Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, Parbold

Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold Inspection report

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119694 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 313395 Inspection number 11 °12 October 2007 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 96 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Adrian Owens Chair Mrs Marie-Louise Hunt (acting) Headteacher 1 July 2003 Date of previous school inspection Brandreth Drive School address Parbold Lancashire WN8 7HD 01257 462466 Telephone number 01257 462466 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 11 °12 October 2007 Inspection dates 313395 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Our Lady and All Saints is a smaller than average school which serves a socially and economically advantaged area. This includes the village of Parbold and a wider area, with many of the pupils from beyond the school’s normal admissions area. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above the national average, although a below average proportion of these pupils has a statement of special educational need. Very few pupils are from minority ethnic groups and a very small minority have English as an additional language. The pupils are taught in Reception and three mixed-age classes; Years 1 and 2 are in one class and the Key Stage 2 classes each cater for two year groups. At the time of inspection the deputy head was acting headteacher. The school holds Healthy Schools accreditation and the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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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: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 2007

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Grade: 2

Our Lady and All Saints is a good school. A strong family atmosphere supports a good academic education and high quality pastoral care. The school’s ethos is valued highly by parents and enjoyed by pupils. All pupils make good progress in their learning and their personal development is outstanding. The staff are committed and work together well doing their best for the pupils. They, working with governors, have good capacity to improve the school further. An overwhelming majority of parents have a very positive view of the school. Many expressed comments such as, ‘I strongly believe the school fosters and promotes pupils’ personal development very well’; praising the family-oriented, nurturing atmosphere, the personalised approach and the emphasis on building pupils’ well-being, confidence and self-esteem. Pupils have lots of opportunities to take responsibility, develop independence and contribute to the

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Grade: 2

life of the school and the wider community. These opportunities and the school’s ethos contribute very well to pupils’ excellent behaviour and their development of personal attributes that enable them to benefit fully from lessons. Teaching is good. Relationships are very good and staff clearly enjoy being with their pupils. As a result the pupils respond very well, working hard in lessons. Teachers match work to the needs of all pupils in the mixed-age classes and the curriculum is planned to ensure that pupils tackle harder work each year as they move up the school. The school uses the resources of the locality alongside visits and visitors to enrich the curriculum well. The knowledge of staff is augmented by the positive involvement of teaching assistants in supporting the teaching of individuals and groups of pupils. This is valued highly by the pupils. Pupils make good overall progress in Key Stages 1 and 2, though progress is slower in reading

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Grade: 2

and writing than in mathematics in Key Stage 1. Overall standards by Year 2 are above average and by Year 6, standards are usually well above the national average. Leadership and management are good. The governing body has ensured a good degree of continuity at a time of leadership transition for the school. The staff share a common purpose and commitment to the school; they have a good record of working together to improve what the school offers and securing good pupils’ achievement. The issues raised at the previous inspection have been tackled effectively. The school has moved forward in providing good academic guidance for pupils, although pupils are not always fully involved in setting learning targets that help them to understand how to improve their work. The acting headteacher has a good grasp of the school’s performance and sensible plans to build on the school plan for improvement.

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Grade: 2

Children make a good start in the Reception class. Attainment on entry is above that expected nationally. Teaching and learning are good. The curriculum covers all the required areas well and there is a good balance of activities led by adults and chosen by children. They enjoy learning, often through first-hand experiences and practical work, both indoors and out. Good teamwork between the teacher and teaching assistant ensures that the children benefit from a good level of support and individual attention as well as opportunities to join pupils in Year 1 for some of their activities. They make particularly good progress in personal, social and 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 2007 emotional development. Children’s achievements and their rate of progress are monitored well and the information is used effectively to plan future activities.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils’ achievement in reading and writing at Key Stage 1 so that they make as much progress as they do in mathematics. ■ Involve pupils when setting their learning targets so they understand what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

All groups of pupils achieve well overall. Those who have difficulties in learning make good progress because they get the extra help they need, and the more able achieve well because they are effectively challenged in their learning. Children make good progress in Reception and by the end of the year they reach standards that are usually above those expected for their age. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils continue to make good progress, although progress is slower in reading and writing than mathematics at Key Stage 1. Standards reached in the national tests and assessments by Year 2 and Year 6 fluctuate because year groups are small and the abilities of pupils vary from year to year. From 2002 to 2006 standards were above the national average in Key Stage 1 and usually well above average in Key Stage 2. National comparisons are not available for 2007 but the results show that pupils met the school’s challenging targets

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Grade: 2

by Year 6. The school’s tracking of progress has established that pupils in Key Stage 1 achieve better in mathematics than in reading and writing.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. All pupils are treated as valued individual members of the school community. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding, especially in the social and moral aspects. From their first days at school, pupils learn independence and responsibility and contribute to the life of the school as a community. Older pupils take full responsibility for organising the system enabling playground equipment to be used by all at lunchtime and they help each other resolve any minor problems that arise. Cultural development is good because pupils have many opportunities to learn about the local culture and a good range of activities helps pupils learn about the diversity of cultural and religious traditions in Britain and the wider world. Pupils enjoy school a great deal as illustrated in above average attendance. They speak proudly about there being ‘lots of fabulous things to do’. They also speak positively about the support

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Grade: 1

they get if they find learning difficult. When thinking of anything they would want to see changed they talked of ‘being able to suggest our targets for learning’. Pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning and their excellent behaviour contribute significantly to their learning. Because of the schools’ work in gaining healthy school accreditation pupils are aware of how to keep themselves healthy and safe in and out of school. They understand healthy diets and take up of the healthy meals cooked at the school is high. Pupils are physically active. In addition to contributing much to the school community, pupils add to the life of the local community in several ways. For example, they take part in the annual Parbold festival and invite members of the community to school events. Because pupils generally reach above average 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 2007

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Grade: 1

standards in basic skills, develop the personal attributes needed for learning, build successful relationships and develop economic awareness, they are very well-prepared to benefit from the next stage of their education and for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is consistently good throughout the school. Staff have extremely good relationships with their pupils and create a positive atmosphere for learning. As a result pupils are confident to ask for help when they need it. Teachers plan effectively to ensure that work is very well matched to the needs of all pupils in mixed-age classes. The match of work is confirmed by pupils who said that their work is ‘quite hard’ and that the teachers are kind but make them work hard. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, within and outside of class lessons, is of good quality and ensures that, in relation to what they have done before, they achieve well.

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Grade: 2

A good curriculum is provided by the school. It is sensibly planned in cycles to accommodate the learning needs of mixed age classes to ensure that pupils cover all that they should. Work becomes more demanding as pupils move up the school and in the core subjects, this progression is planned well. The planning enables links between subjects to be established and the school acknowledges such links can be identified more consistently. There are some good examples of work that links subjects effectively. For example, the wartime experiences of a visitor were used to create opportunities for pupils to use the key skills of literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology (ICT) to present work about ‘evacuees’. The provision to promote pupils’ personal development is outstanding. The curriculum is enriched well with a good range of visits and visitors which broaden pupils’ horizons and capitalise well on the resources of the

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Grade: 2

Pastoral care is good and as a result, pupils feel safe at school and well supported by the staff. Pupils confirm that they are not concerned about bullying at their school. Requirements regarding health and safety are in place and routines are well-established and understood by pupils, who say ‘I know I can talk to teachers about any worries I have.’ Safeguarding procedures are in place and conform to statutory requirements. Whilst academic guidance and support is good, there are not always enough opportunities for pupils to contribute when setting learning targets, to offer them a better understanding of what it is they need to do to improve. The standards pupils have reached are regularly monitored and challenging targets set for pupils’ results in the tests and assessments at the end of each key stage. Underachievement is identified and additional help is given to the pupils. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 2007

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Grade: 2

The acting headteacher has made a smooth transition into the role, providing stability and continuity for pupils and staff whilst maintaining the school’s positive ethos. She has a good grasp of the school’s effectiveness and recognises where improvements can be made. She is effectively building on existing plans for improvement. For example, she intends to further encourage staff to identify links between subjects to offer consistent opportunities for pupils to use literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in all subjects. The school’s self evaluation accurately evaluates its performance, strengths and areas to improve. The acting headteacher is supported well by a cohesive and committed staff team who work closely together and contribute fully to identifying those areas to improve. Governors are well-informed and involved in school life and planning for the future. The school is well-placed to continue to improve.

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Grade: 2

7 of 11 Inspection Report: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 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: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 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? 1 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 1 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?

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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 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: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 October 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Our Lady and All Saints Roman Catholic Primary School, Parbold, Lancashire, WN8 7HD Thank you very much for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I really enjoyed talking to you and finding out about what you enjoy doing. I promised the children I spoke with that I would let you know what I thought. I am pleased to tell you that you attend a good school. Things that really stand out are how well you do in your tests in English, mathematics and science by Year 6. How keen you are to take on responsibilities, help to make decisions about your school and care about one another, including raising funds for charities. Your behaviour and attitude to work are outstanding. The headteacher and all the staff take very good care of you all and teach you well. You give an excellent welcome to everyone who visits your school. I have asked the school to help you to try to do even better in your reading and writing tests

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

at Key Stage 1 so that you do as well as you do in your mathematics. I have also suggested that you are given the opportunity to be involved in setting your targets for learning, so that you know what you need to do to improve. Thank you for helping me to learn so much about your school. Keep on working hard and as a result you can carry on playing a major part in ensuring that your school continues to be highly regarded by all who come into contact with it. Yours sincerely Michael Onyon Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Our Lady and All Saints R C Primary School, Parbold, 11 °12 October 2007

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