Adlington Primary School

Adlington Primary School Inspection report

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119330 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 327002 Inspection number 30 January 2009 Inspection date Sheila Mawer 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 84 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 Mr Alan Seddon Chair Mrs Tracey Taylor Headteacher 4 July 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Park Road School address Adlington Chorley Lancashire PR7 4JA 01257 480557 Telephone number 01257 485442 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 30 January 2009 Inspection date 327002 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 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues.

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Introduction

■ How well the teaching, learning and guidance that pupils receive is impacting on their achievement. ■ The effectiveness of the strategies being used by the school to improve pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to learning. ■ How effectively leadership and management is being strengthened to bring about improvements to the curriculum and the identification and support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, the scrutiny of pupils’ work, assessment information and the school’s self-evaluation. Discussions were held with staff, governors and pupils, and questionnaires returned by parents were considered. A range of documentation was also examined. 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, were not justified. These have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This much smaller than average sized school serves a large village. The area is mixed socio-economically. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. Most pupils are from White British families. An average number of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. A Reception class provides for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school holds the Healthy Schools and Activemark awards. A new headteacher was appointed in September 2008.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 2009

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Grade: 3

Adlington is a satisfactory and improving school. It has a number of good features related to pastoral care and pupils’ personal development. It serves its community well and gives satisfactory value for money. The new headteacher has quickly recognised the weaknesses that are a barrier to better progress. Through her incisive action and accurate self-evaluation, she is working closely with staff and governors to strengthen the satisfactory leadership and management and improve provision. Senior staff are being trained to monitor teaching and learning so that strengths can be shared and weaknesses improved. However, these whole school developments have yet to be fully monitored to measure their impact. Governors, through their areas of responsibility are beginning to challenge the school, although there is still more to do. The school has made satisfactory progress since the previous inspection. With the support

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Grade: 3

of the local authority, good leadership from the headteacher and a very committed staff, the school is adequately placed to improve further. Achievement is satisfactory. Pupils by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are making satisfactory progress from their average starting point in Year 1. Standards in both key stages are average, although over the years standards and starting points have varied due to small year groups. Results in the national tests in Year 6 and teacher assessments in Year 2 have ranged from broadly average to above average. Provisional results in 2008 were above average at the end of both key stages. These cohorts had fewer pupils than usual with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Currently, school data indicates that Year 6 pupils are on track to meet the challenging targets set for them. Teaching is satisfactory. Teachers have a strong subject knowledge and they relate well to their

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Grade: 3

pupils. Lessons move on at a good pace. Teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils’ learning. They are well briefed by teachers and are clear about what pupils should learn. Teachers have begun to incorporate a wider range of strategies and resources into their teaching, including more practical work. This is helping to engage pupils more in their learning and is leading to better progress and improved behaviour. As assessment systems improve, teachers are starting to plan more challenging tasks that meet the needs of different ability groups and ages. Past work shows that pupils were often given the same work to complete and tasks were not hard enough, especially for the more able pupils to achieve well. Pupils respond well to the satisfactory and improving curriculum and to good enrichment opportunities. The curriculum is becoming more creative by linking subjects together to make the learning more meaningful. Literacy and numeracy are consolidated well in many lessons

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Grade: 3

and particularly in science. There is an effective programme for personal, social and health education. This contributes strongly to pupils’ good personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in improved attendance, which has risen from below average in 2006 to broadly average. They feel safe in school and develop healthy lifestyles. The behaviour of nearly all pupils is good. It has improved as they are given more opportunities to become involved in lessons and have their opinions heard. Pupils are friendly and caring and as one parent said, ‘In this school pupils look after each other from Reception to Year 6’. Pupils say there is very little bullying and any concerns are dealt with promptly. Satisfactory achievement and good social skills, including raising money for a residential trip, prepares them more than adequately for the next stage of

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Grade: 3

their education. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 2009 Care, guidance and support, overall, are satisfactory. The school is effective in providing good quality care and support. All safeguarding requirements are met. The register of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities has been revised, addressing a weakness from the last inspection. A good programme of well targeted support is now in place for pupils who need additional help. Recent training for support assistants is boosting the progress made by these pupils. Staff are highly committed to the care of all pupils and they develop strong relationships with them. Good links are established with outside agencies, bringing valuable support, especially to the most vulnerable pupils in the school. There is a weakness in academic guidance, which is currently being addressed. Systems to track progress are being changed to give an accurate

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Grade: 3

view of how well pupils are performing and to help teachers with their planning. Many pupils are not yet at the stage of knowing their targets. Marking is improving, especially in writing, and is beginning to inform pupils of what they do well and how to improve their work. Everyone is valued in the school and this has been strengthened by the actions of the school council. They have set up a ‘school pals’ system, where older pupils support younger members. The school’s contribution to community cohesion is good. Parents are very supportive of the school and appreciate the welcome they receive at community events. They comment that, ‘The school is friendly, safe and caring and goes a long way to facilitate the needs of all pupils, as well as the wider community’. There are good partnerships with other schools. Recently gifted and talented pupils in the area benefited from the partnership by receiving additional

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Grade: 3

support in art and mathematics. Visitors from other countries come into the school to share with pupils the diverse nature of society. Local visits and strong links with the church have strengthened the partnership with the local community. Global awareness has been heightened through the support for various charities and the celebration of different religious festivals.

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Grade: 2

Provision is good and children achieve well. An enthusiastic and knowledgeable coordinator leads the Early Years Foundation Stage successfully. She has strengthened planning and assessment and established strong teamwork with staff who share her high expectations for the children to do well. Numbers of children in Reception are relatively small and their starting points on entry to the school vary from year to year. In the last two years they have started with skills that are below those typical for their age, particularly in their capacity to communicate. They make good progress and nearly all reach the learning goals by the start of Year 1. Children make good progress in their personal development because of effective induction arrangements and an emphasis on their welfare. This helps them to settle happily into the daily routines of school and establishes good building blocks of how to learn. Teaching is good, including very

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Grade: 2

good relationships and quality care and support. The children regularly celebrate each other’s successes to build their self-esteem. Teaching assistants are well deployed and help children to succeed, especially those who require additional support. The children respond very positively to purposeful activities that are either led by adults or chosen by themselves. Role play and investigations are fully exploited in the good indoor and outdoor provision. More focus is now being given to the teaching of sounds and letters, which was a weakness in the past.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve academic guidance to involve pupils more in their learning and how to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise expectations and challenge in the teaching and learning, to enable all pupils to achieve as well as they can. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 2009 ■ Ensure that whole school developments are monitored to measure their impact.

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What the school should do to improve further

A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit from an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 2009 .

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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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 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?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

31 January 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Adlington Primary School, Lancashire, PR7 4JA Thank you for helping us when we inspected your school recently. You made our day very enjoyable and we appreciated how open and friendly you all were in talking about your school. Adlington is a satisfactory school and it has some good features. These are the strengths.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Adults in the school take good care of you and make sure you are safe and happy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Those of you in the Reception class get off to a good start in your school life. This is because you learn well through good teaching and a lot of exciting activities. ■ We found that nearly all of you behave well, work hard and get on well together. This gives the school a strong community feel. ■ School is made more interesting through the work you do with other schools, the local community and lots of visits, visitors and clubs after school. ■ Your new headteacher is leading the school well and starting to make improvements.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked the school to make some things better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ We think you could make more progress in some of your learning and we have asked the school to help you to do this in your lessons. ■ The school is going to set more regular targets with you all in English and mathematics, to help you to know how well you are doing. ■ The governors and senior staff are going to work closely with the headteacher to make sure that new developments will make the school even better. We hope you will all continue to work hard and do well and enjoy becoming more involved in knowing how well you are doing in lessons. I know the staff are very proud of your behaviour now and especially from the older pupils. Well done and keep it up! Good luck to you all for the future. Yours sincerely Sheila Mawer Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Adlington Primary School, 30 January 2009

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