Worsthorne Primary School

Inspection Report Worsthorne Primary School

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119181 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280483 Inspection number 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005 Inspection dates Jennie Platt Reporting inspector

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

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Brownside Road School address Primary Type of school Worsthorne Community School category Burnley, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01282 425690 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 471122 Fax number 185 Number on roll Cllr Tony Lambert Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Headteacher 1 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280483 5 October 2005 - 4 to 11 6 October 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

This is an average size school providing education for boys and girls aged between 4 and 11 years. It is situated in an area of socio-economic advantage. Overall attainment as pupils start school is similar to that usually seen. A very small number of pupils are eligible for free school meals. No pupils come from minority ethnic groups. An average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties. The school has come through a time of disturbance whilst an extensive building programme was being completed to improve the accommodation. At the time of the inspection the school had an acting headteacher and two temporary teachers covering for unavoidable staff absence.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Worsthorne Primary School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. This judgement matches the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness. Parents are justified in the confidence they have in the school and it is held in high esteem in the village. It is a very welcoming school and the pupils are a delight to be with. They are eager to improve their work although they are not always clear about the next step they need to take to extend their skills. Teaching is good and enables pupils to make good progress and leave school with high standards. Satisfactory teaching in the Foundation Stage encourages children to settle quickly but does not always meet the needs and experiences of these young children. The school has overcome its previously identified weaknesses; standards have risen and are now higher in most subjects. Resources for information and communication technology (ICT) are much better and standards are satisfactory. New assessment procedures have been prepared for ICT but these need implementing to ensure work

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Grade: 2

matches pupils’ ability. It is also essential that sufficient staff are available to support pupils when using computers. The acting headteacher has successfully taken over the reins of leadership. She has guided the school very well through a difficult time of staff absence and building work. All staff and supportive governors work together as a team and the school is well placed to move forward. Value for money is good. •

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What the school should do to improve further

• Extend the staff training and support provided in the Foundation Stage to ensure staff have a more thorough understanding of how young children learn. • Establish assessment procedures in ICT and ensure enough staff are available to supervise and assist pupils as they work on the computers. • Extend the existing good practice of target setting to all pupils and all subjects.

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Grade: 2

Children start school with standards typical for their age, with strengths in their personal and social skills. They enjoy school and make satisfactory progress and reach the standards expected by the end of the reception class. A strength of the school is the consistently very good results in national tests at the end of Key Stage 1. Results have generally been above average in Key Stage 2 but have been variable because the higher attaining pupils have not always made enough progress to reach an above average level. Consequently, the school has not always met its challenging targets. The school has successfully tackled this problem with closer tracking of individual progress, which spots the higher attaining pupils earlier and they now benefit from being taught in small groups of similar ability in mathematics and English. As a result their progress has accelerated and this can be seen in the increased number of pupils now exceeding

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Grade: 2

the expected level. Pupils of all abilities make good progress in Years 1 to 6 and standards are high. Many of the pupils with learning difficulties make very good 2 Inspection Report: Worsthorne Primary School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005 progress to reach the level expected for their age and those with behaviour difficulties overcome these in this caring school.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that personal development is good. As pointed out by parents it is a close-knit, family orientated school. Pupils willingly accept responsibility and raise funds for charities, recognising their role in helping others. Older pupils are mature young people who confidently share their opinions with visitors. The school is aware that its library provision limits opportunities for independent research. School council members are newly appointed but wear their badges proudly and are keen to represent their peers. Pupils work hard and are well mannered and polite. Behaviour is good and the ‘bully box’ effectively allows pupils to share concerns so that the school is a friendly place and pupils feel safe. Attendance is above average. Pupils enjoy sport and recognise that it helps to keep them healthy. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the

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Grade: 2

exciting time experienced during the school’s cultural week when they tasted exotic foods and learned about different cultures as well as celebrating their own.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that teaching and learning are good. The level of challenge for higher attainers in Key Stage 2 has improved. Lessons include demanding activities and lively questioning which hold pupils’ attention and keep them on their toes. In Years 1 to 6 a variety of well-planned, practical activities, especially in mathematics, make learning enjoyable and ensure that new learning is fully understood. Teaching assistants play an important role, willingly sharing their considerable skills. They give good advice and encouragement to pupils with learning difficulties. Daily comments to parents are very reassuring and informative. Teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. Warm relationships and practical activities ensure children are happy. However, some tasks lack a clear purpose and it is not always apparent what children are expected to learn. Occasionally,

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Grade: 2

an overload of activities and instructions confuses children and they fail to consolidate their learning. Meticulous tracking of progress provides teachers with a clear picture of their pupils’ progress. This information is used successfully to meet pupils’ current needs. The school has assessment procedures for ICT but these are not yet in place and in some lessons in this subject the tasks were too hard. This difficulty was made worse because there were too few adults at hand to help the pupils. Pupils appreciate teachers’ written comments on their work but do not have individual targets, which would help them to take more responsibility for their own learning. 3 Inspection Report: Worsthorne Primary School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are taught well across the curriculum. However, ICT is not exploited in all subjects and computers in class are underused. The Foundation Stage curriculum covers all the required areas of learning but sometimes activities are not founded in a clear understanding of how these children learn. For example, the use of the outside area needs to be more purposeful and exciting. Pupils recall enthusiastically the weeks devoted to a special theme, such as the Victorian week, and these themes provide long lasting memories. The Healthy Schools programme prepares pupils well for future life and they learn to share their concerns and look after themselves. Pupils enjoy a wide variety of outings, especially the residential visits and adventurous activities for older pupils. School clubs are varied and for sport they are excellent. They are well attended and an impressive array of trophies shows the

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Grade: 3

school’s success in many competitions. As an all white school so close to a multi-racial town, the school has a strong commitment to anti-racism and involvement in several projects successfully promotes pupils’ respect for all.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of all pupils and its ethos is calm and supportive. Staff are fully committed to pupils’ welfare and to helping them develop healthy lifestyles. Child protection procedures are well established and understood by all staff although some staff have not benefited from training. Rigorous risk assessments demonstrate a strong commitment to pupils’ safety. Pupils say they feel safe and well supported by trusting relationships with all adults. Pupils who have special educational needs or require help with a particular problem are well supported by staff who ensure time is available to share worries and meet their needs. Good links with local secondary schools sensitively ease pupils’ transition to the next stage of their education. Children settle quickly as they start in the reception class because of the caring and friendly welcome they receive and parents are very happy with this aspect of school.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The acting headteacher has effectively kept the school on an even keel during a difficult time of building work and staff absence. Much has been achieved and standards have not been allowed to slide. Equality of opportunity is strongly promoted and the management of the needs of pupils with learning difficulties is very good. The school has an accurate picture of its strengths and areas for improvement because it is self-critical and takes on board the opinions of all, including parents and pupils. As an example, the current review of homework 4 Inspection Report: Worsthorne Primary School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005 was carried out as a result of a concern raised by parents. Effective use of assessment information provides the school with an accurate picture of areas needing improvement. For example, the analysis of standards at the end of the reception class alerted the

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Grade: 2

school to an area needing attention, which is now a priority in the school’s improvement plan. Staff training and advice are already organised although the the impact of these changes is not yet evident. Governance is good. Although governors are not fully involved in decision making, they closely evaluate the school’s progress and are enthusiastic advocates of the school. Governors have played a full part in the oversight of the new building work and these improvements have raised staff morale. The rising trend in standards in Key Stage 2 is evidence of the work of the strong team now in place and the school’s capacity to improve is good. • 5 Inspection Report: Worsthorne Primary School, 5 October 2005 to 6 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: Worsthorne Primary School, 5 October 2005 to 6 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 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 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk Worsthorne Primary School Brownside Road Worsthorne Burnley Lancashire BB10 3LR 7th October 2005 Dear Children Many thanks for your warm welcome during our visit to your school. We greatly appreciated you telling us how happy you are in school and that you have no concerns. We liked these things the most: You work hard and make good progress. We agree with you that teachers make your lessons interesting. You are friendly and kind to each other and willingly help others, especially the younger pupils and those less fortunate than yourselves. You are encouraged to be healthy and take part in an excellent range of sporting activities. The acting headteacher, staff and governors manage the school well and have greatly improved the building for you. We have asked your teachers to look at the following things to make school and your progress

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

even better: To make activities in the reception class more relevant to the needs of these children. To check tasks set in ICT are at the correct level for you and that enough staff are available to help you if you have a problem using computers. Older pupils told me they appreciate staff showing them how to improve their work. We would like to see this made even better by the setting of individual targets so that you can check for yourself how well you are doing. We wish you every success in the future and hope that many of the friendships you have established will stay with you for a long time. With best wishes Mrs J Platt and Mrs K MacArthur (school inspectors) Annex B

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