Torkington Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Torkington Primary School Torkington Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 6NR

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 January 2023

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Outcome

Torkington Primary continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy. Many pupils join in with a range of trips and residential visits. They take part in clubs held before and after school. Pupils learn about beekeeping. The school has a beehive and some wild meadows that act as bee habitats. Pupils sell the honey and learn about profits and economics. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well at breaktimes. There is a wide range of equipment for them to play with during breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff expect that all pupils work hard. All 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?

Pupils feel safe. Staff are quick and effective at sorting out any incidents of bullying. A strength of the school is its work on diversity and equality. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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

The curriculum in the early years is well designed. It builds children’s knowledge well from their starting points. It dovetails effectively into what pupils learn in Year 1. This means that children are well prepared for their future learning.

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

Leaders are restructuring some of the curriculum that is taught in Years 1 to 6. In most subjects, leaders have decided what they want pupils to know and to learn. In these subjects, pupils learn the small blocks of knowledge that they need in a carefully ordered manner. In most subjects, pupils know and remember important content. This helps them to achieve well.

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

In a few subjects, it is less clear what pupils should know. This means that teachers are not sure what should be taught or how they should check what pupils have learned.

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

Teachers follow the curriculum well. They use a range of resources to explain what they 24 and 25 January 2023

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want pupils to know and do. Pupils with SEND complete the same work as other pupils. Teachers adapt their teaching of the curriculum to enable this group of pupils to achieve well. Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to correct any errors or misunderstandings. Leaders carefully identify those pupils with SEND and ensure that they have the support that they need to succeed.

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Children start to learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Teachers have been well trained to teach the new phonics programme. They are quick to notice if pupils are not keeping up. They put in extra sessions to help pupils catch up. However, these sessions do not align well enough with the phonics programme. This hinders the progress of some pupils because they are not able to consolidate what they are learning in phonics sessions. Some pupils with SEND struggle to read fluently. The books that they read are too difficult because they do not match the sounds that they have learned. Across the school, pupils read widely and often. Teachers promote a love of reading.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. In the early years, children concentrate on the range of activities that are on offer. They listen well as teachers explain new ideas. They use good manners when receiving equipment. They share and access resources well. Across the school, pupils are keen to learn. They respond well to adults’ instructions, questions and advice. They show pride in their work and in representing the school.

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There is a strong and very effective focus on diversity. Pupils know about the differences between people. They welcome people who are different. Pupils have good access to a range of trips and out-of-school clubs.

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Staff said that leaders take note of their workload and their well-being. Governors ask questions that are supportive and challenging. They have an overview of pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics. They are less well informed about how well pupils learn in some other subjects.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to be safe. They develop an understanding of how to play and socialise safely when online. They learn about how to stay safe from knife crime and gangs. Staff and leaders are trained.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are alert to safeguarding issues. This includes allegations against adults. They work well with a range of professionals to manage any safeguarding incidents. Leaders ensure that families and pupils receive the help that they need to be safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The books that some younger pupils with SEND read do not match the sounds that they have been taught. This means that pupils cannot practise their phonic knowledge 24 and 25 January 2023

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in order to read accurately, fluently or with confidence. Leaders should ensure that pupils read books that contain the sounds that they have been taught.  In a few subjects, the knowledge that pupils should learn is unclear. This makes it difficult for teachers to design learning that enables pupils to learn all that they should. Leaders should make sure that in each of the subjects, there is clarity in what teachers want pupils to know by the end of a block of work.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2017.

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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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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. 24 and 25 January 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is a new senior leadership team since the last inspection.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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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 deep dives in these subjects: art and design, mathematics and early reading. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. He also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects. He heard pupils read.  The inspector spoke with five members of the governing body and a representative of Stockport local authority. He held discussions with the headteacher and the assistant headteachers, including the SEND coordinator.  The inspector looked at some case studies of how leaders work with social services and

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other safeguarding agencies. He checked the single central record and behaviour records. He spoke to governors and staff about safeguarding.  The inspector considered the view of parents and carers on Ofsted Parent View. He also took account of the views of those pupils and staff who completed the Ofsted surveys.

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Inspection team

Allan Torr, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 January 2023

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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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