St Paul's Catholic Primary School

P R O T E C T – I N S P E C T I O N School report

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St Paul's Catholic Primary School and Nursery Bourne Road, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth, PO6 4JD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 Pupils are not making good progress from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2.  The more-able pupils are not achieving the higher levels in writing and mathematics.  Handwriting and the presentation of work is not of a high standard in many classes.  Not enough teaching is outstanding.  The recently formed leadership team has not yet had time to demonstrate improvements in pupils’ progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Good teaching in the Nursery and Reception class gets children off to a good start.  Attainment has improved in Key Stage 1.  Reading is well taught throughout the school, and pupils who are having difficulty learning to read are well supported.  Behaviour is good throughout the school and pupils have positive attitudes to learning.  The school’s leadership team and governing body are committed to improving the school, and have already started the process of making improvements.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, of which five were joint observations with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Inspectors analysed data relating to progress and attainment. They scrutinised the school’s own documentation including self-evaluation and records relating to safeguarding and behaviour.  Pupils’ work was examined and inspectors listened to pupils reading in Year 1, 2 and 6.  The views of the 21 parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account, and in addition, two inspectors spoke to a number of parents and carers as they brought their children to school in the morning.  The views of staff were ascertained from discussions and from the 21 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Meetings were held with pupils and senior staff, the Chair and members of the Governing Body, and a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Janet Maul, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Juliet Ward Additional Inspector Liz Townend Additional Inspector Marilyn Penman Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Paul’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  The headteacher has been in post since 2009, and the deputy has been seconded to work with the school since January 2013.  A large majority of pupils are White British with the remaining small minority coming from a wide range of different ethnic groups.  The proportion of pupils with disabilities or special educational needs supported at school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils eligible to be supported by the pupil premium (additional funding provided by the government) is above average.  A lower-than-average number of pupils join and leave the school during the year.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club on-site.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching by carefully planning lessons so that all pupils are challenged.  Improve attainment so that the overwhelming majority of pupils make expected progress and a significant number make accelerated progress.  Develop the role of leaders by:  giving newly appointed leaders appropriate training, and making sure that they understand the expectations of their role  ensuring that leaders become beacons of excellent practice within their teams, including modelling outstanding teaching to their colleagues.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement for pupils in Key Stage 2 requires improvement because pupils, on average, do not make good progress from the end of Key Stage 1.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has shown a gradually declining trend over the past three years. Predictions for summer 2013 indicate that progress is unlikely to be better than expected. The school’s data show that from 2014 onwards the trend looks to be improving. This data was supported by the work seen by the inspectors in pupils’ books.  Pupils attain Level 4 at a comparable level to pupils nationally, but not enough pupils achieve the higher levels.  At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils eligible for the pupil premium made more than expected progress in English compared to similar pupils nationally and are closing the gap with their peers. Fewer made expected progress in mathematics, where they were behind compared to similar pupils nationally and their peers in school, and the gap is increasing. Across the school in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

other year groups, the progress of children eligible for the pupil premium is similar to the other pupils in the year group.  In the Key Stage 2 national tests, pupils from minority ethnic groups performed well compared to the other pupils in the year group and similar pupils nationally. Pupils with disabilities or special educational needs performed well in English due to the high-quality reading interventions, but attained at a lower level in mathematics.  The attainment in Key Stage 1 has shown a gradual year-on-year improvement over the past three years. Reading and mathematics are now in line with national figures, although writing is still significantly behind.  Most children enter Nursery with skills and knowledge well below that expected for their age. They made good progress in Nursery and Reception class. Traditionally, they have left Reception below the national average, but in 2012 they were broadly in line.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The end of Year 1 phonics screening check (which measures pupils’ understanding of letters and sounds) found that pupils were attaining scores lower than the national average. Boys and pupils eligible for the pupil premium attained low scores, but pupils with disabilities or special educational needs, and those from minority ethnic groups, did well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The lessons that required improvement often did not challenge more-able children sufficiently. Pupils were frequently asked simple questions that did not require a great deal of thought.  In many classes, handwriting and the presentation of work was not good, with high standards not being insisted upon by teachers.  No inadequate lessons were seen during the inspection.  Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is good. There is a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. High-quality adult/child interaction was seen with staff modelling desired behaviours. At snack time, children in the Nursery were seen sharing fruit and passing drinks to each other in a very responsible and grown-up way.  Children in Reception class benefit from a wide range of play-based learning activities and regular teaching of letters and sounds, which gives them a secure grounding in basic reading

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and writing skills.  Pupils collaborate well, and are used to discussing topics in pairs and groups, asking each other questions and listening to the answers.  Some very good intervention work was seen across the school, helping pupils who were having difficulty in English or mathematics. Reading support was particularly strong.  Interactive whiteboards were used across the school, providing a lively visual resource. The inspectors saw pupils using computers only in the Reception class.  Marking was generally good, giving points for improvement and opportunities for pupils to respond.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are kept safe. The site is a safe environment for pupils to work and play in.  Behaviour around the school, and at playtimes and lunchtimes, is good; there is a high level of supervision that is both firm and friendly, and behavioural reward systems are in place.  Positive behaviour management strategies are used throughout the school. Adults treat pupils respectfully, and this is reciprocated.  Pupils are proud of the school and spoke favourably about the prefect system and the school council. Pupils feel that their views are listened to.  Pupils were very positive about the support, both emotional and academic, that they receive from teachers and teaching assistants. One pupil said, ‘The teachers are really supportive and keep my hopes up. There’s always a shoulder to cry on.’  Pupils told the inspectors that there is no bullying. If incidents were to occur, there is a ‘bullying box’ where pupils are given the opportunity to voice their concerns. Pupils said that incidents of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

name-calling or poor behaviour are taken seriously by the staff.  The school runs both a breakfast and after-school club. The parents and carers of pupils who persistently arrive late at school, or who have high levels of absence, are encouraged to attend the breakfast club. The school reports that this has had a positive impact on attendance and punctuality.  Staff diligently follow up unreported absence and liaise with the families of any pupils with a low attendance rate.  There are robust systems for recording behavioural and racist incidents.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 There have been several changes to the leadership team in the last year, resulting in a period of uncertainty for the school. This has now been resolved with the secondment of a deputy head- teacher to the school, and the appointment of two senior leaders, who are due to start in the autumn term, and a special educational needs coordinator, who is new to the role.  The local authority has given the school considerable support during this time of change, helping the school to gain a clear picture of current standards, and leading training for staff. It has yet to have a full impact so that leaders can demonstrate best practice by example.  The headteacher and deputy work well together, and have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school and where it requires improvement. They have started to implement plans for improvement; for example a system for monitoring teaching has been put into place. It

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The leadership and management require improvement

is too early to measure the impact of these changes yet.  Joint lesson observations with the inspection team showed that the headteacher and deputy make good judgements about the quality of lessons.  Continuing professional development of staff is a strength of the school with training being targeted closely on improving practice.  The budget is balanced and the school is well resourced, with the exception of the Nursery, which requires more resources to facilitate imaginary play.  The school’s Catholic ethos is evident throughout the school and is one of its strengths. An assembly was seen on the subject of ‘The Good Shepherd’, which was developed to encourage pupils to think about the importance of being a good role model and making moral choices. Pupils listened well and were able to discuss the concepts in a mature way.  The school values other faiths, and this can be seen by the treatment of people from different

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The leadership and management require improvement

faiths within school and by planned events like ‘Community Week’, when people from different faiths were invited into school to share their beliefs and culture.  The school tries hard to give pupils a wide range of experiences. During the inspection, pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6 gave a super dance performance on a circus theme. Pupils from Year 6 go on a residential trip to a farm in Devon, and there are numerous other visits and visitors to the school. A variety of lunchtime clubs are also available for the pupils.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The governance of the school: The governing body is hard-working and committed to the school. It supports the strong Catholic ethos which has a positive effect on the behaviour and atmosphere of the school. The governing body ensures the site is safe and that pupils are well looked after. The governors understand their statutory duties and carry them out effectively. The single central record meets all statutory requirements. Governors are diligent about undertaking training and visit the school regularly. Governors are involved in the school’s self-evaluation and monitoring of performance, and they have an accurate picture of how the school is performing in relation to schools nationally and to schools in similar circumstances. The governing body is aware of the quality of teaching in the school, and what needs to be done to improve it. It supports the headteacher as she manages staff performance. The governing body has been a driving force in making the changes to the

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The leadership and management require improvement

senior leadership team. It was able to give the inspectors examples of both support and challenge. The governors have a good understanding of the school’s finances, how the quality of teaching affects the salaries of teachers and also how the pupil premium is used to support pupils and accelerate their progress.

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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 116487 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 413178

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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 464 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Shelagh Moore Headteacher Brenda Schouller Date of previous school inspection 12–13 March 2009 Telephone number 02392 375488 Fax number 02392 214067 Email address admin@st-pauls.portsmouth.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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