The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary, Arnold

School report The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary Academy Somersby Road, Arnold, Nottingham, NG5 4LT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy 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

 The headteacher, staff and governors are successfully promoting effective teaching and good achievement for pupils.  Teamwork among the staff and governors is strong and this has a positive impact on bringing about improvement.  There is a very positive and welcoming climate where pupils learn and thrive.  Pupils show considerable enthusiasm for learning and their good behaviour supports their academic achievement.  The academy promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well and has good links with the local community.  There are highly effective procedures to ensure that pupils are safe. Pupils feel safe and very well looked after by staff.  Good teaching successfully engages pupils and promotes good progress. Some teaching is outstanding.  Marking and feedback are strengths of teaching.  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those who are disadvantaged receive

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effective support from learning support assistants.  Children in the Early Years achieve well. They make a good start to their school life.  Pupils continue to make good progress through Key Stages 1 and 2. Their progress in reading is outstanding.  Attainment by the end of Year 6 is consistently above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Parents are very pleased with the care and education provided for their children.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The work to improve mathematics teaching has not made its full impact, so pupils’ progress in this subject lags a little behind.  Occasionally, work is too easy and this slows down progress.  Writing tasks do not always get the best out of the most able pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 24 lessons, four of which were seen jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with staff, a group of pupils and six governors of the academy.  Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to them formally and informally at break and lunchtime.  Inspectors took account of the 58 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the academy’s most recent parental survey. They had conversations with parents and carers as they dropped off their children at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the 19 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Academy documentation was examined, including data on pupils’ current progress and records of governing body meetings, teachers’ performance, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. Documentation relating to the care of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs was also carefully reviewed.

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Good Shepherd Catholic Primary Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 st . October 2012, sponsored by the Pax Christi Catholic Academy Trust. When its predecessor school, Good Shepherd Catholic Primary, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  Good Shepherd Catholic Primary Academy is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Nearly three quarters of pupils are of White British heritage, about the same as nationally, and the remainder are of various ethnic minority heritages. Fewer pupils than average speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. Very few pupils have education, health and care plans.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average.

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Information about this school

The pupil premium is additional funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals, or in the care of the local authority  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the academy opened the governors appointed a new leader for English, Early Years and religious education and two new teachers in September 2013. In January 2014 a new deputy headteacher was appointed and in September 2014 two newly qualified teachers were appointed.  The headteacher and senior leaders contribute to school improvement in the family of local Catholic schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise teaching and achievement to outstanding by:  ensuring that the work set is not too easy  accelerating improvements in mathematics teaching to ensure progress in this subject matches that in reading  ensuring that writing tasks always provide sufficient challenge to enable more-able pupils to reach the highest levels.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher brings enthusiasm, energy and wide experience to his post. He provides very effective leadership in raising pupils’ achievement, developing teaching and in building the academy’s ability to improve. The introduction of a new, effective system to track the progress of all pupils is supporting improvement well.

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The leadership and management are good

 Other leaders, staff and governors share the headteacher’s ambition, vision and expectations for the academy. All leaders and staff work well together in promoting high quality teaching and good achievement for pupils. The promotion of good pupil behaviour is strong; the promotion of their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Leaders and staff are particularly successful in promoting care, respect, responsibility and tolerance. Pupils are developing very good understanding of different cultures and faiths. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are clear systems for checking the academy’s performance. The headteacher has effectively involved staff in identifying what the academy does well and what needs to improve. Similarly, all leaders and staff are engaged in planning action to make these things happen. For example, there have been recent improvements to the provision in the Early Years, and in the assessment of pupils’ work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Arrangements for appraising the performance of teachers are clear and robust. Teachers’ targets are well linked to pupils’ progress, to academy improvement priorities and to their professional development. Leaders provide effective training and support to increase teachers’ skills. Successful action has been taken to ensure that teaching is at least good. Teachers have useful opportunities to observe teaching and learning in other schools. There is a clear programme of mentoring and support for newly qualified teachers.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders, and those with specific areas of responsibility, are developing the academy’s preferred approach to assessment of the new curriculum, which is on its way to implementation . T hey are providing training for staff, which is leading to very clear steps for action.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy’s curriculum provides a wide range of subjects and topics which promote good achievement for pupils and contribute very well to their personal and social skills. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the additional activities, such as clubs, sport and educational visits. There are no signs of discrimination in the academy and all pupils have a full and equal access to the learning activities provided.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy uses its primary sports grant successfully to extend pupils’ opportunities for sport and physical development. For example, this money funds a specialist sports coach three days each week. He is a skilled practitioner who is extremely well regarded by pupils, staff and parents. He has been very effective in promoting pupils’ physical education skills and also developing teachers’ skills and confidence. Pupils participate well in a range of local tournaments and have been exceptionally successful, for example, in basketball, cricket, football and swimming.

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The leadership and management are good

 Additional funding is used effectively to provide disadvantaged pupils with extra support, particularly in literacy and numeracy. The funding and support is having a very positive impact on their progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy’s good tracking system quickly identifies any pupil at risk of falling behind and staff intervene promptly to enable them to catch up. This makes sure that all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy’s improvement partner has a clear overview of its performance and provides a good blend of challenge and support. Reports of his findings provide the academy and governors with an accurate picture of the academy’s effectiveness.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors support the academy very effectively and have every confidence in its leadership to drive further improvement. The headteacher and senior leaders work collaboratively with other leaders from academies in the trust, and receive effective support from the diocese. These links allow teachers from partner schools to share best practice, and to agree standards of pupils’ work by marking it together.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and staff have established productive partnerships with parents. Parents hold very positive views about the academy and have very few concerns. The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are thorough and ensure that pupils are kept safe. For instance, all checks to ensure staff are suitable to work with children are completed before appointment.

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The leadership and management are good

 The work of leaders and managers at all levels is having a good impact. In improving standards in reading, the impact is outstanding. Work is underway to accelerate progress in mathematics, which still lags behind. Checks on the quality of teaching have not ensured that it is consistently high enough to lead to pupils’ outstanding overall achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are very knowledgeable, professional and skilful and have a visible presence in the academy. They value the academy’s achievements and its very positive atmosphere. The governors possess a very clear and accurate overview of the academy’s performance. They are well informed about the achievement of different groups in different subjects. Governors receive accurate information about the quality of teaching. They understand requirements relating to the management of staff performance, including that of the headteacher, and the importance of promotion and salary increases reflecting the progress pupils make. Governors ensure that additional funding is used wisely and check the impact of spending on pupils’ progress. They have ensured that all safeguarding procedures meet requirements. The governors support the headteacher and staff well. Governors contribute to the academy’s

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The leadership and management are good

newsletters and their action plan informs the community of their intentions and actions. Their secure knowledge of the academy’s performance enables them to challenge the headteacher and hold the academy to account.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and their good behaviour in lessons contribute considerably to their good progress. Behaviour is often exemplary at playtime and lunchtime. The academy’s records show that behaviour is typically of a high standard over time.

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Behaviour

 All parents who completed Parent View stated that the academy makes sure that pupils are well behaved and that it deals effectively with bullying. All parents who responded also believe their children are happy, safe and well looked after in the academy. These very positive responses to the survey reflect what inspectors found.

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Behaviour

 Children in the Early Years enjoy the interesting indoor and outdoor activities provided. They learn and play very well together. The strong relationships between adults and children, and the children’s good behaviour, support learning well.

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Behaviour

 Pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 show a keenness to learn. They participate with enthusiasm in the activities provided. Some of their comments included, ‘learning is fun’ and ‘you know when you come into school that you will have a good day’.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well. Pupils are considerate, courteous, and respectful and relate extremely well to adults and to other pupils. They are particularly good at making visitors and new pupils feel welcome. They show good understanding of different religions, cultures and of what it takes to be a good member of the academy community.

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Behaviour

 Pupils thrive on the additional responsibilities provided such as being monitors, ‘eco-warriors’ and ‘playground buddies’. Members of the academy council represent their fellow pupils well. Pupils raise funds for different national and international charities. They appreciate the importance of helping others who are less well off than themselves.  Attendance is above average. Senior leaders have taken effective measures to maintain high attendance.

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Behaviour

 The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe and very well looked after by the staff.

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Behaviour

 Pupils show a clear understanding of bullying and the different forms it might take, such as name calling and cyber bullying. Pupils informed the inspectors that bullying does not happen. They are taught what to do should any bullying occur, and are confident that it would be quickly resolved.

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Behaviour

 The academy works effectively with outside agencies and parents to ensure that pupils who may be vulnerable are well looked after and achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching successfully engages pupils and promotes good learning for all groups. Clear explanations and demonstrations help to ensure that pupils know what they are expected to learn. Questioning is used effectively to challenge pupils’ thinking and to check their understanding of new work. Teaching of reading is outstanding and promotes rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Speaking and listening skills are promoted well in all subject areas. For example, pupils in Year 4 had good opportunities to question their classmates about their interpretation of a religious painting. The teaching of reading skills, including phonics (letters and the sounds they represent), is highly effective. Pupils make good progress in writing because they receive good guidance from their teachers, and tasks are chosen to inspire exciting writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the teaching of mathematics, pupils acquire essential knowledge and skills and are provided with interesting and relevant opportunities to apply these in solving problems.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The assessment of pupils’ attainment is accurate and thorough. In the main, teachers use this information well to plan their teaching and to set challenging work for different groups of pupils. Consequently, pupils are fully engaged and interested in their learning. They make good gains in acquiring knowledge, deepening their understanding and developing their skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is successful and leads to their good progress. Learning support assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly for those who need additional help.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set clear individual learning targets for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils know how well they are doing and what they are aiming for next.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set regular homework that extends activities undertaken in school. Pupils say they enjoy learning at home, especially when using modern technology.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking has been an area for improvement and academy leaders have tackled this very well. As a result, the guidance teachers provide is leading to improvements in pupils’ work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Just occasionally, work is not set at the right level of difficulty. When this happens, pupils’ learning can slow because the work is too easy for them. In writing and in mathematics, tasks are sometimes not challenging enough for the most able pupils. This is one reason why fewer achieve the highest levels possible in these subjects than do so in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All pupils have positive attitudes to learning and make good progress through the academy, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Reading progress is outstanding. In 2013, progress in reading between Key Stage 1 to 2 put the school in the highest 12% nationally. The 2014 unvalidated results look set to continue this pattern.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 6 is consistently above average in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has taken positive action to maintain this good achievement as it implements the new curriculum. Pupils’ handwriting is developing well. Pupils try hard to ensure that their use of grammar, punctuation and spelling are accurate, and apply their writing skills well in other subjects. For example, pupils in Year 6 wrote clear accounts of what they observed in the scientific experiments they performed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good teaching and well-focused support help to ensure that pupils across the academy eligible for additional funding make good, and sometimes better progress than the others. In 2013, pupils in Year 6 supported by the pupil premium achieved as well as their peers in reading and mathematics, and were one and a half terms behind in writing. Overall, they were about a term ahead of other pupils nationally, and about two terms ahead in reading. Current records show that these pupils are continuing to progress as well as their peers in reading, writing and mathematics across the academy. Overall, they attain similar standards to their classmates, while gaps in attainment are closing in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, the results at the end of Key Stage 1 were significantly above the national average. School evidence shows that pupils in Key Stage 1 in 2014 reached broadly similar standards. This represents good progress from their starting points at the end of the Early Years. Pupils currently in Key Stage 1 are making good progress and a high proportion are now reaching standards above those expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is consistently very good for the younger children. Results of the phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 in 2013 were above average. There was further improvement in 2014, and this has led to nearly nine out of ten achieving the nationally expected standard. Pupils develop a love of reading and older pupils acquire and apply more advanced reading skills such as deduction and inference. This helps to explain why reading is a strength in the academy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. They receive effective support from learning support assistants and the work set is well suited to their needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils are usually challenged and given opportunities to extend their learning. In 2013, a higher than average proportion achieved the highest Level 6 (about the standard of a 14-year-old) in reading, but fewer achieved this level in writing or mathematics. Just occasionally in lessons, work set is not demanding enough for the most able, and this hinders the progress they make.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ rate of progress in mathematics in Key Stage 2 is a little lower than in reading and writing. Academy leaders are taking action to address this issue, for example by ensuring that the new curriculum includes opportunities to strengthen pupils’ calculation and problem solving skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Most children’s attainment on entry to Reception is typical of the skills and abilities displayed by children of that age. However, year on year, the proportion of children with weaker language skills is rising.

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The early years provision is good

 Attainment for the children at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage in summer 2014, expressed as the percentage with a good level of development, was well above the national average. This represented good progress from their starting points and enabled children to enter Year 1 in September well equipped to tackle national curriculum work.

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The early years provision is good

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led and managed. The new leader has recently brought about improvements to the provision in the setting. Children are offered a wider range of learning activities and leaders are checking children’s attainment more sharply. These improvements are having a positive impact on children’s achievement and enjoyment.

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The early years provision is good

 Adults have established high quality relationships with the children and create a positive and stimulating environment for them to learn and flourish. The children feel safe, grow in confidence and relate extremely well to adults and to other children. Their behaviour is very positive.

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The early years provision is good

 All groups of children are making good progress in the different areas of learning. This is because of good teaching and the interesting range of indoor and outdoor activities. Children make good progress in speaking and listening because teachers and helpers are successful in encouraging them to talk about their learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Children spend much of their time appropriately in choosing their own activities, in experimenting, and exploring the resources and their surroundings. The very well-resourced outside areas are available to extend their physical activities and the opportunities for investigation and creative development are promoted well outside the classroom.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s attainment and progress is carefully checked and recorded. There are detailed assessment folders for each child with photographs and annotations of their learning and experiences.

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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 138811 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 448640 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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 386 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Carmel Ryan Headteacher Gerard Whittle Date of previous school inspection 23 June 2010 Telephone number 0115 926 2983 Fax number 0115 926 2983 Email address office@goodshepherd.notts.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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