Godfrey Ermen Memorial CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching and learning of reading by: providing pupils with more opportunities to develop higher-order comprehension skills ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to practise their reading skills when learning in all subjects.
• Further improve leadership by ensuring that all subject leaders have more opportunities to check the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility.
• Improve attendance, particularly that of a small number of disadvantaged pupils who are persistently absent.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, with the support of the governing body, has created an effective team that is committed to the continued improvement of Godfrey Ermen Memorial CofE Primary. Since the previous inspection, school leaders have tackled barriers to improvement and have established a culture in which all work together to ensure that pupils do their best each and every day. Relationships are positive and pupils now understand the expectations to behave well and achieve their best.
• The headteacher has an accurate understanding of the school’s effectiveness and there is a clear plan to ensure that recent improvements are built upon. The key to the school’s improvement has been a relentless focus to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The headteacher and deputy headteacher lead the quality of teaching and learning well. As a result, the quality of teaching and learning has improved since the previous inspection and pupils are now making better progress.
• There are effective systems for managing teachers’ performance. The headteacher provides good-quality guidance to staff, especially those newly appointed to the school, to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning and the use of assessment are consistently good throughout the school. Weaker teaching has been dealt with effectively. Leaders’ checks and staff training to ensure that all staff assess pupils’ work accurately are effective. The quality of assessment is now good. The deputy headteacher, who has responsibility for English, makes a valuable contribution to improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ achievement. She has played a key role in developing a plan and supporting staff to improve pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching and learning in reading and writing.
• The role of leadership other than that of the headteacher and deputy headteacher needs further development. Middle leaders are relatively new to their roles and have had limited opportunities to develop their expertise. At the moment, subject leaders are not making regular checks on classroom practice to give them the detailed information they need in order to challenge colleagues to improve their skills further.
• The school has a broad and balanced curriculum, which is well adapted to enable pupils with different ability levels, including those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, to achieve well. There is a commitment to ensure that the curriculum is interesting and stimulating for pupils. The school’s curriculum places emphasis on providing pupils with a good range of first-hand experiences through visits, special theme weeks and visitors to school. For example, the curriculum for Year 1 is enhanced by visits to Blackpool Zoo and nature walks. These enrichment activities are used effectively to stimulate and enhance pupils’ learning.
• Pupils are very appreciative of a good range of out-of-school clubs, in which they participate with great enthusiasm. They enjoy learning instruments and representing their school in inter-school sporting tournaments. Pupils are encouraged to attend after-school activities and are rewarded with a certificate from the Children’s University initiative, which is supported by Salford University.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their understanding of British values are promoted well. These opportunities are supported effectively by the school’s own values within the mission statement: ‘we take pride in all we do’. The curriculum reinforces pupils’ growing understanding of mutual respect and tolerance, along with studies of places in the United Kingdom and celebrations of different religions, which help to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders use funding effectively to provide pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities with extra support to increase their learning. As a result, these pupils make good progress from their starting points. They achieve particularly well in reading because they receive extra phonics teaching and reading practice.
• The school is very proud of its inclusive nature. It serves a very diverse community and pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds and have a range of needs, skills and attributes. Disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, receive effective additional support to achieve well. Equality of opportunity is promoted consistently effectively because leaders have made sure that all pupils achieve as well as they should. However, pupil premium funding has not sufficiently impacted on the attendance of a small number of disadvantaged pupils, which is slowing their progress.
• The primary physical education and sports funding is used equally well. Pupils are very enthusiastic about the regular teaching provided by external sports coaches and the wider range of sporting opportunities now available to them. Involvement in these activities has a very positive impact on their general health and well-being.
• The school has effective partnerships with other schools. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for high school and benefit from the transition arrangements with Salford City Academy. The school further benefits from their involvement in an effective local cluster of schools, who share staff development opportunities. This involves the early years, writing and mathematics focus groups.
• Most parents value the school. They appreciate the friendly environment and the range of opportunities that the school provides for their children.

Governance of the school

• Governance is now effective and the governing body has made a good contribution to helping the school improve since the previous inspection. Governors are passionate about the school and ambitious for pupils. They know the school well because they visit often and receive helpful information from the headteacher and the local authority. They use this to provide effective challenge and support to leaders.
• The governing body has taken steps to review its work and made changes so that it is more effective. For example, it has reviewed the range of skills that each governor brings and used this information to support the recruitment of new governors.
• Governors are very committed to promoting the inclusive nature of the school. British values of democracy and tolerance are actively promoted. While the school is underpinned by Christian values, governors welcome the celebration of diverse faiths among the pupils.
• Governors manage the school finances effectively. Additional funds are also managed well. This includes the pupil premium, primary physical education and sports funding and money for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Safeguarding is a high priority among governors and all staff. Governors’ monitoring of safeguarding is rigorous. Records of safeguarding are detailed and show that leaders take appropriate actions to keep pupils safe, challenging other professionals where necessary.
• Checks on staff and other adults working in the school are rigorous. All staff are provided with regular training about how to safeguard and protect pupils. Staff are confident in identifying risks and reporting any concerns that may arise. All staff, including lunchtime supervisors, receive high-quality training on recognising any potential signs of risk. They know what to do should they have any concerns. Governors are trained in safer recruitment and monitor policies and procedures to ensure that they are implemented effectively.
• The culture of the school is caring, supportive and safe. Leaders ensure that pupils are involved and understand their role in ensuring that there is a culture of safeguarding. For example, internet safety is given a high priority in the school’s curriculum and pupils are able to explain clearly how to keep themselves safe online.
• Parents appreciate that the school engages closely with them on issues of child care and safety.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The improved teaching has ensured that pupils are now achieving their full potential. Teaching and the use of assessment are much improved since the previous inspection and are now consistently good throughout the school.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are consistently good. Pupils enjoy their learning, find lessons interesting and behave well. Teachers and the teaching assistants work hard to ensure that pupils are concentrating fully on their work. Pupils respond well to their teachers and help each other in their learning.
• Pupils benefit from lessons that are well planned, with well-established routines and precise instructions from their teachers. In a Years 5 and 6 poetry lesson, the teacher was particularly effective in helping the pupils to develop, consolidate and deepen their knowledge and skills. The teacher’s modelling and use of precise language was a real strength. Pupils responded well to this in their conversations with their friends and the quality of work they produced.
• Reading is well taught throughout the school and many pupils enjoy reading. Older pupils, especially the most able, read fluently and with confidence and there are a growing number of pupils who read for pleasure at home. From the early years, pupils are taught to use their knowledge of phonics to support their reading of new words. Phonics lessons are challenging and help pupils to build essential skills. A well-organised home reading programme, which starts in the early years, enables many parents to contribute to the good progress that their children make in reading. Pupils are greatly benefiting from the relatively recent introduction of their ‘cracking comprehension’ lessons. At the moment some pupils are limited in their opportunities to develop and practise higher-order comprehension skills, particularly in activities across other areas of the curriculum.
• Writing is an area that has shown positive improvement since the last inspection. Pupils are rightly proud of their work, which is displayed throughout the school. Pupils strive to become ‘star writers’ and enjoy using key texts that inspire them in their writing. Years 3 and 4 pupils made some good progress in improving their punctuation using their class novel ‘The demon dentist’ to focus and engage them.
• Teachers are working hard to ensure that they challenge the most able pupils to achieve their potential. This was evident during the inspection in a Year 5 mathematics lesson. During the lesson pupils helped each other in understanding how to round numbers. The most able were very keen to apply their new learning to tackle practical problems which were challenging them to achieve at a high level.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are given frequent additional support in the class or in additional sessions outside the classroom in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge and sometimes use this to enable pupils to make links across the curriculum, particularly in writing and mathematics. For example, in a Year 1 geography lesson about the features of rivers and mountains, pupils developed their writing skills, which included some specific geographical language. This being said, across the school pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to develop their reading skills when working in all subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school is very inclusive. Staff and pupils work together to ensure that all in the community feel valued and respected. There is a very positive atmosphere and pupils appreciate the effort of their teachers to make school a happy, secure and interesting place. As one pupil said, ‘Everyone is friendly and our teachers are really kind.’
• Pupils understand the different forms that bullying can take. They say that bullying is uncommon and that any unkindness that does arise is dealt with quickly by teachers or the headteacher. Pupils trust the staff and believe that they will deal with any incidents that occur. Pupils work collaboratively to resolve disputes and understand the impact that poor behaviour can have on others. The anti-bullying ambassadors understand the importance of their role and carry it out with great maturity.
• Older pupils respond well to their roles as buddies for children in the early years. Lunchtime behaviour and table manners are supported well in the dining room and the playground is a very happy place.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are proud of their school and show great respect to visitors, being welcoming, friendly and courteous. They conduct themselves well around the school and show great respect for the school environment.
• Pupils of all ages respond very well to praise, and follow the high expectations that staff set for them. Pupils throughout the school are becoming more confident in resolving any conflicts for themselves using their ‘five finger’ strategy. There are a small number of pupils who present some challenging behaviour. They are well supported so they are able to concentrate and make progress.
• In classrooms, pupils’ behaviour is typically good. Pupils often support each other’s learning well when working in pairs and groups. Pupils listen attentively, ask interesting questions and show great respect for their teachers and fellow learners. Pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes to their learning are a significant factor in the improved progress that they are now making.
• Pupils play well together at breaktimes because there is a clear behaviour management system in place which is understood and respected by pupils. Older pupils are effective in their role as ‘buddies’ and the younger children enjoy their involvement and support.
• Pupils’ attendance, including that of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, has improved. However, attendance is below the national average because a small number of disadvantaged pupils are persistently absent.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Across the school, pupils make good progress in a range of subjects.
• Children make good progress in all areas of learning in the early years and, by the end of the Reception Year, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development is in line with other children nationally.
• Teachers in Years 1 and 2 build on the good start that children make in the Reception class. Results at the end of key stage 1 have improved year on year and are now close to the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Over time, test results at the end of key stage 2 have been similar to the national average. However, last year’s national test results show that Year 6 pupils made too little progress during their time in key stage 2 and not enough pupils attained or exceeded the standards expected by the end of Year 6 in reading and mathematics. This year, because pupils are consistently well taught throughout the school, pupils’ work shows that a higher proportion of pupils are working at the expected standard for their age in both reading and mathematics across key stage 2. While the proportion attaining above the expected standard increased in mathematics, this is not the case for reading.
• Reading has been a priority for the school and there is a clear approach to help the pupils improve the outcomes they achieve. Last year, most pupils in Year 1 met the standard expected for their age in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Pupils thoroughly enjoy reading for pleasure and spoke with enthusiasm about the books and authors that are used to inspire and guide their learning. However, there is a need for more pupils to achieve at above the expected standard in reading. At the moment the development of higher-order reading skills is limited to reading sessions. Pupils have limited opportunities to practise these skills in all subjects.
• At the time of the previous inspection, writing was highlighted as an area where pupils were not making appropriate progress. The school has improved writing and most pupils are now achieving in line with the national average, with an increased number achieving above the expected standard for their age at the end of Year 6.
• Most disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are now making good progress across the curriculum. They receive extra help that matches their individual needs closely, so some have made rapid progress, particularly in writing and mathematics.
• The small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve as well as their classmates. These pupils make particularly good progress in reading because they benefit from support to develop their communication and language skills.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their varied starting points. Teachers ensure that these pupils receive extra support to secure important reading, writing and mathematics skills.
• The most able pupils are progressing well overall. A good proportion of these pupils are working towards achieving above age-related expectations. Work in pupils’ books shows that the most able pupils make good progress because they are set challenging work. A small number are not achieving their potential in reading.

Early years provision Good

• The leadership and management of all aspects of the early years provision are good.
• Children joining the school in the early years have skills and levels of understanding below those typical for their age, particularly in communication and social skills. As a result of good teaching, achievement by the end of the Reception Year in recent years is in line with that typically found in schools nationally.
• Children benefit from a stimulating environment, both in the classrooms and in the outdoor learning space. The environment is attractive and children are confident to explore learning by themselves, with their friends or when guided by their teachers.
• The quality of teaching and learning is good and assessment is used effectively. All children have a learning journey, which provides detailed information about their progress and is used effectively by staff to plan the appropriate next steps in learning.
• The development of communication and language is a priority and starts in the Nursery class. During the inspection, children in the Nursery class were encouraged to develop key sounds and letter formation. The teacher was highly skilled and the response of the children was excellent. Adults model sounds, letters and words accurately. Teachers give children plenty of opportunities to practise reading and writing, and encourage them to talk about what they are doing.
• The writing and number work in children’s books show the good progress they are making in their learning. They make good progress in their understanding of number. During the inspection, the children benefited from high-quality support in understanding and in making progress on the addition of numbers up to 10.
• Any child who finds learning difficult, including disadvantaged children and children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, makes particularly good progress because of the sensitive individual care they receive.
• Children’s personal development and welfare are provided for well. Children are expected to behave well. They are taught to sit still and to listen carefully. The early years classrooms have a very positive and happy atmosphere where children are valued, feel safe and are encouraged to do their best.
• The valuable partnership between home and school is established well in the early years. Before children join the school, staff visit each home and invite parents to share important information about their child. Parents are kept informed about what their children are learning through an online journal and post very appreciative responses. Overall, parents speak with enthusiasm about the staff, who many describe as ‘approachable’ and as doing ‘their best to help our children’.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 105946 Salford 10032175 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils Gender of pupils 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 378 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Michael Critch-Higham Jennifer Clancy 0161 789 4382 www.gems-salford.co.uk godfreyermen.ceprimaryschool@salford.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 March 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• Godfrey Ermen Memorial is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding and who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school provides a breakfast and an after-school club on the school site.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed lessons throughout the school, two of which were jointly observed with the headteacher.
• In addition, the inspectors made a number of short visits to classrooms and watched sessions where pupils were taught in small groups.
• Meetings were held with staff. An inspector also spoke with the school improvement partner on the telephone.
• A meeting was held with eight members of the governing body.
• A number of documents were scrutinised, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, minutes of governing body meetings, the development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding information.
• The inspectors took account of the 37 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. They also met informally with parents and took account of the school’s own parental questionnaires.
• Inspectors spoke with staff and took account of their views.

Inspection team

Andrew Morley, lead inspector Gary Bevin Julie Peach

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector