St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Preston

School report St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Preston Rigby Street, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 5XL

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teaching has not ensured that pupils make consistently good progress, and too few pupils achieve well, especially in Key Stage 1 and in writing throughout the school.  Expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough, and the work set is not always challenging enough.  Staff do not always check that pupils respond to advice and guidance given in marking.  Pupils do not have enough opportunity to write in different styles in different subjects. There are too few opportunities for them to use and apply their mathematical knowledge and skills to solve practical problems.  Sometimes, some pupils do not behave as well as they should in lessons, particularly when teaching does not interest or engage them sufficiently.  A few parents have some concerns about behaviour and its impact on safety.  Middle leaders are not fully accountable for the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

progress in their areas.  In the early years, information about children’s progress is not used effectively enough to plan activities to challenge children to make rapid progress, and support for children who speak little or no English needs improving.  Governors’ understanding of the use and analysis of data about pupils’ achievement is not as strong as it could be and they have not always held the school to account effectively enough.  Changes introduced by school leaders have not yet had time to have a full impact and ensure that teaching is consistently good and pupils achieve well over time.

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The school has the following strengths

 Disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils are supported well in a caring and nurturing environment.  Pupils’ behaviour and attendance are improving.  Leaders monitor pupils’ performance increasingly closely, and this is helping to improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.  School leaders, governors and the local authority have an accurate view of what the school needs to do to improve, and they are working well to bring this about as quickly as possible.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning on 22 occasions. One lesson was observed jointly with the assistant headteacher.  Inspectors spoke to the executive headteacher and held meetings with school leaders. They also met three governors, including the Chair and vice-Chair of the Governing Body. In addition, inspectors met two representatives of the local authority and a representative of the diocese.  Inspectors met two groups of pupils and also spoke informally to other pupils in lessons and during break and lunchtimes.  Inspectors looked at the work pupils were doing in lessons and in their books over time. They listened to pupils in Year 2 read and talked to them about their enjoyment of reading.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and examined a number of documents concerning pupils’ current achievement and progress, development plans and information about teachers’ performance. They

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Information about this inspection

also looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements.  Inspectors took account of 22 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and spoke to some parents informally. Inspectors also considered 19 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Robert Birtwell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in 12 classes from the Nursery to Year 6, including some mixed-year group classes in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. The early years provision includes a part-time Nursery class and two full- time Reception classes.  Around a third of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, with the largest groups of Indian and Pakistani origin. An increasing proportion of pupils are from Eastern European backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is around twice the national average. These are pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is around average.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher joined the school in 2012, but was absent during the inspection due to illness. An executive headteacher joined the school in the week before the inspection, but was unable to be present during the inspection itself.  Five teachers joined the school this year, including four newly qualified teachers.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning so that it is consistently good or better, in order to raise pupils’ achievement, particularly at Key Stage 1 and in writing throughout the school, by making sure that:  expectations of what pupils can achieve are always high enough  the work set is always hard enough so that pupils are consistently challenged to make the best possible progress and achieve the highest standards  staff check that pupils respond to advice and guidance given in marking and assessment  there are more opportunities for pupils to write in different styles in different subjects  pupils have more opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills and knowledge to solve practical problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:  middle leaders become more involved and accountable for making checks and improving the quality of teaching and learning in their areas  governors hold the school to account more effectively for improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement, and improve their knowledge and skills in the use and analysis of pupils’ performance data.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve behaviour and safety by:  making sure that teaching always engages pupils so that they consistently apply themselves fully to learning in lessons and do not become distracted  working with pupils and parents to ensure that recently improved behaviour allays some parents ’ concerns about their children feeling safe in school  continuing to work closely with parents to improve the attendance and punctuality of some pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of provision in the early years by:  using information about children’s achievement and progress to plan activities that challenge children to make more rapid progress  improving support for children who do not speak English or are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language so that they can become more involved in learning and make better progress. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching are not good, although they are improving.  Since his arrival the headteacher has taken action to improve teaching and raise standards. Staffing instability slowed progress last year, although this is much more settled now. This is beginning to have an impact on raising achievement. However, it has not yet led to consistently good teaching and good progress over time throughout the school.  In the headteacher’s absence, the recently appointed executive headteacher is continuing this drive to improve teaching and raise standards. Systems to monitor the quality of teaching and learning, and pupils’ progress and achievement, are being strengthened. School leaders analyse data about how well pupils are doing more effectively. They have a clear view of how well the school is performing and where it needs to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

do better.  School improvement planning correctly identifies the key priorities for development and focuses firmly on improving teaching in order to raise achievement.  School leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning increasingly closely. The role of middle leaders is developing and they are becoming more skilled in checking and evaluating pupils’ performance. However, they are not yet fully accountable for making checks and improving the quality of teaching and learning in their areas.  Information about how well pupils are doing is used to provide them with extra help and support if they need it. As a result disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils, including those who are disabled or have special educational needs, make more rapid progress than other pupils, and any gaps in the performance of different groups of pupils are closing. This shows the school’s successful commitment to equality of

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The leadership and management requires improvement

opportunity for all pupils.  School leaders use information about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement to check how well teachers are performing and to identify where further support or training is needed. This is helping to raise the quality of teaching. This information is also used when making recommendations about teachers’ pay.  The curriculum engages pupils in their learning and meets their needs increasingly effectively. It is enhanced by a limited range of activities and clubs, as well as trips and visits. For example, pupils spoke about visits to the theatre and Year 6 pupils had been on a residential outdoor activities course.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively. Pupils take on responsibility in a variety of roles. Some act as prefects and the school council contributed to the new behaviour rules and systems. There are strong links with the local church and the school’s core values

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The leadership and management requires improvement

encourage pupils to celebrate diversity and to respect each other’s customs and beliefs. This helps to foster good relations and prevent discrimination. Together, these ensure that pupils are suitably prepared for life in modern Britain.  The school uses pupil premium funding very effectively to support the learning of disadvantaged pupils, either in the classroom, individually, or in small groups. In addition, it is used to provide extra support for vulnerable pupils and to improve links with parents through the work of the learning mentor. As a result, attendance has improved and any gaps in the performance of disadvantaged pupils compared with that of disadvantaged pupils have closed.  The additional primary school sports funding has been used to enhance provision by improving the skills and knowledge of staff and enabling pupils to benefit from more specialist teaching. This has widened the range of sporting activities offered, and the school participates in more competitions. As a result more

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The leadership and management requires improvement

pupils now participate in sporting activities.  Procedures for safeguarding pupils are fully in place and actively followed.  The local authority has provided effective support for the school since the previous inspection. It has worked well to resolve staffing difficulties and acted decisively to bring in an executive headteacher in the headteacher’s absence.  The governance of the school:  Governors are very supportive of the school and have worked effectively with the local authority and the diocese to overcome problems created by the headteacher’s absence. However, they have not held the school to account as effectively as they might have done. This is partly because their understanding of data about pupils’ performance and achievement, and how this is linked to the quality of teaching, is not as detailed as it might be. They are undertaking training to improve their knowledge and skills and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

are beginning to hold the school to account more effectively by asking more searching questions. However, they recognise that they have not been as active in this area as they could have been. They would welcome an external review of governance in order to help them improve in this area.  Governors have ensured that challenging pupil performance targets are included as part of the headteacher’s appraisal, but they are less sure that pupil achievement is taken into account when making decisions about teachers’ pay. Governors have a better knowledge of how pupil premium funding is spent and the impact it is having on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. Recent staffing difficulties have created challenges for the school’s finances, but these have been well managed. Governors ensure that the school meets its statutory duties, including those related to safeguarding.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils say that behaviour has improved recently because new systems have been introduced. They know how they are expected to behave and say that ‘teachers are stricter now’. However, pupils’ attitudes to learning are not yet consistently good when teaching does not interest or engage them. They say that in some lessons some pupils can become distracted and do not pay attention, and this can disrupt learning. Inspectors observed this happening occasionally.  Inspectors observed good behaviour around the school. Pupils play enthusiastically and safely on the playground during break and behave well in the hall at lunchtime. Pupils say that behaviour is usually good, but that pupils occasionally fall out and can sometimes become unpleasant to one another. If this happens, they say that teachers deal with it effectively.  A small number of pupils sometimes show challenging behaviour, but the school manages this increasingly

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Behaviour

consistently and well. These pupils are supported in a caring and nurturing way, and this leads to improvements in their behaviour. School records show that the number of incidents of poor behaviour, including racist or discriminatory incidents, is declining, as is the number of pupils who have been excluded.  The school has worked hard with parents to encourage pupils to come to school more regularly. As a result absence and persistent absence have fallen, although both are still above average. In addition, too many pupils arrive late to school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement.  Pupils say that they feel well cared for and safe in school, despite some poor behaviour at times. Evidence gathered during the inspection from observing behaviour in lessons and around school, talking with pupils, staff and parents, and from analysing school records, confirms pupils’ safety. However, of the 22 parents who responded to the Parent View survey a significant proportion expressed concern about behaviour which resulted in their children not feeling safe in school.  Pupils have a sound knowledge of different types of bullying. They say that there is much less bullying in the school now than in the past and that teachers sort it out if it occurs.  Pupils have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe in different situations. There have been visits from the police and fire service dealing with issues around personal, road and fire safety.

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Safety

Additionally, pupils have a good knowledge of e-safety and how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it has not ensured that pupils make consistently good progress and achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics over time. Inspection evidence and school records show that teaching is improving and that this is beginning to raise standards and accelerate progress.  Expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough and the work set is not consistently hard enough to ensure that pupils are sufficiently challenged to reach the highest standards and make the best possible progress. Consequently, pupils have not achieved as well as they might have, especially in Key Stage 1 and in writing across the school.  Where pupils learn well, staff have high expectations and set challenging work that engages pupils fully in their learning. For example, in mathematics, Year 5 and 6 pupils were developing their skills in written methods of multiplication. Different groups of pupils had different and challenging tasks, and questioning

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

was used skilfully to check their progress, deepen their understanding and move them on to more demanding work. As a result pupils had to think hard about what they were doing and made good progress.  The quality of marking and assessment has improved since the previous inspection. Staff mark pupils’ work regularly, use praise effectively and give useful advice about what pupils need to do to improve their work. However, there are too few checks to ensure pupils respond to or act upon this guidance.  Teaching assistants and teachers work closely together to support the learning of pupils who need extra help. This includes those who are disadvantaged or who are disabled or have special educational needs, and those who speak English as an additional language. Extra help is provided in the classroom, or in individual or small group sessions. Consequently, these pupils achieve at least as well as their classmates,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because pupils do not make consistently good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics. Too few pupils achieve well, especially in Key Stage 1 and in writing throughout the school. There is evidence that pupils are now beginning to make better progress across the school because staffing is more settled and teaching is improving. However, there are still inconsistencies in the progress of different groups of pupils in different year groups and subjects.  At the end of Key Stage 1 pupils’ standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been well below average in recent years, and fell in 2014. This was linked to unsettled staffing arrangements last year. Inspection evidence from observing learning in lessons, the work in pupils’ books and the school’s most recent data show that pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 are now making better progress and reaching higher

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

standards. However, at the end of Year 2, standards in reading, writing and mathematics are likely to remain below average this year and achievement is not yet consistently good.  Pupils make steady progress during Key Stage 2. At the end of Year 6 pupils’ standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been variable. In 2013 they were well-below average in all subjects. In 2014 they improved in reading and mathematics, but were still below average. However, standards in writing fell and remained well-below average.  In 2014 the proportion of pupils who made the progress expected of them by the end of Year 6 was above average in reading and mathematics, and below average in writing. The proportion that made more than the expected progress was above average in reading, around average in mathematics and below average in writing.  Inspection evidence and the school’s most recent data show that pupils in Years 3 to 6 are making steady

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

and improving progress. At the end of Year 6 pupils are set to achieve higher standards this year, especially in writing. Progress in all subjects is likely to be close to or above average.  Pupils have many opportunities to read in school and their knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is improving. However, it is not yet fully secure, especially for younger pupils. The proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics check has been well-below average for the last two years.  Pupils’ writing skills are underdeveloped, although they are improving. Pupils have too few opportunities to write in different styles in different subjects.  Pupils’ basic skills in mathematics are increasingly secure, but there are too few opportunities for them to use and apply these skills to solve practical problems.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve more strongly than other pupils in the school. They receive effective support

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

if they need it and make more rapid progress than other pupils. In 2014 the standard achieved by Year 6 pupils eligible for the pupil premium was around a term behind that of other pupils nationally in reading, two terms behind in mathematics and four terms behind in writing. This gap has been closing rapidly. In comparison with other pupils in the school they were around three terms ahead in reading and half a term ahead in writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make better progress than other pupils. Their needs are well identified and they receive effective support from teachers, teaching assistants and support staff.  The most able pupils achieve higher standards than their classmates, but their progress is not as strong. Too few of them reach the highest standards and make good progress. This is because, in common with other pupils, they are not always given work that is challenging enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils from non-British backgrounds, including those who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to that of their peers.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Most children join the early years, either in the Nursery or the Reception Year, with skills and knowledge that are below or significantly below those typical for their age, especially in language and communication skills. An increasing proportion of children does not speak English or are at a very early stage of learning English as an additional language.  Children make steady progress from their individual starting points. The proportion reaching a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year improved in 2014, but remains below average. As a result not all children are as ready as they might be for the move into Year 1.  The quality of teaching is not yet consistently good. Learning activities do not always challenge children sufficiently to enable them to make good progress.  The recording and assessment of children’s progress has improved, but staff do not always use this information to plan activities to challenge children further and to make more rapid progress.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Staff work hard to meet the needs of individual children. This includes disabled children, those who have special educational needs, those most in need and those for whom the school receives additional funding. However, there is a need for better staff training and more support to meet the needs of children who do not speak English or who are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language.  Children’s behaviour, safety and personal development are good. Children enjoy learning and the early years provision makes a good contribution to children’s physical and emotional health, safety and well- being, as well as to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  There are close working relationships with parents, other nursery providers and outside agencies. These ensure that children settle quickly into the Nursery or Reception classes and are well looked after.  Leaders in the early years have worked effectively to overcome recent staffing difficulties and changes.

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The early years provision requires improvement

Staff are working well together and have a clear idea of where improvements are needed. This is leading to rising achievement.

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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 19430 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 453623

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 279 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Allen Headteacher Gerry O’Brien Date of previous school inspection 19 March 2013 Telephone number 01772 796112 Fax number 01772 652158 Email address school@sjps.lancs.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

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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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