St Andrew's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Andrew's CofE Primary School Broom Avenue, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 2UH

p.1

Outcome

St Andrew's CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and see it as a happy place to be. They feel respected by their peers and they value the caring approach of staff. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel included in this supportive school community.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe at school. They respond well to the high expectations that staff set for their behaviour. Bullying, although rare, is tackled decisively by staff. Classrooms are calm and pupils focus on their work. They enjoy meeting the high standards that teachers set for their learning. Pupils achieve well in many subjects across the curriculum.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have established a rich offer for pupils' wider development within the curriculum. For example, pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 enjoyed a mental health project delivered by a premier league football club. These pupils also have opportunities to develop their leadership skills, where they are encouraged to 'be the change that they want to see'.

p.1

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

Leaders have put in place a new curriculum for the teaching of phonics to further improve pupils' achievement in reading. Teachers follow this programme systematically to ensure a high level of consistency in the delivery of the curriculum. Children in the Reception Year learn phonics right from the start of their education. They quickly develop their awareness of letters and the sounds that they represent.

p.1

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

Teachers in key stage 1 build well on this knowledge by encouraging pupils to read sentences fluently. Teachers make sure that pupils have lots of opportunities to practise their phonics knowledge by matching the books that pupils read to the sounds that they know. For those pupils who find reading more difficult, effective extra support is provided to help them catch up. Those pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) develop their language and reading knowledge well. 1 and 2 March 2023

p.1

2

In most subjects, pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well. This is because the curriculum is carefully designed to identify what they will learn and when this knowledge will be taught. This enables teachers to build on pupils’ prior learning, so that pupils gain a rich body of knowledge over time. Teachers question pupils' understanding to make sure that they remember the main content of what they have been taught. In these subjects, pupils are clear about how their learning in the past is helping them with their current work.

p.2

2

A small number of subjects are not as far ahead. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic halted leaders’ plans to improve these subjects further. In these subjects, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is clear enough for teachers to follow. Leaders have included too many facts for pupils to remember. As a result, some learning gets lost and pupils do not remember some of the key knowledge as well as they should.

p.2

2

Pupils with SEND are identified at the earliest opportunity. For example, governors have put in place a speech therapist to assess pupils’ language skills in the early years. Leaders regularly review the progress that pupils make through the intended curriculum, including in the specially resourced provision, to make sure that the support pupils receive is effective. Leaders and teachers are adept at putting strategies in place to remove barriers to learning for these pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

p.2

2

In the early years, children settle into routines quickly. Staff are very effective in fostering children’s enthusiasm for learning. Teachers consistently promote pupils’ positive attitudes throughout the school. Typically, there is little disruption to pupils' learning. However, a small number of pupils miss out on too much learning because they do not attend school regularly enough.

p.2

2

Leaders have thought carefully about the opportunities for pupils' wider development. For example, leaders have carefully selected artists and historical figures to promote diversity within the curriculum and foster an understanding of different cultures. Pupils also have a strong awareness of different faiths. Although there are a range of activities on offer within the curriculum, leaders have not established the same breadth of clubs that were on offer prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey would like to see more after-school clubs.

p.2

2

Governors understand the school well. They consider how the decisions that they make will affect the workload of staff. Staff are positive about the way in which leaders look after their well-being.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

Leaders have clear systems to identify pupils who may be at risk of abuse. Staff receive up-to-date training to ensure that they are vigilant and open to the possibility of pupils 1 and 2 March 2023

p.2

3

being harmed. When necessary, leaders refer their concerns to other agencies to get the support that pupils and their families need.

p.3

3

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. For example, when working online.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers are not clear about what key knowledge should be taught. This leads to some pupils struggling to recall some of the essential knowledge that they will need for their future learning. Leaders should make the curriculum expectations clearer in these subjects by defining the essential knowledge that they want all pupils to remember.  A small group of pupils are persistently absent from school. This means that they are missing out on learning all that they should. Leaders should ensure that they engage with parents more effectively to ensure that these pupils attend school regularly.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2012.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 1 and 2 March 2023

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 1 and 2 March 2023

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10241967 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 26 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 There have been significant changes to the governing body since the previous inspection. All but two governors have been appointed since the school was last inspected.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  The school has specially resourced provision for up to 15 pupils with a hearing impairment from the ages of seven to 11. There are currently nine pupils in this provision.  This is a Church of England school. The last section 48 inspection for schools with a religious character took place in November 2018.

p.5

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. 1 and 2 March 2023

p.5

6

 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and design technology. 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. The inspector also heard pupils read individually and as part of classroom activities.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects and looked at a sample of pupils work for these subjects.  The inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day and took into account the views of those who responded to the Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector took into account the responses to Ofsted’s survey for pupils and the staff survey.  The inspector met with different groups of pupils to ask them about safeguarding. The inspector reviewed documentation, which included the school’s safeguarding policy,

p.6

6

register of the checks carried out on new employees and safeguarding records.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktimes and when walking round the school. He discussed behaviour and bullying with pupils, senior leaders and other staff.

p.6

Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 1 and 2 March 2023

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

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

p.7