St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary & Pre School

107570 Unique Reference Number Calderdale LEA 277781 Inspection number 3 July 2006 to 4 July 2006 Inspection dates Mr Terry McDermott 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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Meadow Close School address Primary Type of school Greenacres Estate Foundation School category Shelf, Halifax HX3 7QU 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01274 676246 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01274 691097 Fax number 200 Number on roll Mrs C Rushworth Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Hamlin Headteacher 6 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277781 3 July 2006 - 4 to 11 4 July 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 average size school is on the boundary between Calderdale and Bradford, taking in pupils from both local authorities. It serves a mixed area with some economic disadvantage. More than the usual number of pupils enter or leave the school other than at the normal times. The proportion of pupils taking free school meals is below the national average, as is the proportion with a minority ethnic heritage. An average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, but the proportion with statements of special educational need is higher than average. The school has achieved an Active Mark Gold and has a Healthy Schools award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary School, 3 July 2006 to 4 July 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which gives good value for money. Pupils enter with broadly average standards. They get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage, achieving well because provision is good. They continue to achieve well, making good progress throughout the school, and leave at the end of Year 6 with standards that are largely above average. Unusually, this was not the case in 2005 as a result of severe and unavoidable disruption to staffing in previous years. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils enjoy their well organised lessons and get on well with their teachers. Teachers track the progress of pupils in detail but this information is not used to best effect to help pupils know precisely what they should do to improve; and is often used to set pupils more targets than they can reasonably cope with. Pupils' handwriting and the way they present their work do not match the quality of its content. The curriculum is good. It meets statutory requirements and has

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Grade: 2

a very good range of enrichment activities to extend pupils' learning. The school encourages the personal development and well-being of its pupils effectively and takes good care of them. As a result, pupils are polite and friendly and report that they feel safe and well looked after. They like the school and so does the very large majority of parents. Leadership and management are good. Issues identified for improvement at the last inspection have been fully addressed. Leaders have an accurate picture of the school's strengths and weaknesses, although they are over cautious in their evaluation of its effectiveness. There is clear capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Refine target setting procedures so that pupils know exactly what they need to do to improve and are not presented with too many targets to aim for. • Improve the quality of presentation and handwriting.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage because teaching and the curriculum are well organised and this leads directly to good learning. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain above average standards because teaching is consistently good throughout Key Stages 1 and 2. This represents good progress over time. This was not the case in 2005 due to the severe impact of a series of unforeseeable issues which had a direct bearing on the progress the Year 6 group of pupils made. The targets set for Year 6 in 2005 were not met. However, the school is now on course to exceed its targets by a significant margin. This shows that it has recovered well from its previous difficulties. Pupils make consistently good progress in English, mathematics and science. There are no significant differences in the progress made by any group of pupils. 2 Inspection Report: St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary School, 3 July 2006 to 4 July 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. Reception children work and play happily together. They listen attentively without interrupting when others are talking and join in enthusiastically when the opportunity arises. Most pupils agree that they enjoy school and find their lessons interesting. Despite the best efforts of the school, attendance remains satisfactory. Standards of behaviour are generally good, although a small minority of pupils need periodic reminders of what the school expects. Pupils have no concerns about bullying and feel very safe in school. As Year 6 pupils explained 'occasionally there is teasing or bad tempers, but teachers are reliable and sort out any problems'. Staff treat pupils with respect, and praise them regularly for their efforts. This promotes self-esteem and pupils grow in confidence as they move through this very inclusive school. They carry out the responsibilities they are given diligently

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Grade: 2

and members of the school council are proud to represent others. Pupils have a good understanding of how sensible eating and regular exercise promote a healthy lifestyle and recognise the dangers associated with drugs, alcohol and tobacco. In their time at the school they mature into pleasant and sociable young people, fully aware and tolerant of the cultural diversity which surrounds them. The good interpersonal skills they acquire combined with a range of basic skills provide a solid foundation for future learning and life.

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Grade: 2

Throughout the school the quality of teaching and learning is good. The school has emerged successfully from an extended period of considerable disruption with a stable and enthusiastic workforce which is working very hard to address the deficits in pupils' learning. As a result of their efforts, from Reception through to Year 6, pupils now make good progress and standards are rising. Teachers use their good subject knowledge to plan challenging lessons which stimulate pupils' interest. Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to write in different contexts, but teachers do not stress the need for consistently neat and clear handwriting often enough. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive and the atmosphere in lessons is pleasant and productive. Teachers modify tasks carefully to reflect pupils' differing levels of attainment. Most lessons move along at a lively pace which keeps pupils focused and

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Grade: 2

concentrating hard. On a few occasions, teachers move on before pupils have had a chance to express their thoughts and ideas and miss opportunities to extend their thinking skills. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are taught well. Those with significant special needs receive sensitive and well planned support from teaching assistants which ensures that they achieve well. Teachers generally mark and assess pupils' work thoroughly and constructively. However, the information this provides is not used to full effect when determining how best to support pupils who are slipping a little below what they should achieve. 3 Inspection Report: St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary School, 3 July 2006 to 4 July 2006

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Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good. Pupils enjoy the experiences it provides and gain knowledge, skills and understanding progressively as they move through the school. Teachers have started to link different subjects together to provide a more cohesive curriculum and have well conceived plans to develop this further. Information and communication technology (ICT) features regularly in lessons but the use of computers to aid pupils' learning lacks consistency across subjects. The flexible use of time allows some subjects to be studied in depth for short intensive periods. This ensures that important aspects of personal, social, health and citizenship education are well covered. Pupils enjoy this way of working as it enables them to see a project through from start to finish in a relatively short space of time. Pupils are provided with a wide range of extra-curricular activities with something to interest everyone. Regular

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Grade: 2

visits, residential trips and visitors to the school add further life and colour to the curriculum. Links with a local secondary school enhance provision for physical education and have enabled the school to add French to the curriculum. The school has received a prestigious national award in recognition of the quality of physical education pupils receive.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils and guides and supports them well. Pupils are kept safe and secure. All staff are checked to ensure their suitability for working with children. Procedures for child protection and for addressing risks are in place. Pupils feel happy that if they have a problem there is always an adult available to listen, help and advise. As one pupil commented 'teachers are always there for you'. The school makes good use of outside agencies, such as the emergency services, road safety officers and drugs awareness teams to ensure that pupils understand the dangers they are faced with and know how to deal with them. Pupils' progress is monitored regularly and they are set clear targets in English and mathematics to help them improve. These have several parts and when pupils add targets of their own, as they are encouraged to do, the amount of information they are faced with is often more than they can cope

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Grade: 2

with. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported well in their learning and in their participation in the life of the school.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The committed and determined headteacher is strongly focused on improving standards. The new leadership group has a clear sense of direction, and the school is now beginning to see the impact of recent developments, as shown in the 2006 test results which exceeded by a wide margin the challenging targets the school set itself. Despite the significant recent disruption, morale is high 4 Inspection Report: St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary School, 3 July 2006 to 4 July 2006 and there is a strong determination to see the school succeeding. Parents feel that they are consulted, and are strongly supportive of the school. The school improvement plan identifies the most important areas for development, all linked to intended outcomes for pupils. However, it does not specify in enough detail how these outcomes will be reached. Governance is good. The well led governing

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Grade: 2

body acts as a true critical friend to the school. Governors support the school generously with their time and expertise. They are actively involved in school life, and in the self-review and school improvement planning processes. School self-evaluation is very cautious because when evaluating its performance the school has a tendency to look backwards at past problems, thus paying insufficient attention to the current positive picture. The school has made good improvement since the last inspection. Issues identified for improvement have been addressed. The school demonstrates a good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary School, 3 July 2006 to 4 July 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: St Michael and All Angels CofE Primary School, 3 July 2006 to 4 July 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 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 2 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

Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking with you and were impressed with your good behaviour. We really liked the way you all listen so well in lessons, both to each other and to the adults. We think that yours is a good school. Here are some of the things that the school does well: - teachers plan challenging and exciting lessons which maintain your interest and help you to learn better - the work the teachers set is well matched to your needs and ensures that you achieve well - you have a very mature attitude to learning, are keen to take on responsibilities, and are prepared to speak up and say what you think - these things ensure that you all make good progress whilst you are in school. However, there are two things which we feel could help you learn more things, more quickly: - your learning targets could be more accurate and fewer in number so that you know exactly

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

what you have to do to improve your work and do not have too much to aim for - you should improve your handwriting and the way you set out the work in your books. Please continue to play your part in helping the school to get even better by working hard and behaving well. I'm sure that you will. Good luck and best wishes to you all.

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