Rectory CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Reduce the amount of time that pupils are absent from school and the number of pupils who are persistently absent.
• Raise the attainment and accelerate the progress of most-able pupils by:
  • making sure that children in the early years, particularly those who are working away from adults, have challenging activities that extend their knowledge or understanding
  • ensuring that teachers and other adults, across subjects, challenge pupils to expand their answers and to use more complex vocabulary.
• Reduce the patchiness in the teaching of subjects such as history, art, science and geography by:
  • reviewing the aims and expectations of each subject so that pupils’ skills develop progressively across the year groups
  • setting work that allows pupils to develop more complex answers.
• Develop the curriculum so that it increases pupils’ understanding and knowledge about democracy, the rule of law and a wider range of people from diverse backgrounds by:
  • making sure teachers challenge stereotypes
  • making sure older pupils learn about people who have different backgrounds to themselves including different family structures, and those who are transgender.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have successfully tackled the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. They have established and maintained a culture in which pupils, particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress and thrive. Central to the school’s work is the nurturing of each pupil. Leaders have made sure the school is inclusive. Leaders should now make sure that they have high expectations of pupils’ outcomes regardless of their backgrounds or mobility.
• The headteacher has established a culture in which leaders listen to and act on advice and challenge from the local authority and external consultants. For example, they have acted upon the high-quality reports from education specialists, the education welfare officer, the local authority and a former Her Majesty’s Inspector. As a result, the accuracy and quality of the daily registration of pupils has significantly improved, as has pupils’ punctuality.
• Leaders have made good use of external funding. They have used it, for example, to make sure pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those in the resourced provision, behave well and make good progress. The leadership of the resourced provision is good. The leader has an accurate view of teaching and of pupils’ progress, and knows pupils and their families very well. She has an excellent attitude to challenges presented by new pupils starting in the unit who have varied and sometimes complex needs. She insists that every challenge is an opportunity and pupils will achieve their best despite the many barriers they have.
• There are good systems in place to check on the effectiveness of teaching through frequent visits to classrooms, scrutiny of work and discussions with pupils. This is a constructive process in which the headteacher follows up any monitoring with training or coaching for teachers.
• There are strengths in the leadership of subjects. The leadership of mathematics, for example, is highly effective. Leaders’ actions have brought about considerable improvements to the teaching of mathematics through a change in the curriculum to focus more directly on problem solving and developing pupils’ mathematical reasoning.
• Leaders have identified disadvantaged pupils’ barriers to learning. They identified pupils’ absence as an issue and set up a breakfast club to encourage punctuality and good attendance. It is starting to work. Leaders have used the funding mainly to support staffing costs and for training staff. This too has worked. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress from their starting points and their attainment is starting to rise.
• Leaders have used the physical education (PE) and sport funding well to provide high-quality PE lessons led by specialist teachers. Many pupils say it is their favourite lesson. The funding has enabled pupils to take greater part in competitive sport, such as inter-house competitions, and has increased their sporting skills in tennis and athletics.
• The curriculum is enhanced by a good range of extra-curricular activities, such as sports, dance, art, jewellery making, cookery, film and book club. The intent and organisation of the curriculum is to enable pupils to have a variety of first-hand experiences through termly trips for each year group and an array of visitors and speakers to the school. This has been mostly successful.
• Pupils are taught a broad range of subjects, including French taught by a specialist teacher, and in most subjects there is a good range of activities. In design and technology, for example, pupils design their products, make them and then complete written evaluations. These cover textiles, cookery, woodwork and modelling. Some of the challenges extend into purposeful homework projects.
• Most pupils make good progress because of how the curriculum is implemented. However, the most able pupils make less progress. This is because sometimes the curriculum is not challenging enough for them in some classes, particularly in history, art, geography and science.
• The curriculum has a positive impact on pupils’ personal, spiritual and moral development. It develops pupils’ respect for those who have disabilities and those who live in different countries. Subjects, such as history, cover and extend pupils’ thinking about people from different cultures, such as Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. The curriculum, however, contains few examples that develop pupils’ understanding of the full range of diversity in modern Britain, such as sexuality and gender identity. Pupils have not got a good grasp of British values, such as the rule of law and of democratic institutions. As a result, pupils’ preparation for life in modern Britain requires improvement.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is dedicated, committed and knowledgeable. It has a good overview of the strengths and challenges for the school and of the quality of teaching.
• The governing body has set, maintained and evaluated the vision and ethos of the school and has a positive impact on pupils’ very good spiritual and moral development. The governors have appropriate expectations for pupils’ outcomes but need to develop higher expectations for their attainment, attendance and progress. On occasion, pupils’ disadvantages or special educational needs are used as a reason for lower outcomes.
• The governing body checks on the use of external funding for PE and sport and the use of the pupil premium grant well. Similarly, they challenge the use of the funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities to make sure it is effective. The website was not compliant with national requirements at the start of the inspection. There was no charging policy online or details of governors’ attendance at governing body meetings, and some of the diverse groups in modern Britain were missing from the equality policy. The website now meets requirements.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have created a culture in which pupils feel safe and know they have someone they can talk to if they are worried. They have created space in the school to reduce stress and anxiety and to nurture any pupils’ dented confidence.
• Leaders engage well with parents to make sure their children, particularly those in the resourced unit, are well supported and safe. Leaders do not shy away from following up any concerns they have about a child’s safety even if it means upsetting parents. They work well and transfer information readily with parents and other agencies such as medical and social services and the police. The documentation is fit for purpose, thorough, detailed and well maintained.
• Staff have received up-to-date training, such as to prevent extremism. The training is updated frequently. There is a standing item at each senior leadership team meeting, staff meeting and governing body meetings to discuss safeguarding, for example.
• At the start of the inspection there were some administrative errors in the single central record and in the contents of the safeguarding policy. These were fixed by the end of the inspection.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers and teaching assistants have good subject knowledge. They use this well, with good-quality visual aids and resources, in their explanations and demonstrations to pupils. For example, in a science lesson a teacher used a range of cleverly-crafted resources to teach pupils the complicated idea of evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
• Adults were asked at the previous inspection to improve the quality of questioning. Teachers have acted on the findings of a high-quality report from an external specialist. Teachers and assistants ask a range of questions, which helps them to assess pupils’ understanding. The questions help teachers to develop pupils’ thinking and knowledge so that pupils can make links with other aspects of their learning.
• Teachers assess pupils’ learning frequently. They have worked with the local authority, which has agreed the assessment is accurate. Most teachers check thoroughly on pupils’ learning through a range of systems. Some of the most skilled teachers use the assessments to re-shape pupils’ work during lessons so no learning time is lost.
• Reading is taught well. Pupils read widely and often and a few pupils, when they come across a book that is too easy, challenge themselves to select a more complex book. They appreciate the library and the wider selection of books it provides. Phonics is taught well. Pupils develop their skills of breaking words up into the different sounds to read and write.
• The teaching of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Pupils in the resource base are taught well in small groups with targeted support from teaching assistants. Adults in a mathematics lesson, for example, asked pupils in the group a range of questions to help them to understand the mathematical ideas being taught. The activities build on and deepen pupils’ previous mathematical skills.
• Teaching for the most able pupils is improving, particularly in mathematics and writing. The high-quality activities in mathematics lessons, for example, require pupils to explain their methods and thinking, and prove why questions and methods are right or why they might be wrong. Pupils work their way through an exciting range of problems and questions to solve and think about.
• Teaching for pupils, particularly the most able, in other subjects such as art, history, geography and science is patchy. In some classes there are good links, for example in Years 2, 4 and 6, between pupils’ mathematics and their work in geography and science. Pupils have the chance to expand their answers and explain their thinking. In other classes, the most able pupils are hindered by a lack of space on worksheets to write their ideas, meaning their writing is of a lower quality than it is in English.
• In history, teachers do not enable pupils to consistently use historically accurate terminology to describe important events or people. They do not develop a good sense of chronology between time periods or learn about conflicting views about the same events. In art, pupils’ sketching, colour mixing and drawing progresses well in key stage 1, but in key stage 2 it is often at the same level as it was in key stage 1.
• In science, in some classes, pupils use terminology correctly to describe scientific events and phenomena and the results of their investigations. In other classes, they are confined to writing the odd word or caption instead of elaborating their answers. The same is the case in geography where pupils pick up their ideas about mapping and physical geography well, but in human geography sometimes stereotypes are perpetuated and inaccuracies exist, such as there is no electricity in Kenya.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils in the resource base develop skills of perseverance and develop their self-confidence because of the nurture and support provided by staff. They are confident in approaching adults and some self-select quiet areas or noise-cancelling headphones when they are feeling stressed or anxious. Pupils across the school develop a good work ethic.
• Pupils feel safe. The staff make sure pupils learn about how to be safe, including when faced with more extreme behaviours. They have a good understanding of how to deal with online safety and cyber bullying. Pupils know how to stay safe online, including when using games or social media. They have a good understanding of how to use roads safely and how to react in the case of fire.
• Pupils and parents who completed the surveys agreed that bullying is rare. There are few incidents of derogatory language, for example, that are associated with someone’s race or perceived sexuality. Pupils are respectful and say friendship is a key element of the ethos of the school.
• Pupils actively take on responsibilities in and around the school, raise funds for a variety of good causes and are developing into good citizens who know how to make changes in people’s lives for the better.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement because pupils’ absence is too high and too many pupils are persistently absent. Absence has been high for a number of years. There are good reasons behind some of the absences, such as medical appointments, particularly for those in the resource base. Absence is reducing for those pupils who do not have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders have acted upon the specialist attendance advice provided by the local authority. They have introduced fines for unauthorised absence and ask parents for proof of medical appointments. These strategies are having a positive impact on the attendance of some pupils.
• Punctuality figures are affected by the buses transporting pupils into the resource unit running late. There is improvement in pupils’ punctuality helped by the strong stance taken by school staff and the local authority. The system of closing the school gate at the start of the day and forcing parents and pupils to explain why they are late has seen a significant reduction in tardiness.
• Pupils can concentrate in lessons because pupils behave well. They focus on the activities provided by their teachers and very few become disengaged or start to misbehave. They are friendly and polite to each other and to adults, display good manners and are thoughtful and reflective. There are a few incidents in class from pupils in the unit who find behaviour difficult. The teaching assistants are highly skilled and spring to action to make sure there is no loss to learning for the rest of the class. The pupils themselves also catch up quickly, so no ground is lost during the incident.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Currently, pupils from all groups make good progress. This has not always been the case. In 2016 by the end of Year 6, for example, pupils who were at the expected standard by the end of Year 2 made well below-average progress in reading and writing, particularly those who were disadvantaged. The published assessment information is slightly misleading, however, because it includes pupils who are in the resource base. These pupils have significant barriers to their learning which affect their behaviour, including autistic spectrum disorder. Consequently some, at times, refuse to put pen to paper.
• Pupils currently in the resource base and those in the main school who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Their work shows they make good gains in their writing over time and they develop and deepen their understanding of mathematical ideas. They work well with pupils in the main school in the afternoon, developing better outcomes such as resilience and self-confidence, as well as skills and knowledge in the full range of subjects.
• By the end of Year 1, pupils’ ability to use phonics to read unfamiliar words is similar to the national average. They learn the sounds progressively and build well on, and revise, the sounds they have already learned in previous lessons. They learn at a brisk pace and the most able are further challenged by linking their knowledge to an understanding of what has been read. In 2016, the few pupils who did not attain the expected standard were those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• By the end of Year 2, attainment is similar to the national average when taking the large number of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities into account. Current pupils’ work indicates that they make very good progress in mathematics. They skilfully manipulate calculations to solve puzzles and number problems, as well as word problems. They successfully explain their thinking and methods and their mathematical reasoning. In art, they produce sketches that use increasing drawing skill, observation of still life and colour mixing. In writing, they start being able to write simple sentences and by the end of Year 2 they can write well for different purposes and audiences, manipulating grammar and punctuation to create complex sentences. In history, however, their work is of low quality and they have a misunderstanding of history, for example in the past toys were mostly wooden but they are not in the present day.
• Pupils’ attainment was well below average at the end of Year 6 in 2016, in a number of subjects including science, reading and writing. Outcomes are improving because pupils make good progress. Pupils’ work shows very good development in mathematics in problem solving where they think mathematically. Their fluency with number is improving because of the high-quality activities provided by teachers. Pupils’ writing shows good progress. In some classes, their work in writing is also replicated at the same standard in geography, science and history but this is not consistent. In art, their sketching skills have not moved on well enough from their work in key stage 1. In design and technology, in some classes, they are not being prepared well for Year 7 because they are trying to draw freehand and their scientific drawings are not good.
• A majority of disadvantaged pupils are also those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The other pupils, according to the school’s assessment information, are working at the expected level for their age across key stage 2 and making good progress.
• A higher proportion of most-able pupils is working at the expected standard at a greater depth than in previous years. However, this is the group that needs to be challenged further to consistently attain the high standards of which they are capable across the whole range of subjects.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the Nursery class with skills and levels of development that are below those typical for two- and three-year olds. By the end of the year they have made good progress and caught up. The children continue to make good progress in the Reception class and are thus well prepared for Year 1. On paper, it looks as though there has been a three-year decline in the proportion of children attaining a good level of development. The published assessment information is misleading as it includes children in the resource base, many of whom are also disadvantaged. Leaders make good use of the additional funding to deploy adults to support children’s learning and progress.
• Children’s work, particularly in writing, shows good progress. For example, at the start of the Reception Year most children could only write an odd letter but by the end of the year they wrote simple sentences with correct punctuation and simple adjectives. Teachers set up activities with good-quality resources in an interesting and exciting environment. These successfully encourage children to ‘have a go’, try things out, imagine and play enthusiastically. Some teaching assistants worked well with groups to help them make links to other aspects of their learning. The most able children make less strong progress. Some children flit from activity to activity when they are away from adults and are not challenged by the activities.
• The environment is safe and secure and children collect and use equipment safely. They follow hygiene rules closely. Adults supervise children well, including those from the resource base, to make sure they are safe and nurtured. At the start of the inspection, there was no reference to the use of mobile telephones or tablets in the child protection policy. By the end of the inspection, this breach in the welfare requirements was rectified and the school met welfare requirements for the early years. Children are calm in the classrooms, sensible and behave well.
• Leaders have good assessment procedures in place. They have clear systems to check the attainment and progress of children, which is then used to adapt teaching to meet children’s needs and interests. For example, they added more key words around the classrooms and established a greater focus on boys’ attainment. Leaders have set up training initiatives for individuals and groups of staff.
• Leaders make sure there is good communication and joint working with parents. Good homework activities help parents to build on the work being completed in the Nursery and Reception classes. Adults inform parents through a weekly diary about what has gone on during the week and set up workshops for them to attend.
• There is an appropriate system to smooth children’s start in each class through a mix of parents’ meetings and visits to the early years settings, or to observe the children at home. There is also a useful system at the end of the early years to transfer information onto the next teacher. The transition is not as effective as it could be because of the wide differences in the curriculum and teaching between the end of Reception class and lessons at the start of Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 104797 St Helens 10024355 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 179 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Nicola Phythian Jane Sweeney 01744 678 470 www.rectory.eschools.co.uk jane.sweeney@sthelens.org.uk Date of previous inspection 21 June 2012

Information about this school

• At the end of the inspection, the school met requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school. The overwhelming majority of pupils are White British. The governing body runs a breakfast club for pupils and an after-school club.
• The school runs a part-time nursery each morning in addition to the full-time Reception class.
• Approximately half of pupils are known to be disadvantaged, which is a much higher proportion than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who are identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is over three times the national average. The school has specialist provision for up to 20 pupils who have an autistic spectrum disorder and for up to 20 who have moderate learning difficulties.
• The school met the government’s floor standard for 2016.
• The proportion of pupils who arrive at the school part way through their education is high compared to other schools nationally.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in the main school, as well as the resourced unit, across a range of subjects including science, physical education, mathematics and English. They looked through pupils’ work. Inspectors conducted an observation with the headteacher.
• Inspectors met a group of pupils and talked with pupils around the school. They took into account the views of seven pupils who completed Ofsted’s online survey. No staff completed a survey.
• Eighteen parents completed Parent View, which is Ofsted’s online survey. Inspectors also took into account the school’s own survey of parents and met some parents as they dropped off their children at school.
• They met with six members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. They looked through a wide range of documents, including those relating to child protection, pupils’ attainment and progress and external reviews of the school’s work.

Inspection team

Allan Torr, lead inspector Simon Hunter Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector