Burnley Lowerhouse Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and governance by ensuring that:

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• the use of pupil premium funding is evaluated more effectively by checking that planned actions are having an impact on improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils
• they improve the attendance of pupils who are persistently absent from school, particularly disadvantaged pupils.
• Build on the improvements in teaching, learning and assessment to raise achievement still further by:
  • making sure that differences between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally continue to diminish in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The acting headteacher and other leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and pupils’ progress. Monitoring focuses on the impact of teaching on pupils’ achievement.
• School leaders and governors have worked closely with the local authority to identify appropriate support from local schools. This external support is effective, especially in developing the capacity of leadership at all levels.
• The school’s development plans identify what actions leaders will take to tackle any weaknesses in learning and improve pupils’ outcomes. As a result, leaders and governors are able to check how effective the actions are in raising standards.
• Middle leaders are a strength of the school. They are highly committed to bringing about improvements in their areas of responsibility. They check the quality of teaching and learning across the school. They use accurate assessment information to support teachers to plan learning that will improve pupils’ progress. This is the result of the effective training that staff receive.
• School leaders have a good understanding of the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Skilled staff support pupils effectively. As a result, these pupils are making good progress from their starting points.
• The school uses the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium funding effectively. A specialist coach supports staff to develop their skills with a view to sustainability. This also has a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes to physical education.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced and holds pupils’ interests well. Pupils develop a range of skills across different subjects. For example, through a topic on tsunamis, pupils were able to demonstrate acquisition of geographical, scientific and mathematical vocabulary and skills.
• The curriculum also makes a strong contribution to pupils’ personal development. It is enriched by a wide programme of visits and visitors to the school. After-school clubs are well attended and reflect pupils’ varied interests. For example, clubs such as the science club and Thai boxing are enjoyed by those pupils that attend.
• The school has established systems to assess and track pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics effectively. This also allows leaders to check and track how well pupils are doing in other subjects and revise provision as necessary.
• Pupils have various opportunities to learn about British values, such as democracy. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They constantly show values such as tolerance and respect to each other and to adults.
• The vast majority of parents who responded to Parent View and the parents who spoke to inspectors are highly supportive of the school. They particularly praised the pastoral care. One parent’s comment that ‘any worries or concerns, no matter how small, are dealt with sensitively and immediately’ summed up the views of many.
• Leaders ensure that teachers tackle any barriers to learning that disadvantaged pupils may have. This approach is enabling this group of pupils to make more rapid progress in their learning. However, leaders are aware that the differences in standards between disadvantaged and other pupils nationally still remain.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a clear understanding of pupils’ progress. They make regular visits to the school to meet with school leaders at all levels and gain first-hand views of the life of the school. Consequently, they know the strengths of the school and the areas that need developing further.
• Governors share leaders’ ambitions and aspirations for pupils. They use their considerable knowledge to check the impact of action plans. Consequently, they know how the improvements in the quality of teaching are having a positive impact on outcomes for pupils.
• Governors know that standards have not been good enough in recent years. They have worked alongside the acting headteacher and with the local authority effectively to develop the school further. As a result, outcomes are improving in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Governors ask searching and challenging questions. However, they do not have a thorough enough knowledge about the impact of the pupil premium funding on disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes. This is due to the lack of specific, measurable targets in the plans for the use of this funding.

Safeguarding

• There is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. Pupils know that they can approach staff with any concerns because of the excellent relationships that exist between staff and pupils in the school.
• Staff receive regular training and updates to make sure that they are aware of current guidelines and legislation. They feel confident about recognising any sign of distress and know how to report any concerns should they arise.
• The large majority of parents and pupils feel that pupils are safe and happy. Pupils feel that the curriculum helps them to understand how to stay safe, especially when online.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Over recent years, there has been a high movement of staff within the school which led to some turbulence in staffing. Staff are now familiar with the age range they teach. As a result, teaching is now consistently good throughout the school to secure good progress for pupils.
• Teaching in mathematics ensures that pupils develop fluency and reasoning skills. Teachers provide tasks that allow pupils to use calculation skills to help them solve problems and develop reasoning skills. Teaching ensures that pupils move to the tasks that require them to use their understanding, so there is positive impact on improving pupils’ progress in this subject.
• In English, pupils develop their grammar. Pupils consistently use clear and well-developed sentence construction in their writing. Teachers consistently encourage pupils to use precise vocabulary. This is particularly effective in other curriculum subjects, where pupils use subject-specific vocabulary appropriately.
• Pupils report that they enjoy reading for pleasure and are expanding the range of texts they read. Progress in reading is accelerating as comprehension skills are improving.
• Teachers give pupils clear information on how they can improve their work. As a result, pupils develop skills to edit and further enhance their writing work.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work well to support pupils with additional needs, including those who have SEN and/or disabilities. This helps these pupils to engage in learning alongside their peers. As a result, pupils make positive progress from their various starting points.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge across the curriculum. This allows them to quickly recognise when pupils have misunderstood a learning point. This results in pupils not repeating their misconceptions. As a result, progress rates are rapid across the curriculum.
• Specialist staff teach PE. They offer practical, well-planned lessons that enable pupils to develop skills well, such as striking and fielding. Teachers participate in lessons, developing their own subject knowledge.
• Teachers’ planning for pupils’ progress is based on an accurate understanding of their level of ability and prior learning in these subjects. While this is diminishing differences in outcomes between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in school, leaders recognise that this must also be the case compared to national figures.
• The atmosphere, culture and environment in the classrooms and around the school support pupils’ learning well. There is an organised learning environment which provides pupils with learning prompts and resources designed to support their progress in subjects across the curriculum.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school prides itself on the nurturing and caring ethos that it creates for all pupils.
• Positive relationships between pupils and adults are a strong feature of the school Pupils demonstrate respect for each other on the playground and in lessons.
• Pupils feel safe and secure in school. Pupils of all ages have a good understanding of the potential risks when using the internet and use it safely and with confidence.
• Leaders have put a strong focus on strengthening pupils’ emotional well-being. The school provides extensive care and support. Parents and pupils alike testify to the success this is having in building the resilience of many pupils.
• Leaders emphasise the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Pupils study healthy eating, for example looking at the content of sugar in drinks and the creation of a menu, along with staff in the school kitchen, to cook for other pupils.
• The needs of pupils and families are identified early, and support provided by the school’s pastoral support worker is well received by families. School leaders do whatever they can to ensure that pupils are safe and ready to learn.
• The majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, confirmed that the school keeps their child safe.
• Adults in the school model respect towards pupils all the time. This develops strong relationships between pupils and their classmates, as well as with the staff.
• Pupils are aware of bullying and how to deal with it if it happens to them. However, they say that bullying rarely occurs in school and adults deal with any issues well.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school and generally demonstrate self-discipline. They are courteous and polite to each other, showing respect.
• Attitudes to learning are positive and improving. The majority of pupils are attentive and work hard.
• Pupils report that adults deal with any inappropriate behaviour swiftly. Pupils who spoke to the inspector said that they have skills to enable them to solve these issues themselves.
• Pupils are polite and well mannered. They know how to conduct themselves in and around school. They are friendly and helpful to visitors and are proud of their school. They report that they would not change anything about it.
• The headteacher and family support worker seek advice and support from outside agencies and work well with parents. Leaders systematically use strategies such as home visits and issuing penalty fines. Current attendance is in line with the national average. However, persistent absence is too high, especially for some disadvantaged pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Attainment in reading and mathematics has been in the bottom 20% of schools nationally for two years. In 2017, progress in mathematics was in the bottom 20% of schools nationally. However, inspection evidence shows that the changes put in place by the new leadership team are having a positive impact on progress and attainment across key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s own assessment information and work in pupils’ books show that current pupils are making good progress form their starting points.
• As a result of school initiatives, there are signs of improvements in standards and progress across the school. Actions taken by leaders are now embedded and are beginning to show significant results. Tracking data and work in books for current pupils show good progress from their starting points.
• Strong leadership in all subjects ensures that progress is accelerating. Pupils currently in the school are making rapid progress across the curriculum, in a wide range of subjects.
• The progress of all pupils is tracked, to enable leaders to ensure that they are making the progress of which they are capable. Teachers plan work to meet the needs of pupils. Challenge for the most able ensures that they are also working at the high standards they are capable of.
• Special educational needs funding is used well. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making good progress from their individual starting points. Teachers deploy the additional support to meet these pupils’ needs effectively, so that many of them achieve as well as other pupils. The achievement of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is good.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding with increasing success to ensure that disadvantaged pupils are well supported. The differences between disadvantaged pupils and others in school are diminishing. Leaders are now working on diminishing the differences between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally in all subjects.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119215 Lancashire 10042480 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 211 Appropriate authority Local authority Chair Mr John Runnalls Acting headteacher Mrs Sarah Webster Telephone number 01282 426774 Website Email address www.lowerhousejuniorschool.co.uk head@lowerhousejuniorschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 June 2014

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average-sized junior school.
• Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• Nearly half of the pupils are supported by pupil premium funding; this figure is higher than average.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2017, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school is currently led by an acting headteacher. A permanent headteacher is due to take up post in September.
• The school is currently supported by an associate headteacher from a local school.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching in every year group. The majority of observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors listened to pupils read. They talked to pupils about their school and evaluated the quality of work in a sample of pupils’ books.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, a representative from the local authority and representatives from the governing body.
• Inspectors considered 31 responses to Parent View, 17 responses to the online pupils’ survey and 17 responses to the online staff survey.
• A range of documentation was considered, including: the school’s self-evaluation, records of the monitoring of teaching and learning, the school improvement plan, the school’s performance data, information on the progress of particular pupil groups, information relating to the attendance and behaviour of pupils, safeguarding and child protection records, and minutes from governing body meetings.
• Documents outlining the arrangements for the use of pupil premium funding and the primary school PE and sport funding were also considered.
• Inspectors spoke to parents informally at the start of the school day in order to seek their views about the school.

Inspection team

Simon Hunter, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector David Deane OBE Ofsted Inspector