Crumpsall Lane Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve outcomes for pupils across the school, particularly boys and the most able, by ensuring that teachers:
  • use effective strategies to increase the proportion of children who achieve or exceed a good level of development at the end of Reception, so that they are ready for the challenges of Year 1
  • provide pupils with learning opportunities that enable those who enter the school at a stage of development well below age-related expectations to catch up, achieve well and make the progress of which they are capable
  • plan opportunities for all groups of pupils that are appropriately challenging and consistently matched to ability.
• Strengthen improvement planning to include clear success criteria so that leaders and staff are clear about key priorities, how they will be achieved, and how and when this will be measured.
• Further develop the management skills of middle leaders to enable them to develop the curriculum and bring about consistent improvements in pupils’ outcomes.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Strong leadership has been pivotal to the positive changes since the last inspection. Leaders have taken effective action to improve many aspects of the school. They are clear that only the best-quality education is acceptable for pupils. The transformation has raised morale, instilled a culture of learning and spread the desire to improve across staff and pupils.
• Leaders and governors have brought about major changes over a relatively short period of time. Improving teaching has been key to bringing about change in the school. Leaders ensure that the high proportion of staff who are new to the school are given effective support. Guidance has helped all adults to quickly improve the quality of teaching.
• Leaders encourage collaboration at every opportunity. Leaders, teachers and teaching assistants train together and share good practice to improve the quality of education. Staff value this professional development, saying it is ‘a strength of the school’. This has increased the confidence of staff in teaching, learning and assessment.
• Performance management procedures are robust. Leaders now hold staff to account for pupils’ progress and outcomes. This is having a positive effect on improving standards across the school.
• Historical poor teaching means that pupils have big gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. Leaders have responded with additional funding to secure teaching assistants who support all classes to help pupils overcome prior weaknesses. The school’s tracking of pupils’ progress shows that pupils now make better progress from very low starting points. Nevertheless, leaders recognise that the oldest pupils are the furthest behind. Leaders’ actions are raising aspirations and progress is starting to rise but it is too soon to see the full effect on pupils’ outcomes.
• The school improvement plan outlines key issues which need to be addressed. A record is kept of actions which have been achieved. However, the plan lacks detailed success criteria with timelines, resources needed and responsibilities. So, checking on the progress and impact of these actions is insecure.
• Middle leaders are well supported by the senior leadership team. They are very positive about their roles. They also value the support they get from senior leaders. Training is important, as is working together with colleagues. They have high expectations of their role in bringing about improvement in the school. However, pupils are not yet experiencing the full impact of this school improvement.
• Prior to the changes brought in by current leaders, the curriculum was described as a ‘void’. There was no structured writing curriculum in place and science was not being taught across the school. A complete overhaul has been carried out, with subjects and resources reviewed taking on board pupils’ interests and their local environment. The resulting curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders have introduced effective policies to extend pupils’ literacy and numeracy development across subjects. For example, leaders recognise that some boys’ communication skills are not sufficiently developed. The curriculum is now more interesting and pupils enjoy their learning.
• Leaders have developed a comprehensive personal, social and health education programme. Together with religious education and assemblies, it helps to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and the fundamental British values that permeate the school. Pupils learn about being safe. They know how to take care of themselves and others and what to do if things go wrong.
• Many extra-curricular opportunities broaden the pupils’ horizons. These include the daily mile and various sporting activities. Pupils also enjoy arts, music, drama and creative craft groups as well as the network choir and residential activities.
• Additional funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively. Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Pupils are making good progress because of this support. For example, outcomes at expected standards for disadvantaged pupils in key stage 1 are improving faster than for other pupils.
• The physical education and sport premium is used effectively to enhance the health and well-being of all pupils. A sports coach works regularly with pupils who now have many opportunities to participate in a range of activities both in class time and out of school.

Governance of the school

• The new governing body was established in September 2016. It works across the federation. The governors are passionate about raising achievement and have high expectations about their role in improving the school. They are ‘heartened by progress figures’ from the end of last year, but have ‘no illusion that attainment and progress are where they should be yet’. Governors provide effective support and challenge to senior leaders.
• The governors are appropriately trained about safer recruitment, safeguarding and applying the ‘Prevent’ duty. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities.
• Governors have helped to effect rapid change, for instance facilitating improvements to the school’s environment and resources, such as the development of an art room and four small areas for additional support work.
• Governors effectively monitor the progress that pupils make and challenge senior leaders systematically.
• Governors have appropriate skills; for example, one governor has responsibility for auditing health and safety.
• The development of the curriculum has been a significant focus for the new governing board. They recognise that previous historical weak teaching has left gaps in pupils’ learning. Governors have worked hard with leaders to eradicate weak teaching by appointing new staff, facilitating training and providing quality learning resources.
• Governors check financial matters assiduously. They oversee the effectiveness of school’s performance management systems and leaders’ approach to ongoing staff training and they routinely monitor the impact of additional funding streams.
• Governors’ links to key school leaders, such as the designated safeguarding lead and the special educational needs coordinator, improve support and leadership accountability.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding has a high priority throughout the school.
• Leaders engage appropriately with families to make sure that all pupils are supported and safe. They review what has worked and constantly refine good practice.
• Effective multi-agency referrals take place, and this supports improved outcomes for vulnerable children and their families.
• There are many examples of very good practice in leaders’ safeguarding arrangements. For example, leaders keep detailed, appropriate records, with checks on the progress of cases.
• Children are taught effectively about keeping themselves safe through the curriculum.
• The school works closely with families, signposting relevant support services in order to make sure that children are able to learn.
• Procedures to keep pupils safe online are effective. Children understand how to use systems and how to ask for help. Internet filters are highly effective.
• There is an annual family ICT day for all year groups when reminders are given about topics such as the safe use of social media.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders have made substantial efforts to improve teaching, through effective training and rigorous monitoring. They have been successful in securing good teaching.
• Teachers recognise the urgency in bridging gaps in knowledge, skills and understanding. They know that they need to accelerate progress. Teachers now think more carefully about the work that they set for pupils. They use assessment effectively to plan future learning and address misconceptions. As a result, pupils’ progress is now improving.
• Effective staff training means that teachers apply the school’s teaching, learning and assessment policies closely. Teachers value training opportunities that they have to improve teaching.
• Teachers have high expectations of their pupils. They have good subject knowledge. As a result, lessons that are well planned and resourced are the norm.
• Teachers and leaders give careful thought to improving the learning environment. For example, music is used to create a calm atmosphere during class reflection time.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have formed close teams. They work well together to provide high-quality learning opportunities for pupils. Consequently, pupils now make more secure progress with their learning.
• Pupils understand how to learn because they are given clear direction. Staff model activities so that pupils can see and hear what it is they have to do and how to do it.
• Teachers offer prompt support as pupils are working to correct misunderstanding and direct new learning.
• Teachers have developed their good subject knowledge in response to training, particularly in mathematics. They have identified that pupils need more opportunities to apply and think mathematically. By answering questions using different strategies, for instance thinking and talking about their work and using practical activities, pupils are now thinking about their learning in a logical, sensible way, which is helping them to make faster progress. They are able to use these skills in other subjects, such as geography and science.
• The teaching of reading is good. Phonics is taught effectively. Pupils learn to read for understanding. Teachers create a love of reading across the school, coupled with high-quality reading resources. The library is open every day, with pupils encouraged to visit with their parents.
• Writing is taught effectively and links to the focus on developing pupils’ communication skills. Many pupils extend their vocabulary and are now happy to talk with adults and to answer questions in class.
• Literacy and numeracy are integrated well into the wider curriculum. Some strong examples of this are evident in geography and science.
• Teachers often plan exciting activities linked to the new curriculum, As a result, there is a real ‘buzz’ in the classroom when pupils are excited by their learning, such as when a group of pupils were exploring their understanding of the solar system.
• Bilingual staff model the use of English alongside home languages. Pupils are encouraged to talk through their ideas with each other. Many languages are spoken in the school and the ability to speak clearly is valued.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Teachers use effective strategies to help pupils to make faster progress. As a result, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities learn well and make good progress.
• Homework is given frequently to pupils. Reading practice is sent home daily, with other topics to support work from the classroom.
• Parents say they are well informed about the progress of their children. Teachers communicate with parents through progress reports and parents’ evenings. Parents also have access to teachers during the daily ‘Early Bird’ sessions and classroom door contacts.
• Equality of opportunity and diversity is strong across the school; for instance, pupils with disabilities are supported by their classmates where appropriate.
• Staff monitor pupils’ progress regularly. If pupils’ progress has slowed, teachers arrange support sessions to help pupils to catch up. Leaders acknowledge that challenge for the most able pupils still needs further development.
• Most teaching leads to effective learning. However, a small proportion is less effective, for example when text is too difficult for pupils to read easily. Senior leaders are aware of the small pockets of less-effective practice. Support plans are in place to bring about necessary improvements.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Most pupils are confident, positive and committed to working hard. Interactions between pupils and between pupils and staff are pleasant and relaxed. Pupils say that they are proud of their school. One pupil said, ‘This place is amazing’.
• Extra-curricular activities help pupils to feel that they ‘belong’ to the school. Pupils develop self-esteem and motivation. This supports a love of learning. Some pupils take responsibility for starting new clubs, for instance the sewing club. Older pupils take on responsibilities, for example, as librarians and sports leaders.
• Pupils are very supportive of each other, especially when there are problems or needs. They are aware of who to go to if help is needed.
• Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles. They take part in the daily mile and are able to explain why exercise is good for you and why they drink water after running. Pupils say that the school meals are ‘really nice’, and they like healthy desserts such as yogurts or fruit.
• Pupils say they feel safe in and around the school. They learn how to be safe both through the curriculum and out-of-class activities; for instance, a Year 5 class worked on a ‘Digital Charter’ about how to stay safe online.
• Pupils are aware of issues such as keeping themselves safe in a diverse community. A lot of work was done to support pupils’ understanding of the need for tolerance and respect following the Manchester Arena bombing.
• Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. Nevertheless, they know who to go to if it does and they know it will be resolved. Where incidents have occurred, records are kept well, but leaders are not evaluating them for patterns and trends. Teachers challenge stereotyping and promote pupils’ self-esteem.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils manage their own behaviour well. They understand the new behaviour policy and rewards system. As a result, there is an orderly, calm environment. Pupils know how to move quietly around the school and they respond promptly to staff instructions. Pupils enjoy the chance to have positive behaviour noticed and rewarded. A pupil explained how this worked by saying, ‘I know the Golden Rules.’
• Records show that behaviour has improved over time. In all but one year group, there were sizable reductions in incidents over the past year. When isolated incidents happen, pupils respond very promptly to staff.
• Pupils now value their education. The impact of extra-curricular activities can also be seen; for instance, there is improved behaviour and attitudes from pupils who are keen to be on the school’s teams.
• Most behaviour is good, except when pupils lose focus in lessons where planning is not effective. Some pupils are not yet resilient learners. There are some pockets of weaker behaviour, especially in Year 6. This situation is a legacy from before federation. Leaders are dealing with this through the implementation of consistent and fair behaviour management strategies. More recently, there has been a reduction in the overall number of behaviour incidents.
• The school’s attendance, which is slightly better than the national average, continues to improve overall. Good attendance is linked to the rewards system, so most pupils are keen to get to school. Attendance for boys and girls is almost identical. Slightly more pupils were persistently absent from school last year. Leaders are working hard to reduce this.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Inspection evidence shows that attainment and progress are improving as a direct result of improvements to the quality of teaching. However, pupils are affected by the significant legacy of underachievement because they were taught a curriculum that did not meet their learning needs. This has resulted in gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills, particularly in writing. Leaders have brought about changes to increase progress but as yet their full impact on attainment is not secure.
• Provisional results for Year 6 pupils in 2017 indicate that pupils’ progress in writing declined significantly. Pupils’ progress in reading also appeared to be weaker than that of other pupils nationally. However, in mathematics, the proportion of pupils that achieved the expected standard was broadly good.
• Pupils’ attainment in key stage 1 and key stage 2 remains below expected standards. This links to gaps in their learning from previous weaker teaching. Too few pupils reached the standards that they should for their age and ability. However, stronger leadership and good teaching are beginning to help the pupils make stronger progress. Leaders’ own information and examples in pupils’ books show that most pupils are now catching up. Teachers are closing the gaps in pupils’ prior learning effectively.
• Inspection evidence, including pupils’ work in their books across year groups, shows that they now make better progress over time. More pupils make secure progress and are moving towards the level expected for their age.
• The high proportion of pupils joining the school outside Reception or Year 1 has an adverse effect on overall school attainment figures. In 2016/17, 46 pupils joined the school mid-year. The majority of mid-year new arrivals begin at the school 12 months or more behind the standard expected for their age. In 2017, only about half of the pupils taking key stage 2 assessments started in the school in Reception. Their results are in line with national averages, although the overall attainment for the whole group was well below average. This shows that when pupils have been in school since Reception they do better than those who have come into the school from elsewhere mid-way through their education.
• Pupils’ reading skills in Year 1 are developing. Their attainment in the Year 1 phonics screening check has improved year on year, and is getting closer to the national average.
• The most able pupils make steady progress, but the lack of challenge prevents them from making the progress of which they are capable. This is particularly the case in reading and writing.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points across the school. Provisional outcomes for 2017 in reading and writing show that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities achieved well.
• In the key stage 1 assessments in 2017, disadvantaged pupils did well across subjects in comparison with their classmates. The use of additional funding for this group of pupils was effective. The additional support for disadvantaged pupils, for instance providing communication and language programmes, contributed to a big improvement in provisional key stage 2 reading results in 2017 for disadvantaged pupils.
• School monitoring information shows that girls outperform boys. Strategies have been put in place to make boys more actively engaged in their learning, so they will be more confident and learn better.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Outcomes in the early years require improvement. In 2017, only just over half of children reached a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year. Boys’ outcomes were particularly weak. Nearly half of this group of pupils are now having to ‘catch up’ from the beginning of key stage 1. Writing and basic calculation are the biggest concern. Small-group support is in place to help these pupils catch up.
• Leadership of the early years requires improvement to secure better outcomes for children. A new leader has been appointed and changes have been made to staffing, including the appointment of another teacher to support the Nursery class.
• The environment has been developed, with improvements made to the outdoor provision and the addition of a low-distraction area for pupils who have specific needs. There has been a review of the curriculum and staff training has been carried out to improve weaker aspects such as writing. Systems are now in place to monitor the quality of provision, its impact on pupils and the progress being made. There has been a lot of investment to bring about improvement, but the effect on children’s development is yet to be seen.
• There are signs of improvement in the quality of teaching; however, it is not yet good. Resources are organised more effectively indoors and outdoors to engage children’s learning. Children have opportunities to work both alone and with an adult. Experienced staff manage pupils’ learning well. They provide a warm, nurturing environment and model carefully for pupils. As a result, children chat comfortably and manage their behaviour well.
• The teaching of children who speak English as an additional language is effective. Bilingual assistants model the use of English, enabling children to pick up the language quickly.
• Leaders say that most pupils enter the school with skills that are below those typical for their age. In particular, children have low communication and literacy skills. That said, leaders say that baselines in previous years may not have been wholly accurate across the wide range of skills that were assessed in the early years. Leaders recognise the need to improve the leadership of assessment in the early years.
• Good systems are in place for admitting new children. Staff provide strong support for children and parents, welcoming and reassuring both. There are strong links with parents, including through sharing children’s learning journeys.
• All pupils in the Nursery who have special educational needs and/or disabilities last year made the progress which was expected of them.
• Additional funding is used to target provision for communication and language. This extra support has enabled a good proportion of disadvantaged children to reach a good level of development at the end of Reception.
• Safeguarding and welfare requirements are met. Daily risk assessments are carried out. All staff are trained in paediatric first aid. Staff make good use of external professional services as necessary.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 105486 Manchester 10032177 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 455 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ms Shelly Lanchbury Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Ms Pat Adams 0161 740 3741 www.crumpsalllaneprimary.org/ headteacher@crumpsall.manchester.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above the national average. The majority of pupils are from Asian backgrounds.
• The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is above national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is similar to the national average.
• The proportion of pupils entering or leaving the school at other than the normal times is lower than the national average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Since the last inspection, a significant change has happened to the school. The local authority brokered support for the school from two leaders from a successful local primary school. This support was extended beyond the initial one term to the full academic year 2015/16. Following this, the two schools entered into a hard federation from September 2016. Each school has its own senior leadership team, but there is a single governing board. The executive headteacher and associate headteacher divide their time between the two schools. A head of school is on site full time.
• The school met the current government floor standards in 2016.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors spoke with parents as they brought their children to school. They reviewed the comments of five parents made through the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors reviewed the responses to 34 online questionnaires from staff.
• Inspectors observed teaching and carried out learning walks in classes, the school hall, the library and outdoors. Some of the observations were made jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors observed pupils during break and lunchtimes. An inspector attended an assembly.
• Inspectors met regularly with senior leaders and a range of staff throughout the inspection. Meetings were held with middle leaders, with a range of postholders, with new entrants to the profession and with a group of established teachers and non-teachers.
• An inspector heard some children read. Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work, some in classrooms and some during a formal work scrutiny.
• The inspectors spoke with a wide range of pupils from all age groups in classrooms, during formal meetings and informally around the school site.
• The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority and with two members of the governing body. A telephone call was held with the school’s quality assurance professional.
• Inspectors considered a range of information about the school, including the school’s website, reports about how the school is doing, school improvement plans and self-evaluation documents. In addition, inspectors scrutinised school policies and records about the care and progress of pupils. Inspectors reviewed school records of checks on the suitability of adults to work with children and pupils.

Inspection team

Linda Griffiths, lead inspector Mavis Smith Deborah Bailey Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector