Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall

Inspection of Carter’s Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall Pilling Lane, Preesall, Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire FY6 0HH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 April 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like being at this school. They enjoy putting on their wellies and heading to the beach at the end of their school field. Pupils take responsibility for helping to keep this coastline clean through activities such as litter picking. They also regularly access this area as part of their curriculum lessons. Pupils take part in a range of extra-curricular sporting clubs, which they value. They look forward to the residential visits that leaders organise for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In some subjects, leaders’ expectations of what pupils can achieve in their learning are not fully realised. Leaders are still only partway through developing or introducing many subject curriculums so that pupils can build their knowledge in a logical manner. This sometimes leads to teachers delivering subject content in a way that does not help pupils to acquire new knowledge securely over time. As a result, pupils’ knowledge, and achievement, across the curriculum is uneven.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak highly of the friendships that they form with their classmates. They get along well with each other. Fall-outs are rare. Leaders and staff deal with any bullying concerns effectively when they arise. Leaders keep pupils safe. Pupils are confident of this, which contributes to their overall feeling of happiness.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have begun to completely overhaul the school curriculum. They have designed a new broad curriculum from the early years to Year 6. They have also started to identify the specific knowledge that pupils should learn. However, this work is at varying stages in different subjects. This means that, in a number of subjects, teachers remain unclear about what they should teach and how to best to deliver it. Consequently, pupils do not build a secure body of knowledge over time across the curriculum.

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better?

Teachers do carry out checks on pupils’ learning. However, in the absence of clear guidance on what pupils should learn and when, teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning do not identify pupils’ knowledge gaps and misconceptions well enough. In turn, some of the gaps that pupils have go unaddressed.

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better?

Leaders have begun to monitor and evaluate the impact of the new subject curriculums on pupils’ learning. Some leaders are beginning to use their monitoring information to help teachers improve their delivery of the new subject content. However, other leaders are still developing these skills. As a result, leaders and governors are not alert to, nor addressing, some of the weaknesses in the design and delivery of their curriculums.

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better?

Leaders and teachers promote a love of reading through initiatives such as daily story time and events, including World Book Day. They have introduced a new phonics programme this year. They have made sure that teachers have the expertise 18 and 19 April 2023

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that they need to deliver this programme consistently well. Pupils begin learning to read through this new programme soon after they join in the Reception Year. Leaders organise additional support for pupils who find learning to read difficult. Much of this support is effective at helping pupils to close the gaps in their knowledge of sounds. However, some pupils do not read books that are well suited to their reading ability. This means that these pupils struggle more than they should when practising their reading skills.

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Leaders ensure that staff are well trained to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. Leaders ensure that these pupils receive the support that they need. However, given the shortcomings in some subject curriculums, the overall achievement of pupils with SEND mirrors that of their classmates.

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Children in the early years get off to a positive start. They quickly develop warm relationships with their teachers and other children. Staff model communication and language well. Teachers overcome the shortcomings in the school curriculum to provide children with learning activities that help them to build the secure foundations of knowledge that they need for key stage 1.

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Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils rise to these expectations. They behave well in lessons and have positive attitudes to their learning. Low-level disruptions are rare. Pupils are sensible and courteous when they move around the school.

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Leaders cater well for pupils’ personal development. Pupils have opportunities to undertake responsibilities around the school. For example, some pupils become eco- warriors and ambassadors of the school’s values. Some pupils learn to play musical instruments, while others participate in football and netball competitions. They develop a secure understanding of democracy. They show respect and tolerance for the differences of others. Pupils develop a secure understanding of physical health and how to maintain positive relationships. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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Staff recognise the efforts of leaders to help them manage their workload and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are well-trained to identify the signs that pupils might be at risk of potential harm. Staff understand the school systems and use them well to record any concerns that they might have about pupils’ welfare. Leaders are responsive to issues and secure appropriate levels of support for pupils and their families when necessary. Governors have appropriate levels of oversight of safeguarding matters at the school. 18 and 19 April 2023

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Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. This includes when they are online, using the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders are still identifying the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that teachers remain unclear of exactly what they should teach and how they should teach it. In turn, pupils do not build their knowledge securely over time. Leaders should provide sufficient curriculum guidance so that teachers deliver curriculum content well, helping pupils to know and remember more over time.  Leaders have not fully developed assessment systems that allow teachers to identify what pupils know and remember. In turn, teachers are not well equipped to identify, and help close, the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. Leaders must implement assessment systems that help teachers to identify what pupils know so that teachers can address the knowledge gaps that pupils have.  Sometimes, teachers do not provide pupils with books that reflect the sounds that pupils know. This means that some pupils unduly struggle when at the early

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

stages of learning to read. Leaders must ensure that the books pupils read are well suited to their current reading skills so that they can become fluent readers as quickly as they should.  Some leaders do not have a secure oversight of how well teachers are delivering new subject curriculums. This means that these leaders are not alert to some of the weaknesses in curriculum design and teachers’ delivery of subject content. In turn, teachers sometimes do not teach important information in a way that helps pupils to build their knowledge securely over time. Leaders must review the approaches that they take to ensuring that subject curriculums are designed and delivered well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240129 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 7–8 December 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school operates a before- and after-school provision. This provision is managed by the governing body.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. They met with subject leaders and teachers. They visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ and children’s work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. The lead inspector heard pupils read to a familiar adult. 18 and 19 April 2023

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 Inspectors also considered the curriculum, spoke with pupils about their learning and evaluated their work in some other subjects.  The lead inspector spoke with a group of governors. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors also talked to staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors met with the leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about safeguarding and their wider experience of school.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors reviewed leaders’ policies and procedures to keep pupils safe. They discussed safeguarding arrangements with leaders and staff. Inspectors also checked the school’s records of the suitability of staff to work with pupils.

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 Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors met with parents and carers at the start of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Spruce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Philip Barlow Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 April 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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