Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School

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119468 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280565 Inspection number 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005 Inspection dates Delia Hiscock Reporting inspector

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

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Back Lane School address Primary Type of school Clayton-le-Woods Voluntary aided School category Chorley, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01772 335030 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01772 629571 Fax number 227 Number on roll Mr David Barlow Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Mike Philipson Headteacher 1 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280565 17 October 2005 - 4 to 11 18 October 2005 Inspection Report: Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School, 17 October 2005 to 18 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average-sized primary school has 227 pupils on roll and slightly more boys than girls. Most pupils in the school are white. A few children are from families of mixed heritage but none is learning English as an additional language. The school is situated in the small village of Clayton-le-Woods in Lancashire. There is little social deprivation. The number of pupils claiming free school meals is low, as is the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties. Attainment on entry to reception is above average. The school is led by a headteacher from a local school as part of a collaboration programme between two schools.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. This judgement matches the school’s own assessment of its effectiveness. Teaching and learning are satisfactory but inconsistent. Although the teaching enables pupils to make sound progress and achieve the standards that they should, which are above average, pupils would make better progress with better teaching. Pupils’ personal development is good; they feel safe and well cared for, enjoy school and behave well. Overall, leadership and management are satisfactory but the school has been through a period of instability because of changes of headteacher. The Foundation Stage provision has improved and the teaching there is now good. The school has started to evaluate its work and the headteacher recognises the need for better systems to check on pupils’ progress and performance. The governing body and the headteacher recognise the need for important improvements in teaching and

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Grade: 3

pupils’ progress. The considerable work that they have already undertaken shows that the school is in a sound position to make these improvements. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality and consistency of teaching so that all pupils, particularly the more able ones, make better progress. • Improve the use of assessment information so that pupils know more precisely what they need to do to improve and achieve their targets.

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Grade: 3

The pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. The younger children’s attainment is generally above average when they enter reception. They make sound progress throughout the school and standards are above average at the end of reception, Year 2 and Year 6. The unpublished test results for 2005 show improvements in the school’s performance. Children’s progress is good in Year 6, and this makes up for the inconsistent progress in Years 1 to 5. In these year groups more able pupils underachieve. Good basic skills of literacy and numeracy are evident in the full range of subjects in all year groups. The very small number of pupils from mixed-heritage families make similar progress to their classmates. Pupils with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress towards the targets set for them but some of their targets could be reached more quickly.

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Grade: 2

Overall, personal development is good. In this judgement the inspectors take a more positive view than the school. Parents and pupils all assert that school is enjoyable and the excellent attendance figures reflect this. The relationships are pleasant and pupils are happy in school, as shown on the playground, assemblies and at lunchtime. 2 Inspection Report: Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005 They make a good contribution to the school community and take on many responsibilities, even in reception, where the rota of jobs is regarded as a special treat by the children. Pupils have a satisfactory awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and their strong basic skills of literacy and numeracy equip them well for their future education and adult life. Pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good. Pupils show good understanding of their place in the world. They are courteous and

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Grade: 2

polite, mature and responsible. Their actions clearly reflect the important values that they are taught. Pupils have an understanding of different cultures but this is mostly limited to differences in religion.

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Grade: 3

Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory and account for the pupils’ satisfactory progress. However, the teaching is inconsistent and more consistently good teaching would lead to better progress. Some of the more able pupils, in particular, say that the work is not hard enough. In the best lessons, such as those in Year 6, work is interesting and well matched to what pupils of different abilities need to achieve next. Pupils with learning difficulties have good support but could often make quicker progress towards their targets. The quality of teaching in reception has improved and is good. However, throughout the school, too many lessons are dull. In these lessons, pupils sit and listen for too long and are rarely expected to use their curiosity and interest to motivate and direct their learning. Although teachers know their craft and plan carefully, the pupils are not fully at the heart of the work set. They achieve

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Grade: 3

adequately but they could achieve more. Teachers do not use assessment information to plan work that is hard enough for the more able pupils. This slows the rate at which they progress. The headteacher has good plans to rectify this important shortcoming.

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Grade: 3

The school curriculum is satisfactory and meets all statutory requirements. It meets learners’ overall needs adequately and plans the application of their skills of literacy and numeracy effectively in all subjects. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and improving. The pupils enjoy a wide range of out-of-school activities. Residential visits make a good contribution to children’s learning by enabling them to build successfully on their existing skills and interests. Most activities match the needs of children but not all are challenging enough to meet the needs of the more able pupils except in Year 6. Again, activities planned to help pupils to learn independently tend to occur in Year 6. 3 Inspection Report: Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School, 17 October 2005 to 18 October 2005

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Grade: 3

Overall, the care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Pupils feel cared for and safe because there are adequate procedures to support them. Pupils learn how to keep safe and to guard against risks. Activities to raise pupils’ awareness of healthy lifestyles are satisfactory. Very good links with the church support pupils’ personal development. The school has a wealth of assessment information but is not using it to set targets precisely enough for individual pupils. At present, targets tend to be too general to be effective. The close attention and encouragement given to pupils with learning difficulties help them to feel supported and more confident but would make better progress if higher expectations were written into their targets.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher has led the school well through a period of instability. The headteacher puts raising pupils’ achievement at the heart of the school’s drive for improvement. With the support of the senior staff, the headteacher has introduced important changes through the partnership arrangements between the two schools. These changes are helping to raise standards. Improvements in the Foundation Stage curriculum, leadership and teaching are all improving. The headteacher sees clearly what needs to be done to bring key areas of the school’s work up to a good standard. He understands the school’s strengths and weaknesses well, and the school’s self-evaluation was mainly accurate. His evaluation, for example, of the quality of teaching, is helping staff to understand what needs to be improved. The views of parents and pupils increasingly contribute to this picture. The work set for higher attaining pupils is now under scrutiny and

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Grade: 3

teachers are keen to get this right. However, much remains to be done to train subject managers and teachers to assess pupils’ progress and plan their work more effectively. Governors carry out their responsibilities satisfactorily. They speak of their need for training and have taken decisive steps in partnership between the two schools so as to achieve their goals. They also recognise that, in the past, they have relied too much and too uncritically on the school management team for information. However, they played a full part in making huge improvements in the school’s accommodation in the past year. 4 Inspection Report: Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School, 17 October 2005 to 18 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. 5 Inspection Report: Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School, 17 October 2005 to 18 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 3 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 2 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 1 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 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 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 www.ofsted.gov.uk Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School Back Lane Clayton-le-Woods Chorley Lancashire PR6 7EU 19 October 2005 Dear children First of all, thank you very much for welcoming us to your school so kindly. We enjoyed talking with you and finding out about the things that you enjoy doing and the things that you might like to see in your school. We decided that your school provides you with a satisfactory education. The things that we particularly liked were: the way that you and your parents enjoy the activities your school offers; the excellent level of your attendance at school; the way the school cares for you all equally well; the good way you all behave towards each other and your teachers; the good skills you are gaining in reading, writing and mathematics. In order to make the school better for you, I have asked the teachers to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

improve the way they set targets for you; improve lessons, making them more exciting and challenging. Thank you for helping us so much with the inspection of your school. We all hope that you will carry on enjoying learning, and helping your teachers to make Clayton-le-Woods Church of England Primary School a good place to be. Yours sincerely Mrs Delia HiscockMr Eric Jackson Lead InspectorAdditional Inspector Annex B

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