All Saints Catholic Primary School, Golborne, Wigan Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the lower-ability pupils in lower key stage 2 strengthen their spelling skills even further so that they achieve the standards in writing of which they are capable.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Leaders and governors have created a culture of the highest aspiration and expectation for everyone at All Saints Catholic Primary School. They are passionately committed to fulfilling the school’s mission statement that pupils should have ‘roots to grow and wings to fly’. A climate of learning is underpinned by the strongest focus on pupils’ happiness and well-being. As a result, pupils thrive and achieve extremely well.
• The inspirational headteacher leads the staff team by the example of her own relentless drive to improve outcomes for all pupils. A quiet, modest approach belies a steely determination to accept nothing but the best for pupils. This has earned her the respect of staff, parents, the local authority and the archdiocese, who regard the school as a model of good practice.
• Together with governors, the headteacher has fostered the growth of a team of talented and dedicated leaders who play an ever more important role in the development of the school’s high quality of education. Leaders at all levels share the headteacher’s clear vision and drive for the improvement of pupils’ outcomes. Consequently, the school has plenty of capacity to keep going from strength to strength.
• The school has responded with vigour to the recommendations in the short inspection in January 2018. As a result of leaders’ improvements to teaching in science, pupils, including those who are the most able, now receive work in science that is more challenging, and their work shows that they are making strong progress. A consistently strong focus on developing and enriching pupils’ vocabulary has resulted in improvements in the quality of pupils’ writing across a range of subjects. There is scope to improve even further the quality of writing of some of the less able pupils in lower key stage 2 by ensuring that they develop consistently strong spelling skills.
• Subject leaders are highly effective. They are fully involved in activities to check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in their subjects. Subject leaders have a clear overview of standards in their subjects. As a result, their development plans support pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. The positive impact of their subject leadership is evident in the work in pupils’ books.
• Leaders have made good use of being part of a local network or ‘consortium’ of schools. Teachers and subject leaders value the chance to share and discuss good practice and to develop their leadership skills through high-quality training. These have a positive impact on the quality of education, for example in the work of subject leaders on checking the accuracy of teachers’ assessments.
• Leaders are highly ambitious for the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils. Their use of the pupil premium funding is sharply focused on removing barriers to learning. Teachers work closely with pastoral leaders to ensure that disadvantaged pupils are well supported and receive work that challenges them. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils achieve at least as well as other pupils nationally, and sometimes better.
• Leaders and governors are justifiably proud of the curriculum they provide. Their deep understanding of pupils’ needs, together with astute analysis of a wide range of information, has enabled them to shape a curriculum which excites pupils’ interests and motivates them to learn. Leaders ensure that pupils’ learning is enriched by a range of additional activities, such as educational visits, residential stays, sports and music. This has a strong, positive impact on the way in which pupils learn, behave and make progress across a range of subjects.
• Pupils benefit greatly from the decisions that leaders and governors make regarding the physical education (PE) and sports premium. Pupils have opportunities to take part in a wide variety of sports activities, ranging from lacrosse and football to judo and Chinese dragon dancing. The school’s information shows that participation in sports through its after-school clubs has increased. Pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they enjoy the activities that leaders provide.
• Leadership of the school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is highly effective. The coordinator of the provision for pupils with SEND works with a range of professionals to ensure that teachers and support staff have the knowledge and expertise to support this group of pupils. The impact of their work is evident in the strong progress pupils with SEND make, indicating the very effective use of the extra funding provided for these pupils.
• Leaders make excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn to take account of the views of others through discussions and debates and through participation in activities such as elections for roles of responsibility in school. They take part in activities to raise funds for charities and learn about the cultures and beliefs of others. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well and share the headteacher’s high aspirations for pupils. Governors who have responsibility for various aspects of the school’s work carry out their duties diligently, including for safeguarding. They work closely with relevant leaders to produce informative reports for the governing body which highlight key strengths, weaknesses and next steps. This helps them to provide leaders with the right level of support and challenge.
• Governors scrutinise a range of performance information in order to arrive at an accurate understanding of the school’s effectiveness. Minutes from governing body meetings show that governors are not afraid to challenge school leaders in order to hold them stringently to account for pupils’ achievement and welfare. They monitor carefully the impact of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils, as well as those with SEND.
• The governing body has ensured that there is a wide range of skills, knowledge and expertise among its members. This helps them to see the school’s provision from different perspectives and to support and challenge leaders effectively. For example, some governors have used their professional skills to initiate improvements to the ways in which school leaders present information about pupils’ outcomes. This has contributed to the accurate understanding governors have about the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Governors are highly committed to their own development and undertake regular training to help them carry out their statutory duties. They monitor the school’s website regularly in order to satisfy themselves that it meets the government’s current requirements for the information the school publishes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders, governors and staff have worked together to create a welcoming, caring and safe place for pupils. This contributes to pupils’ readiness to learn and to the strong progress they make. The highly committed pastoral manager leads colleagues by example in ‘going the extra mile’ to help families reach the support they need. Parents who spoke with inspectors were highly appreciative of the care the school provides for their children.
• Pupils are confident and happy in school because they know that they are valued and cared for well. Pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they feel safe in school. They appreciate the ways in which their teachers have made it easy for them to share their worries or concerns, and they know exactly who to ask if they need help.
• The excellent working relationships leaders have established with a range of professionals underpin the school’s robust safeguarding procedures. Records of the checks on the suitability of staff to work with children are meticulously maintained. Leaders ensure that staff undertake regular safeguarding training. This helps staff to be vigilant and to take the right action if they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers have excellent subject knowledge as a result of the high-quality training provided by leaders, including subject leaders. They are highly skilled in using the kinds of questions to challenge pupils’ thinking, including pupils who are the most able, and which help pupils to build connections between different aspects of their learning. Teachers have the expertise to anticipate pupils’ likely misconceptions and step in to correct them when they happen. This helps pupils to be secure in their understanding.
• Classrooms are hives of industry because teachers make sure that every minute counts. Their high expectations of pupils’ behaviour are reflected in the commitment with which pupils apply themselves to their learning. Teachers apply the simple but effective rules consistently, and this helps pupils to behave extremely well in class.
• Observations of lessons and of the work in pupils’ books show that teachers build successfully on what pupils already know and can do. Pupils have time to try out and practise their new learning so that they are secure before moving to the next step. For example, in their writing books, pupils’ practice of new sentence structures and writing techniques leads to confidence in the application of their skills in future work. The impact on pupils’ progress, including that of the most able pupils, is evident in the work they produce.
• Teachers’ careful planning ensures that time is available for them to check pupils’ understanding systematically in lessons. Teaching assistants are highly effective in their support and are fully involved in pupils’ learning because of the high-quality training they receive. This contributes significantly to the progress pupils make, especially those who find learning more difficult.
• Work in pupils’ books, together with observations of lessons, shows that teachers provide pupils with useful feedback in line with the school’s assessment policy. Pupils respond to this feedback which helps them learn from their mistakes and move forward in their learning.
• Teachers set challenging homework for pupils in line with the school’s policy. Pupils who spoke with inspectors understood that the homework they receive helps them to practise their skills and prepare them for future learning. For example, pupils in Year 6 explained that the homework their teachers give them is ‘more and more challenging’. They welcome the special homework clubs which help them practise their skills in readiness for secondary school.
• Teachers routinely embed reading, writing and mathematics extremely well across the curriculum. Pupils know that teachers expect the same high standards in their writing, whether their work is in English or mathematics books, or in other curriculum subjects. For example, work in the history books of pupils in Year 5 shows how they apply their wide vocabulary in their writing about different views of the Industrial Revolution. The books of pupils in Year 2 show how they use their learning in mathematics to organise the information they gather in science activities. Pupils’ learning across a wide range of subjects contributes to the strong progress they make in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The teaching of phonics, especially for younger children, is extremely effective because teachers and teaching assistants have excellent subject knowledge. Pupils join in enthusiastically with the familiar strategies teachers use successfully to help them learn and remember new sounds and letters. As a result, pupils are confident because they have the skills to tackle new and unfamiliar words, and they demonstrate their strong knowledge of phonics in their writing.
• Teaching in every class and across a wide range of subjects routinely promotes and expands pupils’ understanding of language and vocabulary. Pupils are immersed in a learning environment which encourages them daily to encounter new words, to consider and compare meanings and to make use of the growing vocabulary. This impacts strongly on the quality of pupils’ writing across a range of subjects, including that of the most able pupils. Although some less-able pupils in key stage 2 make similarly strong progress in the development of their vocabulary, mistakes in their spelling prevent them from producing routinely the quality of writing of which they are capable.
• Teachers share leaders’ high aspirations for pupils. Pupils take pride in their work because their teachers expect them to do no less. Teachers are highly successful in balancing the highest expectations of pupils with kindness and encouragement. As a result, the relationships they foster are founded on trust and respect and underpin the strong progress pupils make.
• Pupils show a real love of learning. Pupils become enthused about their learning and are motivated to find out more. For example, pupils in Year 6 had been learning in geography about rainforests and were concerned about the impact of human activity upon the lives of orang-utans. They carried out further research in their own time and petitioned the headteacher successfully to initiate fundraising for an orang-utan conservation project. As a result, they deepened their understanding and developed attitudes of compassion and care.
• Parents who spoke with inspectors were quick to praise the school for keeping them well informed about their children’s progress. They appreciate the school’s mobile phone ‘app’, which allows them to access important information quickly. Leaders ensure that parents have opportunities to understand more about their children’s learning and about how they can support them at home.
• Teachers and leaders are highly effective in challenging stereotypes and derogatory language. They have astutely built upon pupils’ love of reading to introduce topics which focus pupils’ attention on diversity and difference. Consequently, pupils develop an appreciation of people and communities beyond their immediate experience.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of after-school clubs and activities which enable them to develop interests beyond the school day. As well as opportunities to compete in sports, engage in charitable works and to learn about food preparation and healthy choices, pupils take part in activities such as singing with other schools and performing at the Manchester Arena.
• Pupils develop excellent speaking or ‘oracy’ skills through discussions and debates, and learn to listen to and take account of each other’s views. Pupils have opportunities to ‘apply’ formally in writing and to be interviewed for roles within the school council. They take part in democratic processes, for example voting for candidates for positions as head boy and head girl.
• Pupils have high expectations of themselves in terms of their work and personal presentation. They wear their uniforms with pride and produce work which is consistently neat and tidy. Pupils are ambitious for their future lives and speak confidently of the careers they would like to pursue. Leaders and teachers have capitalised on the opportunities which exist among the school’s own community of parents, to secure ‘careers guidance’ for pupils in order to inspire and motivate them further.
• Leaders make sure that pupils learn about different religions and cultures so that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about Hinduism and Judaism, for example, and celebrated Black African month through a range of activities. Pupils are confident to talk about differences between families, for example where parents are of the same gender. They show care and concern for each other and for pupils new to the school, regardless of their similarities or differences.
• The school’s excellent arrangements for supporting pupils’ welfare are another strength of the school. The school’s work has earned the respect of the local authority, which has drawn upon leaders’ expertise in recent discussions about best practice. During the inspection, some parents sought out inspectors in order to tell them how much they appreciate the support they and their families have received, and of the positive difference this support has made.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. They understand how to be watchful about material they encounter on the internet and about the importance of not sharing personal information.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and rarely miss a day. Attendance is consistently above the national average, and rates of persistent absence are lower than average. Information about the attendance of current pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, suggests that this is set to continue.
• Pupils’ behaviour in class and around school is impeccable. They are polite and courteous, and their respect for each other and for their teachers is a reflection of the example their teachers set.
• Pupils say that bullying at school is very rare, but if it does occur, teachers always deal with it very quickly and effectively.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• When children start school in the early years, their skills and development are generally lower than those typical for children their age. Published performance measures show that by the time they leave key stage 2 and over a substantial period of time, pupils attain standards consistently above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. This highlights the excellent progress they make from their starting points over their time in the school.
• In 2018, the proportion of pupils reaching at least the expected standard in the key stage 2 national tests in reading, writing and mathematics was well above the national average. The most able pupils made well-above-average progress, and all reached the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress overall at the end of key stage 2 in 2018 was slightly lower in all three subjects than in recent years. A small group of pupils with a range of complex needs were unable to sustain the strong progress needed to reach the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, pupils of lower ability currently in school, including those with SEND, are making strong progress.
• Attainment at the end of key stage 1 is similarly strong. The proportion of pupils reaching at least the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics screening check is above average and has risen consistently over a substantial period of time. By the time they leave Year 2, almost all pupils have reached the required standard. In the 2018 national Year 1 tests, the proportion of pupils reaching at least the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was above the national average.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve very well across subjects. They typically attain at least as well as other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics and make similar progress and sometimes better progress. Those currently in school are making progress that is at least as strong, and frequently stronger, than that of non-disadvantaged pupils. Pupils with SEND also make strong progress from their individual starting points because of the excellent support they receive.
• Reading was found to be a strength of the school at the time of the last inspection and this continues to be the case. Pupils develop a love of reading from the early years and across key stages. Leaders have created a curriculum which introduces pupils to a broad range of high-quality literature which supports their learning across all subjects. Pupils read widely and often, and talk enthusiastically about their favourite authors. Consequently, they make excellent progress over time.
• Leaders have risen to the challenge from the last inspection to ensure that more pupils achieve higher standards in their writing. Leaders’ strong focus upon vocabulary is evident in pupils’ work in their writing books and in other subjects. Current pupils demonstrate a high level of technical accuracy in their work and make excellent and accurate use of more sophisticated words and complex sentences. They have ample opportunities to practise their writing skills to similarly high standards across curriculum subjects, including in science. As a result, writing is of consistently high quality across classes and more pupils are making excellent progress towards higher standards.
• Pupils in key stage 2, including disadvantaged pupils, reached standards well above the average nationally in the 2018 English grammar, punctuation and spelling tests, at both the expected and the higher age-related standards. Pupils currently in school demonstrate a high level of spelling accuracy in their writing, including across subjects. The progress in writing of some lower-ability pupils in key stage 2 is limited by their relatively weak spelling skills.
• Pupils make excellent progress in mathematics because teaching is of a consistently high standard across classes. Work in their books shows that pupils use their strong understanding of numbers and calculations to tackle a range of challenging problems. They explain their reasoning clearly because they have a firm grasp of the mathematics involved. Pupils develop their mathematical understanding extremely well across other subjects, because teachers routinely require them to apply their skills in a range of ways.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children at All Saints make an excellent start to their education. Leaders and managers share the highest aspirations for children and are uncompromising in their drive to improve outcomes even further. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the time they leave the Reception class is consistently above the average nationally and continues to rise.
• Leaders and managers are accurate and incisive in their evaluations of the impact that practice has upon children’s outcomes. This enables them to make astute decisions about professional development for staff and results in improvements to the quality of teaching children receive.
• The interactions between adults and children are inspirational. Adults use questioning skilfully to find out more about what children have understood and allow enough time for children to formulate their thoughts before speaking. Adults challenge children sensitively in order to develop and extend their ideas and thoughts further. Consequently, children learn to be reflective and to ‘think critically’ in their activities.
• Leaders and staff share an extremely high degree of professional knowledge and expertise about the ways in which very young children learn and develop. This enables them to make informed decisions about how and when to assess their skills and stages of development, and to plan rigorously for their next steps in learning. Children, including those who are disadvantaged, those with SEND and the most able, are making substantial and sustained progress from their starting points.
• Leaders have correctly identified that children frequently start Nursery with skills below those typical for their age, particularly in communication and language development. The high-quality training leaders have provided has enabled adults to become highly effective in promoting children’s speaking, listening and thinking skills, and children make excellent progress in their communication and language development.
• Children develop their early literacy and numeracy skills exceptionally well. Through the excellent teaching they receive, even the youngest children develop a strong awareness of sounds, letters and numbers. By the time they leave the Reception class, most children reach at least a good level of development in literacy and mathematics.
• Leaders are highly successful in ensuring that parents share in their children’s learning. They allow time for staff to get to know parents and children before they start school and make excellent use of the information parents and previous settings provide. Parents of children in the early years who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View and free-text questionnaires were unanimous in their praise of the early years provision.
• Safeguarding in the early years is effective. Leaders and staff follow the school’s rigorous policies for keeping children safe and carry out extra checks which reflect the particular health and safety needs of very young children. There are no breaches of the statutory welfare requirements.
• Children learn how to keep themselves safe. They follow the simple rules and routines adults have established, for example when walking to different parts of the school or when getting out and putting away equipment. They share resources, play cooperatively and manage their own behaviour extremely well.
• Children have access to a wide range of high-quality resources indoors and outdoors. Leaders and staff use their careful assessments to make accurate judgements about the activities which will appeal to children and engage them well in learning. For example, during the inspection, children were highly focused in their role play in the class ‘veterinary surgery’. They waited patiently for their turn to take their soft-toy pets to be examined and took a keen interest in the treatment administered. They developed their language skills, cooperated with each other, and developed their understanding of people’s working roles in appropriate ways during this activity.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 106505 Wigan 10057965 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 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 248 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mrs Yvonne Bowden Mrs Wendy Hughes Telephone number 01942 747655 Website Email address www.golborneallsaints.co.uk enquiries@admin.golborneallsaints.wigan.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17 January 2018

Information about this school

• The school is an average-sized voluntary aided primary school of Catholic denomination.
• The school is in the highest 40% of schools for deprivation.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is slightly below average.
• The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is above average.
• The school has a Nursery class for three- to four-year-olds.
• The school runs a breakfast club and a number of after-school clubs.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors made visits to classrooms to observe learning in all year groups. Some of these visits were made with the headteacher. The inspectors also scrutinised pupils’ work, reviewed the school’s assessment information and listened to some pupils read.
• Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation and policies, including behaviour and attendance information, minutes of governing body meetings and safeguarding information.
• Inspectors met with groups of pupils, including from the school council, and spoke with pupils in lessons and at breaktimes.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, members of the governing body and support staff. The lead inspector also spoke on the telephone with a representative from the local authority and met with a representative from the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
• Inspectors spoke with some parents at the beginning of the school day and took into account the 39 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.
• Inspectors also took account of 18 responses to the pupils’ survey and 26 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Mavis Smith, lead inspector Deborah Bailey

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector