Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School

Inspection Report Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School

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119407 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280545 Inspection number 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 Inspection dates Arthur Allison Reporting inspector

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

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Manchester Road School address Primary Type of school Hapton Voluntary controlled School category Burnley, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01282 771657 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 773021 Fax number 88 Number on roll Mr W Barnett Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs K Marney Headteacher 1 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280545 10 October 2005 - 4 to 11 11 October 2005 Inspection Report: Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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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 additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small school situated in the semi-rural village of Hapton with 88 children on roll. The children are taught in four mixed age classes. There has recently been a high turnover of teaching staff, which has adversely affected the children’s progress. Children’s overall attainment on entry to the school is generally below average and an above average proportion of them has learning difficulties. Some children have had no playgroup or nursery experience. Very few children come from minority ethnic groups. There are no children for whom English is an additional language.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. This judgement matches the school’s own accurate assessment of its effectiveness. The key areas for improvement identified by the school match the findings of the inspection. The school is improving and most parents have confidence in it. Teaching is satisfactory and the children make satisfactory progress, although standards are below average. The new headteacher has high expectations of children and staff. She has a good understanding of how well children are achieving and what needs to be done to raise standards further. All staff are supportive of the headteacher and share her aims. The children’s behaviour and their enthusiasm for learning are much improved; the children enjoy school, behave well and there is a good ethos for learning. The school works well with other agencies to support the achievement and well-being of all children. Children with learning difficulties are

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Grade: 3

identified early and receive effective help and support. The school has successfully tackled the previously identified shortcomings, eliminating inadequate teaching. The governors do their work well and financial management is a strong feature. The Foundation Stage is effective: teaching is satisfactory and children settle quickly into school and make satisfactory progress. The school gives satisfactory value for money and has the capacity to make the improvements which are now necessary.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards by analysing children’s performance and setting targets for individual children so that they know what they have to do to improve. • Develop children’s speaking and listening skills to help raise attainment in writing. • Ensure that all children have a much better understanding of the culturally diverse society in which they live.

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Grade: 3

When the children start school their overall attainment is generally below average. Children enjoy school and make satisfactory progress during the Foundation Stage. The national tests results at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 show that all children continue to make satisfactory progress as they move up the school, though standards are below average overall. Last year’s Year 6 test results showed a drop in standards and targets were not met. This particular year group included a high proportion of children with learning difficulties and progress was also adversely affected by frequent changes of teachers. The school has not set targets for individual children and they do not know clearly what they have to do to improve. Children’s speaking and listening skills, particularly the breadth of their vocabulary, are not strong enough to form a good base from which to raise achievement in writing.

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Grade: 3

Staff are beginning to work on this and some good work was seen, for example, in a literacy lesson in a Year 1 and 2 class. 2 Inspection Report: Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 Children with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress because they are identified early and given the help they need. Children who are above average on entry to school also usually make good progress and reach levels higher than those expected at ages 7 and 11.

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Grade: 3

The children’s personal development is satisfactory. The children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also satisfactory. Children understand there are others more needy than themselves. The children know that people have different faiths and belong to different cultures but have a weak understanding of the culturally diverse society in which they themselves live. The children behave well and settle down quickly in lessons. The school provides good support for a very small minority of children with behavioural difficulties to ensure that they can make progress. Year 6 children said that there was no bullying. Relationships are good because personal and social development threads through everything the school does. Children know how to stay safe and how to follow a healthy lifestyle; recently there was a one week focus on healthy eating. Attendance is average and the school is working hard and successfully to improve attendance and punctuality.

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Grade: 3

Children acquire skills that will stand them in good stead in the future. They accept responsibility eagerly, such as selling fruit during morning break. One Year 6 girl said, ‘We get more responsibility now. I like jobs’.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. There is some good teaching in most classes and there is no inadequate teaching. The teaching assistants play an important role, giving advice and encouragement to children with learning difficulties, both in their classroom and in other small teaching rooms. When teaching is good, the pace of the lessons is brisk, interest is generated and teachers question children closely at the beginning, during, and at the end of lessons to check on what they have learned. In these lessons, all children work hard, enjoy their learning and make good progress. Marking sometimes shows children what to do to improve their work but the school does not set individual targets derived from analysis of children’s performance in tests and other work. The exceptions are those children with learning difficulties who have individual education plans that set clear, concise targets. A strong feature of the

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Grade: 3

teaching is the praise teachers give, when earned, to boost children’s self-confidence. This makes a good contribution to their personal development. 3 Inspection Report: Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall, although there is a lack of planned opportunity for children to understand the culturally diverse society in which they live. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are provided for satisfactorily across the curriculum but a stronger emphasis should be placed on the development of writing, linked to improving speaking and listening. Children build on their skills and what they already know because the curriculum is planned well for the mixed age group classes. The Foundation Stage curriculum covers all the national areas of learning. The children’s personal development is fostered by work in all subjects and there are growing opportunities to apply the children’s learning in one subject to their work in another. This was shown in a Year 4 science lesson that was linked closely to music. All children benefit from a range of outings and visitors to the school help to bring

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Grade: 3

learning alive. Some children have favourite subjects, and mathematics is frequently mentioned, but others say they like all subjects because their teachers make lessons interesting. Children are pleased with the variety of clubs after school and the chance to earn the right to use the computers at lunchtime is much appreciated.

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Grade: 3

The school’s work in this aspect is satisfactory overall and the school agrees. The procedures for health and safety are good and child protection procedures are fully in place. Detailed risk assessments reflect the school’s concern for the children’s safety. The school works well with local agencies, such as the Intensifying Support Programme. This helps prepare pupils for life in the adult world. The vast majority of children feel secure in school and are becoming confident learners. Although challenging targets were set for Year 6 in the national tests, they were not met. This is partly as a result of the lack of individual targets for the pupils. Because they have no personal targets, they do not know clearly what they should do to improve.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The new headteacher, appointed at the beginning of this term, provides effective leadership for the staff to work together to raise standards. Commenting on the improved behaviour of the children, a parent said that the headteacher had ‘turned it round in a very short time’. The school has made good improvement since the previous inspection. Teaching has improved and the school’s ethos is now conducive to learning. The school clearly shows that it has the capacity to make further improvements. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate in all aspects of its work. It knows how it is doing and what needs to be done to improve. The headteacher gathered information from children and staff which, with her own early assessment of the school, has led to a sharply focused school 4 Inspection Report: Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 3

improvement plan clearly aimed at raising standards, although there has not yet been time to implement all of the planned improvements. The school still needs to improve the analysis of children’s performance and setting of targets for individual children, and to develop their vocabulary with a view to higher standards of writing. The governing body manages the school’s finances well. A recent decision to appoint a teacher with strengths in mathematics and information and communications technology is a good example of the governing body’s understanding of the needs of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 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: Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School, 10 October 2005 to 11 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 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 4 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 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 3 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 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 Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary School Manchester Road Hapton Burnley Lancashire BB11 5RF 12 October 2005 Dear Children Following my visit to your school this week, I would like to thank you for being so friendly, helpful and polite. I enjoyed talking to you and seeing you at work in lessons. I can see why you are proud of your school. Your teachers and other adults in the school work hard to help you to do your best and to be safe. You enjoy learning and behave well. You listen carefully to what others in your classes say and are very willing to take on responsibilities. You enjoy taking part in a number of extra activities other than lessons. You have a new headteacher who is clear about what the school should do to help you to do your very best, and the other teachers and adults in the school are keen to help.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There are three things we have asked the school to do to make it better. The school should: help you to reach the highest standards that you possibly can, particularly in English, mathematics and science, by making sure that you each have clear targets that help you to know what to do to improve your work help you to use a much wider vocabulary so that what you write in your books will be more interesting help you to understand better the beliefs and customs of the many different groups of people in our society. Thank you again for making me feel welcome. Keep trying to do your best. Yours sincerely Arthur Allison Lead inspector

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