Gorse Hill Primary School

Inspection Report Gorse Hill Primary School

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106321 Unique Reference Number Trafford Local Authority 287483 Inspection number 13 December 2006 Inspection date Margaret Lewis 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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Burleigh Road School address Primary Type of school Stretford, Manchester Community School category Lancashire M32 0PF 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0161 8651209 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 8658190 Fax number 332 Number on roll (school) Mr L Walsh Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr A Hargrave Headteacher 12 November 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 287483 13 December 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

Gorse Hill is a larger than average school, serving an urban area on the outskirts of Manchester. The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups is rising slowly and this reflects changes in the local community. Currently 27% of pupils in the main school come from a wide range of different ethnic backgrounds and 12% speak English as an additional language. Almost 18% of pupils are identified with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. A few children are looked after by carers. The school holds a Silver Sportsmark Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school and the care support and guidance it provides for pupils is outstanding. As a result, pupils enjoy school and behave well. Attendance is above average and punctuality is good. By the time they leave Gorse Hill, pupils are articulate, confident and outgoing and want to do well. Parents are very pleased with the school and what it provides. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall with some that is outstanding. As a result, pupils make good progress. Pupils appreciate what the school does to help them and the extras it provides to make their lessons interesting. Pupils achieve well from starting points where their standards of attainment are well below average. This is because pupils make good progress in each key stage building well, year on year, on what they have previously learned. Consequently, standards are broadly average by the time pupils leave in Year 6. In English, writing lags behind

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Grade: 2

reading because pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their writing at length. Standards in mathematics are broadly average and in science are consistently high. Children get off to a good start because of the very good provision they have in the Foundation Stage. The school offers a good curriculum and there is a wide range of activities beyond lessons, particularly in sport. The school is well led and managed and the headteacher and senior managers work closely together to provide excellent quality care and a good quality of education. Financial management is good and the school gives good value for money. The school's self-evaluation gives a largely accurate picture of its many strengths, although it is conservative in a few of the judgements made about its performance. The key issues from previous inspection have been successfully dealt with. The school's approach to raising standards in mathematics is good and proving successful. These improvements

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Grade: 2

show the school is well placed to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for average and higher-attaining pupils to develop their writing skills and write at length so that standards rise.

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Grade: 2

Children enter the part-time Nursery with low levels of attainment for their ages. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage, particularly in personal, social and emotional development, although the majority are still working towards the goals for their ages in language and communication skills and mathematical development by the by the time they start Year 1. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 although standards overall are below average. Pupils continue to make good, and in some cases better, progress in Key Stage 2 and 2 Inspection Report: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 2006 standards are broadly in line with national averages by the end of Year 6. By that point standards in reading are better than those in writing because pupils are given too little time to write at length. In 2006 challenging targets were exceeded in English and science and narrowly missed in mathematics when some of the more able pupils did

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Grade: 2

not do quite as well as the school expected them to. Appropriate action is being taken to make sure this does not happen again. Pupils learning English as an additional language do very well and almost all reach or exceed the expected standards at Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good and by the time they leave school they are confident and outgoing, able to articulate their opinions and have a strong sense of right and wrong. They have a good understanding of cultural diversity and social awareness because provision for their spiritual, moral and social development is good. Pupils are polite and the oldest take a pride in undertaking jobs as prefects that contribute to the smooth running of the school. Pupils say that 'teachers don't allow bullying, they deal with it'. Behaviour is good and this helps pupils to learn quickly. They have good attitudes to their school work and want to do well. Pupils are proud of the school and look after it well by keeping it neat and tidy. They know that the school values them and they consider it an honour if they are chosen to go on a theatre trip as a reward for their hard work and good behaviour. Attendance is above

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Grade: 2

average and pupils enjoy school life and are enthusiastic about the wealth of interesting things on offer. Pupils are taught about healthy lifestyles and how to keep safe and they put this into practice, for instance by choosing the healthy eating options at lunchtime and participating in sport.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good overall and in some classes much of it is excellent. As a result, pupils make good and sometimes outstanding progress. Teachers and support staff work closely together. Learning activities are well planned and structured to meet pupils' different needs so that they work hard and are motivated to do well. However, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to develop at length their skills in writing. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, vulnerable pupils and those with English as an additional language make rapid progress because of the support they receive. Other than in their writing, high flyers extend their learning effectively. Relationships with pupils are good. Teachers question very effectively, and pupils respond well. Interactive whiteboards and overhead projectors are used well by teachers to engage pupils in their learning. Teachers have high expectations

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Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 2006 of pupils' behaviour and work rate, and consequently pupils are proud of their good work. By Year 6 handwriting and presentation of work is of a high quality. Teachers make good use of information from assessment. Very thorough marking informs pupils of what they have done well and how they can improve their work, so pupils are able to achieve their targets and move on.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provides a range of interesting experiences within an attractive learning environment. This ensures that pupils achieve well and make good progress in their personal development. The curriculum is adapted well to changes in class organisation and to pupils' needs. The Foundation Stage curriculum is very good. Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved since the last inspection. The school offers pupils a good range and variety of activities to enhance the curriculum. Pupils particularly enjoy the extracurricular opportunities; including theatre trips; visits to Manchester United football ground and residential visits. They say lessons are fun, especially in sport, art and design, and design technology, and they are proud that the school holds a Silver Sportsmark Award.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher and staff work together as a team to make sure that each pupil in the school matters and individuals' needs are met. They provide the best possible level of care and provide sensitive support to pupils and their parents. Pupils say they feel safe in school and are confident that there is someone they can turn to if they need help. As one pupil said, 'The teachers are good - they listen to you when you have a problem and are easy to talk to.' Parents agree. Child protection arrangements are properly implemented. The provision for vulnerable children and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is exemplary. As a result, many reach the expected standards for their ages. Pupils learning English as an additional language receive excellent support and as a result do very well. Assessment and tracking of pupils' progress has improved since the last inspection and is focused on enabling pupils to

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Grade: 2

The headteacher is determined to provide the very best for every pupil and is very proud of each one. The school has a very positive 'can do' ethos in which teamwork is strong and staff strive to make the school even better. A strong and experienced management team gives good support and other managers lead their areas well and work closely together. The school is outward looking and has good and extensive partnerships with other schools and the local community. For instance, along with two local secondary schools, a successful bid for a grant from the British Council means 4 Inspection Report: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 2006 that they have been twinned with schools from Sierra Leone and Uganda and, although it is very recent development, the pupils are excited by this. The school takes full account of the views of pupils, parents and governors. Consequently, priorities for improvement are agreed. Senior staff monitor the

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Grade: 2

effectiveness of teaching carefully, for instance by analysing pupils' test results and teachers' assessments and by examining pupils' work and teachers' planning. They know where improvement is needed to raise standards and plan effectively in these areas. Governors support the school well. They know about the school through involvement in its life and work and the headteacher keeps them well informed about the school's performance. However, governors are at times over-reliant on the headteacher for evaluating outcomes. They have been instrumental in developing improvements to the fabric of the building and the site, which is very well cared for and provides a good environment for learning. 5 Inspection Report: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 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: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 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? 3 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 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?

1 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: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 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: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me so welcome in your school when I visited recently. I enjoyed seeing your lessons and talking to you. I would like to say a special thank you to those of you who came to tell me about school life and to those who talked to me at lunchtime in the hall and the playground. I think yours is a good school and there are some things that are especially good. All the adults work together outstandingly well to look after you and help you do well. The school helps you to become mature. You learn to be responsible and care for others. You know how to keep safe and healthy. You enjoy lessons and behave very well so that you make good progress. Some of you said you particularly like art, PE and games. You do particularly well in science and enjoy practical activities. You are doing better than last time inspectors came to your school in ICT because the teachers have all worked hard to improve this. Pupils in Year 6 present their work very

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

neatly and tidily. The teachers teach you well and in some lessons the teaching is excellent. They 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. He is very proud of you all and how hard you work. All the adults want to make Gorse Hill even better. I'm sure they will. In English your writing is not as good as your reading and I have asked the teachers to give you more opportunities to become good writers and develop your skills in writing at length. I hope you keep on working hard and enjoying your lessons. 9 Inspection Report: Gorse Hill Primary School, 13 December 2006

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