St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Crossfield Street, Crossfield Street, London, SE8 3PH

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The school’s Catholic ethos underpins the strong spiritual and moral atmosphere of the school. Many opportunities for spiritual, moral and social development are provided, especially through well-led assemblies. This aspect is supplemented by strong musical activities and lessons which encourage pupils to explore different faiths and cultures.  The strong leadership of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the governing body has helped the school to address weaknesses in teaching that were identified in the last inspection. This has led to improvement in the teaching of writing and mathematics, with considerable improvement seen in pupils’ reading.  Behaviour is good. In many lessons it is exemplary. Pupils enjoy being in school and their attendance is above average. Instances of unacceptable behaviour are rare and pupils’ positive engagement in lessons is contributing to their good learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Most children achieve well and make good progress as a result of the good teaching.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) is taught well across the school so that children make good progress in reading from an early age.  Support staff who work with pupils in need of additional help are making a strong contribution to rising standards.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching is not high enough and a minority of lessons require improvement in order to be good.  A minority of staff do not ensure that each lesson is carefully planned to meet the needs of all pupils.  While gaps in achievement between groups of pupils have narrowed, for a minority of boys progress is not rapid enough.  There are missed opportunities for pupils to reflect and act on their teachers’ marking and guidance to make the necessary improvements. Pupils do not always know the next steps they need to take. Although test results in English and mathematics have improved overall, fewer pupils are attaining the higher levels in mathematics compared with English.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 20 lessons, three of which were joint observations carried out with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the Early Years Foundation Stage leader. Inspectors also carried out a series of short visits to other lessons across the school, observed an assembly and listened to children read.  Meetings were held with staff, pupils, members of the governing body, including the Chair, and two representatives from the local authority. Inspectors took account of the six responses to the on-line Parent View questionnaire as well as any parents’ views which were communicated orally.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including nationally published data and the school’s own data, the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, safeguarding policies and records and documents relating to performance management.

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Inspection team

Lesley Leak, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Michael John Merva Additional Inspector Ann Sydney Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium is above average.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action and school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs, are broadly average.  The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is high.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, many of whom are of Black African, Black British and Caribbean heritages, is very high.  The school operates a breakfast club.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  making sure that all lessons are planned to meet fully the needs of all pupils  giving pupils time to reflect on their teachers’ comments and advice to improve their work and ensuring that they are always clear about the next steps they need to take.  Bring achievement in mathematics in line with that in English, especially in terms of the proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels by July 2013.  Continue to narrow the gaps in achievement between boys and girls.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children in Reception make good progress from their starting points. The proportion reaching or exceeding the expected level of skills development by the end of the Reception Year has risen and is in line with the national average.  Attainment is now average at the end of both key stages. Pupils’ progress throughout the school has improved year on year since the last inspection. Pupils’ work and the school’s current progress data show that pupils are making good progress in English, especially in reading. The results of the phonics survey for six-year-olds demonstrate pupils’ above average reading skills. Pupils at Key Stage 2 continue to make good progress in reading and are now making good progress in writing throughout the school.  An improving picture of achievement in mathematics has been maintained over three years, although progress has not been quite as rapid as that in English, especially at the higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There is an improving picture of progress for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, many of whom have reached broadly average standards, in the last year.  The achievement of pupils from minority ethnic groups has improved since the last inspection and is now similar to other pupils. Those for whom English is an additional language make similarly good progress to other groups as a result of the school’s effective support.  Pupils eligible for support under the pupil premium initiative are making as much progress as other groups in English and mathematics. This is because funding has been appropriately spent on meeting the needs of identified pupils through carefully targeted intervention activities provided by additional adults.  Although all pupils make good progress, girls have outperformed boys. The school has effective teaching strategies in place to close the gap in performance, and the differential is narrowing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good, with some examples of outstanding practice. A minority of lessons require improvement. The school has worked successfully to eradicate any inadequate teaching.  In the most effective lessons, teachers have good subject knowledge and set appropriate learning goals. Pupils are well prepared for their next stages of learning.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Expectations of what children in Reception can do are very high and, as a result, they achieve well.  The teaching of reading is good at Key Stage 1. Phonic knowledge is taught particularly well in Reception and Key Stage 1 so pupils make good progress. Changes to the ways in which reading is taught at Key Stage 2 have been highly successful in bringing about rapid improvement in the test results in reading.  The teaching of writing has improved over the last three years. The school has put in place

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The quality of teaching is good

effective strategies to raise the achievement of boys in writing and they are now encouraged to write at length and explicitly taught how to improve their use of grammar, spelling and punctuation. ‘Boy friendly’ texts are used to motivate boys to read more widely and for pleasure. Applying this as a model to further improve mathematics is work already in hand and there are signs of success in the closing of gaps between boys’ and girls’ performance.  Most work is set at the right level. However, not all lessons are planned to meet the needs of each pupil and in a small minority of sessions teachers do not always plan challenging enough activities and tasks for the more able, particularly in mathematics.  Adults who support pupils in need of additional help, including pupils who have special educational needs, are making a strong contribution to rising standards because their work is rigorously planned and they are well led and trained by the inclusion manager.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is regular and pupils are provided with guidance on how to improve the quality of their work. However, pupils are not always clear about their next steps and too often there are missed opportunities for pupils to reflect on their teachers’ guidance, to correct their mistakes or to attempt further challenges to consolidate what they have learned. School leaders are aware that such practice needs to be rigorously and consistently applied to enable all pupils to make rapid gains.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils say they are happy and feel safe at school. They act responsibly on the playground where they are well supervised. Their attitudes to learning are consistently good in lessons and play a significant part in pupils’ good achievement.  Where teaching is outstanding, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. In these lessons, when teachers’ high expectations of what pupils can do are well communicated, pupils relish the chance to take responsibility for their own learning and consequently they achieve highly.  Pupils demonstrate good social skills. They get on well together and respond positively to adults. They work constructively in groups. Pupils are respectful of each other and this contributes to their good learning.  Pupils enjoy school. Their attendance is above average. Procedures to manage behaviour are strong and, as a result, incidents of unacceptable behaviour, including bullying, are infrequent.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

Pupils say that when bullying does occur it is dealt with extremely swiftly by the school.  Assemblies are used effectively by the school to encourage reflection on moral and spiritual issues. The impact of this is shown in the pupils’ respect for diversity and how well pupils treat one another.

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The leadership and management are good

 The ambitious leadership of the headteacher, alongside her deputy and the governing body, is shown in the relentless pursuit of higher educational standards and consistently good or better teaching quality. The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is robust and highly effective.  The headteacher’s high expectations for improving the school are communicated effectively to the leaders in charge of subject areas, who are well supported and trained to improve the quality of teaching and raise standards in their areas of responsibility. They are developing strong leadership skills under the capable leadership of the headteacher and her deputy.  Central to the picture of improvement is the robustness of the school’s view of its own strengths and weaknesses, the investment in the accurate tracking of the pupils’ achievement and the high quality training and professional development for staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 Systems for managing the performance of staff are rigorous and appropriately tied into the monitoring of teaching quality and pupil progress.  The quality of teaching is improving rapidly as a result of accurate monitoring of classroom practice, routine sampling of pupils’ work and regular progress checks. The staff have benefited from training by an external literacy consultant who has shown them how to adopt best practice in the teaching of phonics and guided reading in their own classrooms.  There are many opportunities for pupils across the school to participate in activities that promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, recently the school’s choir performed a concert at the local theatre which was well attended by the local community.  The school provides many opportunities for pupils to engage with a range of cultures, for example through performing world music and by participating in activities connected to Black

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The leadership and management are good

History Month. There is a strong emphasis on spirituality which is evident in all aspects of school life and pupils are encouraged to learn about a wide range of faiths.  The curriculum is broad and balanced with exciting opportunities for pupils to learn Italian and music. There is a good range of after-school clubs which are well attended. The breakfast club is well managed and provides an enjoyable start to the day for those who attend.  There is good engagement with parents and carers and the school is effective in enabling them to support their children’s progress at home.  Safeguarding arrangements meet current statutory requirements.  The local authority provides light touch support tailored to the needs of the school.  The governance of the school: – Governance has improved since the last inspection. The governing body is now effective in its ability to challenge and support the school. The governing body receives regular evaluations

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The leadership and management are good

of the school’s performance. It knows what the school is doing well and where it could do better because it is fully involved in the school’s well-focused self-evaluation activities. Governors regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the use of additional funding through the pupil premium. They visit lessons, pay close attention to the school’s evaluation of teaching and management of staff performance, and hold the school to account for any areas of underperformance. The governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and are effective and that equality of opportunity is promoted. Members of the governing body have been well trained by the local authority to fulfil their duties. New members speak highly of the support and training they receive. The governing body strictly holds the school to account for managing its finances, such that the budget is now broadly balanced, following a period when there was a sizeable shortfall.

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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 100729 Local authority Lewisham Inspection number 404732

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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 276 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Henry Sullivan Headteacher Patricia Chantrey Date of previous school inspection 14-15 October r2010 Telephone number 020 86924836 Fax number 020 86946421 Email address pchantrey1.209@lgflmail.org 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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