All Saints' Catholic Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen the capacity of leadership within the school, by:
  • expanding the composition of the leadership team beyond the headteacher and deputy headteacher
  • developing the role of subject/key stage leadership.
• Continue to minimise the difference in achievement between boys and girls through teaching that consistently meets the needs of pupils.
• Ensure that the systems and structures that have been implemented are fully embedded and continue to positively impact on pupils’ learning and outcomes.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The shift in culture at this school in the past 14 months has been significant. Without exception, parents, pupils and staff say that the school is in a much better place and this is because of the headteacher and her leadership which has been urgent and humane.
• Despite significant turbulence in staffing, a previously complacent attitude and a deficit budget, the headteacher has been unflinching in her determination to ensure that pupils should get the education that they deserve. An initial review of the school was carried out as soon as the headteacher arrived and this unearthed many issues. All aspects of the school’s provision required significant improvement. While the school had become an increasing concern for the local authority and the diocese, the extent of the malaise came as surprise to everyone involved. Since then, the headteacher has received effective support from both the local authority and the diocese.
• The impact of the headteacher’s actions are already evident and pupils’ achievement is improving, the quality of teaching, learning and assessment is more secure and pupils are much more active in their learning. The headteacher has been ably and skilfully supported by her deputy headteacher who arrived two terms ago.
• Until recently, there had been no formal management of teachers’ performance. Teachers are now held to account for the progress of pupils in their class and are provided with professional development to support them. Teachers value this immensely and can see how their own practice is developing and becoming stronger. This professional development is enhanced by teachers going out to see outstanding practice in other schools, by working in clusters of local schools and by working together as a team within school, which never happened before.
• Leaders are very conscious of ensuring that equalities are protected for both staff and pupils. Although it is not written down in any policy or statement, the displays and attitudes around the school indicate the importance it is given. For example, one pupil wrote about their dream for a society where ‘homophobia will stop and people will be treated fairly no matter who you love’. Their dream is already realised at All Saints. Bullying logs, policies, pupils, parents and staff were clear: homophobia is unacceptable at this school.
• Leaders reviewed the curriculum so as to be able to broaden pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills across a wider range of subjects and to provide pupils with an array of extra-curricular activities to broaden their horizons. There is something for all at this school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and this is because of the variety of subjects and the different topics they study. Many parents commented to inspectors that in the past year, their children have ‘never been happier’.
• The social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of pupils is prevalent throughout the curriculum, policies, practices and relationships within the school. The pupils who inspectors spoke to showed a mature understanding of what it means to be British and have a very keen sense of social justice. One pupil spoke of how she felt we should ‘extend the hand of welcome to refugees’.
• Leaders and governors have not had any difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff. Due to a deficit budget, leaders had to restructure both support and teaching staff, resulting in redundancies. This further engendered low staff morale. The headteacher, however, dealt with this in a sensitive but resolute manner and has since galvanised the staff into a cohesive, hard-working and happy team. The staff are whole-heartedly supportive of the headteacher.
• Leaders have implemented a raft of systems and structures to improve the quality of provision. This includes a teaching and learning policy, an assessment system, a behaviour policy, a marking policy, consistent expectations within the classroom, appraisal procedures and professional development for staff. In addition to this, specific strategies have been introduced to rectify where there has been underperformance in the past. The impact is evident; however, the sustainability is precarious because the leadership team currently consists of the headteacher and deputy headteacher and leadership is not established at all levels.

Governance of the school

• The governing body reconstituted its membership in September 2015 and a new chair of the governing body and vice-chair were elected. This corresponds to a notable shift in focus. The governors were no longer solely focused on buildings and finance but the progress of pupils, the quality of provision and ensuring value for money became priorities.
• The governing body is provided with the necessary information it needs so as to be able to challenge and support the headteacher in an even-handed manner.
• The governing body has an accurate and honest understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Governors are committed to see the school succeed and are proactive in seeking out training and professional development that will develop and mature their skills and expertise.
• The governors evaluate the impact of the additional funding for pupil premium and the sports premium. However, the impact of past spending and the success criteria of current spending are not always linked closely enough to what the specific outcomes were or are for pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Policies and procedures are up to date and are understood by all staff. The single central record, training logs, records, induction and recruitment procedures indicate an attentive attitude to ensuring that children are kept safe.
• Alongside the staff, the pupils have a schedule of safeguarding input and training. There have been a number of outside visitors to speak to the pupils on a range of safeguarding topics and a special focus on sexting has been planned this term and will also involve parents.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils, parents and teachers all commented that teaching has improved significantly in the past year. Teachers are talking and discussing about teaching and learning all the time. This is improving the quality of teachers’ teaching, their own confidence and the progress that pupils are making.
• The relationship between teachers and pupils is strong and this is allowing for the improvements that have begun to be made even quicker. Teachers want the best for their pupils and the pupils know this. As a result of focused professional development, teachers now know how to improve their practice.
• Pupils are challenged to think; the questions that teachers ask them are probing and teachers are engaging the pupils by using interesting and varied strategies to excite them.
• The assessment and tracking system is beginning to sharpen teachers’ planning even more. Teachers have a better understanding of what the pupils in their class are actually capable of and this is informing their planning. However, some pupils still think that their learning can be too easy or too hard.
• The learning of the most able girls in the school has always been strong. However, the most able boys are now ‘switched on’ with their learning and are catching up. The strategies that teachers use to involve the boys are exciting and the pupils told inspectors that their learning was now ‘fun’.
• Homework is given in a systematic manner. The effectiveness of homework can be variable, from work that really engages pupils and consolidates and deepens their understanding to activities that are repetitive.
• The opportunities that teachers are given to work with colleagues from other schools in moderating and sharing good practice is building teachers’ expertise and confidence in assessment.
• Other adults are used effectively in the classroom. A number of very skilled and competent teaching assistants work with identified groups of pupils on interventions and are accelerating the progress that these pupils make.
• The support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Until recently, the support and provision for these pupils was negligible. Already, they are thriving and catching up with other pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The curriculum reflects a proactive approach to developing respect for others’ ideas and multicultural views. This was seen in the many displays highlighting community links and the views of pupils in response to a wide range of speakers in lessons and assemblies. It is particularly evident in the positive attitudes the pupils show in being tolerant and accepting.
• Pupils are respectful and proactive in supporting one another during the school day.
• Pupils feel very safe at the school and are able to identify potential risks, such as ‘stranger danger’. Pupils say that bullying is rare and, when it occurs, it is dealt with very quickly.
• There are lots of facilities on the playground to promote healthy lifestyles and the additional sports premium funding has been used effectively in providing new resources so that pupils have something other than just football to play at breaktimes.
• The school’s vision and values statement has been redefined and aligns fundamental British values with gospel values. Pupils contributed significantly to the drawing up of this statement and articulated the importance of respect across all cultural, social and religious boundaries. The pupils were more confident in articulating gospel values than the specific British values.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The attendance of all groups of pupils is consistently above the national average. There are no pupils who are persistently absent.
• Leaders introduced a staggered start time whereby pupils can arrive at any point fifteen minutes before the formal start of the day, this has almost eradicated lateness to school.
• The new behaviour policy and approach to rewards is continuing to reduce the incidents of low-level misbehaviour.
• Parents who spoke to inspectors believe that their children’s attitudes to learning and to each other are more positive than they had been in previous years.
• Rigorous and systematic recording tracks and monitors the outcomes of actions for any incident of more challenging behaviours. Where incidents have occurred, the actions taken by leaders have been appropriate.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders have stemmed the tide of declining standards since joining the school. In 2014 and 2015, standards at the end of key stage 2 were below national averages in all subjects. As a result of swift action, intensive intervention and stronger teaching, improvements were seen in 2016. The proportion of pupils who attained the expected standard in reading and mathematics was significantly above the national average. The standards reached in writing were close to the national average, but boys significantly underperformed.
• The progress that pupils make by the end of key stage 2 in reading and mathematics indicates that pupils achieved better than pupils nationally with the same starting points. Low-attaining pupils made exceptional progress in reading and the most able pupils made excellent progress in mathematics. However, pupils did not make the progress they were capable of in writing, especially boys.
• Pupils’ attainment by the end of key stage 1 has been variable over recent years, fluctuating from being above the national average to being close to, or similar to, the national average. In 2016, attainment was above average for all subjects at the expected standard. However, attainment at greater depth was below the national average in reading and mathematics and significantly below for middle and high attainers in reading. Similar to key stage 2, the standards that boys reached in writing were well below those of girls.
• By the end of Year 1, all pupils attained the expected standard in phonics and this performance is consistent and reflects the effective teaching practice in this area.
• Disadvantaged pupils, although very small in number, achieve as expected given their starting points. Often, the performance of disadvantaged pupils is better than that of other pupils nationally.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Frequently from low starting points, they have caught up with their peers. This is because of clear identification, focused intervention and support that meets the pupils’ needs.
• The most able pupils in the school are now progressing well. Previously, their progress was haphazard and success was more as a result of innate ability rather than teaching that really stretched and challenged them.
• The school’s own assessment information, pupils’ work seen in books and the sample of teaching observed during the inspection demonstrate that progress across the school and in all subjects is moving apace. This is because of the new systems and structures that have been put in place to support teaching, ensure more accurate assessment, provide timely interventions and demand consistency in practice and insistence on high expectations.
• The difference in the standard of writing between boys and girls is already reducing and the improvements in teaching and learning are increasing the proportion of pupils who are working at greater depth. The well-chosen plethora of strategies to improve writing are impacting across the curriculum.
• As a consequence of the rigorous assessment and tracking system that was introduced last year, teachers have taken greater ownership of the progress of pupils in their class. Pupils are monitored closely and this information is used to plan the next steps in learning. This means that the differences that existed between groups of pupils are now lessening.
• Pupils are encouraged to read widely and often and reading books are to be found in every classroom and around the school. The pupils that inspectors heard reading demonstrated effective reading skills and high levels of confidence in understanding what they were reading. The pupils that inspectors spoke to all said that reading is very important and that they had been particularly inspired by the recent visits from famous authors. Reading is also timetabled for all pupils in every year group.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Leaders insist on the highest standards in the early years and are fully supported by the senior leadership of the school and governors to ensure that everything is done so that children get off to the best start in their education.
• Most of the children enter the early years at age-related expectations but they consistently leave the early years with good levels of development which are significantly above the national average. The proportion of children who exceed the expected levels of development is also significantly higher than the national average. This demonstrates outstanding outcomes for the children and provides them with the strongest of foundations as they move into key stage 1.
• The work that is undertaken to involve parents is exemplary. This home–school relationship begins before the children even start Nursery. Teachers visit the children and their parents at home and this allows teachers to build effective relationships with both parents and children. It also allows teachers to acquire knowledge of the children and their home life which informs the initial transition period at the start of the early years and informs teachers’ planning.
• Parents are seen as important co-workers in their children’s education. Teachers encourage and support parents to make links between the everyday activities and the new experiences that the children have with the learning and development that is happening at school. Parents utilise the learning records and the blog that has been created to record this.
• Children are very safe in the early years. There are very clear policies and procedures in place and all of the welfare requirements are met. Parents vouch that their children feel safe and are happy coming to school.
• Teachers are constantly observing and assessing what the children can do and what they like and enjoy. The Nursery and Reception teachers work in tandem and this enables children to learn in different ways and at different rates. The activities are explained well and are purposeful. Importantly, they invariably excite and thrill the children.
• Teachers are able to hold the attention of the children because their teaching and curriculum is child-led and builds on the prior learning and interests of the children. There are lots of different learning opportunities and choices to enthral the children. Teaching encourages the children to be independent and to be trying new things. The balance between teacher-led and child-led activities is highly appropriate. Children know what to do, are focused and they look to each other as role models. The children’s behaviour is splendid. They show impeccable manners and they listen carefully to the teacher and to each other. Throughout their time in the early years, the children are learning and developing values that are consistent with life in modern Britain. For example, children are expected to accept when someone makes a choice, that is fine and they are allowed to do that. One child in Reception demonstrated early economic prowess, and told inspectors that, ‘The headteacher should buy some cows for the field and then she won’t have to pay for our milk every day!'

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 106347 Trafford 10002578 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 Voluntary aided 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 228 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mr Graham Perkins Mrs Anita Fagan 0161 9621288 www.allsaints.trafford.sch.uk admin@allsaints.trafford.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11 December 2007

Information about this school

• This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from different minority ethnic backgrounds is well below average, as is the number of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who receive support through the pupil premium funding is well below average.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2015.
• Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher took up post in September 2015 and she was joined by a new deputy headteacher in January 2016.
• The school is due to launch its website this month. Inspectors checked the specified information that schools are required to publish on its website and it is compliant.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed a range of lessons and classes. A learning walk took place with senior leaders. Inspectors spoke with pupils and looked at their work.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils from both key stages about their experience of school and their learning.
• Inspectors considered 37 responses to Parent View. Inspectors spoke to parents and considered one letter sent to inspectors.
• Inspectors met with the members of the governing body. Meetings were also held with the leadership team and members of staff, a representative from the local authority and from the diocese.
• Inspectors scrutinised a variety of documentation including the school’s own self-evaluation and development plan; anonymised performance management documents; school policies and procedures and the school’s own assessment information. A range of documentation regarding safeguarding was scrutinised, including behaviour and attendance records and bullying logs.

Inspection team

Jonathan Jones, lead inspector Pritiben Patel Cole Andrew

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector