Canon Sharples Church of England Primary School and Nursery Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the proportion of pupils, especially the most able, who reach the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics by:
  • eliminating the remaining inconsistencies in the teaching of reading in key stage 2 in order to encourage a love of reading and a greater understanding of what is being read
  • presenting pupils with more opportunities to produce longer pieces of writing and, particularly in key stage 1, ensuring that writing is not limited by unsuitable worksheets
  • throughout the school, extending pupils’ mathematical thinking and reasoning skills by moving them more quickly on to problem-solving activities.
• Embed the role of leaders of the subjects in the wider curriculum to develop their skills of checking teaching and learning to ensure that pupils develop skills progressively in their subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Outstanding leadership by the headteacher and executive headteacher has greatly improved teaching, learning and pupils’ behaviour since the school became an academy. These leaders have created an atmosphere in which staff have clear and accurate direction for their work and are enabled to rise to the high expectations their leaders have of them. Current improvements in teaching and learning bear testament to the impact of their work.
• Other leaders share the headteacher’s commitment to improving standards throughout the school. Although they are not equally skilled in managing their subjects, they are instrumental in bringing about and sustaining improvement. Senior leaders ensure that staff have effective training and guaranteed development time to plan good-quality teaching and learning in different subjects.
• Senior leaders are meticulous in checking teaching and learning and staff readily act on advice and guidance given. English and mathematics leaders have a direct influence on what goes on in classrooms. Where relevant, they model different approaches for teachers to help them to help their pupils learn faster.
• Beyond English and mathematics, subject leaders check the work in pupils’ books against what staff have shown in the tracking system to ensure that the curriculum is covered. They have not had the same opportunities as English and mathematics leaders to influence learning directly by gaining a detailed overview of teaching and learning over time. A training programme has been started to help all subject leaders lead their subjects even better.
• The systems for checking teaching and learning link closely to the targets set for staff as part of the management of their performance. There are also clear links between these targets, the school’s accurate self-evaluation and the well-considered priorities in the school development plan. As a result, there is a consistency of approach to school improvement that has led to strong teaching and greater progress for the pupils.
• Staff are ambitious for the pupils. They are particularly vigilant in ensuring pupils’ health, safety and well-being so that pupils can achieve as well as they can, personally and academically. In the vast majority of cases, they mirror the high expectations their leaders have of them as they set work for their pupils. As a result, pupils are making faster progress and standards are continuing to rise in English and mathematics.
• Strong teamwork within the school, and between the staff at the two schools in the trust, has resulted in a consistent approach to all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders make excellent use of these links. They also have close links with the local authority and a local consortium of schools to aid and sustain improvement. All of this has led to improved accuracy in assessment, resulting in gaps in learning being picked up and addressed more quickly than in the past.
• The leadership of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is excellent. Funding is used effectively to enhance the pupils’ learning. Staff teaching these pupils are managed well and all support programmes are regularly checked to make sure that they are effective. As a result, these pupils make good progress.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to diminish the differences between the eligible pupils and other pupils nationally. While there are still some variations in different year groups, leaders are vigilant in ensuring that the funding is used wisely for its intended purpose.
• The curriculum gives pupils many opportunities to learn a wide range of skills and knowledge in different subjects. It is currently under review to tailor it even more precisely to the needs of the pupils, including the most able, in each school. Leaders are not complacent. Rather, they are continually looking for even more ways to improve in order to ensure that all pupils make faster progress in all subjects.
• Each year group has access to specialist teaching, for example in music, art and PE, at designated times in the year, thus enhancing learning in those subjects. High-quality artwork demonstrates the effect of the specialist teaching, which is built upon back in class. In addition, pupils relish the opportunities they have to be involved in the choir, learn a musical instrument and discover and use different techniques in art.
• The sports premium funding is used to good effect. Staff encourage greater numbers of pupils to participate in different activities and challenge themselves to do better. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the wide range of sporting activities available to them in and beyond the school day.
• The leadership of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong. British values are part and parcel of everything the school does. As a result, pupils know about different religions and the vast majority show respect for all people, regardless of differences. Leaders do not tolerate disrespect for anyone.

Governance of the school

• The trust and the governors are passionate and ambitious for the school. They know the strengths of the school and what it needs to do to improve further. They have full confidence in the leadership team to drive further improvements.
• Governors receive a wealth of information from school leaders and staff. They question the effectiveness of any actions leaders take and check for themselves that they are working. They also provide high levels of support for the school leadership.
• The trust oversees the work of the governing body well. Terms of reference are clear and members are fully aware of their different roles. They all work together to ensure that the additional funding the school receives for different groups of pupils is used wisely to help the pupils make more rapid progress.
• Trustees and governors use their different areas of expertise well to ensure that the school continues to improve. They fine-tune their skills by attending training and keeping it up to date.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding procedures are strong and they are monitored well by senior leaders, governors and trustees.
• Staff are quick to identify families needing support. They know how to report any concerns and to whom. Staff are well trained and all training is updated regularly. All staff are aware of their responsibilities in making sure that pupils are safe.
• Safeguarding documentation, including all records and files, is comprehensive and clear. Statutory checks are carried out on staff, governors, trustees, volunteers and visitors. The checks are thorough and up to date.
• The designated leads have in-depth knowledge of individual pupils and their families. They work hard to support pupils whose circumstances might make them vulnerable. They develop close links with families and, where they can, they get them timely and appropriate help in school or through the relevant external agencies.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Excellent relationships between staff and pupils underpin the successful learning now evident in this school. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils respond well, demonstrating excellent attitudes to learning in almost all classes.
• Teachers use their good subject knowledge well to organise and manage pupils’ learning. They provide valuable feedback to pupils about their work to help pupils improve. Pupils respond well to the guidance they are given.
• All staff encourage pupils to adopt a can-do attitude and perseverance as they work. This is building in the pupils the resilience they need to succeed in their learning.
• Teachers quickly reshape learning in lessons to help different groups of pupils make better progress. In most classes, they make good use of the assessments they make of pupils’ learning to determine work and progress in subsequent weeks. They also identify, often with the pupils, the skills and facts to be revisited in subsequent lessons.
• Effective questioning deepens pupils’ understanding and helps pupils increase their ability to think for themselves. When pupils are encouraged to explain their answers, they mostly do so well.
• Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Working with individuals or small groups, they help pupils catch up on gaps in knowledge and understanding. Occasionally, they do not use resources well enough to help pupils be fully involved. Consequently, learning becomes dull and some pupils switch off.
• Improvements in the teaching of phonics have led to a steady increase in the proportion of pupils in Year 1 reaching the expected standard in the phonics screening check, often from low starting points.
• Reading is taught effectively. Staff model reading well, successfully encouraging pupils to read with fluency and expression, and to understand what they read. Very occasionally, however, staff do not ensure that pupils who are in key stage 2 understand new vocabulary or what they read. This hinders learning.
• Teachers are mostly very adept at encouraging pupils’ speaking skills. They model good use of language and encourage pupils to discuss their learning and learn from each other. As a result, pupils are growing in confidence and becoming more adept at finding ways to improve their own learning.
• Writing is also taught well. Teachers help pupils to build up their skills, for example in sequencing events in a story to build and release tension and grab the reader’s attention. Sometimes, especially in key stage 1, the use of worksheets that require only short answers, or have limited space for pupils to write, prevents pupils writing at length or in greater depth.
• Staff have begun to focus more precisely on teaching pupils to think and reason for themselves and use their mathematical learning to solve different sorts of mathematical problems. Nevertheless, these skills are not built securely into mathematical learning in all classes. Therefore, learning is limited for some pupils, especially the most able.
• The high-quality artwork on display throughout the school shows that staff, often alongside real-life artists, are skilled at teaching the skills and techniques associated with different art forms.
• Despite the rapid improvement, some weaknesses remain, albeit in a small number of cases. This is because the work set, particularly for the most able, does not consistently provide enough challenge to enable pupils to exceed expectations at key stage 1 or reach greater depth at key stage 2. The school knows this and has begun to tackle the issue.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Throughout the school, pupils are proud of their work and want to share their success with others. Leaders and staff build in them the confidence, resilience and perseverance they need to succeed.
• In discussion, pupils talked enthusiastically about the lessons aimed specifically at helping them to develop these qualities. They reminded each other never to say ‘can’t do’ without adding ‘yet’. These positive attitudes contribute greatly to their much-improved learning.
• Staff prepare pupils exceptionally well for each new stage in their learning, year on year, across key stages and on to high school. Close ties with the high schools ensure that transition to that stage is made as easy as possible for all pupils, including those who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Meetings with pupils were overwhelmingly positive in every respect. Pupils are adamant that bullying occurs only very rarely now, although there was much more in the past. They are confident that any type of harassment or discriminatory behaviour would not be tolerated. Pupils say it would be dealt with and sorted straight away. They know what to do should they experience or hear of any type of bullying.
• Relationships across the school are strong and caring. Pupils have high levels of confidence in staff. They say teachers always look out for them and that they can ask their teachers for help with any problem, be it in or out of school. Pupils told inspectors how safe they feel in school and that school is ‘the best place in the world’.
• Much is in place to help pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. Pupils were eager to talk about the various things they learn, for example fire safety, stranger danger, crossing the road and how important it is to keep oneself safe.
• Staff instil in the pupils the importance of making a positive contribution to society. Through the work of the school council, their roles as monitors, buddies and mini-buddies and many other opportunities to take on responsibilities, they learn skills and habits that will serve them well in later life.
• Leaders have introduced several initiatives, such as ‘heartsmart’ and a ‘happy for life’ scheme, that are contributing successfully to pupils’ social, emotional and mental health and well-being. These aspects are given a high priority to help ensure that pupils are well prepared for life beyond school and in the wider world.
• Pupils also talked enthusiastically about the careers week. They recognise that seeing the different types of jobs that people do helps them to think more widely about the type of job to which they might aspire. They stated confidently that ‘we can do it if we work hard’.
• The well-attended breakfast club gives those who attend it a calm and orderly start to their day.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Following the lead from the staff, pupils have high expectations of their own and others’ behaviour. They very much appreciate the new hierarchical systems of rewards and sanctions. Pupils describe them as very fair and much needed, given the incidents of poor behaviour in the past.
• Pupils are very keen to behave sensibly. This is because they would miss the much-valued rewards they receive for behaving well if they did not do so. They accept that actions have consequences they would rather not have to deal with. They have a strong sense of fairness and equality.
• In all but a very small number of cases, pupils demonstrate high levels of respect for adults and each other. They regularly help each other in lessons and are polite and well mannered when speaking to staff and visitors.
• Pupils want to do well and, in the vast majority of lessons, their behaviour is excellent. Occasionally, usually when their work is not well planned, there is some low-level disruption that detracts from their progress.
• To help pupils who find difficulty managing their own behaviour, leaders introduced an initiative to develop good behaviour and attitudes. This is working well with a class that had several such pupils and is about to be rolled out to another year group that would benefit from the approach.
• Attendance is in line with the national average. Leaders and staff work closely with families to encourage good attendance and punctuality. With the high levels of mobility, the rate of attendance is sometimes compromised by the school having to keep pupils on roll until it knows they are registered at their new school.
• Records show that the number of exclusions has decreased, as has the number of incidents of poor behaviour, in the past two years. The school liaises closely with other providers who help pupils with their learning and behaviour.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils currently in the school are making good progress in key stages 1 and 2. Pupils’ books and assessment information provided by leaders show that most work is now at the standard expected for pupils’ ages. In addition, more pupils are now reaching the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics than in the past. There remains some inconsistency in the rate of progress that the most able pupils make because they do not get hard enough work to do in all lessons.
• The judgement of good progress in key stage 2 appears to conflict with the latest published figures (2017), which showed progress to be inadequate in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils who were in Year 6. A well-documented legacy of inaccurate assessment when these pupils were in Year 2, confirmed by the local authority, affected the amount of progress the pupils could show by the end of Year 6.
• Staff have worked extremely well to ensure that all assessments are now accurate. They check their assessments with each other and with staff at the other school in the trust. The accuracy of assessments is also checked through meetings and sharing pupils’ work with the local consortium of schools and the local authority.
• Progress is good across key stage 1 and standards are rising in this age group. Last year, too few pupils reached a greater depth in reading, writing or mathematics. Girls’ writing was particularly weak. Evidence shows that these girls, now in Year 3, have made very rapid progress since last year. They and other pupils are working at much higher standards than in the past.
• Pupils’ attainment in phonics at the end of Year 1 was in line with the national average for all pupils in 2017. However, disadvantaged pupils did not achieve as well as their peers. Leaders quickly implemented targeted support for disadvantaged pupils and little difference was noted when listening to the pupils, who are now in Year 2.
• Pupils currently in key stage 2 are also making strong progress. Evidence from their books and from the school’s tracking systems shows that the legacy of underachievement is beginning to disappear, although there remain some inconsistencies, for example in the challenges provided for the most able pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. The gap between the attainment and progress of these pupils and others nationally is diminishing. In some year groups, the pupils make faster progress than their peers.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities also make good progress. They benefit from well-considered support programmes with clear targets that are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are at the right level and are working. They are quickly adjusted if needed.
• Pupils who are new to the school are assessed quickly and supported well. Their progress is tracked from the time they join and, for some, to the time they leave. Their progress is also good. The school is meticulous in trying to obtain records from previous schools and passing on records to receiving schools to try to track the pupils’ progress as well as it can.
• The majority of the most able pupils also make good progress. In some classes, the work they are given to do is not hard enough to help them make the faster progress or reach the higher standards of which they are capable. Work to improve the provision for these pupils is under way but it is at an early stage.
• Almost all the pupils who read to inspectors did so fluently and with expression. They make good progress. Pupils use their phonics skills well to break down and read new words. However, pupils, most notably at key stage 2, do not always know the meaning of the words or understand what they are reading.
• Progress in writing is good. Pupils use a variety of different sentence structures in their writing. Their work shows they gain an increasing understanding of how to reach their audience. Spelling is mostly accurate, as are grammar and punctuation. Their books show that, in some year groups, especially in key stage 1, the limited space on worksheets results in their giving limited answers to questions or being unable to write at length. This particularly affects the progress of the most able pupils.
• Pupils’ mathematics books and observations in lessons show that pupils, especially the most able, do not reason and explain their answers well enough or use their mathematical skills in different ways to solve problems. Lacking these skills slows the progress, particularly of some of the most able pupils, and therefore their ability to reach higher standards.
• Pupils make good progress in a range of subjects across the wider curriculum, such as PE, history and art and design.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children who start school in Nursery, and those who join in Reception, do so with skills that are below those typical for their age, particularly in literacy, numeracy and personal development. They make excellent progress. This is particularly the case for children who are at the school throughout Nursery and Reception. The proportion reaching a good level of development is still below the national average but moving rapidly towards it.
• Some children transfer to Reception classes in other schools at the end of their Nursery Year. Other children join the school for their Reception Year, a few not having had any pre-school experience at all. Staff quickly get to know all children and their families. They plan children’s learning, taking account of their in-depth knowledge of what each child, from the least able to the most able, needs to do to learn well.
• A half term of transition into Year 1 builds on what children have learned in the early years. It eases them into national curriculum work and sets them up well for the rest of the key stage. All of this contributes to the excellent progress the children make.
• A high proportion of children join or leave the school in their Nursery and Reception Years. Staff work extremely hard to ensure that they make as much progress as they can while they are at the school. By the time they enter Year 1, children are confident learners. They know and follow well-established routines, as well as instructions.
• Teaching is outstanding and children’s learning is extremely well planned. Activities are fun. They capture the children’s imagination and allow them to practise a range of new skills and develop their speaking and language skills. For example, Nursery children thoroughly enjoyed warming their fingers up to music as they prepared to watch a film and then move their bodies in different ways. Throughout, staff strongly emphasised the use of correct language to describe movement, thus developing vocabulary well.
• Children have plenty of opportunity to explore for themselves, try out new things, build and use a range of equipment. They develop vocabulary and learn to speak clearly as they communicate with each other and with staff. This was evident as they played a game supporting number recognition and learned to take turns and listen to each other.
• Children benefit from very effective, carefully thought-out displays and resources, indoors and out, that take account of the different ways they might learn. Coupled with high expectations by all adults, this ensures that they thrive and enjoy a very positive start to school life. Their behaviour is excellent.
• Adults often take their cue from what children say in order to enhance the children’s learning. For example, in a phonics session, they showed how they valued the children’s contribution by using what the children said about words that have the same sound. Children’s learning was enhanced further as staff ensured that children understood that the same sound did not always mean the same spelling.
• Assessments and the tracking of children’s learning are of a high quality. Staff use the information gained as they plan next steps or adjust learning as it is happening. They are keenly aware of the needs of disadvantaged children and children who have SEN and/or disabilities, as well as of the most able children. They plan learning and, where relevant, additional support accordingly. As a result, these different groups of children make excellent progress.
• Safeguarding is effective. Risk assessments are thorough and classrooms and outdoor areas are safe and secure. The strong emphasis on creating a caring and nurturing environment ensures that all children are safe and well cared for.
• Relationships between early years staff and parents are very positive. Stay-and-play sessions help parents understand how to help their children at home. Parents report that their children love coming to school and are ‘good as gold’ when they are there.
• Leadership of the early years is outstanding. All teaching is carefully checked for its impact on learning. The curriculum is planned well across all areas of learning and early reading, writing and number skills are fully included in everything the children do.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142028 Wigan 10046625 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 Academy sponsor-led 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 366 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Rob McKenzie Jennifer Woodcock Executive headteacher Janet Kneale Telephone number 01942 776 188 Website Email address enquiries@canonsharples.wigan.sch.uk www.canonsharples.wigan.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school opened in July 2015. It is sponsored by the Learning Together Trust and managed by a local governing body to whom the trust delegates some powers.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. When its predecessor school, also Canon Sharples, was last inspected, it was judged to require improvement.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds who speak English as an additional language is average.
• The proportion of pupils joining or leaving the school at different times is above average.
• The school did not meet current government floor standards in 2017. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school works closely with its partner school, St Wilfrid’s in Standish, and with the local authority. It is also part of a local consortium of academies and maintained schools.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in a range of lessons in all year groups. They carried out several joint observations with the headteacher and executive headteacher.
• Inspectors listened to pupils in key stages 1 and 2 read and held discussions with pupils from across the school.
• Inspectors met with representatives of the Learning Together Trust and members of the governing body.
• A meeting was held with a representative of the local authority and the lead headteacher of the consortium to which the school belongs.
• Inspectors held discussions with different school leaders, including those responsible for English and mathematics, the early years and the provision for those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Several meetings took place with the headteacher and executive headteacher about pupils’ learning and progress, and how they and the quality of teaching are assessed, monitored and improved.
• Inspectors examined a range of documents, including: records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour; the school’s checks on teaching and its review of its own performance; the school development plan; information about pupils’ progress; and safeguarding documentation.
• Inspectors also met with parents at the start of the school day and took account of the 69 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Parent View.

Inspection team

Doris Bell, lead inspector Tim Lucas Maria McGarry

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector