and senior leaders, members of the governing body, the school improvement partner and the school-effectiveness partner from Bury local authority.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including arrangements for safeguarding. They took account of the school’s information about pupils’ outcomes and scrutinised pupils’ books and assessment information.  Inspectors considered 57 responses to Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire), including 52 free-text comments. They also considered 22 responses to Ofsted’s online

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Information about this inspection

questionnaire for staff and 39 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils.

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Inspection team

Liz Kelly, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kathleen McArthur 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

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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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