Edisford Primary School

Inspection of Edisford Primary School Edisford Road, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 2LN

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The previous ‘outstanding’ judgement reflected the school’s overall effectiveness in October 2008 under the relevant inspection framework at that time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The new judgement of ‘good’ reflects the current inspection framework as well as any changes at the school since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness Good

The school has not been inspected for 11 years, which is longer than the five-year maximum interval between inspections. Changes in school effectiveness may have happened at any point in that period. The long time between inspections is because the law changed in 2011; it made outstanding schools exempt from routine inspection. 26–27 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Edisford School is a vibrant and happy place where pupils thrive. The school’s curriculum is ambitious. Pupils rise to leaders’ and teachers’ high expectations. They achieve well, particularly in reading and mathematics. Pupils benefit from recent changes to the subjects they learn. However, not all the intended changes are complete.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who spoke with us told us they love coming to the school. They told us about how learning is made more interesting and exciting by experiences beyond the classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils spoke of the huge range of opportunities to take on roles of responsibility. They can do important jobs, including becoming a school ambassador. Ambassadors proudly represent the school in the community at events such as the Remembrance Day parade. Pupils relish taking part in the school’s personal development programme. Pupils develop their sporting and academic interests through the wide range of clubs and curriculum activities. Pupils gain badges for taking part in such activities. They wear their badges with pride.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The behaviour in school is excellent. Pupils are well-mannered and enthusiastic learners. Pupils say they feel safe in the school. They appreciate the trust that teachers have in them. Pupils get on well together. They say bullying is very rare. They are confident that staff would stop any that did happen.

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better?

Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils and children in the early years. This ambition is shared by staff and governors. Leaders have recently refined the curriculum to better suit the changing needs of pupils attending the school. However, these changes are not complete. Well-designed schemes of work are in place for most subjects. In a small number of subjects, such as science and geography, the transition to the new curriculum is not finished. Leaders are finalising the order in which knowledge will be taught. This means that in these subjects some lessons are not as well sequenced to help build pupils’ knowledge.

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better?

The school curriculum makes good use of the school grounds to enliven learning. In early years, leaders have developed outdoor provision greatly to provide an exciting environment in which to learn. For example, children now have opportunities to develop gardening skills in planting beds made from tyres. In 2019, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development in early years was in line with national averages.

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better?

Pupils achieve well. In key stage 1, pupils consolidate the knowledge built in early years and do as well as other seven-year-olds nationally. Pupils continue to achieve well in key stage 2. Here, achievement in reading and mathematics is particularly 26–27 February 2020

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strong. Attainment and progress were above average outcomes in the 2019 national assessments.

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Regular training helps teachers to develop secure knowledge of the subjects that they teach. In almost all subjects, teachers plan sequences of lessons that build on what pupils already know. They explain new ideas clearly so that pupils understand and apply new knowledge. In a small number of subjects, such as coding in computing, teachers are less knowledgeable. This means pupils do not develop their knowledge of the subject well enough.

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Effective monitoring means that any such gaps in teachers’ knowledge are known by the subject leaders. They have planned training to resolve these issues.

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Leaders know the importance of pupils being able to read fluently. They know that reading enables pupils to access learning in all subjects. Reading and the pupils’ development of a rich vocabulary are key priorities in the school. The teaching of phonics is carefully designed. Pupils get a good start to reading from the beginning in the Nursery class. They receive well-structured phonics teaching from the outset. The introduction of new words is carefully planned. This ensures that pupils develop and use a rich vocabulary. Pupils learn to read fluently and with expression. Pupils spoke eloquently about their love of reading. They told us that books allow them to ‘escape to imaginary worlds’.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school. They learn alongside their classmates and receive appropriate support to help them thrive. Caring staff, well managed by a knowledgeable leader, provide appropriate guidance and encouragement to enable pupils with SEND to succeed.

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Leaders have a good relationship with their staff and manage teachers’ workload carefully. They ensure that decisions relating to changes in working practices are of benefit to pupils.

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Leaders and staff promote pupils’ personal development strongly through the endeavours and flairs programmes. Purposeful personal and academic development activities nurture pupils’ self-confidence, resilience and organisational skills. Ambassadors set their classmates challenges. These challenges may include such things as learning a multiplication table. They then work as mentors to help their classmates achieve the challenge that has been set. All pupils attend adventurous activities and residentials. Pupils take part in community events and cultural trips linked to their studies.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, governors and all staff at Edisford Primary are committed to keeping pupils safe. Vigilant staff receive frequent training and have up-to-date knowledge of 26–27 February 2020

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safeguarding. All appropriate checks are completed to ensure the suitability of staff to work at the school. Leaders record safeguarding concerns diligently. They share information with the right people to protect pupils who may be at risk of harm. Governors ensure that the school’s internet connection is subject to appropriate monitoring and filtering to help protect pupils.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in some subjects. However, it is clear that leaders are implementing appropriate plans to resolve this issue. Ofsted transition statements were applied in this inspection.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects such as geography and science, the refinements to the curriculum are in a transitional phase. Consequently, lessons in a small number of subjects do not build sequentially on what pupils already know to allow them to develop a secure knowledge of the subject in depth. Leaders should complete their work to refine the curriculum and ensure that schemes of work that systematically develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding are implemented fully in all subjects.  Teachers have limited subject knowledge of coding within the computing curriculum. This means pupils do not develop their knowledge and understanding of this subject well enough. Leaders have planned appropriate training to improve teachers’ knowledge. Leaders must ensure that the staff improve their subject knowledge of coding and that the computing curriculum is fully implemented so that pupils achieve well.

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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. 26–27 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122164 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Robert Pye and Elizabeth Hamilton- Thorpe (Co-headteachers) Website http://www.edisford.lancsngfl.ac.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 October 2008

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school’s senior leader team has been restructured to include two co-headteachers.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, we looked in detail at reading, writing, science and geography. This involved discussions with leaders, visits to lessons, looking at examples of pupils’ work, discussions with teachers and discussions with pupils. We also listened to pupils reading.  We spoke with governors, the two co-headteachers and other senior and subject leaders.  We reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to governance, safeguarding and the checks carried out during the appointment of staff. We also reviewed curriculum plans and pupils’ work for other subjects alongside subject 26–27 February 2020

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leaders, including for music, computing, and personal, social, health and economic education.  We considered the 45 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents and the comments from parents who spoke with inspectors.

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Inspection team

John Nixon, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Metcalfe Ofsted Inspector 26–27 February 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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