Lytham St Annes Mayfield Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the leadership and management of the school by:
  • ensuring that targets in the school development plan are sharply focused and measurable
  • embedding a robust and reliable tracking system that allows leaders to analyse and monitor pupils’ progress effectively across the school
  • ensuring that governors have accurate information so that so that they can hold leaders robustly to account
  • ensuring that subject leaders regularly monitor the impact of teaching, learning and assessment on pupils’ progress and their depth of knowledge as they move through the school.
• Improve the quality of teaching and thereby outcomes for all groups of pupils by:
  • raising teachers’ expectations by ensuring that learning is closely matched to pupils’ needs, particularly those of the most able
  • ensuring that in reading, writing and mathematics, pupils make at least good progress relative to their starting points
  • diminishing the difference between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally
  • ensuring a greater consistency in the teaching of subjects such as science, geography, art and history, so that they are taught in greater depth.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, behavior and welfare by:
  • improving overall attendance so that it is line with national averages for all groups of pupils
  • reducing urgently the number of pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, who are regularly absent from school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leadership and management require improvement because outcomes for pupils have declined since the last inspection and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school is inconsistent. Although outcomes have improved in key stage 1 according to published 2017 assessment information, pupils’ progress in writing and reading is still in the bottom 20% of schools nationally.
• The school has been through an unsettled time over the last year with many changes to its leadership team. A new headteacher has just been appointed and he has an accurate overview of the weaknesses of the school. He has been quick to gain the support of pupils, parents, carers and staff. He is determined that the issues highlighted by this inspection will be dealt with in a timely manner.
• Although a school development plan is in place, the targets set are not sharply linked to the current weaknesses in the school. Furthermore, targets are not measurable, which makes it difficult for senior leaders and governors to monitor the progress the school is making towards achieving its goals.
• Senior leaders make regular checks on the quality of teaching, and there is a range of training opportunities available to help staff develop their practice. However, feedback given to teachers after lesson observations is not always checked or acted on. Therefore, improvements in practice do not rapidly take place and teachers’ expectations are not as high as they could be.
• Systems to track and monitor the progress of pupils across the school have recently been changed and are in the early stages of development. As a result, leaders do not have a consistent understanding of all pupils’ progress. For example, leaders were not able to provide inspectors with a clear overview of the progress of pupils in reading, writing or mathematics.
• The leaders of English and mathematics have an overview of their subjects and areas of responsibility. They are very aware that outcomes are too low, particularly at key stage 2. Action plans have been put in place and changes have begun to be implemented. For example, a new guided reading scheme has been introduced alongside other initiatives. Inspection evidence shows that these actions are not yet consistently showing signs of improvement because leaders have not had appropriate opportunities to monitor and evaluate the impact of their work.
• Senior leaders are aware of the barriers to learning that disadvantaged pupils face. However, the actions taken to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils are not yet rigorously monitored for improvement. Therefore, the pupil premium funding is not being used to good effect to support this group of pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils.
• The special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities funding is spent well to ensure that the varied and diverse needs of this group of pupils are met. Leaders have reviewed systems to support the targeting of a ‘small steps’ approach for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. For example, individual education plans show that targets are matched to the needs of pupils and are measurable. As a result, leaders are now more able to identify and plan for clearer next steps for those who require them.
• The curriculum broadly meets the needs of pupils. It provides them with a varied range of enrichment opportunities, which broadens their experiences in a range of subjects. Inspectors saw examples of work from a range of subjects including art, science, geography and history. Middle leaders of subjects such as science and history have begun to undertake work to develop teaching and learning in their subjects. However, at present, they do not monitor their subjects. As a result, some subjects are not delivered in sufficient depth or monitored closely enough with regard to the progress that pupils are making as they move through the school. British values are promoted well within the school, ensuring that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The website is informative and easy to navigate. It is now compliant with the required information that must be published.
• Most parents and carers are supportive of all aspects of the school’s work. They find teachers approachable and are kept well informed about the progress that their children make. Parents who are facing difficult situations commented positively on the support they have received from the teachers and staff in the school.

Governance of the school

• Governors are enthusiastic and passionate about the school. They visit frequently. Although knowledgeable about many aspects of the school, they do not challenge senior leaders rigorously enough. This is because they are not always supplied with accurate and detailed information.
• Governors have an understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They are aware of the issues relating to the weaker progress of pupils at key stage 2, particularly in reading and writing. Governors have also correctly identified the need to monitor effectively the impact of the spending of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. However, their evaluation of this is not sharp enough.
• The governing body takes its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All statutory policies are in place and leaders diligently check that staff have read and understood them. Inspectors’ discussions with staff and governors confirmed that adults involved with the school know how to keep pupils safe and what to do if they have any concerns.
• The headteacher and family-liaison officer liaise well with external agencies about any concerns for pupils’ welfare. They ensure that staff are actively involved in multi-agency meetings about more vulnerable pupils. This means that pupils’ individual needs are met effectively.
• Pupils are taught how to stay safe, including when online. Pupils, staff and the vast majority of parents said that pupils feel safe in the school.
• Leaders are always looking to improve their processes to ensure that their practice helps keep pupils safe. Nothing is left to chance, and staff and governors are routinely informed of local developments and issues that arise in safeguarding. This enables the school to have a secure culture of safeguarding.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent across the school and within subjects. Over time, teachers do not make effective use of assessment, and teaching does not challenge pupils enough, particularly those pupils who learn more quickly.
• Expectations of what pupils are capable of doing are not consistently high enough. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. For example, during the inspection, in some lessons, teachers’ weak subject knowledge meant that they did not build fully on pupils’ prior learning to enable them to challenge their pupils.
• The curriculum beyond English and mathematics is not developed in sufficient depth in some subjects, and there is a lack of consistency in the development of skills, knowledge and understanding. Pupils do not have access to a rich and deep curriculum in subjects such as science, art, history and geography. Activities are not well matched to the ability of some pupils in some classes.
• Many pupils benefit from high-quality teaching where teachers use their expertise and passion to enthuse and involve pupils in their learning. Teachers encourage positive attitudes to learning. During the inspection, pupils were highly motivated to learn. In a Year 6 lesson, for example, pupils described how they love writing. This is because it allows them to be creative. High-quality teaching is particularly evident in upper key stage 2 where teachers ensure that work matches pupils’ abilities. For example, in Year 6, pupils of different abilities were challenged appropriately in a lesson preparing them for their assessments. Teachers used questions effectively to support pupils’ understanding and help them to improve. For example, in a Year 5 writing lesson, the class teacher frequently asked probing questions that allowed pupils to consider how to improve their writing.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together to ensure that pupils receive the additional support they need. Teaching assistants provide sensitive support. This is because they have good subject knowledge and understand what is expected of them. For example, in a mathematics lesson, lower-ability pupils made strong progress because the activity was well matched to their ability and the teaching assistant enthused them.
• Most pupils enjoy reading. Pupils read with fluency and with expression. They read often both in and out of school and are given a broad range of reading experiences and opportunities. They make good use of their phonic knowledge to sound out unfamiliar words. Phonics lessons are lively and engage pupils. Adults have good subject knowledge that allows them to plan phonics activities that build on pupils’ knowledge and understanding. However, the quality of teaching in wider reading skills varies across the school. For example, guided reading in some classes does not always support learning effectively. This is because teachers and other adults do not appear to have a clear understanding of, or purpose for, what they are teaching. As a result, pupils’ progress is slower in these lessons.
• In mathematics, teaching is improving, but inconsistencies which have led to some classes making faster progress than others remain. On the whole, staff have better knowledge of how to deepen pupils’ understanding of handling numbers and how to ensure that their problem-solving skills develop well. For example, practical activities are used effectively in some lessons to encourage pupils to develop a concrete understanding of mathematical concepts. In Year 3, pupils used a range of materials to create an equivalent-fraction museum. The open-ended nature of this investigation allowed all pupils to be challenged and to make good progress. However, pupils’ books show that, in some year groups, the whole mathematics curriculum is not consistently well taught. For example, some teaching allows pupils limited opportunities to secure new concepts fully. As a result, pupils are not encouraged to think deeply enough or provided with enough opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils talk happily and confidently about their school. They are keen to engage in conversations about how proud they are of it. They enjoy taking part in the wide range of activities offered, including cricket, art and the many trips and residentials.
• Pupils know how to be safe and said that they feel safe. The curriculum promotes health and safety well. Children know how to manage risks and keep themselves safe. For example, they are aware of how to keep themselves safe online.
• The school ensures that pupils are taught about the different forms of bullying, including online. Pupils are adamant that any instances of bullying at Mayfield are rare. They are, however, confident that if it did occur staff would ensure that it would be stopped.
• Pupils show respect for adults and each other. At lunchtimes, adults are proactive and interact with pupils. The playground is a happy and sociable place to be. Pupils have a strong moral code and understand right from wrong. They show good manners and display a strong understanding of the school’s values. They said that assemblies help them focus on areas such as friendship, honesty and respect.
• Pupils in the main display positive attitudes to learning. In many lessons, pupils are eager to learn and participate with confidence.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Attendance is a significant issue for the school. Attendance overall has remained below the national average and shows no sign of improvement. Likewise, persistent absence has been approximately double the national average for the past two years. Current information shows that the situation has not improved. Leaders do not have a clear plan of action to tackle this area. The impact of any previous actions has not been checked. As a result, too many pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, do not attend school regularly.
• Pupils are very well behaved both in the classroom and playground and as they move around the school. Instances of low-level disruption in class are very rare. Pupils have an excellent understanding of the school’s behaviour-management policy and of the standards of behaviour that are expected of them. Adults have high expectations of behaviour. Consequently, pupils respond quickly to adults’ instructions.
• Pupils are very well mannered and are kind and considerate towards each other. They said that they get along well with one another. Inspectors’ observations in the playground support this view. One pupil, new to the school, stated that she had been made to feel very welcome by all of the pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Outcomes require improvement because progress across the school, particularly in writing and reading, is too variable. Progress in reading, writing and mathematics has been below or significantly below the national average in recent years.
• Outcomes have continued to dip since 2016. In 2017, the progress that pupils in key stage 2 made in writing and mathematics was below the national average and was significantly below the national average in reading. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards in reading at key stage 2 was below the national average. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in writing and mathematics was in line with the national average. However, the proportions of pupils reaching the higher standards in mathematics and writing are below the national average. As a result, the progress of pupils in writing and reading is in the bottom 20% of all schools nationally.
• There is a stronger picture at key stage 1 in the published 2017 outcomes. The proportions of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards in mathematics are above the national average and in line with national averages for writing and reading.
• From observing lessons and looking at work in pupils’ books, it is evident that pupils’ outcomes vary across the school in reading, writing and mathematics. The work that teachers set does not consistently encourage pupils to think hard and to do as well as they are capable of, particularly in key stage 1. The school’s own assessment information shows an increasingly positive picture across the school. However, evidence in books does not always strongly support the judgements that teachers make.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils attending the school is high. The pupil premium funding is not being used effectively to improve outcomes for this group. Published data in 2017 shows that by the end of Year 6 they make significantly less progress than others nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. In addition, although the number of pupils in the early years reaching the good level of development is in line with the national average, the number of disadvantaged pupils achieving the same results is well below that of others nationally.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making the progress that is expected of them, taking into consideration their diverse needs. This is due to timely interventions, good-quality support and strong partnerships with parents and outside agencies.
• Outcomes in some subjects in the wider curriculum, such as science, geography, art and history are not as good as they could be. This is because many of these subjects are not taught in sufficient depth and pupils are not given enough opportunities to develop their subject knowledge.

Early years provision Good

• The early years provision is good because of strong teaching and leadership. The early years leader has a clear vision, which she implements through a purposeful curriculum. This equips children with the skills they need to have a positive start to their educational life.
• Leaders are highly focused on removing barriers to learning. They form strong relationships with parents and this ensures that parental involvement is high. These relationships have a direct impact on children’s progress because staff make their high expectations clear through transition activities, and parents actively support their child’s learning through homework.
• Children come into the early years with skills and knowledge that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress and achieve well in relation to their starting points.
• The quality of teaching is strong. Staff know their children extremely well and have forged strong relationships with them all. Leaders and staff make incisive evaluations of what is working well and what is not. Where children are not achieving specific goals and targets, teachers quickly plan and provide extra activities to address this. Consequently, children make sustained progress from their starting points.
• Learning in the early years is fun. Children are happy, confident and busy. Activities cover all areas of learning and take account of children’s interests. Children play happily alongside each other, sharing and taking turns as they learn and play. Routines in the early years are well established, and independence is reasonably well promoted.
• The learning environment is bright and stimulating. Independent play areas are well set out and reflect the early years curriculum. Children across the early years have a large amount of space to move around freely and play in comfort. Resources are of good quality and accessible to the children, allowing them to make independent choices about their play.
• Children feel safe and the standards of behaviour observed were impeccable.
• At the time of the inspection, there were no breaches of the welfare requirements.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119284 Lancashire 10045167 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 340 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr Mark Burge Mr Jonathon Weeden Telephone number 01253 723465 Website Email address www.mayfield12.lancsngfl.ac.uk/ head@mayfield.lancs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21−22 November 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is significantly below the average.
• The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is in line with the national average.
• In 2017, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The headteacher was appointed in January 2018.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in a wide range of lessons, covering all classes in the school. The headteacher accompanied the lead inspector on some observations.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, acting deputy headteacher and other leaders from across the school.
• The lead inspector also met the chair of the governing body and other governors.
• The lead inspector spoke to the school improvement partner.
• Inspectors talked to a group of pupils on the second day of the inspection. The inspection team also talked to pupils about their learning in lessons and at breaktime.
• Inspectors talked to parents as they dropped their children off at school. Pupils’ behaviour was observed during lessons, lunchtimes and playtimes.
• Inspectors examined extensively the quality of work in a wide range of books. They discussed pupils’ work and their learning with them in lessons.
• Inspectors looked at the school’s work and considered documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, curriculum plans and information relating to pupils’ achievement and safeguarding.
• Inspectors took into account 27 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and 24 free-text responses.

Inspection team

James Blackwell, lead inspector Martin Bell Nusret Ellahi

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector