Delph Side Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Delph Side Community Primary School Eskdale, Tanhouse, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 6ED

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Outcome

Delph Side Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school which has developed a key role at the centre of the local community. The school’s values, ‘enjoy, embrace, evolve’, are embedded into each school day and have a positive impact on school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at Delph Side. They have a strong sense of belonging and feel able to share any concerns or worries with staff. Pupils wear their uniforms with pride. They grow in confidence and develop a love of learning as they move through school. They work hard in lessons. Pupils told me that poor behaviour and bullying rarely happen and that staff quickly sort out any problems. Staff have high expectations of pupils. They are committed to equipping pupils with a good work ethic and values that will enable them to make the right moral choices.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are highly appreciative of the care and support that staff provide for their children. Every parent who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, would recommend the school. One parent captured the views of many when writing, ‘I cannot praise this school enough. You only have to look at the children’s faces each morning to see how much they love their school.’

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

This school is well led. Staff are fully supportive of the leadership team. All those who responded to the staff survey said that the school has improved since the previous inspection. They also said that leaders do all they can to ensure the school has a motivated, respected and effective teaching staff.

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

Pupils achieve well in reading. From their first days in school they are introduced to books and stories and begin to learn what it takes to become a successful reader. The phonics curriculum is well ordered. Teachers deliver the phonics programme well. Staff ensure that good support is provided for any child or pupil who struggles to develop their early reading skills. Teachers across the school ensure that pupils read regularly. They keep a 8–9 January 2020

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close check on pupils’ progress and introduce them to a wide range of literature. Older pupils read regularly and have an excellent knowledge of different authors and book types.

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The mathematics curriculum is well organised. This helps pupils to develop their mathematical knowledge and understanding in an ordered way. Many of the pupils that I met with told me how much they enjoy mathematics. Pupils work hard in lessons and are able to develop and apply their mathematical knowledge with increasing confidence as they move through the school. Pupils achieve well in mathematics at the end of key stage 2.

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At Delph Side, pupils study a broad range of subjects in line with the national curriculum. However, leaders recognise that improvements are needed in some subjects. Leaders have planned the curriculum based on the key knowledge they want pupils to know. However, leaders have not yet identified exactly what pupils are expected to learn by the end of each year group. As a result, there are gaps in pupils’ learning, and it is not clear how their knowledge will build over time.

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One of the school’s major strengths is the way that staff support pupils’ personal development. Teachers model the school’s strong moral values each day, and pupils behave well during lessons and breaktimes. Residential trips and a variety of after-school sports clubs provide opportunities for pupils to develop their confidence and skills. Staff are also well trained to support pupils’ mental health. The school’s ‘Happy Hangout’ room provides a haven for pupils who are experiencing anxiety or personal difficulties.

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Leaders and teachers ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn well. They have a thorough understanding of the individual needs of these pupils, and they make sure that they are supported in a way that helps them to access the same learning opportunities as other pupils. Staff provide highly effective and sensitive support for pupils with complex learning difficulties.

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Leaders have worked successfully to improve pupils’ attendance. Good attendance is celebrated. This encourages pupils to attend regularly. Overall attendance improved last year and was around the national average. However, there are still too many pupils who are persistently absent. This has a negative impact on the progress they make across the school.

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The early years curriculum is broad and carefully designed to cover all areas of learning. Staff make regular checks on children’s development, focusing in particular on pupils’ early reading and communication skills. Staff also provide good levels of care and support, which helps children to develop into confident learners.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at Delph Side. A team of senior leaders take overall responsibility for safeguarding. However, all members of staff understand what to 8–9 January 2020

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do if they have any concerns about a pupil’s safety or welfare. Leaders work closely with outside agencies, where appropriate, to support pupils and their families. Leaders also ensure that appropriate checks are made on all adults who work with pupils at the school. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s safeguarding policies and help to ensure that all statutory requirements are met.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are some weaknesses in the way that some subjects, other than English and mathematics, are planned and sequenced. For example, in science and history pupils’ learning often fails to build on what they have learned previously. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are aware of exactly what knowledge pupils need to develop in each year group. This will help pupils to know more and remember more in these subjects. Ofsted’s transition arrangements were used on this inspection to confirm that pupils benefit from a good quality of education.  School leaders have worked successfully to improve overall attendance. However, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school remains well above the national average. This is having a negative impact on the progress that these pupils are making. Leaders need to further improve attendance by reducing the number of pupils who are regularly absent from school.

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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 Delph Side Community Primary School to be good on 25–26 May 2016.

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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. 8–9 January 2020

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If you are the school and you are 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 pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 8–9 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122122 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 Lawrence Smye-Rumsby

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25–26 May 2016

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed. There are also two new assistant headteachers in post.  Since September 2019, the school has had provision for two-year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, I met with the headteacher and the two assistant headteachers. I also met with the teacher who coordinates support for pupils with SEND.  I met with five governors, including the chair of the governing body. I also held a discussion with a representative from the local authority.  I examined the single central safeguarding record and the checks that leaders make on staff prior to them starting at the school. I also spoke with those leaders responsible for safeguarding to discuss how pupils are kept safe.  I considered the following subjects in depth: reading, science, mathematics and history. Inspection activities included: evaluation of curriculum planning; scrutiny of improvement plans; visits to lessons with leaders; scrutiny of pupils’ work; listening to pupils read; discussions with subject leaders and teachers; and discussions with pupils 8–9 January 2020

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about their learning.  I spoke to pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. I also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  I took account of the 26 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. I also considered the 30 responses to the survey for staff and the 18 responses to the pupils’ survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Tomkow, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 8–9 January 2020

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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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