Colne Primet Primary School

Inspection Report Colne Primet Primary School

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119173 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291345 Inspection number 5 °6 December 2006 Inspection dates 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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Tatton Street School address Primary Type of school Colne, Lancashire Community School category BB8 8JE 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01282 864607 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 864607 Fax number 179 Number on roll (school) Mr Trevor Walsh Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Karen Blacoe Headteacher 1 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291345 5 °6 December 2006 4°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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school serves a small town population, which has considerable social and economic disadvantage. An above average proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The attainment of children when they start school is below average for children of their age, and the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. Nearly all the pupils are of White British heritage. Although a small proportion of pupils come from ethnic minority backgrounds, only a tiny number speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at other than the usual times is quite high. The headteacher was appointed less than one term ago.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school, which is improving and gives satisfactory value for money. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The new headteacher has made a positive start, continuing the progress made in the raising of standards since 2004 as a result of the teachers’ hard work and a programme of intensive support from the local authority. There is a renewed optimism in the school and a new sense of direction. Newly appointed staff have brought new ideas and energy, which are resulting in better progress in the pupils’ learning. The school’s self-evaluation of its effectiveness is accurate and shows that it has a satisfactory capacity to improve. However, the subject leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning lacks rigour. Pupils’ overall achievement is satisfactory. The children in the Reception year make satisfactory progress from a below average start but many of them do not achieve the

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Grade: 3

standards expected for their age by the time they begin Year 1. In Key Stage 1, pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards by the time they begin Year 3. Pupils make satisfactory overall progress in Key Stage 2. The national test results of Year 6 pupils were consistently low average in the past and pupils were underachieving. The results have improved since 2004 and were much closer to average in 2005 and 2006. The rise in standards has been most marked in English and the test results for English were above average in 2005 and 2006. Standards are higher in mathematics and science than they were and more pupils are achieving the standard expected for their age. Nevertheless, standards are not high enough; they are still below average in these subjects. Pupils’ skills in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. There are good lessons throughout the school;

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Grade: 3

for example lessons are well structured, with some good practice in the teaching of writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1. In the upper Key Stage 2 classes, the teachers’ expectations are not high enough, the pace is sometimes slow and the work is not matched well enough to pupils’ abilities. Teaching is more effective in the lower Key Stage 2 classes than the upper ones because it is livelier and expectations are higher, enabling all pupils to make better progress. The curriculum is satisfactory and is designed to equip pupils with the skills, knowledge and awareness they need for the future. Improvements in pupils’ behaviour now enable the teachers to teach without interruption to lessons. Consequently, the relationships between the staff and pupils have improved. Behaviour is now good: pupils understand the rules and the school’s expectations of how they should behave towards each other and the consequences

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Grade: 3

of their actions. Assured support from the headteacher has helped the staff to manage behaviour effectively and the high number of pupils who were excluded from the school has decreased substantially this term. As a consequence, most of the pupils are happier to come to school and enjoy the additional activities provided by the sports mentor. Nevertheless, attendance is below average even though the school is working 2 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006 hard to improve it. The parents and carers spoken with, and the small number of parents who responded to being asked for their views, were positive about the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in mathematics and science in Key Stage 2. • Improve teaching in Key Stage 2, raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve and ensuring that the work is more accurately matched to pupils’ abilities. • Improve the marking of pupils’ work, so that it shows them how they can improve. • Improve the rigour of the monitoring of teaching and learning by the subject leaders so that they can more effectively identify how to raise standards. • Improve pupils’ attendance.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. Pupils make satisfactory progress and standards are broadly average by the end of Year 6. The school has halted the pattern of low standards in Year 6 evident in the national test results prior to 2005. Children start the Reception year with below average levels of development. They make satisfactory overall progress and good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. However, most pupils begin Year 1 below the expected level for their age in the other areas of their learning, particularly in communication and language skills. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 and standards in Year 2 are usually broadly average, as shown in the national test results. The results improved in 2005 from those of the previous year in each of the tests of reading, writing and mathematics although they were a little lower in reading than in writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 3

Pupils are making satisfactory overall progress in Key Stage 2, but good progress in English. The national test results show a pattern of below average standards and underachievement in the past but have risen since 2004 although they were still a little below average overall in 2005 and 2006. The results rose in each subject and were above average in English but were still below average in science and mathematics and were not good enough in these subjects. In 2006, the school met its targets for performance in English but fell short in mathematics. Although pupils make satisfactory overall progress, the more able pupils are capable of higher standards. The considerable improvements made are the result of much hard work and a two-year programme of intensive support for the school from the local authority. Some new staff are also helping to make a positive difference, particularly in lower Key Stage 2

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Grade: 3

classes, where the rate of progress is accelerating.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are satisfactory, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are some good features, including recent 3 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006 improvements in pupils’ behaviour, which is now good, and changes in the Foundation Stage that are leading to the children’s greater independence. However, the pupils’ attendance is below average despite the teachers’ great efforts to ensure that pupils understand the importance of regular attendance. This is reflected in their enjoyment of school, which is only satisfactory, and the fact that not all of them are enthusiastic about learning. Part of the reason for this is that in many instances, older pupils spend much of their time in lessons re-visiting work that they have already covered. The pupils’ prospects for a secure economic future are satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

Pupils readily take on responsibilities around the school. They willingly look after others in the playground and sell healthy snacks at playtime. Older pupils understand how to keep fit and know why it is important to eat healthily. Pupils enjoy opportunities for reflection, for celebrating their achievements and to learn about the diversity of the culture of modern Britain.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory and improving. Lessons are well structured, and some good practice in the teaching of writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1 is motivating pupils to learn and helping them to make better progress in the basic skills, particularly literacy. Behaviour has improved and so teachers can get on with teaching and the pupils can learn without interruptions. Relationships are good; pupils listen well and are mostly interested in their work. In lessons, all pupils can see more clearly what they are to learn. Lessons are becoming more interesting and are enhanced by an improved use of information and communication technology (ICT). In some lessons, especially in Key Stage 1 and the lower Key Stage 2 classes, there is a good pace and the work set is closely matched to the pupils’ abilities; consequently, they make good progress. However, this is inconsistent and expectations of what the pupils should achieve are not high enough

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Grade: 3

in the upper Key Stage 2 classes, particularly for higher-attaining pupils. Although teachers have begun to make better use of assessment information to show how to improve the pupils’ learning of numeracy skills, lessons for older pupils are characterised by over-reinforcement of facts and skills at the expense of fun and interest. The marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent. It is satisfactory in English throughout the school and in lower Key Stage 2 classes more generally but, in other classes it does not help pupils to understand well enough how to improve their work. Although teaching is improving, the pace of pupils’ learning remains satisfactory rather than good. This is partly because pupils’ learning is too repetitive as the teachers feel a need to go over old ground with the high proportion of pupils who move into the school in their Key Stage 2 years. 4 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It meets requirements and features a good range of activities that widens the pupils’ experience and extends the range of sport. The provision for the pupils’ personal, social and health education, including that for the Foundation Stage, is improving. All of the pupils are taught to know how to keep safe and live healthily and the good links with local organisations help the pupils to understand how they can make a contribution to the community. Literacy, numeracy and ICT skills receive due emphasis but the work planned for the more able pupils does not always stretch or interest them.

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Grade: 3

The quality of care, guidance and support is satisfactory. Staff know the pupils well; there is a genuine care for their welfare and effective pastoral guidance that contributes to their well-being. All the procedures for the care, safety and protection of pupils are in place, including those for risk assessment. Satisfactory support is provided for the very few pupils who are learning English in addition to their home language and for those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Good support and clear guidance really help those who have to learn how to behave in ways that the school expects. The monitoring of pupils’ academic progress is satisfactory and improving.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher has made a good start in identifying the improvement necessary. In her first term, her swift intervention has established higher expectations for pupils’ behaviour and triggered an improvement in pupils’ attitudes to their learning. This is already enabling the school to build on the recent improvement in achievement. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and the headteacher is clear about what needs to improve. Middle managers have undertaken some monitoring of lessons but, as the school recognises, this is not yet rigorous enough to identify precisely how the necessary improvements are to be achieved, particularly in mathematics in Key Stage 2. Performance management is linked adequately to the areas of improvement identified in the school improvement plan. Effective professional development, some energetic teamwork and the school’s new direction have all revitalised approaches and raised further questions for the staff

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Grade: 3

as they get to grips with using assessment information. Governance is satisfactory and supports the school to raise achievement further. Given the recent record of improvement in standards and behaviour and the school’s accurate assessment of what remains to improve, the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006 Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 September 2006Inspection Report:Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 20062Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 September 2006

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Grade: 3

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 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. 7 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 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? 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?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 4 The attendance of learners 3 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. 8 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 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? 9 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Colne Primet Primary School Tatton Street Colne Lancashire BB8 8JE 6 December 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you so much for the help you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you and listening to what you had to say. We came to see how well your school is helping you to learn and get the skills you will need for your future. We could see that: • the school is improving • you listen in lessons and most of you behave well • the staff care about you and are ready to listen to you if you are worried • you know how to keep safe and healthy and some of you buy fruit from the tuck shop rather than crisps. We found some things that could be better. We think that: • some of you do not attend school regularly enough • standards could be higher in the Juniors in science and maths • your work could be marked better so that it is clearer to you how to improve. You can help your teachers a lot by working hard and always doing your best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Good luck for the future! Yours sincerely Mrs Delia Hiscock and Mrs Kathryn Dodd School Inspectors 10 Inspection Report: Colne Primet Primary School, 5 °6 December 2006

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