Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Holy Family Catholic Primary School High Street, Langley, Berkshire, SL3 8NF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 from the Nursery through to Year 6. Their attainment in reading and mathematics is high by the time they leave the school.  The quality of boys’ writing has improved steadily since the last inspection. Attainment in writing is now above average and improving strongly all through the school.  Good teaching is based on excellent relationships and thorough preparation.  All parents and carers responding to the online questionnaire, Parent View, say their children are well looked after, happy and feel safe.  Pupils behave very well all around the school and show good care for one another. They are eager to please their teachers and try hard.  School leaders create effective teams, they ensure that high attainment is maintained over time and that teaching improves continually.  The governing body works efficiently and is well informed about the school. Governors are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effective in holding school leaders to account.  The very strong community ethos gives pupils a real sense of belonging so that they are proud to attend this school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teaching does not always provide high levels of challenge, particularly for the most able pupils.  Pupils’ work is marked thoroughly but they do not always respond to teachers’ comments.  School leaders gather plenty of information about pupils’ attainment and progress but do not always present this well, which hampers their ability to pinpoint where there is room for improvement, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 25 lessons, 14 of which were joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, four governors, a local authority representative and school staff, including the senior leaders, the leaders of the development of literacy and the Early Years Foundation Stage and the leaders in charge of provision for vulnerable or disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Some pupils read to the inspectors.  The inspectors took account of the 79 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and spoke to some parents and carers before school.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance and safeguarding records. The inspectors reviewed pupils’ work in a large sample of English, mathematics, topic and science books.

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Inspection team

Liz Kounnou, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Keith Homewood Additional Inspector Carol Worthington Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Holy Family is a larger-than-average sized Catholic primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average. The pupil premium provides additional funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils who have a parent or carer in the armed services.  The proportion of pupils who are of minority ethnic heritage is above average and about a quarter of pupils speak English as an additional language, which is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is much lower than average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average. This group has a wide range of needs including speech, language or communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, visual impairment or other disabilities.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the national minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to work independently, take responsibility for their learning and make decisions about their work, particularly the most able  making sure that pupils respond to the detailed comments that teachers write in their books so that their progress accelerates further.  Increase the effectiveness of senior leaders in their drive to improve the quality of teaching by ensuring leaders present assessment information in a more assessable way so they can pinpoint areas for development, particularly for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good because, from their varied starting points, pupils make consistently good progress throughout the school and reach high levels of attainment in reading and mathematics.  When children start school their knowledge and skills are typically in line with those expected for their age. However, about a quarter start school at an early stage of learning to speak English as an additional language.  Boys’ writing attainment has improved due to a robust approach to improving the teaching of writing; their attainment is now higher than is typical for boys. This has led to an improvement in the writing skills of all pupils so that girls continue to do better than boys in this subject. School data show that pupils’ progress in writing is improving strongly all through the school, regardless of their group or ability.  The most able pupils do particularly well in mathematics where there is a good level of challenge

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The achievement of pupils is good

and systematic teaching to ensure that pupils grasp new ideas securely. Special arrangements for the most gifted mathematicians in Year 6 allow them to work with Year 9 pupils at a local secondary school once a week to increase their skills in mathematics and physics. Nonetheless, not all of the most able pupils make the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics, mainly because some teaching lacks challenge for this group.  Over time, there has been variation in the achievement of pupils supported by the pupil premium grant. This is mainly because the proportion of pupils in this group is very small so that the achievement of one pupil makes a significant difference to the data. In the 2013 national assessments, their attainment in writing was more than a year behind their peers. In reading, attainment was equal to that of other pupils at the school, and in mathematics less than a term

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The achievement of pupils is good

behind. Nonetheless, in writing all the pupils made the progress expected of them. The difference between the subjects occurs because they made exceptional progress in reading and mathematics. School data show that pupils in this group are now making better progress than their peers in reading, writing and mathematics right across the school.  Pupils learning to speak English as an additional language do well because there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to talk about their work in lessons. The school ethos encourages all pupils to support one another very well and this means that they quickly gain confidence in using English at school.  Pupils from minority ethnic heritages do well right across the school mainly because the school’s determination to ensure that all pupils do equally well leads to an inclusive approach so that all pupils are encouraged to do their best. Pupils do well because teaching is adapted to meet their

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The achievement of pupils is good

needs. Pupils are encouraged to play a full part in promoting learning, for example, when learning about other religions, Sikh pupils and their parents and carers helped staff and other pupils to gain a deeper understanding of Sikhism.  Diligent oversight of the attainment and progress of all disabled pupils and those with special educational needs by the designated leader means that pupils in this group do very well. For example, staff make Braille books for visually impaired pupils to encourage a love of reading and develop the key skills to succeed.  Pupils do well in reading right across the school. In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, they quickly learn how to link letters and the sounds they make (phonics) to a good level so that they tackle new words with confidence. Pupils in Year 6 talk with enthusiasm about authors such as Michael Morpurgo and Roald Dahl, and learn how to analyse the key features of

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The achievement of pupils is good

different styles of writing. Parents and carers play a strong part in their children’s success in developing reading skills at home.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because teachers prepare work thoroughly for their pupils and check their progress carefully. It is rarely outstanding because teachers are sometimes reluctant to allow them to tackle unfamiliar learning independently and increase their understanding by working through their own mistakes.  Pupils know what they need to do because teachers explain things very well. Pupils receive a lot of guidance through teachers’ detailed marking of their work; however, pupils do not consistently follow this up, or read it well enough to know what they need to do to improve their work.  Pupils are highly interested in most of the work they do; however, the most able say they prefer work that gives them choices in their learning. On occasions, pupils, especially the most able, do not have enough opportunities to work independently, to take responsibility for their own learning or make decisions about their work, so that their progress slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Throughout the school pupils are particularly enthusiastic about history, which is often taught imaginatively, such as through making medieval props to re-enact the Battle of Bosworth.  Pupils regularly to talk to each other about their work in response to teachers’ questions. They provide thoughtful answers and readily ask questions themselves to deepen their understanding. The excellent relationships between all adults and pupils mean that pupils are confident to put forward their ideas or seek clarification.  Pupils value the additional guidance that teachers regularly provide while they are working to promote better learning. Fast-paced discussions to highlight or share key strengths in pupils’ work, or to adapt work in the light of pupils’ success, enable pupils to make good progress.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children show great levels of concentration and persistence because the activities are interesting and they have often have a say in deciding which activities

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The quality of teaching is good

teachers will prepare for them. Children make good progress because activities help them to develop and practise basic skills and are enjoyable.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour in and around school is often exemplary; pupils rarely need reminding about their behaviour. They are eager to please their teachers and try hard to do well, presenting much of their work with care. They show great pride in their work and in their school, telling inspectors, ‘This school is the best.’  Their attitudes to work are consistently good, but they lack opportunities to demonstrate a real desire to do well when working by themselves. They do as they are asked with great willingness but are rarely challenged to organise themselves and set their own goals for achievement.  Pupils, parents, carers and staff report that school is a safe and happy place to be. Break times are full of exuberance and play leaders from Year 5 ensure that everyone is included. They know and abide by the school rules and draw up their own class charters; they are particularly considerate of one another in classrooms.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is a harmonious place and pupils live up to the high expectations of adults to ensure there is no discrimination. They regularly help one another in lessons, sharing and listening to different ideas and prompting others if they get a bit stuck.  Friendship Week is an important event that helps pupils understand all aspects of bullying, and how to keep themselves and others safe. It is a credit to the pupils and staff that no child has been excluded for at least 15 years. A very small minority of parents and carers listed bullying as a concern on Parent View. Pupils report that there is no bullying, but they nonetheless have great confidence that staff would act promptly to deal with any concerns that might arise. A recent focus on e-safety has provided clear guidance for parents and carers as well as heightening pupils’ awareness of the dangers of technology.

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The leadership and management are good

 Strong leadership and management have ensured that good achievement has been maintained and improved since the last inspection. These aspects are not outstanding because, while there are robust procedures to maintain and develop good teaching, there is very little excellent teaching.  Leaders gather a wealth of information about individual pupils’ progress, but do not present this in a way that is readily accessible or easily analysed. This hampers leaders’ ability to identify patterns in the data and seek solutions to resolve any issues, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Leaders have recently introduced a more sophisticated electronic system to store and analyse data for all year groups, and are working hard to complete training so that all teaching staff are able to use this system more effectively to drive improvement.  School leaders are well aware of any pupils that are not reaching their potential. Teachers must

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The leadership and management are good

draw up clear plans that set out in detail what the barriers to better achievement are, how they will be resolved, and how they will measure success. There has been significant success in improving pupils’ achievement in writing throughout the school and in evening out the progress of those supported by the pupil premium grant.  Additional funding to improve sports provision has not yet been received. An allocation has been made and leaders are already acting to supplement the good quality sports provision currently in place. There is a wealth of sports and fitness clubs before and after school, and at lunchtime. During the inspection a Sports for All event took place, when a medal-winning athlete from the 2012 Paralympics inspired pupils to strive for excellence.  The curriculum encourages pupils to be reflective and promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The strong family ethos underpins much of the school’s work and

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The leadership and management are good

results in a very positive climate for learning. This extends to highly effective teamwork among staff. Middle leaders work in partnership with others to ensure that teaching is good across the whole curriculum, providing thoughtful advice based on thorough review.  The local authority provides light touch support for this good school, but nonetheless helps to clarify areas for improvement, such as the collection and analysis of data from assessments.  The governance of the school:  The governing body recently elected a new Chair of the Governing Body. She is ably supported by an efficient and hard-working team of governors, who are well informed about the school. Governors know how well pupils are doing and have a good understanding of the quality of teaching. Long-standing arrangements to manage the performance of teachers were reviewed this year to meet new guidance and tighten links to salary progression. The

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The leadership and management are good

governing body supplements funds provided through the pupil premium grant to ensure that vulnerable pupils receive good quality support all through the school. For example, the leader with responsibility for special educational needs has time to fulfil wider responsibilities and make rigorous checks to ensure all vulnerable pupils do well. Safeguarding has a high priority, and governors regularly check to ensure procedures are followed, including checks to safeguard gifted and talented mathematicians working off site. Governors draw on the support of the local diocesan authorities as well as the local authority to maintain and develop their skills, such as completing safer recruitment training.

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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 110090 Local authority Slough Inspection number 426574

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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 478 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Doreen Ann Donovan Headteacher Mrs Anne O’Connor Date of previous school inspection 29 September 2008 Telephone number 01753 541442 Fax number 01753 549721 Email address school.admin@holyfamilycatholicschool.org.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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