Padiham Green Church of England Primary School

ERRATUM

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS (page 17 of report)

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ERRATUM

The table headed Special educational needs should read:

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ERRATUM

Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 4 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 34

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PADIHAM GREEN CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th – 10 th May 2000

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PADIHAM GREEN CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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PADIHAM GREEN CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St Anne’s Street Padiham Burnley Lancashire Postcode: BB12 7AX

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Canon J Duxbury

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 th – 21 st November 1996 Padiham Green CE Primary School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Mrs J Greenfield Registered inspector Mr J Lovell Lay inspector Mrs M Wallace Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

PPI Group Ltd 7 Hill Street Bristol BS1 5RW

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Padiham Green CE Primary School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4 - 8

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9 - 14

The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is strongly committed to learning and to the achievement of high standards. Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than might be expected for their attainment on entry into the school, especially in mathematics. The school’s extremely positive ethos, where pupils are valued, successfully fosters very good standards of behaviour and friendly relationships and encourages constructive attitudes to work and an enthusiasm for learning. Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and encourages them to do their best. The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and provides a wealth of experiences to enhance their personal and academic development. Staff closely monitor pupils’ academic performance and progress and provide

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9 - 14

parents with detailed and informative reports.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 14 - 15

The youngest pupils do not receive a sufficiently rich, stimulating and challenging curriculum to meet their specific needs. The current level of resources for information technology does not enable pupils to cover all aspects of the programmes of study to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

With 215 pupils on roll, Padiham Green CE Primary School is an average sized primary school catering for boys and girls aged 5 - 11 years. At the time of the inspection, 11 children were under the age of five in the reception class. The school is in a socially and economically disadvantaged area and a higher proportion of pupils than average (29 per cent) are eligible for free school meals. Pupils’ attainment on entry is below average and for a considerable number well below average, with a high proportion having weak literacy, phonic and numeracy skills. Thirty-four pupils, of whom four have a statement, have special educational needs, which is broadly average. Just under a tenth of pupils left or entered the school during the course of last year. There are no ethnic minority children or pupils for whom English is an additional language.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Padiham Green CE Primary School is a very good school, which succeeds in creating a very positive climate for learning. Its strengths far outweigh any weaknesses. It benefits from the dynamic leadership of the headteacher who provides a clear sense of direction to the school’s work and staff who are committed to helping pupils achieve high standards. Standards, particularly in English, mathematics and science, are much higher than those found in similar schools and higher than expected when account is taken of their below average attainment on entry to the school. There are weaknesses in the provision for the very youngest pupils and the provision for information technology does not meet statutory requirements. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is strongly committed to learning and to the achievement of high standards. • Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than might be expected for their attainment on entry into the school, especially in mathematics. • The school’s extremely positive ethos, where pupils are valued, successfully fosters very good standards of behaviour and friendly relationships and encourages constructive attitudes to work and an enthusiasm for learning. • Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and encourages them to do their best. • The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and provides a wealth of experiences to enhance their personal and academic development. • Staff closely monitor pupils’ academic performance and progress and provide parents with detailed

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What could be improved

• The youngest pupils do not receive a sufficiently rich, stimulating and challenging curriculum to meet their specific needs. • The current level of resources for information technology does not enable pupils to cover all aspects of the programmes of study to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1996. Since that time, the school has maintained the strengths identified in the previous report very successfully. Performance in the National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 has improved, although there have been fluctuations Padiham Green CE Primary School - 5 from year to year. It has also made good progress in addressing the key issues identified in the last inspection report. The proportion of very good teaching has improved considerably and is a very strong feature of the school, especially at Key Stage 2, contributing significantly to the good progress that pupils make in their learning. Schemes of work are in place for all subjects and are being revised in the light of changes to the National Curriculum from September 2000. The school has made very good progress in providing opportunities and resources to enable pupils to become more aware of the rich

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

diversity of cultures existing in society.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has shown that it has the capacity to improve what it does. It has a clear view of its priorities and it is well placed to bring about further improvements in its provision and in the standards pupils achieve.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

1997 1998 1999 1999 very high A* English D D C A well above average above average A B mathematics D B A A* average below average C D science E C C A well below average E

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STANDARDS

Over the past three years, the school’s results overall in the National Curriculum tests at the age of 11 have improved in line with the national trend. In 1999, the results were broadly average in English and science but were well above average in mathematics. When compared with schools with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, the results were well above average in English and science and very high in mathematics, placing them in this last subject in the top five per cent of similar schools nationally. The work pupils in Year 6 were doing in English and science during the inspection reflects the average standards attained in the 1999 tests. In mathematics, their work is above average but does not reach the well above average standards indicated by the test results in 1999. The main reasons for this include a higher proportion of younger (summer born) children in the class, a

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STANDARDS

comparatively larger number of pupils who have been admitted during the course of the year and a slightly higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs. Pupils’ attainment by the age of 11 is generally in line with the standards expected nationally in all the remaining subjects other than in information technology where their attainment is below the standard expected.

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STANDARDS

The school has already exceeded by a considerable amount the targets set for 1999 and 2000. Pupils’ learning accelerates significantly as they move through the school. By the age of seven, they achieve broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics, indicating some improvement over the results of the National Curriculum assessments in 1999. By the age of 11, most children are working at or near their capacity and are achieving well in relation to their earlier attainment. Standards are higher than in similar schools and there is clear added value from the age of seven to eleven. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 6

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent: pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school, show high levels of interest and eagerness to learn and are proud of their achievements. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good: behaviour in lessons and around the school is very positive. Pupils are extremely courteous and friendly, showing respect to one another and to all adults. Personal development and relationships Excellent: pupils mature perceptibly as they move through the school. They work and play together very successfully, respecting property and the views and values of others. Attendance Satisfactory: attendance is broadly in line with the national average, as are authorised and unauthorised absences. The slight drop in attendance in 1998/99 resulted from a greater number of pupils taking holidays in term time.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall unsatisfactory good very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Overall, the teaching in the school is good. In 92 per cent of lessons, the teaching is at least satisfactory; in 67 per cent, it is at least good; and in 46 per cent, it is very good. In 8 per cent of lessons, all with the very youngest pupils, the teaching is unsatisfactory. The quality of teaching varies between the year groups, with the most effective teaching occurring in Key Stage 2, where 60 per cent of the teaching is very good and a further 27 per cent is good. In Year 1 and Year 2, the teaching is never less than satisfactory and 50 per cent is at least good, of which 33 per cent is very good. In the reception class, the teaching is unsatisfactory overall as it fails to challenge pupils sufficiently. The teaching of English, including reading and writing, is satisfactory at Key Stage 1, and there are examples of some very good teaching in Year 1. The teaching of mathematics, including numeracy, is

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

very good at Key Stage 2 and satisfactory at Key Stage 1. The best teaching provides challenging work, which makes intellectual demands on pupils and captures their interest and attention. A brisk pace in most lessons ensures that time is used effectively and, as a result of the teachers’ high expectations of their response and behaviour, pupils make good gains in their learning. Pupils retain and build on earlier work and the older pupils are confident in being able to say when they do not understand and in dealing with uncertainties. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 7

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Unsatisfactory: the curriculum in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is broad and balanced and caters well for the wide range of pupils’ interests. It is insufficiently structured or stimulating for the very youngest pupils. Provision for information technology does not fully meet National Curriculum requirements because of the lack of sufficient equipment. Extra-curricular provision is very good, as is the range of residential visits and field trips that are organised to support pupils’ learning. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good: pupils are fully integrated into the school community. They receive good support both in lessons and when withdrawn for specific help in literacy and numeracy, which enables them to make good progress in their learning. The special needs coordinator has insufficient time to monitor pupils’ progress and the effectiveness of the support

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Aspect Comment

they receive. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good: the provision for pupils’ moral and social development is excellent and is a notable strength of the school. Very clear codes of behaviour and strong values ensure that pupils develop a mature understanding of their moral and social responsibilities. Very good provision is made for their spiritual and cultural development. How well the school cares for its pupils Good: the monitoring and assessing of pupils’ academic performance and personal development are of a high order in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, but are unsatisfactory for the under fives. All adults in the school work together well for the benefit of the children. Child protection arrangements are satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good: the enthusiasm, energy and drive of the headteacher, effectively supported by his senior staff, ensure a climate within the school that is strongly committed to learning and to the achievement of high standards. This results in successful team working amongst the staff. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good: governors are fully involved in the school and have a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Other than in the provision of information technology, they fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good: the school has robust systems for analysing and reviewing most aspects of its performance. The careful and extensive analysis of data enables staff to track pupils’ progress effectively and target specific pupils for additional support. The programme of classroom observation

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Aspect Comment

is effective but is not as tightly focused or as sharp as other monitoring and evaluation activities. The strategic use of resources Good: the school uses its resources well for the benefit of the pupils and to meet clear educational priorities. The principles of best value are applied appropriately to ensure that expenditure decisions are cost- effective.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children are expected to work hard and to achieve their best. • Their children like school. • The school is well led and managed. • Pupils’ good standards of behaviour. • The good quality of the teaching. • Their children are making good progress. • The school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. • They feel comfortable about approaching the school with problems. • A small number of parents do not feel that they are kept well informed about their child’s progress • A small number of parents express concern about the lack of consistency in the setting of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents are very pleased with the school and the quality of its work. Inspectors’ judgements support all of the positive views expressed by the parents. Pupils are expected to work hard, behave well and to act in a mature and responsible way. Consequently the majority of them make good progress in their learning through the high quality of most of the teaching. Inspectors find that the school makes very good efforts to keep parents informed about the progress their children are making. In particular, the reports sent to parents are of a high quality, being extensive and informative. They also find that the homework set is generally manageable, appropriate and purposeful and the amount required is similar to that of other primary schools. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 9

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The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is

strongly committed to learning and to the achievement of high standards.

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The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is

1. One of the main reasons for the success of Padiham Green CE Primary School is the enthusiasm, drive and energy of the headteacher who, through his own practice, sets high standards for others to emulate. This ensures that pupils work hard to achieve their best and to meet the school’s high expectations of their performance and behaviour. The culture within the school is one of a large community, involving all the staff and pupils, working together in a mutually supportive way. There is clear evidence of teamwork amongst the staff and a clear commitment to improvement.

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The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is

2. The headteacher is effectively supported by his deputy and other staff with responsibilities for coordinating aspects of the school’s work. They make a strong and cohesive team. Members of the team share a common purpose, which puts pupils and their achievements at the centre of their work. This ensures a consistency of approach throughout the school and harnesses the commitment of staff to maintaining and improving standards. The senior management team makes a good contribution to the day-to-day management and organisation of the school and to ensuring the wellbeing of the pupils.

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The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is

3. The governors are very supportive of the school and are very clear about their responsibilities. Other than for the provision for information technology, which does not currently meet statutory requirements, they fulfil their responsibilities well. The governing body has taken appropriate steps to rectify this omission and plans are in hand to provide a computer room by the beginning of next term. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school and are prepared to take difficult decisions to improve performance and to obtain best value for their expenditure.

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The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is

4. The school has sharpened its procedures for monitoring and evaluating its work and has developed robust systems in the main, although there are some gaps. The headteacher undertakes a comprehensive analysis of a range of data to monitor pupils’ performance, to identify individuals and groups who may be underachieving and to provide them with additional targeted support. This analysis enables the school to set clear targets for the pupils, to monitor their performance on a regular basis, and has been instrumental in improving standards, particularly in mathematics. The current programme of classroom observation is not as focused or as systematic as the school’s other monitoring activities. This year, because of financial and staffing difficulties, the headteacher has undertaken a regular class teaching commitment for part of the week, which has limited the time available for classroom observation. The governors, who are unhappy with this situation, have taken a decision to

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The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is

appoint additional staff from the beginning of next term and to provide release time for the special needs coordinator. At present, the coordinator has insufficient time to monitor the progress and the effectiveness of the support pupils with special educational needs receive. The monitoring of the literacy and numeracy hours by the two coordinators has been thorough and undertaken on a regular basis. Areas for further improvement have been identified and appropriate action taken to address them.

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The high quality of the leadership, particularly by the headteacher, ensures a climate that is

5. The school development plan is detailed and comprehensive and addresses areas of weakness identified through the school’s monitoring systems. Staff and governors are involved appropriately in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the plan. It provides a good basis for managing school improvement.

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Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than

might be expected for their attainment on entry into the school, especially in mathematics. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 10 6. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is below the expected levels and there are some pupils for whom it is well below average. Their literacy, phonic and numeracy skills, as indicated by the baseline assessments, are generally weak. Overall, they make good progress as they move through the school so that by the time they reach the age of 11, pupils attain standards that are at least in line with the standards expected nationally in English and science and above average standards in mathematics. In all other subjects, other than information technology where their attainment is below average, pupils achieve average standards. In the National Curriculum tests in 1999, when compared with schools that have a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, pupils achieved well above average

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Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than

standards in English and science, and very high standards in mathematics, placing the school in this last subject in the top five per cent of similar schools nationally.

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Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than

7. In the reception class, children make inconsistent progress across the six areas of learning and in the transition to the National Curriculum. They make steady progress in developing early language and literacy skills and acquiring mathematical skills over time, although in individual lessons their progress is not always evident because of the lack of a clear focus to their work. They make satisfactory progress in their personal and social development, learning to behave in appropriate ways and to work with others, sharing and taking turns. They are able to select an activity, use resources sensibly and to talk about what they are doing. In the other areas of learning, they are making steady but slower progress than might be reasonably expected because the curriculum is insufficiently structured and planned to meet their needs. Their attainment and progress across all areas of learning are not assessed and recorded regularly enough.

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Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than

8. Pupils make good progress during Key Stage 1, especially in the areas of literacy and numeracy. By the age of seven, pupils’ attainment is broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics, indicating some improvement over the results of the National Curriculum assessments in 1999, when pupils’ attainment was below average in reading and writing and well below average in mathematics. Pupils’ reading skills have improved, so that most read fairly fluently, with understanding and the majority with an awareness of punctuation. Their numeracy skills are developing appropriately but some of the mathematics work in Year 2 is pitched at too high a level and consequently pupils do not always understand what they are doing.

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Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than

9. During Key Stage 2, progress is rapid, especially in literacy and numeracy, as a result of some very structured and challenging teaching, the clear setting of targets and the additional support provided for identified pupils. Particular emphasis has been placed on improving pupils’ writing skills. By the age of 11, pupils’ attainment is in line with the national expectation in English and science and above average in mathematics. These standards are similar to the pupils’ performance in the National Curriculum tests in 1999 in English and science but is slightly lower than the results in mathematics, as a result of differences in the profile of the two cohorts. In their other subjects, with the exception of information technology, pupils also make good progress in their learning during the course of the key stage and achieve average standards by the age of 11. The standards pupils achieve by the age of 11

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Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than

are higher than might be expected of the pupils when account is taken of their attainment on entry to the school. The school is successful in stretching the pupils and getting the most out of them. The lack of sufficient computers limits the progress that pupils can make in developing a wide range of skills in information technology and, consequently, standards are below average.

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Pupils make good progress in their learning and achieve higher standards by the age of 11 than

10. The school is constantly looking at ways of improving its performance in order to help pupils make progress. The careful analysis of its performance data has identified several areas for further action, including reading and writing. The monitoring of the literacy and numeracy hours has been thorough and has identified areas for further improvement. One such area is the quality of the plenary sessions, which are felt to need tightening up to make them more effective; another is the greater emphasis now placed on mental work in mathematics to sharpen pupils’ skills. Inspectors find some of the introductory sessions in both literacy and numeracy far too long, especially at Key Stage 1, thus Padiham Green CE Primary School - 11 limiting group work and other activities, apart from making it more difficult for pupils to sit still for that length of time.

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standards of behaviour and friendly relationships and encourages constructive attitudes to work

11. The school’s motto of Caring, sharing and working together is reflected in all aspects of its work and underpins its distinctive ethos. The community spirit in the school is particularly noticeable. Pupils respond positively to this ethos, which fosters very high standards of behaviour, constructive attitudes and an enthusiasm for learning. The motto is constantly referred to by staff, especially during assemblies, which enables pupils of all ages to gain a shared understanding of what these attributes mean in practice. Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ response and behaviour are high and in the main are consistently reinforced. Pupils respond very positively to these high expectations. The home-school agreement, signed by nearly every parent, was drawn up in close consultation with pupils and is an effective method of gaining their commitment and that of parents to the school’s high expectations.

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standards of behaviour and friendly relationships and encourages constructive attitudes to work

12. In classrooms, around the school and in the playground, pupils behave very well. Relationships between the pupils themselves are very constructive and friendly and, on numerous occasions, pupils were seen to help one another in different ways. They work well together in cooperative activities, both in lessons and in the playground. Pupils develop a sense of responsibility for their own actions and understand the impact of these actions on others. On the rare occasions that pupils’ actions transgress the school’s expectations, they are shown their signed section of the home- school agreement and asked to identify what they have done that is contrary to the agreement. This is handled sensitively but firmly to good effect.

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standards of behaviour and friendly relationships and encourages constructive attitudes to work

13. All adults who work in the school provide very good role models for pupils. They listen carefully to what pupils say, value their contributions and show great interest in their achievements. They treat pupils with the courtesy that they expect them to show to others. Their approach encourages constructive attitudes and eager responses from pupils. The headteacher knows the names of all the pupils and greets and talks with them on their arrival each morning, thus setting a positive tone to the beginning of the school day. Pupils are encouraged to consider and involve visitors; for example they talk politely and easily to them in the corridors and around the school, and listen attentively and with interest to the many visitors who lead assemblies.

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Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and

14. The overall high quality of the teaching, especially evident in Key Stage 2, contributes significantly to the quality of pupils’ learning and to the good progress that they make. In two out of three lessons, the teaching is good and is very good in nearly a half of all lessons. The proportion of very good teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection. Only a small amount of unsatisfactory teaching was seen. The teaching is most effective at Key Stage 2, with a much higher proportion of good and very good teaching than elsewhere in the school, although some very good teaching also occurs at Key Stage 1. There is, however, some unsatisfactory teaching of the very youngest pupils. 15. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good. This enables them to teach confidently and to keep up a good pace in the majority of lessons. They also make it clear that they enjoy teaching and

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Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and

enjoy working with the pupils. Most lessons are carefully structured to sustain pupils’ interest and the work provided is appropriately stimulating and challenging to motivate pupils to work hard and to do their best. Many lessons are clearly enjoyable and good fun, reflecting the very good relationships and a relaxed but respectful rapport evident between pupils and their teachers. This helps to build pupils’ Padiham Green CE Primary School - 12 confidence in their own abilities and in dealing with uncertainties, as was clearly evident in a Year 6 mathematics lesson preparing pupils for their forthcoming National Curriculum tests. In the most effective lessons, the dynamic style of presentation of the teachers and the opportunities they provide for pupils to contribute their ideas through discussion keep children on their toes and eager to learn. Teachers endeavour to bring out the best in children and use their skills to support one another. As a

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Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and

group, the teachers work well together, challenging themselves as well as the children.

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Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and

16. At Key Stage 2, teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and of their response and behaviour. They use a range of appropriate strategies, which involve giving clear explanations, structuring the work to make it progressively more demanding and use questioning well to challenge pupils and to make them think. Teachers manage pupils well in a calm, consistent and supportive way so that pupils are not only very clear about what is expected of them but want to co- operate. The curriculum is planned effectively and, together with the information passed on by teachers as the pupils move on to the next class, ensures that there is continuity in pupils’ learning. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is very effective and follows the requirements of the National Literacy and Numeracy strategies.

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Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and

17. At Key Stage 1, the teaching is good, with some examples of very good teaching in Year 1. The best teaching is well planned and structured, providing the right level of challenge, with the teacher’s enthusiasm motivating children to work harder and faster. This was particularly evident in a Year 1 literacy lesson, where children sat enthralled during the telling of the story of The Rainbow Fish and responded very well to the language rich quality of the teaching. In some lessons, although the teaching is never less than satisfactory, activities such as the introductory sessions in the literacy hour or in numeracy lessons go on for too long: consequently, the pace drops and pupils find difficulty in maintaining their concentration. In such lessons, teachers are not clear enough in what they expect from pupils in terms of work, their response or in their behaviour.

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Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and

18. In reception, the teaching has weaknesses. The planning does not identify clearly enough what pupils are expected to learn during the course of the week or how their skills across the areas of learning are to be developed systemically. The teaching does not challenge pupils sufficiently and there is insufficient adult intervention and interaction when they are engaged in group activities to encourage them to think. Children’s learning across all the areas of learning against the desirable learning outcomes or the National Curriculum levels is not assessed effectively or regularly enough to monitor progress.

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Effective teaching, more particularly at Key Stage 2, challenges and motivates pupils and

19. All teachers have established very good relationships with their classes. Teachers plan lessons carefully but some of the planning does not take sufficient account of the range of attainment in the class to ensure that it fully meets their needs. The marking of work is undertaken regularly and is very supportive, but is insufficiently diagnostic to inform pupils of what they need to do to improve. Most teachers are good at using day-to-day assessment to monitor the progress pupils make in their learning and use it to plan subsequent work. Support staff provide effective support to pupils with special educational needs. Although a small number of parents expressed concern about the lack of consistency in the setting of homework, particularly in those classes taught by two teachers, homework is used effectively to support the curriculum and pupils’ learning.

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

provides a wealth of experiences to enhance their personal and academic development.

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

20. There is a strong commitment to pupils’ personal development and pupils leave the school as well-rounded, confident young people. They mature perceptibly as they move through the school. The school’s Christian ethos, the values it promotes and its focus on caring, sharing and working together, Padiham Green CE Primary School - 13 makes a significant contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. These aspects of pupils’ personal development are well embedded into the day-to-day practice of the school.

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

21. Assemblies provide excellent opportunities for pupils to reflect on important spiritual, moral and cultural issues. Pupils are encouraged to place prayers in the Prayer Box, which are then used in assemblies and shared with others. Visitors frequently lead assemblies, thus providing an added dimension to pupils’ experiences and their learning. For example, in one Key Stage 2 assembly, a local lay-preacher, who has worked for a long time in Africa and is involved with Christian Aid, talked about the life of a child in Kenya. Role-play is used very effectively to explore aspects of everyday life and also to increase pupils’ understanding about the words in the school’s motto, for example caring and sharing. Visits to the Synagogue and to the Mosque provide good opportunities to extend pupils’ understanding of other faiths.

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

22. Pupils have an excellent awareness of right and wrong and they respond well to the clear expectations of behaviour and work. A clear moral code is promoted throughout school life, supplemented by a simple but explicit code of conduct. Pupils are self-disciplined and the vast majority uphold the rules with consistency. They show high levels of interest and involvement in every aspect of school life. Pupils to whom the inspectors spoke were unanimous in saying how much they liked the school and the opportunities it gave them. Relationships with adults and between pupils themselves are particularly good.

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

23. Pupils are given many opportunities to learn to take responsibility and to show initiative and consideration for others. They are expected to take responsibility for their own actions and to help one another, which they do. The achievements of others are acknowledged and celebrated and special events, such as birthdays, are shared and appreciated. The school supports a range of charities and there are strong links with its twin school in Kenya.

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

24. Since the last inspection, the school has made good progress in extending the opportunities and resources for pupils to become more aware of the rich diversity of cultures existing in society. There are many rich and varied displays of resources and artefacts from a number of different countries, cultures and faiths, which are supplemented effectively by visiting artists and other visitors. Music is a strong feature of the school’s work, with the singing of the older pupils reaching a particularly high standard. In one action packed Year 5 and Year 6 music lesson, pupils explored music and dance from different cultures effectively, for example Ghana and Hawaii, using a range of percussion instruments to accompany the singing and the dancing. The teacher’s enthusiasm contributed significantly to the pupils’ high levels of motivation.

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

25. A wide variety of school visits, including residential visits, contribute to all aspects of pupils’ personal development and to their learning. These include visits to the Egyptology room at the Manchester Museum, to the Roman Museum at Ribchester, to the Wigan Pier experience which enables pupils to gain a practical understanding about life in Victorian times, to an outdoor activities centre and to local farms. In addition, older pupils have been working with an artist in residence, together with five other local schools, in a project making tapestries for display using rag-rug techniques. All of these opportunities are supplemented by a rich and varied programme of extra-curricular activities, including music groups, a wide variety of sporting activities, school productions and performances, chess and quiz games. Pupils respond with enthusiasm to these opportunities, which are effective in

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The school effectively promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and

broadening their horizons and in enhancing their learning and personal development. Staff give unstintingly of their time to these activities.

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Staff closely monitor pupils’ academic performance and progress and provide parents with

detailed and informative reports. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 14 26. The school is a caring, learning community, which places the interests of the pupils at the heart of all its work. Teachers know their pupils well and monitor their academic and personal development carefully and systematically. Information on their progress is recorded well and used to support pupils’ learning. Profiles are maintained of individual pupils, which are added to during the course of the year. This ensures that information about their progress and achievements is passed on from year-to-year as pupils move up the school. There is an effective target setting culture in the school, involving pupils, parents and staff. Pupils are aware of their individual targets and what they need to do to improve. These targets are reviewed on a frequent basis and regularly referred to by teachers.

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Staff closely monitor pupils’ academic performance and progress and provide parents with

27. The school makes good use of data from baseline assessments, National Curriculum tests and assessments, including the optional tests in order to identify strengths and weaknesses, particularly in the core subjects. This enables staff to target individual pupils to check that they are progressing as well as they might and to provide them with additional support. For example, ‘booster’ classes after school have been arranged throughout the year for targeted pupils in Year 6 to provide further help in reading, writing and numeracy. Such opportunities have been successful in helping a number of pupils to raise their performance in these areas. Both pupils and parents feel that these classes have been very beneficial.

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Staff closely monitor pupils’ academic performance and progress and provide parents with

28. The school has established an effective partnership with parents and tries hard to involve them in the school’s activities and in supporting their children’s learning at home. Parents are kept well informed through regular newsletters, parental workshops on a range of curricular and other issues and staff are readily available to talk to parents if there are any problems. Consultation evenings, together with the exchange of information through the pupils’ diaries and the annual reports, ensure that parents are kept well informed about their child’s progress. The annual reports, which are written with care, are comprehensive and provide very good information to parents on their child’s progress and achievements. They include clear targets, which are helpful to both pupils and to their parents in supporting learning. A small number of parents in their responses on the parents’ questionnaire

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Staff closely monitor pupils’ academic performance and progress and provide parents with

indicated that they felt that they were not well informed about their child’s progress. Inspectors found that the school makes very good efforts to keep parents informed and judge that the reports sent to parents are of a high quality. Parents are invited to comment on the annual reports and an examination of a sample of reports indicates that parents value the reports they receive. Parents are very positive about the work of the school and what it does for their children.

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The youngest pupils do not receive a sufficiently rich, stimulating and challenging curriculum to

29. Children in the reception class are provided with a caring and supportive, but largely unchallenging, environment in which to learn. Appropriate emphasis is placed on their personal and social development, language and literacy and mathematics but this work sometimes lacks focus. Pupils have opportunities to play and use a good variety of resources and equipment to gain first hand experiences, but these are insufficiently structured to ensure that both children and staff are clear what they are expected to learn from them. This results in some lack of continuity in pupils’ experiences, making systematic progression in their learning more difficult. The planning of the curriculum is focused mainly on activities to be undertaken rather than on identifying clear learning outcomes, which are shared with the children. Many pupils are unclear about the purpose of their play and the other activities they engage in. Insufficient emphasis is placed on the areas of learning and the promotion of

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The youngest pupils do not receive a sufficiently rich, stimulating and challenging curriculum to

the desirable learning outcomes and there is a lack of a clear transition to the National Curriculum programmes of study. Boys and girls play separately in the main and some of the play is rather aimless, with insufficient adult intervention and interaction. Children, rather than the teacher, appear to dictate the pace. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 15 30. The environment of the classroom is not sufficiently stimulating to enthuse and interest pupils and to widen their experiences. The classroom is not well organised to make the best use of space. Book and reading areas are not inviting and there is a general lack of interest/focus tables to capture children’s interest and imagination.

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The youngest pupils do not receive a sufficiently rich, stimulating and challenging curriculum to

31. The teaching is mostly unsatisfactory and fails to challenge pupils sufficiently. The management of pupils is generally satisfactory, as are relationships, and pupils learn how to play with one another and to behave in an acceptable manner. However, lessons lack pace, and expectations of what pupils should learn and do are insufficiently high. The assessment and recording of pupils’ progress across the areas of learning is insufficient, although records of their progress in reading are maintained. This makes it more difficult to ensure that pupils are making sufficient progress across the curriculum and to inform subsequent learning. Pupils with special educational needs are supported effectively, more often by withdrawal from the classroom. There is insufficient monitoring of the quality of the work in the reception class by the senior management team and the Key Stage 1 coordinator.

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The current level of resources for information technology does not enable pupils to cover all

aspects of the programmes of study to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum.

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The current level of resources for information technology does not enable pupils to cover all

32. The school has insufficient information technology resources, both hardware and software, to enable pupils to have access to all strands of the National Curriculum and, consequently, the school does not meet statutory requirements. Governors are aware of this deficiency and have already taken steps to rectify the situation. From the beginning of next term, the school plans to have a specialist room of networked computers to which pupils will have regular access. Staff have already undertaken some ‘in-house’ training to prepare themselves for teaching in this specialist area.

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The current level of resources for information technology does not enable pupils to cover all

33. Information technology is used wherever possible to support the curriculum but its use is limited by the lack of sufficient up-to-date equipment and appropriate software. Pupils are able to word-process text adequately and a few examples were seen during the inspection of pupils using the computer to write a story. Pupils are unable to undertake work on spreadsheets or computer control of processes and the school does not have access to the Internet, which limits the opportunities for pupils to undertake research to support their learning. At present, there is insufficient monitoring of teachers’ planning for using information technology and of its use. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 16

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve standards and the quality of the curriculum provided for pupils in the reception class, by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• planning the curriculum more carefully to take full account of the areas of learning for children under five and the transition to the National Curriculum; • organising the classroom to provide a more stimulating environment and make more effective use of the space; • making the teaching more challenging and having higher expectations of what children can achieve; • assessing and recording pupils’ progress in relation to the desirable learning outcomes and to the National Curriculum more effectively; • monitoring the quality of provision more systematically.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) improve the provision for and standards of information technology, by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• increasing the levels of hardware and software available for pupils; • ensuring that all elements of the National Curriculum are taught to meet statutory requirements; • monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision more systemically.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(paras 32 and 33) Padiham Green CE Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 18

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 215

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 62

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 34

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 0 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 19

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 20

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 14 17 31

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 10 11 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 14 13

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 77 (64) 81 (74) 81 (74) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (80) 83 (81) 87 (84)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 11 12 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 13 13

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 81 (77) 81 (77) 81 (84) at NC level 2 or above National 82 (81) 86 (85) 87 (86)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 21 10 31

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 16 18 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 10 9

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 84 (57) 90 (66) 90 (74) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 14 16 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 9 10 9

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 74 (55) 83 (63) 77 (68) at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (72)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Padiham Green CE Primary School - 19

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.7 Financial year 1988/99

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 27.9

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 334,053

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Expenditure per pupil 1,554

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 75 Balance brought forward from previous year 46,763

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 43,334 Padiham Green CE Primary School - 20

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 56 41 1 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 64 34 1 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 50 10 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 49 36 10 2 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 76 20 2 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 76 24 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 49 44 5 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 76 22 0 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 58 39 0 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 41 38 8 0 11

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