Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School

Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School Inspection report

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119284 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 313239 Inspection number 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates Michael Onyon 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 312 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Kevin Wilderspin Chair Miss Deborah Bland Headteacher 1 March 2005 Date of previous school inspection Lytham St Annes School address Lancashire FY8 2HQ 01253 723465 Telephone number 01253 723541 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 °13 February 2008 Inspection dates 313239 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Mayfield Primary school is larger than average and serves a mixed socio-economic area with low levels of social disadvantage. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage with a small number from minority ethnic groups. A small proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average while the proportion with statements of special educational need is above average. There is a small number of children looked after by the local authority.

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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: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to pupils' achievement and standards and the quality of teaching and learning. Pupils’ achievement is inadequate and standards overall are below average. The school’s results in national tests in English, mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 2 have fallen over the past three years to below average levels. The results of assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2007 are also below average, especially in writing. Boys achieve less well than girls. Although the school is working with the local authority, the quality of teaching is inadequate; expectations

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Grade: 4

of the pupils are rising but are not high enough to ensure that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. Lessons are not consistently challenging and engaging enough to improve learning and compensate for a legacy of underachievement. The recent improvement in procedures to assess pupils’ progress means teachers can now pinpoint more accurately pupils who are underachieving and those requiring extra support. However, teachers do not always use this information well when planning lessons and they do not make it clear to pupils how they can improve. Teaching is not of a consistently high quality to move pupils’ learning on quickly enough. Pupils’ personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Pupils have a good appreciation of how to live healthily and to stay safe. Their behaviour is satisfactory overall, although pupils behave less well when the teaching does not capture their interest sufficiently. Pupils say they

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Grade: 4

are happy at school and that their views are valued. Attendance has improved and is satisfactory. The curriculum is satisfactory. However, across the school there are some inconsistencies in the way that activities are planned. This means that there is a variation in the level of challenge for pupils in lessons, particularly for the highest attainers. The school cares well for its pupils who say they feel safe in school. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The leadership team and the governing body have worked successfully in partnership with the local authority to take action to tackle a legacy of underachievement. Senior leaders have developed a much clearer and more accurate view of how well the school is performing. The stronger focus on raising achievement and developing a culture of learning means that pupils are beginning to make better progress than previously. Although the school has made inadequate progress since its previous inspection, recent actions

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Grade: 4

have shown that it has the capacity to get back on track. The whole-school commitment to improving outcomes for pupils and the positive way the school acts on advice has strengthened its capacity to improve. Morale is improving and staff are increasingly accountable for their work.

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Grade: 3

Children enter the Foundation Stage with skills at the levels typical for children of their age. They settle quickly into the routines of the Reception class and clearly enjoy coming to school. Within a caring atmosphere, the children develop self-confidence and learn to become increasingly independent. They make satisfactory progress in all areas of learning and reach 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008 standards close to national expectations by the time they enter Year 1. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Staff ensure that there is a wide range of well-focused activities to promote learning. The school's focus on systematically teaching the sounds of letters is having an impact in improving standards in reading. Resources are adequate but the provision for role play and some outside activities is limited. The overall quality of the children's

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Grade: 3

experiences in Reception provides a secure foundation for their future learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve achievement and raise standards in English, mathematics and science

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of teaching; in particular, the pace in lessons and teachers’ expectations of the pupils. ■ Improve teachers’ use of assessment to monitor pupils’ progress, to inform planning and to make sure pupils know how to improve their work.

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Grade: 4

Achievement is inadequate and standards are below average. Inadequacies in teaching, currently being addressed with some success by the school, have meant that pupils have not consistently made the progress of which they are capable. The school’s results in tests and assessments for seven and 11-year-olds in 2007 were below average. The school’s overall performance in the national tests at the end of Year 6 has fallen since 2005. While the school reached its targets in 2007, they were set at a low level and many pupils, particularly the more able but also those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities did not reach their full potential. When children start school, their development is at levels typical for their age. As the result of satisfactory progress in the Foundation Stage, many are close to reaching the level expected for their age as they enter Year 1. Progress in Years 1 and 2 is inadequate. Standards are below

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Grade: 4

average in Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics. In Years 3 to 6, too many pupils do not make the progress needed to fulfil their potential. While standards are below average as a result, it is the more able pupils who most noticeably underachieve in English, mathematics and science.

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Grade: 3

Personal development and well-being are satisfactory. Imaginative and effective strategies have raised levels of attendance to average levels. Pupils’ own motivation helps them to develop satisfactory attitudes to learning. Pupils say they enjoy school and that they feel safe and have someone to turn to if they have a problem. The recently introduced social and emotional learning (SEAL) programme has resulted in pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development being satisfactory. Behaviour overall is satisfactory. While it is often good in lessons, it deteriorates when the teaching fails to command pupils’ interest and attention. The school’s commitment to living a healthy lifestyle is reflected in the achievement of the Healthy Schools and Football Association Schools Charter awards. Pupils talk knowledgeably about healthy eating and enjoy taking part in physical activities, for example the regular ‘wake

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Grade: 3

and shake’ sessions. Pupils say their views are valued. The school council promotes a good sense of citizenship and pupils are proud to represent their school. Some opportunities are 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008 provided for pupils to find out about life outside school but the below average academic standards do not prepare pupils well for their future lives.

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Grade: 4

The quality of teaching and learning overall is inadequate because, with some exceptions, it is not strong enough to promote the progress needed to raise standards and achievement. Where teaching is good, resources are used well to capture pupils’ interest and to engage them in learning. Teachers' questioning checks levels of understanding, so that they know how well the pupils have learned. Too many of the lessons, however, lack pace: there is no sense of urgency about the need to move pupils on quickly in their learning, resulting in slow progress. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low and consequently limit their progress. Recently developed assessment systems are not yet used consistently to set targets effectively, to raise expectations, to guide pupils’ learning and to help teachers to evaluate the progress that pupils are making. Marking and analysis of work is variable and provides only limited

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Grade: 4

feedback. As a result, pupils do not always know where they are in their learning, where they should be and what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

The school's curriculum provides a satisfactory range of learning opportunities helping pupils develop well personally. Personal, social and health programmes are beginning to develop pupils’ understanding about healthy living and how to keep safe. The school is now focusing more on meeting the pupils’ academic needs. An improved emphasis on the development of literacy and numeracy is meeting with early success. The increase in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) across a number of subjects is also making learning more interesting. Those pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported well in lessons enabling them to take part in the same activities as their peers. Visitors and after-school clubs enrich the curriculum. Visits to places of educational importance help make learning enjoyable.

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Grade: 3

The school is very effective in providing a caring environment for the pupils. Pupils say the teachers are ‘kind, generous and helpful’. Procedures to ensure pupils’ safety are in place. There is a high level of active supervision in the playground, enabling pupils to play together well. The school takes effective action to ensure that the few incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively. Consequently, pupils feel safe and secure in school. Academic guidance is weaker. Systems to track pupils’ progress have been successfully introduced but are inconsistent in quality and quantity. The use of assessment information to track pupils’ progress is not yet effectively helping to improve their learning. Pupils are also uncertain about how they can contribute and make further progress in lessons. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory and improving. The leadership team has drawn successfully on support from the local authority and, as a result, has developed through self-evaluation a more accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Together with staff and governors, they have recognised past underachievement and are keen to move forward. The headteacher has a good understanding of what needs to be done and is aware of the reasons for the school’s current deficiencies. The headteacher and senior staff have accelerated the pace of change and provided a sharper focus on actions to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching. Actions taken are being monitored carefully to evaluate their impact, particularly on improving the quality of teaching. Further planned changes are targeted on areas of weakness already identified, for example, the improved analysis of data and tracking

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Grade: 3

of pupils’ progress. Expectations are being raised, weaknesses are being tackled systematically and leaders have a clearer view of how well the school is performing. Targets are now more realistic and challenging. The headteacher has broadened leadership responsibilities to emphasise the role of subject leaders in raising standards. Staff are responding well and the school has a sound capacity to make the necessary improvements. As pupils’ academic outcomes are unsatisfactory, the school offers inadequate value for money. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 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? No 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

4 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 4 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 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: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 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 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? Yes Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 February 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, Lancashire, FY8 2HQ As you know I inspected your school recently to find out how well you are learning. I enjoyed my two days with you, and thank you for being so polite and friendly. Thank you for helping me and letting me see you at work and at play. It was good to see how you enjoy coming to school and taking part in the activities. In particular, thank you to those of you who talked to me and told me what you thought. Some things about your school are good; for example, the way that you all get on with each other. You work hard and generally behave well. You feel safe, are well cared for and show concern for others less fortunate than yourselves through your fund raising activities. You have a good awareness of how to keep fit and healthy and are proud of your healthy school status. However, although many things about your school are getting better, you do not do as well as

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you could in your work. Therefore, the school has been given a ‘Notice to Improve’ which means that another inspector will visit the school again during the next year to check that it is improving. With your help I am confident that Mayfield will continue to get better. I have asked the school to help you to make more progress in lessons and improve your test results. I have asked the school to ensure that the teaching is suitable for all of you and that more of your lessons are interesting and challenging. I have also asked the school to keep a close eye on your progress and to tell you how you can improve. I am sure that you will help them by telling them what makes learning interesting and what helps you to learn. I wish you well for the future. Yours sincerely Michael Onyon Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School, 12 °13 February 2008

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