Crumpsall Lane Primary School

Inspection of Crumpsall Lane Primary School Crumpsall Lane, Crumpsall, Manchester M8 5SR

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 14–15 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school. Pupils behave well, work hard and rarely miss a day. They are well looked after and feel safe in the school. They get on well with their classmates and the adults who teach them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Achievement is improving, particularly in mathematics. However, the quality of education at the school is not good enough for pupils to achieve well across all subjects. Staff do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils can learn. Leaders recently introduced plans to improve the curriculum, so that pupils learn more effectively in subjects outside of English and mathematics. However, these changes are yet to have a significant impact on pupils’ learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind towards each other. They have good manners and were keen to talk with the inspection team. Pupils told us that bullying happens from time to time. They said that staff sort problems out, although occasionally problems persist and senior leaders have to resolve matters. Pupils enjoy the many clubs that are available. They also enjoy the educational trips that they go on, though some pupils, parents and carers said that they would like more of these opportunities.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked with staff to improve pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ learning in these subjects is improving steadily. That said, not enough pupils gain the skills that they need to read fluently by the end of key stages 1 and 2. Previous weaknesses in the teaching of early reading have led to gaps in pupils’ learning. This also hinders the progress that some pupils make in other subjects.

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better?

Leaders have made some improvements to the teaching of phonics. However, more needs to be done, particularly for those pupils who struggle with early reading. Currently, the support that they receive is not well structured, so these pupils do not develop their phonics knowledge well enough. Also, the books that these pupils read are often not well matched to their reading ability. As a result, they are falling further behind.

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better?

Pupils achieve well in mathematics. The curriculum is well structured. This helps pupils to build on what they already know and can do. There are also strengths in science and computing. Careful and detailed curriculum planning means that these subjects are taught in a sequence that helps pupils to learn more and remember more.

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better?

Leaders are making changes to the way that history and geography are taught. Previously, there was often no clear link in lessons to what pupils had already learned in these subjects. Teachers often failed to check on how well pupils were learning and how much they understood. Leaders have recently introduced new 14–15 January 2020

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curriculum plans in these subjects. These plans are organised so that pupils’ knowledge builds sequentially as they move through the school. However, these changes are yet to have an impact on pupils’ learning.

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A high proportion of pupils start or leave the school at different points in the school year. Many of these pupils speak English as an additional language. Staff make careful assessments of new pupils as they start at the school. Additional support is provided, where necessary, to ensure that these pupils settle in quickly and are able to start learning across all subjects. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) also receive good support. Staff adapt the curriculum where possible so that pupils with SEND can fully access what is being taught.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. Attendance is well above the national average, and very few pupils are persistently absent from the school.

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Leadership in the early years is effective. The curriculum for the youngest children is well planned. Leaders ensure that there is a strong focus on developing children’s communication skills. Children are surrounded by books, and staff constantly talk with children about the activities that they are engaged with. Staff introduce children to stories, songs and rhymes from their first days in the school. Staff also ensure that children develop confidence when working with number. Staff constantly look for opportunities to develop children’s knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, many children were seen discussing a large map that staff had drawn to represent the different activities in the outdoor area.

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The school places great importance on pupils’ personal development. Staff work effectively to develop qualities such as tolerance and respect for those who are different. Pupils also enjoy the extra responsibilities they are given, such as school council members and ‘Well-being Warriors’. The school provides high-quality pastoral support, particularly for those pupils who sometimes struggle to cope with school life. Pupils understand how to eat healthily and the importance of keeping physically and mentally healthy.

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Staff are generally supportive of the school’s leadership team. They say that school leaders are mindful of their workload and support them well in managing pupils’ behaviour.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school’s safeguarding leaders are well trained and ensure that staff fully understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Leaders ensure that appropriate safeguarding checks are made on all adults who work at the school. Leaders work closely with external agencies, where necessary, to ensure that vulnerable pupils and their families are given the support that they need. 14–15 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders recognise that weaknesses in the curriculum planning for some subjects, such as geography and history, held pupils’ learning back. Also, teachers did not have a good understanding of how well pupils were developing their knowledge and understanding in these subjects. New curriculum plans have recently been introduced, setting out what pupils should learn and when. Leaders now need to ensure that the plans are implemented fully. They also need to ensure that teachers make regular checks on how well pupils are learning and building their knowledge in these subjects.  The support that is provided for pupils who struggle to develop their early reading skills is not effective. As a result, too many pupils fail to reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Teacher need to ensure that the support that they provide for pupils who struggle with their early reading is structured more effectively. They also need to ensure that the books that these

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils read are at a level that matches their phonics knowledge.  The proportion of pupils who reach the expected standard in reading at the end of both key stage 1 and key stage 2 is well below the national average. This is due to previous weaknesses in curriculum planning which have led to gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge and skills. These gaps prevent many pupils from being able to learn as well as they should across all subjects. Staff need to ensure that reading is taught consistently well, so that all pupils have the opportunity to read widely and often.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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 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. 14–15 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121963 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Ms Pat Adams (executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 December 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There has been a significant increase in the proportion of pupils entering or leaving the school at different times in the school year. This figure is now well above the national average.  Several members of staff have taken up subject leadership roles at the school over the past 12 months.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, we looked in depth at reading, mathematics, science and history. We also looked at pupils’ learning in geography and computing. We met with groups of pupils, curriculum leaders and teachers to talk about the quality of education at the school.  Our inspection activity included: evaluation of curriculum planning; scrutiny of the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans; visits to lessons with leaders; 14–15 January 2020

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scrutiny of pupils’ work; listening to pupils read; discussions with teachers; and discussions with pupils about their learning.  We observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at dinnertime. We spoke with pupils about their learning and their experience of the school. We looked at pupils’ work across a range of subjects to see how well the curriculum is implemented.  We held discussions with the executive headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team. We also met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  We met with subject leaders and the teacher who coordinates support for pupils with SEND. An inspector also met with the early years leader to discuss the curriculum and children’s progress.  We looked at the school’s safeguarding records and procedures. An inspector scrutinised the checks that leaders make on staff prior to them starting at the

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school. We reviewed pupils’ attendance. We also discussed safeguarding and behaviour when meeting with pupils and teachers.  An inspector met with three governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body.  We talked to parents before the school day on the second day of the inspection. We considered the 14 responses to Ofsted’s online survey Parent View. We also considered the 31 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Tomkow, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Rigby Ofsted Inspector 14–15 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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