Notre Dame Catholic Primary School

Notre Dame Catholic Primary School 169 Eglinton Road, London, SE18 3SJ

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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 Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because:

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because pupils’ progress is not consistently rapid as they move through the school.  Teaching has not been challenging enough over time to ensure that pupils consistently make good progress. Teachers’ expectations are sometimes not pitched at the right level.  In some lessons, pupils spend too long listening to teachers, rather than getting on with their work. As a result, pupils’ progress is slowed.  The part additional adults take in lessons is not always planned in sufficient detail to ensure they make a full contribution to pupils’ learning.  Teachers do not always ensure that pupils have read or responded to their comments and feedback on their work.  Pupils do not always get on with their work as quickly as they should. They also sometimes need reminders from staff about the behaviour that is expected, for example at break time.  Leaders’ checks on teaching sometimes focus

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because:

more on what teachers are doing in lessons than on the impact teaching has on raising pupils’ achievement. As a result they can miss things to improve.  Improvement plans do not all have precise targets measured against their impact on raising pupils’ academic achievement quickly.

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The school has the following strengths:

 Regular opportunities for younger pupils to practise reading develop their confidence in reading aloud.  Greater rigour in the way leaders and managers check the progress pupils make has helped them to be better informed about how well pupils are doing.  Pupils attend school very regularly. They know how to keep themselves safe from harm and are confident staff will sort out any problems quickly if they occur.  Leaders have made improvements, including to teaching. Governors work closely with senior leaders and demonstrate ambition for the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes and undertook some joint observations with senior managers from the school. They visited 19 lessons.  Inspectors held discussions with groups of pupils, staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors listened to groups of pupils reading. They looked at work in pupils’ books and the school’s information showing pupils’ progress.  The school’s website, development plans and records relating to safeguarding were also scrutinised.  The inspection took account of 15 responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View) and 15 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Madeleine Gerard, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Robert Ridout Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Notre Dame is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  More pupils than the national average speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is below the national average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs or at school action plus is above average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are looked after by the local authority, those known to be eligible for free school meals and the children of service families) is above the national average. There are currently no pupils who are looked after by the local authority at the school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in one Reception class.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There have been a number of recent staff changes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good and better teaching in order to accelerate pupils’ progress by:  providing motivating activities that encourage pupils to work hard and are closely matched to their individual abilities  setting pupils to do active, independent work as soon as possible in lessons and limiting the time they spend listening to teachers  making sure teachers’ planning makes clear what additional adults are expected to do during lessons so that they play a full part in supporting the learning of individuals and small groups  consistently encouraging pupils to respond to teachers’ feedback on their work.  Improve the effectiveness of leaders and managers by:  making sure development plans measure the success of key initiatives against improved achievement for pupils, and set tight deadlines for improvements  ensuring evaluations of teaching focus specifically on the extent to which teaching is ensuring

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

rapid progress.  Ensure pupils take greater responsibility for behaving sensibly at all times.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress from their starting points is uneven. It is not consistently rapid because the quality of teaching is too variable. Different year groups have had different experiences of teaching quality, and this is one reason why attainment in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6 and Year 2 has fluctuated over recent years, although it is broadly average overall.  Progress particularly requires improvement for higher-ability and lower-ability pupils, and for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Higher-ability pupils are not always sufficiently challenged by their work. Lower-ability pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are not always well supported in lessons. Extra sessions outside classrooms for selected pupils are more effective. These promote their personal and social skills and their basic English and mathematics development.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Overall, the progress of pupils from minority ethnic groups, including pupils speaking English as an additional language, requires improvement in the same way as that of their classmates. However, additional support for those pupils who are at an early stage of learning English helps them build up their knowledge of English key words, and they make good progress at this stage.  The attainment of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding shows variability, and overall these pupils do not make consistently good progress. In national tests last year, the gap between Year 6 pupils who benefited from the pupil premium and other Year 6 pupils widened. Pupils eligible for the pupil premium were nearly four terms behind the others in reading and mathematics, which is greater than the gap found nationally. They were more than two terms behind in writing, which is similar to the gap found nationally. As a result of recent targeted

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

support, the school’s current assessment information shows that these gaps are decreasing.  Reading is encouraged and promoted across the school. Pupils develop skills that help them to enjoy reading. Regular sessions to teach letters and the sounds they make (phonics) in Reception and Year 1 help pupils read unfamiliar words confidently, as the above average proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check reflects. Younger pupils read aloud to adults very regularly and older pupils also take responsibility for hearing younger pupils reading. By the end of Year 6, pupils read widely.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage join the school with skills and capabilities at below the levels expected for their age. Their attainment remains below average by the time they leave the Reception class because the progress they make requires improvement in most areas. They

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

make better progress in their creative and physical development.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement to become good because teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough and the tasks pupils are set to do are not always well planned to capture their interest.  Improvements to the frequency and quality of the checks made on pupils’ learning are helping leaders and teachers to track the progress pupils make in English and mathematics. The information gathered from assessments is used to identify pupils who need additional help, but teachers are not using it as systematically to set work that is the right level of difficulty for the full range of abilities in each class.  Teachers do not always give pupils tasks that keep them working hard throughout the lesson. When activities are not well selected to capture pupils’ interest or when pupils spend too long listening to teachers’ explanations, they become restless and their learning slows. For example,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

in a mathematics lesson pupils’ progress required improvement when the teacher spent too long going over work the pupils had already done instead of moving pupils swiftly on to new learning.  Teachers’ planning does not always make clear what additional adults need to do in order to support pupils’ achievement. When additional adults sit listening to the teacher instead of helping those who may need additional guidance, or when they concentrate more on pupils’ behaviour than on their learning, their impact on progress is diminished.  Adult-led sessions for children in the Reception class help them to develop their skills because they build on what the children know and can do already. Children were observed concentrating hard and using their knowledge of phonics to read and spell words using ‘sh’. Activities put out for children to select for themselves are not as consistently well planned, so do not extend their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

learning as effectively.  When teachers mark pupils’ work they often provide them with good advice about how they could make a piece of work better. However, teachers do not always make sure pupils reflect on their guidance to correct mistakes or attempt further challenges in order to strengthen their learning.  Relationships between adults and pupils and among the pupils themselves are positive. When teachers give pupils opportunities to discuss their ideas and work together in pairs and small groups their learning is often good and their social skills are fostered well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 Pupils do not always get on with independent tasks as swiftly as they should or concentrate hard because activities do not always motivate them to learn. As a result their behaviour dips and their attitudes to learning are not as consistently positive as they should be.  Sometimes, pupils need reminders from staff about the behaviour that is expected, for example when moving around the school and at break times.  Pupils from different backgrounds get on well together. The school tackles discrimination and promotes equality through ensuring all pupils have equal access to all the school has to offer. Together with regular collective prayer, opportunities to play musical instruments and work with artists to create sculptures, mosaics and paintings promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils are confident that incidents of bullying are rare and that staff at the school will help them

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

should any problems occur. Anti-bullying events and assemblies, guidance about safe practices when using computers, road safety workshops and cycle proficiency training help them develop a good awareness of unsafe situations and how to keep themselves from harm.  The school has successfully maintained high attendance rates through a rigorous approach to promoting the importance of attending regularly and good punctuality.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leaders and managers have not ensured the school’s good effectiveness since the previous inspection and therefore leadership and management require improvement. Nevertheless, there have been some effective improvements to the way reading is taught and in the eradication of inadequate teaching.  The outdoor learning environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage has been enhanced and the school has built effective partnerships with other local schools to support the development of teaching quality and the curriculum. These demonstrate leaders’ capacity to secure further improvement.  The school’s self-evaluation is generally accurate. Pupils’ long-term progress is carefully analysed. Development planning identifies appropriate priorities for action. However, timescales are not always ambitious enough to secure rapid improvements, and the success of initiatives is not always measured against their impact on raising pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leaders monitor teaching regularly but do not always rigorously evaluate it through checking its impact on pupils’ learning in lessons. Where the impact is not checked, it limits leaders’ ability to identify exactly where further improvements are needed and ensure consistently good teaching in all year groups.  Pupils have a good range of opportunities to take part in outings, including residential visits for pupils in Key Stage 2, visits to local places of interest and a wide variety of clubs such as gardening, cookery, orchestra and athletics.  The local authority works closely with the school to provide additional support and guidance to help it to improve further.  The governance of the school:  The governing body works closely with the school with a shared determination to drive improvements. Governors receive regular evaluations of the school’s performance and know how the school compares with other schools nationally. They know what the school does well

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The leadership and management require improvement

and where it must do better, including in the quality of teaching. They take their role in managing performance seriously. They have set a clear policy that teachers should not receive pay rises and promotion unless their teaching is leading to pupils’ good progress through the year.  Governors understand the uses to which the pupil premium funding is put, including extra sessions and enrichment opportunities. They evaluate the impact of this money against the results these pupils achieve compared with other pupils at the school. Governors attend appropriate training. They are careful to make sure that the procedures to keep pupils safe meet requirements.

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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 100179 Local authority Greenwich Inspection number 412110

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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 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Peach Headteacher Frances Neligan Date of previous school inspection 9–10 June 2010 Telephone number 020 8854 0585 Fax number 020 8317 9948 Email address sao@notredame.greenwich.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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