Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School

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119465 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291428 Inspection number 8 °9 March 2007 Inspection dates Jackie Barnes 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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Highfield Road South School address Primary Type of school Chorley, Lancashire Voluntary aided School category PR7 1RB 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01257 262940 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01257 231820 Fax number 213 Number on roll (school) Mr Alan Fishwick Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Yvonne Taylor Headteacher 1 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291428 8 °9 March 2007 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. Inspection Report: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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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 residential area of mainly owner-occupied housing near Chorley town centre. It has a stable population and is often oversubscribed. Pupils’ entitlement to free school meals is low, as is the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. When they enter school in the Reception class, their attainment tends to be above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that benefits from a high level of parental confidence and support. Standards are above average and pupils are well behaved. The school is a close-knit community with a welcoming atmosphere. The school’s leadership, management and capacity to improve are good. The school has maintained the improvements made since the last inspection, and the teaching team are now well established and have had a positive impact on standards particularly over the last two years. The strong links between the school, the parish and many of the families add to the pupils’ sense of safety and shared values as well as giving them experience of being an active part of a wider community. Pupils’ personal development is good. Attendance is above average and most pupils enjoy school, particularly the opportunities to meet their friends and to take part in practical activities including music and sport. The positive lead by the adults in school

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Grade: 2

helps pupils to develop a sense of fairness, a mature understanding of the need to compromise and a respect for each other’s views. Pupils work and play well together. They respond well to the good curriculum that includes effective opportunities to learn how to live safe and healthy lifestyles. Teachers and other adults take good care of pupils’ welfare. Teaching is good. Relationships in classrooms are strong and encourage a positive approach to learning that gives pupils the confidence to ask questions or request help when needed. The well prepared introductions to lessons and the systematic approach to teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy underpin the good progress made by most pupils through the school. Achievement is good overall and pupils are keen to learn. Occasionally, the teaching or tasks in lessons are either too easy or too hard for some pupils and their motivation for learning declines. This most frequently affects

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Grade: 2

the most capable pupils whose progress, although good, could be better particularly in mathematics. This is mainly because the school’s assessment information is not accurate enough. As a result, pupils’ targets for improvement and teachers’ expectations are sometimes too general and not well matched to the needs of individuals. The capable teaching assistants are usually deployed well in lessons. However, in whole class lessons they are sometimes underdeployed. In the Foundation Stage, outstanding teaching combined with high expectations of every child and a wide range of practical activities, results in good progress. Almost all children attain the goals expected for their age by the end of the Reception year, and some confidently exceed these. By Year 2, national assessments confirm that standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above average. The most capable pupils do well in reading and writing but less so in mathematics. By Year 6, national

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Grade: 2

tests confirm that standards are above average overall. In 2006, the school exceeded its challenging targets in English but not in mathematics. The current Year 6 pupils are well placed to meet the school’s 2007 targets, especially in mathematics. 2 Inspection Report: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase the level of challenge for the most capable pupils, especially in mathematics. • Use assessment information more effectively to plan the learning for individuals and groups of pupils and to monitor their progress. • Ensure the organisation of teaching and learning makes the best use of the available staff.

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Grade: 2

When children enter school in the Reception year, their attainment tends to be above average, although individual children vary considerably in what they know and can do. The teachers’ high expectations of every child, together with the opportunities for them to explore their own ideas, enable them to develop good early skills in literacy and numeracy. As a result, most children attain the levels expected for their age by the end of the year; a few exceed them.

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Grade: 2

The school is an orderly community with a faith-based ethos, which has a positive impact on pupils’ personal development and well-being. Pupils play and work very well together during lessons, between lessons, at lunch and at break times. They are friendly, thoughtful and considerate to each other and very courteous to visitors. Pupils behave with exemplary respect towards their teachers. Links between home, church and school are strong and effectively support the pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and participate enthusiastically in the range of extra-curricular opportunities available after school. Pupils know how to lead healthy lifestyles because teachers are good role models. This also helps to raise pupils’ self-confidence and self-esteem. Pupils are generous in their commitment to raising money for good causes. However, the school misses opportunities for pupils who have

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Grade: 2

a mature understanding of their role in society to exercise more responsibility and develop their leadership potential.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers have a high level of commitment to the pupils and to their own professional development. The teaching points and presentation in lessons are carefully prepared, often with effective use of visual materials, such as 3 Inspection Report: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007 the electronic whiteboards, which help pupils to understand. Pupils are keen to learn, listen attentively and are good at asking and answering questions. Sometimes, the presentations go on too long for all pupils to sustain their interest and their learning slows. In lessons where pupils are taught in small groups, and teaching assistants are available and well briefed, the teaching and tasks are usually well matched to the pupils’ needs and they make good progress. In whole class sessions, teaching assistants are not always meaningfully deployed. Pupils’ progress is less secure when class lessons are

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Grade: 2

planned without a clear view of what pupils with different abilities are expected to learn. The school has a good range of assessment information, which has been carefully analysed and is well used to identify pupils who need additional support, but is not yet fully linked to the planning of pupils’ learning.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum, which effectively enlivens and enriches pupils’ learning, particularly their personal development. Literacy and numeracy are well established, and pupils enjoy a range of other activities including after-school clubs. Pupils make good use of the specialist teaching available, particularly for music. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities have good opportunities to succeed, which are usually well planned and lead to them achieving well. The more capable pupils are less well provided for, although the school has recently identified those who are likely to need special provision.

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Grade: 2

This is a caring school which gives high priority to the welfare of the pupils. Pupils say that they feel safe and secure because the staff know them well and respond quickly to their needs. The headteacher and the staff maintain a strong ethos where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. One pupil said, ‘No one is left out in this school and we all consider everyone’s feelings.’ Systems for safeguarding pupils’ health, safety and well-being are in place. Pupils have targets for improvement that are increasingly becoming a reference point for teachers’ marking and for discussions with pupils about what they need to do next. The school community has all the necessary ingredients to make noticeable further improvements. Parents are kept well informed about their child's progress through regular meetings, home/school contact books, newsletters and annual reports.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led by an experienced headteacher and deputy headteacher, with the support of a strong governing body that is well trained and actively involved in 4 Inspection Report: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March 2007 school evaluation. The headteacher is particularly influential in promoting pupils’ personal development and setting the tone for the school’s calm and welcoming atmosphere. Improvements since the last inspection in standards, the quality of teaching and the monitoring of pupils’ progress are clearly evident. After recognising the inconsistencies in standards across the core subjects, the headteacher and the deputy headteacher analysed pupils’ progress and the school has taken effective action to improve numeracy and literacy. Although staff responsibilities have changed recently, most influence their subjects well. Standards by Year 6 are consistently above average overall and there have been

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Grade: 2

clear improvements in mathematics since last year’s results. The Foundation Stage is exceptionally well led and provides the school with an accurate view of the pupils’ capabilities on which to plan their further progress. The data about pupils’ standards and progress have been well analysed and evaluated recently giving the senior leadership team excellent information. This is not yet in a form that is easily accessible to teachers and so it is not yet fully effective in planning pupils’ progress. The school’s systems for self-evaluation are thorough and include a broad range of views. These generate extensive information about the school’s effectiveness but this is not always prioritised with sufficient rigour to identify the most important areas to include in the development plan. Overall, the school provides good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England 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: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England 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?

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: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March

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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: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School Highfield Road South Chorley Lancashire PR7 1RB 9 March 2007 Dear Children, Thank you for making the inspectors so welcome when they visited your school. You showed us how well behaved you are, how much you enjoy school and value your friends. You are knowledgeable about how to stay safe and healthy and you trust your teachers to help you if you need support. You are growing into mature and thoughtful people who work well with each other and care about your community. You work hard and, with the help of good teaching, are at least as successful as most other children of your age. We feel that some of you could do even better if you always had work that was just right for each of you to make the best progress you can. So we have asked your school to make sure that your work is not too easy or too hard, and that you have interesting work that helps you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

reach challenging targets. We are sure that you will help by keeping up your good behaviour and enthusiasm for learning, and also taking a keen interest in what you need to do to improve. Best wishes for the future, Yours sincerely, Jackie Barnes Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Chorley, the Parish of St Laurence Church of England Primary School, 8 °9 March

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