Ellenbrook Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Extend opportunities for pupils to develop their knowledge and experience of a fuller range of different communities by:
  • weaving through the curriculum and teaching, activities which expand pupils’ thinking and challenge any stereotypes or generalisations
  • providing pupils with an understanding of a fuller range of different communities.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher is resolute in her determination for all pupils to succeed at Ellenbrook. She and her leadership team are excellent role models of high expectations and they provide high-quality learning for all within a caring and nurturing environment.
• All staff are passionate about learning and teaching. They are all involved in regular professional dialogue about the curriculum, activities and the progress of pupils. Teachers are a cohesive team and work closely together to create ‘non-negotiables’ for lesson planning to drive progress and further improve the quality of teaching and learning.
• Leaders frequently monitor the quality of teaching and learning. Staff use these opportunities to reflect and further improve their practice. Performance management is closely linked to pupils’ progress and to the school’s plans for improvement. Leaders use performance management sharply to make sure that outstanding outcomes are consistently delivered.
• The innovative curriculum is underpinned by an effective assessment system defined by leaders. This enables accurate and timely tracking of pupil progress so that leaders and class teachers quickly identify any underachievement and take swift action to support pupils effectively. The curriculum engages pupils’ interests and helps them to develop and master new skills.
• Senior leaders and governors know the school very well. They are accurate in their evaluation of the school’s work and are continually looking for ways to further improve. Teachers and leaders work with local clusters of schools and with the local authority to share good practice and refine their teaching.
• Pupil premium is used effectively. Pupils are well known by leaders and the provision for these pupils is tracked and monitored assiduously. Current disadvantaged pupils make strong progress in almost all subjects and year groups. Most-able disadvantaged pupils are making rapid and sustained progress.
• The sports funding premium is used successfully to involve pupils in a wide range of sports and activities. Pupils enjoy activities such as gymnastics. The funding has also been used effectively to develop the skills of staff in teaching physical education (PE).
• Staff morale is high and all staff feel passionate about the school’s vision that ‘every child will succeed’. Staff value the opportunities for professional development given by leaders. Newly and recently qualified teachers appreciate greatly the support they receive at the outset of their teaching career.
• Leaders ensure that the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is delivered through the curriculum and that pupils are taught to be tolerant, respectful young people. They understand different religions and show genuine respect towards other people.
• Most British values are taught well and embedded across the school. Pupils understand the concept of democracy introduced to them through the school council system, and recognise the value of being able to contribute to decision-making processes. Leaders recognise that in creating a harmonious, tolerant community in school, there is some work still to be done to prepare pupils for life beyond the accepting and tolerant environment that characterises Ellenbrook.

Governance of the school

• The school benefits from strong governance.
  • Governors are a skilled, reflective, forward-thinking body of people who have the best interests of pupils and staff at the heart of their work.
  • Governors know the strengths of the school and are aware of areas for further improvement.
  • They visit the school regularly and remain focused on their key role of securing the best outcomes for all pupils.
  • Governors provide challenge and support to the headteacher and leadership team. They readily ask probing questions and hold leaders to account. They are knowledgeable about keeping pupils safe online and are aware of their statutory duties and proactive in monitoring the efficiency and use of online filters.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff are highly trained, vigilant and knowledgeable about safeguarding policies and procedures. Pupils feel safe in school; parents and staff agree. There is a focus on making sure that every child feels welcome, cared for and respected.
• The school engages well with parents and parents are confident that children are safe in school.
• Governors and leaders are uncompromising in providing a safe environment in which pupils can flourish.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Pupils love their lessons and when asked what they enjoy most about school, how they learn is key to their overwhelmingly positive views of school. ‘We learn in fun ways,’ was a typical comment from pupils. Pupils spoke of opportunities for debates, such as ‘Was King Alfred really great?’ and of interesting science and mathematics lessons.
• Leaders’ vision is that pupils will learn through ‘wonder and purpose’. There are well-embedded routines for pupils to check their work, correct it and extend their learning. Teaching catches the imagination and interest of pupils and ensures highly effective learning.
• Challenge is a strong feature of learning. All pupils are given work which stretches them from their prior knowledge and the work they have completed in previous lessons. Teachers reshape activities based on previous lessons and pupils thrive with this approach. The challenges in some subjects are occasionally not as highly developed as in English and mathematics.
• Teachers’ strong subject knowledge is demonstrated in their high-quality questioning. As a result of this, pupils develop a depth of knowledge and mastery of skills which contributes to their outstanding outcomes. Learning is deepened and pupils’ verbal reasoning skills are enhanced as teachers challenge pupils to ‘prove it’, ‘show me’ or ‘convince me’.
• Teaching assistants make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning across the school. They have a detailed knowledge of the pupils and provide them with excellent nurturing support. Their high-quality work is evident throughout the school.
• The high expectations of all staff are reflected in pupils’ work and behaviour. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. They thrive in bright, engaging environments which are focused on effective learning. Routines are understood and followed by all.
• Pupils are taught to become independent and resilient learners. Pupils persevere when they need help in their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are very proud of their school and take great pride in their learning. They are well equipped for school and wear their uniform with pride.
• Adults and pupils promote a culture of mutual respect and care. Pupils are very considerate of each other and will often help each other without being asked. Inspectors saw many examples of cooperation in lessons and during social times.
• Pupils speak very positively about the environment in school. They walk around the school in an orderly manner, are polite and helpful with peers and adults and behave appropriately at all times.
• Pupils say that they feel very safe in school. This view is positively reinforced by staff and parents. Pupils report that instances of bullying are very rare in school, but are confident that if it did happen it would be dealt with effectively by staff. All pupils feel supported by staff and know who they can talk to if they have any concerns. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves healthy and know how to make good choices, for example, Year 5 pupils are able to plan a healthy menu for a week.
• Pupils know how to stay safe online and personally as a result of the high-quality teaching they receive. Parents have attended sessions on online safety and governors are keenly aware of their duties and responsibilities in this area.
• Safeguarding procedures are robust and effective. Leaders and staff are well trained and all systems are followed effectively. There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school.
• Pupils excel when given opportunities to be responsible. Year 5 pupils are enthusiastic about helping younger pupils at lunchtime and all members of the student council relish their role and the chance to have a voice and contribute to developments in the school. Older pupils can talk about how voting for student council representatives links to democratic processes in Britain.
• While pupils are well prepared to become responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society, the curriculum and resources do not give enough attention to embedding diversity. Leaders recognise that more needs to be done to develop pupils’ understanding of more diverse communities beyond their immediate experience.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils value highly their learning and talked confidently to inspectors about how strategies used by teachers capture their interest and then give them a clear sense of what they are learning and why. Pupils enjoy their lessons and are positive and ambitious for the future, wanting to become doctors, lawyers, pilots or motor racing champions.
• In lessons and around the building, pupils listen to each other and are exceedingly well behaved. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. They take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour and are very rarely off-task in lessons.
• Learning occurs all around the school. Pupils are often in small groups with staff focusing on activities and practising their skills. There is a buzz of learning around the school.
• Pupils have many opportunities to develop their leadership qualities. Inspectors observed many older pupils helping in the canteen and looking after younger pupils. Pupils are proud of their responsibilities and look forward to helping others.
• Pupils are tolerant and embrace others’ views. As one pupil expressed it, ‘no-one makes fun of differences here’. Pupils greeted inspectors with warmth and welcomed them to the school. They were keen to help out and showed visitors around their school with pride. All adults in the school are excellent role models for pupils.
• Almost all parents stated that their child enjoys coming to school. As a result, attendance is very high. Pupils rarely miss school. The very few pupils who are persistently absent are well known to leaders and receive support to help diminish these differences in attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Outcomes for pupils at Ellenbrook are consistently outstanding in all areas. Prior to 2016, pupils made exceptionally strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Results of national assessments in mathematics were below expected for one small group of pupils in 2016, but caution must be applied when making comparisons to national figures due to the small number of pupils involved. Progress of all pupils in reading and writing was significantly higher than pupils nationally with similar starting points.
• The outcomes for current learners are extremely strong. Information provided by the school shows that the vast majority of pupils are making rapid and sustained progress in reading, writing and mathematics and across the wider curriculum. Work seen in books and in discussion with pupils supports this view. Progress of the most able pupils is particularly high.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. Across the years, the majority of disadvantaged pupils are making progress in line with that of other pupils nationally. The most able disadvantaged pupils make even more rapid progress as a result of the high levels of challenging work set for all pupils in all lessons.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities typically make very good progress from their own starting points. Intensive and highly effective support enables these pupils to develop in confidence and skills.
• The progress made in phonics by all pupils is outstanding. Teachers’ excellent subject knowledge ensures that all pupils develop and apply their phonic skills well in different subjects. Teaching assistants’ work with small groups of pupils reinforces the consistent approach to phonics and makes sure that no child is left behind.
• Pupils read widely and often. They enjoy the wide range of books the school offers in the welcoming library and classrooms. Pupils read very well and use their phonic knowledge successfully to read unfamiliar words, such as ‘aileron’ in a poem about Amelia Earhart being studied by Year 2 pupils. Pupils express a genuine love of reading and are keen to complete book reviews and discuss their reading very confidently with others.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children typically enter early years provision with skills and knowledge above what would usually be expected for their age, but a few pupils have less well developed skills.
• In 2016 and in previous years, the proportion of children who reached a good level of development at the end of Reception was well above that of children of a similar age nationally. Whatever their individual starting points, all children make very good progress, with the majority making outstanding progress. Reading is a particular strength. Outcomes for children are consistently outstanding across all areas of learning; children make high rates of progress and are extremely well prepared for key stage 1.
• Phonics is taught systematically and children achieve very high standards. Children in Nursery and Reception classes are given a wide range of opportunities to develop and consolidate their phonic skills and as a result, they make rapid progress in their reading and writing skills.
• Exceedingly high-quality teaching, from both teachers and learning support assistants, is very responsive to the children’s individual needs and always focuses on the next steps for learning. Teachers’ assessments are accurate, checked for accuracy, and based on high-quality observations. Parents and staff contribute to assessments and targets.
• Highly stimulating learning environments promote children’s enjoyment and their engagement in learning. Carefully planned, themed activities propel children forward in their learning. A strong focus on developing independence means that children are able to initiate their own activities and sustain high levels of attention. For example, when making rock trolls, children showed their highly developed writing and spelling skills when writing adjectives to describe their ‘frozen’ trolls.
• Children demonstrate exceptionally positive behaviour and cooperate well with others. They are very respectful of adults and respond positively to guidance. While outdoors, children navigate grounds and fixed resources safely, for example when climbing up a small hill, holding hands and holding dolls in their other hand.
• Staff know individual children well and are able to nurture, motivate and engage them. Any children who are identified as underachieving catch up quickly after focused support.
• Leadership of the early years is outstanding. Leaders have a clear understanding of priorities based on thorough evaluation. The development of the outdoors areas, for example, the play equipment and the outdoor library, have improved learning for all children.
• Leaders constantly seek to further improve provision and outcomes for all children and are highly ambitious for all. Leaders monitor progress and the curriculum and are now focusing on measuring the impact of training on children’s progress.
• Pupil premium funding is used highly effectively to ensure that pupils catch up quickly and make more rapid progress than others. For the past three years, the proportions of disadvantaged pupils achieving a good level of development in reading, writing and mathematics have been high.
• Safeguarding is very effective. There are no breaches of statutory welfare requirements.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the provision in the early years. Communication between school and home is excellent, with parents valuing the amount of available opportunities to talk to staff. As a result, parents feel well informed about progress, stating ‘There is nothing that we would want to change about this school – we love it.’

School details

Unique reference number 130396 Local authority Salford Inspection number 10024330 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 Community Age range of pupils 3 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 294 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Suzanne Charlesworth Headteacher Mrs Wendy Parkins Telephone number 0161 799 6347 Website www.ellenbrookschool.com/ Email address ellenbrook@salford.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 July 2012

Information about this school

• Ellenbrook Primary School is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is lower than average, as is the proportion who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average as is the proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan.
• The early years provision comprises one Nursery class and two Reception classes.
• The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of pupils in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning throughout the school. Some observations and a learning walk were carried out jointly with the headteacher. In addition, pupils’ work was scrutinised formally and in lessons.
• The inspectors listened to pupils read.
• The inspectors met with pupils, both formally and informally, to listen to their views.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other leaders, newly qualified teachers, groups of pupils, the governing body and a representative from the local authority.
• The inspection team scrutinised a wide range of documentation that covered: information about pupils’ attainment and progress; the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan; minutes of meetings; records relating to teaching and learning, pupils’ attendance and behaviour and safeguarding of pupils. Scrutiny of the website was undertaken.
• The inspectors considered the views expressed by parents in the 75 responses to Ofsted’s online survey (Parent View) as well as comments received via the free text facility on Parent View. The inspectors also took into account the 14 responses to a questionnaire for staff and the 43 responses to the pupils’ questionnaire.

Inspection team

Helen O’Neill, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Michelle Beard Ofsted Inspector Moira Atkins Ofsted Inspector Joan Williamson Ofsted Inspector