Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School

Inspection Report Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School

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119360 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280533 Inspection number 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Judith Straw Reporting inspector

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

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York Street School address Primary Type of school Barnoldswick Voluntary controlled School category Lancashire, BB18 5BB 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01282 813014 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 813014 Fax number 194 Number on roll Mrs Lesley Imeson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Joyce Heaton Headteacher 1 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280533 13 June 2006 - 4 to 11 14 June 2006 Inspection Report: Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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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

The school serves the local rural community, which is socially mixed. Some pupils come from areas with a degree of deprivation. The attainment of pupils when they enter the school is broadly average. The great majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds and only one is at an early stage of learning English. A lower than average proportion of pupils is entitled to free school meals. The number of pupils with specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. The seven classes are organised in year groups. The school is popular and over-subscribed.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This good school has many strengths and provides good value for money. Barnoldswick Primary is a happy community where pupils enjoy their education, work hard and do well. It provides a stimulating, secure environment and parents are right to be confident that their children are well cared for, challenged and nurtured. A clear shared vision is underpinned by the strong Christian ethos of the school. Standards are above average but the school is seeking to raise them even higher, particularly in mathematics and writing. Pupils achieve well academically and in their personal development because teaching and learning are good and lessons are interesting and enjoyable. In some lessons, especially in mathematics, the work is not planned with enough precision to address the needs of pupils of differing abilities. The quality of education in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and the children attain the standards expected by

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Grade: 2

the end of the Reception year. Much improved provision in information and communication technology (ICT) has greatly enhanced the quality of learning for all pupils since the last inspection. The curriculum is good because much work has been done in the last two years to improve it, with an emphasis on excellence and enjoyment. The older pupils are articulate, confident and proud of their school. They are polite, friendly and welcoming and are well on their way to becoming well informed citizens. The school is well led and managed by an established team, but information from assessment is not always used to best effect to act upon any potential underachievement. A series of staff changes has been well managed. Governors are very well informed and supportive. The school manages its money and resources well, and always with the pupils’ best interests at heart. It makes the very best of the rather cramped accommodation available. Good improvements have been made since the

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Grade: 2

last inspection, and the enthusiasm and commitment of the staff and governors ensure that there is good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• To improve pupils’ achievement in writing and mathematics, ensure that activities in lessons consistently match pupils’ different abilities. • Analyse assessment information rigorously to identify more precisely and act more promptly where pupils may not reach challenging targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress overall and achieve well to reach above average standards when they leave Year 6. Results of the national tests at the end of Year 6 have been significantly above average for four of the last five years. The school’s assessments indicate that pupils currently in Year 6 will achieve their targets. Girls have recently performed better than boys but the school has put in place effective measures to increase the attainment of boys. Although most children enter the school with average standards, an increasing number have weaknesses in their language skills, which they 2 Inspection Report: Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 overcome well. Children make satisfactory progress in Reception and most reach their learning goals by the end of the year. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 make satisfactory progress and achieve average standards. Although standards are above average overall by the

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Grade: 2

end of Year 6, those in reading, listening and speaking are higher than those in mathematics and writing, because too little work in these subjects matches the needs of different learners well enough. Standards in ICT are much higher than they were. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve far better than might be expected.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Pupils really enjoy school and are keen and enthusiastic in lessons. They are eager to contribute and want to do their best. This is reflected in the good standards of presentation in their work and their good behaviour. Most parents are very complimentary about standards of behaviour in school and confirm that their children want to be at school. As a result, attendance is above average and very few pupils are late to school. Pupils have a good understanding of how important it is to eat healthily, take plenty of exercise and to look after themselves. Although the school council is a relatively recent innovation, pupils are already making an important contribution to improving the facilities and they have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to each other. Furthermore, through their fundraising activities

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Grade: 2

for charity and the numerous visits to places during school time, they also understand how they can contribute to the wider community. They have good basic skills; this means they are well placed to move on to the next phase of their education at the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. In all classes, teachers have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, organise lessons well and ensure that pupils know exactly what they have to do. As a result, lessons are positive learning experiences in which pupils make good progress. Most lessons begin with brisk and incisive whole-class sessions. Teachers use questions well to check pupils’ learning and to challenge them and make them think. In addition, their use of the interactive whiteboards captures pupils’ attention and generates interest and excitement. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported by teaching assistants so that they are fully involved in all parts of lessons and make good progress. Teachers plan plenty of activities which require pupils to work with others in pairs or small groups and effectively develop their good reading, speaking and listening skills. However, on too

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Grade: 2

many occasions, particularly in mathematics, planned activities do not reflect the full range of abilities in the class. The focus is too much on reinforcing pupils’ number 3 Inspection Report: Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 skills rather than teaching them to use these skills to the best of their different abilities in a range of practical situations. As a result, some pupils do not build well enough on their previous learning so that fewer pupils are working at above average levels in mathematics than in English. Some marking is good, but it is not consistently so across all classes.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum which is broad and balanced and gives suitable emphasis to basic skills. Recent improvement has focused strongly on increasing pupils’ enjoyment of learning and on realising their individual potential. Good cross-curricular work is developing and a rich programme of enhancement opportunities extends learning beyond the classroom in a wide range of visits. Pupils enjoy residential visits in Year 6 and all pupils visit museums, galleries, sports centres and places of worship. Provision for multicultural education is good. Pupils make satisfactory and improving use of ICT. With a new computer suite and interactive whiteboards in nearly every classroom, provision has improved significantly since the last inspection. The good programme for personal, social and health education prepares pupils well for their future lives. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory because planning

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Grade: 2

is not yet fully coherent. At present, higher achievement in writing is limited by a lack of opportunities for pupils to express their ideas and opinions in extended pieces of written work.

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Grade: 2

This aspect of the school’s work is good. The school is very vigilant in its approach to pupils’ health and safety, so parents are right to be confident that their children are well cared for. Pupils also feel well supported and are confident that, if they have a problem, it will be dealt with effectively. The school has established good systems to help new pupils settle into Reception and to build a working partnership with parents. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have good individual plans which teachers and support staff use well to plan activities in lessons. Pupils are given targets to work to. These targets are shared with parents, but not all teachers use them well enough when marking pupils’ work to check and make sure that all pupils are doing as well as they expect. Some pupils are very involved in reviewing their own learning, but this is not consistent across the classes.

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Grade: 2

The school’s leadership and management are good. A clear vision and a very strong sense of teamwork are shared by staff, governors, parents and pupils. The long-serving headteacher’s inspiring leadership and commitment have served the school well. She knows her school very well because she teaches every pupil. She and her able deputy 4 Inspection Report: Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 2006 headteacher form a very effective partnership. The senior management team have good skills and regularly monitor pupils’ work and the quality of teaching and learning. However, senior managers and curriculum leaders are not yet using assessments sharply enough to identify at an earlier stage pupils of average and higher ability who might be falling short of their targets. The school knows itself well and priorities in the current development plan are very relevant to current needs. They are correctly focused on

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Grade: 2

raising standards further, making learning fun and ensuring that all pupils achieve as well as they can. Governance is good. The governors are extremely supportive and have a very clear grasp of the school’s strengths and of areas which can be improved. They are fully involved in all aspects of school life. Financial management is good. In recent years, the school has maintained good standards; considerably enhanced the accommodation in an imaginative way; greatly improved provision and progress in ICT, and ensured that classrooms are well resourced. This school is always open to new ideas and has good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 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: Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 14 June 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 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 3 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 Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School York Street Barnoldswick Lancashire BB18 5BB 13 June 2006 Dear Pupils We really enjoyed our visit to your school this week and thank you very much for making us so welcome and for talking to us about your work. You worked well in nearly all the lessons we saw. Your teachers are doing a good job and you are playing your part by behaving well and joining in the many activities in lessons. You told us that you enjoy school and we saw for ourselves how true this is. There are some lovely displays around school. You do well in reading, speaking and listening, better than pupils in many other schools. We think the changes made to the curriculum are good and you obviously enjoy the many visits you make and the visits of people who come into school to talk to you and give demonstrations. Mrs Heaton is doing a

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

good job and you will probably be sad to say goodbye to her at the end of this term. We believe that the school will get even better if you all work together to improve your mathematics and writing. We want your teachers to check your progress more closely so that they can see earlier if you are not meeting your targets, and we have asked them to set harder work for those of you who can learn faster. Thank you once again for your warm welcome. We hope you enjoy the end of term and have a good summer holiday. Good luck in the future. Judith Straw and Andy Margerison Additional Inspectors

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