Shawclough Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Shawclough Community Primary School Thrum Hall Lane, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 6DE

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

Shawclough Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy to attend this school. They have warm and positive relationships with the adults who work with them. Pupils are kind to each other and understand that it is important to respect each other’s differences. If bullying occurs, staff act swiftly to resolve issues and offer appropriate support to pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of how pupils should behave and what they can achieve. Pupils work hard in lessons and behave well. They enjoy the opportunity to collect badges when they demonstrate that they have met the ‘six drivers’ of learning. This helps pupils to develop into independent and reflective learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They know that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. Staff in the school know their pupils and families well. As a result, pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the opportunity to represent their class on the school council. Leaders provide many extra-curricular clubs and sports such as football, dodgeball and gardening clubs.

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

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders have built a curriculum that reflects their high aspirations for all pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Subject leaders have carefully designed and ordered the curriculum so that pupils can build their knowledge from the time they are in the early years to the end of Year 6.

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

Leaders have identified the building blocks of knowledge that pupils must learn in most subjects. However, this is not the case in one or two subjects. This makes it difficult for teachers to know what to teach and then to check that pupils have learned all that they should. As a result, some pupils learn less well in these subjects. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. This enables them to explain new learning clearly. Teachers use a range of techniques to check that pupils fully understand their learning before moving on to new ideas. They help pupils to remember their previous learning. This enables pupils to build up their knowledge securely.

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Leaders have ensured that reading is a priority across the school. Older pupils talked enthusiastically about the books that they are reading and those being read to them by their class teacher. Children in the early years start learning phonics as soon as they start school. They practise reading with books that match the sounds that they know. Leaders have recently taken steps to ensure that any pupils who fall behind have more effective help to catch up. Most staff are highly skilled in teaching early reading. However, occasionally, a small number of staff do not use the correct pronunciation when modelling sounds to pupils. This hinders pupils’ understanding of the sounds that letters make. It hampers their ability to read accurately.

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Children settle quickly into the Nursery class. Staff support children’s learning effectively and help them to build their vocabulary over time. The small number of two-year-olds are well supported by highly skilled adults.

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Leaders identify pupils with SEND effectively. Teachers receive useful information which helps them to support these pupils. Pupils attending the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (‘Rainbow’ provision) access the same ambitious curriculum as those pupils in the main school. Teaching is matched closely to the needs of each pupil. This allows them to develop their knowledge, communication and social skills according to their specific targets. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful to adults and to each other. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in classrooms which allows effective learning to take place. Pupils behave sensibly during social times and when moving around school.

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Leaders have ensured that pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures. Pupils understand the importance of British values such as democracy and tolerance. Older pupils develop leadership qualities through supporting younger children, for example by hearing them read.

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Leaders and governors know the school well. Governors support leaders effectively in identifying and addressing areas for further school improvement. Leaders are considerate of staff’s workload and supportive of staff’s well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that all staff in the school receive regular safeguarding training. Staff are vigilant to signs that pupils may be at risk. Leaders ensure that there are rigorous systems in place to report concerns. This enables them to provide help quickly to pupils who need it. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Leaders have established strong relationships with a range of external agencies. They are tenacious in seeking appropriate support for pupils who need extra help.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. They know who to speak to if they have concerns or worries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In one or two subjects, leaders have not identified the building blocks of knowledge that they want pupils to learn. As a result, it is difficult for teachers to know what to teach or to check that pupils have learned all that they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers are clear about the knowledge that pupils should know and remember.  A small number of staff do not have sufficient subject knowledge when teaching early reading. Sometimes, they do not pronounce some of the sounds accurately. Consequently, pupils are not learning to decode, and blend sounds as rapidly as they should. Leaders should ensure that all staff are well trained and consistently use the correct strategies when teaching early reading.

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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.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256199 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Lindsay Torrance

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School details

Date of previous inspection December 2014, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds.  Leaders do not use alternative provision for any pupils.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder. There are 18 pupils accessing this provision, ranging from four to 11 years.

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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 met with the headteacher, other leaders and a range of staff. The inspector also spoke with members of the local governing body, as well as a representative from the local authority.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes. 17 and 18 January 2023

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 The inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including leaders’ self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. The inspector met with leaders, staff and pupils to understand how pupils are kept safe.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to a selection of pupils read.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. The inspector 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 17 and 18 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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