Healey Foundation Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Healey Foundation Primary School Earnshaw Avenue, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL12 0ST

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Outcome

Healey Foundation 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 because teachers make learning fun and interesting. Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development extremely well. Pupils feel safe and cared for because adults listen to them. Pupils said that they are encouraged to keep trying and not to give up. Leaders, staff and governors have created a learning community where pupils thrive, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. Pupils work hard in lessons. They are polite and well-mannered. They conduct themselves well around school. Pupils said that behaviour is good, and that bullying is rare. If bullying does happen, it is resolved quickly. Lunchtimes are calm and well supervised as pupils chat and play happily with their friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils develop as caring members of the school by looking after children in the Reception class. Pupils hold positions of responsibility in school. Many are members of different committees. This contributes well to their preparation for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide opportunities that help to broaden pupils’ experiences. Pupils talked enthusiastically about the clubs and activities they can be part of. They enjoy trips within the local area and the interesting visitors they have in school. Older pupils look forward to the residential trip where they are able to challenge themselves by trying new activities. Partnerships with parents and carers are strong. Most parents would recommend the school to others

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

Leaders identify what they want pupils to know in each year group. Curriculum plans set out the order that this knowledge is to be taught. Training for teachers enables them to deliver the curriculum effectively. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to succeed. Learning is planned effectively to meet pupils’ needs. Disruption in lessons is rare. All pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, achieve well. 12–13 November 2019

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Leaders have made changes to the way mathematics is taught. The youngest children develop early mathematical knowledge well. They have lots of opportunities to practise what they know. Teachers adapt their plans carefully to help pupils who are struggling. Pupils tackle mathematical problems with confidence. However, they sometimes struggle to explain what strategies they have used. This hinders their ability to solve more-complex mathematical problems. Most pupils achieve well in mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Pupils achieve well in subjects beyond reading, writing and mathematics. This is because the curriculum helps pupils to build on what they already know. For example, Year 6 pupils explained how their learning in geography in Year 5 helped them to understand the physical geographical features of the Scandinavian countries that they are studying. In geography, teachers use assessment information to identify what pupils need to do next. Leaders have plans in place to ensure that teachers check what pupils know and remember in other subjects.

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Leaders foster a love of reading in pupils from the day they start school in the Reception class. The teaching of reading has the highest priority in the school. Children learn the sounds that letters make. The books that they read match the sounds that they are learning. Leaders provide parents with the help they need to read with their children at home. Most pupils reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Pupils who fall behind, or those who find learning more difficult, are given the help that they need to catch up. Most pupils read with accuracy and fluency. They understand what they are reading.

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Pupils’ increasing vocabulary enables them to access a wide range of books, including information books that support pupils’ studies across the curriculum. Older pupils talked with enthusiasm about their favourite authors. They recommend books to others. Most pupils are competent and confident readers by the end of key stage 2.

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Leaders enhance pupils’ learning through a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. There is a wide range of clubs, including sports, choir and activities in the school’s forest area.

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Governors use their knowledge and skills well to support leaders and staff. They hold leaders to account to ensure that the quality of education is appropriate for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. They are proud to be governors of this happy school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that adults in school are suitable to work with pupils. Training for staff ensures that they understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns about any potential risks to pupils. Leaders work together with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils and their families get the help that they need quickly. All records relating to safeguarding are detailed and well maintained.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations through well- 12–13 November 2019

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planned assemblies and activities. Leaders provide parents with information on how to keep their children safe, including when they are using the internet and social media.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers check what pupils know and understand, especially in geography, reading, phonics and mathematics. Leaders need to ensure that teachers check what pupils know and remember in other subjects and ensure that teachers use this information effectively to further improve pupils’ achievement.  Leaders have improved the way mathematics is taught. They now need to ensure that pupils are able to explain the strategies that they use to help them solve more-complex mathematical problems.

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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 the school to be good in 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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 12–13 November 2019

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pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087685 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Simon Carrington

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School details

Website https://www.healeyprimaryschool.co.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6–7 May 2015

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed and will take up post from January 2020.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, I spoke with pupils about their work and school life. I spoke with members of the governing body, the headteacher, subject leaders and members of staff. I also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  I reviewed a range of documentation, including curriculum plans, plans for the school’s further improvement and documentation about attendance and safeguarding.  I considered the seven responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and the school’s own parent survey. I also spoke with parents at the start of the school day. I considered the 13 responses from the online staff survey and the 48 responses to the pupil survey.  I considered some subjects in greater detail. These were: reading and phonics, mathematics, and geography. I held discussions with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work, talked with teachers and talked with pupils about their learning.

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Information about this inspection

I also listened to pupils read. 12–13 November 2019

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Inspection team

Amanda Stringer, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12–13 November 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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