Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School

Inspection Report Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School

p.1

119225 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291357 Inspection number 18 January 2007 Inspection date Peter Toft HMI Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Mossy Lea Road School address Primary Type of school Wrightington, Wigan Community School category Lancashire, WN6 9RN 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01257 423107 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01257 423107 Fax number 49 Number on roll (school) Mrs Anne Hilton Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Anne Mains Headteacher 1 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection date Age group 291357 18 January 2007 4 °11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

This small school serves the village of Wrightington and the surrounding rural area and villages. All pupils are White British and all speak English as their first language. They come from a mixture of social backgrounds. They start school with a wide range of prior achievements and many begin school with lower than average attainment in language. A quarter of pupils have learning difficulties.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. Given the strong leadership provided by the dynamic headteacher, who is well supported by the conscientious staff and active governing body, it has the potential to become even better. Parents and pupils are rightly highly satisfied with the education provided. The school is very well managed by the headteacher and staff at all levels. The planning which underlies this is meticulous and focuses well on those aspects which are felt to need updating or improving, as well as on securing the very smooth running of the school. The small size and friendly atmosphere in the school provide a good basis for excellent communications among staff and between staff and parents. Members of staff go to great lengths to provide outstanding care, guidance and support to all pupils and as a result of this, and the strong parental support, pupils’ personal development and

p.4

Grade: 2

well-being are excellent. Teaching is good overall and some of the lessons are excellent. Sometimes the lesson introductions go on for too long to retain the full interests of the younger pupils in the mixed-age classes, however. The curriculum is very good for the youngest pupils in the Foundation Stage. It is good throughout the rest of the school though the headteacher recognises a need to plan for closer links between some of the subjects to strengthen pupils’ understanding. Pupils achieve good standards across the curriculum and they make very good progress during lessons and throughout their time in the school. This is amply demonstrated by the very detailed records kept of the assessment of pupils’ progress. Those with learning difficulties receive excellent encouragement and tuition. They receive close attention from teachers and their well-deployed assistants in lessons. This promotes very good achievement and progress

p.4

Grade: 2

for these pupils. The school provides a very safe and secure environment for learning. Pupils enjoy their time here immensely and are highly motivated to learn and participate in the wide range of activities provided. They are encouraged to develop healthy lifestyles, though the lack of adequate indoor sports facilities limits the scope for physical exercise. Pupils are taught about healthy eating and the lunches provided by the school are nutritious. However, a number of older children still have a high proportion of foods in their packed lunches which are high in fat and sugar.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Strengthen pupils’ understanding of subjects by planning the curriculum so that the subjects are more coherently linked together. • Ensure that introductions to lessons for mixed-age classes are not too long for younger pupils. • As and when resources permit, provide adequate accommodation for pupils to engage in indoor physical activity. • Develop further older pupils’ readiness to eat healthily when they bring packed lunches. 2 Inspection Report: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007

p.4

Grade: 2

Standards attained by pupils are good, both in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science and throughout the curriculum. This is amply shown in the school’s detailed and accurate assessment records which clearly document the progress made by each child. Overall, pupils enter the school with attainment which is below average but they make very good progress because of the very good teaching in the Foundation Stage. After this, both boys and girls of all abilities continue to make sustained and very good progress throughout the school. They leave at age 11 with above average attainment in the core subjects. Standards attained in other subjects are good and in some they are very good, for example, some very tuneful singing was observed in the junior class. Pupils’ progress is well supported by precisely focused and individualised targets which they each have for English and mathematics. Pupils in Year 6 clearly understood their

p.5

Grade: 2

targets and could describe how they were progressing towards them. Pupils with learning difficulties make very good progress as a result of the very careful individual attention they receive.

p.5

Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding overall. The school ensures that pupils’ progress is carefully checked against the precise and challenging targets which are set for them. The pupils seen in lessons and around the school, worked and played together with great enjoyment, camaraderie and cooperation. This is helped by the strenuous efforts made by the staff to help them to develop good relationships and to mature socially. Behaviour and attitudes to learning are excellent and pupils take their learning seriously. Those spoken to could clearly see the high value they gain from attending this school. Pupils respond well to the wide range of provision made to help them to grow and develop, ranging from sports and advice on healthy living to the promotion of participation through the school council. The school’s attempts to gauge pupils’ attitudes to school are extensive and show a high rate of satisfaction

p.5

Grade: 1

which reflects the picture seen during the inspection and that is shown in the entirely positive response to the parents’ questionnaire. Pupils feel safe, secure and well cared for in school. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Overall, they are very well prepared for the next phase of their education.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall, and some lessons are outstanding. This small school is able to teach the full curriculum to a high standard because it employs a mix of full-time and part-time teachers who together provide expert coverage of all 3 Inspection Report: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007 subjects. Throughout the school, members of staff are able skilfully to engage pupils, develop their interest and encourage participation. The teaching of basic skills is very good and appropriately emphasised to provide a solid foundation for future progress. Pupils are encouraged to learn independently, to understand how well they are doing and what is needed for them to meet their targets, and also how to apply their knowledge whilst carrying out investigations or creating products. The teachers set high expectations and work strenuously to involve all pupils, although the introductions

p.5

Grade: 2

of some lessons are too long to capture the full attention of some of the younger pupils in the mixed-age classes. Pupils clearly accept that they are in school to work hard and learn effectively and they make good progress as a result of the good teaching. Information and communication technology is well used to enliven teaching and to help pupils to work independently. Marking, assessment and pupil tracking are very good and well used by teachers to take the pupils on to the next steps.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall and there is a fine balance between the tested core subjects of English, mathematics and science on the one hand, and the other subjects and extra-curricular activities on the other. It is broad, balanced and well planned, although some of the subject coverage does not show to pupils how subjects can relate to each other. All groups of pupils are catered for appropriately and those with learning difficulties are very well provided for. The headteacher is leading the staff as they develop the curriculum further, especially to embed the improvements suggested in the Government’s National Strategies programme. All statutory requirements are met and a modern foreign language is taught to older pupils.

p.6

Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding and strongly underpin the very good progress which pupils make. Procedures for ensuring pupils’ health and safety are well established and kept up-to-date. The supervision of pupils around the school is excellent. Pupils are very well known by staff and they know that effective help is readily available if they have a problem. There is no evidence of bullying. Minor disagreements between pupils are quickly resolved. Academic guidance is excellent, based on the teachers’ detailed records of the progress each child makes. Pupils with learning difficulties receive intensive and tailored support throughout the school and this is aided by excellent communications between school and the parents.

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and the morale of staff is high. This is a well-run school with a deservedly good reputation which provides very effectively for all of its pupils. The recently appointed headteacher has settled very well into her role and 4 Inspection Report: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007 gives very good and energetic leadership. Together with the very supportive and active governing body, she has a clear and accurate understanding of how well the school is doing and of the direction in which it needs to develop. This is based on thorough and transparent methods of evaluating the performance of the school, its staff and its pupils. Management of the curriculum, staff, pupils and classrooms is also good. The views of parents and pupils are well known by the staff and are taken into account in the school’s good procedures for planning and bringing about improvement. All

p.6

Grade: 2

statutory requirements are met. Financial management is efficient and the school provides good value for money. Flexible use is made of the small building to ensure an atmosphere which supports learning though there is a lack of indoor play and sports facilities. All areas for improvement identified in the last general inspection, and in the subject inspection of mathematics, have been tackled vigorously and improvement has been good. 5 Inspection Report: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007 .

p.7

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: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007

p.9

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: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The Pupils Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School Mossy Lea Road Wrightington Wigan Lancashire WN6 9RN 19 January 2007 Dear Pupils I visited your school a few days ago to see how well you are all doing. Thank you to those who talked to me and told me about what you do and how well you get on in school. I promised to let you know what I thought about what I saw. I think that Mossy Lea is a good school and that some of what it does is excellent. You are all given a very good education and you learn a great deal in your time at the school in a wide range of subjects. This prepares you very well to move on to secondary school when you are aged 11. The staff look after you extremely well. You have plenty of opportunities to take part in a range of interesting activities. All of you seem to enjoy school a lot. You work and play together very well. Your behaviour is excellent and you develop very well as individuals in your time at school.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The lessons you have are well taught and your teachers do a great deal to make them interesting to all of you. I hope that you appreciate how hard they work to do this. The school is very well managed and the headteacher and staff are keen to make it even better in the future. To do this, they will need to consider: • planning to show you how subjects are linked to each other • changing the beginnings of some lessons to help younger pupils to keep up with the rest • improving facilities for indoor play and sports • encouraging more of you who bring packed lunches to eat healthily. Best wishes for the future at Mossy Lea! Peter Toft Her Majesty’s Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School, 18 January 2007

p.11