Northenden Community School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Northenden Community School Bazley Road, Northenden, Manchester M22 4FL

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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Outcome

Northenden Community School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Northenden Community School. They value the positive relationships that they have with staff and with each other. Pupils are taught why it is important to be kind and caring. They try their best to be considerate of each other. This makes them feel happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. The school values, ‘determination, ambition and equality’ encourage pupils to be confident and aspirational. Pupils are keen to earn ‘value of the week’ certificates in recognition of this. They know how to behave and do so very well in lessons and at social times. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), want to achieve well and most do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the clubs that they can attend. For example, pupils take part in dance, gymnastics, and martial arts. They also enjoy residentials where they challenge themselves in canoeing, rock climbing and caving activities. Pupils benefit from a range of visits, such as to the theatre and to farms. These experiences help them to develop interests and talents as well as their self-esteem.

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

The school has been through a period of considerable change since it was last inspected. This includes successive interim leadership arrangements. Some aspects of the school’s improvement work have been slowed due to the high number of these changes in a short period of time. Despite this, the school has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the time of the previous inspection. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Working closely with the local authority, the school has secured stability in leadership. It has focused on the most important aspects of school improvement. Governors have increased their skills and knowledge to be able to hold the school to account. Their strategic oversight of the school has improved. As a result, they are increasingly providing appropriate challenge and support.

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Staff recognise that the pace of change has increased the demands placed upon them. That said, staff appreciate the school’s actions to support their workload. They especially welcome the improved clarity of what pupils should learn and when they should learn it. The school has ensured that the curriculum is designed to help pupils build knowledge logically over time.

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The school provides clear guidance in some subjects, helping teachers develop their subject knowledge, present information effectively, and check pupils’ understanding when designing lessons. However, in other subjects, the recently revised curriculums, while ambitious, are not fully realised. The school has not consistently checked how well these changes are being implemented, leaving some teachers without the support that they need to deliver the curriculum as intended. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Additionally, errors in spelling, punctuation and handwriting often go unchecked, leading to repeated mistakes over time.

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The school has prioritised the teaching of reading. It has recently introduced a new phonics programme. Children in the Nursery class join in with rhymes and songs to help develop their early language. This prepares them well for learning phonics as soon as they enter the Reception Year.

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Staff ensure that pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. Trained staff provide additional support for those pupils who are not keeping up with the phonics programme. As a result, most pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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Much work has been completed to ensure that pupils with SEND are identified at the earliest opportunity. However, the school has not fully ensured that all staff are confident in adapting their teaching to best meet the needs of pupils with SEND effectively.

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The school’s high expectations for pupils’ positive behaviour start in the Nursery Year where children learn how to take turns and listen to each other. This positive start is built on as they move through the school. A small number of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. The school works closely with parents and carers, and where necessary, external agencies to support these pupils to attend school more regularly.

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The school ensures that opportunities for pupils to learn beyond the academic curriculum are prioritised. Pupils are well supported to understand how to look after their mental as well as their physical health. They learn that people have different families, backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. Pupils develop a mature understanding of the importance of equality and tolerance. They are well prepared for life in a diverse and modern Britain. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For some pupils with SEND, the school is not effectively adapting the delivery of the curriculum to meet their needs. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff receive appropriate support to meet pupils’ individual needs effectively.  A few subjects are at an earlier stage of implementation. As a result, pupils are not building their knowledge logically over time. The school should ensure that staff receive appropriate training to deliver these curriculums effectively and that pupils securely understand and retain important concepts before moving on to new content, allowing them to deepen their knowledge over time.  The school has not ensured that errors in pupils’ spelling, punctuation and handwriting are consistently identified and addressed. As a result, some pupils continue to make the same mistakes over time. The school should ensure that systems are in place to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

identify and address these errors effectively, so pupils are supported to develop greater accuracy and expertise in their writing across the curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in October 2019. 12 and 13 November 2024

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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, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher was appointed in April 2024. The current chair of governors took up their role in September 2024.  At the time of the inspection an interim headteacher and executive headteacher were providing support for leadership of the school.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for pupils.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 The inspector spoke with the interim headteacher, interim executive headteacher and other leaders in the school.  The inspector met with members of the governing board, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also listened to pupils from Years 1 to 3 reading to a familiar adult.  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 spoke with parents at the start of school day. She also considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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 The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jewitt, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

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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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