AN AUDENSHAW primary school says it is ‘already working on addressing’ where it was found to be lacking in by Ofsted inspectors.
St Stephen’s, on Audenshaw Road at Guide Bridge, dropped from being ranked as good to requires improvement in its latest check.
Pupils’ behaviour in lessons, an inconsistent delivery of a recently redesigned curriculum and staff feeling their workloads were not of concern were cited as it was downgraded.
But the Church of England establishment has told The Correspondent work has already begun on righting the wrongs.
A spokesperson for St Stephen’s said: “School leaders and staff had already begun working on addressing the areas identified in advance of the inspection following a review by the new headteacher upon his appointment.
“The inspection confirmed the areas for improvement and the school community has been working relentlessly to secure these improvements in a rapid and sustainable way.
“With the help and support of the whole school community, we will continue to improve our provision and the learning outcomes for the children and families at St Stephen’s CE Primary School.”
That view was backed by lead Ofsted inspector Sue Dymond, who wrote: “The interim executive board, which has only been in place since the end of the last academic year, has a secure and accurate overview of the school’s situation.
“Members have spent much of that time bringing together and stabilising the staff and wider community.
“It has not had sufficient time to be able to tackle the many historic weaknesses in the school. However, as a board, it brings the necessary skill set and commitment to support and challenge the school to improve further.”
In terms of the weaknesses at St Stephen’s, some were put down to the fact many changes have only been recent, such as, ‘the legacy of a weak early years’ curriculum remains.’
However, behaviour and delivery of a phonics programme were also highlighted.
The report adds: “Some staff do not ensure that pupils follow the recently introduced behaviour systems. This leads to disruption to pupils’ learning in some classes across school.
“The school has recently raised its expectations for what pupils should learn. This includes for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
“In some instances, this is beginning to make a difference to what pupils know. However, this is not consistent across different classes and subjects. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.
“The school has strengthened its approach to the teaching of phonics and reading. However, the delivery of these programmes is variable.
“This means that most pupils are not confident, fluent readers by the time that they reach Year Two.
“While the school has introduced daily book time and provides rewards to encourage reading, most pupils do not show an enthusiasm for reading. They struggle to speak with confidence about authors and the books that they have read or enjoyed.”
Inspectors also backed the way St Stephen’s now is trying to make up for lost time in terms of pupils’ learning.
Now to make that approach uniform across the school.
The report continues: “The school and IEB recognise that a previously weak curriculum and instability in staffing have led to gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
“They have ensured that those pupils who need to catch up receive effective and tailored support. This means that most pupils have caught up by the time that they reach the end of Year Six.
“The school has supported staff to increase their knowledge and expertise around special educational needs. Some staff act quickly to identify when pupils may have SEND and provide them with effective support.
“Nonetheless, adaptions to the teaching of the curriculum to support pupils with SEND are not consistently effective across school. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they should.
“The school has recently reviewed the behaviour policy. However, the new approach is not followed consistently well.
“In some lessons, pupils listen attentively and work cooperatively with one another. However, in most classes, pupils’ attitudes to learning are not as strong. They regularly distract and hinder other pupils from learning.”