Pinfold Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Pinfold Primary School Pinfold Lane, Scarisbrick, Ormskirk, Lancashire L40 8HR

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Outcome

Pinfold Primary School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff greet pupils and their families with a warm welcome at the start of the school day. Pupils settle down to learning quickly. Most pupils think that behaviour is generally good in class and at breaktimes. Pupils are supervised well when they are not in lessons. Pupils lose interest when work is not challenging enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that teachers and teaching assistants want them to do well. Teachers plan opportunities for learning outdoors. Pupils enjoy the trips and visits beyond their local community. They told us how much they had seen and done during their trip to Liverpool. Several pupils talked to us about how different the city is in comparison to where they live. Teachers use these experiences to bring learning to life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff teach pupils to show respect for each other. Pupils are clear about rewards for good behaviour. Poor behaviour is quickly dealt with by staff. Most pupils said that bullying is rare, but staff sort it out. Several parents and carers told inspectors how happy their children are at this school. A small minority think that communication between school and home could be better.

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

The headteacher knows that pupils do not make strong progress in some subjects. Support from the local authority is helping her to train teachers to make changes to their planning. Specialist advisers and a headteacher from another school are working with staff. Teachers are starting to plan learning so that pupils build on what they know and can do. Teachers ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) do similar work to other pupils. The work for some pupils with SEND is not always at the right level.

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

The headteacher and teachers prioritise reading. Staff use one approach to teach phonics. 3 October 2019

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In early years and key stage 1, the teacher and teaching assistant build on what pupils already know so that pupils develop how they use their phonics knowledge to work out unfamiliar words. Many pupils enjoy reading. However, there are some older pupils who do not have a favourite book or author. The headteacher knows that pupils need a wider choice of books to spark their interest in reading from a young age.

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The headteacher leads on the teaching of mathematics. She is training staff on a new approach to teaching mathematics. Teachers are developing their confidence in how they plan activities. They do not always build on pupils’ knowledge from previous lessons. Occasionally, teachers do not adapt their teaching in lessons when pupils find work too easy or too hard. This is evident in pupils’ books. For example, younger pupils are sometimes asked to complete calculations which are too challenging. The less able and those with SEND sometimes struggle.

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Leaders know that they have more work to do in planning pupils’ learning in geography. Teachers support pupils in learning how to read maps. Over time, pupils build on skills in reading four- to six-figure grid references. Pupils learn about what makes people move from the countryside to urban areas. However, pupils were unclear about how this was building on previous learning.

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In the early years, children settle well into school routines. This is because staff are kind and caring. Children play well together in Nursery. Staff use every opportunity to develop children’s speech and language skills. For example, children talked enthusiastically about what they had seen on their visit to Liverpool. In Reception, children were keen to show us their favourite books. They could talk about the characters and recall the storyline. Staff are now developing children’s love of stories and rhymes from an early age.

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In class, pupils generally behave well. If work is too easy or too hard, pupils lose interest and lack concentration. This means that pupils are losing learning time. Pupils’ attendance was much lower than average last year. The headteacher is working with families to help them to improve their children’s attendance. Pupils’ attendance is improving.

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Teachers develop pupils’ spiritual, moral and social skills well. Their cultural understanding is not as strong. Pupils told us that ‘everyone is different’. They know that there are many different faiths and cultures in Britain. Pupils recalled that Christians worship in church. However, they could not remember where people from other faiths might worship.

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The headteacher and governors have taken difficult decisions in relation to staffing. This has unsettled some staff. Most teachers accept the need for change in how they plan the curriculum. They are adapting their teaching to improve pupils’ learning. But there is still much to do. Most staff believe that the headteacher is mindful of their workload and well- being.

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Governors have limited skills to enable them to support and challenge leaders. Governors are being supported by the local authority. Together they are developing an action plan for the governing body. 3 October 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The new safeguarding team has taken action to bring staff up to date with their training. Staff know how to spot if pupils may be at risk of harm. They take action to keep pupils safe. Safeguarding records are thorough. Staff ensure that risks are assessed so that pupils are kept safe when they go on trips.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher and teachers work with external agencies. This ensures that pupils and their families get the support that they need. Pupils told us that if they had worries, they could speak to an adult. Pupils clearly understood that it is not safe to make friends online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The headteacher has identified that the quality of education across the school is variable. She has secured help from the local authority and another headteacher. In subjects such as mathematics and geography, pupils have gaps in their learning. Teachers need supporting to further develop their planning across the curriculum. They need to use assessment information accurately so that they organise work which builds on what pupils, including those with SEND, already know and can do.  Staff use a systematic approach to teaching phonics and early reading. Some older pupils have not developed a love of reading. The headteacher has rightly identified that there are too few non-fiction books in the school. A more varied choice of reading materials is needed so that pupils experience the joy of reading as they move through the school.  Staff prioritise pupils’ personal development. However, pupils’ knowledge of different

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

religions and cultures is limited. Leaders need to embed learning about the diversity within Britain across the curriculum. This will help pupils to be better prepared for life.  The headteacher and governors have agreed several necessary changes across the school. Some of the changes are not fully understood by parents. Leaders need to ensure that communication between school and home clearly informs parents about what is changing.  Governors need the continued support of the local authority in developing their skills. They need to be able to accurately assess how well the school is doing compared to other schools.

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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/outstanding. 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 3 October 2019

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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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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 8 May 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.

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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. 3 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087691 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–8 May 2015

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2018.  A restructure of the staff team took place in the summer term of 2019.  From September 2019, the Nursery provision came under the management of the school.  The school now manages the breakfast and after-school provision.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, who now leads the provision for pupils with SEND, a representative from the local authority and several governors.  We looked in detail at reading, mathematics and geography. We visited lessons in these subjects, talked to teachers, undertook a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work and talked with pupils about their learning.  We examined a range of documents, including information about pupils’ attendance, improvement plans, self-evaluation information, curriculum planning and staff training records.  We checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures and the school’s single 3 October 2019

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central record. Inspectors met with leaders, staff, pupils and governors to check how effective safeguarding is in school.  We spoke with parents during the inspection. There were not enough responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, to generate a report. We considered the very few free-text responses from parents.  We talked with pupils informally at playtimes, visited the dining hall at lunchtime and observed pupils’ movement around the school. Formal meetings also took place with groups of pupils.

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Inspection team

Naomi Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Adrian Francis Ofsted Inspector 3 October 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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