St Bede's Catholic Primary School

St Bede's Catholic Primary School Preston Road, Clayton Green, Chorley, Lancashire, PR6 7EB

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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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This is a good school:

 Pupils achieve well and make good progress in their learning from Early Years Foundation Stage to the end of Key Stage 2.  Older pupils make very good progress in developing their skills in writing and mathematics.  Good teaching and support ensure that pupils enjoy lessons and that all pupils are included. Lessons are planned which encourage pupils to use and apply their skills in reading, writing, communication and mathematics.  Pupils behave well in and around school and care for each other; their attendance is very good and they feel very safe in school.  Good leadership in accurately assessing pupils’ abilities and in setting individual targets has resulted in good support for all pupils, for example, to help girls improve in mathematics.  There is high morale among all the staff.  Governors know the school well and hold staff to account in their work, for example, when checking provision for children with special

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The amount of teaching that is good or better is not yet high enough for the school to be outstanding. For example, not all teachers make full use of the school’s marking policy to help pupils improve in their work.  As yet, the rate of pupils’ progress is not yet rapid enough for the school to be outstanding.  The regular checks on the quality of teaching by senior staff are not fully recorded so as to inform teachers how best to improve in order to make rapid improvements in their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed eight teachers and one higher-level teacher assistant teaching 17 lessons and listened to groups of pupils read.  The inspectors had meetings with staff, groups of pupils, three governors and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors looked at a range of evidence that included: the school’s website; pupil assessment information and documentation; the school improvement plan; headteacher reports to governors and governors’ reports and minutes of meetings; the school’s self-evaluation documents; local authority reports; school policies and documents, including those relating to safeguarding.  The inspectors considered 18 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspectors met with four parents informally at the start of the day and considered one letter and 54 responses from parents to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

John Ashley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sheila Mawer Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a below average-sized primary school.  A below average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, pupils known to eligible for free school meals and children from service families.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The majority of pupils are White British, although there are a few Polish pupils who receive additional support.  The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a privately managed breakfast club based next to the school, which is inspected separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the proportion of teaching that is good or better so that pupils make more rapid progress by:  consistently providing feedback on pupils’ work that makes links with the subject targets that have been set for them  reducing the amount of time when teachers talk in lessons so that pupils do not become distracted from their learning  making consistent use of audio/visual and information and communication technology (ICT) resources to increase pupils’ interest in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the checks made on teaching by senior staff so that more teaching is good or better by:  carefully and accurately recording the outcomes of classroom visits and lesson observations in terms of strengths and areas for development  sharing these written outcomes with teachers and teaching assistants  making arrangements for swiftly following up any areas that need improving through sharing of good practice or relevant training.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress because of very good relationships with well-trained staff. The quality of provision and pupils’ achievements have improved, for example, in outdoor play where pupils have opportunities to develop their imaginative play.  Pupils’ achievement has improved since the last inspection report. From broadly as expected levels on entry to the school, by the end of Key Stage 1, pupils are attaining at or slightly above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. At the end of Year 1, pupils’ attainments in the national phonics test (letters and sounds recognition) is well above average.  All pupils, including those who are supported through the use of premium funding, make good progress throughout their time in Key Stage 2 and attain at above the levels expected for their age in English and mathematics.  Different groups respond well to targeted support and teaching. For example, a group of Polish

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils are improving their use and understanding of spoken English because of good support from the Ethnic Minority Team. A small group of Year 3 girls respond well to additional support in helping them to practise their knowledge and understanding of multiplication and 2D and 3D shapes. Less-able readers are improving their skills because of the support received to practise letters and sounds and by parents at home. Pupils spoken to say they enjoy their reading and practise their skills by doing regular homework.  Older pupils make very good progress in writing and mathematics because they are encouraged to practise their skills in different subjects, for example, in developing arguments for and against school uniform or exploring the language in Anne Frank’s diary.  Pupils do not achieve as well or make quick progress when the teaching is slow-paced or when teachers talk for too long. Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and more-able

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils become distracted in the very few lessons when the work is either too challenging or too easy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Inspectors agree with the school that the quality of teaching over time has been mostly good or better which indicates improvements since the last inspection, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  In all lessons seen, relationships between staff and pupils are strong and contribute to the good progress made. In a Year 1 lesson, for example, teachers and support staff work well together when teaching pupils to learn letters and sounds so that they are challenged to learn words they often use. Pupils enjoyed a lesson on the underwater world when they were given opportunities to discuss their ideas and observations leading to a successful writing task.  Where teaching is good or better, teachers use information about individual pupils’ progress to plan their lessons carefully. Teachers ensure that all pupils are included so that they achieve well and make good progress in their work. In an outstanding mathematics lesson in Year 6, the

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The quality of teaching is good

teaching assistant worked closely with a group of less-able pupils during a mental arithmetic task in order that they understood what was expected of them. Pupils’ reading, writing and communication skills are promoted very well because teachers ensure that pupils become interested in their lessons, for example, when Year 6 pupils discussed their views about school uniform. These discussions motivated boys and girls to write down their views because they had been given the chance to talk them through. Teaching support was well-deployed to support less-able pupils so that they took a full part in the lesson – a good example of how well the school promotes equal opportunity.  In good or better teaching, teachers regularly mark pupils’ work so that they are clear about how well they have done with regard to the clear targets set for them. The school’s ‘next step’ marking policy is then used to guide pupils towards what they need to do to improve further. In

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The quality of teaching is good

these cases, pupils start to improve quickly in their writing, for example, when increasing their use of punctuation alternatives.  In the very few cases where teaching should improve, marking is not sufficiently precise and informative in giving feedback on pupils’ work that makes links with the subject targets so pupils do not make progress as quickly. On the few occasions when teachers speak for too long without the use of audio/visual or ICT resources, pupils become restless and distracted.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good attitudes to their learning both in lessons and when completing homework. They enjoy school and always try to do their best, even when the work is hard, because ‘our teachers always help us’, for example, in mathematics. Attendance is above average.  Pupils say that ‘behaviour is good – not outstanding.’ Occasionally, pupils misbehave in class, or fall out on the playground, but ‘it’s soon sorted out’. They say the school rules are ‘very fair’.  Parents are very happy with the school because of the ‘excellent leadership and management of the headteacher’. Pupils are kept safe and there are no concerns about bullying. They feel that they are fully informed about their children’s progress and about any issues or concerns. Pupils feel safe and spoke about how their lessons helped to keep them safe, especially when using the internet or Facebook.  There is a welcoming atmosphere in which older pupils take on responsibilities for caring for

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

younger pupils. The school council helps the school raise money for local charities and is encouraged to make decisions.  There are lots of after-school clubs, especially relating to sport, and these, alongside healthy lunches, help to keep pupils fit.  Behaviour is managed consistently well by staff in accordance with the school’s agreed policy. Any low-level misbehaviour in class is quickly addressed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team and governors have high expectations and ambition for the school because they have moved the school forward since the last inspection and want it to improve even further.  Mostly good or better teaching has resulted in improvements in pupils’ achievement and progress since the last inspection. This is because, with local authority support, especially in the teaching of mathematics, teachers make better use of different techniques in lessons. Performance management alongside the checking of teaching through lesson observations is leading to carefully pitched training for staff, for example, in how to better teach English and mathematics in other subjects. While the headteacher and her team conduct lesson observations, areas for improvement are not always written down and agreed so that teachers are clear what needs to improve, further training can be provided or good practice can be

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The leadership and management are good

shared more widely.  Staff and governors have an accurate picture of what the school does well and what it needs to do to move forward. Senior leaders accurately assess and check on pupils’ achievements so they can make informed decisions about how to plan for individual needs. Very detailed headteacher reports to governors provide a termly picture of how well the school is doing in meeting its agreed aims.  The school’s curriculum provides opportunities for all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, to enjoy lessons in and out of the classroom, for example, during themed days or weeks where activities like, ‘flash-bang science’ fully engage and motivate pupils.  There are very positive links with the local community, for example, through Faith Week activities where Reception children make Diwali cards and candles and dress up, or, during sporting links with a local high school. These show how the school promotes good spiritual,

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The leadership and management are good

moral, social and cultural development.  Attendance at parents’ evenings to discuss their children’s progress is invariably high. Parents unable to attend make alternative arrangements with the school. A parent with a boy who has learning difficulties stated that, ‘the school is very inclusive... [my] son is fully included in all the school does’.  The school has an up-to-date child protection policy and there are designated staff and governors. All staff have had relevant training about safeguarding and procedures are very clear to follow up any concerns.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good overview of the school’s provision and the quality of teaching and has held it to account by close checking of how well plans for improvement have progressed by using subject and special needs link governors. Governors have agreed the use of pupil premium funding to provide one-to-one tuition for less-able readers and for

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The leadership and management are good

disadvantaged pupils so they can benefit from after-school clubs. Governors have benefited from relevant training, for example, in making sense of data on pupils’ attainment. This has led to them being able to ask searching questions of staff about pupil achievement and the quality of teaching. They have also had appropriate training in safe staff recruitment. Governors manage the school’s finances efficiently and make good decisions about when to move staff up the salary scale following teachers’ performance management.

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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 119674 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 401860

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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 197 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lynn Wright Headteacher Jenny Kennedy Date of previous school inspection 10 May 2010 Telephone number 01772 335861 Fax number 01772 626811 Email address head@st-bedes.lancsngfl.ac.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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