Ofsted Report

School report

Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School

Oswald Street, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 0BN

Inspection dates

17–18 June 2015

Overall effectiveness Previous inspection:	Good	2
Overall effectiveness This inspection:	Outstanding	1
Leadership and management	Outstanding	1
Behaviour and safety of pupils	Outstanding	1
Quality of teaching	Outstanding	1
Achievement of pupils	Outstanding	1
Early years provision	Outstanding	1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

From their different starting points, pupils make exceptional progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils’ progress is outstanding and often stronger than that of their peers.
On entry, the large majority of children can speak little or no English. Despite this, by the time they leave Key Stage 1, pupils’ skill development is average. By the time they leave Key Stage 2, the standards they reach are consistently above average. This demonstrates outstanding progress.
Teaching is outstanding. Teachers always check pupils’ understanding regularly and use this information to create activities which match pupils’ needs very closely. Activities are often highly challenging, although in a very small minority of lessons the highest levels of challenge are not seen.
In books, teachers give pupils very useful feedback. This is the case even in younger years and all pupils respond to the feedback, thus making regular improvements and leading to very rapid progress in their learning.
Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very positive. They love the activities they do because they are challenging and enjoyable. Teachers work very effectively to capture pupils’ interests and constantly adjust the provision where they see any early signs of underachievement.
Pupils’ conduct around school is excellent. Pupils are very proud of their school and they are respectful towards one another and all adults.
Pupils are safe and confirm that they feel safe. They attend well and punctuality to school is excellent.
Leadership of the school is excellent. The inspirational headteacher has directed staff exceptionally well since the previous inspection so that all members of staff are fully focused on effectively supporting the pupils in all ways. Teaching is now outstanding and pupils now make outstanding progress.
The headteacher has developed excellent systems to ensure other senior and middle leaders are ready to take initiative and create innovative practices which enhance pupils’ achievement as well as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
Leaders also provide outstanding support for families, who value the work of the school very much.
Governors support the school very well and have a very clear understanding of the school’s key strengths. Like other leaders, they are ambitious for the school’s future.
The early years’ provision for the youngest children is excellent. By the time they leave Reception, children can speak English fluently. As a result, children are then able to access the wider curriculum and make excellent progress from their low starting points.

Information about this inspection

The inspectors observed a range of lessons. Two lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.
Inspectors observed and spoke with pupils during lessons, at break times and at lunchtime. They also met formally with groups of pupils from Key Stages 1 and 2.
Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders. A meeting also took place with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.
Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including pupils’ work in their books, the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, performance management procedures, and pupils’ attendance data. Inspectors also looked at information about pupils’ progress and attainment.
Inspectors could not consider parental responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as there were too few to be shown. However, inspectors considered the school’s recent survey of parents’ views and also spoke to parents as they brought their children to school.

Inspection team

Fiona McNally, Lead inspector	Additional Inspector
Christine Potter	Additional Inspector
Pritiben Patel	Additional Inspector

Full report

Information about this school

This is larger than the average-sized primary school.
The majority of pupils are of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage.
A much larger than average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.
The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is much higher than the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority. The proportion of pupils with disabilities or special educational needs is below the national average.
Children enter the school in Reception on a full-time basis.
The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Raise pupils’ achievement further by ensuring that the highest level of challenge for pupils, already widely seen in the school, is consistent across all lessons.

Inspection judgements

The leadership and management

are outstanding

The headteacher is inspirational in her view that the potential barriers to achieving well for the pupils of the community are not a reason for poor achievement. Her constant drive and ambition for the pupils to do well and her skilled work with her staff, governors and, in particular, parents, result in pupils’ achievement being outstanding. Pupils reach above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave, thanks to outstanding leadership of teaching that results in very rapid, sustained progress.
The headteacher has worked skilfully with her leaders, who are highly effective in what they do. Senior and middle leaders are very confident about the work they do, and rightly so. They, like the headteacher, are very mindful of the pupils’ needs and demonstrate excellent innovative practice to enhance pupils’ learning. They work autonomously in their own areas but also collaborate effectively so that all aspects of the provision work to enhance pupils’ skills and personal, social and emotional needs.
The performance management system works well to ensure teachers and other staff are accountable for their areas of responsibility. All staff believe this system is effective and ensures they are very well trained and have challenging yet reasonable targets to meet. As a result, teaching overall is outstanding. In addition, the support staff are highly effective. Teaching assistants who work with teachers are excellent in the support they provide for different groups of pupils. They are highly trained and, as a result, feel highly valued.
Leaders have a clear understanding of their school’s strengths. They are ambitious for the future and want to continue to enhance the provision for the pupils and families further. Evidence to date shows that they have the capacity to be highly effective in achieving this.
The leadership of provision for disadvantaged pupils is highly effective. It focuses on ensuring these pupils achieve very well and, as a result, these pupils often make faster progress than others in school. Their progress is much better than that of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. This shows that the school makes very good use of pupil premium funding.
The school’s leaders understand that pupils’ achievement is key to them being afforded life skills which will prepare them well for their futures. They understand that to achieve very well, pupils’ whole education needs to be considered. As a result, there are excellent opportunities for disadvantaged pupils, which offer them experiences they otherwise would not have access to, for example, participation in a variety of sports, such as skiing. Leaders also work very well with these pupils’ parents so that they understand how best to support their child’s learning at home.
The school uses the primary sports funding very well. It is used to support a very wide variety of sports for pupils to take part in at school and in the area; these include snowboarding, cricket, football and rounders. The emphasis on sport has also meant there are more pupils participating in the different sporting activities. In addition, when pupils move onto high school an increasing number are more involved in sports teams, in which, historically, they have not been involved.
The leadership of provision for those pupils with special educational needs or who are disabled is outstanding. These pupils’ needs are very well catered for and the teaching assistants who work with them are well trained and highly effective. Teachers plan carefully for these pupils and work very well with their assistants to ensure these pupils achieve very well and become increasingly independent.
The assessment of pupils’ ability is undertaken formally each half term and leads to strong work between teachers and leaders to ensure any signs of underachievement are tackled robustly. As a result of this timely intervention, there is excellent extra support for pupils. This is seen by the high level of challenge provided for pupils, although there are some inconsistencies with this and a small minority of activities, while always challenging, do not match the highest level of challenge seen in the majority of lessons.
The leadership of behaviour is very strong. Pupils behave exceptionally well and are fully focused on doing their best in class, wasting no learning time. The leaders focus entirely on supporting pupils and understanding vulnerabilities or potential barriers to learning.
The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced; it is exceptional in its delivery of opportunities for pupils so that their key skills are reinforced in lots of ways. It also ensures that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural needs are enhanced very effectively. In particular, all pupils in the school are scouts. Pupils choose activities, working towards badges and certificates. The school is unique in being its own scout pack and has won national recognition of its work with an upcoming visit to the Houses of Parliament to reward its innovative practice. The school hopes to win international recognition by breaking the world record for having the most scouts in a school.
The school’s work with parents is highly effective and is one of the most significant contributory factors to the school’s success with the pupils. Parents are offered ongoing opportunities to understand how to support their own child, as well as developing their own life skills, such as learning English, learning how to read and write and to use and apply key mathematics skills. The school does not only offer this to parents but also to grandparents, who the school understands play an important role in the children’s lives. The school also works with local religious and community leaders to ensure that there are clear messages about the importance of education and tolerance so that pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

As well as ensuring that all groups of pupils achieve outstandingly well, the school ensures that there is equality of provision in all areas and, as such, there are no incidents of discrimination and very positive relationships are fostered between different groups of pupils and different groups of parents.
The school works with the local authority and there is a highly respectful relationship between the two. The local authority praises the school’s impact on pupils’ achievement and all-round education, including the work it does with parents. The local authority provides effective support to ensure the school can work as effectively as possible and challenges the school to justify its practices, which it can do with the outstanding outcomes it achieves for all groups of pupils.
The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and are robust. As a result, pupils are safe and they understand how to keep themselves safe. Regular training ensures that school staff can provide effective support for pupils’ safety.
The governance of the school:
- The governance of the school is outstanding. Governors have a good understanding of school performance data. They challenge leaders effectively and have a wealth of educational experience to ensure they understand key priorities and how to identify if there are any areas where pupils are not achieving well. As a result, there is very effective support of leaders in school, teaching is outstanding and pupils achieve very well.
- Governors’ work with leaders to ensure the performance management system is robust and reflects the impact of teaching on pupils’ achievement. Governors know about what is done to reward good teaching. They are very aware of the quality of teaching and can identify in detail where there have been improvements to teaching, which they judge to be outstanding. The governing body is representative of the community it serves and there is a passion and commitment by all involved to support the pupils to do their very best. The governors engage very well with local leaders and some are represented on the governing body.
- Governors know they receive funding for disadvantaged pupils and work with leaders to ensure this is spent to have an outstanding impact on pupils’ achievement, as well as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
- Governors ensure there is financial stability within the school so that staff can be well trained and effectively deployed to work closely with pupils and meet their needs very well.

The behaviour and safety of pupils

are outstanding

Behaviour

The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils conduct themselves exceptionally well. Adults model respectful attitudes and pupils look to adults as role models. As a result, there is a very positive atmosphere in the school.
Pupils display exceptionally good attitudes to learning. They respond immediately to instructions and, due to a very positive climate for learning, there are no incidents of low-level disruption. Pupils take every opportunity to learn and are very good at working with one another, listening to each other’s views and are confident to air their own views and reasons.
Pupils feel that they are highly valued and that all the opportunities they have make their school excellent. One pupil reported, ‘This school is special. It teaches me things I didn’t know before and I know I am learning important skills for my future. This makes me confident because it means I know I matter. I love this school.’ All pupils spoken to reiterate this view. Parents are also very positive about the school and the way in which their children are supported to do their very best.
There have been no exclusions of pupils for a significant period of time. This is because behaviour is managed very effectively and pupils’ personal, social and emotional needs are very clearly understood by all members of staff. As a result, there are no incidents of poor behaviour which escalate to a point where serious sanctions are needed.
Pupils’ attendance is good and they are always punctual to school and to their lessons. This is because pupils really enjoy being at school.
Pupils, staff and parents all believe that behaviour is well managed.

Safety

The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. As a result, pupils say they feel safe and can describe how they keep themselves safe.
Pupils are aware of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying; they know what to do if it ever occurs. However, pupils report that bullying is exceptionally rare because they know that each person is different and that these differences are important and make everyone special. The school records confirm that bullying is very rare and there have been no reported racist or homophobic incidents in recent years.
The school ensures all staff are highly trained to support pupils’ safety with certain members of staff, who work closely with more vulnerable pupils trained to the highest level to ensure this support is strong.
The school’s enrichment programme closely reflects the issues facing the pupils of the community and to ensure they are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Regular events and the school’s close collaboration with community leaders help pupils to be very aware of how to protect themselves from potential dangers and have become increasingly confident to discuss any matters with adults which may be worrying them.

The quality of teaching

is outstanding

Teaching is outstanding and as a result, pupils make outstanding progress during their time at school. Teaching across different cohorts and classes is never less than good and is often outstanding. Teachers have a very strong understanding of their pupils’ specific needs and meet these needs very closely. This is due to the very regular and effective checking of what pupils understand throughout lessons. Teachers are skilful at using these checks to inform the next steps in learning. Teachers adjust activities, as necessary, so that pupils have the chance to revisit learning points or to move them on to the next level. Consequently, pupils’ learning is very rapid.
Teachers mark books very regularly and give pupils excellent, useful feedback which pupils always respond to. Teachers are mindful as to how feedback can be best presented to individual pupils to ensure they can access the guidance and use it as they move forward. In addition, teachers provide challenges for pupils when they have completed their previous learning well. Teachers always challenge pupils well and some teachers are particularly skilled at providing tasks which are highly challenging. However, this is not seen consistently in all activities. Pupils always relish the opportunity to extend their learning and always complete tasks to the best of their ability.
Teachers’ questioning of pupils is excellent. They use questioning as an opportunity to develop pupils’ oral communication skills, mindful of the fact that pupils speak English as an additional language. The teaching of pupils’ communication skills is highly effective and because of this pupils are fluent and confident speakers, who believe that their views matter. Teachers insist on pupils using accurate English, with key terminology always prioritised. Class discussions are shaped very well by teachers, who ensure all pupils are highly involved.
Over time, there has been a clear understanding established with pupils, who know that teachers have very high expectations of their work and levels of participation. Subsequently, teachers have to do very little more to ensure pupils get involved in their learning. Where further encouragement is needed, teachers are skilful in providing this. This is mostly seen with pupils who have arrived recently to the school, who report that they have settled well.
The teaching of literacy is excellent. Pupils are given regular opportunities to develop their literacy skills in a variety of ways. Recently, pupils’ phonics learning has improved significantly with an average proportion passing the screen check in Year 1, having entered the Reception with very little knowledge of English. Where older pupils have been less skilled in this area, the school provides excellent extra support, meaning a very high proportion of pupils have a confident understanding of the mechanics of reading. In turn, by the time they leave, pupils are highly skilled, passionate readers, who relish the chance to read in all situations.
The teaching of writing is highly effective and leads to pupils making exceptional progress. They write fluently in a variety of lessons, including work they do in history, geography and science.
The teaching of mathematics is outstanding. Pupils are very productive in their mathematics work and teachers check to ensure they are challenged further when they are ready. Pupils have regular opportunities to apply their mathematics learning and to solve problems. Teachers are imaginative about offering pupils the chance to develop numeracy skills in various real-life situations, such as their outdoor learning lessons, where pupils measure objects, collect the data and present the data in different charts.

The achievement of pupils

is outstanding

From their different individual starting points, pupils make outstanding progress. They enter the school with a lower than expected level of development for their age across different skill areas. The proportion of pupils who exceed expected levels of progress is much higher than seen nationally.
Very few pupils speak English fluently on arrival and significant proportions do not speak English at all. By the time pupils reach the end of Key Stage 1, their reading, writing and mathematical skills are in line with what is expected for their age. By the time they leave the school, at the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics skills are above what is expected for their age.
The achievement of the most able pupils is outstanding. Historically, few pupils reached the highest standards of reading, writing and mathematics. However, in recent years, this pattern has changed and an increasing proportion reach the highest levels, meaning the most able pupils are now leaving Key Stages 1 and 2 with levels in the key areas which are higher than expected for their age. In this respect, these pupils are very well prepared for their next stages of learning.
The achievement of pupils with special educational needs and those who are disabled is outstanding. The school makes close consideration of these pupils’ individual needs and creates activities which meet their needs very well. As a result of this highly effective provision, they make very good progress and increase the standard of their reading, writing and mathematics very well over time.
The gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils in school is much narrower than the national gap between these groups. In the latest published data in 2014, in Key Stage 1, the standard of disadvantaged pupils’ reading was a half a term behind the peers in school and a term behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. This was the same in writing and mathematics. This gap has closed in recent years and for those currently in Year 2, the gap has virtually been eradicated.
In Year 6 in 2014, the standard attained by disadvantaged pupils in mathematics was a term behind their peers in school and two terms behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. In reading, disadvantaged pupils were just under one-term-and- a-half behind their peers in school and the same gap existed between these pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. In writing, disadvantaged pupils were oneterm-and- a-half behind peers in school and half–a-term behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. Again, the gap between groups in school and with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally has closed in recent years and is now reversed, with disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and rate of progress above the national average for non-disadvantaged pupils.

Early years provision

is outstanding

The early years leaders work very effectively with staff and parents to ensure that the children’s individual needs are met very closely. From starting points that are significantly below those typical for their age, children make outstanding progress, particularly in their speaking, listening and understanding.
On entry, a significant proportion of children have little or no English. The large majority arrive speaking English with a level of development much lower than expected for their age. The way the curriculum and provision are organised to support communication skills is such that children speak English fluently as they leave Reception, in this way, they are well prepared for Year 1.
In other areas of the curriculum, children’s development is incorporated into the activities used to support better speaking, listening and understanding. This is because of the emphasis needed on their communication skills to ensure they can access other aspects of their learning. Teachers and teaching assistants work very astutely to incorporate different aspects of development into the main focus of developing children’s oral communication. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development is increasing significantly.
The work done in the early years to make sure children are ready for their next stage of learning also means that a significantly increasing proportion of pupils in Year 1 pass their phonics screen check. The teaching in the early years is excellent. The teachers ensure that children’s individual needs are considered very carefully and they constantly review the provision to ensure children can gain full benefit from their learning and hence make excellent progress.
Children behave exceptionally well and there are very clear established routines in place which they understand and value. All adults work to model strong relationships and, as such, children follow their lead and are very respectful to each other. This also supports their listening skills, as well as their ability to work with others. Children are very safe and say they feel safe. Some can articulate this very well. Parents also agree their children are safe and well behaved.
As in all areas of the school, the staff in the early years work very effectively with parents, who are invited to stay for a period of time every morning so that they can see what their children are doing and know how to help their children at home. Some parents stay for longer periods of time to see how children learn through playing, which again supports them when they are at home with their children.

Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School, 17

What inspection judgements mean

School
Grade			Judgement		Description
	Grade 1	Outstanding		An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment.
	Grade 2	Good		A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment.
	Grade 3	Requires improvement		A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection.
	Grade 4	Inadequate		A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary School, 17

School details

Unique reference number

Local authority

Inspection number

119257

Lancashire

461763

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Type of school School category Age range of pupils	Primary Community 4–11
Gender of pupils	Mixed
Number of pupils on the school roll Appropriate authority Chair	416 The Governing body Danny Pentecost
Headteacher	Lisa Davison
Date of previous school inspection Telephone number Fax number	12 July 2012 01282 437190 01282 459216
Email address	bursar@stoneyholme-pri.lancs.sch.uk

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

Piccadilly Gate

Store St

Manchester

M1 2WD

T: 0300 123 4234

Textphone: 0161 618 8524

E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

W: www.ofsted.gov.uk