St Charles Catholic Primary School

Age group 3−11 Inspection date(s) 11−12 July 2012 Inspection number 395382 St Charles Catholic Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100505 Local authority Kensington and Chelsea Inspection number 395382 Inspection dates 11−12 July 2012 Lead inspector Glynis Bradley-Peat

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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 344 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Pauline Chambers Headteacher Miss Ann Slavin Date of previous school inspection 25 September 2008 School address St Charles Square London W10 6EB Telephone number 020 8969 5566 Fax number 020 8969 4338 Email address info@st-charles.rbkc.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

Glynis Bradley-Peat Additional inspector

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Introduction

Sibani Raychaudhuri Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 20 lessons taught by 13 teachers. The work of teaching assistants was also observed. Meetings were held with staff, members of the governing body and pupils. The inspectors heard a small number of pupils read. The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at school evaluation documents, safeguarding documentation, data on pupils’ progress and development planning. Responses from questionnaires completed by 88 parents and carers were analysed, as well as those from pupils and staff. Inspectors also took account of responses to the online Parent View survey.

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Information about the school

This is a larger than average-sized primary school. Almost four fifths of its pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds with White British, Black African and other White backgrounds being the predominant groups. The remainder of pupils come from a variety of other heritages. Just over half of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average. Most of these pupils have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The school has had unavoidable staff absences during the last 12 months. The school runs a breakfast club. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

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 not yet good because there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching that prevent pupils from making consistently good progress. Following a period of decline in mathematics, pupils are making satisfactory progress from their starting points. 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

 Pupils’ progress has improved and they reach broadly average standards by the time they leave the school. Pupils make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage but across the rest of the school it is inconsistent and leads to satisfactory progress overall. Attainment is not higher because teachers do not always build upon what pupils already know and there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to tackle open-ended problems in mathematics. Teachers do not use assessment information well enough in mathematics lessons to ensure high levels of challenge, particularly for the more-able.

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Key findings

 Teaching is satisfactory. There are some examples of good practice which motivate pupils well and promote the acquisition of skills. In mathematics, teachers’ subject knowledge is sometimes weak. In mathematics and other subjects, success criteria are not sharp enough and at other times pupils do not have enough opportunity to reflect and act upon teachers’ marking, which is inconsistent in helping pupils to improve their work.

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Key findings

 Pupils are safe and behaviour is good, as are attitudes to learning. Where teaching is satisfactory or very occasionally inadequate, pupils become restless at spending too long on the carpet listening to teachers talking.

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Key findings

 The school has the confidence of parents and carers, pupils and staff. All share the vision for the future of the school. Performance is managed effectively and the quality of teaching is regularly checked, evaluated and linked to training for teachers. Improvements in achievement are evident in mathematics because of 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and accelerate progress in mathematics by ensuring that teachers :  use assessment information effectively to provide an appropriate level of challenge for pupils of different abilities, particularly the more-able  build upon what pupils already know and can do  have good subject knowledge  plan opportunities for pupils to participate in collaborative, open-ended problem solving.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that learning is consistently good or better by April 2013 by:  ensuring that success criteria enable pupils to know what steps they must take to achieve the learning objective  improving teachers’ knowledge of the next steps in learning  ensuring that marking is used more consistently to inform pupils of what they need to do to improve, and following up whether pupils act on the comments made.

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Achievement of pupils

In 2011, national test results showed that, although attainment was broadly average overall, many pupils underachieved in mathematics. Successful steps taken this year have ensured that the decline has been halted and improvement seen in provisional results for 2012 is good. Almost all parents and carers are pleased with the progress their children make during their time in school. Overall, inspectors found progress to be satisfactory. Children join the Nursery with skills and abilities that are below the levels expected for their age, particularly in language, mathematics and personal and social skills. They make good progress so that the vast majority reach the goals expected at the end of Reception. This is because adults support learning well and expectations are high. As a result, children were able to write successfully about mini-beasts in complete sentences using speech bubbles. Pupils continue to make

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Achievement of pupils

satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1 so that by the time they reach the end of Year 2 pupils’ attainment is broadly average. Standards in reading are just above average. Pupils have a good knowledge of the sounds that letters make. In a Year 1 lesson, pupils made good progress and developed their confidence when making decisions about whether words were real or nonsense. This was because there was a good 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

focus on speaking and listening. Pupils were able to tackle new words successfully.

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Achievement of pupils

Satisfactory progress continues throughout Key Stage 2, although it is inconsistent across classes and year groups. Pupils acquire new skills satisfactorily but there are gaps in their learning in mathematics which the school is now actively working to close. The expectations of teachers vary. In some classes there is insufficient opportunity for pupils to work independently or extend their thinking while solving problems. However, in a Year 3 mathematics lesson pupils were eager to put forward their ideas. They were keen and excited about their good learning while trying to decide how many of each alien would make a prescribed number of legs. Some pupils, but particularly the more-able, are not always challenged effectively. This is because assessment information is not used well enough to pitch lessons at the correct starting point in order to promote good progress. For example, in a mathematics lesson the teacher did not build on previous learning of the pupils well

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Achievement of pupils

enough and as a result the more-able wasted time repeating previous learning. D isabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve as well as their peers. This is because they are supported effectively and their progress is carefully tracked. M ost pupils who are learning English as an additional language make better progress than their classmates because work is tailored particularly well to their specific needs. The gap with their peers is closing for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. Their achievement is above average when compared to that of the same group of pupils nationally. Pupils’ reading skills by the time they leave the school are broadly average.

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Quality of teaching

All parents and carers who responded to questionnaires said they thought the teaching was good. Inspectors found some strong teaching in different classes in the school, but a small amount of inconsistency across subjects and year groups. The quality of marking also varies between classes. There are some examples of constructive comments that ensure pupils understand what they have to do next to improve their work. Analysis of marking shows that teachers are not always sufficiently evaluative and that pupils do not always follow up on comments made.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils enjoy the opportunity to experiment and find out for themselves. In a science lesson in Year 2, good teaching meant that pupils clearly understood the features of a fair test and were able to hypothesise well about how different surfaces would affect the speed of their toy cars. The teacher’s good subject knowledge ensured that pupils’ questions were answered well and that they made good progress. Pupils then set out excitedly to test their hypotheses. Specifically in mathematics lessons, teachers’ comparatively weaker subject knowledge impedes learning, especially for the more-able.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers do not always clearly know how to extend pupils’ knowledge and to take them spontaneously to the next level of attainment in mathematics. The pace of learning is adversely affected in some lessons because too long is spent on the introduction and pupils sometimes become restless and lose concentration. In a 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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Quality of teaching

literacy lesson learning was good as pupils were able to discuss whether they had met their learning objective and were provided with opportunities to say why and how. Teachers ensure that pupils know what they are going to learn in each lesson through setting a learning objective but success criteria do not clearly indicate what it is pupils should do to achieve it.

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Quality of teaching

The good use of verbal feedback and good opportunities for pupils to develop and extend their vocabulary in Year 6 ensured they made good progress in their writing. In addition, the teacher’s close attention to individuals promoted a good match of work to need which enabled all pupils to achieve well. The teaching assistant was well briefed and supported three lower-attaining pupils effectively. The vast majority of teaching assistants play a valuable role, especially in supporting disabled pupils and those with special educational needs but also those with English as an additional language. Pupils learn to read well because good attention is paid to teaching the sounds that letters make. The opportunities for pupils to apply their skills across the curriculum in mathematics have increased. Solving problems in real-life contexts is beginning to feature more regularly in everyday mathematics lessons.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour is typically good. They behave well in class, while at play and in the breakfast club. Scrutiny of behavioural records and discussions show that behaviour is good over time too. However, behaviour in lessons varies on a few occasions depending on the quality of teaching. When pupils are interested and keen on what they are learning, they apply themselves well. Sometimes if the pace of learning is slow or they are kept for too long listening to the teacher talking, pupils become bored because they are not challenged well enough. This occasionally results in isolated examples of low-level disruption or lack of engagement.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Almost all parents and carers rightly believe behaviour to be good in the school and are confident that their children are safe. Pupils say that any bullying is dealt with swiftly by the school. They understand what behaviour constitutes bullying and are clear about what they should do to stay safe on the internet. They quickly showed inspectors the e-safety rules. Above average levels of attendance reflect pupils’ enjoyment of school. They like to take responsibility and assume many different roles throughout the school as monitors, prefects and buddies. Language buddies have played a particularly effective role in ensuring that young pupils new to the school and at the early stages of language acquisition settle in quickly to life at St Charles. They also help with tours for new parents and carers and speak to them in their own language. Boys and girls from different backgrounds mix well together.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

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

Almost all parents and carers would recommend the school to others and staff all believe the school to be well led and managed. There is great enthusiasm and a clear drive for improvement evident at all levels of leadership and a shared ambition for the future of the school is clear. Overall, pupils’ progress is now satisfactory following a period when some underachieved in mathematics. This is because leaders carry out regular checks on the quality of teaching and weak practice has been robustly tackled. Through good quality professional development for staff, the teaching of mathematics is improving. There is more good teaching and there has been a clear impact this year on attainment and rates of progress. Teachers have received clear feedback about their practice and what they need to do to improve. Staff absence in the last year has been managed well to limit the possible adverse impact on individual classes. However, although the quality of teaching is improving, some

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Leadership and management

inconsistencies remain. The pace of improvement has been hindered by staff absence in the last year. Subject leaders and other middle leaders are highly committed individuals who are demonstrating the drive necessary to bring about further improvements where they are needed. Their action plans identify the right priorities and the path to achieve success is clearly mapped out. Initiatives to raise standards in mathematics have had a good impact this year, particularly in Year 6, on developing a more creative approach to teaching mathematics; more needs to be done to embed this practice in all classes and year groups. There is capacity for further improvement.

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Leadership and management

Accurate self-evaluation correctly identifies the areas of the school’s work which require development. The school improvement plan highlights the right key priorities and is regularly evaluated. The governing body supports the school well and ensures that safeguarding requirements are fully met so that pupils remain safe. The level of challenge has increased over the last academic year and the school is now held to account for its achievement. Parents and carers are highly positive about the school and play a full part in the life of the school. The school has achieved much with those parents and carers who are traditionally hard to engage in school life. Good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural provision permeates the broad and balanced curriculum and is at the root of the school’s strong ethos. Pupils blossom as a result of the wide range of opportunities provided for them to excel in music and

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Leadership and management

art in particular. There is no discrimination and equality of opportunity is promoted soundly. Pupils are prepared satisfactorily for the next stage of their education.

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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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Inspection of St Charles RC Primary School, London W10 6EB

Thank you for welcoming us to your school recently; a special thank you to those of you who took the time to speak with us. We found you to be polite, courteous and well behaved. We enjoyed watching you at work in your lessons and we enjoyed looking through your work. We were lucky enough to hear the lovely singing from the school choir; it was quite delightful. We were particularly impressed by those of you working as buddies to younger children who don’t speak much English. This must make them feel at home straight away. You know how to stay safe and you told us that you have confidence in the adults in the school to look after you and help you if you are worried. You say bullying is rare.

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Inspection of St Charles RC Primary School, London W10 6EB

You go to a satisfactory school; it is improving. You make progress similar to that of most pupils and reach similar standards in test results by the time you leave Year 6, although there have been some issues in mathematics. Your teachers are now helping you to make faster progress.

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Inspection of St Charles RC Primary School, London W10 6EB

The reason your school is improving is because the headteacher and other staff are doing a good job; teachers are working hard to do their best for you. Your parents and carers think the same. We have asked the school to do two things to ensure that it becomes a good school.

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Inspection of St Charles RC Primary School, London W10 6EB

 Help you make faster progress in mathematics by always giving you challenging work and by giving you interesting problems to solve.  Help the teachers to teach well in all subjects, especially mathematics, by ensuring you know how to achieve your learning objective and by making it clear to you how to improve.

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Inspection of St Charles RC Primary School, London W10 6EB

Glynis Bradley-Peat 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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