Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School

Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School Inspection report

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119369 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 327012 Inspection number 23–24 October 2008 Inspection dates Sue Sharkey 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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Infant Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 4–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 191 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 Dave Wynn Chair Mrs Vanessa Morrissey Headteacher 1 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Woodlea Road School address Leyland Lancashire PR25 1JL 01772 423339 Telephone number

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4–7 Age group 23–24 October 2008 Inspection dates 327012 Inspection number 01772 459096 Fax number

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4–7 Age group 23–24 October 2008 Inspection dates 327012 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

■ This school is smaller than the average infant school. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the average and most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is also below average but above average for pupils with a statement of special educational needs. Some pupils are taught in mixed age classes. The school has a Reception Unit in its Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). An independent provider runs a Nursery and after-school care on the premises.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Leyland St Andrew’s Church of England Infant School provides a good education for its pupils and some aspects of its work are outstanding. The school has an energetic community providing a purposeful environment in which pupils say they enjoy all the school has to offer. Parents have positive views about the school, a typical comment being ‘This is a forward thinking school in which children are encouraged to develop thinking skills, where they are taught well and where they are happy.’ The skills and confidence that pupils develop ensure that they are well prepared for future learning and life as a young adult. The school gives good value for money. Pupils make good progress and achieve well. Children make a good start in the EYFS Reception classes so that they enter Year 1 with standards above those expected for their age. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1 and sustain above average standards by the

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Grade: 2

time they leave. Pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported extremely well, often by skilled teaching assistants. This accounts for their good achievement. Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. They have many opportunities to contribute to the community and enjoy supporting others. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to keep healthy through regular exercise and good diet. Good relationships between staff and pupils underpin the good behaviour seen throughout the school. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils’ achievement across the school is good because of the quality of teaching. The most able pupils, however, are not always sufficiently challenged to enable them to reach their potential. Teachers have good subject knowledge and their natural enthusiasm engages pupils in learning.

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Grade: 2

There is a real feeling that everyone works together as a team to maximise the quality of experience for the pupils. The curriculum is of good quality and supports teaching and learning well. Enrichment in learning is excellent and the many visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities help to make learning exciting so that pupils want to learn. Care, guidance and support are excellent. In this caring school each pupil is well known and highly valued so that they grow in confidence and self- esteem. Pupils say they feel safe and happy because they can approach adults and be confident that they are treated equally and that their concerns will be listened to and dealt with. The systems for tracking pupils’ academic progress are excellent. Leadership and management at all levels are good. The governors are well informed about all aspects of school life and discharge their responsibilities efficiently. The headteacher and senior

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Grade: 2

leadership team monitor the work of the school well. However, they do not always set challenging targets for attendance and for the most able pupils, to support the raising of their achievement and standards. Systems are in place to raise attendance but these are not yet rigorous enough to reduce the absence of some pupils. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and has good capacity to improve.

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Grade: 2

The effectiveness of provision in the EYFS is good. Children’s love of learning begins in the Reception class where they are very well nurtured and cared for in a safe environment. Parents say that their children quickly settle and are happy. Children usually enter the Reception classes with levels of basic skills in line with those typical for their age, but they are often lower in 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008 language and communication skills. They make good progress throughout the year, so when pupils start in Year 1, most have reached levels above the learning goals expected for their age. Stimulating activities are well chosen and children are given every opportunity to explore the world around them. Leadership and management of the EYFS are good and ensure that adults plan well together as a team and have a clear understanding about how young children learn.

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Grade: 2

As a result, children show increasing levels of confidence and independence and make good progress particularly in linking sounds and letters. This progress is checked regularly providing a clear picture of what they need to learn next. Children behave very well and are keen to learn. Teaching and learning are good because adult’s questions challenge children’s thinking, and practical learning is supported well by stimulating resources. They make good gains in their early literacy skills because adults are particularly talented at providing practical play activities that captivate children. For example, by performing in their theatre or drawing letters in shaving foam or sparkly paint. Consequently, children show increasing levels of interest and concentration. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because early assessment highlights their needs and good teaching assistant support is provided.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that challenging targets are set for the most able pupils and that their work is set at a sufficiently high level to enable them to achieve these targets. ■ Set more challenging targets for attendance and put in place robust procedures to reduce absence.

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average when pupils leave school and achievement is good. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2. Since 2005, pupils’ assessments at the end of Year 2 have been above average in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2008 provisional data indicates that results of assessments are not as high. School records clearly indicate this Year 2 group did achieve well from a starting point that was much lower than that usually expected. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and make good progress towards their targets set for learning.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well-being are good and this is an important element in their good academic progress and achievement. This is a happy school where pupils say they feel safe and secure because adults take good care of them and take their concerns seriously. They enjoy good relationships at all levels within the school and behaviour is good. Pupils practise their excellent knowledge of healthy life styles by eating sensibly and making very good use of the wide range of opportunities for exercise. The majority of pupils attend well but overall attendance is satisfactory. Pupils’ contribution to the school and wider community, including good links with the church, is outstanding. They readily give of their time and effort to help organise and run events. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They learn about different faiths and cultural traditions and enjoyed raising funds to support a charity

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Grade: 2

in Africa. However, pupils do not always have sufficient experience of the diversity of British society. Their readiness to take on responsibility, capacity to work in groups and teams and good basic skills, supports good learning and helps them build confidence. 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Progress is good because teaching is good and sometimes outstanding. A positive feature of all lessons is the good relationship staff have with their pupils, which ensures that pupils behave well and have good attitudes to their work. Teachers plan lessons well so that there is plenty of opportunity for talk and discussion. Activities are generally well pitched to meet the needs of different groups of pupils, however, appropriately challenging work for the most able pupils is not provided consistently. Where teaching is outstanding, the expectations of these pupils is high and there is rapid pace in lessons. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well providing pupils with interesting learning experiences and pupils enjoy the regular use of computers to support their learning and help to make it fun. Provision in lessons for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good and accounts for their good progress.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with some outstanding features. It meets requirements and takes account of national initiatives and guidance. A strength is the way that different subjects are linked together to motivate and engage pupils offering good opportunities for creativity and independent learning, making learning more relevant and meaningful. The wide range of visitors and extended opportunities available to pupils significantly enhances their learning. Pupils enjoy learning African dancing from a visitor from Ghana whilst finding out how people live in Africa. Art-based activities are particularly strong and help to promote good spiritual development and understanding of other cultures, as well as allowing some of the most able pupils to flourish. However, the needs of these pupils are not always met in other subjects. Art work displayed throughout the school is excellent and shows clever use of a wide range of

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Adults give the attention and welfare of pupils the highest priority and this is evident throughout the school. Child protection procedures, safeguarding systems and risk assessment meet national guidelines to ensure the health and safety of pupils. Relationships throughout the school are very positive and pupils confirm that they feel safe and enjoy school because they feel valued and supported. Academic guidance is very good. Teachers keep pupils well informed about how well they are progressing and give clear advice about what they have to do to improve. Tracking and close monitoring of pupil progress identifies potential underachievement and triggers appropriate intervention. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because of quality learning support and the close links with outside agencies. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management, including governance, are good. The headteacher and senior leadership team work together well and have instilled an ethos of caring which pervades throughout the school. The school self-evaluation is good and accurately highlights areas of improvement. However, targets are not always challenging enough to raise standards for the most able pupils and improve attendance. Procedures for improving attendance are in place but they are not rigorous enough to reduce absence for a small group of pupils. Good systems to assess and track pupils’ progress are used effectively and enable managers to pinpoint issues as they arise. Leaders check provision well through monitoring systems and put effective strategies in place to improve any weaknesses and implement any national changes. This is exemplified by the school’s good understanding of its role in promoting community cohesion. Governors know the school well and work closely with the staff to help shape its future direction.

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Grade: 2

Parents take advantage of the opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning and enjoy the regular workshops that help them become familiar with the schools approach to literacy and numeracy. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 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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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 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? 1 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

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 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/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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 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 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 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 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, Lancashire, PR25 1JL I am writing to thank you for making us feel so welcome when we inspected your school. We really enjoyed talking to you and have good memories of how friendly you were, not only towards us but also towards each other and your teachers. Your parents and carers told us how well all the adults in school look after you and you told us this too! We had to agree when we saw how safe you are, how everyone looks after you and how well teachers help you to learn. In fact, we thought the care you receive was outstanding. We were impressed with how keen you were to talk, telling us about your many activities. We were not surprised at how well your Harvest Festival service went in church after watching your rehearsal. We were impressed at how confident some of you were when you stood up and talked

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and enjoyed hearing you sing your harvest songs. We looked at all parts of your school life and found that your teachers always try to do their very best for you and we were able to say that their teaching is good which helps your work to be good. When we asked you about living healthily you were so good at telling us how much you knew about the importance of healthy food, getting lots of exercise and how to keep safe, that we were able to say that this was excellent. We enjoyed spending time in each of your classrooms, not just watching you learning inside, although that was good, but outside as well. Some of you told us that your work is good, but sometimes it is too easy, so we have asked your teachers to set you higher targets to help you work even harder. It was really good to see how many of you come to school but your headteacher told us that not all of you manage to attend every day. It is important for you all to be in school regularly,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

so we have asked her to find ways to help you all attend more often. We were pleased to tell your headteacher that your school is a good school. We know how proud the school is of all you do. Well done and we hope you all continue to work hard and enjoy school. Best wishes Sue Sharkey Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Leyland St Andrew's Church of England Infant School, 23–24 October 2008

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