Butterstile Primary School

Inspection of Butterstile Primary School School Grove, Prestwich, Manchester M25 9RJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school, where they feel happy and safe. At Butterstile Primary School, pupils enjoy being part of a harmonious, warm and welcoming community. They are excited by their learning and they enjoy finding out new things. Pupils look forward to socialising with their classmates in the breakfast club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident that they can talk to a member of staff if they have any worries. Pupils alert staff to how they are feeling during daily ‘check-ins’. They are adamant that discriminatory behaviour, such as sexism and homophobic bullying, is always challenged by staff. Pupils are assured that, should bullying of any kind take place, staff will stop it from happening. Leaders deal with incidents of bullying swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff expect pupils to be well behaved. Staff nurture pupils and expect them to achieve their best. Pupils respond positively to these expectations, which helps them to engage confidently in learning and achieve well in different areas of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders help pupils to become well-rounded and tolerant individuals. Pupils are encouraged to become caring, compassionate and active citizens. For example, pupils in Year 5 enjoy reading to elderly residents in a local care home. Pupils enjoy learning outdoors in the school’s wooded areas. They look forward to visits to museums and upcoming residential experiences.

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better?

Leaders and governors have developed a strong and supportive culture in the school. Since the previous inspection, they have overhauled the curriculum. It is now logically ordered and carefully constructed and matches the ambition of the national curriculum.

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better?

Teachers are suitably trained to deliver the curriculum with confidence and they provide sound explanations for pupils. This helps to ensure that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers have a clear picture of how well pupils are learning. Teachers use different methods to find out what pupils have committed to memory as well as where pupils’ learning is less secure. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils’ knowledge and skills are not as strong as they should be. This is because, in these subjects, some teachers do not use assessment strategies to address pupils’ misconceptions quickly enough.

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better?

Leaders are committed to making certain that pupils can read accurately and fluently. The novels, poems and factual books in every classroom, and the main library, contain texts written by an interesting and diverse range of authors. Staff 4 and 5 May 2023

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deliver the phonics and early reading curriculums skilfully. Children in the early years begin learning phonics when they start in the Reception Year. Children in the Nursery class enjoy story time. Typically, pupils delight in sounding out new words and singing nursery rhymes. Staff are ambitious for those pupils who find reading difficult. The strong support that these pupils receive from staff helps them to catch up quickly with their classmates.

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Pupils, and children in the early years, help to keep the school calm and purposeful. For example, despite pupils’ obvious excitement during celebrations to mark the Coronation of King Charles III, they behaved well during assembly, lunchtime and playtimes. Pupils’ positive attitudes to school mean that lessons are rarely hindered by disruptive behaviour.

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Leaders identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND in a timely manner. Leaders work closely with parents and carers, and specialist partners, to make sure that pupils get the support that they need. Leaders support those children who need help to develop their speech, language and communication skills as soon as they enter the Nursery class. Teachers are alert to pupils’ different needs. They modify how they deliver learning carefully so that pupils with SEND successfully learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils learn how to stay healthy, and to be considerate and respectful. This starts in the early years, where children learn to cooperate with their peers, follow instructions and behave responsibly. Older pupils learn how to maintain positive and safe relationships. Pupils develop their leadership skills through acting as school council members and sports leaders.

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Pupils learn about the importance of British values, including those of democracy and the rule of law. They learn about cultural and religious diversity through different areas of the curriculum. Pupils in Year 5 enjoy playing string instruments. Across the school, pupils participate in different clubs, including football and netball clubs. However, opportunities for some pupils to develop their talents and pursue their interests are more limited.

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Members of the governing body are keen to support leaders to move the school forward. They are aware of the school’s strengths and the areas that require further development.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They told inspectors that leaders are mindful of their workload and mental health. Most parents praised leaders’ work to provide a high-quality education. They are of the view that their children are looked after well and that they are thriving at Butterstile.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 4 and 5 May 2023

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Leaders and governors ensure that comprehensive safeguarding procedures are in place and implemented rigorously by staff. Leaders make certain that staff know their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe from harm.

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Staff are trained well. If staff are worried about the safety or welfare of a pupil, they record and report their concerns promptly.

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When necessary, leaders work with many specialist partners to ensure that vulnerable pupils get the support that they need quickly. Pupils learn about internet safety, and associated dangers and risks, through different aspects of the curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The opportunities that leaders provide for pupils to engage in extra-curricular activities are limited. This means that some pupils do not benefit from sufficient opportunities to develop their interests and talents in different areas of sport and music. Leaders should review these aspects of the curriculum to enhance these aspects of pupils’ wider development.  In a small number of subjects, some teachers do not use assessment strategies to address pupils’ misconceptions quickly enough. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers are fully equipped to check how well pupils are learning the curriculum.

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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.

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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. 4 and 5 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268779 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 16 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and a new chair of the governing body have been appointed.  Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

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 first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Inspectors also held meetings with other leaders, including those responsible for SEND, the early years, pupils’ attendance and behaviour, welfare and personal development.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body. He held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. 4 and 5 May 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, history, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their learning in some other subjects. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to school staff.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and their well-being.  Inspectors met with parents and carers and reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors spoke to safeguarding leaders about the reporting and recording of any safeguarding incidents. Inspectors talked with pupils about their safety and welfare. Inspectors examined a range of policies and documents. They also

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scrutinised safeguarding information, including the school’s safeguarding policy.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Patrick Rayner Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 2023

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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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