Horwich Parish CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Horwich Parish CofE Primary School Church Street, Horwich, Bolton, Lancashire BL6 6AA

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 January 2022

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Outcome

Horwich Parish CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they feel safe at school. They understand how to be safe when playing and socialising online. Pupils said that they enjoy reading and the interesting work that they are given in different subjects. They are happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers’ expectations for pupils’ behaviour and learning are high. Leaders have threaded the school’s values and personal education through the curriculum. This has helped to develop pupils’ pride in their own work. Pupils are ready for the next stage in their education. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. Pupils, parents and carers said that there is occasional bullying and name-calling. Pupils said that staff listen to both sides of any argument and that most of the time teachers tackle bullying well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many responsibilities around school, including acting as buddies for younger children in the early years. Pupils learn new skills by growing and selling vegetables from the school allotment. They learn how to fence and do yoga. Teachers also make use of the forest and the church to add interest to pupils’ learning.

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

Leaders have designed and planned an interesting curriculum. They have broken the content down into smaller steps of knowledge. These build in complexity from the early years through to the end of Year 6. In most subjects, teachers have planned demanding content for all pupils to learn. They mostly make sure that the content is equally ambitious for pupils with SEND. However, in a small number of subjects, the content is not as challenging as it could be. In these subjects, the curriculum does not set ambitious goals for pupils’ learning, nor does it set out clearly enough the key knowledge that 12 and 13 January 2022

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leaders want pupils to know. At times, this prevents pupils from learning all that they need to know.

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Teachers check on what pupils know and what they can do during lessons. Teachers use different ways to help pupils to remember the content of what they have learned.

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Leaders’ priority is to help every pupil to learn to read well. From the first day in the Reception class, children learn to love books. They begin to develop their phonics knowledge from the start. Teachers quickly identify any pupil who is beginning to fall behind in reading. These pupils receive timely support. However, some children and pupils with SEND struggle to read with fluency. This is because they do not have enough opportunity to practise and, at times, their books are not matched to the sounds and letters that they know.

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Most pupils agreed that behaviour in lessons is good. Most can get on with their learning with little disruption. Leaders have designed the curriculum well to develop pupils’ character. Pupils learn to be resilient. They learn about a diverse world and about the different cultures within Britain, and globally. They learn about trade, economics and money. They understand fairness and right and wrong. Teachers help pupils to be socially responsible through fundraising and by helping in the local community. Leaders plan lots of visits, trips and extra-curricular activities to enhance pupils’ learning and personal development, although they have been curbed in recent times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Leaders are effective in identifying which pupils have SEND. Teachers meet these pupils’ needs well in most subjects.

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Leaders have invested in the early years to improve the outdoor area so that teachers have the resources they need to deliver the curriculum. They have taken action to reduce staff’s workload, including minimising assessment requirements. Almost all staff agreed that leaders work hard to maintain teachers’ work-life balance. Leaders give helpful support to staff who are new to the profession. More experienced staff get the updates and training that they need. The governing body is ambitious for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders manage any safeguarding concerns well, for example in the management of the security of the site. Staff are alert to safeguarding issues. They are well trained in the different forms of child protection. Pupils are taught how to be safe in different situations. Leaders work with a wide range of professionals to manage any safeguarding situations. These include health, domestic abuse and family support. 12 and 13 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum content does not build sequentially towards ambitious end points. This means that pupils do not gain some key subject knowledge. Leaders should increase the ambition within these subjects so that pupils know and remember the important content needed for further success.  Some pupils with SEND do not consolidate their reading knowledge as much as they could. They do not practise reading often enough. At times, the books that they read are not well matched to the sounds that they know. This means that they do not read as fluently as they might. Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND are supported to become confident and fluent 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 November 2016.

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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 . 12 and 13 January 2022

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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. 12 and 13 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 November 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there has been a change in leadership. The current headteacher started in 2017 and almost every member of the governing body has changed, including the chair of governors.  The school makes use of two alternative provisions, both of which are inspected separately by Ofsted.  The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school. The previous inspection of its religious character was in November 2015.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out a deep dive in these subjects: geography, mathematics and early reading. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 12 and 13 January 2022

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 The inspector looked at curriculum plans and pupils’ work in a number of other subjects, including: history; personal, social, health and economic education; art and design; and design and technology.  To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector looked at the security of the school’s site. The inspector checked the way in which staff find out whether people in school may work with pupils. The inspector talked through some safeguarding cases with the headteacher and talked about bullying and what the school does, in the curriculum, to teach pupils how to be safe. The inspector observed pupils at breaktimes.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments shared by parents, and the views of staff through Ofsted’s online questionnaire. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Allan Torr, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 January 2022

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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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