St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary School

Inspection Report St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School

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119529 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280583 Inspection number 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Pat Kime HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Pennystone Road School address Primary Type of school Halton Voluntary aided School category Lancaster, Lancashire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01524 811230 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01524 812019 Fax number 243 Number on roll Miss Margaret Picker Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Janet Alexander Headteacher 1 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280583 14 March 2006 - 4 to 11 15 March 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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. It included observation of parts of five lessons; examination of pupils’ work, records of their progress and other relevant documents; and discussions with staff, pupils and a governor.

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Description of the school

St Wilfrid’s is an average size primary school which mainly serves the village of Halton, though around a fifth of the pupils travel from further afield. The proportion of pupils in receipt of free school meals is around average and the number who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average for the size of school. Nearly all the pupils are of white British heritage and none speaks English as an additional language. Staffing has been unsettled over the last three years as a result of illnesses and maternity leaves.

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Key for inspection grades

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

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with several outstanding features. The inspection has confirmed the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness. The headteacher provides very good leadership and ensures a very positive ethos in which everyone works together to provide care and education of a high quality and to help every pupil succeed academically and flourish personally. The school gives good value for money. The teaching is good overall with some that is outstanding. Pupils very much enjoy learning. They want to do well and they appreciate all that the school does to help them and the extras it provides that make learning interesting. Their behaviour in lessons is very good. Standards are high and pupils make very good progress overall. In English, particularly reading, their achievement is excellent. In mathematics, the standards reached are a bit above average and this represents satisfactory achievement.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Foundation Stage (Reception) is developing well and is good in most aspects. The school offers a good curriculum and links between subjects are being developed. There is a very wide range of activities beyond lessons, particularly in music and sport. The effectiveness of subject leadership varies. It is at least satisfactory in all subjects and in some cases has a very positive effect on standards. The key issues from the previous inspection have been dealt with well. The school’s approach to raising standards in writing is exemplary and is proving very successful. These improvements show the school is well placed to continue progressing. The headteacher and governors recognise that priorities for future improvement should encompass using what has been learned from its work on improving writing to raise standards in mathematics; developing the provision for children in the Foundation

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Grade: 2

Stage to learn through play and activities that are not closely directed by staff; and developing the capacity of staff to lead the school’s work in various subjects and plan cross-curricular work.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is very good overall because pupils make good progress in each key stage building well, as they move up the school, on what they have already learned. The high standards pupils reach represent very good progress, for all, from their starting points. They are the result of teaching that is usually at least good and, at times, is outstanding. Children’s attainment, when they start in reception, varies from year to year but is usually a little above average overall. The school’s records show that children are now making good progress in the reception year, particularly in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. They are working at an above average standard for their age. 2 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Standards in Key Stage 1 are above average and a little higher in English than

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Grade: 2

mathematics. Last year’s leavers achieved very high standards in the end of Key Stage 2 tests. Their results were well above average in English and science and broadly average in mathematics. Standards in reading were particularly high, and this resulted in outstanding overall progress in English. The school’s targets were exceeded by a considerable margin in English and this is likely to happen again this year. In mathematics, however, some of the brighter pupils did not do quite as well in the tests as the school expected them to. Standards in the present Year 6 are not quite as high as last year but they represent equally good progress in relation to the pupils’ starting points.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development is outstanding and, by the time they leave the school, pupils are confident, responsible young people, mature for their age, with a very strong sense of right and wrong, a sound awareness of cultural diversity and a social conscience. They take pride in undertaking jobs that contribute to the smooth running of the school. Their personal qualities, along with their academic achievement mean they are well placed to benefit from secondary education. Pupils say that ‘the teachers don’t allow bullying’. They recognise that the very good relationships and high standards of behaviour are achieved because of teachers’ expectations and the school’s ethos. Pupils take their schoolwork very seriously. They want to do well and meet their targets. They enjoy school life greatly and speak enthusiastically about the interesting things on offer: experimental work in science; the nesting box with a camera in it; the

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Grade: 1

adventurous outdoor activities; and all the clubs. Their attendance is above average. Pupils are taught about healthy lifestyles and how to keep safe and put this learning into practice. For instance, children in the reception class took care with graters and knives when they made pizzas and many older pupils attend the sports clubs, such as football, athletics and cross-country.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall and in some classes much is of an excellent quality. As a result, pupils make very good progress in their learning. The lessons seen confirmed the accuracy of the school’s evaluations of teaching. Teachers and support staff work closely together. They are strongly committed to improving their teaching and their mutually supportive teamwork enables them to learn from each other’s strengths. This is evident, for example, from the support offered to newly qualified teachers and in 3 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 the work to improve standards of writing. Throughout the school teachers maintain good discipline and very positive relationships with pupils. They match work well to pupils’ different learning needs. The teaching of writing has developed extremely well and now exemplifies several of the strengths in teaching and the curriculum and is a very powerful model for how

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Grade: 2

learning might be further improved in other subjects. Additional training has ensured that all teachers have at least good knowledge of how to teach writing effectively. Writing tasks are very carefully planned and teachers enthuse pupils for writing through drama and work in other subjects, such as information and communication technology (ICT). Pupils have opportunities to write in a variety of styles for a wide range of purposes and audiences and they are given sufficient time to produce work of a good quality. They know exactly how to improve their written work because marking is very good and teachers discuss their individual targets with them regularly. As one pupil said, ‘they’re really honest with you and that really helps …. we try to get a step higher’. Classrooms are lively and stimulating learning environments. For example, in one an open-sided beach tent provides an inviting place to read. In another a ‘writing shed’

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Grade: 2

has been created to motivate pupils to write independently like the authors whose work they have enjoyed who wrote in garden sheds. In the Foundation Stage there is an appropriate emphasis on learning through practical activities and the direct teaching is good whilst the promotion of learning through activities which children can choose is satisfactory.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum which covers all that is required in ways that pupils find interesting and enjoyable. Work for pupils in the mixed age class is very carefully planned to ensure no-one misses anything and everyone is suitably challenged. There is a very good range of activities outside lessons, particularly in music and sports. The curriculum is enriched by a very good range of extra activities, such as the well planned programme of educational visits, lessons in French and German and links with schools abroad, and instrumental tuition. Staff are keen to make learning more meaningful for pupils by linking work across subjects and there are examples of successful cross-curricular links. However, such work is not yet systematically planned throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of pupils and all the required procedures are in place, for instance for child protection and risk assessment. The support offered to pupils who are facing difficulties in their lives is particularly good. Academic guidance and support, through thorough and regular assessment, marking and target setting, is very good overall, though at its most effective in English. 4 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 2

The headteacher is determined to provide the very best for every pupil. She sets a very positive, caring ethos in which teamwork is strong and staff strive to make the school even better. In this she is supported well by senior staff. The turbulence in staffing has been managed very well with the result that standards have been maintained and development has continued. The school is outward looking and it has established extensive, excellent partnerships to promote pupils’ learning and well-being. For instance staff have worked closely and very successfully with local pre-school providers to develop a shared approach to teaching early literacy skills. The school evaluates its performance well and involves all stakeholders, including pupils, in this process. Consequently priorities for improvement are agreed. Senior staff monitor the effectiveness of teaching carefully, for instance by analysing test

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Grade: 2

results and teachers’ assessments of pupils’ attainment, and by examining pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. They know exactly where improvement is needed and plan effectively to tackle these areas. Nonetheless monitoring of the success of changes could be more sharply focused. Governance is good. Governors take an active role in the management of the school. They know about the school through involvement in its life and work, and the headteacher keeps them well-informed about the school’s performance. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good and, although standards are high there is no complacency but a determination to make St Wilfrid’s an even better school. Consequently, the school is well placed to continue to develop. 5 Inspection Report: St Wilfrid'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: St Wilfrid'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 1 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 2 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 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 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 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 The Pupils St Wilfrid's CofE Primary School Pennystone Road Halton Lancaster Lancashire LA2 6QE 16 March 2006 Dear Pupils As you know, I visited your school recently to see how good it is and how well you are doing. Thank you for making me so welcome in your school. I enjoyed seeing your lessons and talking to you. I’d like to say a special thank you to the pupils who came to tell me about life at school from the pupils’ point of view. Yours is a good school and some things about it are outstanding. These are the things that are especially good at your school All the adults work together to look after you and help you to do well. School helps you to grow up well. You learn to be responsible, to care for others and how to keep healthy and safe. You really enjoy learning and you make very good progress. You do particularly well in English.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Standards in writing have improved a lot because the teachers have all worked hard on it. The teaching is good and in some lessons it’s excellent. The teachers tell you how well you are doing and how you could do even better. There are lots of interesting things for you to do and plenty of clubs and visits. Your headteacher leads the school very well and all the adults want to make St Wilfrid’s even better. I’m sure they will. Your school knows it needs to do three things to make it even better. Help you do as well in mathematics as you do in English. Provide more opportunities for children in Class 1 to learn through play and activities they choose as well as the things they do with the adults.

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Annex B

Help the teachers to improve all the subjects and plan work that links subjects together. I hope you keep on working hard and enjoying learning. With all best wishes for the future Pat Kime Her Majesty’s Inspector of Schools

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