St James's Catholic Primary School

St James's Catholic Primary School 260 Stanley Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW2 5NP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. They make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics. By the time pupils leave Year 6, their attainment is significantly above average. They are very well prepared for secondary school.  Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. They make good progress, and develop the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their education.  The centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders is effectively led and managed and pupils make excellent progress with their learning.  Staff are highly committed, and work hard to instil a passion for learning and achievement in their pupils. The morale in the school is very high.  Teaching assistants are highly skilled and make an effective contribution to pupils’ learning.  Teachers mark pupils’ work thoroughly, and give them guidance on how to improve. However, they do not always ensure that pupils respond to their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

comments to deepen their understanding further.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make excellent progress because of the high quality care and support they receive.  Pupils enjoy coming to school, and their attendance is high. Their behaviour is exceptional, both inside and outside of classrooms, and they have extremely positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils from all backgrounds get on extremely well with each other. Pupils feel very safe and secure in the school.  Subjects spark pupils’ interest in learning and thirst for knowledge and effectively promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Senior leaders, middle managers and governors are highly successful in improving the quality of teaching and raising standards.  Leaders rigorously check teachers’ performance, and provide them with effective support and training to bring about improvements.  Parents are extremely positive about the school, the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quality of education their children receive and the progress they make.  Governors know the school extremely well, including its priorities. They provide leaders with the appropriate support and challenge to bring about improvements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 30 lessons, of which 17 were joint observations with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or the early years leader. Inspectors also observed pupils at breaks and lunchtimes.  Meetings were held with different groups of pupils. The inspectors listened to pupils read in Years 1 and 6 and discussed their reading with them.  The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, a local authority representative and five governors. A telephone discussion was also held with the Chair of the Governing Body.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and examined a range of documentation, including information on pupils’ performance, improvement plans and checks on the quality of teaching. They also looked at records relating to behaviour, safety, safeguarding and attendance.  The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ written work to see what progress they make and to judge the quality of

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Information about this inspection

marking and feedback to pupils.  The inspectors took account of 314 responses received from parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View). In addition, inspectors spoke to parents in the playground at the start of the school day.  The inspectors also considered 51 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Avtar Sherri, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St James’s Catholic Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Early years provision consists of two part-time Nursery and three full-time Reception classes.  Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic groups with the largest group being from a White British background.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is well below average. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after by the local authority. In 2013 and 2014, there were very few pupils supported by the pupil premium in the Year 6 cohorts. There are currently no looked after children in the school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well below average.

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Information about this school

 The school runs a centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders on site. There are currently 12 pupils aged between five and 10 who attend this centre.  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?

 Ensure that pupils respond to the comments in teachers’ marking of their work to further accelerate their progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that children in the early years make rapid progress by:  improving the assessment systems for recording and evaluating progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is highly effective, and her vision for the school and ambition for pupils are shared by all leaders, including governors, managers and staff. They all work effectively as a team to ensure continuous improvements, including in the quality of teaching, pupils’ achievement and behaviour. As a result, high standards have been maintained since the previous inspection.  Middle managers know their subjects extremely well, including the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make. They have sufficient opportunities to check the quality of teaching and provide effective support and training for staff to drive improvements.  Pupils’ progress is tracked carefully, and pupil progress meetings are effectively used to hold teachers to account to ensure pupils make outstanding progress. Pupils falling behind with their learning are quickly identified for additional help. This ensures that all pupils make excellent progress with their learning. This

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The leadership and management are outstanding

reflects the school’s values and belief that every pupil must have an equal opportunity to succeed, and ensures that there is no discrimination.  The additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used extremely well to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make at least similar progress to their classmates. The impact of the support for these pupils is closely checked by leaders, including governors, to ensure that the additional funding is effectively used to raise achievement.  The school’s evaluation of its performance is thorough, and leaders know the main priorities for improvement to maintain high standards of achievement, teaching and behaviour.  The leadership and management of the centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders are outstanding. The leader works effectively with the special educational needs coordinator and staff to improve the quality of teaching, and to ensure pupils make excellent progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Parents are highly positive about all aspects of the school’s work, including how well the school is led and managed. The school successfully engages parents in the work it does and in the education of their children. Homework is appropriate, challenging and regularly set and marked by staff. Almost all parents responding to the on online questionnaire (Parent View) agree that the school is well led and managed.  The school provides pupils with a rich range of subjects with a strong focus on ‘thinking skills’, encouraging pupils to discuss and think deeply about their learning. It meets the needs of the National Curriculum, and this information is shared with parents at parent meetings and via the school website. Music, singing and art feature strongly throughout the school. For example, the school has several choirs and pupils show great enthusiasm for singing in concerts and festivals. Pupils also have opportunities to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

play orchestral instruments. There is an excellent range of clubs and activities after school. Pupils’ participation and success in sports are also a strong feature of the curriculum.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development exceptionally well. Pupils know about other cultures and the main religious beliefs represented in Britain. They learn about democracy through their involvement in the school council, where they make decisions about the changes they want to bring about in the school and the process of election onto the school council. They learn about British values, appreciation of diversity and tolerance of others. The school prepares them effectively for life in modern Britain.  Funding for physical education and sports has been used effectively to improve the quality of teaching in physical education through the use of specialist sports coaches and training. Additional sports clubs have

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The leadership and management are outstanding

been introduced to help pupils develop high levels of fitness. The funding has also had an impact on bringing about success for the school in the local competitive sporting events.  Safeguarding arrangements to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils fully meet all requirements. Senior staff, including governors, ensure that policies and procedures are rigorous and robust.  This outstanding school receives light-touch support from the local authority. Local authority officers have provided support to school leaders on lesson observations to improve the monitoring of the quality of teaching.  The governance of the school:  Governance is outstanding. Governors have an excellent understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement, and how well the school is doing in relation to schools nationally and similar schools.  Through their understanding of performance data and regular visits, governors have a very clear picture

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The leadership and management are outstanding

about the quality of teaching. They receive helpful information on the performance of teachers, and have a secure understanding of how teachers’ quality of teaching and the progress their pupils make are linked with their pay increases. Governors also manage the performance of the headteacher and set her challenging targets.  They ensure that the school’s financial resources are managed effectively, and they check on the impact of additional government funding.  Governors regularly update their skills, for example by attending training on the use of performance data, safeguarding and safer recruitment.  They ensure that all statutory requirements are met, and that safeguarding arrangements are highly effective.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding, both in the school and in the centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Staff set very high standards of behaviour, which are rigorously upheld. Pupils are extremely polite, courteous and respectful. They have a great appetite for learning, and their very strong attitudes to their learning contribute considerably to the outstanding progress they make.  Pupils take a great deal of pride in the presentation of their work, and their achievement. They are also very proud of their school and its environment, and ensure there is no litter on the floor. Lunchtimes are very orderly, and pupils are extremely sensible and very well behaved in the lunch hall. They make sure that used dinner plates and cutlery are put away carefully, with little mess on the tables or floor.  Pupils say that behaviour is very good, ‘unless someone is having an off day’! There is no evidence of any

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Behaviour

low-level disruption, and inspectors consistently observed exceptional behaviour both inside and outside of classrooms. Detailed behaviour plans are in place in the centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders to ensure pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are always excellent.  Pupils greatly enjoy the responsibilities they have in the school, such as house captains, sports captains, ambassadors and school council members.  Parents and staff overwhelmingly agree that pupils behave well at school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding, including in the centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Pupils say that they feel very safe in the school, and that if there is anything that concerns them they can easily approach a member of staff ‘to sort things out’ for them. They are taught how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and in other situations, such as keeping themselves safe from roads and fire.  Pupils are well informed about the different types of bullying, including racist, homophobic and cyber- bullying. Pupils say that such incidents are very rare and that bullying is never an issue. School records show that incidents of poor behaviour are rare. There have been no exclusions.  Risk assessments are carried out thoroughly, both in school and when pupils are on visits, and child protection procedures are applied thoroughly and are effective.  All parents responding to the Parent View survey, and all staff responding to the staff questionnaire, say

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching over time is outstanding. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour, and question them effectively to test their understanding and encourage them to think deeply about their learning. As a result, pupils are motivated to aim high and make excellent progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers make excellent use of checks on learning to enable them to plan lessons carefully, so that tasks are engaging and challenging to ensure pupils’ learning is exceptional.  Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their learning and set personal targets for improvement. For example, in a Year 3 lesson on an Indian village, pupils developed and consolidated their learning by looking at thinking maps, asking relevant questions and considering what they needed to do next to meet their learning objectives. Attractive and engaging displays around the classroom help in supporting pupils’

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

learning.  Teaching assistants are highly skilled and are effective in supporting pupils’ learning, both inside and outside of lessons. They support groups of pupils as well as individuals, and ensure that pupils are clear about their learning and achieve highly.  Pupils really enjoy reading, and the school goes to great lengths to ensure that all pupils are heard reading. Pupils are also encouraged to read at home. They are confident readers and are able to talk about the books they have read. Their progress in reading is exceptional.  Pupils are given sufficient opportunities to write at length, not only in English but also across other subjects. Pupils’ books show that they make excellent progress with their writing over time.  The teaching of mathematics is very effective. Pupils have lots of opportunities to solve problems in mathematics to deepen their understanding and use their learning very effectively. This was seen in a

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

Year 4 lesson on solving problems using measure. Through questioning and discussion, pupils understood the need for accuracy when measuring, applied their skills and used mathematical language throughout the investigation to explain their reasoning.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are taught effectively by class teachers and teaching assistants. Close tracking of pupils’ progress enable teachers to quickly identify their needs and provide them with timely support.  Pupils in the centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders receive high quality care and support, and the highly trained and skilled staff work extremely hard to meet their needs. These pupils benefit from outstanding teaching and make excellent progress.  Teachers’ marking is of a high standard. Teachers check pupils’ writing regularly in all subjects, including in their homework books, and provide feedback in the form of encouraging comments about how they can

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

improve their work. However, pupils do not routinely respond to the comments in teachers’ marking of their work to further deepen their understanding.

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is outstanding

 Pupils make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 has been significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics over several years. The evidence from the scrutiny of pupils' current work reflects the high levels of achievement.  Children start the Nursery and Reception classes with skills that are often typical for their age. As a result of good and better teaching, they make good progress by the time they leave Reception, particularly in language and communication and literacy.  The proportion of pupils in Year 1 who achieved the required standard in the phonics (the links between letters and the sounds they make) screening check was above the national average in 2013 and 2014. Pupils are able to apply these skills to both their reading and their writing. For example, pupils are able to read some difficult and unfamiliar words using their phonics skills. This promotes their confidence in

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is outstanding

reading.  The most able pupils do extremely well in achieving the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics at both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. They are given challenging tasks to work at higher levels, and teachers’ expectations are high. In Key Stage 2, the proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 6 is above the national average in writing and English grammar, punctuation and spelling and significantly above the national average in mathematics.  Pupils learning English as an additional language receive effective support, and are given sufficient opportunities for speaking and listening and to think about their learning. As a result, they make similar and sometimes better progress than their classmates.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those who attend the centre for Autistic Spectrum Disorders, also make similar progress to their classmates. These pupils receive

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is outstanding

outstanding care, guidance and support to help them achieve well at school.

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is good

 Teaching in the early years is at least good or better. As a result, children make good progress from their different starting points.  Children enter the school with skills and knowledge that are typical for their age. By the end of the Reception year, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils exceeding the early learning goals in communication and language, writing and number is lower than other areas of learning. Overall, children are well prepared to move into Year 1.  The school works extremely well with parents, encouraging them to be involved in the education of their children. Parents make contributions to their children’s ‘Learning Journey’ books, including providing evidence on what they can do. As a result, children settle into early years quickly and are ready to follow instructions and routines.  Children are very well behaved and feel safe and secure. They are confident talking to adults and each

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is good

other, and have strong attitudes to their learning. They are encouraged to be independent and take responsibility. For example, children in the Reception class made choices about the activities, both indoor and outdoor, when learning about additions and subtractions.  Relationships are excellent and expectations are high. Staff interact well with children, and use questioning effectively to test children’s understanding and to move their learning on.  Disadvantaged children, and children with disabilities or special educational needs, make good progress and achieve as well as their classmates. These pupils are effectively supported by very caring staff.  Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well and they are curious about the world around them.  The early years stage is well led and managed. The leader is highly skilled, and she and her staff are committed to continuous improvement in the provision for the children. She ensures that assessments

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is good

are accurate and provides staff with the support and training they need to bring about improvements. To accelerate progress and raise achievement, the assessment systems for recording and evaluating the progress of pupils are being further refined.

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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 102913 Local authority Richmond upon Thames Inspection number 453300

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 683 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stanislas Beckmann Headteacher Clare Webber Date of previous school inspection 18 March 2008 Telephone number 020 88984670 Fax number 020 88933038 Email address info@st-james.richmondsch.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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