Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School

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105338 Unique Reference Number Bury LEA 277340 Inspection number 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 Inspection dates Mr Robert Robinson CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Helmshore Road School address Primary Type of school Holcombe Voluntary aided School category Bury, Lancashire BL8 4PA 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01706 823 498 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01706 828 592 Fax number 98 Number on roll Reverend Armstrong Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Tim Power Headteacher 15 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277340 10 October 2005 - 4 to 11 11 October 2005 Inspection Report: Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average sized primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11. Most are of white, British heritage with a below average proportion from minority ethnic groups. No pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. Indications are that the local area is socially and economically advantaged. Children's attainment on entry varies from year to year, though is generally above average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including statements, is well below average. During the 2003 to 2004 academic year, there was an above average movement of pupils into Year 6 because of the closure of another local school. At the end of the autumn term 2004, the long-serving headteacher left the school and was replaced by an acting headteacher until the present headteacher took up the

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Description of the school

appointment at the beginning of the summer term 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary is a good school. This confirms the school's view of its effectiveness. Overall, standards by the end of Year 6 are above average; however, they vary from year to year because of difference in ability of groups of pupils in a small school. Most pupils make good progress because teaching is good. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make very good progress because of the very good help they receive from teachers and teaching assistants. The school knows that a few of the more capable pupils do not do as well as they could in mathematics and has put in place an action plan to speed up their learning. Personal development is good. Pupils of all ages, abilities and backgrounds work and play together harmoniously. Pupils enjoy coming to school; their behaviour is outstanding and they respond very well to the supportive care they receive. Leadership and

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Grade: 2

management of the school are good. The headteacher leads the school well and has quickly identified areas for improvement, such as, developing the management roles of teachers. Governance is effective. The school has good capacity for further improvement because of the quality and the commitment of staff and the way they work together for the benefit of pupils. Parents are very appreciative of the education provided for their children. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in mathematics in years 3 to 6 by providing more challenge for higher attaining pupils. • Extend the leadership and management roles of staff to include a greater emphasis on monitoring pupils' learning and ensuring better use of available data to set challenging targets for pupils in years 1 to 6.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Children in the reception class make good progress because they are taught well. They generally exceed the expected standards by the end of the reception year. In years 1 and 2, pupils also make good progress because of good teaching and reach significantly above average standards. In Years 3 to 6, high standards are maintained in English and targets in the 2005 national tests in English were exceeded at both the level expected and the higher level. In English, all pupils reached the level expected for their age: almost all did so in mathematics and science. In mathematics, in years 3 to 6, most pupils make good progress, but the progress of higher attainers is slower because of lack of additional challenges for these pupils. In 2005, a few pupils missed their target in mathematics at the higher level by a narrow margin, resulting in overall lower performance compared

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Grade: 2

to English and science. In the 2004 national tests at the end of Year 6, standards and progress linked to pupils' prior attainment dipped; however, analysis of data shows that the attainment of the pupils who moved to the school in Year 6 was lower than 2 Inspection Report: Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 that of pupils who had been at the school since the beginning of Year 2. The performance of the pupils who had been at the school throughout Years 3 to 6 was higher than in previous years. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make very good progress and some pupils catch up and reach nationally expected standards, as was the case in the 2005 national tests in Year 6.

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of pupils, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Pupils show high levels of interest in their work and their high standard of behaviour assists learning. Older pupils set an outstanding example to other pupils in the way they work together and behave. Year 6 pupils stated that 'we have a responsibility to help younger children and those with physical disabilities.' Relationships are harmonious and bullying rarely occurs. Relationships between all pupils, and also between staff and pupils, are strengths of the school. The school encourages pupils to develop an awareness of their own and others' beliefs. They have a good understanding of right and wrong. Attendance is well above average because pupils enjoy learning. Older pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education because of their above average standards and the way they work and behave. Pupils feel safe at school because of the friendly

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Grade: 2

atmosphere and the care provided by the staff. They learn about healthy lifestyles and the importance of a good diet. Older pupils appraise frankly the improvements in school dinners and understand which foods are best for them. They have clear understanding of safe practices, for example, when using the internet. Pupils have a wide range of responsibilities that they fulfil well to help in the smooth running of the school. Year 6 pupils express the view that 'this is a great school'.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress because teaching and learning are good. In the reception class, interesting activities both in the classroom and in the small outdoor area are linked well to each area of learning. The organisation of learning helps children to become confident learners. Strong features include the monitoring of the children's progress and the use of this information to plan future lessons. In years 1 to 6, teaching and learning are good. Lessons are planned well, though occasionally insufficient extension work and challenging investigations are provided for higher attaining pupils in mathematics. Pupils respond well to the consistent messages about behaviour expectations and work very well together. Skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology are applied well to support learning in other subjects; for example, pupils used and developed their understanding 3 Inspection Report: Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 2

of coordinates by locating features of Egypt on a map of the country. The pupils were extremely interested and realised the purpose for their learning in mathematics. Older pupils became engrossed in writing biographies of famous people using computers, based on their previous research from books and the internet. In years 3 to 6, the marking of pupils' work, particularly in mathematics, rarely indicates how well pupils are doing or how they can improve. The recent introduction of specific targets in English is challenging older pupils to improve and the school plans to extend this to English and mathematics throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum, including the provision for children in the reception class, is good. It matches the needs and interests of all pupils well and fully meets requirements. The school has recently put in place more opportunities for older pupils to gain a better understanding of mathematics through investigations and problem solving and this is starting to have an impact on learning, particularly for the more able pupils. The school has embraced well the recent national initiative to widen the curriculum; for example, French is now taught from Year 2 to Year 6. There are good opportunities for pupils to engage in sports, both within the school day and in out of school activities. This includes good involvement with other small schools, for example, in football, netball and cross-country. The intensive approach to the teaching of swimming in Year 4 benefits pupils' progress. In addition, music, visits to local places of interest,

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Grade: 2

such as the local Islamic College, and visitors to school, enrich the curriculum further.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support for pupils are good. Parents value these aspects of the school's work. Child protection procedures are satisfactory, although training for some members of staff needs updating. Risk assessments are thorough. Health and safety arrangements are good. Very good relationships between staff and pupils result in pupils enjoying school and feeling secure. Arrangements for monitoring academic progress are good but pupils are not always made fully aware of what they should do to improve. The headteacher, who is also the special needs coordinator, has a good understanding of the progress each pupil makes and identifies where support is needed. Parents praise the support their children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive; as one parent stated: 'I could not wish for better'. The procedures for monitoring pupils' personal development are informal: however, they are effective in

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Grade: 2

practice because the staff know the pupils well.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The governing body meets all its statutory obligations. Governors have a good understanding of the school and have steered it 4 Inspection Report: Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 well during the changes in leadership. They have been successful in selecting a new headteacher who complements and extends the expertise within the school. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. In the short time that the headteacher has been in post, he has gained the respect of parents who talk about a, 'Warm welcoming atmosphere.' and '.approachable staff, particularly the headteacher'. In addition, many new initiatives have been put into place. An example of the headteacher's impact on the way the school is seeking to improve pupils' progress is seen in the meeting of legislation to reduce teachers' workload, whilst improving standards. At times when teachers are preparing lessons

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Grade: 2

and fulfilling their management duties, the headteacher uses his teaching expertise in their classes to develop further identified curricular weaknesses, such as investigations and problem solving in mathematics. The school has a good understanding of what it must do to improve. The school improvement plan is a comprehensive document to guide future development; however, the key areas for improvement are not clearly prioritised. The headteacher has begun to strengthen the roles and responsibilities of the senior teacher and subject coordinators. A robust leadership and management structure involving all staff has been established. Teachers agree the next step is for all to have a strong focus on raising standards through the monitoring of pupils' learning, pupils' progress and the setting and monitoring of targets for individuals and groups of pupils. 5 Inspection Report: Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Emmanuel Holcombe Church of England Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

N/A Thank you for welcoming me to your school and being so polite and friendly. I enjoyed my visit and I want to share with you what I thought about your school. What I liked most about your school - I am pleased that you behave extremely well and work hard in lessons and all get on so well together. - I am glad that you are taught well so that you make good progress in your learning. - I noticed that your attendance is very good and you really enjoy school. - The headteacher, staff and governors look after you well and know how to make your school better. What I have asked your school to do now - I want you to work with teachers to improve standards in mathematics. - I have asked teachers to take more responsibility for leading and raising standards in subjects by telling you how you can improve your work and setting targets for you to try to achieve. I appreciated talking to you about your work and watching you learn, I wish you well for the

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