West Street Community Primary School

Inspection Report West Street Community Primary School

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119174 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280480 Inspection number 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005 Inspection dates Shirley Herring Reporting inspector

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

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West Street School address Primary Type of school Colne Community School category Lancashire, BB8 0HW 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01282 865840 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 863542 Fax number 190 Number on roll Ann Scarborough Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ron Peden Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280480 31 October 2005 - 3 to 11 1 November 2005 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

West Street Community Primary School is a slightly smaller than average primary school in the centre of Colne. It serves an area of high social deprivation. The proportion of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is one of the highest in the country. Many children enter the nursery with skills that are well below what is normally expected for their age. The majority of pupils are from a white British background but almost a fifth of pupils are of Pakistani heritage. Approximately half of the children have learning difficulties and a higher number than average have statements of special need. The number of children for whom English is an additional language is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: West Street Community Primary School, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school’s own judgement that West Street is a good school. Pupils achieve well because the teaching is good. Provision for children in the nursery and reception is good and the children make a good start to school life. The care of the pupils is outstanding and their personal development is good. Pupils enjoy school; they behave well, develop good attitudes to learning and feel safe. Very good links with local partners have contributed very well to what the school provides. The leadership and management are good and the high aspirations of the headteacher and the deputy for their pupils have led to good improvement in standards over the past three years. The school knows its strengths and matters for improvement well. It has accurately identified the need to improve the pupils’ writing and the need to make better use of assessment data to track the progress of individual pupils. The school

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Grade: 2

has a good capacity to continue to make the further improvements needed. The school provides good value for money. • not applicable

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make better use of assessment to monitor the progress of individual pupils and to set work at the right level. • Raise standards in writing, expecting pupils to produce longer pieces of written work in English and other subjects.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. The school has received achievement awards in recognition of its success for each of the past two years. Children enter the nursery with attainment well below what is usual for their age, particularly in speaking and listening. Despite good overall progress in the foundation unit, many children do not reach the recommended goals by the time they are ready for Year 1. However, with consistently good teaching in the infants children continue to make good progress and, by the end of Year 2, they reach standards that are approaching average for their age in all the main subjects. Pupils continue to make good progress through the juniors and reach average standards by the end of Year 6, as shown in the results of national tests for the last two years. The mathematics and science results in 2004 were in line with national averages. Although pupils’ progress in 2004 placed the school in the top 1% for improvement

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Grade: 2

in English and mathematics in the country, standards in writing are below average and could be better still. This is because the pupils are not given enough opportunity to write at length in all subjects. 2 Inspection Report: West Street Community Primary School, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005 Almost half of the pupils in the current Year 6 have learning difficulties. The systematic teaching and effective support is helping all pupils to achieve well in relation to their capabilities. Good bilingual support also enables pupils who are at an early stage of learning English to achieve well.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. Parents see the school as one where all children and adults are valued. Pupils behave well; they enjoy school, work hard and are well mannered and polite. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils enjoy sport and understand that it helps to keep them healthy. The school’s links with Sure Start have provided important support from the oral health team, resulting in an improvement in children’s dental health. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The pupils’ views are valued and the school’s ‘ideas for improvement’ box allows them to express their concerns. Pupils willingly accept responsibility and raise funds for charities, for example, for the victims of the south-east Asian Tsunami. The school council members are newly appointed this term and are keen to represent their classmates. The school is a friendly place where pupils feel safe. Older pupils are mature

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Grade: 2

young people who talk confidently to adults. They are enthusiastic about their supervision of other children; for example, to make playtimes safer and more enjoyable. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good throughout the school, including the Foundation Stage. Most lessons include challenging activities and active questioning, which hold pupils’ attention and keep them engaged in learning. In Years 1 to 6, a variety of well planned, practical activities, especially in mathematics, make learning enjoyable and ensure that new work is fully understood. Occasionally, the pace of literacy lessons is too slow and pupils become a little restless when they are expected to spend too long listening to the teacher rather than starting their own tasks. Work in pupils’ books shows that teaching is systematic and thorough. However, although basic writing skills are taught well, pupils are not asked often enough to write independently and at length. Teaching assistants play an important role, willingly sharing their considerable skills and giving effective help to pupils with learning difficulties. The regular involvement

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Grade: 2

of the headteacher and deputy head in teaching mathematics and science has been a key factor in improving the overall quality of teaching. Assessment in English and mathematics provides class teachers with a clear picture of their pupils’ current progress, which enables them to target help where it is needed. 3 Inspection Report: West Street Community Primary School, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005 However, the information is not used to track the progress of individuals through the school. Pupils appreciate teachers’ written comments on their work but do not have individual targets to help them to take more responsibility for their own learning. Assessment in other subjects is less effective than in English and mathematics. In a number of lessons, the tasks were too hard for some pupils and too easy for others. The school is planning to improve its assessment where necessary so that it informs teachers about the specific needs of individual pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets the needs of all pupils. In the Foundation Stage, children learn through play in a stimulating environment where each child’s needs and progress are carefully planned for and met. The curriculum throughout Years 1 to 6 is enriched by a wide range of visits and by visitors to the school who help to make learning more relevant and interesting. The school is working to raise standards by increasing opportunities to support pupils’ personal and social development, and by paying more attention to a creative and physical curriculum in order to improve pupils’ motivation. The range of extra-curricular activities is broad and a large number of pupils eagerly participate in physical pursuits, such as cross-country running. • Grade: 2

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Grade: 1

This aspect of the school’s work is outstanding and makes a significant difference to children’s lives. The school has a welcoming, family ethos. The senior staff liaise closely with a range of service providers to ensure the care and support of vulnerable children and the effectiveness of the school’s child protection procedures. Parents are quick to praise the school for this work, and the vast majority of the pupils believe they are well cared for. When asked what is best about their school, they replied, ‘how the teachers look after you’. The quality of relationships is excellent and contributes significantly to the well-being of pupils. The school makes every effort to remove risks and eliminate dangers in all aspects of learning. From the outset, pupils are made aware of the importance of safety. Outdoors, during play and lunchtimes, good supervision and safety procedures ensure that all pupils are safe. A well attended breakfast club gives a good start to the day for many

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Grade: 1

pupils and encourages improved attendance. • Grade: 2 4 Inspection Report: West Street Community Primary School, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The good leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, based on a clear and accurate evaluation of the school’s work, has been the crucial factor in improving the school. The senior staff ‘lead from the front’ in their own teaching, especially in their work as mathematics and science coordinators. The management role of other subject coordinators is satisfactory but improving. The senior staff have fostered a strong sense of teamwork and mutual respect that is reflected in the outstanding care shown to all pupils. Parents’ views are sought and valued and parents acknowledge the good leadership through their responses to questionnaires. The school has made a good improvement in standards in the main subjects and information and communication technology (ICT) since the last inspection and it is clear from this that the school has a good capacity to improve further. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and for pupils learning English as an additional language

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Grade: 2

is managed well. Governance is satisfactory and financial management is good. Governors are supportive of the school but they are not sufficiently aware of its strengths and weaknesses to be able to hold the professionals to account and therefore contribute to the school’s improvement. However, they are now taking steps to become more closely involved in the school’s work. • Grade: 2 5 Inspection Report: West Street Community Primary School, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 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: West Street Community Primary School, 31 October 2005 to 1 November 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 1 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 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 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 1 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk West Street Community Primary School West Street Colne Lancashire BB8 0HW 2 November 2005 Dear Children Thank you for making Mr Onyon and myself so welcome when we inspected your school recently. You were polite and friendly and very helpful when we spoke to you in lessons and at lunchtime. You told us how well the teachers look after you in school. We were impressed by how many of you take part in the Cross Country Club. We like the way the school council discusses your ideas and then makes suggestions to Mr Peden. We know that you are now enjoying extra play equipment because of this. We saw how well teachers planned interesting lessons and how you work hard and learn well. We have asked Mr Peden and your teachers to help you to do even better by giving you more chances to write in lessons. We have also asked the teachers to talk to you about your own

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

targets so that you can continue to work hard to improve your work. Yours sincerely Mrs Herring Lead Inspector Annex B

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