Oswald Road Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Oswald Road Primary School Oswald Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9PL

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2023

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Outcome

Oswald Road Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and nurturing school where pupils enjoy their learning. Pupils quickly become part of the school community and settle well. They were keen to tell the inspectors that one of the best features of their school is their teachers. Pupils, including children in early years, are happy and safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are gaining from an ambitious and varied curriculum. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about their work and live up to the school’s high expectations. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind and considerate towards each other. Typically, classrooms are hives of activity. Pupils enjoy warm relationships with their teachers and support staff. Mostly, they listen carefully to teachers’ instructions and do their best to work hard. Pupils manage their own behaviour well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish taking on leadership roles in the school, including as eco-leaders and play leaders. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are encouraged to engage in a vast array of extra-curricular activities. The school offers a wide range of activities that spark pupils’ interest, including steel pans, creative writing club and the ‘awesome art’ club.

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

The school’s curriculum is carefully designed to incorporate the knowledge, skills and wider experiences that the pupils at the school need. Careful thought has been given to what pupils are taught and the order in which pupils should build their knowledge. All pupils, including pupils with SEND, access the same curriculum.

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

Across key stages, teachers deliver the curriculum well. In early years, children benefit from language-rich activities. Across subjects, teachers break down learning into small 27 and 28 September 2023

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steps to help pupils to acquire new knowledge easily. They plan regular opportunities to recap and reinforce pupils’ learning. However, in some subjects, the assessment methods used to check what pupils know do not cover the particular knowledge that pupils have been taught. This prevents teachers from identifying accurately, and building on, what pupils know and remember.

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The school has made reading a high priority. It has selected a range of books and authors that reflect the diversity of pupils in the school. This helps pupils to feel well represented and included. Older pupils are happy to talk about their favourite books and library visits. Reception children are taught phonics from the start. This continues through key stage 1 with daily phonics lessons. This supports them to learn the sounds that letters represent quickly. Pupils, including pupils with SEND, are given reading books that match precisely the sounds that they have learned. Pupils who need extra help to keep up with the school’s phonics programme are quickly identified. The school ensures that they get the support that they need.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Teachers are provided with up-to-date information on the additional learning needs of individual pupils. Additionally, teachers are provided with useful tools to help them adapt the delivery of learning activities effectively. This means that this group of pupils can access the same curriculum as their classmates. Pupils with SEND take part in all the school has to offer.

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Pupils behave well, and older pupils are excellent role models for younger pupils in the school. Pupils are caring towards each other and are respectful towards their teachers. Everyone understands the rules and routines that should be followed.

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Pupils’ personal development is a high priority in this school. Pupils benefit from a plethora of learning activities relating to their cultural and moral development. Pupils understand that everyone is unique and they celebrate different beliefs, faiths and cultures. There are ample opportunities for pupils to take part in educational visits linked to their learning. Pupils learn about the importance of keeping physically and mentally healthy. In early years, children enjoy a wide range of activities that help foster their curiosity about the wider world.

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The school has acted decisively to understand the impact of workload on staff’s well- being. Consequently, the school has responded to staff’s unique work pressures and taken steps to better support staff across the school. This means that staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school. Staff said that they appreciate the open-door and transparent approach to working taken by the school. Governors support the school well.

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The school actively participates in the wider community. It seeks to engage with parents and carers, charities and community organisations, such as Chorlton Good Neighbours, to contribute positively to school life. Parents are welcomed into school for activities such as play and reading sessions. This helps the school and parents to work together in supporting pupils’ learning. 27 and 28 September 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers’ checks on learning do not cover the precise content that has been taught. This prevents them from identifying accurately, and building on, what pupils know and remember. The school should ensure that assessment strategies are more precise so that teachers can build more effectively on pupils’ prior learning and, in turn, help pupils to know and remember more.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2018.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, 27 and 28 September 2023

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 27 and 28 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not use any alternative provision for pupils at the school.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, subject leaders and other members of staff. Inspectors also spoke with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. 27 and 28 September 2023

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 Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of evidence, including leaders’ self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and for staff.

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Inspection team

Kate Bowker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Metcalfe Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 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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