Rectory CofE Primary School

Inspection of Rectory C of E Primary School Rectory Road, North Ashton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire WN4 0QF

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Inspection dates: 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 30 April and 1 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years make a positive start to school. They learn important routines that support them to work and play together well. The school prioritises pupils’ mental well-being effectively. Pupils are kind and caring to each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are positive about the school’s new approach to how behaviour is managed. Most pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. They typically behave well and feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should learn in some subjects, including English and mathematics. The curriculum in most other subjects is new. Many pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge owing to weaknesses in previous subject curriculums. Pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage in their education as they should be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value learning in the outdoors. This is an exciting part of the school’s provision. Pupils have a growing number of opportunities to take part in trips and visits. However, the range of clubs on offer to pupils is limited. This means that pupils have too few opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

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better?

The school has worked at pace to improve its curriculum. It has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. The school’s decisive actions are beginning to make a difference to pupils’ learning. Even so, much is new, and teachers are still grappling with recently developed curriculums. Currently, pupils’ achievement across different subjects is uneven.

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better?

In some subjects, the school has broken down its broad curriculum expectations into smaller, logical steps of learning. Teachers have benefited from focused training. This is helping them to deliver revised subject curriculums with greater confidence. Teachers are more adept at pinpointing the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge in these subjects. They carefully design learning activities to address these gaps. Pupils are starting to build a secure body of knowledge in these subjects.

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better?

In several other subjects, the school is at an earlier stage of identifying the specific knowledge that pupils need to know. Consequently, teachers do not have enough guidance on what they should teach. This limits their ability to build well on what has come before and to address some of the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. This limits pupils’ progress through the curriculum.

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better?

The early years curriculum provides children with a secure foundation for their later learning. Staff in the early years interact skilfully with children and engage in high- quality discussions with them. This encourages children to deepen their thinking and to develop their imaginative play. Children are well prepared for Year 1. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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Children in the Nursery Year enjoy learning about letter sounds. This gives them a strong start when the phonics programme is introduced in the Reception class. Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 who need additional help with reading benefit from well-tailored support to help them to catch up with their peers.

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The school quickly identifies the barriers to learning that some pupils with SEND face. Staff support pupils well in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision). Staff meet pupils’ individual needs so that they achieve success in their learning. Pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, are fully involved in the wider life of the school.

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Pupils know how they are expected to behave. The school’s recently introduced rewards system motivates pupils to do the right thing. Pupils who require additional support get the help that they need to manage their emotions. Disruption to pupils’ learning is rare.

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Pupils learn how to keep safe online. They know how to eat healthily and what it means to have a positive relationship. Pupils are beginning to deepen their knowledge about different cultures and religions. However, the school does not make sure that pupils benefit from a broad range of experiences beyond the classroom. For example, pupils seldom take on leadership roles. The school provides them with limited opportunities to experience communities beyond the local area. Pupils are not as well prepared for their adult lives as they should be.

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Governors fulfil their roles effectively. They offer well-informed support and challenge to help the school improve the quality of education. The school understands the extra workload that can be placed on staff in a small school and when undergoing considerable change. Staff are well supported and enjoy working at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not identified the key knowledge that pupils should know and remember in several subjects. This means that teachers are unclear about what pupils should learn. Pupils do not build a secure body of knowledge in these subjects. The school should complete its curriculum development work so that teachers have clear guidance on what they should teach, so that pupils overcome gaps in their learning and benefit from the subject curriculums.  Some aspects of pupils’ personal development are not well developed. Pupils miss out on rich experiences to explore their talents and interests and to deepen their 30 April and 1 May 2024

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understanding of what it means to be a citizen in modern Britian. The school should ensure that its work to strengthen the curriculum extends beyond the academic to enhance pupils’ broader 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 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). 30 April and 1 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary-controlled Church of England school in the Diocese of Liverpool. The previous section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in March 2017. The school is awaiting confirmation from the diocese about its next section 48 inspection.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school operates a before- and after-school club.  This school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. There are 22 pupils accessing this provision from the Reception Year to Year 6. Provision is provided for pupils with autism and for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. All pupils in the specially resourced provision have an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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

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 This was the first routine inspection 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 carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, they met with leaders, discussed curriculums, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. Pupils were also observed reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors considered other subjects on the school’s curriculum. They talked to the leaders who lead these subjects and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with parents and carers during the inspection. They considered the responses, including free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. The responses to the staff and pupil surveys were also considered.

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff. Inspectors also met with representatives of the diocese and of the local authority and those responsible for governance.  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.

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Inspection team

Michelle Beard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Niamh Howlett Ofsted Inspector 30 April and 1 May 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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