Holy Family VA RC Primary School

Holy Family VA RC Primary School 3 Lower Seedley Road, Salford, M6 5WX,

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Pupils achieve well. They make good and often rapid progress, very often from low starting points. Standards are rising swiftly, with the majority of pupils reaching nationally expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Pupils who have special educational needs, those who speak English as their additional language and those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and pupil premium funding all achieve well because teaching is carefully matched to their individual needs.  Effective action taken by leaders has brought about significant improvements in teaching and in pupils’ achievement over the period since the last inspection.  Teaching is consistently good, with some outstanding elements. As a result, pupils thoroughly enjoy their lessons and their achievement has improved since the time of the school’s last inspection.  Pupils behave well in school, showing positive

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

attitudes to learning. Pupils feel very safe and secure and enjoy trusting relationships with the adults in school. All of this is enabling them to learn and progress successfully.  The new headteacher has brought stability and a clear sense of purpose. Ably supported by the deputy headteacher, she has brought about significant improvements over a very short time. A united staff team and well- informed governors all share her determination to achieve the best possible outcomes for all pupils. Effective senior and middle leaders contribute well to implementing improvements.  All pupils benefit greatly from the school’s high quality provision for physical education and sport, which contributes significantly to their health and well-being and to their enjoyment of school.  Parents expressed great appreciation of the school’s work and of their children’s improved progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not yet enough outstanding teaching to move the school to the next level.  Not enough pupils reach the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stages 1 and 2.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons. They listened to pupils read in Years 2, 3 and 6 and held discussions with pupils about the books they have enjoyed and those they are currently reading.  Meetings were held with four members of the governing body, with senior and middle leaders, with a group of pupils and with a representative of the local authority.  There were too few responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) to be analysed by Ofsted. Inspectors took account of the school’s own most recent surveys of parents’ views and of a letter from an individual parent. An inspector also met with a group of parents and spoke with a number of individual parents to hear their views about the school.  Inspectors took into account the views that staff expressed in the questionnaires they completed.  They observed the school’s work. They inspected the written work in pupils’ books and also looked at a wide range of documentation, including safeguarding documents, the school

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Information about this inspection

development plan, records of pupils’ attainment and progress and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Diane Auton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Geoffrey Yates Additional Inspector Frances Farnorth Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is similar in size to most other primary schools.  Around half of the pupils in school are White British with around half from a range of other ethnic backgrounds and heritages. Over a third of pupils speak English as their additional language and a small proportion of pupils are at an early stage of learning to speak English.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is considerably above average. This additional government funding is provided for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  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 in English and mathematics.  The school opened in January 2011. There have been a number of changes in both staffing and leadership since the school’s last inspection. A new headteacher, who had been acting headteacher since September 2011, was appointed in September 2012. A new deputy headteacher and two new senior teachers were appointed in May 2012.  The school achieved the Sports Kite Mark Gold Award in September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in the school by continuing to keep rigorous checks on teaching and to share the most effective practice.  Increase the proportion of pupils across the school who are working above the levels expected for their age by ensuring that the most-able pupils are always given the challenge and support they need.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children join the Nursery class with skills that are below those usually expected for their age, especially in language and communication. Children make outstanding progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, so that by the end of the Reception Year most children are working at the expected levels for their age. Some children are at a very early stage of learning to speak English when they arrive in the Nursery class. Their communication skills develop rapidly because they are well supported. This means that they, like all of the children, are well prepared for Key Stage 1.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics were broadly average at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2012; in 2013, standards rose higher with an above average proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in all subjects. The proportion reaching the higher level also increased in 2013, although it was still a little below average. The school’s records show that most pupils made

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The achievement of pupils is good

more than the nationally expected rates of progress in Key Stage 1 during the last school year in all three subjects.  During the last school year, most pupils in Key Stage 2 made the expected rate of progress in reading, writing and mathematics. A majority of pupils did better than this and made more than the expected rate of progress in all three subjects.  Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 were below average in 2011 and 2012. The school’s records show a marked improvement in attainment in 2013, with the majority of pupils reaching the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics. More pupils reached the higher level than in the previous years. These outcomes represent good progress from pupils’ starting points when they joined this new school three years ago. The proportions of pupils reaching the higher levels were still below national expectations, however, and the school is aware that there is more to do

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The achievement of pupils is good

to ensure that all of its most-able pupils do as well as they possibly could.  Standards in reading are rising rapidly across the school. At the end of Year 2 in 2013, there was a significant increase in the number of pupils who reached the higher level in reading. Currently, by the time pupils leave the school in Year 6 the majority can read at the expected standard for their age; inspection evidence shows that this is an improving picture, with an ongoing improvement in reading standards set to continue. Pupils across the age range show a genuine interest in books and an enjoyment of reading.  The proportion of pupils who met the required standard in the Year 1 check on their phonic skills, which investigates their knowledge of letters and sounds, was above average in 2012 and again in 2013, reflecting the excellent start children make in learning to read in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and for pupil premium funding achieved well in

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The achievement of pupils is good

Year 6 in 2013. The school’s records show they did equally well across all of the other year groups in school. The majority of pupils in this large group made more than nationally expected progress during the year in reading, writing and mathematics. The gaps that had been evident in previous years between the standards they reached and those reached by the other pupils in the school have now closed. This reflects effective action by the school and an uncompromising commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for every pupil.  Further evidence of this was seen in the good achievement of pupils with special educational needs and of pupils who speak English as an additional language. Pupils in both of these groups often make rapid gains as a result of the effective individual support they receive.  The school keeps careful checks on the progress of all groups across the year and takes decisive action, when required, to ensure that any identified gaps in achievement are addressed. For

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The achievement of pupils is good

example, the school has identified small numbers of pupils in Key Stage 2 who still need to ‘catch up’ in developing and consolidating their skills in writing and mathematics; these pupils receive highly structured support through small-group teaching and are making good progress as a result.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching was judged satisfactory at the school’s last inspection. It is now good overall, and a small proportion is outstanding. This is resulting in ongoing improvements in pupils’ achievement.  Good teaching is helping pupils to learn and progress well. Typical features include: well-planned lessons with activities matched to pupils’ learning needs and interests; lessons that move along at a brisk pace so that pupils’ interest is fully engaged throughout; effective explanations of what pupils are expected to do and to learn, giving them a clear understanding of the purpose of the lessons and of how to move their learning forward.  Positive relationships between pupils and adults in the classroom and effective teamwork between teachers and skilful teaching assistants all contribute very strongly to pupils’ learning and progress.  Effective teaching and a lively curriculum in the Early Years Foundation Stage enable children to

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The quality of teaching is good

make a very good start in their early learning and to establish the positive attitudes they take with them as they move up into Key Stage 1.  Where teaching is outstanding, teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve; they structure and plan lessons with great care, so that everyone is given the correct balance of challenge and support and so that pupils of all abilities are enabled to make excellent progress. This was seen, for example, in a session on letters and sounds in the Reception class, where children, grouped by ability, greatly enjoyed learning a new sound. The children were also able to show they could identify and use the sounds they had already learned with confidence. Staff showed expertise in their teaching and in their ability to help children to say the sounds correctly, ensuring everyone participated and understood what to do.  Where teaching is good, rather than outstanding, lessons support pupils’ overall learning and

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The quality of teaching is good

progress well. Sometimes, however, the level of challenge and the pace of learning are not always matched as closely to the needs of the most-able pupils as they are in the outstanding lessons.  Teachers and teaching assistants work together well in providing extra support in lessons for those pupils who require it, including less-able pupils, those with special educational needs and those who are at early stages of developing their skills in learning to speak English. This means that pupils in all of these groups are given the time and assistance they need to build their self- confidence and make progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attitudes to school and their work have improved since the last inspection, when they were judged to be only satisfactory. This improvement is having a good impact on the progress they make.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and they are polite and considerate. They feel ‘incredibly’ safe in school, saying they know that if they have any sort of problem help is always on hand. They spoke appreciatively about the ‘Place2Be’ project in school and the help it provides for pupils who may be vulnerable or anxious. The Learning Mentor, who ‘is always ready to listen when you need her’, is also identified by pupils and parents as an important source of personal support.  Behaviour in lessons is good and pupils usually apply themselves well to their work. Their books show that they try hard to present their work neatly. They listen well to their teachers’ instructions in lessons. They are also learning to listen to each other’s ideas and views and show

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

an increasing ability to take part in thoughtful discussions or to work successfully with a partner or in a group in class.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying. They say that bullying does happen occasionally in school but that staff always deal with it very quickly.  Pupils with additional learning, health, social or language needs are included in everything on offer and are supported extremely well. The school provides sensitive and caring support for pupils and families whose circumstances might make them vulnerable and several parents expressed their appreciation of this. Staff work productively with a range of agencies to ensure that support is targeted appropriately.  Attendance rates have been a problem in recent times. The school works hard to assist families where pupils may be at risk of poor attendance and provides a range of support actions where

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

this is the case. As a result, attendance rates are improving and are now in line with national average figures.

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The leadership and management are good

 The last inspection report recognised the good start the headteacher had made in her first term as acting headteacher. She has continued to build on this, moving the school’s overall effectiveness up from satisfactory to good. She is clear-sighted about what needs to be done next to make the school even better; she has created a strong staff team who, together with governors, wholeheartedly share her vision and ambition for excellence for every pupil.  The deputy headteacher, the key stage leaders and the special educational needs coordinator all make strong contributions to school development and are positive role models for colleagues.  Systems for checking on pupils’ progress have been fully revised and are now robust. This gives staff clear and regular information about how well every pupil is doing, enabling the school to identify and support anyone who may be underachieving. So far, this has had the strongest

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The leadership and management are good

impact on helping pupils of lower and average ability to make improved progress. Work is under way to ensure that all of the most-able pupils are identified at an early stage, so that the school can be sure they are given the support they need to reach the higher levels of attainment.  The school checks the effect of its support for all of the different groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs, the most-able pupils, those with English as their additional language and those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium. This is helping to ensure pupils’ good progress.  Regular checks are made on the quality and effect of teaching. Senior staff are increasingly involved in assisting the headteacher in this task and all staff work together well and share good practice. All of this is supported by a programme of training for all staff, including teaching

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The leadership and management are good

assistants, and this is helping to keep staff skills sharp and up to date. This good leadership practice requires further implementation in order to increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in the school.  The curriculum contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Subjects are brought together into topics that capture pupils’ interests well. It is enriched by visiting specialists’ contributions and by visits to places of interest.  The school has used its primary sport funding very effectively to provide specialist coaching and tuition. Pupils of all ages enthusiastically participate in regular, high-quality sport and physical education activities in timetabled lessons and through a good range of after-school activities.  The school values the regular advisory and consultant support provided by the local authority, which has helped it to continue to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have faced many challenges in the early years of the new school’s existence. They have made some difficult decisions, taken decisive actions and made some astute staff and senior appointments to ensure effective leadership and good quality teaching. With the assistance of the local authority and the diocese, they have now successfully achieved their ambition to achieve good overall effectiveness in the school.  Regular reviews and comparisons of data on pupils’ progress give governors a clear overview of pupils’ performance and of the quality and effect of teaching. This means that they are increasingly able to hold the school to account and to ask searching questions from a well- informed standpoint.  Governors ensure that performance management systems are robust and that leaders and staff are set challenging targets linked to pupils’ progress and school priorities. They are fully

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The leadership and management are good

aware of the link between the achievement of these targets and salary progression.  The governing body gives good support to the headteacher in meeting safeguarding responsibilities, particularly regarding the safety of pupils and staff appointments, and in ensuring that equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination is not tolerated.  Governors ensure that the pupil premium funding is spent wisely, for example on providing additional individual or small group support for pupils who need it. They keep a regular check on the impact of this expenditure on the learning and progress of this group of pupils.

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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 136080 Local authority Salford Inspection number 426173

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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 241 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Trueman Headteacher Anna Marie Shanley Date of previous school inspection 14 February 2012 Telephone number 0161 921 2900 Fax number Not applicable Email address holyfamily@salford.co.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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