All Saints C of E Primary School

All Saints CofE Primary School Inspection report

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105505 Unique Reference Number Manchester Local Authority 308874 Inspection number 21 °22 May 2008 Inspection dates Derek Aitken 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 237 School The governing body Appropriate authority Olive Wadsworth Chair Mrs Lorraine Tennant Headteacher 19 January 2004 Date of previous school inspection Culcheth Lane School address Newton Heath Manchester Lancashire M40 1LS 0161 6813455 Telephone number 0161 6817464 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 21 °22 May 2008 Inspection dates 308874 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 conducted by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized school, situated to the east of the city. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is slightly above average. The vast majority of pupils are of White British origin. The school holds the Activemark and Manchester Inclusion Award (Silver).

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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: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 2008

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. It works hard and successfully to meet the diverse pastoral needs of its pupils, and to equip them with the personal qualities they require to support their learning and to build strong relationships with others. Pupils feel happy and secure in this welcoming environment, and this is shown by their interest in visitors and willingness to share their positive views about their work and life in school. Their good sense of community is nurtured, for example in assemblies which are very well conducted. Here, wind instrumentalists demonstrate impressive standards of performance. There are also very good expectations and opportunities for all pupils to play a full part on these occasions. As parents rightly say, 'All children at this school are made to feel part of everything that happens.' Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage and pupils, over time, achieve satisfactorily

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Grade: 3

by the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils join Year 1 with standards which are below national expectations. By the end of both key stages, standards remain below average. There have been fluctuations in standards in Key Stage 2 since the previous inspection and in 2007 the attainment and achievement of Year 6 pupils in mathematics were inadequate. School leaders have taken effective action to tackle this underachievement and this is resulting in an improved rate of progress for pupils in both Year 5 and Year 6, although standards in English, mathematics and science remain below average. The curriculum makes a satisfactory contribution to pupils' all-round development. There is a good range of enrichment activities, for example in music and physical education, which pupils take part in with enthusiasm. Variation in the rate of pupils' progress has, however, reduced the impact of initiatives, such as 'Big Writing', on academic standards. While there are elements

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Grade: 3

of good and outstanding teaching, the overall quality is not strong enough to ensure consistently good progress for pupils. While relationships are good, not all teachers capitalise fully on pupils' positive attitudes, and inconsistencies in the quality of assessment hold back pupils' progress. Care and welfare arrangements to ensure pupils' well-being are good. A new, thorough tracking system has been implemented to chart pupils' progress. While this has been very effective in supporting action to reduce underachievement, it is not yet developed enough to raise aspirations higher and to promote pupils' achievement more forcefully. The school is satisfactorily led and managed. It has made satisfactory improvement since the previous inspection. It has successfully implemented a number of initiatives to support pupils' well-being. Progress on the key issues relating to standards has been less marked. A closer

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Grade: 3

analysis of data, coupled with the new tracking system, have resulted in an improved awareness of the main priorities for improvement, as reflected in the school's accurate evaluation of its current performance. The school has satisfactory capacity to improve and offers sound value for money.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage provides a good education overall for the younger children. Children join the Nursery with skills that are well below those typically expected for their age, particularly in language and number, and in their social development. They make good progress in all aspects of their learning to reach levels which are nonetheless below those expected in literacy and numeracy when they join Year 1. Children's social skills are cultivated in the Nursery and 4 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 2008 this effectively supports them in Reception where the pace of learning picks up. The older children concentrate and collaborate well to develop their skills. More focused teaching, combined with the good use of continuous assessment, enable staff to intervene quickly when children do not immediately understand. The curriculum offers a good balance of teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. Additional adults are used effectively to support

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Grade: 2

children's learning and, in Reception, to develop children's oral skills. Parents appreciate the efforts staff make to involve them in their children's learning. The Foundation Stage is led and managed effectively.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards and achievement in English, mathematics and science.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that the overall quality of teaching is at least good, and that assessment is used consistently well to improve pupils' progress. ■ Ensure that whole-school pupil targets and the new tracking system have a strong impact on promoting pupils' achievement. 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: 3

Pupils join Year 1 with standards which are below average in literacy and numeracy. Overall, they build satisfactorily on their earlier attainment as they progress through the school. Results at the end of Year 6 in 2007 declined to well below average. This was partly due to the high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in the year group, but also reflected weaknesses in the monitoring of pupils' progress. Standards at the end of both key stages are currently below average. However, this masks variable attainment and achievement, not only within subjects but also between the year groups, with pupils making considerably more progress in their learning in Key Stage 1 and in Years 5 and 6 than in the other years. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities also make satisfactory progress. Extra staffing has resulted in improved standards for the older pupils and they are now back

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils behave well and on occasions their conduct is exemplary. They are polite and welcoming and develop good attitudes to learning. They have a good awareness of health issues and a strong understanding of what they need to do to stay safe both inside and outside school. Their enjoyment of many aspects of school life is only reduced in a few lessons which they find less interesting. Attendance is satisfactory. The school council has been particularly effective in persuading school leaders to enable pupils to contribute more widely to school life, for example in developing the junior playground. It has also implemented other initiatives, such as the junior warden scheme, to enable older pupils to alert staff to any potential health hazards. Pupils acquire a satisfactory command of the basic skills they need to equip them for later life.

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Grade: 2

5 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 2008

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Grade: 3

Teachers know and understand their pupils well. They work hard to ensure that pupils take a pride in their work and this is reflected in the good standard of presentation in pupils' workbooks. Classrooms are attractive and there is a substantial amount of useful displays to support pupils' learning. Some of the teaching is good and, occasionally, outstanding in all respects. In the latter case, children are highly responsive to imaginative teaching and learn very securely at a brisk pace. Teaching which is otherwise satisfactory is characterised by a lack of pace, particularly at the start of lessons. There are some weaknesses in subject knowledge and techniques, and under use of resources such as the interactive whiteboard. In these lessons, not all learners are fully engaged and attention sometimes wanders. Assessment and targets are used less well in Key Stage 2 than in Key Stage 1 to guide pupils in their learning.

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Grade: 3

Expanding links with sporting organisations enhance pupils' participation in physical activities. The enrichment programme, which includes an interesting range of visits and visitors, provides pupils with a sound knowledge of their local culture. The activity-based outdoor and adventurous residential visit in Year 6 both reflects and cements the good relationships and teamwork which exist between pupils. Individual education plans and appropriate programmes enable pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to make satisfactory progress. There is an adequate range of clubs and extension activities for gifted and talented pupils. Recent changes to the curriculum, which include the linking of subjects to enable pupils to make better connections in their learning, and the reinforcing of basic skills, have not yet had a consistent impact on standards across the school.

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Grade: 3

Systems to ensure pupils' welfare, health and safety are good and this ensures that the social and emotional needs of pupils are looked after well. The school employs a wide range of strategies, for example a mental health programme for the older pupils, and uses the services of the inclusion manager well to help pupils and ensure that they feel valued. Pupils believe that incidents of bullying are isolated and minor 'fall outs' are sorted out quickly. Child protection and other arrangements for safeguarding children are in place. Systems for ensuring that pupils regularly attend school are effective and there are satisfactory links with feeder secondary schools. Although academic guidance is satisfactory overall, the use of targets and tracking to accelerate pupils' progress is underdeveloped.

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Grade: 3

The new tracking system has been the key factor in sharpening senior leaders' understanding of the strengths and areas for development in provision, and in highlighting areas of weakness in pupils' progress. They have taken decisive action and substantially reduced underachievement. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 2008 Systems for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the school have strengthened overall and there is now improved capacity in subject leadership. However, work remains to be done to remove the inconsistencies in pupils' progress and to see the good outcomes in pupils' personal development reflected fully in their academic achievement. Governors support the work of the school well and are now developing their role of critical friend more effectively. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 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? 2 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? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 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 3 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?

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: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 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 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: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of All Saints C of E Primary School, Manchester, M40 1LS I am writing to thank you for your warm welcome and help when my fellow inspector and I visited your school recently, and to tell you about our inspection findings. A Year 2 boy said this was the 'best school in the best place in the whole wide world'. Pupils at other schools might disagree with him about that, but it does say something important about the pride that pupils at All Saints have in their school. This was very evident in the assembly where the wind band performed well and you all took a very full part in the singing. It is also shown in the ways you care about your work and the good relationships you have with each other and the adults who help you at school. The staff work hard to ensure that you feel happy and safe in school and to give you good opportunities for keeping fit and healthy. You behave well and enjoy much of your learning and for these reasons we judge your personal and social development

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to be good. We judge your school to be providing you with a satisfactory quality of education. The parents of the younger children said they felt the children made good progress in their learning by the time they left Reception, and we agree with that view. By the time pupils leave Year 6, we judge that you have made satisfactory progress overall. Standards in English, mathematics and science are below average, and we have suggested that the school aims to raise these standards. In some year groups you make more progress than in others. We have, therefore, asked the staff to help you learn at a steadier and faster rate by making sure that you are taught and learn well in all years. We also want your teachers to make better use of assessment and targets to support you more in your learning and to aim to stretch you to reach higher standards. You can help by attending as regularly as possible and keeping up your very positive attitudes

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

towards your school and your learning. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Primary School, 21 °22 May 2008

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