Rainford Brook Lodge Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further strengthen leadership and management by:
  • developing the roles of the new subject leaders to have a greater impact on improving teaching, learning and outcomes for pupils.
• Ensure that a greater proportion of pupils reach higher standards in writing and mathematics in key stage 1.
• Build on the improvements already made to ensure that pupils achieve high standards in writing in key stage 2.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher ensures that the school continues to improve. A new senior leadership team has been formed to address the priorities of the school. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate.
• In 2016 progress in writing at the end of key stage 2 was slow and below national averages. New approaches put in place by leaders are seeing pupils making swifter progress, but there is more to do to make sure that this improvement is sustained over time.
• The school has a newly formed subject leadership team. They are beginning to have a positive impact on developing the school’s broad and balanced curriculum. They receive effective support and guidance from the headteacher. The roles of these subject leaders, especially those new to the post, have not been sufficiently developed for them to have a more significant impact on the school’s curriculum.
• Leaders inspire pupils to do their very best by promoting the school’s ethos, which encourages pupils to work hard, take responsibility for their own development and always strive to be better.
• Leaders also inspire staff to develop their practice through effective appraisal and training. Staff are very positive about the new leadership team and feel that they work ‘considerably hard’ to improve the school.
• The leadership of English and mathematics is strong. New approaches to learning have been introduced, training has been delivered, and pupils are now making good progress in both subjects.
• The English and mathematics subject leaders have a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and learning in these subjects across the school. Appropriate use of professional development and the use of new resources have ensured that pupils are being challenged in these subjects.
• The leadership of the support provided for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is improving. The relatively new coordinator ensures that pupils’ progress is paramount. She has introduced effective strategies to support and monitor progress. Well-targeted support and teaching is put into place quickly where it is needed. The funding for this group of pupils is used well to ensure that they make good progress from their starting points.
• The school’s curriculum is well organised, broad and balanced, and relevant, including for the most-able pupils. Recent improvements in the teaching of sports, computing and the arts have helped to develop the curriculum further. The school’s offer of extra-curricular clubs has improved remarkably. There is now an array of sporting and arts-based after-school activities for pupils of all abilities to take part in.
• Sports funding is used well and the leadership of physical education (PE) is good. New training opportunities have made a positive impact on the teaching and learning of PE. There is a renewed culture of sporting excellence throughout the school. Since the headteacher’s arrival, pupils have been very successful in sporting competitions.
• Leaders effectively promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development. The teaching of British values has been a focus for the school. Pupils are confident in discussing the values of life in modern Britain.
• Pupils’ attendance is above the national average. Leaders track carefully the attendance of all groups. Leaders can confidently show the positive impact that they make on the attendance of individual pupils.
• Parents have positive views about the school. Many parents who spoke to the inspector or left comments on the parent questionnaire feel that their children are happy and staff listen carefully to any concerns that they may have. Parents would recommend the school to other parents. They feel that the headteacher and deputy headteacher are ‘very visible’ in and around school and have made a real impact over the last 12 months.

Governance of the school

• The governors bring effective support and challenge to the school. They work hard to ensure that there is a good balance of expertise among the governing body. They regularly develop their skills by attending training.
• Governors have a clear view of the strengths of the school and the areas that require further improvement.
• Governors visit the school regularly during the school day. They meet with staff and they receive timely reports from school leaders on curriculum development.
• Governors hold leaders to account for the spending of the pupil premium and sports funding.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• As a result of strong leadership from the headteacher and governors there is a clear safeguarding culture in the school. There are very robust systems used to keep children safe at school. Checks on staff and visitors are effective. Child protection training for all staff is up to date.
• Systems are in place to enable pupils to express their worries or concerns. Pupils say that they feel ‘safe and protected’ by the staff at the school. Pupils are developing a good understanding of online safety through the curriculum
• Staff have a good awareness of safeguarding issues and procedures to follow should they be concerned about a pupil’s welfare.
• The school site is secure and the identity of visitors to the school is closely checked.
• The single central record is compliant. Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The new leadership team have worked tirelessly to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning continues to improve. The consistency of good teaching and learning across the school is clear to see.
• The teaching of writing is now a strength of the school. Teachers’ strong subject knowledge, new assessment systems and effective monitoring by leaders now ensure that all pupils make good progress. Pupils’ writing skills are developed well and pupils are very proud to talk about the progress that they have made.
• The teaching of mathematics is good. Pupils are challenged in their learning; in all classes they are asked to discuss and reason about their mathematical thinking. This is a strength of the school. New resources are used successfully to help pupils understand mathematical strategies. Teachers’ secure subject knowledge is shared effectively to extend pupils’ thinking so they can apply their skills to problem-solving activities.
• New approaches and resources used in teaching in key stage 1 classrooms are now ensuring that more pupils than in previous years are able to think about their mathematics learning in greater depth.
• Teachers skilfully use learning time to encourage pupils to improve their work. Pupils take the feedback they receive from their teachers seriously and are clearly motivated to make the necessary improvements to their work. Pupils’ resilience is a developing strength of the school.
• Questioning is used well to challenge pupils’ thinking. Effective use of questioning by teachers in all classes results in all groups of pupils being challenged in their learning. Questioning is used well to help pupils think back to their prior learning.
• The teaching of phonics is good. During the inspection, inspectors listened to pupils read from Year 2 and Year 5. These pupils were able to read with fluency and expression. The development of a wider and more-challenging resource of reading materials is a priority of the school to ensure that more pupils are challenged in their reading.
• Pupils are encouraged to check against their learning targets as they learn in class. They are keen to take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers always give time for pupils to look back at their work to make changes and improvements.
• Reading and writing are promoted well across the curriculum. During the inspection, for example in geography, pupils were writing persuasive letters about Mediterranean food. In work on British values, pupils wrote about the recent election and there was evidence of extended writing opportunities in pupils’ science books.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils live the ethos of M.A.G.I.C (Motivated, Aspirational and Growing in Independence and Confidence) through their learning behaviours, attitudes and understanding of the importance of success throughout the school day. The pupils’ ownership of their own personal development is clear to see. It stands out. This in turn ensures that all groups of pupils make good progress in their learning. They take pride in their work, which is presented to a high standard.
• Pupils’ welfare is at the heart of the school. Pupils say that they feel ‘safe and protected’. Pupils know whom to talk to if they are concerned about their safety. Effective ways of communication are used by the headteacher to ensure that pupils have a voice in school. Pupils are aware of the different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. Pupils say that they ‘all get along’ and that there is no bullying.
• Pupils aspire to be healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle by attending a range of extra-curricular clubs. Staff are proud of the impact that these activities have on the pupils’ social development.
• Leaders have developed pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding very effectively. Pupils have an excellent understanding of British values. During the inspection pupils spoke with confidence about their understanding of these values, and they discussed their recent work displayed in the classrooms.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils are very polite, courteous and friendly.
• In lessons, pupils work extremely hard and with resilience and determination. This is because teachers plan learning activities that are interesting and inspiring. All staff have consistently very high expectations of their pupils and they use the school’s behaviour policy well. The headteacher has clear systems to monitor and track the behaviour of all pupils throughout the school.
• Pupils respond very well to the school’s behaviour policy. For example, they strive to be rewarded in the celebration assemblies, and they are especially keen to receive a ‘magic child’ certificate.
• Pupils are positive about their learning and rarely miss school. They like that the learning is ‘challenging’ and that there are plenty of opportunities to extend their thinking. Pupils talk about how teachers try to avoid learning that is ‘too easy’. Attendance levels are above the national average.
• The vast majority of parents who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire said that their children are happy, looked after and safe. They feel that the children are ‘always well behaved’ and that they clearly understand the school’s behaviour policy. All parents who spoke to the inspectors said that their children enjoyed school and were happy.
• Staff who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire had no concerns about the behaviour of the pupils. The overwhelming majority of staff feel that pupils’ behaviour is good and that the leaders of the school help them to manage behaviour well. Staff feel that the pupils are not frightened to ‘challenge themselves’.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Fast and well-planned actions taken by senior leaders to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment ensure that pupils continue to make good progress.
• External assessments, scrutiny of pupils’ work, observations in lessons and talking with pupils about their learning show that pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is good in all year groups.
• Children enter the Reception Year with skills, knowledge and understanding in line with what is typical of their age. From their starting points, children make good progress in their learning and are well prepared for their transition into Year 1.
• Pupils in Year 1 attain standards above the national average in the phonics screening check.
• Standards at the end of key stage 1 have improved since the previous inspection. The proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was above the national average in 2016. However, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standards at the end of key stage 1 in writing and mathematics has been below the national average for the last two years. The school is aware of this and currently pupils in key stage 1 are developing skills and understanding at a much deeper level.
• At the end of key stage 2, in 2016, pupils’ progress in mathematics and reading was good but writing was below average. Current assessment information shows that all pupils are making good progress in all subjects and that pupils are attaining well. Through the scrutiny of pupils’ writing books and classroom observations it is clear that pupils are now making strong progress in writing.
• In 2016 the proportion of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, and mathematics was above the national average. The proportion reaching the expected standard in writing was slightly below the national average. This has been an area for improvement for the school. The proportion of pupils going on to reach the higher standard at the end of key stage 2 was above the national average in reading and mathematics but below it in writing.
• The proportion of the most able pupils attaining the higher standards in writing was below the national average in 2016. However, work in pupils’ books highlights that the more able pupils are now being challenged to attain the higher standards in writing and outcomes are currently improving.
• In 2016, the number of pupils reaching the expected standards in science was above the national average for most groups of pupils. This was seen in both key stage 1 and key stage 2.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils is low. The school’s own assessment information and work in books show that this group is currently making good progress from their starting points.
• As a result of timely interventions, effective leadership and good partnerships with outside agencies, the current pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good gains in their learning and development.
• Work in pupils’ books and on display shows that pupils, particularly the most able, achieve well in a range of subjects such as the arts, religious education and science. During the inspection, pupils’ musical abilities shone out as Year 3 pupils were learning how to use tuned and untuned percussion instruments to compose an ostinato rhythmic pattern.

Early years provision Good

• Children make a good start to their education. They make good progress from their starting points. The leaders of the school have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development. Any child that underachieves is supported very well by the teacher to catch up.
• Effective links are made with the Nursery, which enables children to make a smooth transition into the Reception class.
• The learning environment is bright, well ordered and effective in inspiring children to learn. Good provision for both inside and outdoor learning is in place.
• Children engage in a wide range of fun activities to support their learning. They are happy, confident and busy. During the inspection they were keen to show their work to the inspectors, obviously proud of what they had achieved. As they play they count by doubling spots on a ladybird, write independently and use their phonics knowledge well.
• Children’s progress in early writing is strong. Children were able to show the inspectors their writing and how it has developed throughout the year. Many children are now able to write simple sentences independently.
• Outcomes for the disadvantaged children are good. The early years pupil premium is used well. Additional staff are used effectively to support the learning of children eligible for this support.
• Teaching assistants provide a good level of support and challenge when working with children. Appropriate guidance is given to the assistants so that they can use questioning effectively to challenge children in their learning.
• Children feel safe and their behaviour is good. Adults are calm, kind and caring. They take time to listen to the children as they learn and play.
• Safeguarding is effective and all staff receive regular training and updates. All staff work closely to ensure that all welfare requirements are met to keep children safe.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 104780 St Helens 10032345 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 208 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Iain Beeton Phil Reece Telephone number 01744 678816 Website Email address www.rainfordbrooklodge.st-helens.sch.uk brooklodge@sthelens.org.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 February 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the average primary school.
• The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils receiving special educational needs support is below the national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment over time. They observed learning in whole classes and in small groups. One observation took place jointly with the headteacher.
• The inspectors looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked with them about their work. They listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of reading skills. Inspectors talked to pupils about the books that they have enjoyed and those that they are currently reading. Inspectors took note of the displays around the school.
• Inspectors observed play times. They met formally with one group of pupils.
• An inspector met with the chair of the governing body and with members of school staff.
• Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the day. They took account of the 46 responses to Ofsted’s online survey (Parent View).
• Inspectors reviewed the contents of the school’s website and scrutinised records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

Inspection team

Howard Bousfield, lead inspector Barbara Dutton Emma Gregory Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector