St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Bristol Road, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 6QB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 In Years 3 to 6 pupils’ progress in mathematics is not yet good.  Teaching has not been good enough over time in mathematics. Consequently, there are gaps in what pupils know and understand.  Pupils do not get sufficient help or encouragement to use and apply their mathematical skills, which limits their ability to make good progress.  There is not always enough work that challenges the most-able and allows them to develop their understanding fully.  The school’s leaders and governors have lacked a sense of urgency to resolve pupils’ lack of mathematical progress. Actions taken have not focused sufficiently on improving the quality of teaching of mathematics.  Teachers do not always capitalise upon the good behaviour and attitudes of pupils to help boost their learning further in mathematics.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school provides a safe and caring environment and there is a strong focus on nurturing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils behave well and enjoy being at school.  Pupils make good progress in English and many are able to achieve high standards, particularly in reading.  The school has a very thorough approach to self-evaluation and a clear understanding of what it needs to do to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 14 lessons and parts of lessons and conducted three lesson observations jointly with the deputy headteacher.  The inspectors met formally with pupils from the school council and spoke to pupils in lessons, during lunch time and at break time.  Inspectors considered the 20 responses to the staff survey and the 78 responses to Parent View, the online parent questionnaire. Inspectors also spoke with parents during the inspection.  A range of documents were considered, including governing body minutes, local authority reports and visit notes, records relating to safety, attendance, safeguarding and behaviour, the school improvement plan and information on pupils’ current standards and rates of progress.  Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and an inspector listened to some Year 1 pupils read.  During this inspection, inspectors asked additional questions designed to ascertain the

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Information about this inspection

school’s view of the impact and effectiveness of local authority services to support school improvement. This information will contribute to work being carried out by Ofsted to assess the use, quality and impact of those services.  The headteacher was absent from the school during the inspection due to ill health. The deputy headteacher led the school during this time.

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Inspection team

Phillip Minns, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Margaret Simmons-Bird Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Joseph’s is an average-sized primary school.  A small proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium. This is extra government funding given to the school for children known to be eligible for free school meals, children looked after by the local authority and the children of service families.  The majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds. English is an additional language for a small number of pupils.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus and the proportion with a statement of special educational needs are lower than the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of Key Stage 2 pupils making good progress in mathematics by:  ensuring pupils use and apply their mathematical skills in different ways  ensuring that the basic skills of calculation are taught well in all classes  providing work that challenges the most-able and allows them to develop their understanding  ensuring that teachers assess pupils’ mathematical understanding accurately so that they can build on their knowledge and overcome any misconceptions.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact and effectiveness of the school’s leadership and management by:  strengthening the monitoring of teaching so that it focuses on assessing pupil progress  ensuring that middle leaders have the skills needed to monitor pupils’ achievement  ensuring the governing body develops the expertise needed to hold the school’s senior leaders to account.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 While pupils in Years 1 and 2 achieve well in mathematics and reach standards higher than average by the end of Year 2, their rate of progress drops considerably across Years 3 to 6. This means that, from their above average start at the end of Year 2, the standards pupils reach in Year 6 assessments are broadly in line with those achieved nationally.  Recent improvements to the quality of teaching of mathematics have resulted in some better outcomes for pupils. However, there is not yet secure, long-term evidence in teacher’s assessment or the work in pupils’ books to show that this slow progress has been effectively speeded up.  As a group, the progress made by disabled pupils and those with special educational needs requires improvement. When compared with similar pupils, progress in English in both key stages is good. However, these pupils do not make good progress in mathematics in Key Stage 2

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the school with levels of development that are broadly typical for their age and make good progress during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Almost all children are well placed to start Year 1. Pupils receive good support when they transfer from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 1, this enables them to continue to make good progress.  The most-able pupils achieve well in English, particularly in reading, because their needs are well met in lessons through accurate assessment and challenging activities. In contrast, the same pupils are not challenged sufficiently in mathematics and do not reach their potential. Their needs are not clearly identified and activities do not enable them to extend their understanding.  Pupils make good progress in learning the sounds that letter make (phonics) and are able to use these skills well in both reading and writing. Results in the 2013 phonic check were above the

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

national average.  In Years 1 and 2, pupils achieve good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils that are securely at or above age-related expectations is considerably higher than the national average.  By the end of Year 6, pupils make good progress in English and attainment is above average. From their good starting points at the end of Year 2 they achieve standards in English that are higher than the national average.  The school is using its pupil premium funding well. Additional small group work is very effective and leads to good progress for these pupils. There is no significant difference between the performance of the small number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium and other pupils in the school.  The achievement of pupils in the school for whom English is an additional language matches the achievement of all other pupils. The school promotes equality of opportunity well for all pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it does not enable pupils in Years 3 to 6 to make good progress in mathematics.  The school has recently revised its mathematics curriculum and this has led to some improved pupil progress. However, teachers do not ensure that all pupils develop a secure knowledge of calculation skills or help pupils use and apply their mathematical knowledge.  Pupils make good progress in English because teachers have a clear understanding of what the pupils are able to do and what they need to work on next. Improvements made to the way that teachers assess and monitor pupils’ progress, in writing in particular, have resulted in higher numbers of pupils than previously making good progress.  Teachers’ use of whole school assessment information is inconsistent. This means that gaps in pupils’ understanding are not identified. In mathematics, teachers are not ensuring that pupils

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

have the basic skills of calculation that they need. Pupils’ mathematics books show a less- systematic approach to the teaching of key skills and less evidence of teachers’ assessment informing future learning.  Some teaching assistants are well-used and have the skills they need and make a significant contribution to pupils’ progress. A few teaching assistants do not have the subject knowledge they need to effectively support pupils in mathematics.  Improvements made to the teaching of phonics (the way that letters are linked to sounds) have resulted in a considerable increase in pupils’ achievement. The systematic approach and regular teacher assessment provide very accurate information about what pupils can do and what they need to do next. This ensure that less-able pupils receive the targeted support that they need and that the most-able are challenged to use what they understand in more challenging

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

activities.  Some aspects of teaching over time are more effective. Where teachers have good subject knowledge they are able to explore pupils’ thinking and identify misconceptions. When activities are carefully planned from accurate assessment information pupils make good progress.  Generally, pupils’ English written work is well-presented and shows the positive impact of regular practising and development of key skills. Teachers’ marking shows on-going assessment that informs future lessons well.  Pupils make most progress when they enjoy learning and are very involved in their lessons. Sometimes pupils lose interest in lessons when activities are too easy or when difficult activities are not well supported.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They have positive attitudes to learning and talk enthusiastically about the range of opportunities on offer in the school. Pupils are confident that bullying is tackled effectively and that it does not happen very often. The school takes the rare occurrence of bullying and poor behaviour seriously and has effective systems to deal with it.  Pupils try hard in lessons and are keen to do their best. However, their engagement in learning drops when the content of lessons is not well-matched to their ability. This results in some off- task behaviour and slow progress.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is good. All aspects of safety are well-monitored and the regular inspections and risk assessments ensure that, as far as possible, pupils are safe. The curriculum provides pupils with a good understanding of a broad range of safety issues, including those associated with using a computer.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school. Attendance is above the national average and improving. There have been no exclusions in recent years.  Positive behaviour is at the heart of the school’s values. Pupils have a strong voice in the school and are actively engaged in a range of activities to improve their surroundings and to care for the wider community.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because leaders have not yet ensured that all teaching is good. While there have been improvements in English that have led to good progress for pupils, this has not been the case in mathematics.  Following the previous inspection, the school successfully focused on improving the teaching of writing. However, during this period, they did not pay enough attention to the teaching of mathematics.  Self-evaluation is systematic and a comprehensive range of monitoring activities is undertaken Although monitoring has clearly identified the aspects of mathematics that are not taught consistently well, the actions taken by the school have not addressed these sufficiently to result in significant improvements in pupils’ progress.  The headteacher and senior staff have set clear expectations related to what good quality teaching should be and ensure that pay progression is not automatic.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Middle leaders have undertaken thorough monitoring of their subjects and regularly produce helpful improvement plans. They have a clear understanding of what is working well and what needs to improve further in their subjects. However, not all middle leaders have fully developed the skills needed to make thorough checks of the impact of new initiatives on pupils’ achievement.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and supports the development of pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. It is less effective in ensuring pupils apply their mathematical skills in a variety of ways. Pupils also benefit from a wide range of clubs and activities outside the school day.  The new primary school sports funding is being well-used to improve the breadth of sporting opportunity available to pupils and improving the quality of teaching in physical education. Pupils are involved in a range of competitive sports, both in school and with local schools. This has led

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The leadership and management requires improvement

to increased participation in sports by pupils.  The school’s approach to tracking and assessing the progress pupils make was recently revised. While this system allows the school to have a broad overview of pupil standards there is not yet a consistent approach to how teachers assess mathematics. This makes it difficult for teachers to have an accurate picture of individual pupil’s current achievement.  Senior leaders and the governing body value the support provided by the local authority. While the school improvement officer’s good knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the school has effectively supported improvements in English, this has not been the case in mathematics. The local authority has not provided the school with sufficient challenge to speed-up the pace of change.  The governance of the school:  Governors’ ambitious vision and good understanding of the school’s current strengths have

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The leadership and management requires improvement

resulted in good standards in reading and writing across the school. However, although governors are aware of the slow progress pupils make in mathematics and have taken action to address this, they have not provided sufficient challenge to drive up improvement in this area. In their meetings, governors discuss a range of information concerning the progress pupils make compared to others locally and nationally. This provides them with a very thorough understanding of the current areas that need to improve. Governors carry out regular visits to the school. They are knowledgeable about how additional funds are being used, including the pupil premium funding, and the positive difference being made to these pupil’s achievement. Governors are committed to strengthening their practice. Consequently, they have undertaken a very thorough review to their strengths and weaknesses. They have already put plans in place to address these and make good use of the training and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

development available to them. Governors monitor teachers’ performance management and check that pay rises and promotion are linked to performance. Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements.

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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 109238 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 440982

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 207 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen McNab Headteacher Sally Carter Date of previous school inspection May 2011 Telephone number 01275 848367 Fax number 01275 845638 Email address stjosephs.pri@n-somerset.gov.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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