Oswaldtwistle Hippings Methodist Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Oswaldtwistle Hippings Methodist Voluntary Controlled Primary School Heron Way, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington, Lancashire BB5 3BT

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2023

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Outcome

Oswaldtwistle Hippings Methodist Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy coming to school. This is a happy school where pupils are keen to learn. Pupils are polite and friendly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand and appreciate teachers’ high expectations of their behaviour. Pupils behave well during lessons and around the school site. Children in the early years settle quickly into school routines. Pupils kindly invite other pupils to play with them. The playground is a joyous place to be. It is full of smiling, happy faces.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school. They said that leaders deal swiftly and effectively with any incidents of bullying should they arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for what pupils, and children in the early years, should achieve across a range of subjects. Pupils are learning increasingly well as a result of leaders’ swift action to bring about improvements to the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value opportunities to take on responsibilities, such as being a member of the pupil parliament. Older pupils are keen to support younger children, for example helping them at lunchtime in the dining hall and on the playground. Pupils also expressed positive views about the different clubs that they can take part in, including cross-country, chess and archery clubs.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that reflects their high aspirations for all pupils. This starts in the early years. In many subjects, leaders have organised the curriculum so that pupils’ learning builds on what they know already in well-ordered steps as they move School 22 and 23 February 2023

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through the school. In some subjects, leaders’ curriculum improvements are more recent. Pupils are starting to remember essential knowledge better than they did in the past. However, over time, some older pupils have developed gaps in their learning due to the weaknesses in these subject curriculums.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They explain new concepts clearly to pupils. In the main, teachers design learning that helps pupils to deepen their understanding. For example, teachers provide opportunities for pupils to revisit earlier learning. This helps to make sure that pupils increasingly remember more knowledge.

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For the most part, teachers make regular checks on pupils’ learning. Teachers use this information well to identify which pupils need more help or guidance. Teachers successfully use strategies to address any misconceptions that pupils have about their current learning.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Children learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year, where they begin their journey to becoming confident readers. Pupils read books that help them to practise the sounds that they have learned. Most pupils use their phonics knowledge well to read accurately and fluently. Well-trained staff provide effective support for weaker readers. This helps these pupils to catch up quickly.

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Pupils enjoy reading. Older and younger pupils alike look forward to story time with their teachers. Pupils told inspectors that reading takes them to another place and makes them happy. Pupils also understand the importance of reading to develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills.

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Leaders quickly identify pupils’ additional needs. Staff successfully support pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders liaise with external agencies, when necessary, to ensure that pupils with SEND receive appropriate support. Pupils with SEND access all that school life has to offer.

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Pupils, and children in the Reception class, behave well in class and during social times. They treat classmates and adults with kindness and respect. Their positive attitudes to learning ensure that low-level disruption during lessons is rare.

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Leaders carefully consider pupils’ wider development. They provide a well-designed programme that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils spoke passionately about the variety of opportunities available to them. Leaders ensure that pupils benefit from a range of enriching activities. For example, they learn about their environment when they visit the local woodlands.

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Governors know the school and its community well. They are well informed about the quality of education that pupils receive. As a result, they support and challenge leaders in equal measure. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel appreciated. Staff value leaders’ consideration of their workload. School 22 and 23 February 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors have created a strong culture of safeguarding. They have ensured that staff are suitably trained to understand their role in keeping pupils safe. Staff act promptly to report any concerns that arise about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders take appropriate action in a thorough and timely manner. They work well with a range of agencies to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe in a range of ways, including when working or playing online. They know what to do, and who to talk with, if they have any concerns or worries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, developments to the curriculum are in the earlier stages. Pupils’ learning is not as secure in these subjects as in other areas of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that pupils quickly catch up on any gaps in their learning that may have developed in the past, so that pupils develop a rich body of subject knowledge in these subjects.

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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 October 2012.

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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. School 22 and 23 February 2023

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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. School 22 and 23 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256123 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 2 December 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Methodist primary school. The school is part of the Methodist District of Lancashire. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in January 2020.  Leaders do not make any use of alternative provision for pupils.

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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 took this into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and members of staff. She also spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector looked at a range of leaders’ documentation, including self-evaluation and safeguarding documents. She spoke with leaders about the school’s safeguarding procedures.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. She talked with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at examples of children’s and School 22 and 23 February 2023

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pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with children and pupils. She also observed some pupils reading to trusted staff.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in class and as they moved around the school. She also observed pupils playing at breaktimes.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the free-text responses. She also met with parents before school to find out about their views of the school.  The inspector considered responses to the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Sharples, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector School 22 and 23 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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