St Matthew's CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders, including governors, should build upon the rapid improvements in teaching and learning to further improve pupil outcomes by ensuring that:
  • teachers provide work and structure learning so that the most able pupils are systematically challenged in their writing and mathematics work
  • pupils have more opportunities to solve problems and demonstrate their reasoning skills
  • teachers question pupils effectively to assess their understanding and develop their thinking
  • the impact of the use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is more closely monitored by governors.
• Further develop pupils’ knowledge and skills in subjects beyond English and mathematics by ensuring that:
  • subject leaders embed developments to the curriculum and use robust assessment opportunities to inform future developments in their areas of responsibility.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, backed by his highly effective deputy headteacher, has successfully reinvigorated the community of this once ineffective school. Leaders, including governors, have created an aspirational climate to raise pupils’ confidence and achievement. They have addressed the areas for improvement from the last inspection with energy and vigour.
• There have been no quick fixes to rectify the school’s previous underperformance. Leaders have tackled the weakest teaching and have invested in the development of staff. The headteacher has set clear expectations for all staff, which are backed by robust management of their performance. Alongside this, there is a focused strategy to support staff to improve their practice. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress and staff speak highly of this approach.
• Leaders have clear and accurate systems in place to track the progress that pupils make in English and mathematics. This is ensuring a clear focus on improving pupils’ outcomes. There is no evidence of inadequate progress in pupils’ books. However, leaders are aware of the need to ensure that the most able pupils, and the most able disadvantaged pupils, are challenged in all aspects of their work.
• Leaders and governors ensure that the values of the school are embraced by pupils. Consequently, pupils are reflective and positive about their learning. They are prepared for life in modern Britain and show respect for other religions and cultures. Pupils have an emerging understanding of British values through activities such as voting as part of a mock European referendum. Pupils’ spiritual and moral development is guided by the school’s strong Christian character.
• The headteacher has embraced the contribution that parents make to the education of their children by providing them with a voice in the school. Parents have a forum to air their views and are overwhelmingly positive about the school’s leadership, commenting on the ‘many avenues for pupils to achieve’.
• The school’s sports premium is used to good effect by providing a range of sporting clubs across the year, which includes gymnastics, Thai boxing, dance and karate clubs. This funding is effective in developing pupils’ positive attitudes towards sports and the purchasing of equipment ensures the sustainability of high-quality physical education and sports provision.
• The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used well to support pupils to fill gaps in learning. This is successful in ensuring that pupils progress well. However, there are few strategies to stretch the most able disadvantaged pupils to make accelerated progress.
• The additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used to provide targeted, individualised support that aims to support pupils’ next steps in learning. It is now being used more effectively than in the past and progress is improving.
• The curriculum for mathematics and English has been prioritised to ensure that pupils have a grounding in the key skills that they will need to apply across the curriculum. Middle leaders for these subjects have been provided with a wealth of development opportunities and have the backing of senior leaders. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum has developed pupils’ learning characteristics. This demonstrates the positive impact on personal development and their attitudes to learning. Consequently, most pupils now make steady progress in their English and mathematics work, although the most able and some older pupils are not sufficiently challenged in their work to make the accelerated progress that they are capable of.
• The curriculum for subjects other than English and mathematics has only recently been implemented following a period of development for middle leaders. Consequently, there is little evidence of how the school is systematically developing pupils’ skills in subjects such as science, history, geography or design technology. Although leaders are aware of this, the recent actions to strengthen the curriculum have not had enough time to have an impact on pupils’ performance in these subjects.

Governance of the school

• Governors admit that they have learned hard lessons from the school’s previous inspection and found these to be instrumental in turning the school round. Governors have been actively involved in setting the aspirational culture within the school by setting a clear vision for school improvement.
• Governors have an accurate picture of the school, which has been gleaned from their frequent visits and by asking challenging questions about the school’s performance in meetings. They provide support and challenge for the headteacher in equal measure. This has formed a formidable partnership between governors and school leadership where all now sing from the same hymn-sheet.
• Governors have reviewed their strategy for the use of funding for disadvantaged pupils. This has resulted in governors having a clear overview of how this is used to support these pupils. Governors are aware that rates of progress are improving overall. However, plans for the use of the funding do not provide the clear, measurable targets needed for governors to fully evaluate the impact of this expenditure. Governors do not question the use of this funding to maximise its effectiveness in enough detail to know which strategies are making the greatest difference to pupil outcomes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The headteacher ensures that there are clear systems in place to monitor concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare. As the safeguarding lead, he makes sure that the culture within school is one of vigilance. Staff receive regular training of how to spot the signs and symptoms of abuse and know the pupils in their care very well. Leaders encourage staff to log the smallest incidents so that nothing is overlooked. Training is provided to make sure that staff are up to date with the most recent legislation.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe as part of a well thought-out programme of personal, social and health education. Pupils also have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe when online. They have a clear understanding of what constitutes bullying. Although they say that it rarely happens in school, they feel comfortable to approach members of staff with any concerns. Parents have no concerns about the safety of their children. They school provides parents with information about online safety. Parents know how to support their children at home when they participate in online activities.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teachers have responded successfully to the changes put in place by leaders. Teachers’ assessments are accurate and they are beginning to inform the planning of tasks within lessons. However, tasks focus on the needs of the majority of pupils and as such do not fully provide sufficient challenge for the most able and the most able disadvantaged pupils. Nor does the work provided to pupils who need additional support offer the structure required to support their learning. This is clear from the work in pupils’ writing and mathematics books, where different groups of pupils make similar progress. Despite improvements, the overall quality of teaching is variable across subjects. The school’s own progress data for current pupils also supports this picture.
• Although the teaching of writing and mathematics has improved, learning is limited due to the variability of the effectiveness of teachers’ questioning. In some classes, pupils require too much support from adults because their understanding has not been checked well enough before moving on to new content. Consequently, lessons are disjointed and there are lost opportunities to embed pupils’ learning. The pace of progress is not always fast enough and evidence in pupils’ writing and mathematics books also support this.
• Pupils’ mathematics books show that teachers offer limited experience to reason and solve problems. Where senior leaders have introduced staff training, subsequent work shows an increased focus on this area of mathematics. However, this has not been embedded sufficiently to support some of the oldest pupils to achieve the high rates of progress of which they would otherwise be capable.
• Teachers ensure that pupils read widely and often and make good progress in their reading. Phonics are taught effectively. Younger pupils confidently apply their phonics skills to read unfamiliar words and pupils develop well to read with fluency and accuracy. Teachers help pupils to read with clear comprehension of the text and they can infer and deduct reasons for characters’ actions.
• Teachers give little attention to the development of pupils’ skills in subjects other than English and mathematics. This is because the curriculum focuses on the coverage of national curriculum themes, and teachers have not had the opportunity to develop their skills in teaching some of these subjects. There have been improvements in these subjects since the last inspection, but there has been too much ground to cover to secure consistently good progress in these subjects.
• Teachers and support staff provide intervention work to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They ensure that pupils receive calm, reassuring support. Staff address pupils’ misconceptions and they treat pupils with patience and compassion.
• A clear strength of the school is the relationships between staff and pupils. These relationships contribute well towards pupils’ attitudes to learning, which have greatly improved since the last inspection.
• Teachers make effective use of teaching assistants. Where this is strongest, teaching assistants provide focused support for pupils and are proactive in helping pupils learn from their mistakes. Teaching assistants know their roles well and have a good awareness of pupils’ needs.

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 confident, pleasant and polite. They are proud to be part of the school because of the sense of belonging that leaders have instilled among them. Parents describe this as a ‘dramatic turn-around’ in the school’s fortunes because they have seen their children re-engage with school. Parents cite the relationships between staff and pupils and the emergence of the many after-school clubs as major reasons for this.
• Since the last inspection, pupils are becoming more aware of what makes them a successful learner. Leaders and teachers are providing them with chances to be more successful as well as developing their resilience to situations that they find difficult.
• The school actively promotes pupils’ emotional health and well-being. During the inspection, key stage 2 pupils attended assemblies on how to recognise signs of stress and how to identify pressures from home, school and social media.
• Pupils understand the importance of not sharing personal information via the internet and are positive about the opportunities that they have to learn about how to keep fit and stay healthy. They are aware of the need to seek help if there is a rare instance of bullying. They say that staff take effective action through assemblies and class-work to raise awareness of bullying in order to prevent it from taking place.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Leaders set clear expectations for pupils. Both parents and pupils alike are positive about the school’s approach to managing behaviour. This has been led by the headteacher and deputy headteacher who have earned the respect and trust of pupils, staff and parents for their approach.
• Pupils’ conduct during breaktimes is good. Pupils agree with this assessment. They are polite and well-mannered around school. In lessons there are no disruptions to learning and pupils contribute to well-ordered classrooms. The parents who met with inspectors have no concerns about pupils’ behaviour within the school.
• Pupils’ attendance is presently above the national average. Leaders have put in place robust systems to deal with any persistent absence. They have introduced awards for attendance and behaviour that are very popular with pupils.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• At the time of the previous inspection, progress was inadequate. This is no longer the case. Due to the improvements made by senior leaders to the quality of teaching and learning there are improved signs of progress for current pupils. Pupils’ books across the school in reading, writing and mathematics show a clear trend of improvement. However, the progress of the most able pupils is not rapid enough, particularly at the end of key stage 2 in writing and mathematics as teachers grapple with the legacy of filling gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
• Similarly, the progress for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is showing signs of recovery from the previous inspection. However, patchy progress for these pupils is evident in writing and mathematics and as such it requires improvements. This is due to the tasks not being closely matched to pupils’ abilities.
• The superficial coverage of other subjects, such as history, geography, science and design technology, in all year groups does not focus on developing pupils’ subject-specific skills. Pupils’ progress is slow in science, history, geography and design technology. Leaders are aware that this is work in progress and that there is still much to be done to embed the changes that subject leaders have only recently started to implement.
• The use of funding for disadvantaged pupils provides appropriate support for pupils who need to catch up. This support ensures that these pupils make similar rates of progress to other pupils in the school. However, the challenge for the most able disadvantaged pupils is not yet evidenced by pupils’ progress in their writing and mathematics books.
• Pupils’ reading across the school is an area of strength. They read a variety of texts competently and with understanding so that they make good progress in their reading. Strategies such as recording new words in their reading diaries promotes the understanding and use of vocabulary, while the use of comprehension books reinforces pupils’ understanding.
• The school’s strong teaching in phonics has ensured that a high proportion of pupils achieve the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check, a trend that school data shows is set to continue in 2017.

Early years provision Good

• The new leader has quickly got to grips with the early years and she has a clear grasp of the effectiveness of the school’s provision. Clear plans to improve are in place and these are increasing the quality of the outdoor learning provision as well as improving the consistency of teaching and learning between the two classes.
• Children enter their Reception Year with skills typical of their age. They make good progress from their starting points to achieve standards that are broadly in line with national results by the end of their early years education.
• Disadvantaged children who receive additional funding are provided with appropriate support to make good progress.
• The most able children are challenged to extend their learning. For example, children are encouraged to apply their understanding of addition to 10 by using number bonds with numbers beyond 20.
• Teaching and learning in the early years is good. Staff provide questions or a stimulus for children to react to, so that they guide them to explore their learning with increasing independence. As a result, children use their own initiative. They are creative, one example being where children use different skills to roll out, cut and decorate their own playdough pizza. They reflect well on their experiences.
• Children’s individual records clearly and comprehensively chart their progress. Teachers plan engaging activities based on clear assessments of skills and an understanding of children’s interests. The outdoor provision provides children with opportunities to practise their writing and number skills, such as in their bug cafe, where they have clipboards ready for spontaneous mark-making activities.
• Children behave well in Reception because they follow well-established routines. They are active learners and the way in which they explore the environment never impedes the learning of others. The excellent relationships that staff have with children help them to feel safe and secure. Leaders check to make sure that all welfare and safeguarding requirements are met.
• Staff work in partnership with parents and foster good relations through transition arrangements at the start of their child’s Reception Year. The use of consistent communication is greatly appreciated by parents as they feel included in the life of the school. Parents have access to the school’s electronic assessment system so that they receive regular updates about their child’s learning. Parents speak very positively about the open-door policy that allows them to meet staff when needed. Staff make themselves available to parents to discuss any matters of concern.
• Children are well prepared for Year 1 because of the smooth transition arrangements in place. They make good progress in their Reception Year and are ready to face the challenges of the Year 1 curriculum.

School details

Unique reference number 105709 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 10035641 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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils Four to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 419 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Lee Spratt Headteacher Mr Martin Moore Telephone number 0161 624 9829 Website www.stmatthewschadderton.co.uk Email address info@st-matthews.oldham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 January 2016

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is a larger than average-sized primary school.
• Since the previous inspection, seven teachers have left the school and a new deputy headteacher has been successfully appointed.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is lower than average.
• The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those with English as an additional language are lower than average.
• The percentage of pupils at the school who are supported for special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, as is the number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education health and care plan.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s floor targets, which set out the government’s minimum standards for attainment and progress in English and mathematics for pupils at the end of key stage 2.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in each class, which included joint observations with senior leaders.
• Inspectors examined a range of pupils’ work in writing, mathematics, science and from across the curriculum.
• Inspectors heard individual pupils read from key stage 1 and key stage 2 and during activities in lessons.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils formally in groups and informally around school.
• The lead inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day about how the school has improved since the previous inspection.
• Inspectors made observations of pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at playtimes and when pupils were moving around the school.
• Meetings were held with five governors, senior leaders, middle leaders and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, monitoring and training records and its areas for development.
• Inspectors looked at attendance and behaviour records.
• Inspectors reviewed safeguarding documentation and considered how this related to daily practice, as well as speaking with staff and pupils.

Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Will Smith Her Majesty’s Inspector Clare McGarey Ofsted Inspector Liz Kelly Ofsted Inspector