St Patrick and St Edmund's Catholic Primary School

St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Dudley Road, Winson Green, Birmingham, B18 7QW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 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.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get off to a strong start and make good progress.  Pupils have made consistently good progress in writing since the previous inspection. Progress is good in reading and improving in mathematics.  From a low point three years ago, standards in Key Stage 1 have shown a marked improvement and now match national averages.  Gaps in achievement between pupils eligible for the pupil premium and other pupils have considerably narrowed and many have closed.  Pupils’ behaviour is good, both in lessons and around the school. They feel safe in school and their ability to work together in pairs and groups is excellent.  Teachers have high expectations. Teaching is nearly always good and some is outstanding. There are strong and positive relationships between teachers and pupils.  The headteacher has had a significant impact on the quality of teaching in the school. All

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

staff share her high expectations and this is driving up the achievement of pupils in this improving school.  The governing body’s understanding of the day-to-day work of the school has improved since the previous inspection. They set challenging targets for school leaders and work very effectively as a team in support of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are often below average, particularly in mathematics. Teaching is not as consistently good in mathematics in Key Stage 2 as it is in literacy.  While the rate of temporary exclusions has declined it is still above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 10 lessons, four of which were jointly observed with the executive headteacher and one with the head of school. In addition, the inspection team looked at pupils’ work in their books and listened to younger pupils read.  Inspectors held meetings with groups of pupils, senior leaders, members of the governing body, school advisers and a representative of the local authority.  Although there were insufficient responses to the online questionnaire Parent View to produce a reliable overall picture of parents’ views of the school, inspectors considered the 41 responses by parents to a recent questionnaire from the school. Inspectors also considered the 19 responses to a staff questionnaire.  The inspection team examined: the school’s own information on pupils’ recent and current progress; the school’s evaluation of how well it is doing and its records of the monitoring of the quality of teaching; records relating to behaviour and attendance; and documents relating to

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Inspection team

Richard Boswell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Dean Pomeroy Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Patrick’s is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The very large majority of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. The percentage of pupils for whom English is an additional language is above average.  The percentage of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals, is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is broadly average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also broadly average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school is in a federation with a partner school, St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School. They

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Information about this school

share an executive headteacher and have the same governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and thereby achievement in mathematics in Key Stage 2 by making sure all teachers have the highest possible expectations of pupils, plan lessons that are appropriately challenging and ensure pupils work to the very best of their ability.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure school leaders develop a better system of sanctions so that teachers are able to deal with any instances of unacceptable behaviour quickly and the use of temporary exclusion is reduced.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make good progress in Reception, usually starting school with skills and understanding that are well below those typical for their age. They go on to achieve standards at the end of Key Stage 1 in reading writing and mathematics that are at least in line with those found nationally. Pupils currently in Key Stage 1 are developing a good understanding of letters and the sounds they make (phonics).

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Overall, pupils make good progress as a result of their positive attitudes to their learning and the quality of teaching. This includes pupils for whom English is an additional language and those at an early stage of learning English. In their writing, year on year, the proportion making expected progress is above that found nationally. The school’s highly accurate records of the progress pupils make show that many currently in the school, including in Year 6, are making good progress in both reading and writing. While progress in mathematics also shows strong signs of improvement lower down the school, older pupils are still making up for some gaps in their understanding of basic arithmetic.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 have, in the last three years, improved significantly since the last inspection. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2, which have frequently been below national averages over time as a result of a legacy of weaker teaching in the past, are rising now that this has been eradicated.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has demonstrated the capacity to promote rapid progress in reading and writing, particularly for the most-able pupils, who were identified as a high priority group in the previous inspection. These pupils are now making better progress in Key Stage 2 than that found nationally. The proportion of more-able pupils in Key Stage 1 who are achieving the higher levels in mathematics, reading and writing, is at least in line with the national average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school is effective in preventing discrimination and in tackling any barriers to pupils’ achievement. For example, the gap in the attainment of those pupils who are supported by additional pupil premium funding and others in the school has narrowed in mathematics from 24 months in 2012 to two months in 2013. In writing it has been reduced from 16 months to one month. In reading, this group of pupils continued to be ahead of others in both 2012 and 2013. This is as a result of well-targeted support for eligible pupils, either on a one-to-one basis or in small groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s commitment to equal opportunities is demonstrated by how very well disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported throughout their time in the school. Identification of individual needs is swift, and additional expertise and support are arranged as required. These pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Improvements in the quality of teaching have led to improved standards and progress in English and mathematics since the previous inspection. All teaching is now almost always good or better.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations and know their pupils very well, pinpointing their current standards in reading, writing or mathematics with great accuracy. They communicate this information very clearly to pupils, who know exactly what they have to do to make progress and move up to the next level. Strong relationships lead to confident learners and teachers promote the pupils’ social, moral and spiritual development very effectively in all subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A particularly strong feature of teaching in this school is the effective use of technology. Teachers use technology to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of individual pieces of pupils’ work and thereby to help pupils better understand the key concepts and processes they are studying. Pupils share their mistakes as well as their successes in the process of finding out ‘how to do it right’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils enjoy their lessons and spoke with enthusiasm about the topics through which they improve their literacy and numeracy skills. For example, pupils in Year 5 proudly displayed the pottery they had made as part of their work on Ancient Greece. The teacher had divided the class into Athenians and Spartans and they enthusiastically debated the merits of each state. Scrutiny of their books showed extended writing of a high quality on the same topic. The same level of imaginative strategies and thorough planning is not always evident in all classes in mathematics however.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Reception Year the quality of teaching, including the teaching of phonics, is good. Children make rapid progress because activities are stimulating and hold their interest. Work in their learning journals as well as that observed during the inspection showed pupils steadily developing their writing skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers ensure that all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and pupils who have special educational needs, make appropriate progress. All teachers are aware of pupils who are supported by additional funding and pupils for whom English is not their first language. They make sure in their planning that additional assistance is given when required so that there are no barriers to the learning of any pupils. The school’s support staff are well trained and well deployed in offering this assistance.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is generally good. The overwhelming majority respond positively to the enjoyable and demanding activities that ensure they are able to work together and think for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils consistently demonstrate that they are proud of their school and respect staff and each other. This is also clear in the pride pupils have in the appearance of their uniform and the neat presentation of work in their books. Both pupils and parents commented to inspectors how caring and friendly they find the school. Pupils feel they are listened to and like being given responsibilities, such as being voted by their peers to be on the school council or being chosen as school prefects.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good and it actively promotes their physical well-being. They enjoy the wide variety of sports at school and are aware of the importance of diet and exercise. Gymnastics is a particular strength and staff have become confident when working with various apparatus under the guidance of an Olympic gymnast. The school has used its primary school sports funding to develop this activity well. Pupils are also aware of the need to stay safe and spoke knowledgeably to inspectors about aspects of ‘e-safety’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The teaching of appropriate behaviour begins in the Reception Year, when children learn to respect each others’ choices, to take turns and to listen carefully to instructions. These positive attitudes are evident across all year groups and school records show that any incidents of disruption or bullying are extremely rare and are dealt with swiftly. Both comments from pupils and parents and the school’s own records show that the diversity of cultures and languages in the school are regularly celebrated and this promotes an ethos of harmony and ensures the complete absence of any hint of discrimination.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are enthusiastic about the rewards available for good behaviour and attendance and these are celebrated each week in highly positive and strongly motivational assemblies. The school has worked hard to bring attendance to a point where it is now in line with the national average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and safety are not outstanding because the number of temporary exclusions of pupils from the school, though lower than last year, is still higher than that found nationally. Very occasionally, instances of less acceptable behaviour have led the school to use temporary exclusion too quickly and the system of sanctions does not make clear the steps teachers should take themselves to address isolated examples of misbehaviour before referring the matter to senior leaders.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the previous inspection, the executive headteacher has significantly improved the quality of teaching, and raised achievement. She has established a strong and determined team of school leaders who share her high expectations. The head of school, the inclusion manager and the leader of the Early Years Foundation Stage all bring fresh ideas and expertise and have taken on full responsibilities for their areas.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and its rigorous analysis of information about pupils’ progress and the tracking of groups are key factors in the improvements that the school has made. The close monitoring of teaching by the headteacher has been coupled with well chosen and carefully targeted training, and this has led to teachers swiftly developing their skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 While very supportive of any improvement the headteacher has not been afraid to tackle underperformance in teaching. Leaders and governors ensure that teachers are clear about the link between salary progression and the progress their pupils make, and no teacher moves up the pay scale without there being evidence of strong teaching performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils experience a broad and balanced range of subjects and activities both in the classroom and beyond. This includes good provision for developing pupils’ skills in information and communication technology and also of their creativity, particularly in the artwork which is evident throughout the school. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well promoted and their understanding of different faiths and cultures is developed alongside the school’s Catholic faith and ethos, in which similarities in belief systems are emphasised and diversity is celebrated.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents, staff and pupils are all enthusiastic about the positive impact the headteacher has had on the school and the benefits of being a partner in a very productive federation.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority considers the school to be in safe hands and has provided it with appropriate levels of support and guidance. The school has made good use of additional advice and support from other sources and inspectors saw the result in the improved progress of pupils, of staff visits to see outstanding practice in other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The whole school community is well informed about the importance of safeguarding. This means that any risks are swiftly identified and immediately addressed.  The governance of the school:  Since the previous inspection the governors have provided increasingly constructive support and challenge to the headteacher and have helped her to bring about the needed improvements. Governors bring with them a range of relevant expertise and keep their skills up to date through regular training. They are very well informed about how well the school is doing. They receive regular and comprehensive information from the headteacher and senior leaders, and they make increasingly regular visits to monitor the school’s work. Governors have contributed fully to the discussions on how the pupil premium funding should be spent and have kept a careful check on the impact of the extra support and guidance provided for

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The leadership and management are good

eligible students. They hold the headteacher to account for the way in which increases in pay are used to reward teachers and they know how any underperformance is being tackled. Governors meet all their responsibilities well, including the national requirements for safeguarding pupils. The school’s finances are carefully and prudently managed.

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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 103439 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 442523

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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 199 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Margaret Dance Headteacher Mary O'Friel Date of previous school inspection 18 September 2012 Telephone number 0121 247 3947 Fax number 0121 247 5628 Email address enquiry@stpatrc.bham.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 and 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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