St Peter's Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report St Peter's Church of England Primary School

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105321 Unique Reference Number Bury Local Authority 287194 Inspection number 29 °30 November 2006 Inspection dates Michael Onyon Reporting inspector

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

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Whitefield Road School address Primary Type of school Bury Voluntary controlled School category Lancashire BL9 9PW 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0161 7642017 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 7634811 Fax number 277 Number on roll (school) Mrs Julie Cardus Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jillienne Scholes Headteacher 21 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287194 29 °30 November 2006 3°11 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average school, serving an area with higher than average deprivation. Fifteen per cent of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. A larger than average proportion of pupils has free school meals. Attainment on entry to the school is below expected levels, particularly in children's language skills. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the proportion with statements of special educational needs are both below average. The school holds the Dyslexia awareness, Healthy School and Sport England Activemark awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that it provides a good standard of education. Parents comment that their 'children love school from the day they join. The staff are great and children are very happy, which enables them to learn more effectively.' This sums up the school's strengths very well. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They enjoy school very much and, as a result, behaviour is good. However, parents take their children on holiday too often in term time, which interrupts the continuity of their learning. Good quality care and support ensure that pupils feel safe and secure in school. The school is building well on its achievement of 'Healthy School' status and discussions with pupils illustrate that they are very aware of the need to eat healthily and to exercise. Pupils' good achievement and progress set them up well for future learning and life beyond school. They enter the Nursery with weak skills in communication, language

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Grade: 2

and literacy, but good provision in the Foundation Stage means they get off to a good start there and make good progress. Most reach the expected levels by the end of Reception with particular strengths in their personal, social and creative development. Standards in Key Stages 1 and 2 have risen gradually over recent years and are now slightly above average by the end of Year 6. The school's good assessment and record keeping systems clearly demonstrate the good progress that pupils make. The management of provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language is excellent and they make good progress. A key factor has been the early identification of pupils' specific learning needs and the provision of well-targeted support. The school's good quality teaching and curriculum lead to pupils' good achievement. Teachers throughout the school use their specialist knowledge and understanding

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Grade: 2

well, particularly in English, mathematics and science, to help pupils learn effectively. However, they do not all set learning targets for pupils and their marking of pupils' work does not consistently offer them clear guidance about how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. Pupils' good academic and personal development and the strong all round provision are the result of good leadership and management. Everyone in the school contributes well to its smooth running. Strong, ambitious leadership has driven the improving trend in national tests over the last three years. Supportive monitoring and feedback to staff have helped to raise expectations. Weaknesses in the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) identified at the last inspection have been tackled. The school continues to serve its community well and provides good value for money. Consequently, it enjoys the support

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Grade: 2

of both the well informed, hardworking governing body and parents. It is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Help pupils to understand more clearly how to improve their work. 2 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006 • Work with parents/carers to raise attendance levels.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Standards by the end of Year 6 are above average in English and science and average in mathematics. From a low in 2003, standards rose to broadly average in 2004 and 2005 leading the school to judge standards and achievement as satisfactory. However, given their starting points, the pupils achieved well. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress. The school's effective development of their reading and writing skills means that the vast majority enter Year 1 with the expected all round levels for their age. Pupils continue to progress well from Year 1 to Year 6, with standards in writing at the end of Year 2 having improved considerably in 2006. In the same year, the school reached its challenging targets in English and mathematics for Year 6 pupils. Pupils with learning difficulties and/ or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language are well supported and make good

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Grade: 2

The school judges this aspect of its work to be outstanding: inspectors judge it to be good. Pupils really enjoy coming to school and say, 'It's a good place to be with lots of friendly faces all around.' They have very good attitudes to their work and are keen to do well. Pupils are very polite and friendly. Attendance is just satisfactory. The school has put systems in place to improve this but still too many pupils are absent due to extended and family holidays and this impedes their progress. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They respect the views of those from different cultures and are aware of the diversity of British society. They show care for each other as seen in the good work of the playtime leaders looking after younger pupils. Pupils are aware of the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity and know how to keep safe. Through the work of the school council pupils are involved in

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Grade: 2

decision making and are particularly proud of the improvements made to the school environment. Very strong links with the parish church and local community and extensive fundraising for many charities develop in pupils an outstanding awareness of the community outside school. Pupils leave the school as mature and confident individuals, with personal and academic skills that will be valuable to them in later life.

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Grade: 2

Teachers prepare lessons carefully, making good use of assessment information to plan activities that are well matched to the pupils' needs. Pupils have very good 3 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006 attitudes to their work because they 'really like' their teachers and particularly enjoy the practical activities and mathematics games that make learning 'really good fun.' Teachers use interactive whiteboards effectively to support learning and engage pupils' interest. Behaviour is good and adults use praise well to reward pupils' efforts and boost their self-confidence. Teachers use question and answer sessions effectively to develop pupils' thinking, speaking and listening skills but they do not all provide enough opportunities for pupils to share their ideas with a 'talk partner' or to work in small groups. Efficient teaching assistants provide good support that enables pupils

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Grade: 2

with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to achieve well. Teachers track pupils' work closely and their marking usually highlights what pupils have done well. Older pupils know their learning targets but pupils do not all check their own learning or know sufficiently well how to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The interesting and varied curriculum, that includes French for some older classes, contributes effectively to both the pupils' good academic progress and their enjoyment of learning. Although the Foundation Stage curriculum is good, as the school recognises, it does not yet provide a suitably attractive outdoor play area for children that links all areas of learning. Pupils use their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills well to help them learn in other subjects. Well planned activities for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities enable them to make good progress towards the targets in their individual learning programmes. The good provision for pupils' personal development successfully promotes their understanding of staying safe, keeping healthy and citizenship. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the wide range of visits, visitors, out of school activities and well attended clubs which add to their enjoyment

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Grade: 2

of school and enrich their learning experiences.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good quality care, guidance and support for pupils with some outstanding features. Parents are involved from the outset, helping their children prepare for school, and relationships with them are strong. They receive regular detailed high quality information and, as one commented, they recognise, 'there is a safe and secure atmosphere'. Procedures are in place to ensure child protection and pupils' health and safety. Bullying and racism are not tolerated and a healthy schools task group meets regularly to extend the achievements of the Healthy School Award. Through good monitoring systems, the school ensures all pupils are making good progress. The well prepared and deployed teaching assistants provide good quality support to all pupils, including those whose first language is not English. The reason that the quality of care, guidance and support is not outstanding, as the school judges

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Grade: 2

it to be, is because pupils do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of how to improve their work. 4 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides strong leadership and benefits from the good support and considerable skills of the senior leadership team. Through its effective self-evaluation the school has a clear understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement. Development planning is of good quality and the clear, measurable success criteria provide an effective tool for moving the school forward. The school's actions have helped raise standards in writing and it is continuing work to improve them further. It has plans to extend to other subjects the good work in setting pupils learning targets in literacy. It has also identified the need to link teachers' marking more effectively to the targets. Excellent leadership of the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, together with the good leadership and management of the Foundation Stage mean that these different groups of pupils make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Finances are managed well. The well informed governors have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and play an effective part in strategic planning. 5 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We really enjoyed being in your good school this week. It was a privilege to work with you and the staff. We were very impressed by the courtesy and help you all provided and particular thanks are due to those who talked with the inspectors. We learned a lot about your school and here is an outline of its main strengths. You reach above average standards by the time you leave school and all pupils, including those with extra needs and talents, make good progress. Your very keen enjoyment of school, good behaviour and kind help for others, mean that the school is a good place to learn in. Teachers plan interesting work for you to do and explain it clearly. They and all adults show good care for you and that makes you happy to contribute to the running of the school and the wider community. Good leadership and management ensure that the school continues to serve your community well. To make the school even better it needs to do two things in particular:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• help you all to understand more clearly how to improve your work • work closely with your parents to make sure that you all attend school regularly. You can help your teachers by always doing your best in all your subjects, working very hard to reach challenging targets, acting on your teachers' guidance and looking for the best ways to improve what you do. 9 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Primary School, 29 °30 November 2006

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