Mesne Lea Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 1 May 2007

Mesne Lea Primary School Inspection report

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105911 Unique Reference Number Salford Local Authority 287362 Inspection number 30 April °1 May 2007 Inspection dates David Halford 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 259 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr S Baker Chair Mr Tim Barnes Headteacher 8 July 2002 Date of previous school inspection Walkden Road School address Walkden Worsley Manchester Lancashire M28 7FG

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0161 7904234 Telephone number 0161 9211566 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 30 April °1 May 2007 Inspection dates 287362 Inspection number .

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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 average sized primary school serves the urban community of Worsley on the border of the City of Salford. There has been a reduction in pupil numbers and changes in senior staff. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average and the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. A small number of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds but none are at the earliest stages of learning English as an additional language. The school has received Investors in People recognition and has gained a Healthy Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Pupils make excellent progress in their personal development and achieve well in their academic studies. Pupils' attitudes to school are excellent, their enjoyment of lessons is clear to see. They take part in school activities with real enthusiasm. All aspects of their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are very strong and relationships are excellent. The staff know their pupils well and all aspects of care, guidance and support are good. Pupils' attainment on entry to school is broadly average and good progress throughout the school means that by the end of Year 6, standards are above average overall. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are good, as is the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, pupils' skills in beginning to write independently in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 are not developed as well as they could be.

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Grade: 2

The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding, particularly in promoting a strong and varied curriculum, detailed monitoring of pupils' progress, managing recent changes in staffing and in reducing pupil numbers. Teaching and learning are good, with strengths in teachers' knowledge of where pupils are up to in their learning and what else they need to know. Overall, careful questioning of pupils helps them to make those next steps in their learning which leads to their good achievement. However, teachers' planning, whilst good overall, does not always include sufficiently challenging tasks for higher attaining pupils. The curriculum is enriched exceptionally well by a very wide range of activities which pupils clearly enjoy. Many join in 'wholeheartedly' in everything the school offers such as performing arts, modern foreign languages and a wide range of sports. One pupil indicated that 'there are lots of sports to have

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Grade: 2

a go at and you can really join in, even if you are not sporty!' Overall, leadership, management and governance of the school are good despite the fact that it has seen significant changes in personnel since the last inspection. Senior staff have been appointed recently to new roles and are embracing their new responsibilities well. The school's procedures to evaluate its own performance are very strong. There is a very good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses, for example, in understanding the need to improve pupils' writing, which has been well addressed in Key Stage 2 classes. The school has improved well since the last inspection, particularly in its provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and its resources for the Foundation Stage. The school has a good capacity to improve and it gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure children in the Foundation Stage and pupils in Key Stage 1 write more independently. • Challenge higher attaining pupils more appropriately in their learning.

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Grade: 2

Most children start school with broadly average levels of skills in their personal and social development, in communication language and learning, and in mathematical development. By the end of the Reception Year, most children have made good gains in their learning and achieve well. They reach the national targets set for them by the time they enter Year 1. Progress continues to be good throughout Years 1 to 6. Overall, pupils attain above average standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, although pupils' writing, in comparison to their other skills, 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007 could be better. The school has begun to improve pupils' achievement in writing and this is clearly seen in the pupils' work in current Key Stage 2 classes. There is still more to be done in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 1. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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Grade: 2

achieve well as a result of the good support and work provided for them which is pitched at the right level.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. The richness of the curriculum and the pupils' high levels of enjoyment coming from this, promote their self-esteem exceptionally well. The very strong provision made for pupils to learn about their own and others' cultures prepares them very well for life in a diverse society. Pupils' behaviour is good, particularly in lessons and in the playground, and they show very positive attitudes to school and to each other. Relationships are very strong at all levels. Attendance is good and so are levels of punctuality. Pupils have an excellent understanding of personal safety and healthy lifestyles thanks to the extensive range of curriculum opportunities and experiences available to them. The school council provides pupils with good opportunities for making improvements to their school, which can be seen,

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Grade: 1

for example, in recent developments to the school grounds. Pupils contribute well to the community through charitable giving and they are well prepared for their secondary education, developing teamwork and independent behaviour well.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers know the pupils well and are receptive to their individual needs. Their questioning is perceptive, encouraging pupils to think and giving them time to answer. Lessons are clearly focused on what is to be learned and are managed well, especially on occasions where numbers of pupils in Key Stage 2 'sets' are large. In the best lessons, there is a very good level of challenge and pace, for example, in a Year 5 literacy lesson on persuasive writing. Pupils' in Year 4 were also encouraged well to use adventurous vocabulary in a lesson focused on 'The Iron Man'. In the small minority of lessons that are satisfactory, there is insufficient challenge of higher attaining pupils. Here, teachers' planning does not always clearly account for the next steps in their learning which results in pupils producing a greater volume of work at a similar level of challenge rather than taking their learning forward.

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Grade: 2

There are some examples of this in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2. Children in the Foundation Stage need more opportunities to develop the skills for independent writing.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding and contributes strongly to the pupils' enjoyment of school. There is a good emphasis on basic skills, including ICT. Overall, the curriculum in the Foundation Stage is well planned in all areas of learning. Outdoor provision for learning is significantly improved since the last inspection and is now available to the Reception Year and Year 1. Strengths in the curriculum include provision for Performing Arts such as music, drama and a wide range of sports. Specialist teachers and peripatetic staff are very effective in teaching 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007 some of these activities. Good provision is made for modern foreign languages: pupils have the opportunity to learn French and Spanish. The curriculum makes an excellent contribution to the promotion of healthy lifestyles, for example, in the wide range of sporting activities available,

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Grade: 1

basic first aid within the 'Heartstart' programme and the very good provision for residential experiences for pupils in Years 5 and 6. A large number of pupils take part in all these activities.

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Grade: 2

Procedures for the safe recruitment of staff, child protection and health and safety are in place. Staff know their pupils well and pupils say they are confident in the adults who are in school. Vulnerable pupils are given good support and are helped to learn at a pace which best suits them. The school has good links with outside agencies which support these pupils. Links with the local high school are well developed and transfer arrangements are good. The tracking of pupils' academic progress is well established, collated and effective. Parents are included well in reviewing their children's progress and comment very favourably on how staff are approachable and supportive. A typical comment is, 'both my daughters thoroughly enjoy all the activities they participate in from chess to cross-country. All the staff are helpful and approachable. My girls are making remarkable progress.'

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Grade: 2

Overall, leadership and management are good. The headteacher has ensured good improvement in the school since the last inspection, particularly in what is now a very high quality curriculum and in the way the school tracks and builds on pupils' individual performance. These elements are outstanding. This process includes the detailed analysis of test and assessment data, regular lesson observations, work scrutiny and reviews of teachers' planning. Shortcomings are identified and actions for improvement are put in place, for example, the improvement in pupils' writing in Key Stage 2. This process works equally well in all areas of school life. As a result, the school's self-evaluation is very accurate. Recent developments to the structure of the leadership team are helping to distribute responsibilities better between staff who are becoming more directly involved in school development. These changes though are recent and need time to show their

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Grade: 2

full effectiveness. Governors meet their responsibilities well and have a very good range of expertise amongst their membership. They have a good overview of the school and hold senior managers to account well. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007

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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 1 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007

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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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for your help when we inspected your school. Please pass on our thanks to all the other children we met and spoke to whilst we were with you. We enjoyed our visit very much indeed. Now we want to share with you what we thought about your school. We believe that yours is a good school and has some outstanding features. For instance: • your headteacher is outstanding in the way he checks how well you are progressing with your work • he ensures that you have an excellent range of things to do in sports, music and drama; and we were also impressed that you can learn French and Spanish, and have those residential visits in Years 5 and 6 • your personal development and attitude to your school work is excellent and it is clear to us that you really enjoy coming to school and taking an active part in it • we were impressed at how your teachers help you to learn in English, mathematics and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

science. To make your school even better, we want the staff to make sure that they give everyone challenging work to do, especially those boys and girls who find some of the learning easy. We know that you have been working hard to improve your writing and the older boys and girls are now doing that quite well. We want the teachers of the younger pupils to give them more opportunities to write independently so that they, too, can improve their writing. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Mesne Lea Primary School, 30 April °1 May 2007

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