St Michael's Nursery and Infant School

St Michael's Nursery and Infant School Inspection report

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112143 Unique Reference Number Cumbria Local Authority 301754 Inspection number 1 °2 November 2007 Inspection dates 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 96 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Eileen Bold Chair Mrs Andrea Pattinson Headteacher 1 October 2003 Date of previous school inspection Station Road School address Workington Cumbria CA14 2UY 01900 325244 Telephone number 01900 325246 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 1 °2 November 2007 Inspection dates 301754 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average sized school near the centre of Workington. It serves an area with high levels of social deprivation. Most pupils are of White British background. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The school has received the Healthy Schools Award.

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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: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good and improving school with some outstanding features. The school strives in all that it does to match the aspirations of its motto, ‘Giving the best to achieve the best’. A significant factor in this is the excellent leadership provided by the headteacher. Her relentless drive to raise standards and her vision to achieve only the best for each pupil are shared by staff and governors, leading to improving standards and excellent personal development. Children make a good start in the Foundation Stage. Most children do not reach the levels expected for their ages when they enter Year 1. However, most children enter the Nursery with skills and understanding that are significantly below those typical for their ages so this represents good progress and achievement. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1 and achieve well. Standards have gradually improved in recent years and are average overall at the

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Grade: 2

end of Year 2. However, the performance of boys in reading is below average. Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils have a very good awareness of how to lead healthy lifestyles and behaviour is excellent. Relationships are excellent and pupils really enjoy coming to school. This helps them to become confident and eager to learn. Pupils say that they feel safe and are confident to approach an adult should they have any worries. They make a very good contribution to the community and are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. Attendance is good. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers ensure that learning is fun so that pupils want to learn. Teachers have good subject knowledge and make good use of questions to challenge pupils’ thinking and to extend their speaking and listening skills. However, marking does not

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Grade: 2

consistently advise pupils how to improve their work. The curriculum is good. It is enriched by lots of visits and visitors so that learning is practical and relevant. Recent improvements to the curriculum are helping staff to improve the continuity between the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, extend pupils’ skills in the use of letter sounds and respond more readily to pupils’ interests. Care, guidance and support are excellent. The school rightly regards itself as a big family. All pupils are very well known and cared for and very well supported, academically, physically and emotionally. There are very close links with parents and carers which help to support learning. A parent commented that, ‘The school works hard to involve parents and to offer extra activities for children and adults.’ Systems for child protection and safeguarding children are in place. Very effective systems for assessment and tracking help to underpin good progress.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. There is a shared commitment to raise standards and improve provision. In this small school, all staff readily share responsibilities and work well together as a team. Self-evaluation is good and leads to clear strategic planning. Governance is good. Governors are very supportive and play an active role in helping to shape the direction of the school.

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Grade: 2

Provision is good and leads to children achieving well. This is because teaching is good and planning, assessment and tracking of progress are very thorough. Children settle quickly because 4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 2007 relationships are excellent and there are good links with parents and carers. The curriculum has been improved by linking the Nursery and Reception planning more effectively which gives continuity to learning. Improvements to outdoor provision and initiatives such as the sensory room to promote thinking and creativity help to make learning stimulating, so that children are eager to come to school and want to learn. Leadership and management are good. Staff share a clear vision for raising standards and improving provision.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in boys’ reading by the end of Year 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Mark pupils’ work more effectively so that they are clear about what they should do in order to improve.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Most pupils make good progress, whatever their ability or background. When most children start school in the Nursery their standards are significantly below those typical for children of this age. They achieve well and make good progress, although by the end of the Foundation Stage many of them do not reach the levels expected. Good progress and achievement continue in Key Stage 1. The results of the statutory assessments in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 in 2006 were broadly average overall, although standards reached by boys were below average, particularly in writing. In 2005 and part of 2006 there severe was disruption to staffing which led to a dip in standards. Staffing is now stable and the school has successfully implemented a range of strategies to improve boys’ writing. As a result, early indications are that standards overall in 2007 were better than

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Grade: 2

2006. However, recent strategies to improve standards in boys’ reading have not had enough time to be effective. This has resulted in standards falling in reading in 2007. The school’s current data indicates that planned improvements have had a positive impact for the current Year 2 and that these pupils are on track to exceed their challenging targets.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is excellent. Pupils say that they really enjoy coming to school and feel safe and well cared for. They have a very good understanding of how to lead healthy lifestyles, enhanced by opportunities to eat healthily and to take regular exercise. Pupils have lots of opportunities to accept responsibility and take the initiative, for example, as ‘buddies’ or school councillors. Behaviour is excellent and pupils make a very good contribution to the local and wider community through involvement in community events and charity fund-raising. Relationships are excellent, increasing pupils’ self-esteem so that they become confident learners. They work very well independently and in collaboration with others, and are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. Their personal and academic development is promoted well by

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Grade: 1

a much appreciated rewards system. For example, pupils have opportunities to sit at the ‘Captains Table’ at meal times. Attendance is good and exceeds the school’s targets. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 2007

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, leading to good progress. Good use is made of assessment information to provide tasks which are suitably challenging for pupils of differing abilities. However marking of pupils’ work does not always indicate clearly enough what pupils need to do in order to improve. Teachers generally share and check lesson objectives with pupils so that they develop a good understanding of their learning. Typically, lessons move at a brisk pace and pupils work hard and sustain their interest. Pupils enjoy learning and are eager to improve because lessons are fun. Teachers know pupils well and provide a good variety of activities to encourage them to learn through their own interests, particularly boys. Teachers and support assistants work well together, particularly in support of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These pupils make good progress because individual and group

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Grade: 2

education plans are clear and are used effectively during lessons.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. There is a good focus on developing the skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology, extended by using them in other subjects. The curriculum is well matched to pupils’ needs. For example, in Year 1, recent developments are helping to ensure continuity of learning between the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The recent organisation of pupils according to ability in the learning of letter sounds is also helping to improve their skills. The curriculum is further enhanced by a very wide range of enrichment activities, including visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities. These give a purpose and excitement to learning and help to make learning irresistible. Pupils have a very good understanding of how to lead healthy lifestyles through an effective programme of personal, social and health education. There are strong links with outside agencies, including

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Grade: 2

the local church and schools, which help to extend the curriculum well.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are excellent. Pupils flourish personally and academically in the very warm and welcoming environment. All are valued, whatever their ability, and become very confident learners. There are very good links with parents and carers and the school has an exceptionally strong, caring family atmosphere, exemplified in family outings to the theatre. The development of the ‘learning zone’ helps parents and pupils to learn and work together. Healthy meals are cooked in the school’s newly-opened kitchen. Pupils say that they are confident to approach an adult should they have any problems and this is reinforced through ‘worry boxes’ and opportunities to discuss any issues privately in ‘bubble time’. All required safety and safeguarding procedures are securely in place. Very effective systems for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress give teachers a very clear view of what needs to be done in order

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Grade: 1

to improve. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 2007

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides very strong and inspirational leadership. She has a very clear vision for raising standards and improving provision, supported well by the assistant headteacher. Staff and governors share the same determination to provide the best for each pupil. This helps to create a very inclusive school with high levels of personal development and good academic achievement. Self-evaluation is thorough and leads to clear identification of areas for improvement. For example, an analysis of performance led to the implementation of strategies which are helping to raise standards in aspects of boys’ literacy. Staff work well together as a team and set challenging targets to improve provision. Curriculum leaders are extending their roles in checking teaching, learning and academic performance in order to make further improvements. Governance is good. Governors know the school well and

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Grade: 2

play active roles in holding the school to account for its performance. Parents are well informed about the life of the school and most take advantage of the many opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning. A parent commented, ‘I would recommend this school to anyone and everyone.’ Issues from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed and prudent management of the budget helps to raise standards and improve provision. The school has good capacity to improve. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 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 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 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: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

5 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, Cumbria, CA14 2UY I think your school is good and some parts of it are super. I really enjoyed my visit because you were so kind and welcoming. It was good to talk to you and find out how much you enjoy coming to school and that you feel safe and well looked after. I liked the way you were all polite and friendly and help to look after each other. I was pleased to hear how you understand about eating healthily and the importance of getting plenty of exercise to keep you well and fit. Here are some of the things your school does well:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ lessons are fun and you learn lots of new things

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the school council and buddies help to make the school better

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ teachers keep a good check on how well you are doing so that they can help you to improve

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ everybody helps to care for each other really well so that school is like a big family

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you are extremely well behaved and take good care of your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Here are some of the things your school is trying to do better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ helping more boys to do well in reading.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ showing you in marking your work how to make it better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you again for making my visit such an enjoyable one. I hope all your bulbs come up in the spring. Yours sincerely David Earley Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Michael's Nursery and Infant School, 1 °2 November 2007

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