Carr Head Primary School: Poulton school retains its 'good' rating by Ofsted

The school, on Carr Head Lane, retained the ‘good’ rating it received in 2017, when inspectors found it had made great strides to bring about the required improvements since a 2015 visit. It is led by head teacher Angeli Slack.

What is it like to attend this school?

Inspectors who visited the school in July this year found that pupils enjoyed coming to school each day and felt happy and safe there. They responded to the high expectations that leaders had of their behaviour, tried hard in lessons and learning was rarely disrupted. Pupils said staff sorted out any incidents of bullying quickly and effectively so that they were not repeated.

Relationships between pupils and staff were positive and pupils were tolerant of each other and they valued each other’s differences. During their time in school, pupils experienced and enjoyed a range of extra-curricular opportunities.

What does the school do well ?

The report found that across the school, leaders had devised an ambitious curriculum that teachers delivered it in a logical order. The report said early years curriculum prepared children well for the demands of key stage 1, while pupils in key stages 1 and 2 built successfully on what they knew and could do. Teachers, including those in the early years, had secure subject knowledge and were confident with the content of the curriculums that they delivered. Governors were supportive of school leaders and successfully challenged leaders to develop the curriculum and to improve the quality of education that pupils received.

Staff were well trained to support the needs of pupils with SEND (Special Educational Needs). Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND accessed the same curriculum as their peers and achieved well. Leaders promoted reading well and pupils accessed a wide range of books, while staff were appropriately trained to deliver an effective phonics curriculum and introduced new sounds to pupils in a logical order.

Any pupils who fell behind with their reading received appropriate support to help them to catch up with their classmates. Pupils learned in depth about a wide range of faiths and had a secure understanding of the need to respect the beliefs of others. Pupils typically behaved well and few lessons were interrupted due to poor behaviour.

Safeguarding

There was a well-established culture of safeguarding at Carr Head Primary School. All members of the school staff received regular training to keep their safeguarding knowledge up to date. Staff were aware of the ways that they could raise and respond to safeguarding concerns about pupils and any concerns were followed up on in a timely manner.

Leaders worked in partnership with several expert agencies to provide appropriate support, advice and guidance for pupils and their families. They knew how to avoid potential dangers while using the internet and social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

Occasionally, staff do not ensure that some of the books that children and pupils take home to read allow them to practise the sounds that they know already. This hampers the rate at which some pupils develop their reading confidence and accuracy. Leaders should ensure the books pupils read match the sounds they learn so that pupils can develop their reading fluency.