Adlington Primary School

Inspection Report Adlington Primary School

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LEA

280526 Inspection number 4 July 2006 to 5 July 2006 Inspection dates Mr Eric Craven HMI Reporting inspector

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LEA

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

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LEA

Park Road School address Primary Type of school Adlington Community School category Chorley, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01257 480557 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01257 485442 Fax number 97 Number on roll Mr Alan Seddon Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Elaine Hughes Headteacher 1 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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LEA

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280526 4 July 2006 - 4 to 11 5 July 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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LEA

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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LEA

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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average primary school with 97 pupils aged from 4 to 11 years. Most of the pupils have had experience of nursery provision when they join the Reception class. The vast majority of the pupils are of White British heritage and no pupil has English as a second language. There is a mixed socio-economic picture in the area with some affluence. However, the catchment of the school is drawn predominantly from an area with a high deprivation index. Seventeen per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is similar to the national picture for primary schools. The school has identified 43% of the pupils as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities; this is well above the national average. Two pupils have statements of special educational need.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 4 July 2006 to 5 July 2006

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Grade: 2

The school correctly judges itself to be good and parents rightly value this school highly. Despite a substantial proportion of pupils starting from a low base, all progress well and reach good standards overall. Some pupils do extremely well because of much good teaching. The school is well led and managed; the staff work very closely as a team which adds to the positive atmosphere. They give an appropriately high priority to safeguarding the pupils. The school monitors and evaluates what it does effectively to ensure it continues to improve. The governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and this means that they are able to play their part in supporting the school and in challenging its thinking when necessary. Pupils build on the very good start made in the Reception year in developing their personal and social skills and, as a consequence, their behaviour is outstanding. They enjoy their

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Grade: 2

schooling and play a meaningful part in the school community. However, attendance is lower than the average for primary schools, with one of the reasons being that some families take holidays in term time. The quality of teaching is good overall but varies a great deal. In part, this is because marking and feedback to pupils are inconsistent. Assessment is a strength and helps teachers to plan the curriculum effectively. The school has placed a lot of pupils on the register of special educational needs when, in fact, the good provision in lessons can effectively meet many pupils’ needs without resorting to them being registered in this way. Because the school has a proven record of improvement, aided by its effective planning, its capacity to improve further is good. It provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve attendance. • Ensure that only those pupils who require support over and above the school’s ordinary provision are recorded on the school’s register of special educational needs.

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Grade: 2

The school accurately judges achievement and standards as being good overall, although for some pupils they are even better. When they enter the school in the Reception year, more than half of the pupils have standards below those expected for their age. However, because of good teaching and well considered plans, they make good progress so that by the time they reach Year 1, most have caught up and are doing as well as expected for five-year-olds. Through Key Stage 1 the pupils make at least satisfactory and sometimes good progress. In Key Stage 2, progress accelerates: most pupils make good and often very good progress, particularly in Years 5 and 6, so that standards are above average when they leave the school. Those Year 5 and 6 pupils who receive extra support in mathematics make excellent progress. The school’s own data indicates that pupils are making at least good progress throughout their

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 4 July 2006 to 5 July 2006 years at school. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and they too make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Pupils enjoy their education; their behaviour is exemplary and they are friendly and polite. All this makes for a very upbeat atmosphere in school. Pupils feel safe and they know who they can turn to if they have worries. The vast majority are keen to learn and have positive attitudes in their lessons. Despite very hot weather during the inspection, pupils concentrated well. They display good cooperative and independent work skills and are confident in expressing themselves. Lunchtime is a pleasant, orderly and calm occasion during which the pupils use their social and personal skills to good effect. They have been taught well about healthy lifestyles and some choose healthy meals or bring healthy lunches. Pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory and their spiritual, social and moral development is good. They have plenty of opportunities to develop a sense of

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Grade: 2

responsibility and make valuable contributions to the school and wider community. The younger pupils undertake jobs in their classes with older ones taking on school-wide roles. They develop a wider sense of responsibility by fundraising for national and international charities. The school council plays a meaningful role; for example, it has been influential in promoting healthier eating and in prompting the purchase of a ‘friendship bench’ for the school grounds. The work of its representatives, supported by staff, teaches the pupils about democracy. The standards they reach in literacy and numeracy prepare pupils well for the next stage in their education, although the attendance of some pupils is a drawback in this respect. Attendance is below average and, despite continued encouragement, some pupils’ attendance remains low; this is compounded by parents who take their children on holiday in term time. The

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Grade: 2

headteacher and governors are planning to take a firmer stance in order to improve attendance.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. However it ranges widely from satisfactory to outstanding. The best lessons were seen in Years 5 and 6 and fully captured pupils’ imagination and switched them on to wanting to learn more. The quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage is good. Short-term planning is generally well informed by assessments of pupils’ previous learning. In the outstanding lessons work is closely matched to the needs of different groups. In all lessons the classroom organisation is good and the pupils know and follow the routines. Teachers know the pupils very well and have high expectations of them; most pupils respond by working hard. Assessment is a strength and is used well to plan the curriculum. Pupils who require additional support are identified early and special 3 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 4 July 2006 to 5 July 2006 programmes are devised to help them to meet their personal targets. Increasingly,

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Grade: 2

interactive whiteboards are being used effectively to stimulate pupils’ interest, particularly when they have the opportunity to use this resource themselves. Pupils’ work is regularly marked but teachers’ comments do not always give clear guidance on how pupils can improve further. The work of teaching assistants is very good. They are thoroughly briefed and work in close harmony with teachers, being particularly effective when working with less able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to meet pupils’ needs; given the mixed year groups found in most classes this is good practice. The Foundation Stage curriculum is well planned to cover all six areas of learning. Indoor and outdoor resources are excellent and enable the youngest pupils to take part in exciting play and learning experiences. The school utilises visits and visitors well to enrich the curriculum, particularly drawing on the resources of local high schools. There has been a very strong and effective emphasis in promoting healthy living through the curriculum, and the school has been recognised by the local authority for its effective promotion of healthy eating and physical exercise. There is a suitable range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils thoroughly enjoy and produce good quality singing; they say that they especially like the Green Team which

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Grade: 2

enables them to experience gardening and cookery. The school is to widen the opportunities for the younger pupils to experience extra-curricular activities, and the impending appointment of a lunchtime play coordinator holds much promise for improvements in the provision of activities.

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Grade: 2

Arrangements for child protection are clear and understood by staff. Health and safety matters are taken very seriously and carefully overseen by the governors’ health and safety committee. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities has improved since the last inspection. However, the school now has 43% of pupils on the register of special educational needs which is far higher than in most schools. Some pupils do not need to be registered for additional support as the school’s good provision can meet their needs effectively. Targets are used well to challenge the pupils. Whole-school targets have emanated from the school’s good analysis of where standards need to improve, and targets in literacy and numeracy for each year group are supplemented by personal targets for each pupil. Pupils have a good knowledge of their targets and say that they help them understand what they have to work

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Grade: 2

towards. 4 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 4 July 2006 to 5 July 2006

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. It runs smoothly and efficiently because of very good planning, excellent team work and a positive and supportive ethos. Staff feel valued, take pride in their work and care for the pupils extremely well. Monitoring and evaluation are well embedded; the school’s analysis of data from tests and assessments has rightly prioritised reading as a key development for the next school year. The headteacher and key coordinators undertake lesson observations and provide useful feedback to their colleagues. There are plans for other coordinators to further their influence across the school by extending their monitoring roles. The school has successfully addressed the two points for development following its last inspection in March 2000. It responds effectively to the few emerging issues from surveys of parents’ views. Overwhelmingly, parents have a high regard for the school. One parent said of

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Grade: 2

her child, ‘he has been given a wonderful introduction to school life and wouldn’t have received such a caring, supportive start in any other school.’ Governors are very supportive and receive good quality information from the staff to enable them to maintain an accurate view of how well the school is doing. Healthy debate at meetings ensures that governors are well placed to act as a critical friend to the school. Because it is good at identifying its strengths and weaknesses and in putting effective development plans in place, the school’s capacity for further improvement is good. It provides good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 4 July 2006 to 5 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: Adlington Primary School, 4 July 2006 to 5 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 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 4 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 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 The Pupils Adlington Primary School Park Road Adlington Chorley Lancashire PR7 4JA 6 July 2006 Dear Pupils I had a lovely time when I visited your school recently. Thank you for talking to me, showing me your work and letting me watch your lessons. I think Adlington is a good school. The Reception classroom and its outside play area are super and the children really enjoy and benefit from the activities. The teaching you all receive is mostly good and some is excellent. I thought you concentrated hard in your lessons, which was sometimes difficult because it was so hot when I visited. The clubs you have after-school give you lots of opportunities to do things you can’t always do in school time. For example, I know lots of you particularly enjoy the Green Team. I also very much enjoyed listening to you sing at assembly; I thought it was splendid. I was pleased when those of you on the school council

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I spoke to told me you feel safe in school and that you know you can talk to an adult if you are worried about anything. Your behaviour was excellent during the time I was with you and this really helped your teachers give their full attention to helping you learn. When I looked at the registers I was a little concerned to see that the attendance of some pupils could be much better. I have asked Mrs Hughes and the governors to look at this because it is so important that you attend school; you can’t learn if you’re not there! Finally, I was pleased to see that the children who got extra help were progressing well. However, I know that not all of these children need individual plans. It was a pleasure to spend two days in your school. Thanks again to you and the staff for being so welcoming. You have my best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely Eric Craven Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools

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