Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School

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111289 Unique Reference Number Cheshire LEA 278647 Inspection number 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr Graham Martin 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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School Lane School address Primary Type of school Lostock Gralam Voluntary controlled School category Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7PT 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01606 42804 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01606 352025 Fax number 141 Number on roll Mr A Ingham Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Cheryl Walton Headteacher 22 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278647 6 March 2006 - 4 to 11 7 March 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Almost all of the children attending this smaller than average school are of White British heritage. An average number of children are eligible for free school meals and the number with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is similar to the national average. The range of skills on entry to the school is wide but, on average, they are as expected for children of that age. The school was awarded the ArtsMark gold standard in 2005. The school has established a number of local and wider partnerships, including one with a school in the Netherlands. It leases space to a private provider who runs a nursery as well as before and after school care. This provision was inspected separately and a parallel report on this provision is available.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006

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Grade: 2

This good school provides well for its pupils and community, giving good value for money. The headteacher leads the school well, with a very clearly stated vision for improvement. By sharing responsibilities well and establishing outstanding partnerships she has given everyone ownership of the school's improvement. By the end of Year 6 standards are above average and reflect good achievement. Pupils enjoy school and their attendance is good. They behave well, have positive attitudes and enjoy contributing to the success of their school, all of which promote good learning. The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good, successfully promoting their physical health and emotional well-being. A good curriculum engages pupils' interests and meets their needs well. The quality of teaching and learning is good and sometimes outstanding, leading to rapidly improving achievement. Pupils enter the school with

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Grade: 2

skills expected for children of their age. Provision in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory overall and good for personal, social and language development. Pupils' achievement is well supported by systems which track their progress and set learning targets to extend achievement. This is particularly effective in reading but not as strong in writing and mathematics. The school has well-defined plans to sustain its work by improving marking and by making further improvements to its assessment systems. Governance is satisfactory. Good leadership since the last inspection has led to improvement to identified weaknesses, particularly for pupils to reach the expected standards in information and communication technology (ICT).

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What the school should do to improve further

• Sustain improvements to achievement in writing and mathematics by continuing to improve the assessment and target setting programme. • Ensure that the quality of marking is consistently good.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enter the school with broadly average skills and achieve well so that they leave with standards above those found nationally. The best progress is made in Key Stage 2. This is evident in the improvement shown in the 2005 national test results. Achievement for children in the Reception class is satisfactory so that most reach the goals set for their learning by age five, with some children exceeding these goals. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1, reaching standards similar to those found nationally by the end of the key stage. Tests results in English, mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2005 show that challenging targets were met, with pupils achieving better than expected based on their Key Stage 1 results. Higher ability pupils achieved particularly well in science. Achievement in reading is very good, but is less good in writing as fewer pupils reach above average levels. Work to improve writing and mathematics by setting

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Grade: 2

challenging individual targets is having a positive impact on achievement. Very effective 2 Inspection Report: Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 individual support from adults helps pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to make good progress towards achieving their learning targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Good moral and social development leads to good behaviour and positive attitudes. Attendance is above average. By Year 6, pupils are confident and eager learners, taking pride in their achievements. Good relationships, stemming from mutual support and trust, reflect the school's positive ethos. Pupils agree that their school provides them with the skills and confidence to be good learners, as seen in the mature view of a pupil who commented 'We know that some things are difficult to learn but we try hard because we like our teachers and they work hard to give us interesting lessons'. Overwhelmingly, parents value the school's good work to support their children's personal and emotional development. Pupils take responsibility seriously, such as raising funds to improve the school's outdoor learning areas. The school council actively leads this work. Its members

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Grade: 2

set good examples for other pupils in their co-operation with adults, giving them an appreciation of their responsibilities as young citizens. Pupils also value the school's good teaching to encourage healthy lifestyles and how to keep safe by minimising risks to themselves and others.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good with some outstanding teaching. Lessons are well planned, move on briskly and build well on what pupils already know and understand. Teachers use a good range of methods to interest the pupils; in the very best instances exciting activities make learning great fun. The most effective teaching engages pupils' interests and values them as partners in learning, responding effectively to their learning needs as lessons progress. Assessment is used well to set learning targets. Work by the school to develop further the effective use of assessment in writing and mathematics is contributing to rapid improvements in achievement. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities have good adult support to help them achieve their best, while pupils with particular gifts or talents benefit from opportunities to extend their learning and skills. Teachers regularly assess how well children are doing and they make good use of the

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Grade: 2

information they have to plan further work. Targets are set to help children achieve as well as they should. This work is improving learning, as seen in the quality of work during the inspection. Teachers' marking varies from outstanding to satisfactory; when it is done well it promotes the very best learning and achievement, but pupils are not always given sufficiently clear guidance on how to improve their work. 3 Inspection Report: Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It goes beyond statutory requirements so that pupils' personal, spiritual and cultural development is enriched through creative activities, sport and the arts. One parent commented on the school's 'excellent work to improve the children's learning through the wide range of opportunities'. Provision is enhanced through the school's commitment to sustaining its gold 'ArtsMark' award. Outstanding partnerships enhance the school's work through arts events, music lessons, sports competitions and opportunities for pupils to visit theatres and residential activities centres. There is a well-supported programme of activities outside the school day. Pupils show much appreciation for these enjoyable learning experiences. 'We try hard at lessons because we know our teachers give us lots of interesting things to do that help us to be good at learning', they said. Pupils and parents value the positive

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Grade: 2

impact of teaching important life skills, such as living a healthy lifestyle and awareness of risks and hazards.

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Grade: 2

Pupils benefit from a good standard of care. Adults who work in the school are skilled in supporting and caring for the pupils, responding sensitively to their concerns and needs. Child protection procedures are secure and any pupil who may be at risk, for any reason, is quickly identified and supported. Outstanding links with outside agencies provide effective support to assist the school in helping vulnerable children. Pupils say they feel safe and happy; any bullying or discrimination is dealt with swiftly and firmly. Pupils trust the staff and know who to turn to for help. There are good arrangements for health, safety and individual welfare needs. Parents and carers feel welcome in school. They have positive relationships with the staff. This partnership adds value to the care of pupils and benefits their education. Teachers know what pupils can do, but there is more to be done to use assessment

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Grade: 2

more effectively in lesson planning and to inform pupils how they can improve, particularly in writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher leads the school strongly, with a clear vision for improvement. She has shared this vision with the whole school community and developed outstanding partnerships locally, nationally and internationally. In doing so, she has re-affirmed the school's strong ethos and aspirations. Parents value the clear commitment she shows to their children's learning and personal development. They also value her commitment to the well-being of the community by making the school one of its focal points. The school regularly seeks parents' and pupils' views, which are very positive. It acts very well upon their 4 Inspection Report: Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 2006 suggestions, such as bringing school finishing times into line for both key stages. The headteacher has a clear knowledge of the school's needs. She has identified the correct

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Grade: 2

priorities for improvement and has set out a clear plan for involving all staff in achieving them. By identifying and developing the individual and collective skills of staff very well, she ensures that all know their responsibilities as part of a team to improve the school and check its effectiveness. Good systems for monitoring and improving teaching, learning and the use of assessment are raising achievement. Together, these things give the school good capacity to sustain its improvement. Governors make a satisfactory contribution to this process. Their clear understanding of their role and the school's work and their support for the headteacher's high aspirations enables them to guide and challenge the school effectively. 5 Inspection Report: Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 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: Lostock Gralam CofE Primary School, 6 March 2006 to 7 March 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 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 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 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 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

I was very pleased to meet you during my recent visit to Lostock Gralam C.E. Primary School. Thank you for inviting me to your meeting, for being so friendly and welcoming and telling me about the good things that you do at school. There are many good things to be proud of at your school. Here are some that I liked the most: - The good teaching helps you to learn as well as you should and achieve your best. - You are keen to learn, you behave well and enjoy trying hard with your work. - Your headteacher is a good leader and makes use of some excellent friends who help your school to keep getting better. - The adults in school look after you well. Your school is doing a good job in helping you to learn to be healthy and keep safe. This is what I have asked your school to do now so that it will be even better: - Your teachers must help you to learn as well in writing and mathematics as you do in reading

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and science. - Some of your teachers need to make sure that when they mark your work it helps you with your learning. You probably guessed that I enjoyed my two days in your school. Please carry on trying your best and enjoying learning. I hope that you will pass this message on to the rest of the children. With best wishes for your future

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