High Lawn Primary School

Inspection of a good school: High Lawn Primary School Holden Avenue, Sharples, Bolton, Lancashire BL1 7EX

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Outcome

High Lawn Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school, and they say that learning is fun. They feel very lucky to have lovely, spacious school grounds. Pupils love their outdoor lessons, especially those in the school forest area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers make sure that pupils achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders check that pupils receive the right support. This includes for behaviour, learning and social and emotional needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils are very proud of their leadership roles in school. For example, they help at lunchtimes, in the school office and in assemblies. The school council helps to organise events such as charity cake sales. Pupils learn how to be responsible, considerate and organised.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In and around school pupils behave well. They are very polite and welcoming. Pupils told me that adults stop any bullying. Pupils feel safe in school. They know that adults listen to any worries that they have. Pupils explained how helpful they find the ‘mindfulness moments’ in school. Yoga, breathing exercises and meditation help them to relax and get ready to learn.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have put in place a well-balanced and interesting curriculum. Teachers check how well pupils are learning. When pupils are falling behind, teachers give them help to catch up. As a result, pupils achieve well across this school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In mathematics, pupils are confident and successful. Over time, they become accurate in their written calculations. Pupils have lots of practice learning facts, including times tables and number bonds. Teachers make sure that when pupils make mistakes, they have time to get better at their work. 25–26 September 2019

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Leaders, teachers and pupils understand that reading is very important. Pupils read very often in school. Most pupils become confident readers. They enjoy the wide range of books and novels that they can choose from. Staff share stories, rhymes and books with children as soon as they start Nursery. Staff have had lots of training in the teaching of phonics. Because of this, teachers plan phonics lessons which help pupils become more fluent readers. They use this information to plan work that matches pupils’ reading abilities. Pupils who find phonics difficult get support to catch up. Sometimes staff give these pupils reading books which are too difficult. This hinders the progress that these pupils make in learning new sounds confidently.

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In geography, pupils can remember some facts from the topics that they have studied. For example, Year 6 pupils could name oceans and continents. They explained the difference between human and physical geographical features. Leaders have recently changed the geography curriculum plans. These plans are designed to help pupils build on their learning as they move through the school. Leaders are improving the way that they check what pupils have learned in geography.

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In the early years classes, children are happy and calm. They learn to play well together and follow school routines. The classrooms in Nursery and Reception are attractive and well resourced. Adults prepare lots of interesting and exciting activities. These help children explore and discover new things. During my visit to Reception, children were enjoying learning about numbers in lots of different and fun ways. Teachers give parents and carers plenty of useful information. This tells parents how they can help their children to learn at home.

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Pupils appreciate other cultures and religions. Pupils talked about their visits to a synagogue, a mosque and a church. These visits helped them understand more about different faiths. In geography, pupils learned lots of interesting information about the culture in South America. Pupils were keen to know more.

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Staff provide a wide range of clubs and trips for pupils. These include chess, baking, gardening and dance. Leaders make sure that all pupils can go to clubs that they enjoy. Older pupils enjoy an outdoor and adventurous residential trip. Through a wide range of interesting experiences, staff make sure that pupils are ready for their next stage of education.

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This is a happy school. Leaders look after teachers’ well-being. Staff told me that leaders take great care to support them. Teachers work together to develop their skills and share their expertise. For example, in mathematics, subject specialists have supported their colleagues to improve their teaching.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff have regular training. Staff know how to check for signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff act quickly when they have any concerns. Leaders work closely with other agencies and professionals. This means that pupils and their 25–26 September 2019

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families get the support that they need.

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Staff teach pupils about the risks that they might face in their everyday lives, including road safety. The school’s computing lead ensures that pupils know how to keep safe when online. Pupils know that they should speak to a trusted adult if they are worried or upset.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In geography, leaders have recently improved the school’s curricular plan. The improvements have been made so that that the sequence of learning in geography helps all pupils to know and remember more. Leaders have put in place plans to train staff to deliver these improvements. Leaders are also developing the way they check whether pupils make good progress in geography. Leaders need to check whether these improvements are having the intended impact on improving pupils’ knowledge and understanding in geography.  In phonics, teachers give pupils reading books which are sometimes too difficult for them to practise their decoding skills. Teachers need to ensure that reading books are well matched to pupils’ skills, enabling them to develop their confidence and fluency in reading.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged High Lawn Primary School to be good on March 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 25–26 September 2019

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 25–26 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10058086 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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governing body

Website www.highlawnprimaryandnursery.net

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governing body

Date of previous inspection 3-–4 March 2015

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher. I spoke with a representative from the local authority. I also met with the coordinator of the provision for pupils with SEND and the school’s behaviour lead.  I held a meeting with five governors, including the chair of governors.  Geography, mathematics and reading were considered as part of this inspection. For each of these subjects, inspection activities included discussions with leaders, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils about their learning. In reading, an inspector also observed a member of staff listening to pupils read.  I checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures and the school’s single central record. I met with leaders, staff, the school’s social worker and pupils to check how effective safeguarding is in school.  I met with parents at the school gate to seek their views. I also considered 42

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responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, including free-text responses.  I considered 30 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.  During the inspection, I met with groups of pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 and observed lunchtimes and playtimes.  I examined a range of documents. These included the school’s development plans, self- evaluation documents and minutes of the governing body meetings.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 25–26 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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