Newchurch Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Newchurch Community Primary School Glebeland, Culcheth, Warrington, Cheshire WA3 4DX

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Outcome

Newchurch Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newchurch Community Primary School is a friendly and cheerful place to learn and work. Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. They know that staff are keen for them to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of all pupils. In turn, pupils behave well and work hard in lessons. They show an interest in what they are learning. Pupils play happily together at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Pupils who spoke with me said that bullying hardly ever happens and if it does, it gets sorted out quickly. One pupil commented, ‘If we make the wrong choices, we are given a solution to help us improve.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop confidence and independence. Adults plan activities to make sure that the school’s motto, ‘preparing to fly’, links to real experiences for pupils. One example among many is the Newchurch Festival. Every aspect of this community event is planned, designed and performed by pupils. Pupils are encouraged to express their views on how to improve the school. They are tolerant and respectful of those who may be different from themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers who responded to the online survey were highly complimentary about the school. As one parent wrote, ‘We couldn’t wish for a better school. Each child has an equal chance to flourish.’

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

Leaders, staff and governors want the very best for pupils. Leaders ensure that all pupils study a broad range of subjects. They plan the curriculum carefully so that pupils are able to build on their knowledge as they move through the school. Subject leaders who are new to their role are well supported by senior leaders.

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

Children enjoy learning in early years. Teachers plan fun and interesting activities that develop children’s curiosity. Children learn letter names and sounds from the start of Reception Year. There is also a strong and effective focus on developing children’s 19–20 November 2019

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vocabulary. For example, children in the Reception class talked with confidence about animals that hibernate and could name animals that are nocturnal.

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Leaders promote a love of reading across the school. Teachers read books that capture pupils’ interest and imagination. One pupil told me she couldn’t wait to find out what happened next in their class reading book, ‘Eleven’. Pupils are encouraged to read frequently. Most pupils develop into successful readers and achieve well by the time they leave school. However, some of the books used to develop reading skills for younger pupils are too difficult.

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Mathematics is a strength across the school. Teachers are appropriately trained and supported to teach mathematics. The carefully planned curriculum helps teachers to know what to teach and when. It also helps pupils to develop their mathematical knowledge and skills well over time.

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Pupils learn well in a range of other subjects. In science, pupils have many opportunities to develop their scientific knowledge and understanding. They are challenged to find things out for themselves. For example, Year 4 pupils investigate which materials are good electrical conductors or insulators. Pupils delight in their success when they complete a circuit. The curriculum in art is ambitious and is planned in a logical order. This helps teachers to develop pupils’ skills and their appreciation of art. It was a joy to see this in classes across the school. For example, Year 1 pupils talked confidently about the use of warm and cool colours in their work. In Year 6, pupils experimented with hue, tint, tone and definition.

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Pupils concentrate fully in the calm, well-ordered classrooms. They work cooperatively together, taking turns and listening to each other’s point of view.

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The school’s curriculum helps pupils to find out more about the world in which they live. Leaders help to bring learning alive through a wide range of exciting educational trips and visits. Leaders are keen to broaden pupils’ learning through guest speakers. Pupils spoke excitedly about visits to the Lowry Museum and working alongside the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

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Leaders are committed to all pupils achieving their very best. Staff are well trained in understanding how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points in this inclusive school. However, some of the individual plans for pupils are out of date. Leaders have not checked whether the extra support pupils receive is working as intended.

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The newly appointed headteacher and deputy headteacher, skilfully supported by governors, have made staff well-being a priority. They keep a close eye on staff workload. Teachers, including those who are new to the profession, feel very well supported and are proud to work at the school. A typical comment from a teacher was, ‘In Newchurch, we are a strong team who work hard together to get the job done.’ 19–20 November 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding throughout the school. Pupils are confident that adults will act in their best interests. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe on the internet and in the community.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff know pupils and their families very well. This helps them to spot early signs that a pupil may be in need of additional support. Staff are well trained and understand their roles in keeping pupils safe. Records of concerns and subsequent actions are clear and carefully maintained.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the reading books that are given to younger pupils who are at the early stages of reading do not reflect their point of development. As a result, these pupils find reading difficult. Leaders need to ensure that the books that teachers provide for pupils to read are well matched to their ability and their phonics knowledge.  Pupils with SEND are supported well in class. Leaders should make sure that pupils’ individual plans are regularly checked so that they know whether the support pupils receive is working as intended or if more help is needed.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2012.

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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. 19–20 November 2019

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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. 19–20 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111022 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 28 January 2016

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, a new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed to the school.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club. This provision is managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, and middle leaders, including the leader who oversees the provision for pupils with SEND.  I met with four members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  I considered the following subjects in depth as part of the inspection: reading and phonics, science and art. My inspection activity included evaluation of curriculum planning, visits to lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work, listening to pupils read, discussion with subject leaders and teachers, and discussions with pupils about their learning in these subjects.  A range of documents were examined, including the school’s self-evaluation and 19–20 November 2019

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curriculum improvement plans.  I examined the single central record of checks on the suitability of adults to work with pupils and reviewed a sample of the school’s safeguarding records.  I spoke with some parents during the inspection.  I took account of 42 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. I also considered 40 free-text responses from parents. I took account of seven responses to the inspection questionnaires that were completed by members of staff.

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Inspection team

Cathy Parkinson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19–20 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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