Kelbrook Primary School

Kelbrook Community Primary School Inspection report

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119250 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 301693 Inspection number 20 °21 September 2007 Inspection dates Dave Byrne 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 117 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Tim Rishton Chair Mrs Susan Lawson Headteacher 1 May 2003 Date of previous school inspection School Street School address Kelbrook Barnoldswick Lancashire BB18 6UD 01282 842309 Telephone number 01282 843718 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 20 °21 September 2007 Inspection dates 301693 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small school. The large majority of pupils are of White British background and none requires support for learning English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. An average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. At the time of the inspection, the school was being led by an acting headteacher whilst the school awaits the substantive headteacher taking up post at the start of the next term. The school is part of a small school network. It has received an innovation award for a Dyslexia Project. The school provides care before and after the school day.

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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: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. The vast majority of parents are supportive of the school and it is held in high regard within the community. The school is improving and standards are rising. Achievement is good for most pupils but more able pupils do not achieve well enough, especially in their writing. Children do well in the Foundation Stage and most reach the expectations for this age by the start of Year 1. By the end of Year 2, standards are in line with the national average. In Key Stage 2, progress is currently good and standards are above average. Pupils do particularly well in mathematics and science. In English, pupils’ performance is average overall and they could do better in writing. The quality of teaching and learning is good across the school. Lessons meet the majority of pupils’ needs. Particularly good support, provided by skilled teaching assistants, ensures that pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. Whilst teachers know

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Grade: 3

pupils well, formal assessment procedures do not identify clearly enough pupils who are underperforming. Pupils’ personal development and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They enjoy their lessons, try hard and behave well both in class and outdoors. Pupils talk with authority about the importance of eating sensibly and are very aware of how to maintain their own safety and protect that of others. The school is a secure and safe place and all adults are checked to ensure that they are right and proper people to be in contact with children. Whilst lessons are generally of interest to pupils, the curriculum, although satisfactory, is tightly planned and does not allow teachers the flexibility to introduce activities to fully develop pupils’ creativity and imagination. This restricts opportunities for pupils to write in a variety of situations and reduces pupils’ achievement in this aspect of their work. Good links with other schools and

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Grade: 3

the use of educational visits extends pupils’ experiences, for example in music, dance and performing arts, but the lasting impact on learning, especially writing, is limited. Pupils benefit from access to a wide range of extra-curricular clubs including sport, music and French and Year 6 pupils gain much from attending a residential visit each year. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The acting headteacher is having a significant impact on the school, resulting in high levels of staff morale and a shared vision for the school’s future. The managers of the Foundation Stage, mathematics, English and ICT provide good leadership for their subjects, but not enough is made of the expertise of all staff. There is a lack of a coherent plan for monitoring teaching and learning and key staff are not routinely involved in doing this. Governance is good. It has steered the school through challenging times

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Grade: 3

and ensured that the impact on pupils’ learning has been minimised.

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Grade: 2

The provision within the Foundation Stage is good. Children benefit from a well planned and imaginative curriculum which provides exciting activities, inspiring them to learn. Very good teamwork between the teacher and her assistant ensures that the individual needs of children are met. The school builds successfully on children’s levels of development in all areas of learning. From a starting point which is typical for their age most children reach the levels expected of them by the start of Year 1. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the progress made by higher attaining pupils, especially in writing.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the curriculum so that pupils have more opportunities to write in broader variety of contexts. ■ Improve assessment so that underachieving pupils are identified quickly and strategies implemented to raise achievement. ■ Ensure all staff are fully involved in the evaluation of the school’s performance and the implementation of improvement plans. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ achievement is good and standards are above average at the end of Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive good support and make good progress. More able pupils are not extended enough and could do better, especially in writing in Key Stage 2. By the start of Year 1, most pupils have met the learning goals expected for their age. In Key Stage 1, progress continues at a steady rate. By the end of Year 2, teacher assessments show that over the last few years, standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been broadly average. Standards for Year 6 pupils in recent years have been above average. In 2007, there was a significant improvement, especially in mathematics and science. In English, whilst pupils read well, they do not do as well in writing. This applies particularly to higher attaining pupils. Girls do better than boys in Key Stage 1, but this difference disappears by Year 6. Good progress is

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Grade: 2

evident in lessons and in pupils’ work completed this term because teaching is effective.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Recent initiatives, for example the weekly good work assembly, have boosted pupils’ sense of pride and confidence in what they do. This contributes to their enjoyment of school and to their good attendance. Pupils are naturally caring and respectful of others and generally behave very well at all times. They are keen to take responsibility for their work and to help others. Their views are valued, although the school council has a limited influence on school life. Pupils talk with great certainty about the need to eat well and keep fit. The provision of playground activities and access to after-school sporting events helps the pupils’ to develop a good attitude to exercise. Through links with other schools, pupils develop a good knowledge and understanding of the richness and diversity of local society and sensitivity

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Grade: 2

to the different faiths and cultures within it. Given the good attitudes and social skills of pupils and the good academic levels of achievement, pupils are prepared well for their future lives. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 2007

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Across the school, pupils’ needs are known by teachers and their assistants. Very effective teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants makes sure that the mixed ages in each class are managed well. Lessons are well planned using a good knowledge of what is required for pupils’ age ranges. Lessons are purposeful and move with good pace. Pupils’ thoughts and contributions are valued and they are encouraged to evaluate the progress they have made in their lessons. Effective strategies ensure that the pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. The quality and format of marking varies from class to class. At its best it praises good features of pupils’ work and indicates a target for improvement. Strategies to involve pupils in their own assessment exist, but are not used in the same way in all classes.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is good in the Foundation Stage and for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities across the school. Links with other schools add to the pupils’ experiences for example through participating in music festivals, making animated films and learning about different cultures, but the basic curriculum lacks opportunities for creativity. Planning is weak for enabling pupils to develop their skills of writing across the curriculum which tends to hamper their performance in English. The school knows this and is in the process of evaluating the place of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) alongside other subjects. The value of linking subjects to add interest to learning is being explored, but is not yet planned well enough to make a positive enough impact on pupils’ achievement. Good attention is given to developing pupils’ personal, social, health and

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Grade: 3

citizenship education and prepares pupils well for dealing with issues related to healthy living and personal well-being.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. The day-to-day care of pupils by staff is very good and pastoral support is very effective. Care is taken to ensure that pupils are safe and secure at all times and measures taken to check that all adults in contact with pupils meet requirements. Staff and governors do all they can to remove risks both in school and whilst on educational visits. Although most parents help their children with their learning, many feel that the school isn’t doing enough to explain how they can help at home. Academic support and guidance is satisfactory. Teachers know pupils well, but procedures for assessing pupils are relatively weak in identifying pupils who are not doing as well as they could so that support can be given. This reduces the achievement of the more able. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 2007

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The acting headteacher is having a significant impact on the school. She has gained the confidence of staff, parents and governors. Staff morale is high and a strong team spirit exists. As a result progress is improving and the school meets, and at times exceeds, challenging targets for standards at the end of Year 6. Communication is good and staff have a clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, but formal procedures for monitoring and recording the school’s performance are weak. Although key staff are effective in managing key elements of the school for example the Foundation Stage, and for subjects such as English, mathematics and ICT, staff expertise is not always used as well as it might.. As a result, the school improvement plan is minimal in its content. The governing body is very well led. It has effectively reduced the impact on pupils’ learning of the

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Grade: 3

recent changes in the school. Given the current circumstances, the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve in future. Since the last inspection, there has been a satisfactory improvement although systems to involve all staff, including the deputy headteacher, in key elements of school management have not been developed far enough. The school gives satisfactory value for money. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 3 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?

3 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: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

22 September 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Kelbrook Community Primary School, Lancashire, BB18 6UD Thank you for welcoming me to your school recently. I am writing to let you know about what I think about your school. Your behaviour is impressive and the way you care for others and not just yourselves is most encouraging. For most of the time, you enjoy lessons and work hard and try your best. You do well in mathematics and science and reading, but could do better in writing and I have asked the school to find ways of helping you to do this. Those of you who find learning difficult have good support which means that you make good progress. At times though, some of you find that work isn’t hard enough and I have asked the school to find ways of extending the performance of those who are more able. Your teachers are great. They make sure that you are cared for and looked after and are very keen to improve the school further. Whilst there is a school council, I feel that it could do more

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to influence some elements of school decision making. Your acting headteacher is doing a very good job and it was good to hear how much you and your parents like what she is doing. She and the staff are working hard to make sure your school continues to improve and will be looking at ways to make sure that everyone makes contribution. I wish you all luck in your future education. Yours sincerely Dave Byrne Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Kelbrook Community Primary School, 20 °21 September 2007

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