Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Holy Family Catholic Primary School Penny Park Lane, Coventry, CV6 2GU

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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.  Improvements have been made in very many aspects of the school’s work since the last inspection because of the very strong and determined leadership of the headteacher and other school leaders.  Teaching is typically good and some is outstanding. Teachers and pupils have supportive relationships and teachers plan lessons that help them to learn.  Pupils’ achievement is good. They make good progress, and attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make good progress because they enjoy the broad and interesting range of activities they are given. Early reading skills are taught well.  Pupils speak very positively about their school, behave well and have a clear sense of right and wrong. All staff see it as important to encourage pupils to think about behaviour and, as a result, pupils are respectful and treat

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

adults and each other with great courtesy.  The range of additional opportunities offered to pupils, including developing their skills in art and music, gives pupils a rich experience in school.  The governing body has contributed well to the school’s improvement. Governors are now able to hold leaders to account for the school’s performance.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching across the school.  Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to develop pupils’ independence so they can learn and explore without direct supervision.  Occasionally, teaching does not challenge the more able.  In a few lessons, teachers do not act swiftly to tackle pupils’ misunderstandings about the work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 27 lessons, four of which were joint observations with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspection team made a number of short visits to observe one-to-one support and small group sessions.  Inspectors attended a school assembly and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with staff, governors, pupils and a local authority representative.  Inspectors spoke informally to a number of parents and carers as they brought their children to school.  The inspectors took account of 69 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), they also analysed 31 questionnaires received from the staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documents and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lucy Maughan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christine Bray Additional Inspector Edgar Hastings Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding (which provides additional funding for groups of pupils including those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  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?

 Increase the proportion of teaching that is outstanding, and ensure that it is seldom less than good by:  making sure that all teachers react promptly in lessons to pupils’ errors and misunderstandings, particularly in mathematics  challenging more-able pupils by giving them harder, open-ended work which enables them to think for themselves  maximising the time pupils have in all lessons to work independently.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When children join the school in the Early Years Foundation Stage, they have skills and knowledge below that expected for their age. Through a wide range of exciting, well-planned activities in the classroom and outdoors children make a good start to their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is a strength in the school. Its results in the Year 1 reading check were above average in 2012, and in 2013 they were even better. The systematic teaching of phonics (linking letters and sounds) gets children quickly through the first stages of reading. Pupils speak enthusiastically about their favourite authors and the opportunities to read often in school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics have remained consistent over time with pupils reaching standards that are broadly in line with national expectations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the time pupils have reached the end of Key Stage 2, their attainment is above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Most pupils make progress at least as expected for their age, with an increasing proportion making progress that is better than this. Though progress is good, information about Key Stage 2 results shows lower ability and middle ability pupils have tended to make more rapid progress than the most able.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good and rapidly improving progress across the school. They receive considerable support from very skilful teaching assistants. Currently, they reach standards by the end of Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics that are above similar pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language are provided with extra, targeted help and because of this, make good progress with some making even more rapid gains.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are known to be eligible for pupil premium make good progress in all areas. This is because the school has used the funding for these pupils to employ and train teachers and teaching assistants to deliver effective support programmes. Currently, these pupils are on average one term below their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. However, this gap in attainment has completely closed in some year groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good, and on occasions it is outstanding. Senior leaders regularly check the quality of teaching and have high expectations of teachers’ performance. This has led to increased consistency in the quality of teaching and has had a positive impact on pupils’ progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults provide interesting and practical activities that effectively meet children’s needs. There is a good balance between activities led by adults and those chosen by children. Adults effectively show children how to improve their skills, such as in using paint to create firework pictures.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In Years 1 to 6, teachers have good subject knowledge and explain new ideas clearly and confidently. Teachers have high expectations of what most pupils can achieve and pupils respond positively by getting on well with their work.  Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning effectively to find out what pupils know and to extend their knowledge and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants provide effective support to teachers and pupils, particularly when working with disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those pupils who speak English as an additional language. Interventions by adults, whether on a one-to-one basis or in small groups, are very effective in supporting those pupils’ individual learning and social needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the most successful lessons, teachers make it clear to pupils what they are going to learn. The pace of learning is maintained throughout and teachers make regular checks on pupils’ understanding so that any problems can be dealt with quickly. However, in a minority of lessons, particularly in mathematics, teachers do not act swiftly enough to tackle any misconceptions that have developed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Recent changes to marking and the way teachers provide feedback to pupils on their work have had a good impact and pupils’ good responses to this advice are evident in books. The feedback that teachers provide in books helps pupils know what they have done well and how they can improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use the data available to them to plan lessons that interest their pupils. However, on occasions the work set does not provide pupils with enough opportunity to work independently, which limits how well pupils are acquiring learning skills they will need later. In some lessons there are missed opportunities to challenge the more able so that they could maximise their progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they enjoy school with one pupil stating ‘we are like a big family’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is typically good. Relationships are strong and expectations are clear. When the quality of teaching is outstanding, pupils work exceptionally hard and display highly positive attitudes to learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Around school, pupils display good manners and behaviour. They treat staff, visitors and each other with courtesy and respect. On the playground, pupils interact well and report that they enjoy the play equipment that the school provides.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of the different types of bullying, such as physical and cyber bullying and name-calling. They say that bullying never happens at Holy Family and are very confident that staff would deal with bullying very quickly if it did occur.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All parents who responded to Parent View and those who spoke to inspectors are happy that their children are safe in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are enthusiastic about taking on responsibilities, such as being members of the school council, librarians, leading worship and running a school bank. They carry out their roles diligently and, in so doing, they give pupils a voice in how the school develops.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides a strong lead by putting a firm focus on continuously improving teaching so pupils achieve more. Leaders and managers expect the best from all pupils and the headteacher sets the tone for this. The school is well placed to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has a clear and effective system to track pupils’ progress. As a result, the school is able to identify quickly where progress is less than good and put in place systems to accelerate learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The increasingly effective leadership team is well focused on ensuring that pupils’ achievements are the best they can be, promoting equal opportunities well.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure that a wide range of extracurricular activities are accessible for pupils, particularly sport where participation rates in clubs and physical education are high. The Primary Sports Funding is also being used to support teachers in the delivery of lessons. The school has measured the impact of these initiatives, and can demonstrate they are starting to raise standards and fitness.

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The leadership and management are good

 Changes to the curriculum have ensured that as pupils move through the school, they have opportunities to secure their English and mathematics skills through work in other subjects. Pupils enjoy taking part in a wide range of activities including working with a resident artist and learning various musical instruments, as well as trips and visits; for example, trips to Coventry Cathedral and Alton Castle that help to enrich their experience.

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The leadership and management are good

 In such ways the curriculum makes a positive contribution towards pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and continues to improve pupils’ academic and personal development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The staff are extremely committed to their work. The staff questionnaires reflect high morale and a strong team spirit.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has been supportive and effective in assisting the school’s good improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Since the previous inspection, governors have utilised individual skills to develop further as a governing body. They now have a secure overview, are confident in setting strategy for the school and are effective in monitoring teaching and pupils’ progress. They receive detailed reports from the headteacher and other school leaders but also visit the school to find out for themselves and then challenge leaders. The governing body has an accurate view of the quality of teaching and checks the way staff move up the salary scale. It makes sure all safeguarding arrangements are met. The governing body has a good grasp of the school budget, including pupil premium funding, making sure it is used to support pupils in order to promote good achievement.

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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 103726 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 426939

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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 470 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Barbara Nugent Headteacher Carmel Farrelly Date of previous school inspection 21 November 2011 Telephone number 02476 333631 Fax number 02476 333944 Email address admin@holyfamily.coventry.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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