St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton

St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton Inspection report

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105236 Unique Reference Number Bolton Local Authority 308803 Inspection number 4 °5 February 2008 Inspection dates David Halford 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 232 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr P Cartwright Chair Mrs Elizabeth Rogerson Headteacher 2 December 2003 Date of previous school inspection Crescent Avenue Four Lane Ends School address Over Hulton Bolton Lancashire BL5 1EN 01204 332606 Telephone number 01204 332607 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 4 °5 February 2008 Inspection dates 308803 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 school was inspected by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average sized primary school serves an immediate area of established private housing and some pupils travel a significant distance to attend. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is below average, and none are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The school holds the Basic Skills Quality Mark and the Activemark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory overall standard of education and there are some good features. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good, and the school cares for and supports its pupils well. It is developing effective systems to track pupils' individual progress. The curriculum is good overall, and is supplemented by a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Parents' views are summed up by comments such as, 'All my children have been happy at the school and have been given a good foundation for their future learning.' Children begin the Reception Year with standards which vary widely, but are generally average to above average. Whilst children's skills in aspects of mathematical development are above those expected for their age at this stage, their communication skills are broadly in line with expectations. They make satisfactory overall progress, and good progress in language

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Grade: 3

development whilst in Reception. The majority enter Year 1 with skills which are above average for their age. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, standards are also above average and pupils' achievement throughout the school is satisfactory. Some groups of pupils, notably the more able, are not always challenged sufficiently in their work, and their progress is uneven, being better in writing than in mathematics. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. Some teaching is good, but there are inconsistencies which contribute to the uneven progress. The marking of pupils' work does not always give sufficient guidance on how they can improve their work. Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. Whilst subject leaders are knowledgeable and keen to develop their expertise, there are limited opportunities for them to monitor the effectiveness of teaching and learning in their subjects. The school has a

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Grade: 3

satisfactory capacity to improve and provides satisfactory value for money.

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Grade: 3

Children's skills vary widely when they first start school. They make satisfactory overall progress, and good progress in language development as they move through the Reception, largely because they are well supported and encouraged in their learning. Effective induction procedures ensure that they settle quickly and happily into school routines. The adults with whom they work encourage positive relationships which promote the children's personal and social development. The staff take every opportunity to provide a wide range of activities to promote learning in the classroom and outside, although the constraints of the building lead to significant limitations in the school's ability to provide continuous outdoor provision. Good relationships are developed with parents and the Early Years provision is managed effectively.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the level of challenge for higher attaining pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure a consistent approach to teachers' marking so that pupils know what to do to improve their work. ■ Enhance the role of subject leaders to include more opportunities to monitor teaching and learning in their subjects. 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. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008

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Grade: 3

The majority of pupils show above average standards on entry to Year 1. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils demonstrate above average levels of skill in reading, writing and mathematics. These above average standards are continued through Key Stage 2 and this position has been sustained consistently over time. This represents satisfactory overall progress, with good progress in aspects of science and English, particularly writing, where the school has been concentrating its efforts in recent years. Inconsistent challenge for the most able pupils means that these pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are provided for well and many are able to work alongside their peers. They make good progress in relation to their prior attainment.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They clearly enjoy coming to school and this is seen in their good behaviour and above average attendance. Pupils feel safe in school, and know how to keep themselves healthy. The school council is active and its members are proud of the offices they hold. They know that their views are taken into account. Through their work on the council they learn skills which will help them in adult life. The school's Christian teaching is an important feature of its work. It contributes well to the school's high profile in the community and is central to pupils' good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The good work undertaken in this caring school contributes much to the pupils' positive relationships and the good attitudes between all who work and learn in it.

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Grade: 3

Teachers organise their classrooms well and enjoy good relationships with their pupils. Effective teaching is characterised by the clarity of the lesson planning, high quality questioning and good pace, which captures and sustains pupils' attention. However, teachers do not always plan precisely enough for a sufficiently wide range of pupils' abilities. Whilst the needs of pupils who find learning difficult are met well, those pupils who are high attainers are not challenged consistently in the tasks they are required to complete. As a result, some expectations are not high enough to improve pupils' achievement significantly. Pupils' work is marked regularly and it is frequently supportive and encouraging. Although there is some good practice in teachers' marking, currently, it lacks consistency in indicating to pupils what they need to do next to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is broad and balanced and includes French for pupils in Key Stage 2. Although effective in meeting the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, at the present time, it is not always so successful in providing a consistent challenge to meet the needs of the more able pupils. Good opportunities for pupils to practise writing across subjects helps them to make good progress; however, there are fewer chances for pupils to 5 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008 practise mathematical skills. Enrichment of the curriculum is also good. Pupils benefit from a wide range of visitors with particular expertise and a good range of educational visits, including residential experiences. A wide range of extra-curricular activities, which are supported well, enhance the curriculum. Increasing use is made of pupils' developing skills in information and

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Grade: 2

communication technology (ICT) and pupils are able to make links between subjects to make them more meaningful.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good overall. All safeguarding and child protection procedures are in place. The pupils indicate that they feel happy and safe in school, free from risks and bullying. There are good procedures to ensure attendance requirements are well known and applied appropriately. Pupils are aware that their welfare is important to the school. The school works well with parents in a wide variety of settings. Academic records are detailed, but some systems have been established relatively recently and so have yet to impact fully on pupils' progress. Staff track pupils' individual progress rigorously and provide appropriate support for those who need it. Good strategies are in place to support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Their individual requirements are met sensitively. Overall, the high standard of care is a significant factor in pupils' enjoyment of school and good personal development.

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Grade: 3

Members of the leadership team work well together and have identified accurately the most important priorities for improvement. They have ably set about developing strategies to bring about improvement, and this can be seen in the improved outcomes for pupils in aspects of English. Currently, subject leaders do not have sufficient opportunities to monitor teaching and learning in their subjects. Resources are used effectively and the school has worked well in developing links with the community and outside agencies to bring additional services into school. Governors are supportive of the school and well informed. They are beginning to develop a more strategic role. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008

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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? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 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 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008

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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 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of St Andrew's C of E Primary School, Over Hulton, Bolton, BL5 1EN My colleague and I really enjoyed our recent visit to your school. Thank you very much for your very warm welcome and for looking after us so well. You were very helpful in lessons when we asked you to explain what you were doing and also very friendly around the school. Particular thanks should go to the members of the school council who helped us to understand why it is that you enjoy your school so much. We think that your school is satisfactory and it has some good elements. We know that your school cares for you well and makes sure that you can all join in fully with the work which is prepared for you. Your school works well with many agencies to ensure your care and support. All the adults who support you in your lessons impressed us. We know that you enjoy yourselves in school and look forward to taking part in a wide range of activities,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

especially those lessons where you get the chance to investigate things, like the Year 2 science lesson when you were finding hot and cold places in school. Overall, we think you all try very hard to make your school community a very happy and secure place. We also hope that our visit will help your school to improve. We are asking the staff to do three things. First, to try to make sure that those boys and girls who learn easily are always given work that is not too easy for them; second, that when your teachers mark your work, they let you know what you need to do to improve it, and last, that those teachers who are in charge of particular subjects get more opportunities to check what you are learning in these subjects. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton, 4 °5 February 2008

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