Statham Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Statham Primary School Warrington Road, Statham, Lymm, Cheshire WA13 9BE

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 October 2023

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Outcome

Statham Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Jane Rooney. This school is part of The Beam Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Gill Marsland, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Clare Swann.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come to school happy and ready to learn. Staff greet them with a smile each morning. Pupils value the way in which staff check on how they are feeling.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers were overwhelmingly positive about their children’s experiences at school. For example, some parents said that nothing was too much trouble for staff. Staff build strong, supportive relationships with pupils and their families. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Typically, pupils achieve well across the curriculum. They want to do their best, and they work hard to live up to the school’s expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During lessons, pupils behave well. They are keen to learn, and they strive to earn tokens and gain rewards for their positive conduct. Pupils enjoy playing together at social times and being able to act as helpful role models to pupils in younger year groups. They are eager to explore the different areas of the school playground and the activities on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the variety of clubs that enhance their learning beyond the academic curriculum. The school chooses to organise clubs that are based on pupils’ needs and interests. Pupils are proud of their achievements in local sporting events.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the range of leadership roles on offer. These include opportunities to act as subject ambassadors, e-safety cadets and school councillors. 25 and 26 October 2023

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

The school has prioritised the teaching of reading. Children begin learning the sounds that they need to read from the beginning of the Reception Year. They delight in using and recognising these sounds successfully. The school has ensured that staff are trained appropriately to deliver the phonics programme well. Staff ensure that the books that pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they know. Most pupils read confidently and fluently by the time that they begin key stage 2. When pupils struggle with reading, teachers provide swift and appropriate support. This ensures that these pupils catch up quickly.

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

Pupils enjoy the range of high-quality texts that teachers use to support their learning in other subjects, including English. Pupils talked about some of their favourite books with a smile on their faces. They understand how important reading is for their learning across the curriculum, and they recognise the benefits of reading for their own well-being. The school continues to excite pupils about reading by introducing them to a wide variety of new books and authors.

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

The school has designed the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils. The school has ensured that pupils’ learning is well thought out. This helps teachers to select learning activities that enable pupils to build logically on what they know already. For example, teachers ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to revisit and consolidate important earlier learning.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge, and they explain learning clearly to pupils. For instance, pupils appreciate the way that teachers make their learning manageable. Teachers check carefully that pupils understand what they have learned before moving on to new content. The school has introduced effective strategies to help teachers to identify and address any misconceptions that pupils may have acquired.

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

The school works closely with the trust to check on whether pupils are learning the intended curriculum. Nevertheless, from time to time, the school’s systems for checking on how well the curriculum is delivered are not as effective as they could be. This hinders the school in identifying those subjects for which teachers may need additional support to deliver the curriculum consistently well.

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

The school has appropriate systems in place to identify pupils’ additional needs swiftly. Staff support pupils with SEND to learn the curriculum successfully. These pupils learn the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers skilfully adapt their delivery of the curriculum to enable pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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

Children in the early years settle in quickly and learn to follow the school routines. Across the school, pupils are polite, and they are keen to work well together. Low-level disruption during lessons is rare. When it does happen, teachers apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently.

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

Pupils learn about the importance of taking care of each other and themselves. They have a well-developed understanding of how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils learn about 25 and 26 October 2023

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the significance of tolerance and respect for those who might be different to themselves. For example, they learn about cultures, religions and types of families that are dissimilar to their own. Pupils were adamant that everyone is welcome in their school.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the additional support and opportunities that they receive from within the trust. The school has made changes to make staff’s workload more manageable. Staff said that this has helped them to better look after their well-being. Governors and trustees use their experience to both support and challenge the school appropriately.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, the school’s systems for checking how well the curriculum is being implemented by staff are not as effective as they could be. From time to time, this means that some pupils’ errors are not identified and addressed swiftly enough. The school should ensure that the systems in place are refined to be more effective.

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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 predecessor school, Statham Community Primary School, to be good in September 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. 25 and 26 October 2023

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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, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 25 and 26 October 2023

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School details

Website www.statham.warrington.secure- dbprimary.com Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Statham Primary School converted to become an academy school in May 2021. When its predecessor school, Statham Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Statham Primary School is part of the Beam Education Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and other members of staff. 25 and 26 October 2023

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 The inspector met with the CEO, the chair of the trust board, some governors and held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils read to a trusted adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during playtimes and while in lessons.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text

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comments. She considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys. The inspector met with parents to gather their views and opinions about the school.

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Inspection team

Sarah Barraclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 October 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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