Rishton St Peter and St Paul's Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School

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119427 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280555 Inspection number 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Lynne Read Reporting inspector

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

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Arundel Street School address Primary Type of school Rishton Voluntary aided School category Blackburn, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01254 884522 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01254 877944 Fax number 211 Number on roll Mr Aidan Fortune Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Anthony Greenhalgh Headteacher 1 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280555 14 March 2006 - 4 to 11 15 March 2006 Inspection Report: Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 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

This is an average sized primary school in Rishton, near Blackburn. The majority of pupils are of white British backgrounds and a few have Asian heritage. The percentage of pupils claiming free school meals is below average. When they enter the reception class, children’s attainment is broadly average. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is around average, as is the number with a statement of special educational need (SEN). The school is part of a local Excellence in Cities project. At the time of the inspection, the headteacher and deputy headteacher had been in post for less than one year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Inspectors agree with the school’s own evaluation that it provides a satisfactory education for its pupils and has some strengths. The school takes a good account of pupils’ and parents’ views and provides satisfactory value for money. Particular strengths in the school lie in the personal development of its pupils. Their attitudes to learning are good. Developing links with the church and good links with other schools support pupils’ learning well. The children make a good start to their education in the reception class. The quality of teaching and learning is good here and in Year 6. It is satisfactory in the other classes with some good elements. Current standards in Year 2 are around average. This is a good improvement on previous years. Those in Year 6 are average overall and above average in mathematics. Progress across the year groups is satisfactory but variable. This is because some lessons do not consistently include challenging targets

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Grade: 3

for pupils’ learning or enough opportunities for pupils to practise their writing. Children who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported effectively and have equal access to all that the school offers. There have been some good outcomes from the development work introduced by the new management team. Subject managers are now actively engaged in checking provision but there is scope to develop this work further. Progress in dealing with the issues from the last inspection is satisfactory even though much of the work has been completed very recently. The school has a sound capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that teachers plan learning goals for all pupils that have enough challenge to promote consistently good progress, year on year. • Ensure that subject managers use a systematic, planned approach to check the quality of teaching and learning and to ensure that learning targets are being met. • Provide more opportunities for pupils to write at length.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory overall. When children start school, their previous learning is close to nationally expected standards, but there are weaknesses in some language and mathematical skills. Children make good progress in the reception class and the majority have reached the expected early learning goals by the start of Year 1. Most pupils in Year 1 make good progress, but there is scope to introduce more challenge into lessons for the more able in Year 2. Standards for the current Year 2 are broadly average, and pupils make satisfactory progress. Test results at the end of Year 6 show that pupils have made good progress and attain broadly average standards overall, with above average standards in mathematics. The school recognises that this 2 Inspection Report: Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 is partly due to the fact that pupils’ attainment on entry to Year 3 has been below

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Grade: 3

average in recent years and pupils have been catching up on shortfalls in their previous learning. There are differences in the rate of learning between classes in Years 3 to 6. Pupils in Year 6 make good progress, with satisfactory progress made in the other year groups. Progress in writing in Years 3 to 5 is slower than in reading because pupils do not have enough opportunity to write at length. Throughout the school, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities progress satisfactorily. Boys and girls, and pupils of different ethnic backgrounds do equally well in class.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Their positive attitudes to learning, combined with good quality relationships, produce a harmonious school community where everyone is valued and respected. Pupils say they enjoy school and this is reflected in their good attendance. Rewards for positive behaviour and celebrations of pupil achievements promote pupils’ self confidence. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school is free from bullying and pupils feel safe. Links with the church and the opportunities for worship promote pupils’ spirituality. Good opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively help to develop social skills. Pupils make a positive contribution to their community through the school council and older ones relish the many opportunities they are given to take on responsibilities. This work, together with sound standards in the core subjects, makes pupils well placed to secure a positive economic future for

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Grade: 2

themselves. Pupils’ knowledge of local and national culture is good. The school is aware of the need to extend their appreciation of the cultural diversity in modern Britain. Pupils learn a lot about staying healthy and safe through personal and social education. Pupils take part enthusiastically in physical activities and a good range of sports.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and good in the Foundation Stage and in Year 6. Behaviour management is very effective and consequently pupils develop positive attitudes to their work. Those pupils who have learning or emotional difficulties are given good help, often from well informed teaching assistants and learning mentors. There is skilled class and group teaching in the reception class where the assessment of children’s progress is used well to plan the next steps in their learning. A varied range of activities promote independence and a sense of curiosity in the children. 3 Inspection Report: Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Major strengths in the Year 6 teaching include the use of assessment information to plan challenging work, the very good advice given to pupils to help them improve and the fast pace of lessons. However, this good practice is not seen consistently across

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Grade: 3

the school and, as a result, pupils’ progress slows. Pupils’ work is assessed regularly and their progress is tracked throughout school, but some lessons do not build well enough on past learning. Sometimes pupils spend too long listening to the teacher or completing basic tasks such as filling in worksheets. Regular homework tasks extend and consolidate learning effectively.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall and there is a good variety of enrichment activities such as visits and after school clubs. Good improvements to the curriculum for information and communications technology (ICT) have enabled pupils to make sound progress in the subject and use their computer skills effectively when working on other subjects. The curriculum for those pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is soundly planned to meet individual needs and ensure equal opportunities. Gifted and talented pupils in Years 3 to 6 have extended opportunities to develop their talents, often through links with partner schools. However, planned activities in lessons for the older infants do not always challenge the more able pupils sufficiently. Reading and mathematical skills are used well across the curriculum, but there is a need to develop more opportunities to write at length so pupils can practise the skills

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Grade: 3

they learn. Provision for creative subjects, such as art and music, has improved this year and is now good.

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Grade: 3

This aspect of the school’s work is satisfactory overall and there are strengths in the care and support given to promote pupils’ personal development. Several new and successful measures have been introduced this year to ensure pupils’ health and keep them safe. Pupils trust their teachers and say that they feel totally safe, happy and confident in school. The learning mentors liaise with staff, parents and external agencies to provide a good programme of support for those who need additional help. The guidance given to pupils to help them improve their work is very good in Year 6. It includes extremely helpful comments in marking, learning targets that are clear and opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own progress. Elements of this good practice are seen in other classes but there is no consistent approach across school. The system of tracking pupil progress provides early identification of those pupils needing support

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Grade: 3

but is not used rigorously enough to target those who need extra challenge. 4 Inspection Report: Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Overall, these are satisfactory with strengths in the leadership of the new management team. Staff and pupils agree that the new headteacher and deputy have brought a refreshed feel to the school, with new direction and enthusiasm. Management and staff conducted a thorough evaluation of the school’s work this year and have a realistic overview of the strengths and areas for development. Good care was taken to include the views of parents and pupils. The subsequent action has resulted in more focused lesson planning, better health and safety measures, improved links with the church and developing teamwork based on a shared vision of raising standards. Early indications of the impact on learning, show improving attainment in years 1 and 2 this year and better writing standards in Year 6. There is a sound capacity for the school to improve further. The role of the subject managers has been developed this year and now includes some

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Grade: 3

monitoring of the core subjects, ICT and religious education. At present, there is no regular cycle of evaluation to ensure that challenging targets are met and to improve the consistency of teaching and learning across the classes. Governors are keen to develop their role in checking the school’s performance and supporting senior managers. They are actively seeking new members to facilitate this. At present governance is satisfactory and all statutory requirements are met. 5 Inspection Report: Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 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: Rishton St Peter and St Paul's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 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 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 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

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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 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 Rishton St Peter and St Paul's Church of England Primary School Arundel Street Rishton Blackburn Lancashire BB1 4DT 14 March 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave me and Mrs Dodd when we recently visited your school. The conversations that we had with you were very interesting and we thoroughly enjoyed our time at your school. There are lots of things that we think are good at St Peter and St Paul’s. These are some of them You are polite and friendly and show a good interest in your lessons. Your behaviour is good. You take good advantage of the out of school activities and love your sport. Your teachers take good care to keep you happy and healthy. You contribute well to the running of the school through the many jobs you do, and express your views clearly through your council members.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I know that your teachers work hard and have lots of plans to improve your school. We have suggested that they might look at some other things as well: Making some of your learning targets harder and checking that you understand them. Planning some harder work in lessons because we know you like a challenge. Providing more opportunities for you to write and reducing the number of worksheets you fill in. Thank you once again for helping us so much with the inspection. I hope that you will continue to make St Peter and St Paul’s a cheerful place to be and enjoy the exciting developments that your teachers have planned.

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Annex B

Yours faithfully Mrs L Read Lead inspector

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