St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School

Inspection Report St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School

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105703 Unique Reference Number Oldham Local Authority 287306 Inspection number 3 °4 October 2006 Inspection dates Marie Cordey 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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St Martin's Road School address Primary Type of school Fitton Hill, Oldham Voluntary aided School category Lancashire OL8 2PY 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0161 770 8303 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 665 2484 Fax number 252 Number on roll (school) Mr Geoff Garrett Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Garath Jackson Headteacher 25 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287306 3 °4 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Martin's is a larger than average school close to the town of Oldham. Most children's attainment is well below average when they start school. The vast majority of pupils are White British and there is a small number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is high.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 October 2006

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Grade: 3

St Martin's is an improving school that provides a satisfactory standard of education and satisfactory value for money. The headteacher is committed to providing the quality of education needed to raise achievement. In the Foundation Stage, provision is satisfactory and children make satisfactory progress. For the last few years, standards in Key Stages 1 and 2 have fluctuated and some pupils have not achieved as well as they should. The current sharp focus on raising achievement has resulted in rising standards. As a result pupils make satisfactory progress. By the time pupils leave school standards are close to average in English, mathematics and science but below average in writing. The leadership team has effectively tackled some underachievement by pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and their progress is satisfactory. However, the parents of some of these pupils perceive that they have insufficient communication

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Grade: 3

and involvement with the school. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory but not yet consistently good. There are examples of good practice where pupils are excited in their learning. Sometimes, however, lessons move at a slow pace, the work is not matched as well as it could be to meet the pupils' needs and pupils do not develop their speaking skills sufficiently well or participate enough in their learning. Pupils' personal development is good: the strengths are in pupils' good behaviour and excellent spiritual development. Christian values are a cornerstone of the school's ethos and pupils are respected and learn to value both themselves and others. Additional resources for information and communication technology (ICT) have led to an improvement in pupils' ICT skills since the previous inspection. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have a good

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Grade: 3

understanding of their school. Their largely accurate self-evaluation is borne out by the inspection findings. The two exceptions are in the pupils' personal development and in their care guidance and support. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good rather than satisfactory because of the pupils' enjoyment of school and positive attitudes to learning. Parents welcome the extended school provision. The care, guidance and support for the pupils are satisfactory rather than good. The marking of pupils' work is thorough. However, assessment information is not used consistently enough to target improvement or to ensure that pupils know how to improve their work. The headteacher, staff and governors work together closely and have moved the school forward in the last year. There is satisfactory capacity to make further improvement. There has been satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing. • Establish strategies to inform and involve parents in their children's learning. • Improve the consistency in the use of assessment so that pupils are clear about how to improve and teachers match work to meet the needs of all pupils. • Encourage pupils to discuss and develop their ideas in order to raise standards in speaking. 2 Inspection Report: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 October 2006

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Grade: 3

Standards are broadly average and pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Children join the school with a wide range of abilities. Many of them have weak language, communication and social skills. Some ground is made up during the Foundation Stage and by the end of Reception children make satisfactory progress but the standards reached are still below those expected nationally. Pupils continue to make satisfactory progress throughout Key Stages 1 and 2. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has been inconsistent in recent years, particularly in English and science. In 2005, attainment in mathematics and science was significantly better than the national average, with all pupils achieving at least Level 4 in science. Standards in English were in line with national expectations. These levels were not maintained in 2006, following a period of disruption caused by staff changes. Standards and achievement are

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Grade: 3

improving and most pupils are working at expected levels for their age. Recent improvements in the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities result in these pupils making satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' excellent spiritual development complements good moral, social and cultural awareness firmly based on the school's Christian values. Attendance is above average and punctuality is satisfactory. The monitoring and individual attention by teaching staff and the learning mentor helps to sustain pupils' positive attitudes towards learning. Inspectors found a few parents' concerns about progress and behaviour unfounded, since the school's support systems show positive results. Nevertheless, the school recognises the need to communicate better with parents so that they are more aware and more involved in their children's learning. The pupils benefit from a friendly, cooperative atmosphere where bullying is rare and issues such as healthy living and care for others are paramount. Pupils' participation in class is satisfactory, ranging from spirited discussion and diligent independent work to restlessness when

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Grade: 2

teaching is less engaging. Pupils feel safe around the school and appreciate the strong emphasis on praise, reward and recognition of effort. One typical comment from a pupil was: 'I enjoy school. I learn something new every day'. Many benefit from numerous opportunities for taking responsibility and serving the community, such as being 'playground pals' and fundraising.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. In the Foundation Stage, good quality relationships and an understanding of young children's needs result in children 3 Inspection Report: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 October 2006 who feel secure and make expected progress. In Key Stages 1 and 2, teaching is sometimes good but is mainly satisfactory. Teachers establish orderly routines that pupils generally follow without fuss. Good teaching was observed in an exciting mathematics lesson in Years 5 and 6 where pupils knew exactly what they were doing and enjoyed working together. Teachers generally plan lessons appropriately to match the work to the ages and abilities of most of the pupils. Occasionally, teachers over direct lessons and the pace of learning slows. Pupils who find learning difficult are supported appropriately. However, opportunities are missed to enable pupils to talk

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Grade: 3

about and develop their ideas and to increase their vocabulary and expression when writing.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum offers a satisfactory range of learning opportunities both in and out of school. Pupils particularly like drama and sport. Outstanding displays of pupils' work celebrate and inform learning. Better planning by teachers is helping to improve pupils' progress, particularly in English, mathematics and science. However, there is insufficient focus on enabling children to talk about their ideas and develop them so that their writing becomes more imaginative. Because of good provision for personal, health and social education, pupils adopt healthy lifestyles and have a better awareness of their responsibilities as members of the community. Provision for pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities enables them to make satisfactory progress. Resources and planning for ICT have improved significantly since the previous inspection. As a result, teaching and learning are improving in all subjects.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a safe, healthy working environment and good care for its pupils. Well-considered child protection procedures are in place to ensure their welfare and safety. Pupils are closely supervised both in and out of school, with detailed risk assessments conducted wherever needed. Teachers know pupils extremely well and respond to their needs, especially those of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. They increasingly promote independent learning, enabling pupils to take and demonstrate responsibility for what they do. Not all pupils are aware of their targets or know how to improve. Teachers keep adequate records of pupils' achievements but the use made of assessment information to track pupils' progress and match work to their needs is inconsistent. Most pupils relate well to adults in school. All staff are sensitive to children's feelings and anxieties, particularly those of

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Grade: 3

the most vulnerable. They take particular care to include all pupils in every aspect of school life. 4 Inspection Report: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 October 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. Following a period of staffing turbulence and falling standards they are now promoting achievement effectively. The leadership team identified the school's strengths and weaknesses and highlighted pupils' underachievement. This has halted the decline and led to pupils now making satisfactory gains in their learning. This has been helped by voluntary involvement in the local authority's Intensifying Support Programme. The commitment to the pupils is reflected in their enjoyment of school and learning. As yet, some of the parents do not know enough about how well their children are doing, particularly when their child has learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school is working towards improving the partnership with parents so they are better informed and more involved in the work of the school and their children's learning. The headteacher and governors have an

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Grade: 3

accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are taking action so that teachers use assessment more sharply to improve standards, particularly in writing. Governors are supportive and increasingly involved in the work of the school. 5 Inspection Report: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 October 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 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 2 The attendance of learners 2 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?

3 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 Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 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: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school. You were very friendly and looked after us well. The things we found to be good about your school are: • the way the school is improving • your headteacher and all the school staff share in the work to improve your school • your behaviour is good and you look after each other well. To make your school even better, these things will help. • Teachers need to give you more time in lessons to talk about your ideas. This will help to improve your writing. • The school needs to make sure that you all get challenging work, know how well you are doing and how to improve. • Give more information to your parents about your work so they have the opportunity to become more involved in the work of the school and are better able to help you learn. We hope that you will do well in the future. 9 Inspection Report: St Martin's CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School, 3 °4 October 2006

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