Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School

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105324 Unique Reference Number Bury Local Authority 287196 Inspection number 9 October 2006 Inspection date Delia Hiscock 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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Tommy Lane School address Primary Type of school Ainsworth, Bolton Voluntary controlled School category Lancashire BL2 5SQ 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01204 527484 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01204 398475 Fax number 267 Number on roll (school) Mr M Jackson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D Gerrard Headteacher 9 July 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 287196 9 October 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This popular, slightly larger than average sized school serves an urban population. A low proportion of pupils is eligible for free school meals. Nearly all the pupils are of White British heritage. A few are from minority ethnic families, a tiny number of whom speak English as an additional language.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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Grade: 2

This effective school provides good value for money. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding. He has built a strong team that builds particularly well on the school's strengths and successes. Leadership is ambitious for its pupils, exemplary in the care it provides and in the personal development it promotes. Pupils want to come to school, so attendance rates are high. This is because their interests, needs and well-being are at the heart of the school's work. The pupils have plenty to say about the way in which the school does all it can to include everyone and provide whatever is needed to ease their worries or difficulties. Pupils absorb these priorities and reflect the kindness shown to them in the friendly way they behave to each other and reach out to those who have less in their lives. They have even been known to put the headteacher in the stocks to raise money for others! Standards are high in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6, the result

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Grade: 2

of much improvement in the last two years in aspects of mathematics and the school's continued development in writing. Pupils achieve well because their progress builds effectively on the good standards reached at the end of Key Stage 1. When a pupil's progress falls below expectation, the school's highly effective checks identify this and additional support is provided. Achievement is then boosted through 'target groups'. Children get a good start to their education because the quality of provision in the Foundation Stage is good and standards reached at the end of the Reception year are above those expected for their age. Best use is made of the limited space available for the Nursery children and there many exciting experiences are provided. However, the accommodation hampers the range of provision and the pupils' potential to achieve even more. The pupils grow into eager, motivated and conscientious learners because there is

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Grade: 2

good quality teaching and learning. They say that they really like their teachers who 'are really friendly'. They recognise too that staff 'help them a lot' in their lessons. Fresh approaches are in place that help pupils to evaluate what they have learned in lessons but few of them know clearly what they could do to improve their own work. Effective curriculum provision equips pupils with a good range of skills, fosters talent well and helps them to understand the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle. Equally, it equips them with the knowledge they need to help them keep safe. They say that they really enjoy the dramatic productions, music, the school choir and the many additional clubs, sporting and environmental activities, some of which have won them awards. The pupils are pleased to take on responsibilities around school and to have the chance to contribute to the locality. Parents are equally enthusiastic about

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Grade: 2

the school and are very pleased with the education it provides.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils receive the guidance they need so that they know how to improve their work for themselves. 2 Inspection Report: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language. On entry to Nursery and at the end of their Reception year, standards are above those expected of pupils of their age because the children make good progress. This robust progress continues and pupils reach above average standards in Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards are high at the end of Key Stage 2, as is reflected in pupils' work in Year 6 and the unreported results of tests in 2006. Recent developments in writing and mental mathematics have boosted pupils' achievement. Any sign of progress that 'could be better' is boosted. This is because the school believes that, for pupils to achieve the best of which they are capable, 'ordinary' is not good enough. With this in mind, it continues to tackle the slight gap between boys' and girls' attainment in writing. The

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Grade: 2

school has a pattern of good achievement and has consistently exceeded the targets set for its performance.

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Grade: 1

The personal development and well-being of pupils are outstanding. Key features that promote these strengths include an exceptional commitment to the needs of all the pupils and excellent relationships between everyone in school. This is why the attendance rate is excellent. The pupils really care about others less fortunate than themselves or those who are more vulnerable and they show it in their day-to-day school life. Part of the reason for this is their effective spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils really enjoy their school life and reflect earnestly on any questions posed. In discussion, plenty of pupils said: 'Everyone's really friendly here.' They also say that they feel safe and know what to do if they or any of their classmates have any worries. As a result they are exceptionally well behaved and very eager to learn. They know about being healthy and enjoy taking responsibility around school.

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Grade: 1

With the skills and knowledge they gain, they become very well equipped for the future.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good and enables pupils to make consistently good progress. Effective planning, really good relationships, effective assessment and plenty of interesting activities all contribute to the way that learning appeals to the pupils. Teaching assistants and voluntary helpers also make a good contribution to 3 Inspection Report: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006 learning. They check what pupils understand, make skilful use of questioning to prompt thinking and support those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The pupils too make a positive contribution to their own learning by listening attentively and working conscientiously with their classmates to do as they are asked. Improvements in assessment in English and mathematics are beginning to help pupils to better gauge how successful their learning has been. Good quality marking supports this.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets pupils' needs and talents well. Some outstanding features, including the excellent choir, a good range of extra-curricular sporting and musical activities and the opportunity to take part in a drama production for the town, are on offer to all and enrich learning very well indeed. Effective provision for literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology (ICT) ensures that pupils gain the skills they need for their future. The school is proud of the pupils' skills of mental calculation. These are the result of improvements the school has made in mathematics. In addition, provision for writing and personal, social and health education are two other areas the school has recently improved and continues to do so. Provision for the Foundation Stage is good. Although it features many delightful activities for the children in Nursery, the accommodation restricts the range of activities that can

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support provided are good. The school takes excellent pastoral care of the pupils and staff are especially supportive of those who are facing difficulties. The requirements for the care, safety and protection of children are in place, including those for risk assessment. Good and often very sensitive support is provided for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Pupils understand clearly what they are to learn in many lessons and this helps them to evaluate how well they have succeeded. They are less clear about what it is that they might do for themselves to be even more effective learners. Marking is beginning to bridge this gap.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The work of the headteacher is outstanding. Everyone matters in this school and teamwork is one of the keys to its success. The school's excellent caring ethos is based on putting the pupils first, valuing the whole school community and listening to and acting for the benefit of all. Using the expertise in the leadership team and the back-up of astute and well informed governors, the headteacher works relentlessly to ensure that no pupil falls through the net or is unhappy. Successful ingredients include a perceptive understanding of how pupils' 4 Inspection Report: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006 personal and academic needs are provided for and effective deployment of staff, supported by an increased number of well trained classroom assistants. Continual monitoring by leadership flags up any achievement that could be better,

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Grade: 2

mainly by using the school's highly effective systems and measures. Information is used to tackle concerns and links into the school's improvement plan. This has become a finely tuned and shared way of working that has led to the school's accurate evaluation of its work and informs performance management and future training needs. Involving pupils in the evaluation of their learning is the next key building block, to help them to become more independent for their future. Leaders at all levels are now focusing on this area of the school's development. It is this shared direction that gives the school good capacity to move on in its work. 5 Inspection Report: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 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: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 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? 1 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 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 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: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Hello again. It was great to meet you and see your school. I really enjoyed my visit. Thanks so much for the interesting conversations that you shared with me. I found you to be really polite and helpful. This letter is to tell you what I think about your school. I found your school to be a good one. You are doing well in your work. The reasons for this are that everyone in school works together to provide just what you need to do well. I can see that you behave well and show lots of respect for each other and for your teachers. You also work hard in your lessons and listen well to your teachers and to each other. Now that you are learning to check how much you have learned in some lessons, here's something for you to do! • It would be super if you could try to improve your work for yourselves. Perhaps you could think what would really help you to get better at something, with a little extra help from

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your teachers? I can see also that you have learned a lot about how to keep safe and healthy, and how important it is to care about others. Keep up the care of your school grounds too. You have done an excellent job there! Good luck for the future. 9 Inspection Report: Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School, 9 October 2006

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