Ingol Community Primary School

Ingol Community Primary School Inspection report

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119239 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 326980 Inspection number 3–4 March 2009 Inspection dates Kathleen McArthur 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 Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 72 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 Mrs Sylvia Dobson Chair Mrs Suzanne Fish Headteacher 15 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Whitby Avenue School address Ingol Preston Lancashire PR2 3YP 01772 727383 Telephone number 01772 760886 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 3–4 March 2009 Inspection dates 326980 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This very small school serves an area adversely affected by social and economic disadvantage. The proportion of pupils entitled to receive free school meals is more than twice the national average and very nearly all are of White British heritage. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is very high, about half of the pupils in some year groups, and about three times the national average have a statement of their special educational needs. The school has experienced considerable staffing disruption since the previous inspection. The headteacher has been in post for just over a year and the deputy headteacher for two years. Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a Reception class. The school hosts Sure Start activities for parents and children from the local community.

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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: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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Grade: 3

This satisfactory school is a happy, harmonious community that promotes pupils’ personal and social development well. Pupils work and play happily together, fulfilling the school’s mission statement ‘Learning to live, living to learn’. Inspection findings matched the school’s self-evaluation of how effective it is. Good leadership by the headteacher, with a firm focus on school improvement, is successfully providing better quality teaching and learning in a welcoming environment. Parents’ views are generally positive. One said, ‘My child loves the school and the teachers’. Others commented that the school is welcoming and staff are willing to listen. The inspection found that the leadership had done everything possible to minimise the impact of staffing turnover. Achievement is satisfactory and standards are broadly average. Standards are below average in mathematics because pupils find it difficult to apply their knowledge of number facts to

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Grade: 3

solve problems. Pupils make satisfactory progress overall and good progress in science. Writing skills still lag behind; pupils do not use a wide variety of words to add interest to their writing and often misspell common words. Stronger management input and focus are resulting in better pupils’ progress. Until recently, progress in Key Stage 1 has been inadequate and standards well below average, but improvements in teaching mean that pupils in Years 1 and 2 are now making satisfactory progress and standards are rising. Parents commented favourably on the good support provided for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Personal development is good. The school places great emphasis on this aspect of its work so pupils feel safe, secure, enjoy school and are caring and considerate towards others. Behaviour is good, resulting in good attitudes to learning that are helping to accelerate progress in lessons.

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Grade: 3

Pupils feel the school rules are fair and try hard to earn rewards. They report that, ‘We get a good education so we’re ready for high school’. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Pupils know they are expected to work hard, saying ‘As well as work, we have fun activities and learn a lot in a day’; so they clearly enjoy their lessons. The satisfactory curriculum is balanced, suitably adapted to meet the needs of all learners and responds to local needs through a good range of partnerships. Pastoral care is good. Arrangements to guide and support pupils in their academic work are satisfactory. Staff are taking greater responsibility for pupils’ progress, but assessment systems have yet to be used to full effect to raise standards and accelerate achievement. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. Staffing and leadership changes mean improvement since the last inspection has been slower than expected. The school makes effective

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Grade: 3

use of good partnerships with the local authority and external agencies to support pupils and extend provision, but has no longer-term plan in place for further development. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. Parents say behaviour, attitudes to school and the care their children receive have improved, but the school is well aware there is still work to be done to raise standards and accelerate progress. Actions for improvement are now showing results in better pupils’ progress, teaching and learning, giving the school a satisfactory capacity for further improvement. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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Grade: 3

Children in the Reception year are taught in a mixed-age class with Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. When they start school, skills levels are below, and often well below those typical for children of their age. More have attended pre-school provision than at the time of the previous inspection, but many have limited communication skills and life experiences. Good provision for their personal development, care and welfare ensures children settle quickly and are happy and keen to come into school at the start of each day. Teaching is sound and the staff ensure children make satisfactory progress. Daily practice in letters and sounds is helping the children make more rapid progress in gaining the skills needed for reading and writing, but limited vocabulary hinders their ability to express ideas. The curriculum provides a suitable blend of adult-led and child-initiated activities in each area of learning and choosing activities helps

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Grade: 3

children gain confidence and independence. The outdoor area is not fully used or developed. Leadership is satisfactory with suitable plans for future development. By the time they move to Year 1, children have made satisfactory progress but skills levels are still below those expected for their age.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils’ ability to apply their mathematical skills to solve problems to raise standards in mathematics. ■ Increase pupils’ vocabulary and improve their spelling to raise standards in writing.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Embed improvements in the quality of teaching to accelerate progress in Key Stage 1.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Draw up long-term plans to direct improvements and take the school forward.

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What the school should do to improve further

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

Small numbers in each year group mean achievement and standards vary greatly from year to year. In some year groups, a very high proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Regular, focused support ensures these pupils make satisfactory progress overall in their learning; it is sometimes good. Pupils now in the older classes started school with skills levels much lower than those typical for their age. Standards in Key Stage 1 have been well below average for some years, leaving pupils with too much ground to cover so they have not reached the expected standards by Year 6. However, in 2008, unvalidated results for Year 6 showed a big improvement in English; standards rose, pupils exceeded their targets and more reached the higher levels. There was some improvement in mathematics where pupils also exceeded their targets but standards were well below average. There is evidence of some good

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Grade: 3

progress in closing previous gaps in learning, for example, in science pupils make good progress because learning is based on practical investigations. School assessment information, lesson observations and scrutiny of books indicate that pupils across the school are now making satisfactory progress. However, there are still variations in the rate of progress, so achievement is only satisfactory. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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Grade: 2

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good so pupils mature into helpful members of the community. They work cooperatively, showing care and consideration for others. They are well aware of the need to eat healthily and take plenty of exercise. Pupils say they feel safe in school and that bullying is not really a problem and they can turn to any member of staff or someone they trust for help. Good systems help pupils regulate and manage their own behaviour, especially in the playground. They know they can spend quiet time in the Sunshine Room to reflect on their feelings and actions. Attendance is broadly average. The school makes every effort to raise attendance levels, including first day calls and support from the learning mentor. Pupils are reliable when given responsibilities in school. Prefects and the head boy and girl carry out their roles with pride. Participation in the Ingol and Tanterton Summer Festival and

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Grade: 2

events such as the Preston Music Festival extend their social and cultural development and enable pupils to meet people from different backgrounds. Suitable academic skills and good personal skills provide a satisfactory preparation for the future.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching is improving but has not yet fully overcome the legacy of slow progress by younger pupils. Lessons move along at a good pace and praise is used effectively to reinforce learning and give pupils the confidence to try harder. Most lessons are suitably planned, using assessment information to provide different work for pupils of all abilities. Pupils make better progress when teachers adapt teaching methods to their different learning styles and the school recognises that pupils respond best when learning is practical. For example, they make good progress in science because they enjoy the ‘hands-on’ investigations. Many pupils have a limited attention span and soon lose concentration if teachers talk for too long or miss opportunities to reinforce learning and, as a result, pupils’ progress slows. Teaching assistants are suitably deployed with specific groups or individuals. In the oldest class, teaching assistants demonstrate

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Grade: 3

particularly good knowledge of their pupils and use this skilfully to support pupils’ learning.

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Grade: 3

Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes so the curriculum is carefully structured to ensure they may revisit topics but not repeat work. The basic skills have priority and all other subjects are fully covered. Links with a tiny school in a rural setting in Lancashire broaden pupils’ experiences and awareness of the world beyond their own community. The good programme of personal development helps pupils consider feelings and emotions and contributes to their good attitudes to school. Good enrichment activities make school more enjoyable, including themed weeks such as the Fun, Food and Fitness Week. Pupils enjoy learning on visits, for example, to Ribchester for history, the residential experience at Tower Wood, and at Preston College, where they produced a dance inspired by literacy work. Cookery and sports are among the popular after-school and lunchtime clubs. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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Grade: 3

Warm, trusting relationships between pupils and adults are a strength of the school. Safeguarding arrangements meet all current requirements. Pupils feel secure and ready to learn and this is helping them make better progress. Support staff make a strong contribution to pupils’ well-being, especially the learning mentor, whose sensitive liaison between home and school is valued by pupils and their families. The school provides well for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities so they progress in line with, and sometimes better, than their classmates. Assessment systems are robust, but have yet to become fully effective in the drive to raise standards. Staff are making better use of assessment information to monitor progress and direct help where most needed. Pupils are keen to reach their targets and the older ones say they know how to check their own work, increasing their level of responsibility and involvement

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Grade: 3

in learning. Marking is thorough and shows pupils how to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher provides good leadership while undertaking a substantial teaching commitment. Her clear vision for improvement is shared by the leadership team and all the staff. Sound school self-evaluation has identified appropriate areas for attention, particularly achievement and standards. Performance management targets and staff training are helping to raise the quality of teaching. Improvement plans set suitably challenging targets and plan actions on a short-term basis, but there is no longer- term plan. Governance is satisfactory. Governors know the areas of the school that need to be developed and help evaluate school performance, with an emphasis on teaching and learning. Leadership makes good provision for pupils to develop social understanding and learn about different faiths and lifestyles in preparation for their future in a multicultural society. The curriculum provides a global dimension and, although this

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Grade: 3

aspect is not fully developed, the school’s overall contribution to community cohesion is good. Equal opportunities are promoted satisfactorily through additional support and care arrangements. The school’s value for money is satisfactory. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009 .

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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: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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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? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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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 The extent to which 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

5 March 2006 Dear Pupils Inspection of Ingol Community Primary School, Lancashire, PR2 3YP It was a real pleasure to visit your school this week. Everyone was friendly and polite and gave me a warm welcome. I really enjoyed meeting you all and listening to what you had to say. This letter is to tell you what I found. The way you happily work and play together told me that you enjoy school and your parents are pleased with the school. Ingol is a satisfactory school and makes sure your personal and social skills are good. I was pleased to see you behaving well and working hard in lessons. You say you feel safe in school and know how to care for your health. The prefects carry out their jobs well, especially helping the little ones at playtimes. You enjoy meeting with other schools and the local community, and I know many of you attend activities at Ingol Community Centre and the Sports Hub. You make satisfactory progress in your work. You do well in science and reach the standards

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

expected at your age. Standards are a bit lower in English and mathematics so I have asked the school to help you do better with your writing and spelling and to help you tackle problems in mathematics. The school is also going to help pupils in Key Stage 1 make faster progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Teaching is satisfactory and the curriculum covers every subject plus lots of extra fun activities, like ‘Playing for Success’, sports and the cookery club. The school keeps a close eye on your progress in learning, cares for you well and many of you enjoy time in the Sunshine Room. The leaders are always looking for ways to improve school so I have asked them to make long-term plans for the coming years. I am sure you will do all you can to help make the school even better. I send you my very best wishes Kathleen McArthur Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingol Community Primary School, 3–4 March 2009

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