St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe

Inspection Report St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe

p.1

119419 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280553 Inspection number 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Moira Fitzpatrick Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Greenacre Street School address Primary Type of school Clitheroe Voluntary aided School category Lancashire, BB7 1ED 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01200 423599 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01200 443249 Fax number 325 Number on roll Mr Mark Clayton Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Adnitt Headteacher 1 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280553 22 June 2006 - 4 to 11 23 June 2006 Inspection Report: St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a large primary school. Almost all of the pupils are of White British heritage and only four pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is about average. When children start school in the Reception class, their overall attainment is average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average but a higher than average proportion have statements of special educational need. Some members of the school’s management team are new and inexperienced in their leadership role.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006

p.3

Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school which gives satisfactory value for money. Pupils make satisfactory overall progress from their starting points in Reception to reach average standards by Year 6. Although teaching and learning are generally satisfactory they could be better because the work set is often too difficult for the least able pupils or too easy for the most able ones. This is mainly because the teachers do not all make effective use of the information from the monitoring of pupils’ progress when planning lessons. Also, the marking of the pupils’ written work does not always show them well enough how to improve. The provision in the Foundation Stage (Reception class) is good; most of the children reach the standards expected for their age and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The school looks after the pupils well and ensures their personal development is good. Pupils are well behaved and feel safe

p.4

Grade: 3

and cared for in school. They take responsibilities willingly and develop their understanding of themselves and the world. The pupils benefit from a good curriculum with a broad range of extra-curricular activities. Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. Although the recently formed senior leadership team has identified the correct priorities for improving the work of the school, its self-evaluation differs from the inspectors’ judgement and is a little too generous. The members of the leadership team are enthusiastic and committed but most of them are new to their current role. At present, they do not evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning accurately enough to show the school how to improve teaching and to raise standards. Nevertheless, the school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection and has the capacity to continue to improve.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

The school should: • ensure that the teachers make better use of the monitoring of pupils’ progress, making sure that the work set for all pupils is at the right level • improve the marking of pupils’ work to show them more clearly how to improve • ensure that the members of the senior leadership team monitor lessons rigorously in order to see how to improve teaching and raise standards.

p.4

Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory. Pupils make satisfactory progress from their average starting points in Reception to reach average overall standards in Year 6. In the Reception class, the children make good overall progress and the majority of them achieve the standards expected of children of this age and each year a number of children exceed them. Good development of the children’s personal and social skills helps to prepare the children well for Key Stage 1. 2 Inspection Report: St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006 Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 and reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics in Year 2. They are making better progress in writing because of an increased emphasis on early writing skills in the Reception class in each of the past two years. In Key Stage 2, the results of the Year 6 national tests in 2005 were close to average

p.4

Grade: 3

in English, mathematics and science but showed that some pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and some potentially higher attaining pupils failed to make the progress that they should have done.

p.5

Grade: 2

The personal development of the pupils, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good overall. Pupils of all ages show a genuine respect for each other and for the adults in the school because they follow the good example set by their teachers. Their behaviour is good. Pupils’ attendance is average and they arrive at school in good time for the start of lessons. Pupils are eager to accept responsibilities. They have a very good appreciation of, and interest in, the spiritual side of life and pupils are well prepared for life in a multi-cultural world through their learning about other religions and cultures. Pupils show concern for the world around them in their involvement, for example, in the work of the school’s ‘Eco Council’ and in the ‘Wildlife After-School’ project. The school council has been instrumental in providing the ‘friendship benches’ in the playground and gives pupils a good

p.5

Grade: 2

understanding of how they can make a difference to their school. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles because they have been taught the importance of good diet and exercise and the school holds the Lancashire Healthy Schools award. The pupils’ basic skills make a satisfactory contribution to their future education and employment.

p.5

Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Lessons are taught confidently and teachers encourage and motivate pupils to learn. However, there is not at present enough good teaching to bring about the improvement in standards that the school is aiming for. Lessons engage pupils in a variety of activities but planning does not take enough account of the needs of individual pupils or of groups. In particular, the work set for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and for the more able ones is not always at the right level for them to reach their full potential. The teachers do not make effective use in all classes of the monitoring of pupils’ progress to ensure that all pupils are challenged enough. When teachers question pupils effectively and extend their thinking the pupils are actively engaged in their learning. When the teaching assistants share the lesson 3 Inspection Report: St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006

p.5

Grade: 3

planning with the class teacher, they support children’s learning or behaviour difficulties effectively. Too often, however, large parts of the lesson are taken up by activities planned for the whole class, which are too easy or too hard for some individual pupils. The school’s own monitoring of teaching and learning is ineffective; it is not picking up this important weakness and is not identifying how teaching and learning should improve. The teachers mark the pupils’ work regularly and their written comments are encouraging but they do not always show pupils how to improve.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall and meets statutory requirements. The planning of the curriculum takes advantage of important events in the school calendar, for example, the annual ‘industry day’, to link subjects such as English, science and mathematics in an interesting way. The school’s provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved considerably since the last inspection. The Foundation Stage curriculum has improved in recent years and is now good. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for the transition from primary to secondary education. A well-planned programme of personal, social and health education and citizenship ensures that pupils develop a good understanding of how to stay safe, eat healthily and contribute positively to the school and local community. The breadth of the extra-curricular provision is a major strength of the school. The many activities include a good range of sports, regular drama performances, for

p.6

Grade: 2

example, a recent production of ‘Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, and concerts by the school orchestra and choir.

p.6

Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school has procedures in place to ensure that pupils are safe, secure and happy in school, and arrangements for child protection are effective. Teachers and support staff know the pupils very well and are alert to their personal and emotional needs. Pupils are, therefore, confident that teachers will look after them if they have a personal problem, and parents overwhelmingly agree with their children’s views. Pupils’ progress is monitored effectively although the class teachers do not make enough use of the outcomes of the monitoring in their lesson planning.

p.6

Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. A strength of the headteacher’s leadership is his promotion of the pastoral care of pupils and enrichment activities in the school. The school has achieved the Investors in People award. 4 Inspection Report: St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006 The school’s self-assessment of its effectiveness is thorough but inclined to be too generous in its judgements. The recently formed senior leadership team has correctly identified the priority for the school’s improvement as raising standards. Although the school is right about the need to raise standards, the members of the management team have not identified, through effective monitoring of lessons, the weaknesses in teaching which need to be tackled in order to achieve their aim. Parents are consulted regularly about improvements to the school and are pleased,

p.6

Grade: 3

for example, that they were invited to a healthy eating event to comment on the quality of school dinners. Governance is satisfactory. The governors support the school and they have a good understanding of the school’s curriculum and its care for pupils, but they are less well informed about teaching, standards and pupils’ progress. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection and standards have risen at about the same rate as the national trend. The provision has improved in the Foundation Stage; writing has improved in Key Stage 1 and the provision for ICT is better. The school has a new clarity of purpose and determination and clearly has the capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006 .

p.7

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, 22 June 2006 to 23 June 2006

p.8

Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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

p.9

Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

NA 2 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 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 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

p.9

needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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.

p.9

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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 St James' Church of England Primary School, Greenacre Street Clitheroe Lancashire BB7 1ED 24 June 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you for the welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We would like to share with you some of the things we noticed that make your school special. We liked the way you behave well in lessons and when you are moving around the school. This makes your school a calm and happy place where everyone can get on and work hard. The way you listen and join in during lessons is good, again helping everyone to feel comfortable and enjoy their work. Your school council is doing good things to help the school improve and we could see how much you enjoy the games that have been bought for playtimes. It was very nice to see the older pupils taking responsibility and looking after younger ones during playtime

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and lunchtime. You did this well so that the younger children felt safe and able to take part in play. We agree with you that your teachers look after you well, and were pleased to read that your parents think so too. It is so important that you know who you can go to if you need help. We saw that you helped each other in lessons and in the playground, showing that you know how important it is to care for other people. Well done. To help your school get even better we have asked your headteacher and teachers to make some changes to help you learn faster and have a better understanding of how you can improve your work. Our very best wishes to you for a good holiday, and thank you again for being so friendly towards us! Yours sincerely Mrs Moira Fitzpatrick Lead inspector

p.11