St Peter's RC High School

St Peter’s RC High School Kirkmanshulme Lane, Manchester, M12 4WB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The vast majority of students make good progress and achieve well. They are well prepared for future success.  Students who are disabled or who have special educational needs achieve outstandingly well because of the excellence of the care, guidance and support that they receive.  For the same reason, students who speak English as an additional language and those who join the school at other than normal times also make rapid progress and achieve well. This shows the school’s strong and highly effective promotion of equality of opportunity and tackling of discrimination.  Teaching is usually good with some that is outstanding. A small amount requires improvement.  Students generally behave well in lessons and around school. They develop more mature and positive attitudes to learning as they move up through the school.  Students feel very safe in school and are proud to be members of its community.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Students’ relationships with each other and with the adults working with them are strong and respectful.  Leaders and managers, including the governing body, are highly committed to the success of the school and especially to students’ personal development, well-being and welfare.  Students’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is outstanding. It is underpinned by the school’s strong respect for each student as an individual.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although most students make at least the progress expected of them, not enough middle- or high-ability students make better progress than expected.  Not enough teaching is outstanding and some requires improvement.  Leaders and managers are not always accurate in judging the quality and effectiveness of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 40 lessons taught by 40 teachers. Two lesson observations were carried out with members of the senior leadership team. An inspector carried out a learning walk to assess provision for a number of students for whom the school receives extra resourced provision.  Inspectors held meetings with: senior and middle leaders; a group of teaching staff; a group of teaching assistants; groups of students; three members of the governing body; and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation including: information on students’ achievement; school records relating to the monitoring of teaching, behaviour, attendance and safety; school policies; minutes of meetings of the governing body; and the school’s own summary of its effectiveness.  Inspectors took account of 47 parental responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and

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Information about this inspection

questionnaires returned by members of staff.

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Inspection team

Stephen Wall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Thomas Quinn Additional Inspector Jane Holmes Additional Inspector John Leigh Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Peter’s is similar in size to most secondary schools nationally. It is situated in an inner-city environment close to the centre of Manchester.  The school has resourced provision for 10 students who have specific learning impairment or autistic spectrum disorders. They are integrated into normal classroom teaching for most lessons.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after by the local authority.)  About 75 % of students are from a wide range of ethnic minority backgrounds. The proportion of students that speak English as an additional language is well above average.  The proportion of students supported through school action is broadly average.  The proportion of students supported by school action plus or with a statement of special

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Information about this school

educational needs is above average.  Many more students than is typical join the school at other than normal times. A significant number of these students join the school from abroad speaking little or no English.  No students attend courses off-site at other establishments.  The school meets the current government’s floor standards that set minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make all teaching at least good and increase the proportion that is outstanding to raise achievement further, especially for middle-ability and higher-ability students, by ensuring that: - all teaching uses information about what students already know and understand to set tasks for them that are neither too easy nor too hard - all teaching engages students more actively in their learning and allows them to get on with finding things out for themselves as soon as they are ready - written comments from teachers to students on their work is of a consistent quality and shows them what they need to do improve and gives them opportunities to reflect and act upon the advice given.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all leaders and managers are rigorous in checking the quality of teaching and learning to give a more accurate evaluation of how good it is and what needs to be done to improve it further.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students join the school with attainment that is generally below average.  In recent years the proportion of students attaining five or more GCSE passes at Grade C and above including English and mathematics has been above average, but not significantly so.  The vast majority of students make the progress expected of them by the end of Key Stage 4.  The proportion of middle- or higher-ability students that make better progress than this compares favourably with the national figures.  Students who are disabled or with special educational needs, those who speak English as an additional language and those who join the school at other than normal times generally make very rapid progress and achieve outstandingly well considering their individual starting points because of the highly effective and sophisticated care, guidance and support that the school provides for them. This demonstrates the school’s highly effective promotion of equal

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The achievement of pupils is good

opportunities and tackling of discrimination.  Students for whom the school receives extra resourced funding also achieve exceptionally well because of the high quality of support that they receive from dedicated support staff.  The attainment of students who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium is significantly above that of similar students nationally. Students known to be eligible for free school meals attain, on average, approximately two-thirds of a GCSE grade lower in English and mathematics than other students in the school. Information about students’ progress shows that effective action taken by the school in recent years is closing the gap securely.  The school uses Year 7 catch-up funding effectively to provide extra support for lower-attaining students in reading and mathematics. The school’s records show that these students are making quicker progress as a result of the measures the school has put in place.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school enters students early for GCSE in English and mathematics at the end of Year 10. The results are used to re-organise teaching groups in Year 11 to boost students’ grades further. Data and inspection evidence show that this is a successful strategy that contributes to students’ good overall achievement in literacy and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where learning is at its best, it is as a result of outstanding teaching. Lessons move a long at a fast pace. Teachers involve students actively in their own learning and encourage them to work things out for themselves. Teachers get the level of challenge exactly right for students’ differing abilities and needs. They build on what students already know and boost the level of difficulty in a step-by-step fashion. As a result, students enjoy working on their own and finding things out for themselves, only relying on teachers’ help when necessary.  In a Year 10 English lesson, for example, on studying characters in ‘An Inspector Calls’, students worked with intense interest and commitment on a variety of appropriately challenging activities. These activities were varied and captured students’ interest totally. It made an outstanding contribution to extending their literacy skills, especially their vocabulary. Students made

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The quality of teaching is good

excellent progress and enjoyed their learning immensely.  Where teaching is less than outstanding, teachers do not always get the level of challenge right, especially for middle- and higher-ability students who sometimes find the work either too easy or too difficult.  Many lessons move along at a good pace and with a good variety of activities to keep students interested and on their toes. However, on some occasions teachers spend too much time on explanations too long after students are ready and eager to get on with learning things for themselves. This holds up the pace of learning and progress.  The teaching of English and mathematics is usually good and sometimes outstanding. As a result, students make good progress in developing their reading, writing, speaking and number skills. This prepares them well for future education, training and employment.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to supporting the welfare and learning of

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The quality of teaching is good

students who are disabled or who have special educational needs. They are exceptionally effective in supporting students for whom the school receives extra resource funding.  Similarly, students who join the school at other than normal times and students who are at an early stage of speaking English as an additional language receive excellent support that enables them to make very rapid progress.  The quality of marking is inconsistent. Although most books are marked regularly, the quality of teachers’ feedback does not always show clearly enough what students need to do to improve their work. There are too few examples in students’ books of them acting on teachers’ comments and advice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students enjoy school. The vast majority behave well around school and in lessons. They get on exceptionally well together. Students who are disabled or who have special educational needs, including students for whom the school receives resource funding, are treated with unerring respect and are encouraged to play a full part in school life.  Students have positive attitudes to learning in most lessons. Sometimes, however, when teaching fails to stimulate students’ interest, a lack of concentration leads to some off task chatter and this slows progress.  Students say that bullying of any kind is very rare. This is confirmed by school records of incidents for recent years. Students say that on the few occasions when bullying happens, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively.  Students say that they feel very safe in school. Students talk knowledgeably about what constitutes potentially unsafe situations and how to recognise, avoid or deal with them. They

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

understand fully the dangers posed by inappropriate use of the internet and social networking sites.  Attendance is above average and improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers work very effectively to include every student fully into the life of the school and to make sure that every student has equality of opportunity to succeed. Teamwork is strong across the school in pursuit of this principle.  The leadership and management of provision for students who are disabled or who have special educational needs and students who speak English as an additional language or who join the school at other than normal times is outstanding. As a result, these students settle successfully into the school’s caring and welcoming environment.  Leaders and managers check on the quality of teaching regularly. However, judgements are not always accurate and lead to an overall view that its quality is much higher than it is, especially for the proportion of teaching that is outstanding. This makes it difficult for leaders and managers to pin-point accurately what should be the focus for developing further the quality of

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The leadership and management are good

teaching and its impact on raising achievement.  Systems for checking on the progress of students towards targets are sophisticated and applied regularly throughout the year. The outcomes are used effectively to identify students who are not doing as well as they should so that support can be provided to get them back on track.  The progress of pupils underpins procedures for managing the performance of staff, which is linked effectively to decisions about progression up the salary scale.  The curriculum meets students’ needs well. It provides students with a good range of opportunities to develop and use their skills in reading, writing and mathematics across a wide range of subjects. There is a wide range of clubs and sporting activities in school and in the local community that adds significantly to students’ personal development.  Leaders and mangers ensure that there is a clear sense of purpose for the school based on

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The leadership and management are good

Christian values of compassion, understanding and reconciliation. As a result, students’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is outstanding. They are exceptionally well prepared for life in a multicultural society.  Leaders and managers work closely and effectively with a range of other schools to share expertise. Pupil premium funding is used very effectively to provide extra resources and teaching assistants to support the learning, welfare and achievement of students who are known to be eligible for its receipt.  Very strong relationships with parents have been forged. Parents are exceptionally supportive of the school.  Policies and procedures for safeguarding fully meet requirements.  The local authority provides light touch support for this good school.  The governance of the school:  Governors are passionately committed to the success of the school. The governing body holds

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The leadership and management are good

the school effectively to account. It uses information about the school’s performance well to compare its effectiveness with other schools both locally and nationally to identify where it could do better. The governing body fully understands the operation of performance management in the school and monitors closely its links with salary progression. The governing body has a firm grasp on the school’s finances including the effective allocation of pupil premium to close the gap in attainment between students that are supported by it and those who are not. Governors take part regularly in training so that they keep abreast of developments and hold the school to account for its effectiveness.

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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 131880 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 412039

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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 Secondary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 900 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair William Egerton Headteacher John McNerney Date of previous school inspection 19 November 2009 Telephone number 0161 2481550 Fax number 0161 2481551 Email address jmcnerney@stpetershigh.com 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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