Christ Church CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Christ Church C of E Primary School Nelson Street, Patricroft, Eccles, Manchester M30 0GZ

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Outcome

Christ Church C of E Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Christ Church C of E Primary. They said that they feel part of a happy and welcoming school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have the highest of ambition for pupils, both in their learning and behaviour. Pupils proudly rise to these aspirations. They live and breathe the school’s values of excellence, respect, challenge and self-belief.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have forged warm and caring relationships with pupils and their families. Leaders place a high priority on pupils’ mental health and well-being. Pupils value sessions where they can talk to a trusted adult about their worries or concerns. This helps pupils to feel safe and well-supported at school. Leaders make sure that pupils have a secure understanding of what bullying means. Staff act decisively to resolve any bullying incidents or unkind behaviour effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the many opportunities that leaders provide for them to contribute to school life. They diligently carry out their roles as sports leaders, digital leaders and members of the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils also enjoy learning about the wider world. Many pupils spoke animatedly about visiting the Bridgewater gardens and attending the residential visit.

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

Senior leaders and staff have constructed an engaging curriculum that supports pupils, including those with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND), to develop their knowledge across a range of subject areas. They have carefully considered the most important learning that they want pupils to be introduced to from the early years to the end of Year 6. 8 and 9 February 2023 Staff have worked together to decide when pupils will learn new content so that they are introduced to new knowledge in a logical order. They have also decided on key concepts that pupils will learn to deepen their knowledge over time.

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

Staffing changes and the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted some pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils have some gaps in their knowledge. Some teachers do not revisit key concepts frequently enough or they ask pupils to move on to more complex content before they have mastered earlier concepts. This slows pupils’ progress in some aspects of the curriculum.

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

On the whole, teachers benefit from a range of subject-specific training to sharpen and develop their skills. This helps them to teach most curriculums as leaders intend. However, on occasions, teachers do not choose the most appropriate resources or activities to support pupils to learn new content.

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

Teachers use assessment strategies increasingly well to check how much learning pupils can recall from previous lessons. They also use this information to shape future teaching and to address misconceptions. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and can remember key information in a number of areas across the curriculum.

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

Leaders have a shared commitment to ensuring that all pupils will learn to read. This starts in the early years. Pupils enjoy listening to much-loved stories. Leaders have strengthened the early reading programme so that staff deliver phonics sessions consistently well. Leaders make sure that pupils practise their reading skills often. They provide effective and timely support for any pupils who need it. Most early readers use the sounds that they know to read books with confidence and accuracy. Pupils enjoy receiving awards to celebrate the number of books that they have read. They look forward to their teachers sharing books and stories with them. Many older pupils read fluently. However, this positive picture is not fully reflected in the school’s most recent published data.

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

There is a strong ethos of mutual respect which permeates across the school. Pupils work hard and do not disrupt other pupils’ learning. Pupils’ conduct at breaktimes is equally as positive as during lessons. The youngest children listen attentively to their teachers. They quickly respond to instructions and join in enthusiastically at tidy-up times.

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

Pupils with SEND benefit from having their needs accurately identified. Staff are well- trained in how to support these pupils so that they access the same learning as their peers.

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

Pupils, including those with SEND, benefit from a wide range of opportunities to be active and responsible citizens. For example, representatives of the school council spoke proudly about raising money for worthy causes.

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

Pupils enjoy taking part in a variety of extra-curricular activities and events. These include attending the Spanish club, multi-sports club and the well-being club. 8 and 9 February 2023 Governors know the school well. They have an appropriate range of skills to effectively hold leaders to account. Staff appreciate all that leaders do to support their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff leave no stone unturned to keep pupils safe. They engage extremely well with external agencies to provide pupils and their families with timely and helpful support.

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Safeguarding

Staff have an up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, which means that they are well-equipped to quickly spot the slightest change in a pupil’s demeanour or behaviour.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about different aspects of healthy living, such as being aware of the dangers of drug misuse and the importance of eating a balanced diet. They also learn about using the internet safely and being careful when cycling on the road.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teachers move on to more complex content before pupils have fully mastered earlier concepts. As a result, some pupils struggle to make sense of new learning. Leaders should ensure that pupils are fluent in previously taught concepts so they can confidently access new lesson content.  In a very small number of subjects, subject leaders have not provided enough guidance on when key learning should be revisited within each year group. This means that some pupils’ learning is uneven. Leaders should make sure that pupils revisit key content frequently enough to deepen their learning over time.  Some teachers have to few opportunities to participate in subject-specific training. This means that they do not deliver aspects of some curriculums as confidently as leaders intend. Leaders should ensure that these staff have appropriate training so that they use the most effective resources and activities to support pupils when learning new

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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 8 and 9 February 2023 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 June 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. 8 and 9 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240662 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been changes in staffing. There is a new head of school and two early career teachers.  The school is part of a soft federation with Lewis Street Primary School and Lark Hill Community Primary School. The executive headteacher oversees the work of the three schools.  Christ Church C of E Primary School is a voluntary-aided Church of England school, which is part of the Diocese of Manchester. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in October 2016.  Leaders do not make use of any registered alternative education providers.  Leaders run a breakfast club for pupils. 8 and 9 February 2023

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken this into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, she met with leaders, discussed curriculums, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. She also observed pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered other subjects on the school’s curriculum. She talked to the leaders who lead these subjects. She also spoke to pupils about their learning in these subjects.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  The inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body. She spoke

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Information about this inspection

with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector spoke with different groups of pupils to gather their views of the school and held discussions about their behaviour and learning. She also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at playtime.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She spoke to several parents at the start of the school day. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector met with those responsible for safeguarding at the school. She scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding. She also spoke with governors, staff, parents and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspector considered a range of documentation provided by school leaders and staff. This included the school development plan, minutes of governing body meetings,

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Information about this inspection

headteacher reports and the leaders’ self-evaluation document.

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Inspection team

Louise McArdle, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 February 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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