Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School

Inspection Report Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School

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119276 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291370 Inspection number 9 November 2006 Inspection date David Earley 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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Carr Head Lane School address Primary Type of school Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire Community School category

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FY6 8JB 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01253 883558 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01253 899647 Fax number 247 Number on roll (school) Mr Michael Harty Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Trish McCarthy Headteacher 1 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 291370 9 November 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average primary school in the village of Poulton-le-Fylde on the outskirts of Blackpool. The number of pupils who claim a free school meal is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. Most pupils are of white British origin with a small proportion of pupils who are from minority ethnic backgrounds. There are no pupils who have English as an additional language. Attainment on entry to the Foundation Stage is above that expected nationally for children this age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, which gives good value for money. The very clear and determined leadership provided by the headteacher, well supported by staff and governors, is a significant feature in the school’s high standards and improving provision. By the end of the Foundation, attainment is well above expectations because the teaching is good and children make good progress. Because teaching and progress continue to be good, by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils achieve well and standards are significantly above average. Personal development is good. Pupils understand how to lead healthy lifestyles and feel safe and secure. They enjoy coming to school and attendance is above average. The school provides a good focus on basic skills and pupils are well prepared for the world of work. There are many opportunities for pupils to contribute to the school and wider community and they have a good understanding of how to take responsibility.

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Grade: 2

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall, although there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to learn about the multi-cultural nature of society. Care and guidance are good. All pupils are well looked after and supported and government recommendations for safeguarding children are carefully followed. The school has thorough assessment and tracking systems, which are used effectively to check progress and help pupils to improve. These are used well by teachers to help to provide tasks that are well suited to different abilities. Teaching is good. It is typically interesting and lively and pupils are managed well so that they want to learn and sustain their concentration. Support is good for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities so that they make good progress. The curriculum is good. The school provides plenty of enrichment opportunities and pupils enjoy their visits, visitors and extra curricular clubs. Improvements in the

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Grade: 2

Foundation Stage curriculum provide a closer focus on the Early Learning Goals and the linking of skills from different subjects is helping to extend learning throughout the school. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher’s very clear vision for raising standards and improving provision is shared by staff and governors, although there are insufficient opportunities for subject leaders to check teaching and learning in order to make improvements. Most parents are strongly supportive of the school. A realistic evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses has led to a comprehensive and detailed long term strategic plan for improvement. This is well supported by careful management of the budget. The school has good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for subject leaders to check teaching and learning. • Increase the number of opportunities for pupils to learn about the multi cultural nature of society. 2 Inspection Report: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Foundation Stage with skills that are above those expected for their ages. They make a good start so that by the end of the Foundation Stage levels of achievement are well above what would be expected. In the 2005 tests at the end of Year 2, standards in reading, writing and mathematics were significantly above average. In 2006, school data indicates that test results dipped, particularly in boys’ reading and writing. This was because a large proportion of boys had learning difficulties and disabilities in this group. The issue of boys’ reading and writing is being successfully addressed by the school and this group is now making better progress. In the 2005 tests for pupils in Year 6, standards in English mathematics and science were significantly above average. School data shows that this dipped slightly in 2006. School data and inspection evidence show that pupils in the current Year 2 make good

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Grade: 2

progress and achieve well. This good progress continues through the rest of the school so that by the end of Year 6 achievement is good. All groups of pupils including those with learning difficulties and disabilities make equally good progress.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good. Relationships are very good and pupils say that they feel safe and secure. Pupils know about the importance of healthy lifestyles and take full advantage of the healthy meals and opportunities for exercise and sport. For example, a group of Year 4 pupils have been trained in basic hygiene and serve salad from the salad bar at lunchtime. Pupils behave well in and around school and play a full part in helping with the smooth running of the school. The school council makes a good contribution to the life of the school and ‘Playground Pals’ work conscientiously to help others. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their attendance is above average and their enthusiasm for learning clearly complements the school motto ‘To excel and enjoy together.’ Pupils know about issues related to bullying and racism and they are usually confident and show high self esteem. Spiritual, moral, social and

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Grade: 2

cultural development is good overall. Pupils have a good understanding of the differences between right and wrong and contribute well to both the school and wider community. However, there are insufficient opportunities for them to appreciate the multi-cultural nature of society. Pupils work hard and develop very good basic literacy and numeracy skills. They speak confidently and collaborate well with others so that they are well prepared for the world of work. 3 Inspection Report: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. This is a significant factor in the school’s high standards and achievement. Lessons are typically lively and interesting so that pupils are eager to learn. For example, in Year2, the teacher’s use of humour and challenging questions helped pupils to extend their understanding of phonemes. A strong feature of lessons is that teachers present work that is well suited to different abilities so that pupils are challenged to improve at their own level of understanding. The pace of lessons is usually brisk, although occasionally, this drops when the length of time that pupils are expected to listen to the teacher is too long. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are well supported so that they make good progress. Teaching assistants are used well in support of pupils of all abilities and work closely with class teachers. Teachers make good use of their subject knowledge to give clear

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Grade: 2

explanations and use questions well to make pupils think hard. Work is planned carefully and lesson objectives are shared with pupils so that they know what they are expected to learn and they check on how successful their learning has been. Because assessment is used effectively, teachers know how well pupils are doing and what they need to do to improve. This is complemented by the marking of work by teachers. Comments are supportive and help pupils to know what they need to do in order to improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad and balanced and enriched by a wide range of visits out of school, visitors to school and extra curricular activities. French is taught and increasing use is being made of drama to enhance skills in English and to increase pupils’ confidence. There are good links with local secondary schools so that the transfer to the next stage of education is usually a smooth one. The Foundation Stage curriculum has recently been improved and is closely focused on children’s Early Learning Goals. There are close links with Year1, which ensure continuity of education and enable the curriculum to be adapted to individual needs. The school has recently implemented a system of curriculum planning where skills from different subjects are closely linked together. This is giving a greater relevance and purpose to learning and is beginning to extend skills, particularly in literacy, numeracy and information

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Grade: 2

Care and guidance are good. This is a very caring school where pupils and families are well known. It provides a good level of support for all its pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Government recommendations for safeguarding children are carefully followed and child protection and risk assessment procedures 4 Inspection Report: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 2006 are secure. There are close links with parents and the school works hard to involve them in the life of the school and to keep them informed. Most parents feel confident about approaching the school and are happy with the care given to their children. The school has effective systems for assessing and tracking progress and makes good use of these to set individual and group targets for improvement. This helps to improve learning and pupils have a good understanding of their targets because they are

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Grade: 2

regularly reviewed in discussions with teachers.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. She is well supported by the deputy headteacher and has a very clear vision for improving provision and raising standards, which is shared with staff. For example, improvements in the curriculum throughout the school are beginning to extend learning opportunities and raise standards. Staff work well as a team to provide a rich curriculum and set challenging targets for improvement, complemented by shared determination to provide a caring and inclusive community. Governors and the senior management team work well together in order to develop strategic and short term improvement planning. This is based on a careful and realistic appraisal of provision and standards. Governors are supportive and very well led by the chair towards extending their skills in holding the school to account

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Grade: 2

for its performance. Subject leaders have good knowledge of their subjects but there are insufficient opportunities for them to check teaching and learning in order to make improvements. Issues from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed. For example, the budget is astutely managed in order to support the raising of standards, including the provision of teaching assistants in every class. Strong and committed leadership, clear evaluation of performance and a shared determination to raise standards give the school good capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 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: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 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? 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?

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?

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. 7 Inspection Report: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 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: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School Carr Head Lane Poulton-le-Fylde Lancashire FY6 8JB 10 November 2006 Dear Children Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. You were all polite and friendly and told me that you enjoyed coming to school. I was very impressed by the way you were confident to talk to me and other adults and by the way you all get on well with each other. You told me that you feel safe in school and know about how to stay healthy and keep fit. I especially liked the salad bar run by children in Year 4 and it was good to hear that they had been trained in how to keep the food clean. I was very pleased to see how you all behave well and work hard in lessons. These are some of the things your school does well: • you all make good progress in your lessons and learn skills that will help you when you are adults • teachers make lessons interesting and you go on trips and have visitors to school and lots

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of after school clubs so that you want to learn and this helps you to make good progress • the school takes good care of you and checks how well you are doing and gives you clear targets to help you to improve • the headteacher leads the school well and all the teachers and governors work hard to improve the school. For your school to become even better I would like you to find out more about the different traditions of people who live in our country and for your teachers to have more opportunities to check how you learn in the different subjects. Thank you again for making me so welcome David Earley (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: Poulton-le-Fylde Carr Head Primary School, 9 November 2006

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