Catforth Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Help pupils to make even better progress in English and mathematics by:
  • increasing pupils’ ability to write at length by giving them more opportunities to do so
  • ensuring that when pupils show that they have grasped a mathematical concept, they move more quickly to applying what they have learned to solve problems that deepen their understanding and develop their reasoning further.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher leads the school with calm, determined authority. She has established in the staff a culture of self-reflection, ambition and a commitment to doing their very best for the pupils.
• Staff share the headteacher’s vision and praise the support that she gives them in their teaching and in managing their workload. They, and virtually all parents who either spoke to the inspector or responded to the online survey, expressed their total confidence in the leadership of the school. Parents talked about the friendliness and approachability of the staff and the headteacher, and the care given to their children.
• The leadership of teaching and learning is effective. The headteacher and, increasingly, subject leaders carry out astute checks on the teaching of English, mathematics and science each term. These checks have a clearly defined focus that helps staff understand where and how to improve.
• Leaders follow up the advice that they give to ensure that staff act on it. Where relevant, leaders provide additional support and training to help staff. They keep a close eye on how well teachers plan for the mixed ages that they teach, to ensure that progress is equally strong for each pupil.
• All subject leaders have multiple responsibilities. Leaders of subjects other than English, mathematics and science understand their roles and they are developing well. These leaders check that everything is being taught in their subjects. They have turned their attention to developing manageable systems to assess and monitor pupils’ progress in skills and knowledge.
• There are clear links between the school’s accurate self-evaluation, its action plan and the objectives set for staff as their performance is managed. Leaders have tackled the areas for improvement from the previous inspection very effectively. Science is now strong; communication with parents is good; the quality of teaching and learning is consistently good; and all staff have high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour.
• Staff have worked together extremely well to plan an effective curriculum that enables the different age groups in each class to succeed. Pupils in all three classes have work at the right level in reading, writing and mathematics and, increasingly, in other subjects. The flexibility built into the curriculum means that pupils can move between age groups when it benefits their learning and/or personal development.
• Specialist teaching in music and modern foreign languages ensures that pupils make good progress in these subjects. Visits, visitors and a good range of additional activities beyond the school day add to pupils’ enjoyment of learning and their personal development. Pupils have many opportunities to engage with the world beyond the school, for example in sports and the arts, and the local community.
• The primary school sports funding grant is used effectively to increase participation in competitive sport and to extend swimming lessons to younger children to build their confidence in the water. Pupils are justifiably proud of their increasing successes in competitive sport.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding well, enabling the relevant pupils to succeed and to catch up with their peers. They also make good use of the funding for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. The provision for these pupils is led and managed effectively. As a result, the pupils make good progress.
• Well-thought-through transition arrangements from class to class and on to high school help pupils settle into new environments quickly. Pupils and staff have a strong sense of belonging to the school and of equality for all. Leaders ensure that fundamental British values, including respect and tolerance, are embedded in the curriculum and in the culture of the school.
• Leaders show strong capacity to improve further. Their actions have guided the journey to becoming a good school. The local authority, having given the school intensive support after the previous inspection, is now, understandably, withdrawing that support.

Governance of the school

• Governors are vigilant in checking progress towards their priorities. Strong, strategic planning points the way and keeps everyone on track. Governors ask searching questions that challenge the headteacher, while supporting her vision for improvement.
• Governors share leaders’ commitment to equal opportunities. They are very focused on the progress of every pupil. In line with the development of subject leaders, they requested, and are now receiving, reports on different subjects. They visit school regularly and support staff well in their work.
• Governors are well trained in safeguarding matters. They ensure that finances are managed effectively, including the pupil premium and the primary school sports funding grant. They question leaders rigorously in these matters and support the headteacher well in making decisions about pay awards.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders take all safety concerns very seriously. Good records and detailed reports show that all incidents, however minor, are noted and analysed for patterns. Swift action is taken if concerns become apparent.
• Leaders provide support and up-to-date training for all staff. All adults are subject to rigorous safeguarding checks. They have good knowledge of safeguarding matters and are confident about what to do should any issue arise.
• Leaders and staff provide excellent support for children and, where relevant, their parents. They ensure that parents understand the school’s approaches to safeguarding and welfare. Parents speak very highly of the support that they receive. They praise the workshops that the school has provided for them, stressing that they had to be repeated because they were so popular.
• Robust risk assessments for activities in and out of school, including the danger that strangers might pose, fire drills, water safety sessions and health and safety checks, all show that the school strives to ensure that pupils are as safe as they can be in and out of school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is consistently good in all three classes. Skilful planning and good support for learning ensure that work is relevant for pupils of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Consequently, all pupils make good progress.
• A calm and purposeful atmosphere is evident throughout the school. Excellent relationships at every level ensure that pupils’ learning is foremost in everyone’s mind. Staff have high expectations of their pupils’ learning and behaviour, and pupils respond accordingly. Staff work together exceptionally well to secure the best for their pupils.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use it well in their very secure planning for mixed ages and stages of learning. This was clearly demonstrated in lessons and in pupils’ books. Teachers’ enthusiasm for their work shines through in their teaching. They motivate pupils and spur them on to try very hard and do their best.
• In excellent planning for the day celebrating Roald Dahl’s birthday, teachers ensured that, within the range of activities on offer, there was something at the right level for everyone. For example, as older pupils made posters and used their knowledge of persuasive writing to advertise their wares, younger pupils improved their pencil control and enhanced their mathematics skills as they created repeated patterns.
• Teachers follow the school’s policies on teaching, learning and assessment. Ongoing support while pupils are working ensures that each pupil receives the help that they need to make good progress. Teachers constantly check that pupils have understood what they are learning before they move them on. Pupils very much appreciate the guidance that they receive, saying that it helps them to make their learning better.
• The teaching of reading, including phonics, is good. It develops in the pupils a good understanding of how to read new words. It also develops the skills that pupils need to understand what they read. The current focus on developing a love of reading is proving successful. Pupils are beginning to discuss different authors and styles, across fiction and non-fiction texts.
• The teaching of writing and the technical skills needed to produce effective writing is good. Teachers successfully encourage pupils to use their writing skills in different subjects. Nevertheless, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to write at length to build up the stamina needed by Year 6.
• Specific skills are taught well in mathematics, and pupils undertake a range of exercises to show that they have acquired these skills. Pupils’ books show that teachers sometimes do not move pupils on quickly enough to using the skills that they have learned, applying them in problem-solving activities and providing reasons for their answers. This limits pupils’ progress.
• Teaching assistants provide good levels of support for all pupils and particularly those who need additional help from time to time to learn a concept, or because they have SEN and/or disabilities. This enables these pupils to take a full part in lessons at their own level and, therefore, narrows the gap in their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils’ welfare and well-being are a high priority for all staff. Staff are excellent role models for the pupils, exemplifying good manners and readily praising pupils for being polite and courteous. Pupils take great pride in their work and they value highly the support that they receive from the staff.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. Pupils are eager to please. They know what it means to be a successful learner and they show a great thirst for learning. They are rarely off task in lessons. Pupils readily speak about the importance of learning.
• Pupils care for each other extremely well. They have a keen sense of tolerance and respect for others regardless of race, gender, belief or background. They talk about everyone being equal and say, ‘You should treat everyone as you would want to be treated.’
• Pupils learn about democracy through, for example, electing school councillors and sharing their views and ideas on how to make the school a better place. They understand democracy as having a voice in what happens in the school and being listened to.
• Pupils understand that bullying in all its forms is unacceptable. They refer, for example, to cyber bullying, racist and gender-based bullying and homophobic bullying, explaining how all types make people upset and unhappy. They have a strong sense of fairness and justice. They report that bullying is ‘very, very rare’ and are confident that it would be dealt with swiftly and effectively should it happen.
• The school’s systems for keeping pupils safe, and for teaching pupils how to keep themselves safe, are very strong. Pupils have a high degree of confidence in staff to help them should they have any problem, in or out of school. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe online.
• Pupils have many opportunities to develop leadership qualities, including as members of the school council. They also act as various monitors, such as helping in the library and checking that playground equipment is stored safely and securely after use.
• Breakfast and after-school clubs, which the school runs, provide a good start and end to the day for the many pupils who attend. The well-supervised lunch and playtimes are happy, social occasions for the pupils, where all age groups mix well together and look out for each other.
• Older pupils readily look after younger ones; younger pupils look up to older pupils and approach them confidently for help. The support pupils give each other extends to additional help for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. This was noted especially in the playground as older pupils helped these pupils to find something or someone to play with.
• Pupils leave this happy, successful school as mature youngsters, well prepared for the next stage of education.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ excellent behaviour demonstrates their respect for the rule of law as expressed in the school’s own rules and in the concept of being one big family. This sentiment is echoed by pupils and their parents, with a shared responsibility for the welfare of others.
• Pupils with whom the inspector spoke confirmed that the excellent behaviour seen is usually the case in this school because everyone knows that they must behave well so that everyone can learn well. The school’s records have very few incidents of poor behaviour, further confirming that behaviour is normally at least good.
• The excellent behaviour remained in evidence throughout what was a very exciting day for pupils (the Roald Dahl day) as they moved round groups and worked with different teachers and support staff on a range of diverse activities. They were completely unfazed by the change to the day and continued to follow instructions and help each other exceptionally well.
• Attendance is above average. Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school. They try hard not to be absent and to arrive on time.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The small numbers in each year group make comparisons with national figures unreliable. What is clear is that the steep rise in outcomes between 2016 and 2017 was at least sustained in 2018.
• Taken alongside the work in pupils’ books, data provided by the school shows that virtually all pupils, from the least to the most able, make at least good progress.
• Pupils’ work from last year shows good progress in a range of subjects, including English, mathematics and science. Pupils have already done a good amount of work in the first two weeks of this year, showing that the pace of learning and the trend of improvement are set to continue. Pupils leave this school well prepared for high school.
• The impact of the improvement in teaching and the curriculum in the past two years is now evident in different year groups. It has spurred pupils in Years 5 and 6 to try even harder because they can see the younger pupils beginning to catch up with them.
• Astute planning means that although pupils of all ages might be following the same theme, the work that they are given to do can be very different, depending on their age and/or stage of learning. All pupils, and especially the most able, learn to challenge themselves and each other to do better, and they enjoy doing so.
• Pupils make good progress in reading. Younger pupils speak about tricky words, saying ‘You just have to know them’, at the same time showing good phonics skills as they break down unfamiliar words and put them back together again. By Year 6, pupils are fluent readers. They enjoy reading and talk confidently about a range of books, showing a good understanding of what they read.
• Neat handwriting and good grammar, punctuation and spelling skills are evident in pupils’ writing, including that done in different subjects. When writing, pupils use a good range of vocabulary and techniques to engage the reader. Longer pieces of writing in pupils’ books in different classes show an insecurity in writing at length. Leaders recognise this and are working with staff to address the issue.
• Pupils make good progress in mathematics. They have good number skills and a secure understanding of a range of mathematical concepts. They practise these skills well. However, their books show that, sometimes, teachers do not move them on quickly enough to problem-solving activities that require them to reason, use their mathematical skills and deepen their understanding.
• Pupils are increasingly acquiring good skills in other subjects. Their scientific skills and knowledge are good. They are beginning to think like young scientists as they carry out investigations and record predictions and outcomes in different ways.
• Pupils are also making good progress in, for example, history, geography and art. The development of art skills in pupils’ Roald Dahl work is a good example. Here, pupils in different age groups learned how to draw in the style of Quentin Blake, Roald Dahl’s illustrator, using a range of pencils, charcoal and water colours. The oldest pupils were enthralled at being able to draw using pen and ink for the first time. Their learning was pushed further when they had to draw portraits of each other in the style of the artist.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities often make the best progress. The additional support that these groups receive, including from skilled, well-briefed teaching assistants, helps them to catch up quickly or at least make the best progress they can in their learning.

Early years provision Good

• Attainment on entry fluctuates from year to year because of the small numbers in each year group. In most years, it is broadly typical for children’s ages but with weaknesses in literacy skills. Children make good progress. They are prepared well for Year 1. The transition is seamless, as they are part of a mixed-age class.
• Numbers are beginning to grow in the Nursery that the school started in 2017. Children in Reception this year did not all attend the school’s Nursery last year, but secure induction procedures helped everyone get off to a good start.
• Leadership of the early years is good. The curriculum is planned well to promote effective learning. Children’s progress is checked regularly, and the information is shared with parents. Gaps in children’s learning are quickly picked up and used as the basis for further learning. The partnership with parents is strong.
• Teaching is good. Attractive spaces, indoors and out, prepared with exciting displays and learning activities, stimulate children’s curiosity and make them want to learn more. Staff are skilled at picking up on children’s interests and taking them further. For example, when one child spotted a spider on a tabard, it became the object of discussion for a small group who then learned much about a spider.
• Already, at this early stage in the school year, children are happy and settled, and eager to learn. Their behaviour is excellent. Adults are skilled at helping less secure children join in activities and begin to enjoy learning.
• Children work together well, taking turns and mindful of their own and others’ safety. They listen carefully to adults and each other and they follow instructions well. The speed with which they tidy away at the end of a session and get ready for a story is impressive. They learn much from the Year 1 children in their class.
• The children’s welfare, health and safety are a high priority for the staff, who also teach the children to be mindful of their own safety. For example, with support from an adult, children built a raised walkway with a slide at the end. They then took it in turns to balance on the walkway and slide down the slide, with the adult encouraging them to check that it was secure each time. They quickly pointed out if they thought it was not and adjusted it.
• Children demonstrate great imagination in their play as they look for fairies in the fairy house, go on a visit to an imaginary place or play on the musical instruments like a band in the outdoor area.
• Adults transmit their excitement and curiosity in learning as they help the children to learn. This makes the children keen to come back to learn more. A good example was when they were examining a real tortoise and learning about its care, feeding habits and habitat.
• Occasionally, sometimes indoors and sometimes out, adults do not interact enough with the children when the children are working independently. At these times, they miss opportunities to extend learning or to record that which has taken place.
• Leaders use the additional funding for disadvantaged children well to support learning and personal development. Staff are vigilant. They know each child and their family well and they quickly pick up on any cause for concern.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119160 Lancashire 10053065 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 73 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Elisabeth Cooke Julie Bainbridge 01772 690451 www.catforthprimary.co.uk bursar@catforth.lancs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 July 2016

Information about this school

• The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is well below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club. These were included in the inspection.
• The school began to offer nursery provision for three-year-old children in 2017.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed a range of lessons, several jointly with the headteacher.
• She looked at pupils’ current work and their work from last year and talked to a range of pupils. She also took account of the eight responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils.
• The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, teachers, governors and a representative of the local authority.
• The inspector examined a wide range of documentation, including that relating to school improvement, safeguarding and pupils’ progress.
• The inspector spoke with several parents as they brought their children to school. She also took account of the 18 responses to the online parent questionnaire.
• In addition, the inspector took account of the five responses to the online questionnaire for staff.

Inspection team

Doris Bell, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector