SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School

SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School Dimbles Hill, Lichfield, WS13 7NH

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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’ achievement throughout the school is good and pupils are well prepared for secondary school.  Good teaching provides pupils with work that is both interesting and relevant. Relationships in lessons are always positive.  Teaching assistants give valuable support, especially to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, those who speak English as an additional language and those eligible for the pupil premium.  Pupils are very happy and feel very safe in school. Their behaviour in class and around the school is good. Pupils are keen to learn and enjoy taking responsibility.  Leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement are frequent and rigorous. Plans to improve the school and the training given to staff have been successful. The school is well placed to improve even further.  The governing body provides a good level of challenge and support to the headteacher and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

staff. It makes sure that that the school meets all legal requirements.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers occasionally give pupils work that is either too easy or too hard.  Progress in writing is not as quick as it is in reading and mathematics because pupils’ spelling and punctuation are not always accurate enough.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed the teaching in all classes. He visited 12 lessons taught by five teachers as well as sessions for small groups of pupils led by teaching assistants. The headteacher joined him for one of these visits.  The inspector held discussions with pupils, the headteacher, other teachers and two governors. The inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector heard some pupils read and looked at a range of evidence, including records of pupils’ progress, safeguarding documentation, records of behaviour and the results of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching. He also examined the work in pupils’ books.  The views of 26 parents, analysed through the Parent View website, were considered. The inspectors also took account of the views of 12 parents with whom he talked at the school gate and the school’s recent survey of 90 parents.

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Inspection team

Gerald Griffin, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The remainder come from a wide variety of minority ethnic backgrounds.  There proportion of pupils from Eastern European backgrounds, mostly from Polish homes, is growing rapidly. These pupils often start school with little or no English language skills.  The number of pupils who join or leave the school other than at the usual time is above average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in the care of the local authority, and those with a parent in the armed forces) is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or

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Information about this school

with a statement of special educational needs is average.  In 2013, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching from good to outstanding by making sure that pupils are not given work that is too easy or too hard for them  Raise progress in writing by improving pupils' accuracy of spelling and punctuation.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school with levels of knowledge, skills and understanding that are below that expected for their age. Children make good progress in the Reception class to reach attainment that is a little below average in most areas of learning. Their physical development is average. The most able children do well. For example, the inspector saw that they could already accurately write a short recipe for making ice cream.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, attainment in English and mathematics at the end of Year 2 was average as it was at the end of Year 6 when pupils left school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The number of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is very small and it is not appropriate to report on their individual attainment as that would risk identifying individual pupils. The inspection looked closely at their progress in English and mathematics and found this to be as rapid as their classmates. This shows the school uses the pupil premium money effectively.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who arrive part way through the school year get a very warm welcome and quickly settle into school, which helps them to also make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The Eastern European pupils who speak English as an additional language make rapid progress in gaining English language skills because of the very effective help they receive. For example, these older pupils are often given notes in their home language to help them follow the lesson. They work next to pupils, who speak their home language and are proficient in English, who explain words to them that they do not understand.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy reading and do so regularly. Pupils’ skills in phonics (linking letters to the sounds they make) are well developed. The results of the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 in 2013 were below the national average, reflecting the ability of this small cohort. This year they are predicted to return to average, as they were in 2012.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in mathematics has improved over the past two years because pupils are now much better at solving mathematical problems. This is helped by their improved speed and accuracy of their calculations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When writing pupils use a wide range of vocabulary to express their ideas clearly. Progress in the subject is good but not as rapid as it is in reading and mathematics. This is because pupils make more mistakes in their spelling and punctuation than they should do.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs work hard in lessons. They make similar progress to their peers because of good teaching by well-qualified adults who know their needs well. Occasionally their progress slows when they find their work too difficult.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The more able pupils make good progress throughout the school. For example, a group in Year 3 were seen expertly using a programme to plan and write a computer game.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 However, there are times when the more able pupils are not fully stretched. For example, occasionally pupils repeat calculations that they can easily solve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is nearly always good and, in some lessons, it is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations. They plan work, including homework, that is challenging and deepens pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ questions make pupils think deeply and demand answers of more than a few words.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work that teachers plan is relevant and engaging and, as a result, relationships are very positive. Pupils enjoy lessons and work hard.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Reception class, teachers plan a good balance of adult-led and child-chosen activities that cover all the areas of learning. Children mostly have clear challenging targets for their work. They work well, both on their own and also cooperatively with other children. Teaching prepares children well for more formal learning in Year 1. In lessons seen during the inspection, children worked hard both inside the classroom and outdoors.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff in the Reception class make good use of regular and accurate assessments of each child’s skills to plan challenging next steps in their learning. Their assessments of the standards on entry and those attained at the end of the year have recently been checked for their accuracy by the local authority.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan many opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, older pupils have reflected maturely about opposing points of view while reading a poem, ‘The Highwayman’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants give valuable support, especially to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, those who speak English as an additional language and those eligible for the pupil premium. For example, they know their needs well and keep notes on pupils’ progress, which are used by the teacher for future planning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking provides pupils with clear guidance about how to improve their work. Where the marking is at its most effective, pupils show the teacher they have understood their comments by correcting errors.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers normally provide work that is suitable for the different levels of ability in the class in the class. This means that all pupils mostly make at least good progress. However, sometimes, teachers plan work that does not fully stretch everyone. When this happens, pupils find their work either too hard or too easy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils feel very safe in school. Their knowledge of how to keep themselves safe is very well developed. For example, older pupils precisely know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good, and this is confirmed by the views of parents, pupils and the school’s records of behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Bullying is very rare, and pupils are confident that staff would resolve any incidents effectively. Older pupils understand its different forms, such as cyber-bullying, and how to respond to them. Pupils feel very well looked after and supported by adults.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils mostly have positive attitudes towards learning. They need little or no supervision when they are working independently. Most pupils take care that their work is neatly presented and try hard. Most older pupils take an appropriate level of responsibility for the quality of their work and progress. Occasionally pupils do not listen carefully enough to their teacher's instructions and are slow to start their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to accept responsibilities in school. In the Reception class, children take responsibility for collecting the resources they need for their chosen activities. Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility, too. For example, they are keen to help younger pupils at break and in the dining room. Several of them support the learning of younger pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average this term, a significant rise over recent years. Nearly all pupils have a good attendance record, which reflects their enjoyment of learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The dynamic headteacher sets the school challenging targets which ensure that it improves year on year.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject and other leaders are effective in checking standards of teaching and progress in their areas.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leader of the Reception class has successfully trained teaching assistants in the skills of accurately assessing children’s capabilities and planning work in all areas of learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teaching is improving because leaders make rigorous checks on its effectiveness and the quality of learning. The follow-up actions from these observations successfully tackle any weaknesses and improve teachers’ skills. For example, successful training has improved the teaching of problem solving in mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders’ plans have proved successful in improving attendance, which has been low in the past. Their work with families to emphasise the need for good attendance and punctuality has significantly reduced the level of persistent absence.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has made good use of support from the local authority and consultants, especially in confirming standards across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The way subjects are taught strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, the school provides many opportunities for pupils to reflect on right and wrong, their feelings and respect for others. The school provides a good range of sports and other clubs and educational visits to broaden pupils' experiences and raise ambition.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils have two lessons of physical education a week that they thoroughly enjoy. These make an important contribution to their healthy physical development. Leaders are spending the new primary school sports funding. For example, it will be used to improve the teaching of physical education, pay for coaches to broaden the range of after-school sports clubs and increase pupils’ participation in school games.  The very large majority of parents expressed positive views about their children’s progress, the quality of teaching and leadership of the school. The school provides popular courses for parents so that they can support their children's education at home.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a very clear commitment to combating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity. This is shown in the good progress made by all groups of pupils from all backgrounds. The school fosters excellent relationships with outside agencies and other schools to improve pupils’ life chances even more.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders at all levels are always thinking ahead so that they can make the school even better. For example, they have already introduced plans to provide more time for pupils to learn to spell and punctuate accurately. This was seen in a Year 2 and 3 class where pupils were learning how to punctuate a dialogue. It is too early to judge the success of these plans.

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The leadership and management are good

 Child protection training for staff is thorough, and leaders implement child protection policies rigorously. The school completes all statutory checks on the suitability of staff to be employed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has an accurate picture of how well the school is doing compared with other schools through their regular visits to see the school at work and their clear understanding of data on pupils’ progress. They use this information well to ask the school searching questions about its performance. For example, they are taking a keen interest in attendance and the success of the school’s plans to improve it. The governing body has a strong focus on staff training and is keen to improve its own skills. Governors check that the management of teachers’ performance is rigorous. Only those teachers who have met the challenging targets set by the school, including those for pupils’ progress, are considered for pay increases and promotion. Governors make sure that the school is spending the pupil premium funding on those eligible for it and that it brings benefits through higher

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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 124375 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 441175

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 129 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Keith Ash Headteacher Teresa Cotter Date of previous school inspection 26 September 2014 Telephone number 01543 510748 Fax number 01543 510748 Email address admin@st-peter-st-paul.staffs.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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