Oswald Road Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by:
  • increasing outcomes in writing for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged
  • developing pupils’ handwriting and presentation skills
  • ensuring that all pupils, most notably the most able and those who are disadvantaged, receive consistent challenge.
• Increase opportunities for children in the early years to develop their reading and writing skills in the outdoor areas.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, together with her senior leadership team, has developed an ambitious culture for the school. The vision of leaders for their school shines out in all that they do. The headteacher greatly values the contribution made by her staff. She works hard to ensure that they are engaged, motivated and well supported to promote the future development of the school.
• Leaders’ ability to evaluate the strengths of their school and the areas that require further development has led to rapid improvements. Middle leadership is strong in school, which has led to improvements in pupils’ progress and attainment. All leaders are ambitious for their pupils and place equal emphasis on academic aspiration and well-being. As a result, pupils achieve well, are happy and enjoy their learning.
• The school prepares pupils very positively for life in modern Britain. Leaders weave opportunities through the curriculum for pupils to consider fundamental British values. Pupils are proud of their roles as playground buddies, house captains and school councillors. They understand how such roles link to the process of democracy. Pupils learn to celebrate all backgrounds and beliefs. Leaders teach respect and a tolerance of those with different faiths through assemblies, religious education and focused learning events such as ‘Black History’ week. As a result, leaders are proud to have received a silver award recognising their focus on rights and respect.
• Overall, care of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is a strength of the school’s work. This is due to strong leadership in this area. Parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, via the free-text facility spoke very highly of the school’s provision in this area. One parent, reflecting the views of others, noted: ‘The SEN provision at Oswald Road is second to none. I am beyond thrilled with the progress that my daughter has made.’
• Leaders are highly effective in weaving pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) education through all aspects of school life. For example, they use the history of the local community to enable pupils to study subjects such as the suffragettes, the Islamic age, ‘Manchester – the place’ and the value of ‘staycations’. As a result, pupils are tolerant and have an admirable respect for diversity.
• Leaders have a clear rationale for the way in which they spend the pupil premium funding that comes into school. Leaders evaluate thoroughly the impact of their actions and decisions. This is because they have worked effectively with external advisers to review the quality of support that they provide in this area.
• Leadership in sport is strong. Pupils enjoy a broad range of activities to develop their skills and interests. Leaders use the physical education and sport funding effectively to provide staff with training to develop further their teaching skills. Staff and pupils are proud to have received a school games bronze award for participation in a range of competitions both within and between schools.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. A clear focus on British values and SMSC education are expertly woven through all topics studied. Leaders ensure that rights and respect are incorporated into all aspects of pupils’ learning. Leaders’ efforts to weave mathematics through other areas of the curriculum has been highly effective, leading to improvements in outcomes in this area.
• Pupils greatly enjoy a broad range of extra-curricular activities, which include sport, singing, arts and skateboarding. Such opportunities have positively supported pupils’ development and progress in many areas of the curriculum, such as music and art.
• Transition is a strength of the school’s provision, particularly for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders and teachers ensure that pupils’ movement from one stage of their education to the next supports their well-being and their academic development.
• Leaders have appointed a member of staff whose role it is to ensure that there are clear lines of communication with parents. This has been highly effective and has resulted in strong links between home and school. For example, each week, parents receive newsletters and emails giving them information about their children’s school life. Leaders provide a ‘you said, we did’ report to share with parents the actions that leaders have taken to address issues that parents have raised. As a result, communication is highly effective and greatly valued by the majority of parents.

Governance of the school

• Governors are proud of their school and its long history in the local community. They take their roles very seriously, are aware of their duties and do not shy away from their responsibilities. As a result, they offer clear leadership and challenge to leaders.
• Governors have a wide range of skills which they use effectively to support school improvement. They know their school well. They are regular visitors, taking part in a wide range of activities. This allows them to gain a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Members of the governing body visit classrooms, look at pupils’ books and are aware of pupils’ achievements. Governors also invite pupils to speak to them about the progress that they are making. As a result, they have a clear awareness of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in school.
• Governors who are involved in recruitment receive the necessary training to ensure that leaders follow safeguarding procedures when appointing new members of staff. Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding has a high priority throughout school. Leaders undertake audits on safety annually. All staff are well trained and understand their role in keeping pupils safe from harm. Leaders are aware of potential safeguarding issues specific to their community and ensure that staff have training in these areas. As a result, pupils receive effective support.
• Policies are fit for purpose and are reviewed regularly. Leaders keep detailed records to protect children. Leaders work effectively with partners beyond the school, offering advice and guidance about safeguarding practices. This enables them to share good practice beyond the school.
• Pupils’ ability to keep themselves safe is at the forefront of this school’s thinking. All pupils receive support to keep themselves safe, both in the real world and online. Pupils are aware that they cannot use a computer until they have received detailed e-safety training each year.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers ensure that they teach a curriculum which is broad, balanced and enriched with a wide range of visits to give pupils the opportunity to develop their learning effectively. For example, pupils improved their understanding of music and drama by taking part in the ‘Manchester Day’ parade. One pupil from key stage 1 said, ‘In music, we learned about how you can level your voice, and in drama, we learned new poses and movements.’
• The assessment system is highly effective in ensuring that teachers have a clear overview of pupils’ strengths and areas where further support is required. However, effective use of assessment to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning is not consistent. When not used well, teachers do not pitch learning at the right level for some groups of pupils. This is most notable for the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. This results in a lack of appropriate challenge. Where this happens, some pupils become distracted in lessons and learning slows down.
• Teaching assistants make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning. They offer targeted support which challenges pupils’ thinking. Teaching assistants are well trained and use their skills well to lead learning across a range of subjects.
• Pupils’ knowledge and skills in mathematics have developed well. This is because leaders ensure that pupils have regular opportunities to build upon prior learning. Work in pupils’ books shows that opportunities to practise mathematical reasoning when solving problems have developed their thinking well.
• The teaching of phonics is good across classes. Teachers use language effectively to move pupils’ learning forward. As a result, the proportion of pupils who pass the phonics screening check has been above the national average over many years.
• Teachers build effectively on pupils’ reading skills throughout school. Younger pupils use their phonics knowledge well to interpret words that they are unsure of. Teachers ensure that classrooms are rich in literature and that pupils have access to high-quality books. As a result, pupils become highly competent readers with a love of literature.
• The quality of teaching in subjects other than English and mathematics is good. This results in pupils making strong progress. Teachers demonstrate high expectations and provide pupils with a wide range of opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills.
• Leaders ensure that the curriculum is exciting and engaging for pupils. Enrichment is at the centre of its implementation. Many visitors attend school to put learning into a real-life and often local context. For example, during the school’s ‘culturally speaking day’, family members attend school and lead activities for pupils linked to a broad range of languages and cultures.
• Leaders are currently developing their curriculum further to ensure that there are increased opportunities for pupils to think in depth about the subjects they are studying. For example, pupils in Year 6 looked at the reasons for Islamic expansion. They were able to compare and contrast ancient and modern Baghdad and explain in detail why Baghdad had changed. This work enabled them to use a wide range of thinking skills to develop a deeper understanding of the subject studied.
• Leaders and teachers are working to develop pupils’ skills in writing. They use pupils’ love of literature to stimulate writing activities. However, pupils do not receive appropriate levels of challenge to develop their learning. Progress in writing is further limited by the presentation of pupils’ work, which is not consistently of a high standard in terms of presentation and handwriting.
• Teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to practise writing skills across the wider curriculum. As a result, the progress and attainment of pupils in this area is not as strong as in other subjects, such as in mathematics. Pupils are given regular opportunities to apply their mathematical learning effectively in subjects such as science and geography.
• The positive relationships between staff and pupils greatly enhance the quality of learning in classrooms. Teachers use questioning effectively to check pupils’ understanding and encourage them to discuss their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Leaders place great emphasis on pupils’ well-being. The school’s learning support team works closely with families and supports pupils through challenging times. Members of the team teach pupils how to look after themselves and others, encouraging them to seek help and support when they need it.
• Staff understand the importance of pupils’ physical and emotional well-being. Teachers place ‘feelings charts’ in all classrooms so that the behaviour of pupils can be closely monitored and supported. Almost all pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire said that they enjoyed school.
• Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy the opportunities that leaders provide for them in roles such as house captains, school councillors and buddies for younger pupils. Pupils are confident and aware. They understand the importance of a good education and understand its links to achieving aspirations. One pupil noted, ‘I like science lessons and I want to be a scientist.’ However, there are times when pupils do not take pride in their handwriting and the overall presentation of their work is sometimes untidy.
• Pupils have a good understanding of safety. Teachers ensure that pupils are fully aware of the rules for staying safe online. As a result, pupils understand their role in keeping themselves safe, both online and in the real world.
• The pupils spoken with during the inspection demonstrated a clear understanding of the various forms that bullying can take. They were clear that such instances were very rare at Oswald Road, but if they did occur, teachers dealt with them well. Older pupils value their role as playground ‘buddies’, supporting the behaviour of younger pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Parents greatly value the work undertaken by the school to support their children. The majority of parents spoken to during the inspection said that pupils’ behaviour was strong in school.
• Pupils are polite and thoughtful. They understand that respect is an important quality. They demonstrate admirable views on equality and diversity. All pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online pupil survey said that their school encourages them to respect people from other backgrounds and to treat everyone equally. Leaders place great emphasis on rights and respect and work effectively to develop pupils’ awareness in this area. As a result, leaders have identified a significant reduction in inappropriate behaviour during breaktimes, most notably by disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Pupils greatly appreciate opportunities provided for them in the playground to explore and to take part in physical activity. School staff, including lunchtime organisers, ensure that a wide range of equipment is available for pupils to enjoy. As a result, pupils are well occupied. Their behaviour during breaktimes is increasingly positive and contributes effectively to well-being.
• Leaders work closely with pupils and their families to reduce pupils’ absence. Leaders use rewards and incentives well to encourage pupils to attend school regularly. As a consequence, attendance levels are broadly in line with those seen nationally and the number of pupils who are persistently absent is reducing.
• Leaders provide a broad range of incentives to encourage good behaviour. For example, ‘children of the term’ have a tea party with the headteacher and other staff to celebrate their good behaviour. As a result of these high expectations, pupils’ relationships with other pupils and with their teachers and teaching assistants are strong.
• Most pupils work well in class without disruption. They enjoy their learning and are quick to offer help and support to one another. However, on occasions where the level of challenge for pupils is too low, there can be low-level disruption. Nevertheless, pupils are quick to respond to adults when asked to stop what they are doing and listen to instructions.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils acquire a clear phonics knowledge and make good progress in early reading skills. As a result, the proportion of pupils who pass the phonics screening check in Year 1 is consistently above the national average. This is also the case in Year 2 for those pupils who did not meet the standard in the previous year.
• Pupils make good progress throughout key stage 1 in reading and writing at the expected standard. However, performance at greater depth has, historically, been below that seen nationally.
• Leaders have worked hard to increase the level of challenge in teaching in these areas of key stage 1. This is showing signs of success. The school’s most recent unpublished performance information in 2018 shows a rise in attainment at both the expected standard and at greater depth for pupils in Year 2 in reading and writing.
• Leaders’ efforts to develop pupils’ reasoning skills in mathematics are showing clear signs of success throughout school. Good progress in pupils’ books is evident. There has been a marked rise in pupils’ attainment by the end of key stages 1 and 2.
• Pupils’ progress in writing by the end of key stage 2 has been declining over time. However, due to focused intervention by leaders and teachers, there have been signs of improvement for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. This is seen in the school’s most recent unpublished progress and attainment information in 2018.
• Pupils make good progress in reading throughout key stage 2. This is because teachers use high-quality texts very effectively to promote learning in other subjects. Pupils greatly enjoy reading and are keen to talk about their favourite books. The school’s most recent unpublished performance information in 2018 shows strong progress for all pupils.
• Key stage 2 published performance information shows that Year 6 pupils perform at a high standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling over time. However, inspection evidence throughout school, including in pupils’ books, shows that this performance is not consistently maintained. As a result, pupils are sometimes making careless errors.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress by the end of key stage 2 in reading and mathematics. Staff focus on developing language skills through talk. In addition, a celebration of language and culture is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ writing where progress historically has been lower.
• Teachers provide opportunities to challenge the most able pupils throughout school. However, inspection findings, including an analysis of work in pupils’ books, shows that this is not always consistent. The most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, do not make as much progress as they should.
• Leaders identify the needs of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities early and ensure that they receive specific support. Leaders and teachers closely analyse pupils’ performance and ensure that they are given the help they need. As a result, current pupils are making good progress from their starting points.
• Pupils make good progress in subjects across the wider curriculum. Teachers ensure that pupils receive regular opportunities to explore ideas and themes in depth and make effective links between subjects. Pupils record work in their own individual books and also in large books which bring together contributions from groups of pupils. These show pupils’ secure understanding, skills and knowledge across a range of subjects.
• There is well-focused support for disadvantaged pupils’ personal and emotional needs. Together with effective teaching, this is leading to improving standards for current disadvantaged pupils. In the school’s most recent unpublished performance information for Year 6 in 2018, disadvantaged pupils made strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics compared to other pupils nationally. However, leaders are aware that they need to further challenge disadvantaged pupils to ensure that an increased number perform at the higher standards of attainment.
• Pupils’ good performance across the whole curriculum in both key stages 1 and 2 ensures that they are well prepared to enter the next stages of their education.

Early years provision Good

• Children begin school in the early years in either Nursery or Reception classes. On entry, the majority have skills and knowledge which are typical for their age. Children make good progress. By the end of the Reception Year, the proportion who reach a good level of development is above that seen nationally over time.
• Teachers and teaching assistants provide children with a good range of activities inside the classroom. They use a wide range of resources in an effective manner to move children’s learning forward. As a result, the children are excited and engaged in their learning and develop understanding and skills well.
• Outdoor provision does not offer the same range of activities. There are fewer opportunities for children to develop their reading and writing skills in the outdoor area. Additionally, opportunities to challenge children’s thinking in these areas are not fully utilised. However, in other areas of outdoor learning, provision is strong. For example, children’s physical development is well-provided for. Children greatly enjoy using the climbing wall. One child noted, ‘I use my hands and feet to get across. I use my eyes to watch my feet.’
• Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively, for example to provide opportunities for children to undertake visits to develop their life experiences. As a result, these children make strong progress from their starting points. However, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching the higher levels of learning is lower than that of other children. This is because they are not receiving high enough levels of challenge.
• Progress made by children who have SEN and/or disabilities is good. This is because leaders are highly effective in ensuring that these children receive the care they need to thrive. Leaders and teachers ensure that they use additional funding effectively to support children’s individual needs.
• Children’s behaviour is exceptional. They cooperate well and understand how to help each other and how to share. Teachers and teaching assistants praise good behaviour; children respond very well to this. Staff ensure that children are well cared for and that they are safe. Staff are vigilant and implement the school’s safeguarding policies effectively. As a result, children develop effective social skills and have very positive attitudes to learning.
• Children’s work in books shows that they make good progress in all areas of learning. Teachers keep clear records of their achievements. This enables them to accurately identify the progress that children are making.
• Teachers and teaching assistants in the early years have worked effectively in their drive to improve mathematics throughout the school. Teachers provide children with a broad range of activities to develop their understanding of mathematics. For example, leaders have introduced ‘transient art’, where natural objects such as pine cones are used to support children’s ability to use number. This has been effective. The school’s most recent unpublished performance information shows that the number of children achieving both the expected and the higher levels in the mathematics early learning goals has increased in 2018.
• The partnership with parents is strong. Leaders ensure that they provide parents with a range of opportunities to join their children in school and share their learning with activities such as Eid parties and ‘stay and play’. Additionally, family workshops in areas such as reading, phonics and mathematics support parents to help their children at home.
• Transition arrangements are a strength of the provision, particularly for those children who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders and teachers work closely with nurseries and with parents to gain a clear understanding of the children before they enter school. Teachers in the Reception Year work with children in the Nursery. Additionally, Year 1 teachers spend time with children in Reception in the summer term. Leaders ensure that teachers have time to discuss the progress and attainment of all children. Such strong transition systems, together with the high proportion of children who achieve a good level of development, ensures that children are well prepared for Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 131030 Manchester 10042486 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 668 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Richard Price Deborah Howard 01618 814266 www.oswaldroad.co.uk/ admin@oswaldroad.manchester.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 2016

Information about this school

• This is an exceptionally large primary school which is much larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils receiving support for SEN and/or disabilities is below average.
• The proportion of pupils supported with an education, health and care plan is below average.
• The school receives additional funding through the pupil premium funding for an average proportion of disadvantaged pupils.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups. Some teaching was observed jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors examined a range of documents, including information about pupils’ attendance, school improvement plans, the school’s own self-evaluation, safeguarding records, curriculum planning and external reviews of the school.
• Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. They took account of the 115 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View), the 87 free-text comments, the 42 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 90 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.
• An inspector met with a representative of the local authority, who is the school’s improvement adviser.
• An inspector met with five governors.
• Inspectors talked with pupils informally at playtimes and lunchtimes, visited the dining hall at lunchtime, spoke to the lunchtime supervisor and observed pupils’ movement around the school.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at the start and end of the school day and during breaktimes and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors undertook a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work and talked with them about their work. Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked to them about the books they enjoyed and those that they are currently reading.
• Inspectors held meetings with a broad range of leaders, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers, the business manager, senior and middle leaders, the leader of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, and the business manager. Meetings were also held with the designated safeguarding leader and the deputy safeguarding leader.
• Inspectors carried out a detailed scrutiny of current progress and attendance information for all groups of pupils.

Inspection team

Gill Pritchard, lead inspector Stephen Rigby Doreen Davenport Maggie Parker

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector