School

Stoneyholme Primary School

Address

Oswald Street,

Burnley

BB12 0BN

Telephone:

01282437190

Headteacher

Lisa Davison

Person responsible for parent partnership

Luanne Galawan

Date of Re- Assessment Visit

2.7.18

LPPA Verifier

Eileen Stubbs

Commentary on the Mini-portfolio of Evidence

The portfolio provided evidence of the school’s continued commitment to effective parent partnership, to the continuing improvements and the strength of their relationship with their community including: what the school would like to achieve for the families and community in the three year development plan; the SEF and Ofsted report;  Headteacher’s Appraisal document; plans for new buildings / an extension and outdoor facilities which will improve facilities for both families and the community.

The significant amount of document and photo evidence relating to adult and family learning opportunities clearly demonstrated the amount of work the school does with families and the community and its holistic approach eg ESOL and basic skills courses held in school in partnership with Accross College; Arts, Fitness, cookery and Health and Wellbeing activities and training.  A PPG report, pastoral reports, case studies and enrichment provision map indicate the school’s systematic and evaluative approach to parental / community engagement.

To ensure that the school offers what parents want in relation to adult learning, it consults parents e.g. the ‘Ladies Day’ post it activity.  This is part of the school’s regular consultation exercises, which also include the annual questionnaire carried out at parents’ evening;, Community Course comment book and Safety Hour evaluation.  Negative comments / concerns are followed up and acted upon.

The school is bright and attractive with a welcoming reception area, which provides information for parents, letters and key policies (simplified versions). There are two community rooms where the courses and workshops are held and due to the popularity of these courses are sometimes held in the hall but an extension to the lodge community room is planned for the summer.  The lodge will mainly be used by the Across tutors, school led courses / workshops will be held in the community room in school, which has cooking facilities. The building work will also create a pleasant outdoor area (peace garden) where families can sit and which will also provide opportunities for families and the community to develop gardening skills. Parents can access the ICT suite, for example at the Thursday club.

There are also plans to add to the three domes ‘biospheres’ in the grounds with a further dome, which will house a STEM facility.  The area around the domes is to be landscaped, and with the peace garden will provide further opportunities for parents to work together eg science, gardening activities.

Each unit of the school has its own door and gate, open at the same time which allows a free flow into and out of school.

There are attractive and informative displays, celebrations of success and motivational displays around school, which also reflect the school’s ethnic heritage, languages and aspirations.

Parents:    The parents were positive about how the school communicates with parents, they particularly like the texts and how easy it is to speak to staff, but also mentioned Class Dojo, the website, letters and telephone. They were impressed by the induction procedures and liked the translation of induction information. All the parents felt that the school offers lots of adult and family learning opportunities, from ESOL basic skills to sewing, and enjoy attending the social and family events eg the Eid Ladies Day (‘a bit of me time’). There was a consensus about the high level of support for families, for example in meetings / medical appointments. The school keeps parents informed about their child’s progress and helps them to support their learning at home eg Rock Stars.

Pupils:       The children were very proud of their school.  Their parents enjoy coming into school for courses and enrichment events, they were very excited by Den Day, World Book Day, Sports Day, the Career Carousel and the joint ‘Thursday clubs’. They feel it is good that the school runs lots of courses for adults and were able to name many of the courses, commenting on how important ESOL training and support is in school, both for children and their families eg help with the Driving Test theory paper. The children were also able to discuss how the school works with and supports the local community. Their parents are kept well informed about their progress and achievements and are invited to celebration assemblies.

Staff and Governors:     The group felt that there has been significant growth in what the school offers families and the community since the last reassessment. There is a wider range of activities and a greater depth to what is offered, eg courses change year on year according to the changing needs of the community and in response to consultations with the community; grandparents and other family members attend parenting healthy food cookery courses; there are more joint parent / child enrichment activities; courses for 13 to 17 year olds. There is now 100%  attendance at parents’ consultation sessions (now held in the afternoon as a response to parents’ wishes) with very positive feedback from parents (‘happy smiling faces’).  The governors are involved in evaluating parent partnership, feedback to governors includes impact. The group felt that communication is better and there is greater confidence and trust in the school both from parents and the wider community.

Strengths Identified in The Review

• The LPPA Coordinator’s enthusiasm and commitment to partnership with parents and the community reflects the vision of the Headteacher, SLT, staff and governors and the ethos of the whole school.
• The LPPA reassessment has been a confirmation and celebration of what the school does as part of day to day practice in the school; parent / community partnership is central to school self-evaluation and development planning at all levels. This is underpinned by an excellent knowledge and deeper understanding of the local community and consultation with parents.
• School resources are used to advance family and community engagement in the school, by funding personnel and premises improvements to facilitate courses and enrichment activities eg the plans for the community room extension and peace garden.
• Communication is good and has improved since the last reassessment. The school uses texts, website, telephone and letters effectively, but many felt that the face to face communication is more important. Staff are accessible and approachable.
• Parents and the community feel they receive a warm welcome in school.  More parents are coming into school, including Dads and grandparents to meetings, events and activities. There is an active PTFA.
• There is an outstanding offer of adult and family learning and enrichment activities both school led and in partnership with other providers (eg ACCROSS). The offer changes to reflect the needs and wishes of parents and community at any particular time.  The school has an innovative approach to lifelong learning, resourcing their initiatives by securing grant funding and deploying school funding accordingly. eg the domes, family / community rooms, gardens.
• Parents have a better understanding of what their children are learning.
• The school provides an outstanding level of pastoral support for families, including health and wellbeing, information and advice around issues such as domestic abuse, benefits and behaviour management support (particularly for the families of children in school through the ‘Taking Root’ scheme), parenting support covers 0-19 age group, a whole generation.There is a true open door ethos in school, parents are able to come in ‘just for a chat’. The school encourages different members of the family to engage in training so that there is consistency across the family.  The
• Effective induction procedures ensure that parents have enough information when their child starts school. Information is translated as appropriate.  Parents are invited to Stay and Play sessions to help support their children’s learning.  The Mouse Club helps with home learning such as bedtime routines, eating and independence.
• The school has developed consultation strategies appropriate to the school community. Parents’ views are valued and acted upon.

Areas for Development

       The school has already identified their areas for development and next steps:

• continue to offer adult and family learning opportunities. The school already has plans for improving the school premises to facilitate this, which include the extension to the community room which will enable the school to offer more courses and increase the number of places on these and the development of the outdoor space for parents and community use.
• continue to develop strategies for consulting parents e.g. different members of staff to carry out simple, single issue surveys in the playground.
• continue to develop ever stronger relationships with the community.

Recommendation by the Adviser

That Stoneyholme Community Primary School be awarded the Leading Parent Partnership Award for a further three years.