Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0300 123 1231 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs R Bourke Headteacher St Sebastian’s RC Primary School Douglas Green Salford Lancashire M6 6ET

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bullying practice in schools

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of your staff and pupils, during my visit on 27 September 2011 as part of our survey of schools’ work to create a positive school culture and prevent and tackle bullying.

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bullying practice in schools

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text without their consent.

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bullying practice in schools

This letter briefly summarises our discussion at the end of the visit.

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Strengths of this aspect of the school’s work

 Senior leaders have successfully established a team of teachers and support staff that collectively takes responsibility for the care and well- being of all pupils. The school’s code of conduct and ‘golden rules’ are displayed prominently throughout all areas of the school to succinctly communicate the very clear expectations of all members of the school community.  Visitors are warmly welcomed into this well-organised and orderly school. The calm atmosphere permeates throughout the school and on to the playground. Resources are of good quality and pupils’ work is attractively displayed which conveys a strong message to pupils that they are valued and special.  Through regular, informative training staff are empowered and well-skilled in tackling unacceptable behaviour. Staff have high expectations of all pupils and understand their role in supporting, guiding and advising pupils. This shared responsibility for the welfare of the pupils is seen as the key to

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Strengths of this aspect of the school’s work

securing good academic achievement. Staff know the pupils and their families well. Through these strong relationships and vigilant observation staff are able to spot potential behaviour issues and provide effective intervention before any spiral into more serious concerns.  Pupils happily explain how they are expected to behave towards each other and to staff in school with comments about mutual respect. This was very clearly demonstrated during the visit. In the playground, at lunchtime and break times, and around the school, pupils played harmoniously with each other and behaved considerately. The high visibility of trained Year 6 ‘playground buddies’ helped the younger children to feel happy to be on the playground. Similarly many staff were actively enjoying taking part in games and activities. Consequently, pupils’ feeling of safety and security at these times is greatly enhanced.  The majority of pupils demonstrate a very good understanding of what

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Strengths of this aspect of the school’s work

they should do if they are being bullied. They consider all staff believe in them and want them to do well. They are confident that if they need help, support and guidance will quickly be provided and any issues will be dealt with effectively, fairly and calmly.  The school has carried out a thorough analysis of pupils’ views and experiences of bullying, including bullying that happens to and from school, and cyber-bullying. A similar approach was taken to canvass the views of parent and carers. From this information, the school identified and took action to enhance further pupils’ safety and to communicate to parents and carers the standard of behaviour in school.  The planned curriculum supports well pupils’ moral, social and cultural development so that pupils celebrate differences and enhance their understanding of diversity. They understand very well the damage that can be done to other pupils through bullying or unacceptable behaviour. A

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Strengths of this aspect of the school’s work

whole-school personal, social and health education (PSHE) plan incorporates the social and emotional aspects for learning (SEAL) and links with other curriculum subjects such as religious education, science and English. Circle time and themed weeks are used to respond to wider issues or issues which arise in school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 considering mapping the contents of the PSHE curriculum to more robustly ensure clarity in progression  monitoring systematically any incidents of unacceptable behaviour to enable senior leaders to evaluate more fully the effectiveness of the school’s PSHE curriculum on pupils’ personal development.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that this visit has been useful in the further development of this aspect of the school’s work.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

As explained previously, a copy of this letter will be published on the Ofsted website. It may be used to inform decisions about any future inspection. A copy of this letter is also being sent to your local authority. Yours sincerely

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