Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

School report Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

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Burlington Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4ND

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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 Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Pupils have not made consistently good progress across different subjects and classes.  Progress is not consistently good enough for pupils who are eligible for additional funding, or those who have special educational needs.  Teachers do not always assess pupils’ work accurately. Work is not consistently set at the right level to challenge all pupils.  Pupils do not regularly act on comments in marked work. Teachers do not have consistently high expectations of how pupils present their work. A minority of pupils are prone to lose concentration when work fails to interest them.  Leaders have not identified clear ways to measure the success of actions in the school development plan. Consequently, they are unable to gauge how much progress is being made.  Leaders and governors have not maintained or improved on the good standards of teaching and achievement from the previous inspection.  A sizeable minority of parents do not believe

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

that the school responds well to their concerns.  Records of behavioural incidents are not organised well enough to enable leaders are able to monitor trends and patterns easily. A small minority of pupils do not act responsibly enough when on the playground.  Leaders do not evaluate the impact of actions or monitor the progress of pupils across years rigorously enough.  Some middle leaders lack the necessary skills and experience to discharge their roles effectively.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Subject leaders’ skills have developed so they are contributing better to raising standards.  Pupils’ progress across Key Stage 2 in 2012 and 2013 was rapid. Year 6 pupils left with attainment which was above average.  Recent leadership appointments have helped to improve teaching and achievement in some classes.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 21 lessons and part lessons across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics. They also observed specific support for groups of pupils. Three observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and also separately with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, senior and middle leaders, and governors.  Inspectors spoke to two representatives from the local authority, including the local authority safeguarding officer.  They heard pupils reading and observed and spoke to them in class and around the school, including at informal times.  Inspectors held informal discussions with parents at the start of each day. Responses from 117 parents to the online, Parent View, survey were considered alongside written and spoken comments made by parents during the inspection. The inspectors also analysed 24 responses

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Information about this inspection

from staff to a questionnaire.  Inspectors considered a wide range of school documentation. This included: information provided by the school on pupils' attainment and progress; the performance management of staff; evidence of checks on teaching; external evaluations of the school; the school’s website; development plans; minutes from governing body meetings; the school’s self-evaluation; and behaviour records and safeguarding information.

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Inspection team

Najoud Ensaff, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Wolfson Additional Inspector Rosemarie McCarthy Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  There are two forms in each year. Pupils come from a range of ethnic heritages. The largest group of pupils are of White British heritage, with the next two largest groups coming from any other Asian and any other White backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average, but only a small proportion are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs supported by school staff is below average. The proportion of pupils needing additional support from outside school or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for additional pupil premium funding, provided by the government for pupils eligible for free school meals, those in the care of the local authority or

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Information about this school

those with a parent or carer in the armed services, is below average.  The current headteacher took up her role in April 2013 following the previous headteacher’s retirement. A new deputy headteacher was appointed in January 2014.  There are before- and after-school clubs which are inspected separately.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to be at least good by making sure that teachers:  always set high expectations for pupils so that they regularly act on comments in marked work and present their work neatly  support and challenge all groups of pupils consistently well, including through homework  provide work which consistently interests and motivates pupils so that they maintain better concentration in lessons  assess pupils’ work accurately so that work is always then set at the right level for pupils.  Ensure that the school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is consistently effective by: – organising records of behavioural incidents more formally to monitor trends and patterns better – ensuring that pupils routinely conduct themselves in a safe and orderly manner on the playground – monitoring more carefully how well plans to improve behaviour on the playground are progressing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of leaders and managers on raising standards by:  ensuring that those groups of pupils who achieve consistently less well than others reach higher standards  monitoring and evaluating more closely pupils’ progress and the actions taken to secure improvement  making sure that those leaders responsible for key stages have the necessary skills and experience to discharge their roles effectively  developing greater parental confidence in how well the school responds to their concerns, including with regard to site security  making it clearer how the success of actions in school development plans will be measured.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not make consistently good progress. Pupils have not achieved well in reading and writing in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2. Progress in writing and mathematics in Reception classes is also too slow.  Work in pupils’ books shows that, while some pupils made good gains this year in their learning, this was not consistent across classes. Some pupils did not learn well over time.  Children enter the Nursery with skills which are broadly typical for their age. In 2013, the proportion of pupils who left Reception having achieved a good level of development was below average. Children are now making better progress in Nursery but slower progress in Reception classes. This is because adults do not guide learning consistently well during child-led activities. Children are sometimes left for too long without adult intervention when they are not making much headway in their work.  Progress across Key Stage 1 has not been good, particularly for the most able. This resulted in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the proportion of pupils attaining higher levels in mathematics and reading at the end of Year 2 being below average in 2012 and 2013. This is now improving with more pupils than in 2013 on track to attain higher levels at the end of Key Stage 1.  The proportion of Year 1 pupils who reached the expected standard in phonics (linking sounds and letters) was below that found nationally in 2012 and 2013. Year 1 pupils are on track to perform better this year.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs do not consistently make good progress. This is because the support provided is not always of high quality and work is not always set at the right level for them. Some struggle to make the progress they should, particularly in reading and writing.  Pupils’ progress across Key Stage 2 has been rapid in the recent past for most groups of pupils. Pupils leaving Year 6 attained standards which were well above those of other pupils nationally

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in English in 2013 and mathematics in 2012. Current achievement information indicates that progress is accelerating, particularly in mathematics in Key Stage 2.  Progress is not rapid enough for some disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and for some of those who are supported by additional government funding. There were too few pupils eligible for additional government funding in Year 6 in 2013 to evaluate their attainment in English and mathematics without identifying them.  Work in pupils’ books and some data provided by the school indicate that pupils from each of the largest ethnic groups and pupils who speak English as an additional language do not always make good progress.  The most-able pupils generally make at least the progress that they should and, sometimes, they make good progress. However, when they are not well supported or challenged in lessons, their progress slows.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The primary sports funding has been used effectively to provide additional sports clubs for pupils, buy high quality resources, and provide coaching for staff in gymnastics. The school is part of a sports partnership with other schools, which has enabled increased participation for pupils in competitive sports. These actions are improving pupils’ physical skills and well-being as they participate in an increasing range of sports, including cheerleading, swimming and dance.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils do not make consistently good gains in their learning across classes and subjects. While teachers use assessment information to set work, they do not always assess pupils’ levels accurately. They therefore set work in lessons that does not always offer the right level of challenge or support. Pupils sometimes find the work too easy and so do not make good gains in their learning in some lessons.  Marking is regular, reinforces pupils’ learning and guides pupils about how to improve. Teachers do not give pupils regular opportunities to act on comments in marked work.  Pupils are not always expected to present their work neatly or to act upon comments in marked work. Teachers do not have consistently high expectations of pupils.  The school has worked on improving outdoor learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage and children now make regular use of this area. Teachers plan for children to learn a range of skills,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and some teaching helps children to move forward well in their learning. However, this is not consistent enough.  Adults are not always as active as they could be in guiding or supporting children in their learning in lessons. Consequently, learning is inconsistent, including in Early Years Foundation Stage classes.  Adults do not always actively provide the good quality support some pupils require in lessons. In these situations, adults do not do not ask probing questions or guide pupils well. As a result their skills do not develop well. Some parents and pupils indicated that praise is not used consistently well to motivate children and support provided is not always quick enough.  Pupils said that they enjoy reading. Their reading skills are developed in school and at home so that by the time they reach upper Key Stage 2, attainment in reading is above average. The school teaches writing and mathematics both in individual lessons and across other subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

However, pupils have more opportunities to apply their writing skills than their mathematical skills in other subjects.  The quality of homework is not consistently good. It does not always support and challenge pupils well and is not always marked as regularly as other work.  Where pupils make good gains in their knowledge and skills, teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and set high expectations for pupils’ learning. They guide pupils well by referring to, for example, pupils’ individual targets. They give pupils a good level of challenge, for example, such as that seen in a Year 3 literacy lesson, when pupils were challenged to write poems. The teacher engaged and motivated pupils well through an interesting task. Good quality support, effective questioning and work that was at the right level enabled pupils to make progress rapidly in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement.  A small number of younger pupils indicated that ‘pushing and shoving’ on the playground worried them. Support staff confirmed that there are a small number of pupils who do not always move around the playground safely. Leaders have not evaluated the impact of support provided to a small minority of pupils to improve their conduct on the playground. As a result, a few pupils do not always move around safely.  Pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes bullying and they know about different forms of bullying – such as, verbal, physical, cyber and racist bullying. They feel able to talk about it to others. They report that incidents of bullying are rare.  Most parents who responded to the Parent View online survey indicated that, over time, bullying was effectively dealt with and the school asserts that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 Inspectors found that while logs of reported incidents are kept, these are too informal. Consequently, trends and patterns are not easy for leaders to monitor.  A minority of parents and pupils expressed concerns over site security. Inspectors found that leaders have in place appropriate measures to address these concerns.  Most parents who responded to the online Parent View survey said that their children felt safe. The large majority said their children were well looked after and the vast majority said that their children were happy.  The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because pupils indicated that their learning is sometimes interrupted in lessons. This happens when a minority of pupils lose concentration as a result of teaching that does not engage them. Some pupils do not take as much pride over their work as they could when teaching does not insist upon high standards of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

presentation.  Pupils attend regularly. Attendance has been consistently above average for some time and the school has successfully improved the attendance of particular groups of pupils who previously attended less well. There have been no permanent exclusions of pupils in the recent past.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have not ensured that pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching are consistently good.  Although checks on teaching are regular they have not had enough impact on achievement. Progress in reading and writing across Key Stage 1, Early Years Foundation Stage classes and lower Key Stage 2 is not good.  The headteacher has created a culture in the school where staff are supportive of leaders and where most pupils feel safe and are happy.  Some middle leaders lack the necessary skills and experience to discharge their roles effectively. The roles of key stage leaders are underdeveloped. However, subject leaders are now making a stronger contribution to raising standards.  There are systems in place to track pupils’ progress, but leaders do not rigorously monitor the progress of groups of pupils across years and over time. Some pupils with special educational needs or who are eligible for additional government funding, as well as some from the three

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The leadership and management requires improvement

largest ethnic groups in the school, have not made good progress this year.  Leaders identify some useful and accurate areas for development, but their evaluations of school performance are too generous. School development plans include actions which are budgeted for, have time frames and are linked both to school personnel and members of the governing body. However, leaders have not identified clear ways of measuring the success of actions.  Leaders provide a range of support to pupils to help them make up gaps in their learning and liaise with external agencies to help pupils overcome barriers to learning. Leaders have not evaluated the impact of this support. Data indicate that this support is not having a consistently positive impact on the learning of pupils eligible for additional government funding and those with special educational needs.  The local authority has provided regular support to the school this year, with a focus on the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Early Years Foundation Stage, mathematics and leadership and management. This has improved progress in mathematics and teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The local authority support has not had sufficiently good impact on the school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure, so this area requires improvement.  Leaders were successful in raising pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 in reading and writing in 2013 and in improving mathematics across the school this year. They have also improved the way that the governing body asks searching questions of the school. Attendance of pupils who attended less well in the past has improved. Leaders therefore clearly demonstrate a strong capacity to bring about further improvements.  Leaders have implemented more regular progress review meetings, and along with the governing body, they have begun to raise expectations for pupils’ progress. Leaders set specific

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The leadership and management requires improvement

targets for the management of staff and there is a clear link between pupils’ achievement and salary progression.  The large majority of parents who responded to the online Parent View survey were positive about their experiences with the school. Individual parents wrote effusively about their children’s good learning and the strong values of tolerance imparted by senior leaders. A minority of parents indicated that they were not happy with support provided by the school and the school’s response to their concerns. Inspectors found that senior leaders actively engage with parents through the school website and newsletters. They also respond appropriately to concerns but this communication has not been consistently effective. A small minority of parents remain unconvinced that concerns that they have are taken on board by leaders..  Subjects are organised so that pupils gain a breadth and balance of knowledge. There are some

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The leadership and management requires improvement

good additional opportunities to enrich pupils’ learning. The school works well to enhance sports provision. Pupils are provided with good opportunities to develop spiritually and their social, cultural and moral development is well promoted through strong music provision, art, religious studies, personal education lessons and educational visits.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a limited understanding of the quality of teaching in the school and pupils’ achievement. They have not looked closely enough at the progress of groups of pupils or how achievement compares with other schools. They ask some questions about the achievement of pupils and the way that additional government funding is spent. They have not ensured that funding for these pupils is making a consistently positive difference to their achievement.  Governors have not been robust in ensuring that the work of the school to keep pupils safe and secure is good. They have also not ensured that engagement with parents has been consistently effective.  Changes to the governing body mean that it has improved the range of expertise on the governing body and is beginning to offer more challenge to leaders. It is now starting to hold leaders accountable for the school’s performance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Governors undertake visits to the school, have opportunities to contribute to the self- evaluation of school performance and they oversee targets in the school development plan. These plans do not identify clear ways of measuring the success of actions.  Performance management systems are in place and governors have ensured that targets set for the headteacher and other staff are now more challenging. They have also ensured that there is now a link between salary progression and pupils’ achievement. They ensure that sports funding is used well to enhance sports provision and is having a good impact on pupils’ participation rates in sports.

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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 102668 Local authority Merton Inspection number 439502

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 455 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bernadette Brecht Headteacher Anoushka De Sampayo Date of previous school inspection 7 July 2009 Telephone number 020 8942 0215 Fax number 020 8336 0941 Email address school@sacredheart.merton.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

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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