Gillibrand Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the impact leaders and managers have on pupil outcomes even further by:
  • evaluating in detail the impact of interventions supported by additional funding, including on improving pupils’ outcomes in sport
  • ensuring curriculum planning in religious education (RE) and technology matches that of the best in the school, so that pupils further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in these subjects.
• Continue to improve the quality of teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) and early reading, so that children in the early years and pupils in Key Stage 1 quickly gain and sustain the skills they need to become competent early readers.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

• The headteacher leads the school with composed, determined authority. She, along with other school leaders, including governors, has established a culture of self-reflection, ambition and commitment to widening pupils’ horizons and improving their life chances. She has built a dedicated team of highly professional staff who all share in the vision for the school of ‘high standards…high status…high expectations’. Staff share leaders’ confidence that the journey they have undertaken to become an outstanding school will be of ultimate benefit to pupils and the community at large.
• The leadership of teaching and learning is highly effective. The deputy headteacher provides regular, on-the-spot guidance and individualised support. Leaders also ensure that teachers have opportunities to go and see best practice in other schools. This, combined with a regular programme of monitoring teachers’ and pupils’ work, has led directly to improvements across the whole school since the last inspection. As one teacher stated, ‘I feel from the support I have received while working at this school, I have grown as a teacher. It is a pleasure to come to work.’ Consequently, standards have risen and are now well above average by the time pupils leave the school.
• Leaders have tackled the areas for improvement from the last inspection very effectively. Early years provision is now outstanding and the most-able pupils make much more progress and reach higher standards than was previously the case. These former areas for improvement are now among the significant strengths of the school.
• The curriculum is an important contributing factor to the overall achievement of pupils. Staff have planned this in line with the school’s vision, ensuring that the curriculum creates memorable learning experiences for pupils and enables them to engage with the world beyond their immediate environment. For example, every pupil learns a musical instrument and is able to take this home to practise. The school employs a specialist music teacher to ensure pupils receive high-quality tuition, from the glockenspiel in Year 1 through to the ocarina, ukulele and saxophone by Year 6. The taught curriculum is complemented well by extra clubs in school, which are well attended, and through multiple excursions, competitions and visiting speakers, including published authors. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about these experiences, saying ‘I feel like I’m really lucky to be at this school.’
• Leaders ensure that the fundamental British values, including those of respect and tolerance, are both taught well, and embedded throughout the culture of the school. Pupils understand the concept of democracy and the importance of voting as ‘having a voice’ and being able to influence the decisions that are made. Additionally, pupils’ excellent behaviour at all times demonstrates unmistakably their respect for the rule of law, as it is expressed in their school.
• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders ensure that all adults recruited to work in the school are subject to robust safeguarding checks. They ensure that staff receive regular training, including in the dangers posed to children and adults from violent extremism, which means their knowledge of risks is up to date. Staff are vigilant and swiftly report any concerns to the headteacher. She takes immediate action to involve the local authority’s children’s services when this is needed. Staff have also received training on accurate record keeping and report writing. This ensures that any such referrals are of a high quality and effectively support child protection processes.
• Teachers and almost all of the parents who either spoke to inspectors or responded to the online survey expressed their total confidence in the leadership of the school.
• The local authority provides support to the school as and when the school needs it. It also recognises the excellent quality of education that the school provides for its pupils.
• The governance of the school

Governors are conscientious in performing their role and in holding senior leaders to account. They have ensured that the school’s finances are healthy and use these to direct resources where they are most needed. For example, they took the strategic step to release the deputy headteacher from teaching responsibilities so that she could concentrate on supporting teachers during a period of change in the early years and Year 1. This has been highly effective in improving the provision in these classes. The records of governors’ meetings show they remain very focused on the progress of all pupils and they only award any pay progression to teachers when it is evident that they have met the exacting standards leaders set for performance management. Governors share leaders’ commitment to equal opportunities and it is this that underpins the fact that all pupils, regardless of their starting point or economic background, make excellent progress in this school. However, the reporting on the use and impact of additional funding, such as the pupil premium and primary physical education (PE) and sports funding, is not detailed enough. While disadvantaged pupils make excellent progress at the school, these reports do not make it clear if all pupils who are entitled to this additional support receive any, or exactly how effective it is, including in raising participation and standards in sport.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

• Outstanding teaching ensures that from the time they start at Gillibrand to the time they leave, pupils make excellent progress in acquiring the knowledge, understanding and skills they need across a range of subjects, including in English, mathematics and science. The progress all pupils make by the end of Key Stage 2 exceeds national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, regardless of their starting points. The progress of current pupils evidences that this trend is set to continue.
• Teachers’ expectations are high, both of themselves and of their pupils. The school’s mission of ‘high standards…high expectations’ translates to the classroom level, where everyone strives for the best. Routines are clearly understood and followed, from the youngest children in the early years, to the oldest in Year 6. This means that no time is lost. Learning begins from the moment school starts and it continues with opportunities throughout lunchtimes and after school.
• Teachers plan learning assiduously and base it on what they know pupils can already confidently do. They strive hard to plan learning that meets the needs of their pupils, including the most and the least able. For example, they have used the new mathematics curriculum to quickly identify any gaps in pupils’ understanding and use this knowledge to ensure that individual pupils have the chance to re-practise skills, such as telling the time, before they move on to anything new. This requires teachers to skilfully re-organise their classrooms and how they use additional adults to support pupils; both of which they do to great effect.
• Teachers are highly professional. They all follow the school’s policies on teaching, learning and assessment. This means every pupil benefits from well-planned lessons and from feedback that helps pupils consolidate or improve their skills. For example, discreet guidance to individual children in the early years helps them to identify and correct if they have written their numbers the wrong way round. The excellent quality of teachers’ assessment ensures that pupils make secure progress across a range of subject areas.
• The teaching of writing and of the technical skills needed to produce effective written pieces of work is a particular strength at this school. This is apparent in the quality of pupils’ written work across all their subjects, and particularly in science. Pupils rapidly acquire these skills because teachers take every opportunity to reinforce them.
• The teaching of phonics in the early years and Key Stage 1 is identified by leaders as an area of development for the school. While it is improving, a few pupils in each class do not acquire or embed these skills as quickly as they should and this impedes their success in learning to read. However, by the time pupils leave the school, they are highly competent and enthusiastic readers.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent. They take pride in their work and value highly the additional support they receive from adults. They enjoy the memorable learning experiences that teachers plan and these enable them to engage with the curriculum with enthusiasm. For example, pupils in Year 6 are studying South American culture through text, the art of Frida Kahlo, by crafting clay monkeys and planning to create a film narrative.
• The impact that additional adults have on pupils’ progress is impressive. They have a detailed understanding of individual pupils’ needs. Their high-quality work in supporting and nurturing pupils’ academic and personal lives is second to none. These adults contribute significantly to the progress these pupils make.
• Teachers’ planning of RE and technology lessons is not as successful as it is in other subjects. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding in depth in these subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare is outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils have a keen sense of tolerance and respect for others. Those who spoke to inspectors and those who answered the inspection questionnaire stated that bullying rarely happens and the vast majority have confidence that it would be dealt with effectively. They could all name an adult they would go to if they needed help with anything. Pupils know that prejudice-based bullying, including homophobic, racist and gender-based bullying, is unacceptable.
• The school has excellent systems and support structures in place to care for those pupils and families who need extra help. The school counsellor is highly valued and the family liaison officer works with members of the school community to ensure they access the support they need from other agencies. Pupils’ well-being is a priority for everyone at this school, which is why staff and pupils describe it as a ‘family’.
• Pupils have a very secure understanding of how to stay safe, including through talks by fire-safety and police officers. They also know how to stay safe online and report to adults if they have any concerns, such as when they are approached online by unknown adults. The school takes these concerns seriously and responds to these incidents effectively, ensuring that all pupils and parents have access to face-to-face training and support in order to strengthen the safety of pupils when they are outside school.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. They take responsibility for their own learning and are very rarely off-task. Those pupils who spoke with inspectors confirmed that this is usually the case. Pupils’ positive attitudes make a strong impact on the progress they make; they have a natural curiosity for learning and a desire to do their best, which means they never give up, even when the work is very hard. One parent expressed how ‘My son is proud to wear his uniform and represent his school. His teacher…is passionate and inspiring as well as nurturing and kind.’
• Pupils are smart and they are punctual to school and to their lessons after break and lunchtimes. They take great pride in their work, and read teachers’ feedback with care, using this to improve their work even further. By the time they are in Key Stage 2 they have learnt a beautiful cursive style of handwriting that they apply consistently across all their work, showing the great care they take in only producing their best.
• The school very rarely excludes pupils for poor behaviour. This and other school records show that good, respectful behaviour is the norm. Parents and staff also confirm this to be the case. Some pupils have experienced difficulties in other schools and leaders are quick to identify ways in which they can integrate quickly and successfully. These pupils go on to make very good progress at Gillibrand.
• Pupils have many opportunities to develop their leadership qualities as they advance through the school. Inspectors observed many pupils carrying out their roles sensibly, such as helping in the canteen, ensuring registers were collected and taken back on time, answering the office phone and looking after younger pupils.
• Pupils are very caring of each other. This is evident from the very youngest children, who listen to adults and other children really carefully and help to soothe friends when they get upset.
• Pupils’ attendance is in line with the national average for primary schools, and is improving. Leaders take effective action with families to try to reduce term-time holidays and to support pupils returning from long-term absences due to medical reasons.

Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

• The proportion of pupils making and exceeding expected progress including in English and mathematics is high in comparison to national figures. In comparison to other schools, by the end of Key Stage 2, many more pupils in this school exceed age-related expectations in reading and writing. Given their starting points, this reflects outstanding progress over time.
• At each stage in the school, pupils overall attain at least in line with the national average. Their attainment has steadily improved since the last inspection.
• The progress of current pupils demonstrates that these patterns are set to continue. Many more exceed age-related expectations in each year group, particularly in reading and writing. Teachers have used the new National Curriculum for mathematics to identify the gaps that some pupils have in securely meeting the requirements for each year group in this subject. As teachers plan precisely to close these gaps and build understanding, pupils across the school are making very secure progress in this subject also.
• The most-able pupils make excellent progress and reach levels of attainment beyond what would be expected of their age. At the same time, disadvantaged pupils (those who are, or who have been, entitled to free school meals, or are in the care of the local authority) make progress in line with other pupils in school. This group of pupils achieve in line with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally, reflecting the school’s commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity for all.
• Pupils develop excellent knowledge, understanding and skills across a range of subjects including in science, history, geography, information and communications technology, languages and music. Relative to this, their progress in RE and technology is less substantial than in the other subjects of the curriculum.
• Pupils’ communication skills are excellent. By the time they leave school, pupils are highly proficient, sophisticated and accurate writers. This prepares them exceedingly well for accessing the National Curriculum at secondary school level.
• Pupils achieved just below the national average in the phonics screening check in 2015. Teachers and other adults have accessed additional training to improve their knowledge in delivering this essential skill. They now group pupils more carefully and their learning in phonics and early reading skills is improving.
• Pupils with disabilities and special educational needs are supported extremely well because their needs are very well understood by adults. A specialist teacher supports the school to give careful thought to what additional support and programmes of intervention might best benefit these pupils. They make very good progress, both academically and emotionally at the school.

Early years provision is outstanding

• Overall, children join the school with skills and knowledge that are just below those typical for their age. In 2015, a greater number of them reached a good level of development by the end of this stage than nationally, with many exceeding this. This follows improved outcomes over the last three years. The progress for current children is accelerating even further.
• The leadership of the early years is currently the responsibility of the deputy headteacher. She and the class teacher have a cohesive overview of provision and share an ambitious vision to improve it even further. The rooms and outdoor spaces are attractively decorated and full of exciting activities and fun games for the children to get involved in. For example, on the theme of transport, they have built a petrol station and car wash, explore how quickly cars will travel down different inclines and learn how to move ships by creating wind tunnels using straws. This exploratory play enables children to develop their vocabulary and problem-solving skills well.
• Teaching, as delivered by all adults in the early years, is of a very high quality. Resources are creative and are matched well to the needs and interests of the children. Teachers focus carefully on developing children’s awareness of letters and sounds. They promote reading with parents and give parents frequent opportunities to come into school and learn how best to read with their child. One parent expressed how astonished she was at the rate of improvement her son had made both academically and in terms of his self-confidence.
• Adults model the behaviours they expect from the children extremely well. They ‘act out’ their excitement and curiosity when learning alongside the children. This proves to be infectious, with children eager to learn, take risks and come back for more. Children’s behaviour is excellent. They quickly learn the routines of the early years and follow adults’ instructions straight away. They can settle down to tasks quickly and sustain their concentration for long periods, listening carefully, not just to their teachers, but to their friends as well. This demonstrates how quickly they develop their emotional maturity while at the school.
• Very small numbers of children in the early years are disadvantaged and in receipt of additional funding to support their development. They make progress in line with other children, as do all groups including boys. There are few, if any, gaps in the achievement of children in this phase.
• Children are very well prepared to start Year 1. While they may have a little way to go in securing their early reading skills, their emotional development and excellent behaviour and appetite for learning means the vast majority settle in to more formalised learning very well.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number

119324 Lancashire 10001153 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll

Primary Community 4–11 Mixed 196

Appropriate authority

The governing body

Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address

Simon Thain Sharon Bryson 01257 274983 www.gillibrand.lancsngfl.ac.uk head@gillibrand.lancs.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection

23–24 May 2011

Information about this school

• Gillibrand is a smaller than average-sized primary school in Chorley, Lancashire. The school’s mission statement is one of ‘high standards…high status…high expectations’. It seeks to ‘encourage our children to be happy, to be confident and to believe that they can succeed’.
• The vast majority of pupils at the school are from White British backgrounds and speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, who are entitled to pupil premium funding, is about average. (The pupil premium is additional funding provided by the government to improve the educational outcomes for pupils who are, or who have been, entitled to free school meals, or are in the care of the local authority.) The school received an award from the Department for Education in January 2015 for improving the outcomes of these pupils.
• The headteacher has been in post since 2002 and the deputy headteacher has been in post since 2010. A number of teaching staff have either left or joined the school since the last inspection.
• The school meets the current government floor standards. This is the minimum standard of attainment and progress expected by the end of Key Stage 2.

Information about this inspection

• This inspection was conducted with one half day’s notice to the school. It began as a ‘short’ inspection but was converted to a full section 5 inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspector on the first day.
• Inspectors observed all classes in the school, many more than once. They also observed sessions led by teaching assistants when they were supporting individuals or groups of pupils. Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work, and spoke to pupils about their work in class.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher to discuss their view of the effectiveness of the school and to evaluate the actions that had been taken to improve the school since the last inspection. The lead inspector also met with four governors and with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors considered the views of 33 parents who had completed Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. They also considered the views of 10 staff and the 23 pupils who completed the inspection questionnaire. In addition, the lead inspector spoke to parents at the start of the school day and inspectors spoke to pupils in meetings and informally during the course of the two days.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of information relating to the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make at the school across a range of subjects. They scrutinised safeguarding information, including the single central register of staff, attendance, exclusion and welfare information as well as child protection referrals made to the local authority.

Inspection team

Philippa Darley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Sharon Bruton Lorna Rushton

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector