St Anne's CofE Primary School

Inspection Report St Anne's CofE Primary School

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106343 Unique Reference Number Trafford Local Authority 287492 Inspection number 8 °9 March 2007 Inspection dates Robert Robinson 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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Trinity Road School address Primary Type of school Sale Voluntary aided School category Cheshire M33 3ES 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0161 9123660 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 9123689 Fax number 230 Number on roll (school) Mr P Edwards Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Brahney Headteacher 1 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 287492 8 °9 March 2007 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 school was inspected by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average-sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British ethnic background. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Since the last inspection the school has opened a Nursery provision which has been incorporated with the Reception into a Foundation Stage unit. The socio-economic circumstances of the area are average, as is attainment on entry to Nursery. The school has achieved the ArtsMark, ActiveMark, Healthy Schools and Basic Skills 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 Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features in the provision for children in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception), the curriculum, and the care, guidance and support and personal development of pupils. It provides good value for money and has improved well since its last inspection. The school has an accurate view of its performance and knows what it must do to improve. The leadership and management of the school, including governance, are good. The headteacher leads the school superbly and she is assisted well by other senior staff and governors. Most parents are very supportive of the school. A parental comment summed up the feelings of the majority: 'My children love going to school, they are happy, settled and enjoy learning.'Good teaching and a very well planned and interesting curriculum enable pupils to achieve well. Lessons are planned carefully and the pace of learning in most lessons is brisk. Teaching assistants are used very effectively to support all pupils,

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Grade: 2

especially those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The developments since the last inspection in the Foundation Stage, including the opening of the Nursery provision, have resulted in children having a first-rate start to schooling. They make fast progress because of the good quality teaching of basic skills and the strong emphasis on their personal, social and emotional development. Progress throughout the rest of the school is good because of the consistency of good teaching. Consequently, pupils achieve well and reach above average overall standards by the end of Year 6. However, achievement and standards in English are not as high as in mathematics and science. The checking of pupils' attainment and the tracking of their progress is thorough and effective.Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Pupils really enjoy

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Grade: 2

coming to school and they respond very well to the high quality of supportive care they receive. Attendance is good. Behaviour is very good both in lessons and around the school. Relationships are harmonious between pupils as well as between pupils and staff. Pupils enjoy and appreciate the wide range of after-school activities and educational visits. They feel safe, and trust all the adults they deal with. They know how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and appreciate the option to have a healthy lunch. Pupils take on responsibilities efficiently to help in the smooth running of the school. The school council is proud of its contribution to school improvement. Pupils are well prepared for future learning because of their good acquisition of basic skills and their outstanding attitudes to learning. School councillors remarked, 'The school is a friendly and fun place to be. It's very safe and you can rely on the teachers to help you.'The

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Grade: 2

commitment of the staff and the strengths in the leadership and management show that the school has good capacity to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve achievement and standards in English to match those reached in mathematics and science. 2 Inspection Report: St Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Children make very good progress in the Foundation Stage because of an exceptionally well planned curriculum and high quality teaching. As a result, standards by the end of Reception are well above those expected in all their areas of learning. In Year 1 learning builds seamlessly on pupils' previous experiences and they make good progress throughout Years 1 to 6. Standards by the end of Year 6 have improved over time. In the national tests in 2005 and 2006 standards overall were above average; prior to then they were broadly average. The recent improvement has been mainly because of much better results in mathematics and science. In 2006 pupils exceeded targets and achieved higher levels in mathematics than those expected nationally. In English, standards were broadly average. Targets were exceeded at the level expected nationally, but were not met at the higher level.

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Grade: 2

Recent strategies put in place by the leadership team to improve standards in English, particularly writing, are beginning to impact positively on pupils' progress. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because of the help they receive from staff. Many of these pupils reach nationally expected standards by the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 1

Pupils enjoy coming to school because, as one pupil said, 'Everyone is friendly.' They clearly love learning and attendance is good. Pupils have a firm sense of right and wrong and their behaviour is exemplary. They say bullying is not a problem and know they can seek help from any member of staff, so they feel very safe. Pupils have a very good understanding of how to be healthy. Physical and sporting activities are really popular, and they enjoy the 'Wake up, Shake up' exercise sessions each morning. Pupils become mature and sensible members of the community because adults treat them with respect and consideration. They are eager to be elected to the school council and willingly undertake responsibilities around school. Good academic and social skills help pupils to be well prepared for their future economic well-being. Pupils often show great excitement in learning, for example when Reception children planted seeds.

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Grade: 1

Pupils have empathy for others and regularly plan fundraising activities. They find out about different faiths, cultures and lifestyles through the curriculum. The weekly 'enrichment afternoons' featuring music, performance and art enhance pupils' social and cultural development most effectively. 3 Inspection Report: St Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

The good progress made by pupils is due to effective teaching. Teaching is improving rapidly because of the management's rigorous monitoring of learning and improvements to the curriculum. The quality of teaching is now particularly strong for the youngest children and those in Year 6. All classrooms are stimulating places to learn with attractive displays of pupils' work and learning aids. The outdoor areas are used exceptionally well to assist learning in the Foundation Stage. Pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, receive effective support from very capable and well informed teaching assistants. Very good use is made of learning resources such as interactive whiteboards. Pupils enjoy their learning because the planning of lessons is thorough and linked to pupils' levels of attainment and interests. However, occasionally, higher-attaining pupils are not challenged sufficiently when the whole

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Grade: 2

class is taught together. Constructive comments in books applaud good achievement as well as suggesting how pupils can improve: for example, 'Level 4A - great work. To get to the next level you need to use Level 5 punctuation.'

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is rich and very effectively meets the needs and promotes the interest of all pupils. The improved provision in the Foundation Stage since the opening of Nursery is having a very positive impact on children's learning. The continuity of the organisation of learning from the Foundation Stage into Years 1 and 2 is providing pupils with more opportunities to practise basic skills in literacy and numeracy while gaining knowledge and understanding in other subjects. In Years 3 to 6 a strong emphasis on English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology is balanced by many opportunities for pupils to develop skills in other subjects, including French. Literacy skills are consolidated well in other subjects. Weekly enrichment afternoons engage pupils excitedly in a wide range of activities. For example, they had opportunities to take part in numerous activities linked to a study

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Grade: 1

of the Aztec civilisation, including testing and tasting chocolate made with different proportion of cocoa. Educational visits, including a residential experience, visitors to the school and a very good range of extra-curricular activities are used very effectively to provide an extra dimension to learning. Pupils' maturity and their understanding of healthy lifestyles are enhanced through personal, social, health and citizenship education. Pupils appreciate the planned times they spend discussing and reflecting on their feelings. 4 Inspection Report: St Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 1

Outstanding provision for pupils' care, guidance and support results in pupils who love school and achieve well. Procedures for safeguarding pupils fully meet all current requirements. The school is constantly responsive to pupils' individual needs and ensures that they get the care and support they need to aid their progress. It works very closely with local agencies to provide good support for pupils. Detailed plans are in place to ensure that forthcoming local changes in special needs funding do not affect adversely the current good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Very good induction procedures, including home visits, help children settle quickly into the Foundation Stage. Members of staff know the pupils very well and pastoral care is excellent. High quality relationships are a strong feature which helps pupils to feel secure and valued. This raises their self-esteem and further contributes

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Grade: 1

to their good achievement. Thorough systems to check pupils' attainment give a very clear picture of how pupils are progressing. This information provides valuable help for staff when planning learning for pupils of all abilities, including those who are able, gifted and talented.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher's inspirational leadership and clear vision for school improvement within the framework of a secure Christian ethos enables all pupils to flourish academically, personally and socially. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher, a strong senior leadership team and all staff and governors. She has created an effective team, all thoroughly committed to school improvement, resulting in gradually rising standards. Very good provision for equal opportunities is seen in the sensitive way all pupils are included in all activities. Subject leaders carry out their responsibilities well, and have good knowledge of their subjects. Staff performance management is monitored regularly and clearly linked to challenging targets for improvement. Governance is good. Governors are frequent visitors; they are linked to particular subjects, and are knowledgeable and confident enough to hold

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Grade: 2

the school to account. The budget is managed shrewdly to ensure that the school is well resourced for all subjects. The addition of Nursery provision has had a big impact on provision and has made a strong contribution to raising standards and achievement. 5 Inspection Report: St Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007 .

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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 Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 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? 1 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 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 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?

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: St Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 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? 8 Inspection Report: St Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming Mrs McArthur and me to your school. We enjoyed the two days we spent with you and our discussions. Our findings are that your school is a good school; some outstanding features are the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception), the curriculum and your personal development, as well as the care, guidance and support you receive. This is because the leadership and management of staff and governors are good. In particular, the headteacher leads the school extremely well. We are pleased that you are taught well so you make brisk progress in your learning. We agree with you that the staff look after you extremely well. As a result, you enjoy school, behave exceptionally well and work hard in lessons. We are particularly pleased that you all get on very well together. Your parents and carers are pleased that you come to this school. Standards by the end of Year 6 are generally above average, although standards are not quite

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

as high in English as in mathematics and science. We have asked the school to work with you to make sure you do as well in English as in the other subjects. We appreciated talking to you about your work and watching you learn. We trust that you will continue to work with the headteacher and other staff to help them to improve the school. We wish you well for the future. 9 Inspection Report: St Anne's CofE Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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