All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Hough Green Road, Widnes, Cheshire WA8 4PG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good Primary School 4–5 March 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending the school. They are polite and welcoming. They follow teachers’ instructions sensibly, listen well during lessons and contribute to discussions. The pupils that we spoke with told us that behaviour is good most of the time. They said that staff do not accept bullying and will deal with issues when they happen. Pupils said that they feel safe at the school. Parents and carers told us that they value the quality of nurture and care that staff give to pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They take part in a number of clubs, including netball and football. They also attend residential visits in Years 2, 4 and 6. Pupils take on a range of responsibilities at the school, such as councillors or ambassadors. These roles prepare them well for their future lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The quality of current pupils’ work in English and mathematics is good. This is because staff now have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in all aspects of school life. Leaders and staff provide a range of extra support for these pupils. Pupils’ work across the curriculum is improving, but the content of their learning in some subjects is not arranged in a logical order.

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better?

Significant issues have affected the staffing and governance of the school since the previous inspection. These difficulties resulted in a decline in pupils’ achievement. Following the appointment of two new senior leaders, there has been a greater urgency to turn around the fortunes of the school. Current pupils are learning better than previously. The governing body recently arranged for a review of its own effectiveness. Governors now hold leaders to account properly for the performance of the school.

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better?

Leaders ensure that staff focus successfully on teaching children and pupils to read. This begins from the moment that children join the Reception class. Staff are well trained and skilled at teaching phonics. Leaders have introduced a well-structured reading programme. Reading books match the letter sounds that pupils know. In 2019, most pupils in Year 1 reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check. Pupils who are not confident readers receive effective, extra support from staff. This helps them to catch up.

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better?

Teachers are developing their subject knowledge in mathematics because of the skilled support from the subject leader. Staff effectively plan work that develops pupils’ mathematical knowledge and skills. This includes all pupils, including pupils with SEND.

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better?

Staff in the early years develop children’s understanding and skills in a range of subjects including reading, writing and mathematics. Staff know children well. They Primary School 4–5 March 2020

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use children’s interests to plan exciting learning activities. Children were keen to share with adults what they had learned about minibeasts. They were also proud to talk about the bug house that they had made. They enjoy the well-planned opportunities that staff provide for them to learn from stories.

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In some subjects, leaders and teachers do not plan pupils’ learning well enough. This means that pupils’ knowledge is not secure and does not provide a strong foundation for new learning. However, in science, leaders’ curriculum plans provide a strong direction for pupils’ learning. This enables pupils to use their prior learning to understand new learning in science.

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Leaders’ systems to check what pupils know and can do are at an early stage of development. Leaders cannot say how effectively the curriculum achieves their ambitions.

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Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour successfully. Most pupils concentrate and work hard. If pupils misbehave, teachers effectively use the school’s procedures to resolve issues. Lessons are rarely disrupted. Leaders support and guide those pupils who need extra help to manage their own behaviour. Some pupils do not attend the school often enough. Leaders are taking determined action to resolve this issue but there is some way to go before pupils’ attendance is good.

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Leaders and staff give the school’s Christian ethos and values, including kindness, a high profile in their work. Leaders make sure that pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about a range of faiths and beliefs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils well and follow clear procedures for keeping them safe at the school. Leaders keep comprehensive records of staff’s training on safeguarding. Leaders work closely with social care and other professionals to identify and support pupils’ needs. Leaders and staff ensure that the curriculum includes lessons about online safety and about safe, healthy living.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The planned learning for current pupils is not set out in a logical order, except in English, mathematics and science. This holds pupils back from learning important knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teachers plan the curriculum well in all subjects. The curriculum should meet the needs of pupils, including those in upper key stage 2, who have gaps in their learning. These actions will help all Primary School 4–5 March 2020

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pupils to know and remember the information that they need across the curriculum.  Some pupils are absent from the school too often. This negatively affects their learning. Leaders are acting to resolve this issue and levels of pupils’ persistent absence are reducing. Nevertheless, leaders should make certain that all pupils attend the school as much as they should.  Leaders are unclear about the full impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning. This means that leaders do not know if the curriculum matches all pupils’ needs. Leaders should make better use of assessment information to inform their decisions about the improvement of the curriculum.

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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. Primary School 4–5 March 2020

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.allsaintsupton.halton.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19–20 May 2015

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes to staffing since the previous inspection, including the appointment of a new headteacher in 2018 and a deputy headteacher in 2019.  The governing body has also had several changes to its membership, including the appointment of a new chair of governors. A review of the effectiveness of governance has been completed since the previous inspection.  The school received a section 48 inspection of religious education in February 2016.

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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

 We met with the headteacher, subject leaders and the leaders for SEND and the early years. We also spoke with governors and a representative from the local authority.  We did deep dives in the following subjects: reading, science, geography and mathematics. This involved discussions with leaders and pupils about their work. Primary School 4–5 March 2020

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We visited some lessons in these subjects and spoke with teachers. We also looked at examples of pupils’ work and heard some pupils read.  We scrutinised leaders’ checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils. We spoke with staff about the school’s procedures and systems for protecting pupils from harm. We also discussed how staff teach pupils to keep themselves safe.  We spoke with several pupils about their experiences at the school. We observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms and at lunchtime.  We considered the responses of staff, pupils and parents to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

John Daley Ofsted Inspector Primary School 4–5 March 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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