Blackshaw Lane Primary & Nursery School

Inspection Report Blackshaw Lane Junior and Infant School

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105652 Unique Reference Number Oldham LEA 277385 Inspection number 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr Arthur Markham 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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Blackshaw Lane School address Primary Type of school Heyside Community School category Royton, Oldham OL2 6NT 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 0161 222 6711 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils - Fax number 210 Number on roll Mrs L Wilde Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs A McCormick Headteacher 10 April 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277385 1 February 2006 - 4 to 11 2 February 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized school in a mixed social area. The majority of children are of white British background, with only a small number from minority ethnic groups. There are no children at an early stage of learning English. The number of children entitled to free school meals is below average, as is the number with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. On entry to the school the children's skills are below average overall. The school has Investor in People status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Blackshaw Lane Junior and Infant School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good quality of education for its children. The effective leadership of the headteacher gives a clear educational direction. She has successfully developed a team approach with a commitment to improvement. The quality of teaching is good. Behaviour is good and children have positive attitudes and enjoy their learning. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress from their below average skills on entry because they are presented with a wide range of interesting and stimulating activities. Throughout Years 1 to 6 children make good progress and most achieve well, reaching the expected Level 4 in national tests. Standards are broadly average overall, but some more able children are underachieving because they are not challenged enough. Provision for children's personal development is good. Parents regard the school highly. The school gives good value for money. The school has recently been through a difficult period because of the building of a

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Grade: 2

new school. The headteacher and staff have coped with this very well so that the education of the children has not been adversely affected. However, it has hampered some developments; for example, although assessment procedures are satisfactory and improving, the school is aware that the analysis of data requires further development. This has limited progress on the development of target setting. At the moment, short term targets for children are only set in English. However, the school works well in partnership with neighbouring schools and its involvement in a Network Learning Community is having a positive impact on provision. Monitoring and evaluation are satisfactory overall and the school has a clear understanding of those areas that need improvement. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection and is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the achievement of the higher attaining children by setting them more challenging work and ensuring the curriculum matches their needs more closely. • Analyse performance data more effectively so that areas requiring development can be identified. • Extend short term target setting for children to cover mathematics and science.

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Grade: 2

Children's skills on entry to the school are below average overall. They make a good start to their learning in the Foundation Stage because teaching is good and most attain the levels expected for their age. Throughout Years 1 to 6 children make good progress and reach broadly average standards. In 2005 children's performance at Level 4 in the national tests at Year 6 was above average in mathematics and science and significantly above average in English. However, few children achieved the higher levels. The situation is similar at the end of Year 2. In 2005 standards were broadly average at Level 2, but the percentage of children achieving the higher Level 3 was 2 Inspection Report: Blackshaw Lane Junior and Infant School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 below average in reading and writing. The school has identified the need to raise achievement of the more able children and is taking action to ensure that they are

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Grade: 2

suitably challenged by the work presented to them. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress throughout the school, and some achieve nationally expected standards by the end of Year 6. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved since the last inspection and children now develop satisfactory skills in using computers, which they use satisfactorily to help them learn in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

Children's personal development is good. The great majority of children develop into confident and mature young people. The school council provides good opportunities for them to take responsibility and develop their understanding of citizenship from an early age. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Personal and social education helps children to reflect on important matters and develop values such as care, honesty, co-operation and respect for other cultures. Children develop good attitudes to learning and value their education highly. Good attendance reflects their happiness in school and enjoyment in learning. The school is an orderly community where children behave well. The school involves children in many worthwhile local activities. Through these, they are able to make a good contribution to the community, for instance, by making up parcels for distribution at harvest time or visiting the elderly. The school's provision

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Grade: 2

makes an outstanding contribution to the health and well-being of children, with excellent encouragement given to children so that they adopt positive and healthy lifestyles. Even the youngest members of the school council are becoming concerned about issues such as passive smoking and the need to take regular exercise. Children also learn to work independently and collaboratively and to make considered decisions. These factors are valuable in securing their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Planning builds on previous learning well and teachers use a range of strategies to engage and motivate children. Children make good progress because teachers make learning interesting. Good use is made of the recently installed electronic whiteboards to stimulate children and practical approaches are used well. For example, in a science lesson with Year 2, the children developed an understanding that some changes are irreversible when the teacher broke an egg and showed them how it changed as it was cooked. Most children have very positive attitudes, enjoy their learning and their behaviour is good. Teaching assistants provide effective support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, who 3 Inspection Report: Blackshaw Lane Junior and Infant School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 consequently learn well. However, in some lessons, the more able children's progress

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Grade: 2

is impeded because the level of challenge and expectation is not high enough. Formal assessment information is used satisfactorily to inform planning and teachers carefully check children's work during lessons. Teachers mark children's work diligently and make good use of positive comments to develop their self-esteem and confidence. The setting of short term targets is used well in English, but this has yet to be extended to other subjects.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and complies with national requirements. It meets the needs of most groups of children, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, satisfactorily. However, senior staff recognise that the curriculum does not always match the needs of the more able and the gifted and talented children. The curriculum is organised to ensure that children build on previous learning. Due emphasis is placed on developing pupils' basic skills in literacy and numeracy and provision in ICT is much improved since the last inspection. Computers are now used more to support other areas of the curriculum. Good community links make a significant contribution to learning, for instance, an artist worked with children during a 'creativity week' recently, and trips to museums and art galleries support cultural development. A satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities is available for children.

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Grade: 3

Support and guidance are satisfactory. Children are rightly pleased at the day-to-day care they receive and how much they are valued by staff, as a young member of the school council put it, 'Adults make you feel warm inside, when things go wrong they are kind to you and sort out your problems'. Health and safety checks are carried out for school trips and staff are reviewing risk management procedures in light of the new accommodation. Child protection procedures are in place and staff are vigilant at all times. Close support is given to vulnerable pupils and those who find learning difficult. These measures, along with positive support from external agencies, ensure that children are safe and adequately cared for. Children's academic progress is regularly monitored and teachers and assistants understand their learning needs. The school has satisfactory systems for setting targets in English to help pupils improve their work, but these have yet to be developed in

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher gives strong leadership and her clear vision is well communicated to staff at all levels. She is effectively 4 Inspection Report: Blackshaw Lane Junior and Infant School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 supported by the deputy headteacher and other senior staff. They have successfully developed a team approach within the whole staff with a commitment to raising standards. The school is managed well. Effective management procedures have ensured that the school has continued to run smoothly during the building of a new school. Subject coordinators' management skills have been developed well since the last inspection. They now have a clear view of strengths and weaknesses because they monitor their subjects effectively. School improvement planning is well organised. However, there is insufficient detail in the analysis of data on children's performance. This would

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Grade: 2

inform teachers quickly of weaknesses in pupils' performance and achievement so that interventions can be speedily put into place to enable them to reach their full potential. Teachers' performance management objectives are linked to priorities in the school improvement plan, which ensures that there is a cohesive approach to developments. For example, the quality of children's writing has improved as a result of all staff having objectives in this area. The views of parents and children are sought and information is used to inform school improvement planning. Governors are supportive of the school and take their responsibilities seriously. A number of them have direct responsibility for an aspect of the school's work and gather information to disseminate to other governors. Whilst this monitoring role is not yet fully developed, the governors do have a reasonable view of the school's strengths and areas for development and share the staff's commitment to improvement.

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Grade: 2

Progress since the last inspection is satisfactory overall. The school worked hard to ensure that the disruption caused by the building of the new school did not adversely affect the quality of education provided for children. The school now occupies excellent accommodation and is well placed to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Blackshaw Lane Junior and Infant School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 .

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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: Blackshaw Lane Junior and Infant School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006

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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 3 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 3 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 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 3 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 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 3 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

As you know, two inspectors recently visited your school to find out how well your teachers are helping you with your learning. Thank you for being so friendly and talking to the inspectors. It was really interesting to listen to what you had to say. The things that we particularly liked were: - the way you work hard in lessons and make good progress - your good behaviour in lessons and around the school and the way you help each other - the good start to school made by children in the Reception class - the excellent guidance you receive about healthy living - the enthusiastic and polite way you told us your views about school. We have asked your headteacher and teachers to improve some things to make your school even better. They are: - work hard to help you improve the standards you achieve by making sure that you are all given really challenging work - make sure that you are set targets in mathematics and science.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We are confident that your headteacher and teachers can do these very important things. You can help them by continuing to work hard and doing your best.

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