Holy Cross Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School Leen Mills Lane, Hucknall, Nottingham, NG15 8BZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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 achieve well and make at least good progress as they move through the school, particularly in reading.  Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. This is because they receive good quality support.  Teaching is good overall and a small amount is outstanding. In the best lessons, teaching is brisk and lively, and pupils delight in their learning.  Pupils behave exceptionally well and they are eager to learn and work hard. They say that they feel safe in the school and that all pupils are treated equally.  The headteacher has a strong commitment to helping all pupils to achieve and a clear view of how the school can continue to improve. She is well supported by other leaders in the school.  The governing body challenges the school well because it knows how well pupils are doing. It makes sure that teachers’ performance is

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

managed well and is linked to pupils’ progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding.  Although progress is good overall, pupils are not always given enough challenge in their lessons to help them achieve exceptionally well.  Some lessons do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to choose ways of working things out for themselves or to learn from each other.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons, of which four were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, inspectors made short visits to lessons to observe pupils’ learning in different subjects. Inspectors listened to pupils read, attended an assembly and observed break times.  Inspectors took account of the 39 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, an external consultant, governors, school leaders and other staff.  The information from 18 staff questionnaires was taken into consideration.  Inspectors looked at various aspects of the school’s work, including documents about pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance. They checked on how the school keeps its pupils safe. They also looked at pupils’ books, the school’s plans for improvement, records of the checks on the quality of teaching, minutes of the governing body and external reports.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Cooper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lynne Blakelock Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a converter academy, established in October 2012 from a maintained school in the control of Nottinghamshire local authority. The school is a member of the Pax Christi Catholic Academy Trust, made up of three other primary schools and one secondary school.  When it was last inspected in 2009, the school was judged to be outstanding overall; teaching and the effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage were judged to be good.  This is a slightly smaller than average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils entitled to support through the pupil premium (additional government funding for looked after children, pupils know to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families) is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action and at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below

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Information about this school

the national average.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.  A higher than average proportion of pupils joins the school other than at the usual times.  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?

 Ensure that pupils can make outstanding progress, by:  improving the quality of teaching to match that of the best  planning lessons which consistently include activities which challenge all pupils exceptionally well, so that pupils are always able to achieve the best they possibly can  providing more opportunities for pupils to work out things for themselves and to learn from each other.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join Reception with skills and knowledge that are in line with those typical for their age. Fast-paced teaching and stimulating outdoor activities help them to make outstanding progress during their Reception Year, particularly in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 were above average in 2012, with good progress in writing. Although fewer pupils reach the higher levels in reading and mathematics, they are well- prepared for Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress during Key Stage 2. Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 were well above average in 2012, showing a strong improvement on 2011. Almost all the pupils leaving Year 6 in 2012 made or exceeded the progress expected of them. Pupils’ progress in reading was outstanding. Most pupils made good progress in writing and mathematics, with some pupils achieving exceptionally well, including a pupil who gained grade C in GCSE mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils make good progress during both key stages because they are well taught. However, in a small minority of lessons, pupils do not always have enough challenge in their learning, because teachers do not consistently plan work at different levels to help them achieve their best.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well and make progress that is at least as good as other pupils, as the school gives them good support.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils entitled to additional funds from the government through the pupil premium make good progress due to the extra help and opportunities provided by the school. The funding is used to provide extra tuition, books to help pupils study and residential trips. Pupils who join the school at other than the normal times also receive good support which helps them catch up well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good, so pupils achieve well. Teaching is not yet outstanding because pupils are not always fully stretched in their learning. At times, pupils do not have enough opportunities to work out things for themselves and to learn from each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons, teachers plan work that will get the very best out of all pupils. In a Reception class, for example, pupils made outstanding progress when practising the sounds that letters make (phonics), and all were thoroughly absorbed in this activity. Any mistakes were quickly sorted out by the teacher, and pupils rapidly became confident in creating new words, to their great delight.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils enjoy working together so that they can learn from each other. In a Year 5 mathematics lesson, for example, pupils practised their times tables with gusto. They said that it was fun to test each other on the times tables ‘because you can help a friend’. Pupils rose to the challenge of the teacher’s brisk questioning and relished working out more difficult calculations in their heads.

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The quality of teaching is good

 When lessons are planned to offer plenty of challenge to all pupils in the class, they become highly interested in their learning and make outstanding progress. In a Year 1 lesson, for example, pupils greatly enjoyed reading out loud the story of ‘Goldilocks'. The teacher’s excellent questioning at different levels kept pupils alert and helped them think about the characters’ feelings. The pupils’ practise of new words and expressions in the lesson prepared them exceptionally well for re-writing the story in their own words.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who need further help are given well-planned support in extra sessions, and this allows them to catch up well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work carefully and often write detailed advice to help pupils improve. Pupils practise spellings set out by their teachers, but they do not always act on their teachers’ comments.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils work extremely well together, and their attitudes to learning are outstanding. In lessons, there is often excellent behaviour, and pupils show a real enthusiasm to achieve. Parents agree that their children are happy at the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are in agreement that they are all treated equally, and the school’s motto, ‘everybody matters’, is seen in action right across the school, with praise awarded for pupils’ efforts as well as their achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school encourages pupils to manage their own behaviour. Older pupils enjoy the responsibility of acting as ‘job squad leaders’ and school counsellors to help younger pupils, and this gives them good skills for later life.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour towards each other is sensible and polite both in lessons and at play. Incidents of poor behaviour are very rare, and there have been no exclusions for a number of years. Pupils have an excellent understanding of what bullying means, and they are confident that any occasional incident is sorted out quickly by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say they feel safe, and parents agree with this view. Pupils show a very good understanding of how they can keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils enjoy coming to school, and their attendance is consistently above the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is strongly committed to helping all pupils to achieve, and she has a clear view of how the school can continue to improve. She is well supported by other leaders in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders’ good analysis of data helps them to understand the strengths and areas to improve. After reviewing pupils’ progress in learning letters and sounds (phonics), the school made some well-planned adjustments to teaching. An outstanding lesson in phonics was seen during the inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 Performance management has been used well to improve teaching. Teachers have clear targets that have led to a rise in pupils’ attainment. Well-chosen professional development has helped teachers develop their skills and good training for leaders gives them confidence in their role.  A well-planned curriculum with interesting topics helps pupils develop good understanding and skills and the school offers many opportunities to enrich pupils’ experiences. For example the ‘Scottish Day’ included a stimulating mix of dancing, cookery and design.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Assemblies and ‘retreat days’ help them reflect together on beliefs. Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong. They gained a good understanding of different traditions when they learned about a Tudor Christmas and Divali, for example.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents appreciate the work the school does for their children. The school encourages parents to support their children through the homework regularly posted on the school’s website, and has recently trained parents to help with reading in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is committed to ensuring that pupils are safe, and its safeguarding procedures meet requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors know the strengths and areas to improve in the school because they visit the school regularly to find out how well it is doing, and gain first-hand evidence of how well pupils are learning. Governors ask school leaders about data and pupils’ achievement. They have a good understanding of the relationship between teachers’ performance and salary progression. Governors question leaders about the progress of pupils entitled to the pupil premium, to make sure that the funding is spent wisely to help pupils achieve well. Governors bring a good range of skills and experience to their role and receive relevant training.

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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 138812 Local authority N/A Inspection number 410602

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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 Academy Converter School category Non-Maintained Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 225 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christa Bales Headteacher Pat Snowdon Date of previous school inspection N/A Telephone number 0115 9534577 Fax number 0115 9680826 Email address office@holycross.notts.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

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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