Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall

Inspection Report Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall

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119392 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280540 Inspection number 12 July 2006 to 13 July 2006 Inspection dates Mark Williams HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Pilling Lane School address Primary Type of school Preesall Voluntary controlled School category Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01253 810236 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01253 810236 Fax number 215 Number on roll Mrs Val Halliwell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Steve Hyde Headteacher 1 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280540 12 July 2006 - 4 to 11 13 July 2006 Inspection Report: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall, 12 July 2006 to 13 July 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This non-denominational voluntary controlled primary school, situated in a rural setting in the district of Wyre, is smaller than most found nationally. Nearly all its pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils having learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. The proportion eligible for free school meals is below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall, 12 July 2006 to 13 July 2006

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Grade: 3

This school provides a satisfactory education for its pupils and gives satisfactory value for money. It has particular strengths in enabling the pupils to make good progress in their personal development and well-being. The school cares deeply for its pupils and they appreciate and value the wide range of activities and experiences offered to them. Teaching and learning overall are satisfactory. Pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning although this is not always the case, particularly for those with higher abilities. This is because information about what pupils can already do is not recorded systematically nor consistently used in teachers’ planning to inform the next steps of learning. The leadership of the school is aware of this and plans are being developed to improve these areas of the school’s work. The school ensures the good personal development and well-being of its pupils. For

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Grade: 3

example, the elected school council gives pupils a good understanding of the responsibilities of serving a community and older pupils support younger ones well as ‘play buddies’ at break and lunchtimes. Further strengths lie in the broad curriculum which offers a wide range of sporting and musical activities. Pupils are cared for well and value the good support given. Leadership and management are satisfactory and developing after a time of significant change in the life of the school over the last three years. Overall, the school has a more positive view of its effectiveness than inspectors have found. This is because governors do not have sufficient information to hold the school to account and key personnel are not fully involved in evaluating the work of the school. However, the roles of key stage and subject leaders and plans for further improvement, although in early stages, are being developed. This indicates capacity to improve the school further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure all pupils, particularly higher achievers, make the progress of which they are capable. • Systematically record what pupils can do and consistently use this information in teachers’ planning. • Put into place each year focused plans for improvement that are rooted in raising standards. • Strengthen the role of governors, subject leaders and key stage leaders in assisting the headteacher and assistant headteacher in evaluating the work of the school.

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Grade: 3

Most children enter school in the Foundation Stage (Reception Class) with abilities broadly in line with those expected for their age. By the time they leave school at the 2 Inspection Report: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall, 12 July 2006 to 13 July 2006 end of Year 6, they are generally doing as well as others of the same age. This represents satisfactory progress. Children make a good start in the Foundation Stage and the majority reach the national early learning goals. This is because of focused teaching and good support. At Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make satisfactory progress in their learning. However, higher ability pupils in particular do not make the progress they should and as a result, standards are not as high as they could be. Overall, systems for checking what pupils can do and know do not

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Grade: 3

systematically inform teachers’ planning nor inform the next steps of learning. As a result, targets set for pupils in lessons are not always appropriate or challenging. In recent years, boys have achieved less well than girls. The school has put into place a variety of measures to combat this, including exercises to develop higher level thinking skills, opportunities for adults to model writing, and specific guidance to older pupils to help them to improve the quality of their writing. It is too early to assess fully the success of these measures in raising achievement, although the 2006 Key Stage 2 results in English indicate an improvement in writing standards.

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of pupils are good. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in their good levels of attendance. They have great confidence in their teachers and know that any worries can be discussed and resolved. The very good emphasis on a healthy diet, promoted in good quality lunches, and the strong emphasis on sport ensures that the pupils make well informed choices leading to healthy lifestyles. The introduction of an elected school council gives pupils an insight into the responsibilities of living in a community. Issues are discussed in a mature fashion and proposals are given careful consideration by the headteacher. This has resulted in improvements, such as the well attended lunchtime homework club. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good. They display a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. They behave well and

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Grade: 2

have a positive attitude to their work. However, some pupils become restless and lose concentration when the pace of lessons is too slow. Children in the Reception class respond well to high expectations of independence and develop good attitudes from an early age.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, although some strengths are evident, particularly in the Foundation Stage. 3 Inspection Report: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall, 12 July 2006 to 13 July 2006 In the main, pupils enjoy their lessons but when they are not appropriately challenged some become distracted and lose focus on what they should be learning. Where teaching is best, it is based on clear information about pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and, as a result, these lessons have a clear focus with activities well matched to pupils’ needs. These, however, are not consistent features across the school. The quality of marking of pupils’ work is variable and not always helpful in moving pupils on to their next stages of learning. While no teaching is unsatisfactory, higher ability pupils make less progress than they could as there are insufficient opportunities for them to be

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Grade: 3

challenged in their learning. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are effectively supported by teaching assistants and they make satisfactory progress in their learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad and meets the needs of most pupils well. The school has identified those pupils who are gifted and talented, though the taught curriculum does not always provide the necessary challenge to match their needs. Literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) are given suitable priority. In addition, there are good opportunities for pupils to experience subjects such as design and technology and modern foreign languages. A strong aspect of the curriculum is the exceptional number of additional activities on offer such as after-school clubs, competitive sport and a residential trip. These enhance pupils’ learning experiences and make a good contribution to their personal development. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good, and is firmly based on purposeful, practical activities, which show a good awareness of how young children learn.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good. The school takes very good care of pupils and has rigorous systems in place to ensure their safety. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported in class to help them to make progress at a similar rate to others. The school provides clear guidance to pupils as to how they should behave and how to live a healthy lifestyle and this makes a very good contribution to their personal development. Pupils’ work is generally marked regularly. Where it is good, marking gives clear guidance to help pupils to improve, though this is not consistent across the school. As a result, although pastoral guidance is a strength, the school is weaker in academic guidance and support. However, most recently, older pupils have been given specific guidance to help them to improve the quality of their writing and this is helping to raise writing standards. Similar guidance for mathematics is not available

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Grade: 2

and standards have not improved at the same rate. 4 Inspection Report: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall, 12 July 2006 to 13 July 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management overall are satisfactory and indicate capacity to improve further. The headteacher, assistant headteacher, staff of the school and the governing body are committed to providing a broad education for all pupils. Much effort has been put into providing an extensive range of activities and experiences to support this. Almost all parents are supportive and appreciative of these efforts. They recognise the benefits of the school’s care and support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for those who join the school at times different to the start of the academic year. However, the focus on ensuring all pupils make good progress in their learning is less clear. Systems for recording pupils’ progress and ensuring this information is used to plan challenging lessons and activities are still developing. The plans to improve this aspect of the school’s work are not specific about what is to be achieved. Whilst

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Grade: 3

governors have an overview of the school, they do not have sufficient information to hold the school fully to account. The role of subject and key stage leaders is beginning to develop, as are the school’s systems for evaluating what it does and does not do well. There have been many changes and challenges for the school since its previous inspection in 1999, not least in staffing and building work. The headteacher has made good progress in ensuring funding for the effective deployment of teaching assistants and necessary improvements to improve access for pupils with physical disabilities. 5 Inspection Report: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall, 12 July 2006 to 13 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: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall, 12 July 2006 to 13 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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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 3 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 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 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 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 The Pupils of: Carter's Charity Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Preesall Pilling Lane Preesall Poulton-le-Fylde Lancashire FY6 0HH 12 July 2006 Dear Pupils As you know, Mrs Herring and I visited your school recently. I am writing to you now to let you know what we found out. First of all though, I would like to say thank you for the very warm welcome you gave us both and the way in which you freely gave your time to let us know your views. We are both very grateful to you all. We very much liked the wide range of sporting activities and clubs on offer to you. We know you like them too by the very good number of pupils who attend. We found you to be polite, well behaved and very caring to one another. We could see this especially with the ‘Play Buddies.’ We could also clearly see that Mr Hyde, Mr Weeden, all the staff and the governors care deeply

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

for you too and they are always looking for ways for making your time in school happy. We have asked Mr Hyde and Mr Weeden to carry on this good work, but spend more time thinking of ways to help you learn as we believe some of you could be doing even better. For example, we have asked them to make sure the information the school has about what you can already do is used to make your lessons more appropriate to your abilities. You have a very strong and happy community spirit at Carter’s. We have asked that staff and governors are given help to assist Mr Hyde and Mr Weeden in finding out about what is good about your school and what needs to be done to make it even better. We are sure you will be willing helpers too. Our very best wishes to you all. Mark Williams Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools

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