St Raphael's Catholic Primary School

St Raphael's Catholic Primary School Hartfield Avenue, Northolt, UB5 6NL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good overall progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1, and very good progress in Key Stage 2. Standards are well above average by the end of Key Stage 2 in English and mathematics.  The quality of teaching is good and is complemented by regular homework and effective additional help for pupils who need it.  All teachers regularly check pupils’ written work and provide constructive comments that tell pupils how to improve.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent. Pupils are polite, respectful and extremely well behaved in lessons and around the school and feel safe at all times.  Attendance has been well above average for a number of years.  The school is led and managed well. School leaders have won the respect of parents, governors, staff and pupils. Their drive and determination have resulted in improved teaching and learning, but they are acutely

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

aware of what further improvements are needed.  Leaders use data about pupils’ performance well to identify and support pupils who are falling behind in their learning.  The school caters well for pupils’ personal, social, emotional and academic needs through a range of additional programmes. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are supported very well and helped to make good progress.  Governors provide effective support and challenge to the school’s leaders to help bring about school improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always stretch the more-able pupils enough in lessons, so that they consistently make as much progress as they otherwise might.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 do not consistently make as much progress in mathematics as they do in reading and writing.  Pupils are not given enough opportunities to develop independent research skills or to take part in activities that develop their creativity.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection took place over two days with a team of four inspectors, two of whom were present for one day only.  Inspectors observed 25 lessons, or part lessons, one-to-one tuition sessions, a training session for parents, and lunchtime activities.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils during lessons, around the school and in two organised meetings. They heard pupils read and spoke to them about reading. They spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, local authority adviser, the special educational needs coordinator, governors, parents, teachers with subject and other responsibilities, other teachers and support staff.  Inspectors analysed the 38 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents provided by the school, including minutes of meetings of the governing body, the school improvement plan, self-evaluation form, recent notes of visits by the local authority and external consutant supporting the school, notes of

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ progress meetings, safeguarding documents and records, tracking data, policies, a range of pupils’ work and records of the monitoring of lessons.  The views of 121 parents from the on-line Parent View survey were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Helena McVeigh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lily Evans Additional Inspector George Logan Additional Inspector John Worgan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Raphael’s is a voluntary-aided school that is much larger than the average primary school. The roll has grown since the last inspection and has expanded from two forms of entry. There are now three classes in Reception and in Year 1.  There is a wide range of different ethnic groups in the school, with over 75% from minority ethnic groups. The largest ethnic groups at the school are White British (23%), Other White (19%) and Black African (12%).  A high proportion of pupils (44%) are learning English as an additional language, which is well above average.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the extra funds provided through the pupil premium is, at 15%, just below the national average.  Five per cent of pupils are supported through school action, which is less than the national average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement is in line with the national average. There are currently 15 pupils with a statement of special educational

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Information about this school

needs. Their needs include physical disability, behaviour and emotional difficulties, autism, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language, and specific learning difficulties.  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?

 Improve the quality and planning of teaching so that pupils make even better progress by:  giving the most-able pupils work that really stretches them in lessons  reducing the time spent by the teacher talking to the whole class to allow more time for pupils to learn for themselves  including more opportunities for pupils to develop independent research skills in all subjects  providing more opportunities for pupils to engage in creative activities such as art and design and technology.  Improve pupils’ progress in mathematics in Key Stage 1 by ensuring that:  there is a daily mental mathematics session to help pupils remember their number facts and times tables  teachers set more difficult questions or problems for pupils who have clearly mastered a concept.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in the Nursery from lower than expected levels of skills when they start. Most of these pupils go on to the Reception classes where they are joined by other children, many of whom have had no pre-school experience and some who are just starting to learn English. Progress is good in Reception and standards are broadly in line with what is expected by the end of the year.  Pupils make good progress in reading and writing in Key Stage 1, and standards are better than the national average by the end of Year 2. Progress in mathematics is not as good, although standards are in line with what is expected for their age by the end of Year 2. Pupils’ recall of number facts and times tables is still not fully secure in some cases in the early part of Key Stage 2.  Pupils make particularly good progress in Key Stage 2. Results in the national tests have risen over the past few years and were well above average in English and mathematics in 2012.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The gap between the achievement of different groups of pupils has closed for English and narrowed significantly for mathematics. Most groups of pupils, including those supported through the pupil premium, make better progress than their counterparts nationally. The school has identified Black African boys as a group that has not made as much progress as others, and the support that has been put in place for them this term is having a notable impact.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language are well supported and achieve well in all subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good across the school and ensures that pupils make good progress.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and the standard of their work, but not always high enough expectations about what the most-able pupils can achieve in lessons. Sometimes, the whole-class introductions go on for too long, leaving less time for pupils to try things out for themselves.  The teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) has improved following intensive training for staff, introduced after the results in the screening test last year. In the Nursery, children are taught well and enjoy chanting rhymes and using hand gestures to help them remember letters and sounds. Older children are using their knowledge of letter sounds to read unfamiliar words. Every child regularly reads to an adult in school and the children are encouraged to read with a parent or carer at home. These strategies improve children’s confidence in reading and help

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The quality of teaching is good

children make good progress.  Teaching in lessons is complemented by some effective interventions such as Every Child a Reader, one-to-one tuition, computer club for pupils with special educational needs, as well as regular homework and reading at home. Parents are invited to training that shows them how to help their children. Two well-attended sessions on phonics took place during the inspection.  Teachers’ written feedback to pupils in their books is good, particularly in literacy. Teachers check books regularly and provide constructive comments that indicate mistakes and how work can be improved. Increasingly, pupils are given time to respond to the comments and they do this well. Good examples of pupils assessing each other and themselves are also evident. Teachers mark mathematics work regularly as well, but do not always include demanding follow- up questions to extend those able children who have clearly mastered a concept.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ highly positive attitudes and excellent behaviour are real strengths and contribute significantly to their good achievement. Pupils are very attentive in lessons and keen to do well. They present their work neatly and with pride. Parents, staff and governors spoke very positively about the standard of behaviour in the school. The school has not excluded any pupils in the last few years.  Pupils are exceptionally polite and respectful. They get on extremely well together and work cooperatively in pairs and small groups in lessons. A Nursery child quickly said, ‘We help them,’ when asked by the teacher what they should do if someone cannot answer a question.  The school takes good care of pupils’ emotional and social needs. For example, there is support for children with emotional concerns such as bereavement, and a part-time counsellor. Several children have additional needs that include challenging behaviour. These pupils are managed

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

extremely well by their support assistants and teachers, who skilfully include them in lessons whilst ensuring that their behaviour does not disrupt the learning of others.  Pupils respond extremely well to the wide range of responsibilities they are given. These include work in the school office, playground buddies, supporting younger children with reading, being house captains, junior road safety officers, prefects, members of the school council, or being the ‘headteacher’ for the day. For many of these opportunities, they are expected to submit an application and be interviewed, which contributes to their understanding of life in our society and the world of work.  Pupils feel safe in school and their attendance has been consistently well above average over the past few years. They are aware of the different types of bullying and ‘anti-bullying’ was a whole- school focus in the week before the inspection. Pupils indicate that bullying is rare and is dealt

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is led and managed well. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are good models for other staff in their determination and drive for improvement. They are well respected by staff, parents, pupils and governors. Other members of the senior leadership team are having an increasingly positive impact in areas such as special educational needs, English, mathematics and science.  Members of the senior leadership team regularly monitor the quality of teaching in lessons and scrutinise pupils’ work. The advice and professional development that follows are leading to improvements in the quality of teaching, although leaders acknowledge there is more to be done. There is a clear link between teachers’ progress up the pay scale with the quality of their teaching.  The school is making good use of data to track the progress of individual pupils and of different groups. There are regular meetings to monitor pupils’ progress and prompt action is taken to

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The leadership and management are good

provide interventions when pupils are falling behind or when they have emotional problems. The school is effective at promoting equality of opportunity and tackling any form of discrimination.  Support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and for those learning English as an additional language is managed well and ensures that these pupils make at least good progress. The school identifies pupils with possible learning needs early on and makes good use of links with external agencies to plan support for them. The teaching assistants are deployed well and trained to support individual children with particular needs. A Polish-speaking teaching assistant has been employed to support the increasing number of Polish children who start in the early years with no English.  The additional funds for pupils through the pupil premium are used well and are having a positive impact on closing the achievement gaps for these pupils. The funds are used for

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The leadership and management are good

additional staff to provide one-to-one support, booster groups, daily reading, books for parents to use with their children, educational trips and outings and Playing and Learning Support sessions.  The school promotes pupils’ personal development, particularly their spiritual, moral and social, extremely well through subjects, but also through the strong values and attitudes of all staff.  Pupils experience a reasonably broad range of subjects, enhanced by good number of educational visits, such as to Kew Gardens. There is an emphasis on literacy and numeracy, but with appropriate time given to most other subjects. There is less of a focus on creative subjects and humanities, and not enough opportunities across subjects for pupils to develop independent research skills.  The local authority provides light touch support that has included effective moderation of teachers’ assessments in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has addressed the areas for improvement identified in the last inspection report. Standards and progress in science have improved significantly and better use is made of the early years outdoor play area.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a clear view of the strengths and what needs to improve in the school, through regular information from the school leaders, including performance data and quality of teaching, as well as through their own visits to the school. They hold the leadership to account effectively and ensure that the budget is managed well and that the extra funds for pupils are having a good impact. Governors undertake regular training and have a useful mentoring system to support new members. They ensure that all statutory responsibilities are undertaken, including those related to safeguarding.

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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 101925 Local authority London Borough of Ealing Inspection number 402870

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 522 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sally Osmond Headteacher Ann Staunton Date of previous school inspection 25–26 March 2008 Telephone number 020 8841 0848 Fax number 020 8842 4617 Email address admin@st-raphaels.ealing.sch.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

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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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