St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Dewsbury)Ofsted inspection, 11 Oct 2013

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School (Dewsbury) Healds Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF13 4HY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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 and in particular for the most-able. In some aspects of mathematics pupils lack confidence in applying their basic skills in solving mathematical problems.  The quality of teaching is too variable to secure consistently good learning. This is because in some lessons, pupils are not given precise guidance about what to do.  Pupils are not always aware how to improve their work to achieve their targets; nor are they given sufficient opportunities to do so.  Some pupils’ attitudes to learning require improvement, usually when they are not encouraged quickly enough to start working.  Some leaders, new to post, are at an early stage of checking and evaluating the quality of teaching. Consequently there is an inconsistency in the quality of challenge and support teachers receive.  Leaders are sometimes too generous in their assessments of how well the school is doing.

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

Consequently their actions to improve the school are not always best focused on areas of need.  While improvements have taken place, the impact of leaders and governors has not always been sufficient to ensure that teaching and achievement are good.

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The school has the following strengths

 Standards are rising and pupils are making better progress than previously. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because of the good support they receive.  Pupils generally behave well around the school.  Pupils access a good range of musical and sporting experiences which adds to their overall personal development and well-being.  The school staff are caring and offer good support to pupils and their families; parents are very supportive of the school.  The leadership is being successful in raising pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 part-lessons, four of which were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were conducted with governors, the staff team and three groups of pupils. In addition, telephone conversations were held with two representatives of the local authority.  Information from the scrutiny of a range of school documentation contributed to inspection judgements. These included the details relating to safeguarding, the school improvement plan, the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance and records of pupils’ standards and progress.  An analysis was made of the 33 responses posted on the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). In addition, an evaluation was made of the recent questionnaire of parents’ views carried out by the school.  An analysis of 25 staff questionnaires, together with an on-going dialogue with teachers and teaching assistants, gave the inspectors an insight into the views of the staff.

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Inspection team

David Byrne, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Dina Martin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils is of White British heritage. An above average proportion is from other ethnic backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational need is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below 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.  Many changes in staffing have occurred since the last inspection. During the inspection, three teachers were in their second year of teaching and one newly qualified teacher was in post. The deputy headteacher was unavoidably absent. Since the previous inspection, new appointments have been made to the senior leadership team. These include a leader for mathematics and a

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Information about this school

co-ordinator of assessment across the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to be consistently good or better to improve pupils’ attitudes to learning, rapidly increase the rate at which pupils make progress and secure higher standards, particularly in mathematics, by teachers: - ensuring that the needs of all pupils, especially the most-able are consistently planned for and effectively met - enabling pupils to understand the purpose of each lesson and what they need to do to learn well through effective use of questioning to stretch pupils, especially the most-able - moving learning along at a brisk pace and enabling all pupils to be fully involved in their learning, in order that they think for themselves and are independent in their learning - providing opportunities for pupils to improve their work especially through marking which gives them clear guidance on how to improve and which is closely linked to their targets for improvement - providing pupils with more opportunities to apply their basic skills of mathematics to solve

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership and management at all levels in order to sustain and build on the current improvements under way in the school by: - improving the checks that new leaders make on the quality of teaching so that effective support is swiftly provided where weaknesses are apparent - securing a more accurate view of the school’s performance and creating more specific targets for its improvement that can be monitored and evaluated accurately - strengthening the curriculum in order that it fully meets the needs of the most-able pupils - securing a clear policy and accompanying strategy to enable the needs of the most-able pupils to be met.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because the progress of the most-able pupils is not fast enough. Over time, standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 have not been consistently high enough; however, in 2013 signs of improvement, for example in mathematics were apparent by the end of Year 6. This said, the progress made by pupils is still too uneven. While pupils in Years 5 and 6 often achieve well, pupils in Years 3 and 4 have not developed their skills rapidly enough because of previous weaknesses in teaching.  Children start the Reception Year with skills that are overall broadly in line with, but sometimes higher than, that typical for their age, with many demonstrating good personal skills and a curiosity to learn. By the time they leave the Reception Year these qualities have generally developed well and the proportion of children reaching a good level of development is above average.  Standards at the end of Year 2 are improving steadily. The percentage of pupils reaching

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

expected standards in the phonics screening check in Year 1 rose substantially in 2013 to above average. In 2012 standards were above average in reading writing and mathematics. The most recent teacher assessments for 2013 indicate a similar picture. This is due to leaders improving the curriculum for mathematics and raising the profile of writing, backed by extensive staff training.  Measures taken by leaders have brought about more rapid improvement in Key Stage 2 over the past year. Provisional data for 2013 indicate strong improvement in mathematics at Year 6 where attainment rose to significantly above average; attainment in writing was above average, but broadly average in reading.  The large majority of pupils enjoy reading and become competent writers. Standards in reading are average at the end of Year 6 but this is not a true reflection of the ability of the most-able pupils. The pupils’ calculation skills in mathematics are improving strongly; however, the ability

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

of pupils to apply mathematical skills independently to a wide range of contexts holds back progress particularly for the most-able.  Data held by the school indicate that the small number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals makes good progress. However, their attainment is lower than that of other pupils in the school. Senior leaders and governors are aware of this gap and are employing additional staff to give academic support to pupils in developing their literacy and numeracy skills. Such strategies are accelerating their progress and beginning to narrow the gaps in the performance of such pupils and that of others in the school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Pupils receive good support tailored to their needs both in class and through focused small groups, for example in mathematics and reading.  The pupils who are from minority ethnic backgrounds and with English as an additional language

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

generally have a very good command of English. The large majority achieve similarly to other pupils in the school.  Pupils’ involvement in sport is good and enhances their health and well-being. The school enjoys success in a range of inter-schools sports events. The school sport fund is allocated to widen the curriculum for all pupils. A wide range of extra-curricular sports events is available to pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 While there is some good teaching, much requires improvement and not enough is consistently good. At the start of the current academic year some teachers moved to a different key stage and this is leading to inconsistencies, as they are now teaching in phases with which they are not totally familiar. Teachers are not always setting work at the right level for all pupils. This means some pupils, especially the most-able, are not given hard enough work and challenging enough learning throughout the lesson and so do not make the progress they could.  Opportunities in lessons for pupils to explore and investigate with reasonable independence, for example in mathematics, are often restricted. Questioning by adults is not always used skilfully enough to stretch pupils in lessons or enable to them to think for themselves and be independent. Pupils with their own thoughts and ideas are not always given enough scope to express

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

themselves. These pupils lose concentration and enthusiasm and are often slow to get on with their work.  Marking is carried out regularly but its quality varies between classes and subjects. Too little time is made available for pupils to learn from mistakes and correct their work. At times, pupils are not clear about their academic targets, which limits their scope to understand their achievement and how to improve in future.  In the Reception Year teaching emphasises the development of basic literacy and numeracy. The quality of phonics teaching has improved, enabling children to make better progress in reading and in the early stages of writing. The provision for, and use of, outdoor learning is adequate but does not reflect the best practice for younger children to develop and apply their learning.  In Key Stages 1 and 2, improvements in the teaching of writing are raising standards. Reading

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

has a high priority and much investment has created a new library and purchased books suitable for boys. Teachers and teaching assistants work together as a good team in promoting enjoyment of books although the proportion of pupils exceeding expectations for their age across the school is not as high as it could be.  Pupils with disabilities and special educational needs settle into the school and progress well. This is because of the good support offered by a skilled team of teaching assistants and intervention support teachers, who have a good understanding of the pupils’ needs.  The few pupils who need support to acquire English as an additional language are identified and their progress checked. The availability of bilingual staff helps some pupils new to the school build their confidence in the classroom and hence develop their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are keen to learn, but when work is not matched closely enough to their abilities and restricts their active involvement, some become restless and stop learning. This is why behaviour and safety overall require improvement. In a number of classes pupils commented that they were bored and confused because they were not sure of the purpose of their lessons and some said work was too easy.  Parents who responded to the school’s own survey and Parent View generally feel that behaviour is managed well but a small percentage does not agree. Inspectors found that bullying of any kind is rare. At all times, pupils are friendly and polite towards adults and each other. They say they feel safe and have a good awareness of the different types of bullying, including cyber- bullying.  Behaviour at playtimes and lunch times is good; pupils enjoy the activities on offer. Older pupils are proud of their roles as playground leaders, sharing small games with younger ones at

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

lunchtimes. Pupils of all ages are proud to represent their class on the school council and keen to raise funds through a variety of charity events for others less fortunate than themselves.  Skilled staff provide effective support for emotionally vulnerable pupils. A range of strategies enables such pupils to manage personal challenges so that they can derive good benefit from the curriculum. All pupils are aware of the moral code which is promoted through the weekly ethos statement. Pupils react with pride when they gain an award in the celebration assembly. Such awards range from recognition for hard work, making good academic progress to rewarding an act of kindness or good citizenship.  Attendance is average and improving. Incentives such as the trophy for the class with the highest attendance and the weekly draw for pupils who attend 100% encourage regular attendance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because while a firm start has been made to improve teaching and achievement, more remains to be done to improve teaching further and secure good progress across the school.  The headteacher and senior leaders have introduced important changes which are bringing about improvements in the school. The skills of the leaders of English and mathematics have been bolstered through additional training; however, they are not yet having enough influence on teaching to secure rapid progress in all classes. A senior leader has been appointed to manage assessment data and this is helping to identify pupils at risk of falling behind and to enable staff to provide these pupils with the necessary timely support.  Targets in the school development plan are, however, not specific enough to ensure an accurate evaluation of the impact on achievement of the actions taken.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 A strength of the school is its provision for pupils with disabilities and special educational needs and its success in securing high levels of care. This reflects the school’s commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and removing discrimination. This commitment has not, however, been realised sufficiently because the leadership is not fully effective in providing for the needs of the most-able pupils.  Expectations have recently been raised for the performance of teachers. Each teacher is accountable for their pupils’ progress and the teacher’s movement up the pay scale is based on achieving targets relating to this. A wide range of professional training is encouraged and has a beneficial impact on some aspects of learning. For example, skilled staff are now in place supporting individuals and groups of pupils who need specific teaching in basic number in mathematics.  The curriculum provides suitable breadth of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

The strength of the curriculum lies in music and sport and promotes good levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The weakness of the curriculum is the lack of challenge for the most-able pupils.  Parents are very keen to support the school and their children’s learning at home. The large majority expresses satisfaction with the school but a significant minority feels that they would like more information about their children’s achievement. The leadership is aware of this and is in the process of reviewing its systems for communicating with parents.  A close partnership with the local authority and diocese has contributed to the recent improvement, for example in standards in phonics at Key Stage 1. Through this partnership, senior leaders are supported with objective analyses of the school’s performance and all staff have opportunities to work with other schools and attend training.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has undergone a number of changes since the previous inspection. It is fully aware of the need to raise achievement and is in the process of taking steps to improve further. Governors have added rigour to their visits to the school. They check on the quality of teaching by visiting classrooms, talking with staff and listening to pupils. Records of governing body meetings show that governors ask challenging questions to hold the headteacher and senior leaders to account for school improvement.  Governors are involved in staffing appointments and are keen to gel the staff together. The targets for the headteacher and staff now place a greater focus on securing better achievement for pupils. Governors carefully monitor how the pupil premium funding is spent: they are aware of the decisions to use funds to enable such pupils to access all aspects of the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

curriculum and avoid being excluded from events such as school trips. They understand the impact of the funding on pupils’ progress is by referring to the assessment data provided by the school. Governors conduct regular health and safety checks and make sure that national requirements for safeguarding and child protection are fully met.

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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 107733 Local authority Kirklees Inspection number 425765

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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 216 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Leigh Manton Headteacher Maureen Fletcher Date of previous school inspection 26 September 2011 Telephone number 01924 325327 Fax number 01924 325322 Email address office.stjosephsdews@edukirklees.net 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

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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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