St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Ramsbottom

Inspection of St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Ramsbottom Nuttall Lane, Ramsbottom, Bury, Lancashire BL0 9JD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 6 and 7 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St Andrew’s. Staff have created an environment where pupils feel well cared for. Parents and carers particularly like the ‘family feel’ of the school. One parent explained that, ‘The children’s happiness, well-being and health are at the heart of the school’s approach to education and learning.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. Staff recognise and reward positive attitudes with ‘spotted tickets’ and house points. As a result, pupils work hard and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They get on well with each other and show patience and understanding to their classmates. They know that their teachers will always help them if they have any worries. Pupils explained that on the rare occasions that bullying happens, leaders and staff deal with it straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils to have access to a range of opportunities. There is a large selection of after-school activities available. Pupils can also take on leadership roles, such as house captain or school councillor. Pupils are thoughtful and understand the importance of helping others. They take great pride in their charitable work. Pupils have recently raised funds for Cancer Research UK and the Ramsbottom Pantry.

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better?

Leaders and staff have planned an ambitious curriculum that is broad and balanced. They have ensured the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

Subject leaders have designed well-ordered plans. They have worked with the early years leader to make sure that the curriculum in Years 1 to 6 builds on the learning that takes place in the Reception Year. As a result, in most subjects, pupils are continually building on their knowledge and skills. Pupils achieve well. They become proficient in different areas of the curriculum. For example, older pupils’ artwork showed highly developed skills of proportion, shape and working with pastels.

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better?

A small number of curriculum leaders are less knowledgeable about their subject. They are not clear enough about how well their subject is taught across the school. In these subjects, teachers are not as effective in making sure that the planned curriculum is taught as it should be. This is leading to pupils missing out on some key content. This hinders their progress.

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better?

Leaders have put reading at the heart of the curriculum. In the Reception Year, children are engaged in storytelling activities that develop their vocabulary and love of reading. Pupils in key stage 1 are gaining phonics knowledge through daily structured sessions. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they know. Well- trained staff support younger pupils effectively to further develop their reading skills. This 6 and 7 October 2021

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is enabling pupils to become fluent readers. Pupils who find reading difficult are given extra support to help them catch up.

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Older pupils told inspectors that they enjoy reading. They have a wealth of books in their class libraries to choose from. Leaders have thought carefully about the high-quality texts that engage pupils. Teachers use these texts to support well-planned reading activities. These actions are helping pupils develop their comprehension skills effectively.

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The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) uses her expertise to quickly identify pupils’ needs and then makes sure that these needs are met. The SENCo has trained staff to adapt their lessons so that pupils with SEND can access the same learning as their peers.

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Pupils learn about other religions, faiths and cultures. Teachers use the curriculum to develop pupils’ understanding that people are not all the same. As a result, pupils have a developed understanding of the diverse society in which they live. They are tolerant and accepting of others, regardless of their differences.

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Pupils are polite and respectful. They display positive behaviour in lessons and on the playground. Leaders provide structured playtime activities that help pupils further develop their teamwork skills. Older pupils enjoy looking after their ‘buddies’ from Reception Year during lunchtimes.

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Governors know the school well. They provide effective challenge and support to leaders. Staff appreciate the consideration leaders show for the workload and well-being of all adults in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

School staff know how to keep pupils safe. They know the pupils and families well. Leaders have ensured that staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff are alert to any signs of abuse and report any concerns immediately. Leaders are trained to ensure recruitment procedures closely check all adults are safe to work in the school.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. Teachers help pupils understand the dangers that they may face online and in the outside world. They encourage pupils to always report any concerns they may have, no matter how small.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of subject leaders do not know how effectively their curriculum plans are being implemented. Occasionally, this leads to key knowledge not always being taught. As a result, pupils are not always able to gain the subject-specific knowledge 6 and 7 October 2021

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that they need. Senior leaders should ensure that these subject leaders have the skills they need to check how effectively key knowledge is being taught and understood.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 6 and 7 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199856 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 15 and 16 June 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new deputy headteacher has been appointed.  This is a Church of England primary school. The school had its most recent section 48 inspection in March 2019.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The governing body manage the before- and after-school club provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  During the inspection, the inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 6 and 7 October 2021

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and history. This involved visiting lessons with subject leaders, discussing curriculum plans, talking to pupils and teachers, and looking at pupils’ work.  Inspectors also held discussions with leaders for the early years, design and technology, geography, and art and design. An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors considered the 39 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and also parent free-text comments. They also spoke to parents at the start of both school days. Inspectors reviewed 16 staff survey responses.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at playtimes, lunchtime and during lessons. Pupils also talked to inspectors about their views of their school.

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Inspection team

John Tomlinson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Collette Mather Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 October 2021

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