St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School

St Ignatius' Catholic Primary School St Ignatius Square, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 1TT

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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.  Attainment is rising. Pupils are keen to learn and they achieve well. They make good progress in a range of subjects throughout the school. Attainment is high in reading.  Pupils benefit from teaching which is consistently good, with examples of outstanding practice.  Staff and pupils share a strong belief in the values of their school. This shared sense of belonging also means that they are proud to be a part of it.  Pupils' behaviour is good, in lessons and around the school. They are polite, friendly and considerate to each other and to adults. Pupils get on well together and quickly build friendships as new pupils arrive at school.  Leaders work well together and actions are raising teaching and achievement. They make sure that teachers understand the school's goals for improvement and that they receive good support to help them reach the targets.  Governors know the school well, including the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quality of teaching and the broad picture of pupils' achievement. Their expertise is put to good use through their roles on the various committees.  The well thought-out and increasingly stimulating curriculum provides engaging experiences for pupils. Together with the broad programme of visits and the range of extra- curricular activities, the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted extremely well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always ensure that pupils of all abilities are challenged in their learning throughout every lesson. Teaching assistants are not always deployed effectively.  When marking pupils' books teachers do not always give them clear enough next steps in learning or sufficient opportunity to respond.  The information gleaned from analysis of pupils' progress and the monitoring of teaching is not always used sharply enough to provide clear priorities for improvement and high- quality action plans.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 12 lessons taught by eight teachers.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the assistant headteachers and other members of staff, pupils, members of the governing body and an adviser from the local authority.  The inspectors observed the school's work. They examined improvement plans, self-evaluation, safeguarding arrangements, health and safety logs, school policies, pupil assessment data and a wide range of pupils' work.  The inspectors could not take account of parents' responses to the online Parent View survey as there were fewer than 10 responses. However, inspectors did speak to parents at the start of the school day.  The inspectors also examined questionnaire responses from 22 members of staff.

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Inspection team

Adrian Francis, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Maureen Hints Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Ignatius Catholic Primary is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school population is represented by a number of ethnicity groups, the large majority of pupils being non White British.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average but reducing over time.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average. This is additional government funding provided for children in local authority care, those from service families and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.  All pupils are taught in single-age classes.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school over the course of a school year is higher

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is good or outstanding by:  ensuring assessment information is used consistently well so that pupils of all abilities are always provided with suitably challenging work  improving the deployment and use of teaching assistants throughout lessons  ensuring that pupils are always provided with clear guidance as to how to improve their work and are given opportunities to respond to teachers' comments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the school's leaders and managers always use pupil tracking information and evidence from the monitoring of teaching sharply enough to evaluate their work and to plan for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school in Reception class with levels of skills and knowledge which, for the majority of them, are below those typically expected for their age. They make a good start to their learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where there is a very strong emphasis on language development. Some children make rapid progress in their language skills, which are especially low on entry. They settle quickly, are happy and get on well together although many children start Year 1 still below the levels expected for their age.  Good progress from pupils’ individual starting points continues through the school, particularly over the course of Key Stage 2, reaching standards in writing and mathematics which are broadly average overall and significantly above average in reading. At the end of Key Stage 1 attainment is below average but is rising. Over the past three years, standards have risen at

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The achievement of pupils is good

both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 at a faster rate than seen nationally.  Teachers are skilful at teaching reading and, by the end of Year 2, pupils have a good grasp of letters and sounds to help them and they are beginning to use punctuation to read fluently and confidently. By the end of Year 6, teachers generate confidence in reading and attainment is very high. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the wide range of books they read for pleasure and to find information.  Outcomes in writing were weaker in 2013 but actions taken since then by staff have improved the quality of pupils’ writing throughout the school. Teachers guide pupils to plan their writing more thoroughly using pictures and symbols so that they have a clear idea of what they want to say. Since the last inspection teachers provide pupils with many opportunities to write at length in different subjects.  In mathematics, good attention is paid to the teaching of basic skills and there are increasing

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The achievement of pupils is good

levels of accuracy in calculations. However, there is some lack of challenge in lessons, especially when pupils need to apply their skills to problem solving.  The most-able pupils learn and achieve well, making good progress.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs progress at similar rates to their classmates throughout the school, particularly in reading and mathematics. This is because the specific support and extra tuition they receive helps them to overcome their difficulties. Specially trained staff provide pupils with emotional support so that those who are new to the school settle quickly.  Pupils from different ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress because of the school's attention to detail in ensuring support for these pupils is well targeted.  The pupil premium funding has been carefully targeted to provide pupils with additional help in

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The achievement of pupils is good

classrooms. The standards reached in reading, writing and mathematics in the 2013 national tests by those pupils who were known to be eligible for the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible to free school meals, were above other pupils in school in English and mathematics. School information for this term indicates that good progress has continued to be made by these pupils and that attainment is rising. This demonstrates how well the school is using the additional pupil premium funding and the effective promotion of equality of opportunity.  As a consequence of the school's good attention to basic skills, especially in reading, pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good with examples of excellent practice, enabling pupils to make good progress.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage learn successfully because staff plan imaginative activities that help them to develop their skills. There is a good balance of activities that are led by staff and those that children select for themselves. This is exemplified by the high quality provision and range of resources available indoors and outdoors. During the inspection children enjoyed using torches and reflectors to explore in a dark tent.  In lessons across the school there are many strengths. Relationships are strong and in the better lessons teachers question pupils effectively securing good understanding. Good links are made with previous work and other subjects. In these lessons, pupils are fully involved in assessing their own learning and matching it to their personal targets. This is helping pupils to develop

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The quality of teaching is good

greater independence in their learning. In a Year 6 science lesson, pupils were able to describe the changes that took place when materials are mixed together and thoroughly enjoyed discussing their learning as they investigated this using sand and water.  Teachers expect pupils to concentrate, work hard and apply themselves to the tasks provided. However, on some occasions teachers do not use their assessment information well enough and the tasks that pupils of differing abilities are given are not sufficiently well matched to the pupils' needs. As a result progress for some pupils in these lessons is not as good as it could be. This is sometimes compounded by teaching assistants not being used well enough throughout lessons to support or challenge pupils' learning.  Many lessons include opportunities to share ideas with others. Discussions are productive and timely interventions by teachers help pupils to refine their knowledge and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. For example, displays around the school, which stimulate interest and inspire pupils to learn, also show pupils how different aspects of the curriculum are linked together. This is combined with a very strong emphasis on all pupils being equally valued.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly and assessments are accurate. While the majority of work is corrected, often giving pupils praise and a comment, the advice given is not always precise enough to show pupils the next steps in their learning. Even where advice is clear and specific, pupils are not routinely given the opportunity to respond to their teachers’ written comments. This is a key reason why the impact of teaching on pupils’ achievement is not yet outstanding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils understand and support the school’s simple and straightforward rules and, as a result, the school is a happy and harmonious community in which pupils from different backgrounds relate extremely well to one another. The school is quick to tackle any potential discrimination.  In the Reception class, children quickly learn how to work and play harmoniously and safely together, and to listen attentively to adults and to each other in small-group and whole-class activities.  Pupils throughout the school are keen to participate in classroom activities. This helps the majority of lessons to proceed at a good pace. Pupils are proud of their well presented work and are eager to show examples of it to visitors.  In the playground and around the school, pupils relate well to and show consideration for one another. Older pupils and those with responsibilities (for example house captains) develop their

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

social and leadership skills well by organising games and helping to resolve any minor disagreements.  Pupils know about different types of bullying and say they have few concerns about bullying. However, they know what to do if it happens and are confident that adults will quickly resolve any problems if they cannot do so themselves. They know how to keep themselves safe from a range of potential hazards, for example, on the road and in case of fire.  Disruption to lessons is rare. Leaders and teachers work effectively to consistently implement the 'traffic light system' to manage pupils' behaviour and pupils fully understand this system and say that it helps everyone to understand what is expected.  Attendance is below average but increasing over time at a faster rate than nationally. Most pupils attend regularly but overall attendance figures are held down by a small minority of pupils' attendance that has not been good enough in the past. The school has worked hard and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

effectively with these families and, as a result, persistent absence has reduced.  Not enough parents responded to the online Parent View survey for the results to be published. However, all of the parents who were spoken to during the inspection, including those that made an appointment to meet with an inspector, agreed that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved and that their children feel safe there. No concerns were raised. This is reflected by the school's own outcomes of parental surveys.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, working closely with the two assistant headteachers, is passionately committed to ensuring that the school provides the best possible education for its pupils in order to improve their life chances. Together, they have successfully addressed the areas for improvement highlighted by the previous inspection and have made sure that the staff share their ambition and drive for improvement. The school is well placed to move forward.  Close monitoring of pupils’ progress effectively ensures pupils who may be in danger of falling behind receive useful interventions and guidance. The success is evident in the progress of all groups of pupils.  The monitoring of the quality of teaching is regular and undertaken by different senior staff, and support is provided for staff to address any concerns. Teaching is improving although a few aspects remain requiring attention.  Leaders use the information from monitoring teaching and pupils’ progress well to address any

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The leadership and management are good

concerns but there is sometimes insufficient emphasis on the analysis and evaluation of information collected when drawing up future action plans. This includes leaders at all levels.  All teachers have performance objectives that are based on their performance, with salary awards being linked to achievement of their objectives.  The school is continuing to develop its curriculum so that it is more suited to meeting its pupils' needs. The success of this is seen, for example, in improving standards in writing as pupils write at length about the increasing number of visits they have been on. Many pupils participate in varied and well-resourced sporting activities that foster their health, well-being and social skills.  The new funding for sport is being used fittingly. For example, a qualified sports coach has been employed as a 'school sports champion' working across all year groups alongside the teachers to

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The leadership and management are good

develop the skills of both teachers and pupils.  Partnership with parents is strong. This is led by the headteacher who has a very personal and much appreciated approach to building links with parents from their children's first days in school. The school has many formal and informal channels of communication with parents that enable them to be fully involved in their children’s education and school life generally. Parents spoken to during the inspection overwhelmingly said that they would recommend the school to others.  As the local authority judges the school to be doing well, it has provided only light-touch support.  The governance of the school:  Governors share the school’s leaders’ commitment to improvement, as well as their ambition for the school. They are well informed about the school’s performance and how it compares with that of other schools, and the quality of teaching overall. This is because some governors

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The leadership and management are good

visit the school often and receive regular, detailed reports from the headteacher, which they examine closely and are prepared to challenge, in order to be sure that any relative weaknesses are being firmly tackled.  Governors support the ways in which leaders manage and improve the staff’s performance, and have an outline view as to how leaders require any pay increases for staff to be explicitly linked to the quality of teaching, and to the achievement of individual and school targets.  Governors closely monitor the use of the school’s finances and ensure that its resources are used well for the benefit of all the pupils. Governors have a broad knowledge of how pupil premium funding is spent and how it impacts on pupils’ achievements. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet the statutory requirements and are effective and that school policies are reviewed on a regular basis.

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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 119610 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 426262

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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 197 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Ainscough Headteacher Adrienne Delaney Date of previous school inspection 17 October 2008 Telephone number 01772 555252 Fax number 01772 254834 Email address bursar@st-ignatius.lancs.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

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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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