St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 14–15 May 2012 Inspection number 376567 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 101457 Local authority Bexley Inspection number 376567 Inspection dates 14–15 May 2012 Lead inspector Sarah McDermott

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tom Boshell Headteacher Jean Sinclair Date of previous school inspection 18 September 2006 School address Old Road Crayford Dartford DA1 4DZ Telephone number 01322 524162 Fax number 01322 526749 Email address head@st-josephs.bexley.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education 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. The team observed 16 lessons taught by eight teachers, totalling six hours and fifty minutes. The inspectors held meetings with the chair of the governing body, members of the senior leadership team and several groups of pupils. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online Parent View survey in planning the inspection. They observed the school’s day-to-day activities and scrutinised school documentation including school development planning. They also investigated procedures for keeping pupils safe, scrutinised behaviour logs and looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors analysed responses to pupil and staff questionnaires, as well as 59 questionnaires returned by parents and carers.

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Information about the school

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary is smaller than the average sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. About a quarter of pupils are from minority ethnic groups, predominantly of Black African heritage. A very small minority of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs, and are receiving support at school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs, is average. Their needs mostly relate to speech, language and communication difficulties. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The Early Years Foundation Stage comprises one Reception class. The headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed at the beginning of this academic year. Teachers of four of the seven classes are on temporary contracts. Building work to extend the classrooms is continuing. 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

 In accordance with section 13(3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.

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Key findings

 The school is not satisfactory because pupils’ achievement is inadequate overall. Pupils in Key Stage 1 do not make the progress of which they are capable in English and mathematics. Pupils across the rest of the school make satisfactory progress, although the achievement of pupils with special educational needs is variable, with pupils in some year groups not making enough progress. Younger pupils are not all sufficiently confident in picking up the basic rules of sounding out letters and blending them into words (phonics).

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Key findings

 The quality of teaching is inadequate in Key Stage 1. In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 2, the quality of teaching is mainly satisfactory but there is also some variation in its impact on learning. Teachers have good relationships with pupils, but too often activities are not well enough matched to individual needs so pupils find work too difficult or too easy. In Key Stage 1, teachers do not always check in lessons that all pupils understand what to do or give them enough time to use their initiative during independent work.

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Key findings

 Pupils have satisfactory attitudes to learning. Most enjoy their lessons, but younger pupils do not always listen carefully to instructions and learning is occasionally slowed by inappropriate talk. Around the school, pupils behave well and are polite and courteous to adults.

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Key findings

 Leadership and governance are inadequate. Senior and middle leaders, and the governing body, are not sufficiently effective in supporting the headteacher in improving the quality of teaching because their monitoring of the quality of learning in lessons is not rigorous enough. Performance management is ineffective. Leaders and managers are not addressing underachievement in Key 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

Stage 1 quickly and effectively enough. The headteacher is beginning to identify underachievement accurately, but leaders are not checking pupils’ learning and progress robustly to ensure that all achieve as well as they can. The curriculum is inadequate as it does not enable Key Stage 1 pupils to make enough progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement so that all pupils, particularly in Key Stage 1, make at least the progress expected in English and mathematics by December 2013 by:  improving the daily phonics sessions so pupils rapidly develop skills of listening carefully to sounds in a word to enable them to read and spell accurately and independently  reviewing the personal targets of pupils with special educational needs frequently enough so they all make better progress  providing more opportunities for pupils to practise practical mathematics activities linked to everyday life.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, especially at Key Stage 1, so that much is good or better by December 2013 and all pupils make more rapid gains in learning by:  making more effective use of assessment information to plan work that is accurately matched to pupils’ needs and abilities  giving more time for pupils to undertake independent work  checking in lessons that all pupils understand the work and promptly address any misunderstandings  enhancing teachers’ skills in managing behaviour  ensuring that teachers’ marking is used more consistently to encourage all pupils to follow up suggestions for improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure all leaders and managers, including the governing body, are effective in improving the school by:  rigorously monitoring the quality of learning in lessons  ensuring agreed strategies to improve learning are effective in every class.

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Achievement of pupils

There is significant underachievement in Years 1 and 2. Children join the Reception class with skills and abilities that are in line with those expected for their age and make satisfactory progress in all areas of learning. However, pupils do not keep up the same rate of progress in Years 1 and 2. The school’s own data, together with lesson observations during the inspection, show that Key Stage 1 pupils are not 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

making sufficient progress in English or mathematics. Last summer, attainment in reading was broadly average for pupils at the end of Year 2. However, this represented a dip in pupils’ attainment from the end of Reception. Their early reading skills indicate that they should have achieved much more in reading by the end of Year 2.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils who left the school at the end of Year 6 in 2011 entered the school with well above average starting points in reading and writing, and left with above attainment. However, attainment is not as high this year and progress in Key Stage 2 is satisfactory overall rather than good because there is inconsistency in the rate of learning in different classes. Pupils with special educational needs do not all make the progress expected of them because their individual targets are not checked or adapted sufficiently well. Pupils from different ethnic backgrounds are well integrated into all aspects of school life and make satisfactory progress overall, with some Black African pupils making good progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils say they enjoy their lessons. They often work well in pairs to help each other and discuss new ideas. However, when the teaching is not strong enough to hold younger pupils’ attention, they find it hard to listen carefully to instructions and sometimes start work without fully understanding what they are learning. In the younger classes, pupils occasionally talk over the teacher and learning suffers. When teaching is too prescriptive, and not sufficiently adapted to different ability levels, pupils lose concentration and do not make as much progress as they should. Many pupils relish the chance to answer their teacher’s questions, but in some classes a significant number sit quietly and do not make sufficient effort to contribute. Pupils, parents and carers are pleased with learning and progress. However, the inspectors do not concur with these views because detailed inspection analysis and observations

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Achievement of pupils

of lessons across the school reveal a significant difference in pupils’ progress between key stages due to the varied quality of teaching.

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Quality of teaching

While parents and carers hold mainly positive views on the quality of teaching, inspection findings disagree as there are too many inconsistencies and teaching is inadequate overall.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils do not learn well enough in Key Stage 1 and they do not build well enough on previous learning because the quality of teaching is inadequate. Although the teaching is mainly satisfactory in other year groups, there are some inconsistencies resulting in pupils’ variable rates of progress. Teaching elsewhere in the school is mainly satisfactory and allows pupils to make the expected progress, although some of the teaching is not ambitious enough and does not meet the needs and abilities of all pupils. Teachers build a good rapport with their pupils and the promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is threaded into daily teaching. However, not all teachers manage behaviour equally skilfully. Weaknesses in teaching in Key Stage 1 mean that pupils sometimes talk at inappropriate times because they find the activities too easy or cannot understand what they should be Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Quality of teaching

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

doing. Not all teachers are using assessment data or ensuring activities accurately match all pupils’ abilities. In many lessons, particularly science, history or geography, worksheets are undemanding and do not give more able pupils enough scope to write at length or develop independent learning skills. Pupils with special educational needs often struggle to achieve satisfactorily because work is not pitched at the right level for them, or they are not fully involved in class discussions.

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Quality of teaching

Too much time is taken up with teachers talking, particularly in Key Stage 1. On too many occasions pupils are expected to sit on the carpet for too long at the beginning of lessons without any chance for independent work. Rather than each group setting off on its activity once directions have been given, teachers expect all pupils to sit through the instructions for other groups and important time is wasted. Teachers do not always provide enough opportunities in mathematics for practical activities linked to everyday life, and not all teachers are adept at checking whether pupils are learning and understanding what they are being taught in lessons. This means that misconceptions go unnoticed for too long. Marking follows a consistent approach but some teachers do not ensure that corrections or extension exercises are completed. Teachers are not sufficiently confident in developing pupils’ phonic skills. Although

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Quality of teaching

phonics is taught daily in literacy lessons, they are not sufficiently systematic, or planned well enough to meet the needs of all pupils, which limits their progress in reading. A significant number of pupils feel they could learn more in lessons.

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Quality of teaching

However, inspectors observed some good teaching which was more purposeful. For example, a good music lesson in Year 6 was brisk, with an interesting variety of practical activities which ensured full participation from all pupils.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ attitudes to learning and conduct in lessons are generally satisfactory. In most lessons learning continues without disruption but, in Key Stage 1 as a result of weak teaching, pupils sometimes lose concentration, fiddle with pencils and talk amongst themselves. The management of pupils with special educational needs is usually satisfactory, but the provision made for these pupils in lessons is not monitored and reviewed sufficiently well to ensure that they have the best learning opportunities. Many pupils are developing their ability to check, edit and improve their work but too many are reliant on the teacher and unable to work on their own.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils move around the school sensibly. They are courteous and often hold doors open for adults and each other. The older pupils take on small jobs with pride, helping to look after younger children or acting as monitors in the lunch hall. Pupils appreciate the chance to be school councillors but justifiably would like to have more responsibility in running their own meetings. Pupils, parents and carers confirm that instances of any type of bullying, including racist or homophobic comments, are rare. Should any name-calling happen, pupils know adults are quick to stop it and to help pupils to sort out their differences. As a result, pupils say they feel safe in school. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage grow in confidence because of safe and secure surroundings and there is good attention given to their welfare needs. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is above the national average and punctuality is good, particularly for Years 5 and 6 pupils.

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Leadership and management

The school’s leadership team has not been effective enough in ensuring that the teaching, particularly in Key Stage 1, is of a sufficiently good calibre to help pupils make at least the expected progress. On her arrival, the headteacher introduced a more accessible system to record pupils’ progress and to help identify underachievement. Consequently, extra help is being provided for pupils who are falling behind, but its impact is not consistently successful because of the unevenness of teaching across the school. For example, pupils with special educational needs in Year 6 are not making the expected progress in reading, writing or mathematics. Systems to ensure consistency of practice in behaviour management, marking and the collection of assessment data have been developed. However, senior leaders are not all rigorous enough, when monitoring teachers’ performance, to ensure that the agreed procedures for improving learning in all

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Leadership and management

Leaders do not spend enough time in lessons or phonics sessions to focus sufficiently on how well individual pupils are learning. The headteacher has provided professional development but absences and changes of staff have disrupted her efforts and stalled improvement. Since the last inspection the quality of teaching has declined, yet the senior leadership team has an overgenerous view of the school’s performance. The members of the senior leadership team are not all sufficiently confident or capable to raise pupils’ achievement. The governing body has taken an active interest in making sure the building work is completed properly, but they are at the early stages of understanding and questioning pupils’ rates of academic achievement. Consequently, the capacity for further improvement is inadequate.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher has established good relationships with parents and carers so they are involved well in school life and keen to find out how they can help their children’s learning. Good quality art and music are threaded into school life. However, the English and mathematics curriculum is not sufficiently successful in all classes to improve pupils’ achievement.

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Leadership and management

The promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is securely based on the strong Catholic ethos, and encourages pupils to build up good community links with the parish and the local Crayford community. The school ensures no pupil is discriminated against, but opportunities for pupils to achieve equally well are constrained by the variations in the quality of teaching. Safeguarding arrangements are effective and meet requirements.

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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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Crayford DA1 4DZ

Thank you very much for welcoming us to your school. We agree with your parents and carers that you are looked after safely and securely. We think your behaviour is satisfactory and we particularly like the sensible way you move round the school and open doors for adults. Well done for making sure that your attendance is good!

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Crayford DA1 4DZ

Inspectors have judged that your school is not doing well enough to help all of you improve your reading, writing and mathematics skills. Teaching is not good enough, particularly in the infant classes. Younger pupils do not make enough progress in reading, writing or mathematics. Teaching is mainly satisfactory in the junior classes and the older pupils are making satisfactory progress. We have put the school into ‘special measures’, which means that the headteacher and governors will be given special help to improve your learning.

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Crayford DA1 4DZ

To help the school improve, we have asked your headteacher and the governors to do these important things:

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Crayford DA1 4DZ

 make sure you all do equally well in English by improving the teaching of phonics so you are confident in reading, writing and spelling new words  providing more practical activities in mathematics for all of you  helping those of you who find learning more difficult  make sure teachers set work at the right level, that is not too hard and not too easy, and give you plenty of chances to work independently, check that you understand the work you are given and provide time for you to follow up comments in teachers’ marking  develop the skills of your senior teachers in identifying what is not going well and finding ways to improve things.

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Crayford DA1 4DZ

We certainly enjoyed our visit to your school. All of you can help by always trying to do your best and making your families and the school proud of you.

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Crayford DA1 4DZ

Sarah McDermott 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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