St Luke's Catholic Primary School

St Luke's Catholic Primary School Church Road, Trench, Telford, TF2 7HG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Too few pupils are working above the expectations for their age in mathematics. Standards in mathematics are lower than in reading and writing.  Although teaching is improving rapidly, it requires further improvement. Over time it has not been consistently good enough to enable all pupils to achieve well in all subjects.  Teachers do not always ensure that more able pupils are suitably challenged and at times the pace of learning is too slow.  There are not enough opportunities for children in the Reception class to develop their independent learning skills in the outdoor environment.  Leadership requires improvement because the roles of subject leaders in checking the work in their areas of responsibility are not fully developed.  Governors lack skills in the evaluation and analysis of school data and are not yet ensuring that all pupils make good progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Under the leadership of the headteacher there has been an increasingly successful focus on improving teaching and accelerating progress.  Some areas of weakness, such as pupils progress in writing, have been tackled successfully.  Pupils feel safe and their behaviour and attitudes are good.  Pupils social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good.  Attendance is rising.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons, of which three were joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings and discussions were held with the Chair of the Governing Body, members of staff with curricular responsibility, a representative of the local authority and groups of pupils.  There were 13 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Clive Lewis, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than most other primary schools. Most pupils attending the school come from outside the immediate locality.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.  An above-average proportion of pupils join the school at other than the normal time, mid-year and mid-key stage. Less than half of the previous and current Year 6 classes began their education in the school.  With the exception of Year 3, pupils are organised in mixed-age classes in Key Stage 1 and 2.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average and only a small proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is below the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average, and

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Information about this school

particularly high in some year groups.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the overall quality and consistency of teaching in the school to good by ensuring:  all lessons proceed at a brisk pace  there is an appropriate level of challenge for all age and ability groups within each mixed-age class.  Improve pupils calculation and problem-solving skills in mathematics by ensuring pupils are provided with opportunities to practise these skills in other subjects.  Improve the planning, use of resources and children’s access to the outdoor environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage in order to develop their independent learning skills.  Strengthen the role of subject coordinators by ensuring they tackle key areas of weakness systematically to secure measurable improvements in their areas of responsibility.  Improve governors’ skills in evaluation and the analysis of data so that they may more effectively hold the school to account for its performance and help direct its key decisions

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils progress requires improvement. Although improvements have been made in English, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels in mathematics remains below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Many children enter the Reception class with skills that are below those expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress in all areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In recent years, the school’s results in the Year 2 and Year 6 national tests have fluctuated but have been broadly average. School data and pupils work seen during the inspection confirm that in the current Year 6, attainment is again average overall although attainment in mathematics is not as high as in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils across the range of year groups and abilities attain average standards in Key Stages 1 and 2. Work in pupils books and the quality of learning in lessons confirms that most pupils, across the school, are making progress in line with that expected.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Regular phonics activities (the links between letters and sounds) and guided reading activities help pupils to make good progress in their reading from their starting points when they enter the school. Attainment in reading is broadly average at the end of Year 2 and at least average by Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, as well as those who are legible for support from the pupil premium, make similar progress to their peers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who join the school during the year, or in different year groups, benefit from good individual support so they quickly catch up with their classmates.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching across the school varies from requiring improvement to good. Teaching is not yet consistently good or better across the school. Recent improvements, particularly in Key Stage 2, where teaching is generally good, have yet to have their full impact and ensure that pupils make faster progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching has improved, for example in English, this is because staff have received good training and support and there has been a whole-school focus on improving writing, with regular phonics lessons and guided reading activities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching in mathematics still requires improvement. The school is, rightly, concentrating on providing more opportunities for pupils to use their numeracy skills across other subjects. However, individual pupil targets for mathematics are not set, whereas in English, writing targets are already in place.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the best lessons, teaching is fast-paced and teachers display good subject knowledge. Teachers use a range of teaching methods and resources to engage and maintain pupils interest well. In a literacy lesson, pupils made good progress and enjoyed learning as they created an interview with Felix Baumgartner about his skydive. The teacher made good use of technology, including the internet, to gain and maintain pupils interest and provided several opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons in mixed age classes, teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are not high enough and the work set does not challenge them sufficiently, particularly the more able, to think hard and achieve their best. In other lessons, often after a good brisk start, the pace of learning slows considerably.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers and teaching assistants provide timely extra help and personalised support for pupils who speak English as an additional language and for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. These pupils consequently enjoy learning and make progress which is at least as good as that of their classmates.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils books are marked regularly and, in the best cases, marking gives pupils good guidance on what they can do to make their work better.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is typically good and often better in lessons and around the school. The school has an effective system of rewards and sanctions, and parents and carers are fully confident that any poor behaviour is dealt with effectively and promptly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say learning is fun and they are enthusiastic about their education. They confirm that behaviour is usually ‘really good’. They talk knowledgably about different types of bullying and understand that ‘the little arguments in the playground aren’t really bullying’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe, and say they are confident that any issues they raise with the school will be dealt with promptly. They understand the need for healthy lifestyles and exercise.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s efforts to improve attendance have been successful. Attendance is now average. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and Year 6 pupils stated that they will be really sorry to leave the school in the summer.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils relate well to each other, and are courteous and polite to visitors. They display high levels of concentration, and when working in pairs or groups, they organise themselves swiftly and without fuss. Pupils show respect for the feelings and beliefs of others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good range of opportunities to contribute to the school and wider communities. They willingly take on responsibility and play a constructive role in the school. Through the school council pupils demonstrate their pride in their school community and take their responsibilities very seriously.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are curious about the world around them and embrace new experiences which broaden their understanding.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership, including that by governors, requires improvement. With the support of the local authority, leaders and managers have identified some key strengths and areas for improvement. This has led to improvements in teaching, increasingly so across Key Stage 2. Attendance has improved and a rigorous and more accurate assessment and tracking system, linked to half- termly pupil progress meetings, has been put in place, and this is leading to improvements in pupil achievement, particularly in English. However, leaders have not yet secured the same level of improvement in teaching and achievement in mathematics and subject leaders do not have the skills needed to undertake sharply focussed observations of teaching in their subjects.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although the Early Years Foundation Stage classroom has a spacious and secure outdoor area, directly accessible from the classroom, it is not currently being used to its best advantage. The current arrangements do not provide children with sufficient opportunities to select activities for themselves, either indoors and outdoors. This hampers the development of their independent learning skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Teaching programmes are appropriately balanced and there have been improvements in planning for the use of skills in other subjects, particularly in opportunities for extended writing in history, geography and science. There are not enough such opportunities in mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school uses pupil premium funding appropriately by providing specific individualised support to help improve the attainment of those pupils who receive it.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding systems are secure and discrimination is not tolerated. Staff and parents and carers are positive about their experiences with the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided good support for the school and has helped it to improve practices in assessment, moderation of work and in raising attainment in writing.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  is ambitious for the school but does not have a precise enough understanding of the school’s work to be able to offer well-informed challenge, particularly in relation to pupils achievement and the school’s self-evaluation  ensures that safeguarding is secure and meets requirements  has overseen the arrangements for relating teachers’ performance to pay, and the use of resources, including the pupil premium funding effectively.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 123558 Local authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 406174

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School details

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

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School details

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 127 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pauline Heffernan Headteacher Bernie Cheshire Date of previous school inspection 4 October 2010 Telephone number 01952 388222 Fax number 01952 388220 Email address a3359@telford.gov.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

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

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