Christ Church CofE Primary School

Inspection of Christ Church CofE Primary School Delph Road, Oldham, Lancashire OL3 5RY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils typically enjoy attending this small school. Staff know them well and sort out any problems that they might have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning. Despite this, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are not supported to learn and achieve well across the full curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In the main, children in the Reception Year, and pupils across the school, are kind to each and follow the school’s ‘golden rule’ of treating others as they wish to be treated. However, staff have inconsistent expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They sometimes tolerate low-level disruption during lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a range of clubs, including choir, brass and coding club. They also take part in many sports and competitions through the Dovestone Learning Partnership.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong. However, they have limited knowledge and understanding of diversity and equality. This is because the school has only recently started incorporating these important aspects into the curriculum.

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better?

The governing body has an accurate view of the quality of education that the school provides. It is working alongside the local authority and school to develop a strategy to build on the school’s strengths and address weaker areas. This improvement work is in its infancy. The school is considerate of staff’s workload. It helps staff to manage the demands of working in a small school. Staff appreciate this support.

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better?

Staff deliver the phonics programme well. They help children in the Reception Year to develop their phonics knowledge successfully. Staff support pupils who are at risk of falling behind in the programme. Pupils read from books that consolidate their learning of new sounds. Over time, they read with accuracy and expression. Staff encourage pupils to develop a love of reading. Pupils appreciate events, such as ‘bedtime stories’, which make reading fun and exciting.

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better?

Pupils learn well in some subjects. The school’s curriculum is ambitious and aligns with the national curriculum. However, there is too much variation in the quality of subject curriculums. In some subjects, the school has not identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn or the order in which this should be taught. This limits the depth and breadth of pupils’ learning.

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better?

Teachers deliver some aspects of the curriculum well. For example, recent changes have been made to the way that pupils are taught to write. This was because pupils’ achievement in writing was weaker than in mathematics and reading. Teachers now help pupils to develop their writing more effectively than in the past. Even so, there is too much variation in how well teachers deliver subject curriculums across the 12 and 13 March 2024

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early years and key stages 1 and 2. This limits the amount that pupils know and understand. Teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding in some subjects. This prevents them from linking new learning to what has been taught in the past. It also stops teachers from identifying when a pupil misunderstands something and needs more help.

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The school has recently improved the way that it identifies and assesses pupils with SEND. It has also strengthened the way that it works in partnership with parents and carers. Despite this, staff do not meet the needs of these pupils as well as they should. Some staff are unclear of the best ways to support the learning of pupils with SEND. On occasion, staff inadvertently reduce the independence of these pupils by doing things for them that they are able to do themselves.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ attendance. Pupils attend regularly and the proportion of pupils who are regularly absent has reduced this year. Pupils benefit from high-quality support. However, staff’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour are inconsistent. Some staff do not do enough to secure consistently positive behaviour from pupils. This sometimes hinders pupils’ learning during lessons and over time.

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Pupils enjoy many opportunities that enrich their personal development. For example, older pupils attend residentials and younger pupils visit a zoo to enhance their learning of the curriculum. Pupils typically value the differences between themselves and others. However, pupils’ knowledge of issues relating to equality, diversity and fundamental British values is limited. The school has only recently started to adapt subject curriculums to reflect and promote diversity.

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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, the school has not given enough thought to what pupils should learn or the order in which this should happen. This limits pupils’ learning because new content does not build on what pupils already know and can do. The school should determine the knowledge that pupils should learn and when this subject content should be taught.  Teachers do not consistently deliver subject curriculums effectively. In addition, some staff are unsure of how to best meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This is also the case in the early years. This limits pupils’ learning. The school should make sure that teachers are supported to improve their delivery of subject curriculums and to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.  In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils’ knowledge and understanding effectively. As a result, they are unable to adapt their delivery of the curriculum to 12 and 13 March 2024

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what pupils know and can do. This prevents pupils from learning more. The school should support teachers to check pupils’ learning systematically.  Staff do not have consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning. This leads to pockets of low-level disruptive behaviour in lessons, which slows pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils and follow the school’s systems for managing behaviour.  Pupils have a limited knowledge and understanding of fundamental British values, equality and diversity. This limits their preparedness for life in modern Britain. The school should take steps to ensure that pupils are supported to gain a deep understanding of these areas of personal development.

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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’ 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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.christchurch-pri.oldham.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Most staff have joined the school since the previous inspection, including the headteacher and the chair of governors.  This Church of England school is part of the Diocese of Manchester. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in February 2019. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place by February 2027.  The school is part of the Dovestone Learning Partnership, which is a co-operative group of nine local primary schools.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 This was the first inspection the school 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.  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 carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with leaders, discussed subject curriculums, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. They also spoke with teachers. The lead inspector observed pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors considered evidence from some other subjects.

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 Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body. He also spoke with representatives of the local authority and of the diocese, as well as a headteacher from the Dovestone Learning Partnership.  Inspectors spoke with different groups of pupils to gather their views of school. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at playtime and lunchtime.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. Inspectors spoke with some parents before the start of the school day.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation. This included the school development plan and leaders’ self-evaluation document.

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Inspection team

Will Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Berry Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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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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