Cadishead Primary School

Cadishead Primary School Inspection report

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131008 Unique Reference Number Salford Local Authority 293687 Inspection number 22 °23 May 2007 Inspection dates Stephen Wall 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 341 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D Ollerenshaw Chair Mr M Gaskill Headteacher 10 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection Allotment Road School address Cadishead Manchester M44 5JD

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0161 7752217 Telephone number 0161 2819120 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 22 °23 May 2007 Inspection dates 293687 Inspection number .

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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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average primary school serving a mixed area with some fairly large pockets of challenging social and economic circumstances. Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage. A very small number of pupils are from minority ethnic groups, but none is at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is above average. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average, including those with statements of special educational need. The school holds the Basic Skills Quality Mark and ActiveMark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school where pupils make outstanding progress. They attain above average standards from starting points that are below those expected when they begin the Foundation Stage. Their success is the result of outstanding teaching, which makes learning fun and really encourages the pupils to become inquisitive and eager learners. The headteacher is an exceptional leader and manager. He painstakingly and sensitively overcomes barriers to improvement and has raised levels of expectation among staff and pupils. Solid foundations for the ongoing success of the school have been laid and there is a relentless and rigorous focus on raising standards and achievement. Indeed, over the last four years, Year 6 test results have risen year on year and look set to rise even further. Nearly all parents value highly the education the school provides. 'My child has come on in leaps and bounds at the school. She really loves

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Grade: 1

it and says her teachers make learning fun', was one typical comment. This is an exceptionally happy school in which pupils feel safe and valued. Their personal development and well-being are outstanding. So too are the care, guidance and support the school provides. Smiling faces are everywhere. 'I love being at school. I'd rather be here than on holiday!' was one pupil's opinion. Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They are welcoming to visitors and keen to show how proud they are of their school. Many pupils have levels of self-confidence and social poise that belie their age. For example, over lunch they hold polite and interesting conversations with adults covering a range of topics. During their time at the school nearly all pupils develop into mature and responsible youngsters who have the necessary basic skills, inquisitiveness and levels of self-esteem to enable them to take full advantage of

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Grade: 1

the next steps in their education. Teaching is outstanding. It encourages outstanding learning and enjoyment. Children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage where varied and stimulating activities encourage them to develop positive attitudes to learning. This enables them to take full advantage of the highly effective teaching as they move up through the school. The rise in standards has been brought about not only by the excellence of the teaching but also by changes to the curriculum, sharpening the emphasis on key skills of literacy and numeracy, and improving the assessment and monitoring of pupils' progress. Historically, standards in writing have been consistently lower than in reading, mathematics and science. Now, however, they are now almost on a par because the introduction of a more exciting and engaging range of writing activities is starting to impact positively. The outstanding curriculum is exciting and motivates the pupils to take a real interest in their

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Grade: 1

learning. It is playing a significant role in adding to pupils' enjoyment and in raising standards and achievement. Topic-based approaches are very popular with the pupils, who say they 'add a lot of fun to learning'. The curriculum is wonderfully enriched by visiting artists, trips out, a wide range of sporting activities and weekly musical assemblies where singing and enjoyment are of exceptional quality. Leadership and management are outstanding, bringing about sustainable improvement in standards and achievement and reflecting outstanding capacity for even further improvement. The headteacher inspires dedicated teamwork in the quest for improvement. Governors have a good knowledge of the school and offer appropriate support and challenge. The school has rigorous procedures for evaluating its own effectiveness so that it has an accurate, if somewhat modest, view of its strengths and areas for development. It gives outstanding value for money.

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Grade: 1

4 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• There are no significant issues for improvement.

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Grade: 1

A well planned and taught curriculum gets the children in the Foundation Stage off to a good start and they make good progress. By the end of the Reception year children are reaching the expected learning goals in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. End of Key Stage 1 assessments have varied between average and above average. In 2006, standards dipped to below average, but this was expected because of issues linked to that particular cohort of pupils. Standards in the current Year 2 are broadly average. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are working at above average standards. This represents outstanding achievement considering pupils' prior attainment. The school's sustained rate of improvement in end of Key Stage 2 tests over the last four years has significantly exceeded the national improvement rate. Highly effective teaching and the work of skilled teaching assistants help

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Grade: 1

pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to make similarly outstanding progress.

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Grade: 1

Pupils love school, as seen in their smiling faces and above average levels of attendance. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils know what is right and wrong, behave impeccably and treat others with respect. They know how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Pupils speak highly of the very comprehensive personal, social and health education lessons, saying 'They teach us how to be safe and how to become nice people to know.' Nearly all pupils participate in one or more of the wide range of sporting activities offered by the school. All pupils make an excellent contribution to the school and the wider community. They are enthusiastic fundraisers for several charities. Older pupils act as prefects and the school council is a very active body which is bringing about significant improvements, such as the refurbishment of the toilets. Although pupils are sad to leave the school, their

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Grade: 1

excellent personal skills and good acquisition of basic skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) mean that they are very well equipped for the next phase of their education and beyond.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning take place in an astonishingly stimulating and colourful environment. Teachers' planning in all subjects consistently provides a strong focus on improving pupils' skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. Teachers make excellent use of a range of resources, including interactive whiteboards which successfully bring enthusiasm and sustained interest to the pupils' learning. Teachers have very good subject knowledge, which they use to good effect to pose probing questions that really make the pupils think. The pupils' very respectful attitude to each other's work is firmly established at the Foundation Stage and maintained as they move up the school. They develop very good independent study skills and positive attitudes to learning. This was neatly summed up by one pupil who, after a very challenging mathematics 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 2007 lesson, said 'We struggled and struggled and fought our way through.' Teachers give pupils

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Grade: 1

good feedback on how well they are doing and on how they could do better. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive highly effective support from skilled teaching assistants.

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Grade: 1

A strong focus on improving provision for literacy and numeracy is having a very significant impact on standards. All subjects are carefully planned to ensure that pupils build on their skills from year to year. Topics are very effectively planned to make sure they capture the pupils' interest and provide imaginative ways of developing their literacy and numeracy skills. Learning is greatly enriched through an excellent range of clubs, visitors to school and educational visits. In the Foundation Stage the curriculum is based effectively on learning through play and discovery. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are catered for exceptionally well by the astute and effective deployment of high quality teaching assistants. There is a wide range of popular extra-curricular sporting activities which add significantly to pupils' adoption of healthy lifestyles.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are at the heart of all the school does. Pupils are very secure in the knowledge that adults are there to listen and support them when problems arise. The school works very effectively with a wide range of outside agencies to support pupils and their families when necessary. Parents are very confident that their children are well looked after. School leaders are extremely effective in removing barriers to learning and developing individual talents. As a result, pupils who are vulnerable and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities become successful learners. Procedures for monitoring pupils' academic progress are exemplary. Pupils know what is expected of them and know that if they fall behind, the school will 'get to us quickly to get us back on track'. The school keeps parents very well informed about their children's progress. Thorough and appropriate procedures are in place to

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Grade: 1

ensure health and safety and good risk assessments. Procedures for child protection and welfare are firmly established and reviewed regularly.

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Grade: 1

At the heart of the school's success lies the outstanding leadership of the headteacher. His reflective approach means that the school is constantly looking for ways to improve. Nothing is introduced without the purpose of making the education the school provides more effective and enjoyable for pupils. This approach engenders outstanding teamwork among the teachers, who share wholeheartedly the desire to improve their professional expertise and their classroom practice. Subject managers are secure in their roles and appreciate the freedom and responsibility they are given to develop and improve their areas. Performance management is used exceptionally well to link professional targets for development to the school's priorities and to hold staff sensitively to account for standards in their classes. The quality of teaching and learning is monitored regularly and the outcomes are used to promote and share the most

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Grade: 1

effective practice. The school is constantly seeking feedback about its performance from a wide range of stakeholders, including parents and pupils. Governors take their responsibilities 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 2007 seriously. They are supportive but quick to challenge in the interests of the pupils. Termly meetings between governors and school managers mean governors are exceptionally knowledgeable about the school's work. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 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 1 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

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Achievement and standards

1 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 1 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 1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Cadishead Primary School, Salford, M44 5JD Thank you for making my fellow inspectors and me so welcome when we came to your school recently. We really enjoyed meeting you and talking to you. What you told us really helped us make up our minds about how good your school is. We had two really enjoyable days with you and did not really want to leave. You will be pleased to know that we think Cadishead Primary is an outstanding school. You are very lucky to go to such a successful school that takes such very good care of you. We were very impressed with how polite and welcoming you are and how you all get on so well together. Your teachers really do their very best to make your lessons interesting and fun. Because of this we think you make excellent progress as you move up through the school. Your headteacher and the teachers are always looking for ways to make the school an even better place to be

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and learn. That is really why it is so successful. Well done everyone! We know that you will continue to work hard with your teachers to make sure that Cadishead Primary continues to be such an outstanding school. With very best wishes for the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Cadishead Primary School, 22 °23 May 2007

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