Pike Fold Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Pike Fold Primary School Old Market Street, Blackley, Manchester, Greater Manchester M9 8QP

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Outcome

Pike Fold Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to attend Pike Fold Primary School. They know that leaders have high expectations of what they can achieve, both at school and beyond. Pupils work hard in lessons. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are taught how to behave well. If a pupil’s behaviour slips below the high standard expected by staff, they are quickly helped to get back on track. Pupils feel safe. They know that staff will listen and help them if they have any concerns. Leaders resolve any incidents of bullying effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who spoke to the inspector described the school as a place where everyone is accepted for who they are. They value the culture of tolerance and respect that leaders have successfully created.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, benefit from a wide range of experiences beyond the classroom. Pupils, and their parents and carers, value community events such as ‘bring the beach to Blackley’. Trips, and visits from guest speakers, enrich the curriculum for pupils of all ages. Older pupils enjoy taking on a wide range of leadership responsibilities, such as acting as prefects, subject ambassadors, librarians, and buddies for younger children. Pupils contribute well to the school community.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Pupils experience a broad range of subjects which cover the scope of the national curriculum. Leaders have considered how the curriculum builds from the early years to Year 6. Pupils are well prepared for the next stages of their education.

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

In most subjects, leaders have identified the small steps of learning that help pupils to develop their knowledge over time. However, in a few other subjects, leaders have not 8 and 9 February 2023

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identified the knowledge that they want pupils to learn at each stage in sufficient detail. This means that occasionally some pupils’ learning does not build securely on what they know already.

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Teachers have high levels of subject knowledge. They present information clearly and they select suitable activities to help pupils to learn effectively. In the majority of subjects, teachers use a wide range of assessment methods to check that pupils have learned and remembered the information that they are taught. Pupils value the support that they receive from their teachers. Pupils were confident that if they struggle with their work, staff will recognise this and help them to improve.

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Leaders prioritise the teaching of reading throughout the school. This begins in the early years, where staff skilfully use their expertise to develop children’s language and communication skills. Leaders have recently implemented a new phonics programme which has improved the teaching of early reading. Well-trained staff support any pupils who find reading more difficult to catch up quickly with their peers.

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Pupils throughout the school spoke passionately about the books that they read and the wide range of texts that their teachers read to them. Most pupils become fluent and confident readers by the end of key stage 2.

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Leaders have designed systems to identify and support pupils with SEND effectively. Leaders are determined that these pupils, including those accessing the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced based provision), experience the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Staff are knowledgeable about the additional needs of these pupils. Teachers make appropriate adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum to help these pupils to succeed. Many parents told the inspector how highly they value the personalised support provided by staff in the specially resourced based provision.

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Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes in their lessons and during social times. Disruption to learning is rare. Pupils trust staff to deal with any cases of poor behaviour fairly. Leaders ensure that pupils who need more help in managing their behaviour get the support that they need.

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Teachers create warm and supportive environments within their classrooms. Staff in the early years help children to settle in quickly. They establish routines that help children to understand the expectations of school life.

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Leaders prepare pupils well for life after primary school. For example, pupils learn about diversity within and beyond the local community. They learn how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to learn about a range of careers. This helps pupils to develop aspirations for their future lives.

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Staff value the training and support that they receive from leaders. Most staff feel that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. 8 and 9 February 2023

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Leaders and governors know the school well. Governors use their expertise to support leaders and hold them to account fully for the quality of education that pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff have a sharp focus on keeping pupils safe. Staff receive regular training, and they are vigilant to the signs that a pupil may need help. Leaders have established rigorous systems for staff to record any safeguarding issues. This enables leaders to deal with concerns about pupils rapidly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand the potential safeguarding risks to pupils. Leaders work in partnership with outside agencies to provide timely and appropriate support to pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. For example, they are taught about online safety, including the dangers associated with gaming platforms and social media.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not fully identified the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn. As a result, on occasion, some pupils’ learning in these subjects is uneven. Leaders should finalise their curriculum thinking in these remaining subjects so that teachers are clear about the information that pupils should know and remember.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2013. 8 and 9 February 2023

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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 10256177 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 21 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for any pupils.  The school has a specially resourced based provision which caters for eight pupils between the ages of four and 11. All pupils have autism spectrum disorder. There are currently eight pupils accessing this provision.

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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 that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with senior leaders, including the headteacher and a range of staff. She also spoke with members of the local governing body, as well as a representative of the local authority.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. She observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and social times. 8 and 9 February 2023

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 The inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including leaders’ self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of meetings of the governing body and records of pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. She met with leaders, staff and pupils to understand how pupils are kept safe.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, she 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.  The inspector listened to pupils read with a familiar adult.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Charlotte Oles, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 February 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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