Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School Stocks Lane, Over Peover, Cheshire, WA16 8TU

School report

Inspection dates 14-15 January 2014

Previous inspection: Good 2 Overall effectiveness This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires Improvement 3 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Pupils’ achievement in Years 2 to 6 in writing  Arrangements to manage the performance of and mathematics is inadequate. Pupils’ staff fail to ensure that they are held to progress is slow and standards, given their account for pupils’ progress. Actions taken by individual starting points, are too low. leaders to improve teaching are ineffective.  The quality of teaching for pupils in Years 2  The information to track pupils’ progress does to 6 is inadequate. There is not enough good not clearly show how well pupils are teaching to address sufficiently quickly the performing and so leaders do not have a clear specific gaps in pupils’ skills and knowledge, enough view of the school’s performance and especially in writing and mathematics. the quality of teaching.  Work in lessons fails to provide enough  Plans to improve the school are weak and fail challenge to ensure pupils make good to focus on the most important priorities. Since progress, especially for the most able. the last inspection, teaching has deteriorated  Teachers do not insist that pupils always significantly and staff have received little present their work neatly. The quality of training and support. marking is too variable and not all pupils  The governing body is ineffective because respond to their teachers’ advice. governors do not know enough about pupils’  Too much teaching fails to motivate or fully achievement. They have not challenged senior engage pupils. Some pupils’ attitudes to leaders with sufficient rigour to bring about learning and behaviour require improvement. enough improvement. Consequently, the school’s effectiveness has declined.

The school has the following strengths  Pupils in Reception and Year 1 achieve well  Leaders and governors ensure that pupils due to good teaching. receive specialist support in physical education  Pupils of all ages achieve well in reading. lessons to ensure that they are fit and healthy.

Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 2 of 10

Information about this inspection

 Six lessons were visited, of which three were joint observations with the headteacher.  Thirteen responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were considered. The inspector also spoke with some parents who visited the school. Meetings were held with two groups of pupils and the inspector spoke to pupils at break and lunch times, and in lessons.  Discussions took place with three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, as well as with individual teachers in the school. A telephone conversation was also held with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, documents relating to the school’s plans for improvement, its procedures for checking the quality of teaching, records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents relating to safeguarding.  Pupils’ books were also checked.

Inspection team

Clarice Nelson-Rowe, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 3 of 10

Full report

In accordance with section 44 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended), Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is well below average. The pupil premium is funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is well above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The headteacher took up post in September 2013.  A new class teacher for Years 4 to 6 was appointed in January 2014 and had been in school for one week at the time of the inspection.  Children are taught in three classes: Reception and Year 1; Years 2 and 3; and Years 4 to 6.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly improve the quality of teaching in Years 2 to 6 in order to raise the achievement of pupils, especially in mathematics and writing, by: ensuring teachers plan lessons that specifically attend to gaps in pupils’ skills and knowledge providing opportunities for pupils to regularly improve their work in respect of their targets insisting that pupils always present their work neatly and accurately, especially in mathematics and writing providing more opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills to solve problems providing training for staff on the teaching of mathematics to improve their skills in explaining to pupils how to solve problems, and to help them check more carefully for inaccuracies in pupils’ work adapting pupils’ work in lessons more quickly so that it assists pupils’ next steps in their learning, especially for the most able when in need of more challenge making sure that teaching motivates and engages pupils enough in their work so that their attitudes to learning and behaviour are always good.

 Urgently improve the effectiveness of leadership and management so the school can improve rapidly, by: improving the tracking of pupils’ progress so that the achievement of different groups of pupils can be identified more swiftly and the necessary support put in place to prevent them from falling behind improving the approaches to managing the performance of staff so that they are held fully to account for pupils’ progress developing the roles of other key leaders and subject leaders in order to strengthen the ability Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 4 of 10

of the school to improve at a faster rate quickly establishing a school improvement plan with clear targets so that improvement is driven forward clearly and at a rapid pace.

 Rapidly improve the effectiveness of governance, by: undertaking an external review of governance, to include a specific focus on the school’s use of the pupil premium, in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance can be improved ensuring that governors develop a secure understanding of how well pupils are achieving, so that they can help to provide a stronger drive for improvement in areas where it is needed ensuring that governors are in touch with the views of parents and pupils, particularly regarding behaviour and safety.

Ofsted will make recommendations on governance to the authority responsible for the school.

Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 5 of 10

Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 From their different starting points and levels of ability, all groups of pupils, including the most able, in Years 2 to 6 underachieve in writing and mathematics.  In mathematics, pupils lack accuracy in writing digits in the correct places and do not consistently calculate numbers correctly. They find work too hard or too easy because the activities in lessons do not attend to the weaknesses in their knowledge and skills. Pupils are often confused about how to complete tasks because teachers’ explanations are unclear. There is limited evidence in their work to show that pupils can use mathematical skills to solve problems that they may come across in everyday life.  In writing, the presentation and quality of pupils’ work is variable across Years 2 to 6. Work is often incomplete, untidy or much shorter than would be expected given their various abilities, particularly for the most able pupils. For some pupils, their handwriting skills, punctuation, as well as the quality of words used in sentences, have deteriorated over time.  School information on how well pupils are doing also shows that their rates of progress in writing and mathematics are too slow or, for some, not improving at all.  Levels of attainment reported in national tests and teacher assessments at the end of Years 2 and 6 fluctuate widely from year to year. This reflects the small numbers of pupils in each year group. Although all pupils in Year 6 in 2013 made expected progress to reach above average levels of attainment, the progress of pupils currently in the school between Years 2 and 6 is weak in mathematics and writing, and particularly so for the most able pupils. Too often, work lacks the challenge needed for the most able pupils to achieve well enough.  Children in Reception and in Year 1 have a positive start to school life and make good progress. Children enter the school with knowledge and skills that are at least in line with those typically expected for their age. Throughout Reception and in Year 1, pupils achieve well. This is because teaching is usually good. Care is given to ensure pupils are happy, safe and calm and get on well with adults and with each other. This good foundation is not built on further up in the school. Pupils’ inadequate achievement in Years 2 to 6 means that the school’s promotion of equality is ineffective.  The number of pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding is very low. In 2013, there were no pupils in Year 6 who were eligible for support. The achievement of the small numbers of supported pupils currently in the school, however, is too variable because teaching is too weak. Leaders, including governors, do not check that the money allocated to support these pupils is being spent wisely to help improve their progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also underachieve. This is because they are also affected by poor teaching and variable quality of support for their needs.  Pupils of all ages achieve well in reading. This is much better than their achievement in writing or mathematics in Years 2 to 6. In 2013, every pupil in Year 1 achieved the expected standard in a national check of their skills of linking letters with the sounds they make. Parental support at home is strong. Pupils demonstrate a good enjoyment of reading.

The quality of teaching is inadequate

 The quality of teaching is inadequate. Between Years 2 and 6, too little of it is good enough to help pupils achieve well. In these year groups, teachers do not plan well enough to quickly close gaps in pupils’ knowledge skills and understanding, notably in writing and mathematics.  Teachers do not provide activities in lessons that are challenging enough to move learning forward at a good rate. The most able pupils particularly, are not sufficiently pushed on to higher levels of work that they are capable of. Teachers do not adapt activities quickly enough when they realise more challenge is needed.  Teachers’ subject knowledge in mathematics is too weak. This means that their explanations to pupils are sometimes confusing or unclear, such as explanations of ways to complete Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 6 of 10

calculations. Teachers do not check pupils’ work during lessons quickly enough or check that pupils are using the correct processes for calculations, or that digits are correctly placed. In one lesson, a teacher corrected a child’s work only to find that the child had done it correctly in the first place. Teachers do not insist that pupils present their mathematical work neatly or accurately and as a result pupils make unnecessary errors.  The marking of work is too variable across the school, particularly in writing across all subjects. Some teachers give good guidance to pupils on how to improve their work. However, pupils do not change or improve their work in response to teachers’ advice or suggestions. Some teachers mainly use ticks and do not make it clear enough how pupils can improve their work.  Too often, opportunities for pupils to regularly improve their work, when teachers have told them what they need to do to make it better, are overlooked. This means that pupils do not improve their skills at a quick enough rate.  The support provided to pupils by teaching assistants is too variable. They do not always use their time to good effect to support pupils, such as when working with a group of pupils. As a result, some pupils spend too long completing work incorrectly and some struggle on their own. In other cases, teaching assistants give pupils answers too readily .As a result, pupils do not have enough time to do the work for themselves.  Teaching in the Reception and Year 1 class is good. Children in Reception are encouraged to develop their independence and have uninterrupted time to play and explore. Pupils have good access to a range of books which they enjoy sharing with each other and reading to adults. Writing and mathematics are also developed well, as demonstrated in lessons and work books. Due to the regular opportunities for children to join in with the work of Year 1 pupils in the class, their skills are much higher than those expected for their age by the time they start Year 1.  Behaviour has improved recently in Years 4 to 6. Higher expectations of the appropriate ways to behave are having a positive impact on learning. One pupil commented, ‘We are now able to learn’.  The teaching of physical education is outstanding. This is because the school is using the new primary schools sports funding well. Specialist teaching enhances pupils’ skills. Year 2 pupils, for example, were observed displaying high levels of skills in gymnastics, due to excellent demonstrations by the teacher. Frequent checking on groups ensured that movements were safe and techniques were correct.

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. During the inspection, pupils’ behaviour in lessons was mostly good. Most of the time, pupils respond quickly to teachers’ instructions and settle well at the beginning of different activities. However, sometimes in lessons pupils lose concentration when the teaching does not motivate and interest them enough and when work is not set at the right level.  Behaviour around school is not always good. For example, some pupils failed to do as they were told when dinner staff asked them to stand still or to stop talking.  Behaviour has recently improved, especially in Years 4 to 6. Both parents and pupils report that improvements are evident following changes made by the new headteacher.  Pupils and parents report that bullying, up until recently, was a problem. However, they now feel more confident in reporting bullying or any other concerns. Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of bullying has also improved. They know what it means and the different forms that it may take, including through the use of the internet. Pupils valued the work of specialists in children’s safety, who visited the school during anti-bullying week to raise their awareness about it.  The headteacher has put improved procedures in place to record any incidents of bullying. However, governors have been unaware of problems to do with bullying. They do not monitor the views of all pupils about how safe they feel, or canvas parental views, or take necessary steps to find out if recent improvements in behaviour and pupils’ safety are being maintained. This means that despite recent improvements, the school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure

Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 7 of 10

requires further improvement.  Attendance rates vary widely due to the small numbers of pupils in the school. However, most pupils attend regularly and arrive to school on time.

The leadership and management are inadequate

 The drive for improvement rests too heavily on the shoulders of the headteacher. The roles of other staff, subject leaders and governors are underdeveloped; as a result the school’s ability to improve is too weak.  Since the last inspection, actions to improve the school have been ineffective and the school’s effectiveness has declined, with too many pupils underachieving.  The leadership of teaching is inadequate. Teachers, and those with management responsibilities, have received too little training and support in the past. Consequently, the quality of teaching has deteriorated significantly. Although there are now improved arrangements for checking on the quality of teaching and teachers now have targets for their performance, these targets are not sharp enough. As a result, leaders are failing to ensure that staff are held to account for pupils’ progress.  The school should not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.  The school’s current systems to track pupils’ progress do not show clearly enough how well pupils are performing and so leaders do not have a sufficiently accurate view of the school’s effectiveness. Although the headteacher knows what needs to be done to improve the school, a firm plan to do so has not yet been drawn up.  The local authority has been aware of weaknesses in teaching and leadership in the school. However, until recently it has not been able to provide the school with the support it has needed. The new headteacher has enlisted their support in her drive for improvement.  Leaders and governors ensure that the new primary school sport funding is used to good effect. Pupils now receive specialist support in physical education lessons to ensure that they are fit and healthy.  The governance of the school: Governance is inadequate. Governors show a weak understanding of pupils’ achievement. They have not challenged senior leaders with sufficient rigour to bring about improvement and are not yet clear enough how to measure the school’s effectiveness. For example, they do not know enough about what difference the pupil premium funding is making to pupils’ achievement. Governors have been too slow to deal with weaknesses in teaching and pupils’ behaviour, particularly in Years 4 to 6. There has been too little attention paid to the links between teachers’ pay and their performance. They fail to check the views of parents and pupils carefully enough. As a result, there has been a lack of awareness of parental and pupil concerns regarding bullying. Governors ensure that the statutory safeguarding requirements are met. They have detailed knowledge about the use and impact of the new primary school sports funding. They know that this is helping to raise pupils’ enjoyment of, and participation in, sports and to promote their physical well-being.

Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 8 of 10

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 A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it improvement 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.

Inspection report: Peover Superior Endowed Controlled Primary School, 14–15 January 2014 9 of 10

School details

Unique reference number 111278 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 430512

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

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 81 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gareth Cunningham Headteacher Lisa Hesmondhalgh Date of previous school inspection 23 January 2012 Telephone number 01625 861384 Fax number – Email address [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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 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 [email protected]. 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