Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall

Inspection of a good school: Carter’s Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall Pilling Lane, Preesall, 253 Pilling Lane, Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire FY6 0HH

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of Carter’s Charity School. They enjoy attending because they feel part of a big family. Pupils said that they feel safe at the school. They know that adults look after them very well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning activities. They appreciate the help and support that teachers provide in lessons. However, leaders’ expectations of what pupils can achieve in some subjects are not high enough. At times, teachers are not clear about what they want pupils to learn. Some staff do not check carefully enough how well pupils remember knowledge. The teaching of reading is not as well developed as it should be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave sensibly. They are kind, caring and considerate to each other. Pupils move around school in a calm and orderly fashion. They are confident that when bullying occurs, leaders deal with issues quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy many valuable extra activities. For instance, many learn to play musical instruments or join a sports team. Pupils are happy because of the good relationships between themselves, staff, parents and carers.

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

Leaders have planned a broad curriculum from the early years to Year 6. In some subjects, leaders and teachers understand the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn. As a result, pupils achieve well in these curriculum areas. However, in other subjects, leaders have not identified all the important information that they want pupils to remember. Consequently, teachers are uncertain about what to teach and pupils do not 7 and 8 December 2021

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always remember the knowledge that they need to be successful in the next stage of their learning.

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Teachers assess pupils’ learning regularly. However, these checks on pupils’ learning do not focus well enough on the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn. As a result, teachers are sometimes unaware of pupils’ misconceptions. They cannot be sure that new learning is secure.

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Pupils love to read. They also enjoy listening to adults read to them and take part in events such as World Book Day. Teachers make sure that the books that children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 read match the sounds that they know. However, some pupils do not read with the fluency, comprehension and confidence that they should. Although teachers support pupils who find reading difficult, this does not make a big enough difference in helping them to catch up. Some teachers are unsure of leaders’ expectations for how well pupils should progress through the phonics and reading programme. This leads to a lack of urgency in ensuring pupils are well equipped to access the full curriculum.

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Leaders and governors ensure that staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. Leaders are tenacious in ensuring that pupils and their families receive the support they need. However, weaknesses in leaders’ planning of some subject curriculums mean that the achievement of pupils with SEND is uneven.

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Pupils, including children in the early years, behave well. This is because staff have high expectations of how pupils should conduct themselves. Lessons are very rarely disrupted by low-level behavioural issues.

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Leaders ensure that staff provide many opportunities for pupils’ personal development. For example, leaders and staff plan extra learning for pupils on the nearby beach and in the school’s allotment. Pupils visit places of worship such as churches and a mosque. They also meet with visitors to school, such as those involved in a Viking re-enactment and adults who are refugees. In addition, pupils have opportunities to take on leadership roles, including on the school council and the eco-council. Pupils said that everyone is welcome at Carter’s. They particularly value the buddy system which allows older pupils to work and play alongside pupils in Reception and Year 1.

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Staff appreciate the efforts of leaders and governors to ensure their workload is manageable. Staff morale is high and relationships are strong.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that history, early reading and art and design may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a culture focused on pupils’ welfare and well-being. Staff have a good understanding of what to do if they are worried about a pupil’s safety. Leaders are 7 and 8 December 2021

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resolute in ensuring that pupils receive the help and support that they need. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when they use the internet. Governors have a clear understanding of their role in checking on safeguarding arrangements. For instance, they ensure that staff’s safeguarding training is up to date.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not identified clearly enough what they want pupils to learn. This means that teachers are unsure of the essential building blocks that they should teach and pupils’ learning is not secure. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum plans clearly identify the key knowledge and skills that staff will teach so that pupils can know more and remember more.  Leaders have not fully developed assessment systems that allow teachers to check where pupils have missing or insecure knowledge. As a result, teachers do not always address pupils’ misunderstandings effectively or quickly enough. Leaders should strengthen the assessment systems and ensure that staff are well trained so that they can check on what pupils know and understand.  The teaching of reading is variable across the school. Some staff do not fully understand the progress that pupils are expected to make through the phonics

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

programme and the reading curriculum. This leads to a lack of urgency in making sure that pupils can read fluently, accurately and with understanding. In addition, the support for those pupils who need extra help is not well organised. This means that it is not effective enough in helping pupils to catch up. Leaders should ensure that teachers understand the expectations for pupils’ progress in reading so that they plan pupils’ learning more effectively to enable pupils to become confident and successful readers.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2016. 7 and 8 December 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199616 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 and 4 February 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school operates before- and after-school provision managed by the governing body.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector also met with subject leaders and a group of teachers.  The inspector met with representatives of those responsible for governance. The inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector spoke with pupils in meetings and around the school.  The inspector considered responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and reviewed responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires. 7 and 8 December 2021

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, history and early reading. For each deep dive, the inspector visited lessons with leaders and reviewed pupils’ work. The inspector spoke with some pupils to discuss their learning. The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects with teachers and leaders.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents about the school, including leaders’ records relating to safeguarding. Discussions were also held with pupils and staff about safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Emma Jackson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 December 2021

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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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