Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School

Inspection Report Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School

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119705 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291512 Inspection number 7 °8 February 2007 Inspection dates Shirley Herring 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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School Lane School address Primary Type of school Brinscall, Chorley Voluntary aided School category Lancashire, PR6 8PT 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01254 830700 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01254 830711 Fax number 194 Number on roll (school) Mr John Paine Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Miss Annette Cupit Headteacher 1 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291512 7 °8 February 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Brinscall St John’s is a smaller than average school serving a wide, largely affluent, semi-rural area. Some pupils travel quite a distance, reflecting parental choice for the Christian nature of the school. Pupils are predominantly from a White British background and the number of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. There is a breakfast and an after school club and the school has links with local pre school settings and a specialist performing arts High School, as well as with the parish.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Brinscall St John’s is a good school with some outstanding features. Its strong Christian tradition is fundamental to the excellent relationships in the school that guide the exceptional care, guidance and support for pupils and help them to feel safe. Their personal development is outstanding. Pupils respond well to the teachers’ high expectations and their behaviour is exemplary. Children enter school with skills that are above those typical for their age. Good teaching and a rich curriculum help children to make good progress in the reception year, so that most achieve or exceed the early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1. Teaching is good throughout the school and lessons are well planned to meet the needs of all the pupils so that all achieve well. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities achieve well and sometimes very well because of the high level of support they receive.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 to attain standards that are consistently above average. In the 2006 national tests for eleven-year olds, results were well above average in English and above average in mathematics and science. Reading standards are high throughout the school because of the priority placed on English over the recent past resulting in teachers’ high expertise. However, teachers are less confident in teaching mathematics though the school is taking steps to address this. The curriculum is outstanding and this is recognised by the recent success in gaining a Learning Excellence Award for creativity. An impressive feature is the contribution of a specialist music teacher from the local High School and talented musicians from within the school so that pupils reach a high standard in musical performance. Pupils enjoy coming to school and take a full part in all the school has to offer.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are given many opportunities to take responsibility, for example by leading the school’s work as elected members of the Eco team striving to improve the environment. The school is at the heart of the local community and is also establishing worthwhile links with the Fairtrade community to develop pupils’ economic awareness. The school is led and managed well. Informed and largely accurate evaluation of the school’s work and the clear plans for improvement indicate a good capacity to improve. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase teachers’ confidence in teaching mathematical skills of investigation and problem solving to improve standards.

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average and pupils achieve well. 2 Inspection Report: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007 Children enter the reception class with skills that are above those usual for their age. Good teaching and a rich curriculum enable children to make good progress so that most children achieve or exceed the nationally early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1. National tests and teacher assessments over the last five years show that standards have been consistently above average by the end of Year2. Standards in reading are particularly strong reflecting the school’s culture of reading for enjoyment. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2. In the 2006 national tests for Year 6 pupils, results were significantly above average in English and above average in mathematics and science. Pupils achieve well overall and very well in English. This

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Grade: 2

reflects the priority placed on English over the recent past, resulting in teachers’ strong confidence and the rich and varied approach to teaching literacy throughout the school. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good, and sometimes outstanding, progress because of the good level of support they receive.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. The school’s work is based on clear Christian principles which guide pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The positive ethos that this creates makes an extremely strong contribution to the exemplary behaviour and good standards achieved. Cultural education is developing strongly to raise awareness of the breadth of ethnic traditions found in the wider community. Pupils enjoy coming to school, as indicated by their good levels of attendance and the conscientious attitudes they show in lessons. Pupils feel safe and the strong relationships in school ensure pupils are confident to talk to an adult if they have a concern. Their views are taken seriously and this gives pupils a sense that they matter. Pupils are well aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and appreciate the daily choice of healthy meals that introduces them to new tastes. Older pupils have gained

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Grade: 1

the Basic Hygiene Certificate and appreciate the need for cleanliness when handling food. Elected members are very proud to serve either on the school council, or on the green team, which allows the views of pupil to be sought in a systematic way. The school is at the heart of the community and pupils make an exceptional contribution to village life. They live their Eco School principles by supporting local initiatives such as planting trees, recycling and developing play facilities in the village. They also support communities further afield by sponsoring the education of a child in India. Their good level of basic skills and the opportunities they have to work together and take responsibility prepares pupils well for later life. 3 Inspection Report: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good and children make a good start to their education. Throughout the school, lessons are well planned and have clear objectives to focus pupils’ learning. Teachers take time to mark work thoroughly and give good suggestions to help pupils improve. They take good account of what pupils already know so activities are well matched to the needs of individuals with the result that all achieve well. A particular strength is the teaching of reading, with the provision of a wide variety of valuable experiences that lead to high standards. Basic mathematical skills are well taught, but teachers are less confident in posing pertinent questions to develop pupils’ learning further or to allow them to devise their own methods to investigate and solve problems. Consequently, standards are not quite as high in mathematics as they are in English. The skilled support staff help pupils

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Grade: 2

with learning difficulties and disabilities well so they make good progress.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding and provides very well for the needs of all pupils. An exceptional feature is the excellent opportunity for pupils to learn through involvement in the arts, particularly music and drama. All pupils in Key Stage 2 learn to play a musical instrument and many benefit from the specialist teaching from High School staff and from talented musicians within school. Consequently, pupils achieve a high standard in music. High standards in literacy are supported especially well by many opportunities for pupils to write for a range of purposes in all other subjects. Easy access to computers ensures that pupils have good awareness of the use of modern technology for learning. There is a very good range of visits, including a residential trip, and visitors to enrich the curriculum. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good. It is firmly based on a rich variety of well-planned, practical activities that shows a good understanding of how young

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Grade: 1

children learn. The comprehensive curriculum for personal, social and health education and citizenship, and the school’s work as an Eco School, make a strong contribution to pupils’ personal development.

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Grade: 1

The school provides outstanding care, guidance and support for all pupils. The atmosphere in school is calm and productive, helping the youngest and new admissions to settle quickly into the school’s routines. All adults are exceptionally committed to pupils’ welfare, which makes a strong contribution to their good achievement. Strong 4 Inspection Report: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007 teamwork and close liaison by all staff leads to especially good communication and understanding of pupils’ needs. Excellent links with outside agencies ensure that pupils receive all the support they need. The school gives exceptional support to the pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities so they make good and sometimes outstanding progress. The school has very good systems for setting individual targets, for monitoring pupils’ progress and for giving them the guidance they need. One parent wrote about

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Grade: 1

the excellent effect of the additional literacy support her child had received. Child protection requirements and procedures are clear and understood by all staff, who have received appropriate training. The health and safety procedures are in line with current requirements, are properly underpinned by risk assessments, and enable pupils to undertake activities safely both on and off the school premises.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The deputy headteacher provides strong support for the headteacher in leading the school forward. Middle managers are mutually supportive and are making a good contribution to monitoring and evaluating their subjects to identify areas for improvement. The school’s recent priority on improving English has led to high standards, particularly in reading. The school has rightly identified the need to develop mathematics further. It is too soon for the strategies to improve mathematics to have had an impact on standards although the school’s assessments for the current Year 6 are encouraging. Governance is good. Prudent financial management has enabled the school to make an appropriate contribution to new building development. There has been good improvement in provision in the Foundation Stage and in the role of the subject leaders since the last inspection. 5 Inspection Report: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 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: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 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? 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?

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 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

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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: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 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: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School School Lane Brinscall Chorley Lancashire PR6 8PT 9 February 2007 Dear Pupils, Thank you for making Mr. Stafford and me so welcome when we visited you in school. We think St John’s is a good school and some aspects are excellent. One of the excellent aspects is your behaviour and the contribution you make to the school by voting and taking part in the school council and the green team. We were impressed by your work outside school in planting trees in the village and supporting the education of a child in India. Well done! The school takes excellent care of you all and gives you very good support and advice to help you improve. The range of activities that the school plans for you, both in the classroom and elsewhere, is exceptional. We particularly enjoyed listening to you whilst you were singing and playing instruments. You sing and play as well as we have heard in any primary school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You are taught well, particularly in English, and so you reach a high standard in reading and writing. To make things even better we have asked the school to help you improve your mathematics so that is of the same high standard. Thank you once again. Yours sincerely Mrs. Shirley Herring Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School, 7 °8 February 2007

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