Ellenbrook Community Primary School

Ellenbrook Community Primary School Inspection report

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130396 Unique Reference Number Salford Local Authority 315630 Inspection number 12 March 2008 Inspection date Angela Westington HMI 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 240 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Julie Strang Chair Mr John McNulty Headteacher 1 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Longwall Avenue School address Ellenbrook Worsley Manchester M28 7PS 0161 799 6347 Telephone number 0161 799 2320 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 12 March 2008 Inspection date 315630 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 of Her Majesty's Inspectors. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: the quality of teaching and learning, especially in Key Stage 2, pupils' achievement, and the leadership and management of the school. Evidence was gathered from the school's self evaluation; national assessment data and the school's own assessment records; observations of the school's work; discussions with pupils and representatives of senior staff, the governing body and the local authority; scrutiny of school documents and parents' questionnaires. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation form were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

Ellenbrook Primary School is average-sized and serves a socially advantaged area. Very few of its pupils are in receipt of free school meals and the proportions with learning difficulties and/or disabilities or a statement of special educational needs are low. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and there are none at the early stages of speaking English as an additional language. The school belongs to Creative Partnerships of Manchester and Salford; is a member of Healthy Schools and Eco Schools; has received an 'Eco School of Excellence Award' and gained the Artsmark Silver award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Ellenbrook Community Primary School, 12 March 2008

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Grade: 1

Ellenbrook Primary School is an outstanding school because it continues to provide very high quality education and care for its pupils. It has sustained and developed further the high performance recognised at the previous inspection. Parents have overwhelming confidence and pride in the school and, rightly, have the highest regard for the headteacher. It is his vision and commitment that drives the school forward continuously. The headteacher, supported by the deputy has established a strong, vibrant and enriching curriculum for pupils based on a vision which they communicate very effectively to staff, senior managers and governors. Leadership at all levels is good and very focused. Consequently, there is a strong ethos and unanimity of purpose within the school. Pupils enjoy school: they love the eco garden, the 'chatterbox' hut to sit in, the wide choice of play equipment and the recently created vegetable garden whose produce appears on their

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Grade: 1

plates at lunchtimes. They enjoy their lessons too. A significant feature of Ellenbrook is the way in which the school has maintained its high test results in English, mathematics and science and at the same time expanded and developed the wider curriculum. The curriculum is excellent and the school is an exciting place to be. Currently, staff are reviewing the curriculum again and strengthening links between subjects as part of their drive to improve the skills based element in and across subjects. An example of this was observed in an extremely good lesson in the Year 3 class, which combined pupils learning about the historical aspects of Ancient Egyptian mummification and devising a fair test to examine the preservative properties of sand. The levels of enjoyment were very high as the class agreed that the best way to show the difference that sand made would be to bury one of two "twin bananas" in sand and take digital

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Grade: 1

photographs regularly to record the outcomes. The quality of teaching is good overall with some that is outstanding. In the very small amount of satisfactory teaching that was observed, pupils were not clear what level they were working at, what they should be aiming for or how to get there. The school's results in national tests are consistently strong. In Key Stage 1, results over the last five years have been significantly above the average in all three areas of reading, writing and mathematics; this is because of the proportion of pupils gaining the higher levels. In the same period, in Key Stage 2, standards overall have also been significantly above average but with some variation in the subjects. Three years ago results in science dipped; in 2006, they dipped in mathematics and in 2007 they dipped in English. On each occasion it was the result of a reduction in the number of pupils gaining the higher levels. In response, the headteacher,

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Grade: 1

his deputy and the subject leader immediately investigated and put in place subject training for teachers and, more recently, have established a much tighter tracking system to monitor pupils' progress. The school identified weaknesses in pupils' writing in Key Stage 2 as the reason for the relative drop in English in 2007: pupils did not make as much progress as they should have done. To redress this, the school has undertaken a review of the teaching of writing and instigated new procedures for monitoring progress and setting targets. However, some older pupils are still unaware of the level of their writing and the very specific things they need to do to improve it, step by step. Pupils have a lot to write about; the content of their work is strong and they are very knowledgeable about a range of issues, but some lack the skills to organise their thoughts tightly and coherently and thus reach the higher levels they are capable

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Grade: 1

of achieving. Despite this, pupils' achievement is good, and in some cases very good, because of the high levels of skills and knowledge they acquire across a wide range of areas. It is no 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Ellenbrook Community Primary School, 12 March 2008 surprise then, that attendance is above the national figure and that there have been no exclusions since the school opened eleven years ago. Pupils are very well cared for and all safeguarding requirements are met. Academic assessment is strong and improving and pupils in need of additional support are identified early and provided with the necessary help. They make similar rates of progress as their class mates. Parents, carers and pupils all play an active part in the life of the school. They are consulted and their views influence the school's priorities. The school coordinates and supports the extensive and high quality Extended School provision, providing a very valuable resource for

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Grade: 1

Provision in the Foundation Stage is outstanding. It enables children to make very good progress from entry to the Nursery to the end of Reception. They enter the Nursery with skills levels that are broadly typical of children in this age group, although their personal, social and emotional development is much better than this. By the time they leave Reception, the overwhelming majority have met the Early Learning Goals and a substantial proportion have exceeded them. They are very well prepared for Year 1. Children's welfare is paramount and their personal development is very good; they are happy and eager to learn. The Foundation Stage is very well led by a knowledgeable and experienced teacher who, with her staff, monitors carefully the progress made by each child. They have identified areas for development, such as the outdoor learning area and opportunities to develop literacy and numeracy, and have

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Grade: 1

managed the changes to improve provision further. These particular improvements have had a positive impact in engaging boys more effectively in learning. The school is part of a local network for sharing good practice and the Foundation Stage is part of this, working collaboratively with other providers.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure older pupils are clear about the level at which they are working, especially in their writing, what they should be aspiring to and how to get there. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Ellenbrook Community Primary School, 12 March 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Ellenbrook Community Primary School, 12 March 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? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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?

1 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Ellenbrook Community Primary School, 12 March 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Ellenbrook Community Primary School, 12 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you so much for making me feel welcome when I visited your school recently. I had a super day. I looked at many of the things you do in school and talked with your teachers and some of the people who help you. I thought that you behaved very well and I understand why you and your families are very proud of your school. You should be! I think your school is really special. I think it is 'outstanding' because of all the good things that it does. These are some of the things that I really liked.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The people in school work very hard to make sure that you are safe, well cared for and happy when you come to school. I know you love the vegetable garden, the toys you can use in the playground, especially the space hoppers, and the bicycle shed! ■ There are lots and lots of interesting things for you to get involved with in your lessons and in all the extras you do. No wonder you come to school regularly. I bet you don't want to miss anything! ■ Yours is an eco school and a healthy school. You are learning all about these issues.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You work hard and your work is of a high standard. Well done!

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Mr McNulty is a really good headteacher and he does everything he can to make sure that you get the best possible education. Don't forget to say thank you to him the next time you see him J Because your school is so good it is very difficult to think of things to make it even better but there is just one small thing I have seen. I have asked Mr McNulty to make sure that the older children are clear about where they are up to in their work, especially their writing, and that the teachers tell them clearly how much further on they could be, and how to get there. Now, I promised to say a special thanks to the group of children who came to talk to me. You know who you are!! Thank you for all your help and for being so friendly and talking to me. I did enjoy meeting you. I have mentioned the vegetable garden and the space hoppers, like you said! 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Ellenbrook Community Primary School, 12 March 2008

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