St Osmund's Catholic Primary School, Salisbury

St Osmund’s Catholic Primary School Exeter Street, Salisbury, SP1 2SG

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils achieve well in all year groups, including the Reception class. They make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils’ progress has accelerated in the last year for the most able pupils in reading and mathematics.  Pupils behave well, are enthusiastic learners, show respect to adults and fellow pupils, and show consideration for each other. They feel safe and secure in school.  Teaching is good, and sometimes outstanding, especially at Key Stage 2. Teachers have good relationships with pupils, and provide them with many exciting activities.  The school is ably led by the headteacher, and supported well by the new leadership team. Their rigorous promotion of better teaching is having a positive effect on pupils’ learning.  Children have a stimulating start to their education in the Reception class. Good teaching and leadership ensure improvement in their knowledge and life skills.  The governing body is well led, supportive and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

challenging to school leaders, and has an accurate view of the school’s performance. Governors play an active role in setting targets for teachers.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of phonic skills (the sounds letters make) are not as good as they should be.  Teachers do not always give pupils enough opportunities to practise their writing skills in all subjects.  Not all teachers are fully confident in checking pupils’ progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or part lessons. Three of these were seen jointly with the headteacher or assistant headteacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, staff with leadership responsibilities, three governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading and discussed their reading experiences with them.  Inspectors examined 59 paper responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire for parents, (Parent view). There were too few responses online for those responses to be taken into consideration. Inspectors considered five responses to the staff questionnaire.  A range of documentation was examined including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement and development plans, and analysis of pupils’ achievement and progress. Inspectors also examined safeguarding arrangements, school policies, and records of checks made by leaders on the quality of

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Inspection team

Rodney Braithwaite, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  About two thirds of the pupils are White British, the remainder coming from a range of minority ethnic heritages. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. The proportion at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average. This is additional government funding provided for children who are looked after by the local authority or known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the previous inspection there have been a number of changes to teaching staff and senior leaders,

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Information about this school

including the appointment of a new assistant headteacher and inclusion leader this term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that teachers: – give pupils opportunities to use their writing skills in all subjects – develop their skills of checking pupils’ progress between and during lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ phonic skills across the school in order to improve their skills in reading, writing and spelling.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has led the school strongly and decisively over the last two years. She has overseen a number of changes in staff, including the appointment of new and enthusiastic senior and middle leaders. As a result, the quality of teaching and achievement are good.  Since the last inspection, middle and senior leaders have secured stronger teaching across the school, including in the Reception class. As a result, pupils’ attainment is rising and progress is speeding up. Although the present leadership structure is comparatively new, there is convincing evidence that the school has good capacity for further improvement.  Led rigorously by the headteacher, the monitoring and improvement of teaching is helping teachers’ skills and maintaining improvements through well-focused support, training and development.  Leaders have improved the analysis of pupils’ performance, especially through the introduction of new

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The leadership and management are good

checking procedures. This has been successful in helping to raise the achievement of many pupils, although they are not yet used with complete confidence by all teachers.  Leaders have used the additional government funding for eligible pupils to improve their progress.  School leaders have an accurate view of the school’s performance which provides the basis for medium- and long-term planning for improvement.  The new curriculum is contributing strongly to pupils’ enjoyment of learning and their improving achievement. Teachers provide imaginative and stimulating activities in all subjects, leading to good achievement in most of them. The promotion of the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education ensures they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The increasingly effective use of the additional sports funding is helping pupils increase their understanding of teamwork and healthy living.

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The leadership and management are good

 This thoroughly multicultural school promotes equal opportunities well. This results in no discrimination, and helps pupils show respect for others, and take pride in their work and in their school.  The local authority as provided well-considered support and training which has effectively contributed to the school’s improvement over the last two years.  The school has a good partnership with parents. In their responses to Parent View, nearly all were positive about the school’s leadership and the personal development the school provides for their children.  Leadership and management are not outstanding because teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning is not consistently outstanding across the school. Pupils therefore have not made sustained outstanding progress over time.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved since the last inspection. Governors have undertaken regular training, and as a result have a much clearer picture of both the strengths of the school, and areas needing improvement. They have also developed much greater confidence in challenging the leadership of the school because of their better understanding. They do not rely solely on leaders providing information. They find out for themselves, and understand how information on the school’s performance compares with similar schools nationally.  Governors know what the school has done to tackle weaker teaching. They have a good understanding of the links between teachers’ pay in relation to their identified targets for improving pupils’ learning. Governors carefully monitor and evaluate the use of additional government funds to improve the performance of eligible pupils. They also know how sports funding is used and how this is helping to

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The leadership and management are good

develop the skills and health of pupils. Governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and regularly review the effectiveness of school policies.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They behave well in lessons and around a large school with staircases, and extensive grounds and play areas. This also includes behaviour in activities outside, and in the dining hall, where they eat, talk and queue together, calmly and sensibly.  Pupils think that behaviour is ‘quite good’. A few said some are noisy in class, and this affects their learning, ‘but not in Year 6’. Parent responses indicate that almost all agree that behaviour is good. Most pupils work cooperatively with each other and readily settle and get on with their learning. Only a small minority occasionally have difficulties in concentrating on their learning. This is why behaviour is not outstanding.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They talk enthusiastically about their activities, saying how much they enjoy drama like ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. They also enjoy writing poems about the rain forests,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and studying North America and the Rockies. Older pupils feel that they are well prepared by the school for their future education.  The wide variety of learning experiences and opportunities to work together contribute positively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are confident that the staff will look after them and can readily identify adults who will help them if needed.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including through the social media and the internet. When there have been occasional incidents, they say that staff deal with them quickly and fairly. They maintain that they have no experience of racialism and that they all get on well together.  Attendance has improved and is above the national average . This is because the school procedures are rigorous and parents have been positive in ensuring their children attend regularly. These measures have

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

also ensured that pupils are consistently punctual for school. Exclusions are very rare.  The school works effectively with external agencies in supporting families and children who may be at risk of not doing so well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved in the last two years and continues to do so. This is why the progress of pupils has risen particularly rapidly in the last year.  The improvement in teaching over this time is evident in most pupils’ books and in stimulating displays. ‘The Magic Box’, full of writing surprises stimulates pupils’ imagination and successfully promotes their creative writing skills well.  Older pupils talk about the development of their skills in problem solving in mathematics, and writing skills in English by relating these to their own experiences. For example, Year 6 pupils were enthused to write imaginative poems about President Obama’s visit to nearby Stonehenge.  Teachers are careful to ensure that pupils listen to and understand instructions and take care and pride in their work. Regular learning targets, which are carefully planned for each pupil, help them know how and what they need to do to improve. .

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking is also helping pupils’ achievement accelerate. Most comments are a balance of praise and identify accurately different ways to improve. However, not all teachers encourage a written response from pupils to their comments. This hampers the progress of some pupils.  Relationships between pupils and their teacher are good and there is much mutual respect.  Teachers are becoming increasingly familiar with the tracking and checking of the progress of their pupils. Most teachers are now confident in this, but some are less so and further development of teachers’ skills in moderating pupils’ work is planned.  Literacy skills are generally well promoted through all subjects, and pupils’ good reading skills help them to widen their knowledge through using library books or computers. In a few classes, pupils’ achievement is less strong because they are not expected to use their writing skills in different subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and their teaching assistants generally work productively together to improve pupils’ learning and skills. This can be a complex task as a number of classes are shared between teachers. Teaching assistants are effective in supporting all groups of pupils.

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is good

 Pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics has been consistent in recent years. In 2013, they reached standards at the end of Year 2 slightly above the national average.  In 2014, however, pupils’ attainment and progress were above average in all three subjects. Notably, considerably more pupils reached above average levels than in the past, especially in reading and mathematics.  The school’s own information indicates that although girls achieved a higher level than boys, all other groups of pupils made similarly good progress in 2014. This includes the small number of pupils eligible for additional government funding, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, minority ethnic groups, and those who speak English as an additional language.  Although most pupils make good progress in reading and writing, their learning of phonics has not been as good. In 2014, they were below average compared to the national phonics check. The school has

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is good

recognised this weakness and taken steps recently to improve pupils’ learning. In spite of this, pupils continue to reach good levels of reading throughout the school because they have many reading opportunities at school and at home.  Pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics in Years 3 to 6. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2014, above average numbers of pupils made good progress in each subject. These results were considerably better than any in the previous five years.  The most able pupils achieved especially well, with a high number reaching above or well above average levels of attainment. This rise in achievement for these pupils, also evident at Key Stage 1, is because of improved challenge in teaching and much higher expectations of pupils’ performance.  Pupils supported by additional government funding throughout the school, although not reaching the same

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is good

average levels of attainment as other pupils, are making progress at least as good as others. There remains a gap between this group and others, but it is rapidly closing and in some year groups, it is now in line with all other pupils.  Effective support has helped to improve the progress of these pupils, and disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, so progress is similar to that of other pupils. This also includes pupils in minority ethnic groups, and pupils who speak English as an additional language.  Pupils are keen readers and many reach good standards. They and their teachers and parents carefully track their progress and clearly enjoy reading to adults as often as possible. Pupils in Year 6 talked about their favourite authors such as Michael Morpurgo, mentioning ‘Running Wild’ and ‘War Horse’. They also talked about their enjoyment of classics like ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and ‘Oliver Twist’.

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is good

 Pupils are improving their achievement in a range of other subjects, such as information and communication technology and geography, as the new curriculum becomes established.  Pupils are improving their skills in physical education and healthy lifestyles. This is because the new sports funding is being used effectively in providing more effective teaching of skills.

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is good

 Children enter the Reception class with levels of skill and experience typically seen for their age. A small number have skills below those normally seen in their language development, some of them being in the early stages of learning English.  Most children make good progress. They achieve well and reach attainment above national expectations in their reading, writing and number work by the time they enter Year 1.  This is because teaching is consistently good, and accurate assessment and its use in planning have led, for example, to more boys choosing to write. A wide range of adults are continually involved in the children’s learning and checking of their progress.  Children learn quickly to help each other and follow instructions carefully. Their behaviour inside the classroom and outdoors is good and sometimes outstanding as they learn to become self-reliant.  Leadership of the Reception class is good. Leaders consistently encourage good learning habits, and

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is good

consequently, children make consistently good progress in all aspects of their development.  Leaders work effectively with parents who are pleased with their access to what the school provides for their children.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 126425 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 432147

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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 198 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mick Regan Headteacher Elizabeth Jolly Date of previous school inspection 24–25 January 2013 Telephone number 01722 322632 Fax number 01722 344960 Email address admin@st-osmunds.wilts.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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