St Edward's Catholic Primary School

St Edward's Catholic Primary School Packington Lane, Coleshill, Birmingham, B46 3JE

p.1

Inspection dates 3 December 2014 – 9 January 2015

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 Requires improvement 3

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make good progress across Key Stage 1 and 2 in all classes. They achieve well. Standards are significantly above average by the time they leave the school in Year 6, particularly in reading and mathematics.  The headteacher, supported by other leaders and governors, has already had a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching in mathematics. Achievement in that subject has risen, particularly at Key Stage 1.  Teaching is good. Teachers plan pupils’ work carefully so that it interests them and builds on what they already know, especially in reading and mathematics.  Pupils behave well around the school. They have good attitudes to learning and try hard. Pupils have a good understanding of how the school helps them to keep safe.  The school places a high emphasis on promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result, pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education and for life in

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

modern Britain.  Most parents would recommend the school to others. All those who stated a view feel the school keeps their children safe and looks after them well.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The early years’ provision requires improvement. Children in Reception do not achieve as well as they should because checks on their learning have not always been precise enough for teachers to use when planning and this has reduced the effectiveness of the teaching.  Through the school, standards in writing are not as high as in other subjects because teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are sometimes too low, particularly for the most able pupils.  Teachers’ marking does not consistently help pupils to fully understand how they can improve their work.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons or parts of lessons, two of them jointly with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They met with a group of pupils to gain their views of the school. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime and at the end of the school day, as well as in lessons.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including assessments and records of pupils’ progress, the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding, child protection and attendance, records of how teaching is managed and the school improvement plans.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff and three governors. A telephone discussion was held with a representative of the local education authority.  Inspectors took account of the 46 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, talked to several parents at the end of the school day and considered letters from parents. They also looked at the

p.2

Information about this inspection

responses from the 25 staff questionnaires.  On 9 January 2015 an inspector visited the school to collect additional evidence about pupils’ achievement.

p.2

Inspection team

Adam Hewett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Children in the early years attend full time.  Most pupils are of White British background. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium (additional government funding), at about one in nine, is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is one in eight pupils, which is below the national average.  There have been significant leadership changes since the previous inspection. The headteacher was appointed in January 2014 and the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher were appointed in May 2014. The Chair of the Governing Body was elected to the post in November 2014.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for

p.3

Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  A nursery and before- and after-school provision operates on the school site but is not run by the governing body and is therefore inspected separately, and not included in this inspection.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve children’s achievement in Reception by ensuring that assessment and progress checks are accurate and are used effectively to enable children to make at least good progress.  Raise the quality of teaching and achievement to outstanding by making sure that all teachers:  have higher expectations of the standards that all pupils, especially the most able, should achieve in their written work  improving marking so that it consistently and clearly shows pupils how they can improve their work

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has, together with other leaders, brought about improvements in the teaching of mathematics. He has put in place additional support for the most able pupils in mathematics that has helped some pupils to achieve very high standards in this subject by the time they leave the school. Work has already begun with the intention of improving the impact of teaching on writing standards.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is very well supported by the deputy headteacher. They have maintained and developed a strong culture of care, support and respect across the school. They have ensured that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the work of the school. All staff show commitment to bringing about further improvement. These factors, together with leaders’ success in raising attainment in mathematics, demonstrate the school’s capacity for further improvement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders are increasingly provided with opportunities to check the quality of teaching and measure pupils’ progress within their specific areas of responsibility. This has resulted in improvements to the way pupils learn mental arithmetic facts. In addition, the introduction of an improved handwriting scheme is already beginning to enabling pupils of all ages to develop a neat, fluent style.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has this year provided well-planned additional support from its own staff as well as from a headteacher of a local outstanding school.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The subjects taught in the school are broad and balanced. The school has adapted its teaching to ensure that all aspects of the recently revised National Curriculum are fully addressed. The curriculum provides pupils with very good opportunities to develop their understanding of British values, such as its democratic system to prepare pupils to live in modern Britain, including through a visit to the Houses of Parliament.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The management of teachers’ performance is conducted thoroughly, with appropriate targets set for each member of staff. Progress against these targets is closely monitored and teachers’ pay progression is clearly linked to them being successfully achieved and to pupil achievement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school has used the additional sports funding effectively to widen the range of activities it provides, including Gaelic football, golf and gymnastics. This has resulted in significant increase in the number of pupils regularly taking part in physical and sporting activities. The employment of a specialist sports coach for a half day each week has helped develop improved skills for staff.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure pupils enjoy equality of opportunity by checking that gaps in the achievement of different groups of pupils are quickly identified and tackled, for instance, in mathematics. The inclusive nature of the school ensures that discrimination is not tolerated. The pupil premium funding has been used effectively to provide regular additional help for disadvantaged pupils.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school has effective arrangements for safeguarding that fully meet current requirements.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 In the early years, leaders’ use of assessment has not led to good teaching or achievement for this stage. While systems of checking the quality of teaching and its impact on pupil achievement are in place, throughout the school, the outcomes of these activities are not always drawn together effectively to quickly identify what aspects of teaching need to be still improved. As a result, action has not always taken place rapidly enough to bring about the necessary improvements.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have taken responsibility for improving their own effectiveness and have put in place procedures that ensure they provide high levels of challenge to school leaders. They have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and its areas for development. This is gained through analysis of a wide range of data, very detailed monitoring of teaching and learning and through asking searching and relevant questions of school leaders. Governors carry out their statutory duties well and ensure that the resources available to the school, including the pupil premium, are used appropriately to bring about improvements in learning for pupils. They ensure that teachers are suitably rewarded for the quality of their teaching and its impact on pupil achievement. They ensure that all safeguarding requirements are met.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in lessons and often show positive attitudes towards their learning which has a positive impact on the progress they make. They settle quickly to activities and say that lessons are not disrupted by any poor behaviour. The school’s own logs of behaviour indicate that incidents of inappropriate behaviour are rare and are dealt with effectively when they do occur.

p.5

Behaviour

 Children in Reception settle in quickly to the school routines. They form good relationships with each other and behave well.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils appreciate the wide range of subjects and activities that the school offers them and say that teachers make learning interesting and enjoyable. They take pride in the fact that they have the opportunity through the School Council and the house system to take on responsibilities and contribute to making the school even better.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils behave well around the school. They are polite and caring towards each other. Older pupils act as ‘buddies’ to younger children and enjoy reading to them in the newly established outdoor reading area.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils say that there is virtually no bullying. They are confident that if it were to occur that it would be dealt with firmly and effectively by all staff. They have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils’ workbooks show that over time, the presentation of their work is sometimes untidy and contains careless mistakes.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a wide range of situations, including when using the internet and road safety. There are good systems in place within school to ensure that the pupils are safe in the buildings and around the school grounds.

p.5

Safety

 All parents who stated a view were positive about how well all members of staff support and care for their children and keep them safe. Parents spoke of the calm and serenity of the school and the fact that their children enjoy all that it has to offer.

p.5

Safety

 Attendance in 2013 fell to below average. The school took decisive action so that attendance is now once again above average.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching helps pupils to make good progress, so that by the time they leave in Year 6, they reach high standards overall, especially in reading and mathematics.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers explain clearly to pupils what they are expected to achieve and this helps them to make progress. Relationships between teachers and pupils are good and pupils feel confident in asking questions when they are uncertain about any aspects of their learning.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is relevant and exciting and motivates pupils to work hard. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, pupils visited a local farm to see a Christmas nativity setting. This experience motivated them to write well-thought out pieces of work that described what they had seen and how they felt.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 There is a strong and successful focus on ensuring that pupils are secure in basic skills in mathematics, such as knowledge of multiplication tables and quick recall of addition and subtraction facts. Pupils are provided with good opportunities to apply mathematical skills and knowledge to a range of problem solving and practical activities.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 In the early years, phonics (the sounds letters make) is taught well and this gives pupils a good start in learning to read. Teaching builds on these skills in the rest of the school. Pupils are taught well how to get the most out of what they are reading about and, as a result, they develop a strong love of reading.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 The school provides good support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. All staff are focused strongly on ensuring these pupils have access to all of the activities and subjects that are available in school. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity for its pupils.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use questions well to probe pupils’ understanding and usually adapt their questions to match the range of abilities within the class. However, teachers do not always have high enough expectations and set writing tasks that are not sufficiently challenging. This means that the most able pupils do not make as much progress as they could.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly. However not all the marking provides clear guidance on how pupils can improve their work or the standard of presentation that is expected. This means that particularly in writing, errors are sometimes repeated and written work is generally not presented well.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 By the end of Year 2 in 2014 attainment in reading and mathematics was significantly above the national average and was average in writing. The attainment of Year 6 pupils by the time they left the school in 2014 was significantly above the national average in mathematics and reading but fell in writing to broadly average. Leaders are fully aware that the reasons for this related to relative weaknesses in teaching in the past. All pupils had made at least the progress expected of them, between Years 3 and 6, in mathematics and reading, and almost all, in writing. Currently, pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are making good progress in all subjects.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils make very good progress in both reading and mathematics and a significant number attained the higher levels in mathematics and reading at both the end of Year 2 and Year 6. However too few reach the higher levels in writing due to the work that is set not being sufficiently challenging.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well in reading. In both 2013 and 2014 in the Year 1 phonic screening check the proportion achieving the expected standard was above the national average. Pupils read widely for research and for pleasure.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Evidence seen during the inspection and from looking at work in pupils’ books indicates that they make good progress in English, mathematics and in other subjects, including science, history and geography. Pupils’ make good use of information and communication technology to support their learning.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs generally make similar progress to other pupils in the school from their own individual starting points. Teaching assistants have received additional training and this helps them to work effectively with individuals or small groups of pupils and to enable these pupils to narrow any gaps in their learning.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s own data shows that disadvantaged pupils make progress which is similar to that of other pupils overall, both in school and nationally. There were too few disadvantaged pupils in each of the Year 6 classes to compare their attainment with others in their class, without risk of identifying the individuals.  The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of the Reception class is slightly below average, though achievement is improving, particularly in reading and mathematics.

p.6

The early years provision requires improvement

 Leadership of the early years requires improvement because assessment processes have occasionally underestimated what pupils know and can do. This has now been recognised by the school and work has begun to ensure that staff use effective assessment methods to record and measure accurately children’s progress.

p.7

The early years provision requires improvement

 Most children start in Reception with skills and knowledge that are typical for their age. The weakness in assessment has meant that the proportion of them recorded as achieving a good level of development by the time they move into Year 1 has been below national expectations for the past two years. This year, assessment processes began to improve and show that children made better progress in reading and mathematics and achieved standards that were in line with national expectations. Inspection evidence confirms this level of attainment.

p.7

The early years provision requires improvement

 The quality of teaching varies because it has been hampered by assessments which have not always been precise enough to enable the planning of the right next steps of learning for children. The teaching of communication skills, including writing, has been most affected by this weakness.

p.7

The early years provision requires improvement

 Some aspects of teaching are good, for instance, the teaching of phonics. This helps children to learn to read securely. Children are also provided with an increasingly wide range of exciting learning activities where they can develop investigative skills. During the inspection children were enthused by working and playing in a winter wonderland area that had been set up in the outdoor classroom and applied scientific and measuring skills to find out about ice.

p.7

The early years provision requires improvement

 Children’s behaviour is good. They form positive relationships with each other and understand the importance of sharing and co-operating. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a range of different situations.

p.7

The early years provision requires improvement

 Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children’s learning. They are being provided with an increasing range of information during their child’s first year in school. Staff also work well with the separate on-site nursery and with other pre-school groups to get children ready for learning in Reception.

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 125707 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 448577

p.9

School details

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

p.9

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 208 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stella Skillen Headteacher Patrick Ward Date of previous school inspection 4 February 2010 Telephone number 01675 463249 Fax number 01675 463249 Email address admin3503@welearn365.com 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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10