Cherry Fold Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cherry Fold Community Primary School Cog Lane, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 5JS

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy coming to school. They appreciate the care and support from their teachers. This helps them to feel safe and happy. Pupils are typically polite and well mannered. They know and live up to the school’s expectation that they ‘enjoy, respect and succeed’. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), respect the differences between each other. From the start of their time in the Nursery class, children learn to get on well together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils are keen to do well. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not developed well enough. Therefore, pupils do not build a deep enough body of knowledge that they need to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy developing their talents and interests through a range of clubs such as swimming, karate and drama. They are eager to carry out roles of responsibility. For instance, the librarians and pupil leaders enjoy supporting other pupils with reading and other aspects of school life. This helps pupils to build their confidence. It also means that they feel empowered to suggest changes to enhance pupils’ experience of school.

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

The school and the governors are committed to improving the quality of education so that pupils can achieve well. They have been successful in some areas. For example, they have enhanced the support that is provided to the high proportion of pupils who join the school during the academic year. This ensures that these pupils can better access their learning. The school has also improved the timeliness and accuracy of its identification of pupils’ needs, including those with SEND. This means that these pupils can access the support that they need quickly. 17 and 18 April 2024

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The school has also made some strides to improve the curriculum. Staff have responded well to these changes. This is because they have been consulted and their workload has been considered. The increased support from external agencies has also helped staff to carry out their roles with growing confidence.

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The school’s overarching curriculum is broad and balanced. This is also true in the early years. However, the substance of the curriculum for different subjects is at varying stages of development. In some subjects, the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught has been clearly identified. This helps teachers to know what pupils should learn within topics and across each year group. In other subjects, this is not the case. This hampers how well teachers design learning activities. It prevents some pupils, including those with SEND, from developing a deep understanding of the subjects that they study.

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Teachers’ use of assessment strategies matches the variation in the subject curriculums. In some subjects, some teachers do not check and address gaps in pupils’ learning. As a result, some pupils’ prior learning is not secure enough to learn new subject content.

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There is a sharp focus on developing children’s vocabulary in the Nursery class. This helps children to improve their language and communication skills. The school also ensures that children are immersed in the joy of books as soon as they join the early years. A variety of activities and events such as author visits and reading cafés has raised the profile of reading. The school has begun to improve the support for pupils, including for those in key stage 2, who struggle with reading. Nonetheless, some of this improvement work is in its infancy. As such, some pupils who struggle with the pace of the phonics programme have not caught up as quickly as they should. This means that some pupils do not gain confidence or become fluent readers.

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The school’s focus on improving attendance has been successful. It works well to identify and address the barriers that prevent some pupils from attending school regularly. As a result, absence rates are reducing, especially for pupils with SEND.

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The behaviour systems in the school are used consistently well by staff. Pupils know the routines. They settle into school life well. Children in the early years learn to take turns and to be considerate of their friends. Pupils maintain a positive attitude towards their learning. As such, classrooms are calm and productive.

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Pupils benefit from a vast range of opportunities to broaden their understanding of the world beyond the classroom. For instance, pupils relished the opportunity to learn about the history of cotton spinning and weaving when visiting a local cotton mill. Through the curriculum, pupils also learn about how to keep safe in the community. The school uses a structured programme to help pupils, including those in the early years, to learn how to keep mentally healthy. Older pupils learn about debt and finances, so that they gain a meaningful understanding of the importance of budgeting. Pupils are typically prepared well for modern society. 17 and 18 April 2024

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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 important knowledge that pupils should learn has not been identified. This hinders some teachers from designing learning that helps pupils to learn all that they should. The school should ensure that teachers know what should be taught and when this should happen so that pupils can build their knowledge securely over time.  Some teachers’ checks on learning do not identify and overcome gaps in pupils’ learning well enough. This leaves some pupils with misconceptions, which makes it difficult for them to absorb new learning. The school should ensure that teachers have the expertise to use assessment strategies effectively to identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning.

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Background

When we have judged 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. 17 and 18 April 2024

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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). 17 and 18 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher was appointed in September 2022. She was previously the deputy headteacher at the school.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 that 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 subject leaders. The inspector also met with a range of other staff and leaders during the inspection.  The inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority. 17 and 18 April 2024

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 The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during social times and during their movement around the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders and teachers, visited a sample of lessons, reviewed samples of pupils’ work, heard pupils read and spoke with some pupils.  The inspector also met with subject leaders to review other areas of the curriculum.  The inspector spoke with the leaders responsible for personal development, pupil premium, behaviour and attendance, alternative provision, early careers teachers, careers, SEND and reading.  The inspector spoke with the leaders responsible for pupils’ wider development, behaviour, early years and SEND.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including leaders’ self-evaluation, attendance and behaviour records.

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 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 responses. The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Amina Modan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 April 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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