St Anselm's Catholic Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 14–15 June 2012 Inspection number 376644 St Anselm's Roman Catholic Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 101922 Local authority Ealing Inspection number 376644 Inspection dates 14–15 June 2012 Lead inspector Brian Netto

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

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 250 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Father Gerard Mitchell Headteacher Ruth Lewis Date of previous school inspection 8 October 2008 School address Church Avenue Southall London UB2 4BH Telephone number 020 85743906 Fax number 020 85716308 Email address office@st–anselms.ealing.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in educa tion 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

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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 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . 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’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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.

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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

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors visited 14 lessons or part-lessons taught by eight teachers. Five of the lessons were jointly observed with a member of the school’s leadership team. A work scrutiny of mathematics and writing across the school was also conducted with the headteacher. Discussions were held with senior leaders, staff and members of the governing body, a parent/carer and different groups of pupils. Inspectors observed the school’s work, listened to pupils read, and looked at the school’s self-evaluation and planning documents, external evaluations of the school’s work, policy documents and pupils’ work. They analysed 204 questionnaires from parents and carers, those from a sample of pupils in Key Stage 2 and 27 from staff.

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Information about the school

This is an averaged-sized primary school. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Nursery. The majority of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds, and most of these speak English as an additional language, many of whom are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school runs a breakfast club. The school has received a number of awards including Activemark and has gained Healthy Schools status.

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Information about the school

Since the previous inspection there have been significant changes in staff. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have been in post since January 2012. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school. It is improving rapidly and securely as new leaders have taken effective action to address areas of weakness. The quality of teaching in English is good, attendance is improving year on year, and satisfactory progress is being made in all areas since the last inspection. It is not yet good because changes introduced by the recently appointed leadership team have not yet had sufficient impact on pupil outcomes or on the quality of teaching in mathematics. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 Achievement is satisfactory. Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage from starting points which are well below age-related expectations. In Key Stages 1 and 2, pupils’ attainment is in line with national averages in all subjects, and they make satisfactory progress.

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Key findings

 Teaching is satisfactory as inconsistencies remain in the teaching of mathematics. Work is not always matched to the needs of all groups of pupils. Teachers do not always provide guidance in their marking and feedback to ensure pupils understand their next step in learning in mathematics.

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Key findings

 The behaviour and safety of pupils are typically good. This arises in part from the strong relationships between pupils and adults. Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning even in the lessons where the pace is slower or where they are not sufficiently challenged.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are satisfactory. Leaders have improved the overall quality of teaching but have not yet eradicated inconsistencies in the teaching of mathematics. The recently appointed leadership team are exemplary role models for staff, and are keenly focused on improving the management of performance and tackling areas of weakness. Members of the governing body are supportive of the school, but have not yet had sufficient Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

impact on holding the school to account.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 By June 2013, raise achievement in mathematics across the school so that pupils make progress at similar rates to their progress in reading and writing, by: - increasing the proportion of good teaching so that all groups of pupils make good progress - matching work to pupils’ abilities, so that all groups of pupils are suitably challenged - ensuring that marking and assessment are regular and detailed and provide feedback which enables pupils to understand what they need to do to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management, including the governing body, so that current procedures are fully embedded by: - refining the tracking and monitoring of pupil performance data so that all leaders sharpen their focus on raising achievement, especially in mathematics - ensuring performance data are fully disseminated and used to monitor the work of the school.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the school with skills well below those typical for their age, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development. However, a wide range of stimulating activities across all areas of learning helps children to catch up on some of these basic skills and supports their perseverance in undertaking tasks. As a result, they make good progress so that by the time they reach Year 1 they are just below the national average. Younger pupils use a range of decoding skills to help them read and they have a good grasp of phonics (letters and the sounds they make).

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment is broadly average, and is improving in both key stages. In 2011, reading was above average in Year 2, but below in Year 6. Focused work on phonics, guided reading and support for writing has helped to ensure that reading is now above average across the school. The recent introduction of a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics is having a positive impact on accelerating pupils’ progress in reading. The gap between lower and middle ability boys and the rest of the school is closing, though performance in mathematics is more variable. Pupils make satisfactory progress in all subjects overall. This is reflected in the school’s tracking Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

data, in work in their books and as seen in lessons. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress, though the support they get from teaching assistants is variable, and work is not always matched to their abilities. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress with their acquisition of English language skills and, as a result, their overall progress is in line with that of pupils in the school generally. Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals make satisfactory progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Typically, pupils have good attitudes towards learning and are enthusiastic in paired, group and whole-class discussions. Pupils in Year 6 were keen and resilient in tackling a number of different problems related to the Olympics and Paralympics, and showed determination to solve these problems together. Pupils in Year 2 were able to consolidate skills in spelling as a result of opportunities to apply these skills with different words with similar endings. Their focus and concentration ensured that they made good progress. The vast majority of parents and carers say that their child is making good progress. Inspection evidence confirmed that the progress for most pupils is satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching

Although some good teaching was observed during the inspection, overall teaching is satisfactory as some inconsistencies remain. Adults are not always effectively deployed and work is not always well matched to the needs and interests of the pupils, so sometimes pupils are not all given suitable challenges, particularly in mathematics sessions. As a result, not all disabled pupils or those with special educational needs make good progress. Pupils are not always provided with specific and detailed feedback in the marking of their work that would enable them to understand what steps they need to take to improve their learning. Again, there is more inconsistency in the quality of marking and assessment in mathematics than in writing.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils in Year 5 demonstrated good investigative skills by using modern dictionaries to identify old English words in analysing a text. Good language support enabled them to make good progress in empathetic writing of a diary, showing a good awareness of a character’s feelings. The strong relationships between adults and pupils ensure that pupils develop good social and reflective skills.

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Quality of teaching

Phonics is taught well and pupils make good progress as a result of effective pace, careful modelling and good practice in working with letters and the sounds they make. This is well established in the Nursery, where all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, are given a sound basis in language development. The enthusiasm of the adults is infectious and helps engage the children in learning which is fun and challenging. Children in Reception make outstanding progress in linking letters to sounds as a result of high expectations, careful interventions when mistakes were made, and regular opportunities to apply their learning to new contexts. Teacher questioning and the modelling of language were of a high quality. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour is typically good. Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning, and are eager to contribute to lessons. They cooperate well in groups, and show respect and care for each other around the school. Pupils manage their own behaviour effectively during free time and are well supervised when moving around the school. As one commented, ‘We pull together to help anyone in trouble.’ At lunchtimes they make full use of the extensive equipment provided and play sensibly with consideration for others. Pupils say that behaviour is good, and that incidents of bullying are dealt with quickly and effectively by adults. The vast majority of parents and carers agree with this view and although a small number raised concerns about behaviour interrupting lessons, evidence from the inspection indicated that the school deals well with the rare occurrences of low-level misbehaviour. Pupils, who are aware of different types

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

of bullying, say that most bullying takes the form of name-calling, including racist names, but as one pupil said, ‘although we look different, fundamentally we are all the same.’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Parents say their children feel safe in school. Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of e-safety and recognise risks in many different contexts, such as during experiments in science. Regular assemblies and links with external services called ‘Street Watchers’ such as the police and fire service support this good awareness of health and safety. Pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable are well supported from a range of specialist agencies, which ensures that they are fully integrated into the life of the school and, as a result, make progress in line with their peers. The breakfast club provides a safe and secure start to the day for a small number of pupils.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is broadly average, but has improved over the last few years. This is as a result of close collaboration with parents and carers.

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Leadership and management

The school has been on an upward journey of improvement. Since taking up their posts, the recently appointed headteacher and deputy headteacher have very quickly established a vision of a cohesive community founded on spiritual values and principles. Staff and governors are fully committed to this vision and the overwhelming majority of parents and carers fully support the direction the school is taking. One parent’s/carer’s comment reflected the views of the majority, ‘Since the new head and deputy head have been running the school there is a huge improvement all round.’

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Leadership and management

The drive and determination of the leadership team have helped the school to begin to tackle gaps, for example by establishing a focused performance management programme based on whole-school priorities. Evidence shows that this has already helped to improve the quality of teaching in English. An example of this is the recent training for staff in the teaching of phonics and guided reading, which has already Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

resulted in improved consistency, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1. Many of the systems introduced by the leadership team have not yet had time to have a full impact on pupil outcomes, so leadership is only satisfactory. The governing body is experienced and offers considerable support, though its access to key performance data has in the past limited the opportunities it has had to use this information to challenge the school effectively.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum makes a strong contribution to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The curriculum has been improved to include a range of interesting and relevant cross-curricular themes. The current focus on the Olympic values provides good cross-curricular learning opportunities which engage and inspire the pupils. This process is enriched by a diverse range of extra-curricular clubs which are popular and well attended. Regular opportunities for prayer and reflection provide a strong basis for securing a harmonious and safe environment. Religious education provides a good moral basis for the pupils’ understanding of equality and tolerance. Their mutual respect and awareness of the diversity within the local and wider communities support the school’s effective tackling of discrimination. The governing body ensures that basic safeguarding requirements are met, for example through a thorough audit of practices and policies throughout the

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Leadership and management

school, including recruitment and vetting procedures.

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Leadership and management

Improvements since the previous inspection, in the Early Years Foundation Stage, in the quality of teaching of literacy across the school, in attendance, in provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and in pupils’ research and collaborative skills, demonstrate that the school has the capacity to improve further. Regular external evaluations by a range of partners, including the local authority and diocese, as well as the governing body, confirm that school self-evaluation is robust and increasingly based on accurate performance data. However, not all leaders and governors make best use of this data in monitoring the work of the school.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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4BH

Thank you for your warm welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed being told how much your school is improving and how much you enjoy going there. We enjoyed talking to some of you about why you like reading, and also listening to some of you read. We were impressed by how your behaviour reflected the Olympic and Paralympic values which you have been learning about, for example, in the respect you show towards each other, in the excellence that you strive for and in your determination to succeed.

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4BH

We would like to tell you what we found out about your school. We agree that your school is improving quickly. It is a satisfactory school and it has some good features. You behave well and enjoy working together and taking part in lessons. You make progress similar to pupils of your age around the country.

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4BH

Your headteacher, the senior leaders and staff are working to improve the school further. We have asked your leaders and teachers to help you make faster progress by doing the following things:

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4BH

 Improve how well you do in mathematics by making sure that work always challenges you whatever your ability and by giving you detailed guidance on what you need to do to improve.  Ensure that all teachers and other leaders have a better understanding about how well you are doing, so that they can help you to do even better.

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4BH

Once again, thank you for the welcome you gave us and for all the friendly and very interesting discussions that you had with us.

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4BH

Brian Netto Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', 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 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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