Moss Side Primary School

Inspection Report Moss Side Primary School

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119336 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280528 Inspection number 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr John Ashton Reporting inspector

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

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Paradise Lane School address Primary Type of school Leyland Community School category Lancashire, PR26 7ST 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01772 432048 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01772 452540 Fax number 250 Number on roll Mr Michael Simmonds Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Janis Burdin Headteacher 1 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280528 15 March 2006 - 4 to 11 16 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

In this average sized school almost all the children are white British. They come from a broad range of social and economic backgrounds, but the proportion eligible for free school meals is below average. On entry children’s attainment is average overall, but their range of attainment is wide. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average but a high number have statements of educational needs. The school has Investors in People and Healthy Schools awards and was one of the first schools in the country to achieve the Basic Skills Award for literacy and numeracy.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Moss Side Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 1

Inspectors agree with the school’s judgement that this is an outstanding school that provides excellent value for money. Leadership and management are first rate, especially that of the headteacher. Her energy, determination and foresight are the key to the school’s success. She generates wonderful teamwork and total involvement of all the staff. Excellent teaching and learning, together with an outstanding curriculum, bring about consistently high standards and very good achievement. Children’s personal development and well-being are outstanding. Behaviour is exceptionally good. Children are enthused to learn and do their very best to please their teachers and learning assistants. The overwhelming majority of parents are delighted with everything the school does for their children. ‘Moss Side School has a real community feel to it’, said one parent. ‘This is a fantastic school’, said another. ‘A brilliant school’, said a third.

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Grade: 1

Children get off to a very fast start in the Foundation Stage and make very good progress. This could be even further accelerated by the provision of an outdoor play area. However, they are extremely well prepared for Key Stage 1 and the majority exceed the goals expected of them by the end of Reception. By the time they reach the end of Year 6, results are well above average in all of the core subjects. The school is very well placed to improve further. Areas identified as key issues in the last inspection have been dealt with very effectively. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT), the quality of assessment, the tracking of children’s progress, and reporting to parents have all been dramatically improved and are now very good. The school plans to continue improving the use of ICT.

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What the school should do to improve further

There are no major areas for further improvement but the school knows that it now needs to: • create the long-planned outdoor play area for the Foundation Stage to enhance the provision for physical and social development • improve further teachers’ increasingly effective use of ICT.

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Grade: 1

This is a high performing school. Standards are consistently well above average. All children, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, begin to achieve very well from the moment they enter the school. Children’s attainment on entry to reception is broadly average but wide ranging. Many children’s initial attainment in speaking and listening, and acquisition of personal and social skills is below average. Teachers, therefore, place a heavy emphasis on these areas of learning. Consequently, children get off to an outstanding start and make very good progress so that upon entry into Year 1 the majority exceed the goals expected of them. 2 Inspection Report: Moss Side Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006 In Years 1 and 2 there is a very clear focus on helping the children to develop their basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Achievement is very good and children

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Grade: 1

reach above average standards by the end of Year 2. Results in the national tests at the end of Year 6 are consistently well above average. This represents very good progress from their starting points at the beginning of Year 3 and especially from the time they enter the school. The school sets challenging targets, which it usually exceeds.

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Grade: 1

The school modestly underrates the children’s personal development and well-being as being good. Inspectors judge them to be outstanding. Children say that they feel very safe and happy and enjoy their lessons. Attendance is above average. Attitudes, relationships and behaviour are all excellent. Children’s willingness to work hard, a tribute to the excellent teaching they receive, is bringing about very secure learning. They say that there is no bullying in school and know what to do if they feel distressed. The healthy eating culture at break and lunchtimes enabled the school to win a healthy schools award. Children contribute very well to school life through the school council, which has achieved some notable improvements to the school environment. They make a very good contribution to the local community by, for example, working for the homeless in Preston, and they show compassion for those less fortunate than

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Grade: 1

themselves by supporting elderly people in Belarus. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. It is fostered particularly well through art, drama, music and geography. Children are thoroughly prepared for life beyond school through their extremely effective learning in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.

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Grade: 1

The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding, a crucial factor in the children’s high achievement. The quality of some of the teaching and learning is simply stunning, particularly in English and mathematics. Teachers have very secure subject knowledge and expertise. They are keen to further develop the use of ICT in lessons. Their lesson planning is exceptionally good, featuring activities very well matched to children’s needs. Marking, assessment systems and annual reports have been greatly improved since the last inspection. All are very good and are used extremely well. Targets are shared with children and parents. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive regular support of exceptional quality, as do children with particular strengths, especially, for example, in mathematics in Year 6. Teachers’ excellent management skills, their expert deployment of support staff, and their efficient use of time and

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Grade: 1

resources contribute significantly to children’s progress. They have very high 3 Inspection Report: Moss Side Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006 expectations and set challenging work that stimulates children’s interests. Teaching assistants are highly valued and closely involved in lesson planning. They are extremely competent, providing excellent and sensitive support to all children. Teachers’ expertise in the use of electronic white boards is rapidly improving but the full power of these aids is yet to be used to best effect.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is excellent throughout the school, providing rich experiences for all children and preparing them well for life. The school plans to further enhance provision in the Foundation Stage by creating an outdoor play area. Since the last inspection, ICT has improved significantly and provision is now very good. The curriculum is enhanced in many ways. Special weeks focus on the arts, mathematics or science. Children comment that they are fun and exciting but hard work. The many well attended after school activities range from guitar tuition to cricket and basketball clubs. Educational visits and a residential trip contribute greatly to children’s personal and aesthetic development. Good contact with local firms raises children’s awareness of life beyond school. There is a heavy emphasis on the importance of keeping safe and healthy. Excellent opportunities occur for children to experience awe and wonder,

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Grade: 1

watching chicks hatch or the exciting movement of a controllable robot. The arts are successfully promoted in vibrant displays, productions and assemblies, when the quality of singing, speaking and role playing is very high. Grade: 1

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Grade: 1

The school’s provision for the care, guidance and support for children is outstanding. Children are very appreciative of the care they receive from all staff. Extremely positive relationships enable the children to feel secure and valued. Children say they feel ready for the next stages in their education and for life beyond school. Children show splendid tolerance towards each other. They have targets to work towards and know the next steps to take in their learning. The quality of reports to parents is very good and much improved since the last inspection. Health and safety issues are very well addressed in the school. There are excellent arrangements for the regular reviews of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The arrangements for child protection are rigorous and links with support agencies and other schools are very strong.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The widely respected and very experienced headteacher has the full support of everyone associated with the school and is the major reason for its continuing success. She is assisted by an exceptionally 4 Inspection Report: Moss Side Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 16 March 2006 talented staff and very effective senior team. Whole staff involvement and excellent teamwork are significant strengths of the school. The school analyses its performance exceptionally well in order to boost the standards and achievement of all children. Governors ask critical questions as well as providing excellent support. They ask for further information, observe lessons and debate issues rigorously, challenging decisions when necessary. Consequently, the school is very aware of its strengths and weaknesses. The school makes excellent use of its good resources. Especially good is the deployment

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Grade: 1

of staff to provide additional and well focused support to children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. No child is left out or allowed to fall behind. This is a key factor in the very good progress the children make. The great care with which teachers are appointed in the first place is outstanding. The same rigour applies to the appointment of teaching assistants. The school is very well placed to make further improvements, as shown by its excellent track record of improvements since the last inspection. It has long overdue plans to improve the outdoor play area for its youngest children and knows that staff confidence needs enhancing to make the full use of the new electronic white boards. The opinions of parents and children are surveyed well and often acted upon. The school has useful links with a good range of other schools and organisations. 5 Inspection Report: Moss Side Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 16 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: Moss Side Primary School, 15 March 2006 to 16 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 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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 Children Moss Side Primary School Paradise Lane Leyland Lancashire PR26 7ST 17 March 2006 Dear Children Thank you for the warm welcome you gave us on our visit to your school, especially those of you who spent part of your lunchtime talking to us. You told us so many good things about the school, including how helpful your teachers and teaching assistants are when you need help, and we thoroughly agree with you. Other things we particularly like about your school are: the exceedingly good teaching you receive the wonderful progress you make, especially in literacy and number work that no one is allowed to fall behind and everyone who needs to be is so well supported or challenged in lessons how well everyone does in the tests near the end of your time in the school how very well looked after you all are and what a wide and interesting range of extra activities

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

are available to you the excellent way the school is run how pleased your parents say they are about your school. Two things we think would make your school even better are: the improvement of outside play facilities for reception children the even better use of the new electronic whiteboards. We wish every one of you well for the future and hope that you will always work as hard and enjoy school as much as you do now. Yours faithfully

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