Lily Lane Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • teachers have consistently high expectations of what pupils can and should achieve
  • pupils are challenged to make consistently good progress across subjects, particularly in science, humanities and geography
  • teachers model the accurate use of English, spelling, punctuation and grammar in their written and spoken work with pupils.
• Improve the progress made by key stage 2 pupils in English and mathematics by:
  • providing effective support for pupils who join the school at different times in the year so that they more swiftly catch up academically with their peers
  • reducing further the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school.
• Further enhance the leadership and management of the school by:
  • making the best use of the assessment information that they hold to check on and promote the progress made by pupils who join the school at times other than the norm
  • governors holding leaders better to account for the quality of teaching and learning.
• Enhance the opportunities for parents, particularly those with English as an additional language, to contribute to their children’s education in the early years.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Lily Lane Primary School is a totally different school to that inspected in 2013. The school’s physical size and the number of pupils on roll have increased considerably. This has resulted in a large increase in the numbers of staff, including a totally new leadership team, since the last inspection.
• The pupils who attend the school now come from a considerably more ethnically diverse community. The school continues to change rapidly, due to large numbers of families arriving in this country from abroad. Consequently, many pupils enter the school at various points in a school year, some having had a disrupted education. A large proportion of these pupils use English as an additional language. Leaders take appropriate actions to support these pupils but acknowledge many of their actions are responsive and have not had time to fully have the desired impact on pupils’ learning.
• Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness recognises that the school is no longer outstanding. They have a clear and accurate picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses because of their frequent and focused monitoring activities. These include regular observations of the quality of teaching, frequent ‘book looks’ to scrutinise pupils’ work, and the analysis of assessment information. However, leaders do not consistently make the best use of the wealth of assessment information that they have to check that newly arrived pupils quickly catch up in their academic learning.
• Recently, leadership and management have been strengthened further by the appointment of three phase leaders across key stages 1 and 2. These phase leaders have high expectations and have quickly established a secure understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their areas of responsibility. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of their work.
• Leaders use the information gathered from their monitoring to hold teachers closely to account for the impact of their actions on pupils’ learning. Where teaching is identified as being less than effective, they take swift and appropriate actions. However, leaders are aware and acknowledge that these actions have not yet ensured the quality of teaching is consistently good.
• Leaders’ planning for school improvement is effective. They identify appropriate priorities and actions. The impact of improvement plans is regularly reviewed by senior leaders, including phase leaders to determine what are the next steps required. Effective implementation of the school plans has resulted in improvements to the outcomes for pupils in key stage 1 and the early years over recent years. Additionally, greater proportions of pupils now attain the higher standards in the end of key stage assessments.
• Subject leaders have secure knowledge, and some have further extended their leadership skills through nationally accredited qualifications in middle leadership. A small number of subject leaders, including the coordinator of the provision of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and a leader in the early years, are new to their roles. They are developing their skills well because of the training and guidance that they receive.
• Subject leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes in their subjects, particularly in English, mathematics, science and computing. They recognise that in some subjects, such as humanities and art, teachers’ methods of recording pupils’ progress and attainment is still under development. Subject leaders keep up to date and well informed about developments in their subjects and use this to inform their planning.
• Leaders demonstrate an accurate understanding of the barriers to learning faced by disadvantaged pupils. They make effective use of the pupil premium funding to promote learning for this group of pupils. The funding is used well to provide additional support in English and mathematics. It is also used to develop pupils’ emotional and social resilience so that they can effectively access the wider curriculum. As a result, disadvantaged pupils who have been in school for some time make secure progress from their starting points.
• Sport plays an important part in the curriculum and draws on pupils’ interests and competitive spirit. The school successfully competes against other schools in a variety of sports. Pupils and staff are equally proud of their achievement in having become the City of Manchester champions in several sports, including football and athletics, for several years. The primary school sport and physical education funding is used effectively to train staff to deliver high-quality physical education. It is also used to promote pupils’ participation in a wide range of sporting and health and well-being activities, including nationally recognised fitness and well-being programmes.
• Leaders’ regular and effective communication ensures that most parents are well informed about their children’s learning and school life. The use of the school’s website and frequent texting give parents useful information. Pupils contribute to the school’s online learning platform through class blogs to ensure that their parents know about their activities and learning in school. Parents overwhelmingly support the school. They speak positively about the learning opportunities it provides for their children and the advice and guidance staff give to families to help their children thrive. A small number of parents, particularly those for whom English is an additional language, expressed a desire to have more easily accessible information about their children’s progress and attainment.
• This is a caring school where pupils’ spiritual moral, social and cultural understanding is nurtured well, for example through the promotion of the United Nations Charter of the Rights of the Child. Pupils are treated with understanding and respect. Leaders frequently draw on the experiences of pupils in school to promote equality for all, irrespective of their ethnicity or gender identity. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities participate in the full range of activities and school life because the funding set aside for them is used effectively.
• In their design of the curriculum, leaders demonstrate a clear intent to overcome the barriers to learning presented by the high levels of deprivation in the community. It is broad and balanced. Where possible, the curriculum is enriched through carefully considered and appropriate visits and experiences which extend pupils’ horizons and their academic, creative and cultural interests. Opportunities for all pupils to study a musical instrument, as part of the curriculum, without additional cost to their families, ensure equality of access to music. Leaders strongly encourage pupils to adopt positive values as future citizens of Britain.

Governance of the school

• The governance of the school is effective. Governors are proud of the school and share the vision and commitment to improvement held by leaders and staff. They know their school well because of the high-quality information that they receive from the headteacher and other leaders. Governors regularly check the validity of the information that they receive by using an external, quality-assurance professional. Some governors visit the school to see teachers and pupils at work. Consequently, governors have an accurate understanding of the impact of the considerable changes to the school’s context.
• The governing body uses the professional skills of some of its members well to monitor the school’s finances, including the pupil premium funding and the PE and sport funding, to ensure that they get best value. They hold leaders to account by asking focused questions about the impact of their actions, particularly in the areas relating to finance and policies. Governors have closely followed the recent remodelling of the school’s site, including the construction of the new additional classrooms to ensure that it provides a high-quality resource for the school. However, governors’ checks on the impact of leaders’ actions to improve teaching and learning is less thorough.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The governing body ensures that the school meets all the statutory requirements for safeguarding, including those relating to the early years. These include the checking of the suitability of adults to work with pupils in school and the provision of appropriate filtering and monitoring of the school’s internet connection.
• The safeguarding and welfare of pupils lie at the heart of this school. Well-trained staff have up-to-date knowledge and diligently apply their skills to keep pupils safe. Leaders and staff work closely together. They share information effectively with families and appropriate authorities to ensure that pupils are safe and protected from external risks and threats. Records are meticulously kept and fit for purpose.
• Leaders have taken appropriate actions to ensure that the school is a safe and secure place in which pupils can learn during and after the extensive building work currently nearing completion.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is inconsistent across different classes. As a result, some pupils in the same year group do not receive the consistently at least good quality of education as their peers in other classes in the same year group. This is because some teachers do not implement as consistently as others the school’s policies relating to leaders’ expectation of teaching. For example, in some pupils’ books teachers have not applied the school’s marking and feedback policy as required by the school.
• On occasions, some teachers do not model high-quality use of written and spoken spelling, punctuation and English grammar. As a result, some pupils see inaccurate displays, and they receive worksheets that have incorrect spellings, including American English versions of spellings. In some lessons, teachers model incorrect grammar in their spoken English to pupils who are only just beginning to learn this language.
• In a small number of subjects, particularly in humanities and science, some teachers have low expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving. As a result, the tasks that they set do not promote pupils’ development of knowledge and skills at the standard expected.
• Most teachers and teaching assistants demonstrate secure knowledge of most of the subjects that they teach. Many use this knowledge to make tasks interesting and enjoyable for pupils. Teachers frequently use the school’s specific instructional strategies, which are designed to promote cooperation and communication in the classroom, to boost pupils’ confidence and concentration. However, on occasions some teachers confuse the use of these strategies with the careful matching of tasks to meet pupils’ abilities. Consequently, sometimes pupils all receive the same level of challenge irrespective of their abilities.
• Some teachers make effective use of homework to consolidate skills and draw on pupils’ interests to develop their knowledge and understanding. For example, recent work in design and technology, which linked closely to a historical theme, resulted in the production of high-quality tools made from natural materials.
• Teachers typically have a secure understanding of most pupils’ barriers to learning, including a lack of rich life experiences due to the deprivation found in the community. Many teachers frequently make effective use of links to other subjects and educational visits to bring learning to life for children who have had little experience of the wider world. For example, in upper key stage 2, some teachers effectively develop pupils’ understanding of writing for a specific purpose, by requiring them to develop written plans of the equipment they will need for the safe completion of an upcoming trip to the ‘mountains’ at Dovestone Reservoir.
• Teachers and family-support workers effectively support learning beyond the classroom. This is through the provision of a range of workshops and information events for parents, including online safety events, and subject-focused events, such as the ‘maths market’, and the provision of individual advice sessions for parents.
• Writing and mathematics are generally taught systematically to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding. However, where teaching is weaker, some pupils often miss out on the systematic development of their skills compared to their peers. This is because the teaching that they receive lacks the high expectations and focused progression found in other classes within the same year group.
• Reading is taught through strict adherence to a commercial scheme of work, which systematically develops pupils’ phonics knowledge and skills. As a result, pupils apply phonics skills to identify unfamiliar words. The outcomes in the end of key stage 1 national reading assessments have improved and are now in line with the national average.
• Committed and knowledgeable teaching assistants support pupils’ learning well in class and at other times of the day. Many teaching assistants work closely with pupils who have recently arrived in school, many of whom have little or no understanding of the English language. Teaching assistants make good use of a variety of strategies and technology to support the integration of new pupils into school, so these pupils can access quickly the curriculum and begin to progress their academic journey.
• Effective use of technology supports learning well. Visualisers, which are devices that help project physical objects on to a screen, are commonly used to demonstrate methods or to swiftly share pupils’ work in order to highlight learning points and common errors in their work. The effective use of tablet computers allows teaching assistants to keep pupils focused on tasks by easily translating instructions into other languages. The good use of external community links ensures that pupils and teachers have access to high-quality technological resources and training. For example, in key stage 2, pupils develop their programming skills well through robotics work, provided by a local premier league football club’s outreach programme.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are proud of the school and they wear their uniform with honour. Parents share their children’s views of the school and are overwhelmingly supportive.
• Pupils know how to stay safe in and out of school, including while using the internet and other electronic devices, because of the guidance that they receive.
• Pupils’ attitude to learning is typically positive, especially where the quality of teaching is at its best. Here, they are attentive learners who quickly follow instructions and engage with their learning tasks. Pupils particularly enjoy the opportunities to apply their skills and to develop their learning through collaborative activities, such as ‘quiz quiz trade’.
• Pupils carry out a range of roles of responsibilities, including that of school councillors. The school council is an effective body that makes a difference in school. Pupils’ views are held in high regard and considered carefully by staff and leaders. For example, following suggestions from the school council, the organisation of lunchtime now better promotes pupils’ social skills.
• Extra-curricular activities abound in school and contribute greatly to pupils’ personal development. The breakfast club ensures that pupils are well set for a day of learning. Many clubs operate during lunchtimes. Pupils have a say in what clubs there are and, as a result, they are well attended and reflect pupils’ interests, such as badminton, cookery, science and art.
• Pupils are well supported to become responsible and reflective citizens because of leaders’ strong promotion of social and emotional learning, which incorporates fundamental British values. Pupils regularly take part in democratic processes and, each term, whole-school debates provide opportunities to discuss topical issues, such as the rights of a child.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare in school but, when it does happen, they are confident that teachers and other adults are approachable and that they will deal with it swiftly and effectively.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils conduct around the school is excellent. As a result, the large numbers of pupils in school frequently negotiate the stairwells safely. Boisterous playtimes see pupils playing collaboratively and harmoniously together, to vent their excess energy in a safe and well-supervised environment.
• Most pupils enjoy coming to school, consequently, attendance overall is in line with the national average. However, some groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, do not attend as often as they should. This is often due to complex home circumstances and/or medical reasons. As a result, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is above the national average.
• Leaders monitor attendance rigorously. They challenge and provide high levels of support and guidance to parents who do not ensure that their children attend school regularly. Leaders tailor their actions to meet the needs of individual pupils and their family’s circumstances. Analysis of attendance data shows that this frequently has had a considerable impact on their attendance. Consequently, although the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is above the national average, it is reducing.
• Leaders’ use of exclusions is in line with the national average. Exclusions are only used as a last resort and are an appropriate, measured response to the behaviour of a very small minority of pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• There is a high and rapidly rising proportion of pupils who enter the school at times other than the norm. For example, 25 pupils joined the school in the week of the inspection. Many have a limited understanding of spoken English and/or a history of interrupted education. This means that the published data for progress and attainment, particularly in key stage 2, must be treated with caution.
• Detailed analysis of the school’s own and national assessment information shows that pupils who attend the school regularly over time, including those who are disadvantaged, make effective progress from their starting points. However, the increasing number of pupils who join the school outside of the usual times, despite making positive progress in their social and emotional development, do not quickly catch up academically with their peers.
• Pupils have a secure foundation to their learning in the early years, on which they build effectively in key stage 1. Consequently, according to provisional data, attainment at the end of key stage 1 was at least in line with national averages in reading, writing and mathematics in 2018. A growing proportion of pupils made sufficient progress to attain at the higher standards in their end of key stage assessments.
• Pupils make good progress and develop their phonics skills systematically. The proportion of pupils attaining the nationally expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics screening check in 2017 and 2018 was in line with the 2017 national average. By the end of key stage 1 in 2017 and 2018, nearly all pupils met the required standard.
• In key stage 2, variability in the quality of teaching and the considerable number of pupils joining the school, some with no, or an interrupted education, have a substantial impact on headline progress and attainment figures over time. However, the progress of pupils who had attended the school for the majority of their key stage 2 education was much better. The proportion of these pupils who attained the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics was line with 2017 national averages.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that in humanities and science pupils in some classes do not attain at the standard expected for their stage of learning. This is because the expectations of the teachers in those classes are not high enough and, consequently, the work is too easy.
• The inconsistent quality of teaching that pupils receive has a negative impact on the progress and attainment made in some classes, within some year groups, and particularly in lower key stage 2. School-based tracking shows that here pupils, particularly those who are new to the school, do not make the strong progress they need to catch up with their learning in order to attain the standards that leaders expect. Consequently, outcomes require improvement.

Early years provision Good

• The leadership of the early years is good. Leaders, even though one is very new to the role, have an accurate and detailed understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the department. They effectively evaluate provision and outcomes, and accurately assess and track in detail children’s progress and attainment.
• Leaders in the early years ensure that safeguarding is effective and that all the required regulations are met. Well trained and vigilant staff implement the school’s safeguarding policies with rigour, and act quickly to respond to and deal with any concerns.
• Teachers and other adults quickly establish effective routines that model respect and set clear expectations about children’s conduct. Consequently, children are well behaved and eager learners who typically show respect for adults and each other.
• Most children enter the early years with skills and development below that which is typical for their age. They make good progress from their starting points in the Nursery Year because of the quality of teaching that they receive.
• Children in the Reception Year build on the good foundations laid in the Nursery Year. They make effective progress from their starting points, particularly in the areas of learning related to social and emotional development, because of the good-quality teaching and personal development that they receive. However, some children, particularly those who join the school in the Reception Year with limited prior education, attain less well in the key areas of learning related to reading and writing. This impacts negatively on some children’s academic readiness for learning in Year 1.
• Transition arrangements for pupils moving to key stage 1 are effective. Consequently, pupils are well prepared socially and personally for their next key stage.
• The early years department has grown considerably in recent years and is now partially housed in a new building. Leaders’ actions effectively manage the limitations on children’s use of the outdoors caused by the building work to create a new, high-quality early years play area. Children do not miss out on outdoor learning activities, because leaders carefully timetable frequent access to the school’s other outdoor resources. Children have frequent access to temporary outdoor learning spaces, the school’s multi-use games areas and the school’s halls to undertake outdoor learning activities and physical education.
• Parents find staff approachable and are aware of class routines. Parents are well informed about their children’s progress in several ways, which include ‘meet and greet’ sessions, written reports and parent workshops. However, the opportunities for parents to positively contribute to their children’s learning in the early years are more limited.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 105424 Manchester 10052865 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 Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 642 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Rita Tavernor Julia Clark 0161 205 3397 www.lilylane.manchester.sch.uk admin@lilylane.manchester.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 2 3 July 2013

Information about this school

• Lily Lane Primary is a larger-than-average sized primary school.
• The school’s size and context have changed considerably since the last inspection. The majority of pupils are now from ethnic groups other than White British. A rapidly increasing and higher-than-average proportion of pupils have English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is lower than average, but increasing.
• The school provides a breakfast club that is available to all pupils.
• There have been considerable changes in staffing, including in senior leadership and governance since the last inspection.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed a range of lessons or parts of lessons and looked at pupils’ work. They listened to pupils reading, and talked with them about their lessons and school life.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and a range of subject and phase leaders, including the senior leaders responsible for the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and family support. Inspectors spoke with representatives of the governing body and the local authority officers who work with the school. The lead inspector had a telephone call with the school’s own commissioned external improvement adviser.
• Inspectors scrutinised documentation relating to pupils’ progress and to school management, including the arrangements to ensure that pupils are kept safe.
• Inspectors spoke with parents and staff and took account of the responses to the school’s own parent questionnaire.

Inspection team

John Nixon, lead inspector Mandy Dodd Claire Hollister Stephen Rigby Eithne Proffitt

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector