St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley

St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley Inspection report

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105248 Unique Reference Number Bolton Local Authority 308811 Inspection number 22 October 2008 Inspection date Clare Henderson Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 5–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 137 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Steven Kidd Chair Mr Ian Southern Headteacher 26 April 1999 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Fold Road School address Stoneclough Radcliffe Manchester Lancashire

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5–11 Age group 22 October 2008 Inspection date 308811 Inspection number M26 1EU 01204 333437 Telephone number 01204 333436 Fax number

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5–11 Age group 22 October 2008 Inspection date 308811 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. 3 of 10 Inspection Report: St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: sustainability of the school's current high standards and achievements; how the school justifies its evaluation of pupils' personal development, care, guidance and support; and the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Evidence was collected from the observation of lessons, the scrutiny of pupils' work and from an examination of records of their progress. Discussions were held with pupils, staff and representatives of the governing body. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's assessment, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified and these have been included where appropriate in the report.

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Description of the school

St Saviour is a smaller than average school. The majority of pupils come from an advantaged background, as seen in the below average proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals. A lower than average percentage of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Almost all pupils speak English as their first language and a few are from minority ethnic groups. None of these pupils is at an early stage of learning to speak English. Children come to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Reception class from a range of different local nursery settings. The school operates breakfast and after-school clubs. It has gained Activemark status. The headteacher has been in post since September 2007.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 10 Inspection Report: St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. Parents agree and appreciate what the school provides. Typical comments are, 'St Saviour is a very special place, an extension of our family' and 'We appreciate the extra mile staff go.' Inspection findings agree with parental views. Long term staff absences and changes in recent years affected the stability of the school. However, through determination and teamwork, governors, senior leaders and the local authority have steered the school successfully through this turbulent time. The appointment of a dynamic headteacher, working in close partnership with the senior leadership team, has enabled the school to move forward at a rapid pace. Achievement is good. Standards in Year 1 and 2 have generally been above average in reading, writing and mathematics since the previous inspection. Given that standards are above the expected levels when pupils start Year 1, staff recognised that standards by the end of Year 2

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Grade: 2

should be higher. To address this, they provided increased opportunities for role play and problem solving to extend pupils' speaking, listening, writing and mathematical skills. Inspection evidence shows that this has paid off and standards reached in Year 2 in 2008 rose to well above average and are set to continue to rise. Standards reached at the end of Year 6 are well above the national average in English, mathematics and science. This is as a result of accelerated progress pupils make in Year 6. There are high expectations in Year 6, but there has been some slow progress made by the current Year 5 and Year 6. This is, for the most part, attributable to a legacy of staffing changes in the past. Pupils' personal development and their spiritual, social, moral and cultural development are outstanding. Enjoyment of school is reflected in excellent behaviour, attendance and enthusiasm for learning: the words of one pupil sums up the views of many, 'I wake in the morning and

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Grade: 2

can't wait to get to school.' Pupils say they feel safe and know there is someone to talk to if they have a problem. They greatly value opportunities to express their views as school councillors, playground and reading buddies. They take these responsibilities very seriously, for instance, as reading buddies they listen and support younger pupils with their reading skills. Pupils have an excellent awareness of the need to lead a healthy lifestyle and they understand the reasons why it is important to have a healthy diet and do plenty of exercise. The school takes every opportunity to involve pupils in the community through, for example, the 'Groundwork' project, which extends pupils' knowledge and involvement in environmental issues successfully. Through sponsoring the education of three children in Tibet, for example, pupils' understanding of world-wide issues are also promoted sensitively. Such roles are one part of the good preparation

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Grade: 2

of pupils for the next stage of their education. The good progress pupils make is the result of good quality teaching. Major strengths include effective use of personal target-setting to involve pupils and their parents in their learning, high quality relationships and high expectations. Very good use is made of learning support assistants to ensure that those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make similar progress to their classmates. In spite of these strengths, in a minority of year groups work planned is not always suitably matched to meet pupils' individual learning needs. The curriculum is good with outstanding elements. A particular strength is the creative skills-based curriculum which imaginatively links subjects together and helps pupils to apply their skills and knowledge across a range of areas of learning. For example, pupils link information and communication technology, science and mathematical skills with literacy skills

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Grade: 2

5 of 10 Inspection Report: St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 2008 to create vibrant, engaging work which supports the enjoyment of learning and also their academic development. The school would be the first to say that some of its exciting developments have yet to pay dividends in raising standards and making up lost ground in some year groups. There are excellent extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities to support work in the arts, sport and humanities as well as the teaching of Spanish. The school does not miss an opportunity, through the excellent partnerships which it has established, to foster pupils' well-being, providing well supported breakfast and after-school care provision, for example. Care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding. Procedures are in place to keep pupils safe and staff work closely with outside agencies to ensure that specialist support is available

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Grade: 2

when needed. Pupils' targets give them a clear focus for their learning. Self-assessment in lessons encourages pupils to be increasingly critical about the quality of their work and that of their classmates. Teachers' marking tells pupils what they have achieved in their work and what they need to do to improve. Good leadership and management have ensured that previous inspection issues have been successfully addressed. Accurate self-evaluation means that the school knows itself very well and this contributes to its improvement. The monitoring of staff performance is focused clearly on high expectations for all pupils in their academic and personal development and is beginning to remedy the slippage in progress evident in some year groups effectively. Governance is good. Under the strong leadership of the chair, governors provide unwavering support whilst also ensuring a high degree of challenge. The school is in an outstanding position to improve even

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Grade: 2

further and it provides good value for money.

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Grade: 1

Children enter Reception with skills which are typical for their age. The bright, stimulating play-based environment ensures that children quickly develop a real interest and enjoyment of learning. Staff give high priority to the use of exciting role play experiences, both within and outside the classroom, to set children's imaginations alight. This motivates them to investigate and learn in a highly effective way. As a result, children make significant progress in all areas of learning. Staff make the most of every opportunity to help children learn to get along together and grow in confidence and independence. Consequently, children's personal development is outstanding. Staff work closely together and establish excellent links with parents who say they appreciate the 'wonderful' care their children receive. By the time they start Year 1, most reach the goals expected for their age and a significant proportion exceed

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Grade: 1

them. As a member of the school management team, the EYFS leader ensures that detailed consideration of the progress children make whilst in Reception is used effectively to set children's next steps in learning, particularly as they move into Year 1. As a result, leadership and management are outstanding.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure work planned in lessons is suitably matched to meet pupils' individual learning needs. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 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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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? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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 Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 2008

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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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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 Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of St Saviour Church of England Primary School, Ringley, Manchester, M26 1EU Thank you for the wonderful welcome you gave me when I inspected your school. I enjoyed talking to you and watching you learn. Thanks to all those children who talked to me about what they were doing in lessons, what happens in the playground and the jobs that they do around the school. Special thanks to the children who met me at lunchtime. I thought you would be interested in what I am saying in my report. Yours is a good school and you are right to be proud of all the things that go on there. Children in Reception get an excellent start and have a great many opportunities to learn with each other through play. You continue to make good progress and, by the time you leave at the end of Year 6, reach well above average standards particularly in mathematics, science and writing. This is because the teaching you receive is good and you also work very hard.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your behaviour is excellent and you look after each other very well. You enjoy working in groups and you like to help your classmates when they find things difficult. Members of the school council work hard to find out what you think and, as a result, have made your school even better. You particularly like taking part in the very wide range of school based and extra-curricular events in arts, sports and music which your teachers have introduced. Your teachers and teaching assistants take very good care of you and make sure that everyone feels safe and secure. They also give you a lot of advice about how you can improve your work. Your headteacher and all your other teachers know exactly how to make sure that your school continues to improve. I have suggested one thing that the school needs to do now and that is for teachers always to set work which is matched to your individual learning needs and which will enable you all to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

achieve your best. Please continue to work hard and enjoy your studies. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: St Saviour CofE Primary School, Ringley, 22 October 2008

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