St Norbert's Catholic Voluntary Academy

Saint Norbert's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy Fieldside, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DN17 4HL

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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 Outstanding 1 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 school is a very calm, friendly environment where pupils feel safe and happy. Pupils’ personal development, including their behaviour, is outstanding. They value learning and always try their best. As a result, they achieve well.  The school takes excellent care of all pupils. It promotes highly principled values of honesty, trust and the right to be respected and to respect others. Pupils act accordingly in their daily lives and are excellent ambassadors for the school.  Children in the early years make a good start to their learning because teaching for them is consistently good and so they achieve well.  Pupils at the end of Year 6 reach above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics and alongside their strong personal skills, they are prepared well for the next stage of their education.  Teaching is good. Teachers encourage pupils to discuss their learning, ask questions when they

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are unsure and promote high levels of independence when working on tasks.  School leaders, including governors have high aspirations to create an outstanding school. They carry out regular checks on the school’s performance to identify the correct areas for improvement. The headteacher and senior leaders take necessary action to drive improvement in teaching and achievement effectively.  The curriculum has an appropriately high focus on literacy and numeracy and is enriched well with visits, visitors and activities that extend pupils’ learning. They have invaluable opportunities to explore diverse cultures, faiths and lifestyles that support their outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Most parents are very satisfied with the thorough care arrangements in the school and the good start their children have in their education at the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of teaching does not result in outstanding achievement for all pupils.  Pupils supported through the pupil premium do not always achieve as well as their classmates.  Not all subject leaders and middle leaders are involved sufficiently in checking that teaching is always of the highest quality in their areas of responsibility and that all pupils make the very best progress they can.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching throughout the school including five shared observations with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The inspector also scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the vice-chair of the governing body and one other governor, the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. The inspector also met with the school’s external consultant and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, current data on pupils’ progress, and planning and monitoring documentation. The spending of the pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils and primary school sports funding was also reviewed. Records relating to behaviour and attendance, as well as documents relating to safeguarding were also taken into consideration.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector took account of the 43 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The views of the 15 parents who either spoke to the inspector directly and those who contacted the inspector in writing were considered.  The inspector also took account of the 15 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaires and talked to staff during the inspection about their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most children start at the school part-time in the Nursery class and are full time when they move into the Reception class.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils deemed disadvantaged, those supported through the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or those children in the care of the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  A number of subject leaders were new to their roles.  The school converted to become an academy school in September 2012 and is part of the Northern

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Information about this school

Lincolnshire Catholic Academy Trust (NoLCAT). When its predecessor school, Saint Norbert’s Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to result in outstanding achievement for all pupils by ensuring that:  the work teachers plan for pupils always challenges them to their full potential and enables all pupils to do their best in all lessons  marking provides pupils with the best guidance possible to help them improve their work further and checking that pupils’ respond to this marking promptly  pupils apply their basic literacy skills accurately in their writing, not just in English lessons but in writing in other subjects  teachers deploy teaching assistants effectively in all parts of the lesson to improve pupils’ learning  pupils supported through the pupil premium funding have the support they need always to achieve as well as their classmates so that the gap in their attainment compared with their classmates is closed rapidly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the role of all subject leaders and middle leaders by ensuring:  that they check more closely the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility  they act promptly where improvements are needed so that all pupils achieve well throughout the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, staff and governors promote a culture of high ambition and aspiration in the school and pupils benefit from learning in a safe, happy environment where they feel valued. The school fosters good relations throughout the school community and ensures discrimination is tackled rigorously. Parents are highly appreciative of everything the school does for their children.  The headteacher provides good leadership and is ably supported by the deputy headteacher in leading school improvement. Strongly supported by the governors, she has not held back from making difficult decisions in order to improve the quality of teaching . As a result, pupils’ achievement has improved significantly this year and an increasing number of pupils are now working at high levels at both key stages.  Leaders foster effective teamwork among staff and staff have good opportunities to receive support and training to improve their skills. Senior leaders monitor teaching regularly and recognise where teaching

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The leadership and management are good

needs to improve. Occasionally, this monitoring lacks rigour and so teaching does not improve quickly enough. Subject leaders and middle leaders, some of whom are relatively new in their roles, are not sufficiently involved in checking that teaching and learning is always of a high standard in their areas of responsibility and that pupils of all abilities make the best progress they can.  The systems for managing staff performance and addressing weaknesses in teaching are strong. Staff know that progression through the pay scale is linked to their achieving the targets that they have agreed to previously for the progress of pupils in their class.  The leadership of early years is good. The leader is relatively new to the role but has made a good start in developing the curriculum and involving parents in supporting their children’s learning.  Regular reviews of pupils’ progress enable staff to identify early any pupils not making at least the

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The leadership and management are good

expected progress so that support for them is allocated promptly. As a result, some of these pupils make good, and occasionally outstanding, progress. This is a strong testament to the school’s caring approaches to supporting its pupils and confirms its commitment to ensuring every pupil is given an equal opportunity to succeed.  The school’s evaluation of its performance currently is a little optimistic. However, the development plan correctly identifies the priorities the school needs to work on, for example in reading and mathematics to raise achievement further. The actions taken this year to improve provision particularly in these subjects, is beginning to have impact on raising achievement so that more pupils are working at the higher levels this year than did in 2014, particularly in mathematics. The school has good capacity to improve further.  The school has good links with partner schools in the academy trust to support its development. Leaders

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The leadership and management are good

are at the early stages of developing new approaches to assessment without National Curriculum levels and so in the meanwhile are still following previous procedures to assess and track pupils’ progress.  The curriculum is well planned to ensure pupils develop their knowledge and skills successfully. Teachers plan topics that promote effective learning across subjects. An extensive range of visits and visitors add to pupils’ experiences in the classroom and so learning becomes more alive and purposeful. Pupils are particularly enthusiastic about visitors that strengthen, for example, their awareness of how to stay safe and how life is different for people from other communities. Some pupils and staff have visited their partner school in Africa to extend their understanding further. Pupils also benefit from many cultural activities in art and music and sports clubs, including gymnastics and athletics, to increase their physical

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The leadership and management are good

and social skills.  The school’s strong religious ethos strongly underpins pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares them fully for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand that everyone has the right to be respected. They learn from the adults they work with, how to be kind and caring towards others. Pupils show respect towards those of different faiths, social backgrounds or who have different needs. Good relations are fostered well. As pupils said, ‘We are all unique in God’s eyes and so it doesn’t matter if people believe different things or live differently. Everyone is special’.  Safeguarding procedures, including child protection training, meet all current requirements. Leaders are extremely vigilant keeping pupils safe and acting promptly but appropriately if any concerns arise.  The primary school sport funding is used well to train teachers and to promote pupils’ greater participation

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The leadership and management are good

in sport. Pupils have benefited from increased confidence and enjoyment of new sports and more opportunities to participate in inter-school competitions.  The pupil premium funding for supporting disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to increase staffing levels and target appropriate support where required. However, there is still a gap in the achievement of these pupils in relation to non-disadvantaged pupils and they are not always given enough support to achieve more.  Since becoming an academy, the school has maintained regular contact with the local authority, which provides an appropriate level of support as requested and has conducted reviews of the school’s performance to inform development planning.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is effectively involved in checking the school’s performance and ensuring the actions taken to make improvements have an impact on improving the quality of teaching and raising

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The leadership and management are good

attainment. Governors are regular visitors to the school and see for themselves that improvements are successful. Governors have an understanding of school data and use this information to hold leaders to account for pupils’ progress.  Governors meet with key leaders regularly to monitor action plans and check staff have the support they need to improve the school’s performance further. They support the school’s work to ensure pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. Governors are fully involved in managing the performance of the headteacher and ensure that pay and promotion are used appropriately to reward teachers who meet their targets.  The governing body ensures current safeguarding requirements are met fully.  Governors ensure finances are spent effectively to benefit pupils. They know the impact of the sports funding and are aware the pupil premium funding has not yet closed the gap between the achievement

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The leadership and management are good

of disadvantaged pupils at Saint Norbert’s and other pupils nationally.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils are highly focused on learning because they value education and want to do well. They arrive each day keen to be at school. Pupils comment that ‘Even when I don’t feel like it, once I am on my way, the school is like a force field – drawing me in; I don’t want to miss a day.’ The above average attendance continues to improve year on year. One parent said that ‘my child never looked back once he started here, and that it was the best start in life he could have had’.  Pupils are highly motivated to learn and never shy away from work that is sometimes too challenging because they know that teachers will help them if they are stuck. Pupils’ say ‘learning is really important and so you should persevere, be independent, enjoy and always do your best’.  Pupils are extremely proud of their school. Many say that, ‘The school is brilliant - we have so much fun

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Behaviour

here with lots of clubs and visitors. I can’t find anything wrong about the school.’ They say that they love being here because they feel all the staff really care about them and want them to do well.  The school is calm and orderly because pupils’ behaviour is very good. The management of behaviour is consistent and pupils, staff and parents speak highly of the typically high standards of behaviour and strong relationships in the school. Pupils know what is expected of them and behave accordingly in lessons, around the school generally and in the playground. Pupils say that poor behaviour is rare.  Relationships throughout the school are warm and caring. Pupils enjoy the friendships they make, with a number saying, ‘The school is really like a big family; we all have to get on together and help each other when teachers are busy with somebody else.’ Pupils are very polite, courteous and respectful. Eager to

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Behaviour

feel useful, they take on responsibilities such as being playground buddies and cyber-mentors to support one another. These high quality relationships, attributes and maturity provide a very strong foundation to support to pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils say that they feel very safe at school and teachers look after them if they are upset or worried. They say the school, the grounds and the breakfast club and after-school club are all safe places.  The school follows all the required risk assessments, for example, for school trips. There are regular visits from the community police and fire service and others to help pupils to understand how to keep safe outside school. Pupils are clear about whom they would go to if they were unhappy or worried about anything and say that the ‘worry box’ makes it easier for them to share problems so that teachers can help them.  The school’s safeguarding systems are good. Attendance is checked carefully and parents contacted if a child’s absence is not reported early in the day.  The school is especially vigilant in checking that pupils with special educational needs or those who are

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Safety

disadvantaged are identified early. Excellent care arrangements ensure that these children and their families receive the support they need promptly through the school’s successful liaison with other agencies.  Pupils know how to keep safe. For example, they know the dangers posed by social network sites and cyber-bullying and to report such threats immediately to their parents or teachers. Older pupils talk very sensibly about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and homophobic bullying and say that such topics are discussed regularly at school, ‘because we should learn about these things as we grow up’. Pupils level of understanding is outstanding.  Pupils say there is no bullying at the school, ‘because we are like one big family here and bullying just doesn’t happen because we are a respect school’. They say that even incidents of name-calling are rare.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good. It is not outstanding because, occasionally, the planning is not accurately matched to the ability levels of all pupils; for some the learning is too slow and for others too challenging.  The lessons teachers plan, typically, are interesting and productive and pupils work hard to do their best. Teachers ask probing questions to check understanding and address misconceptions. They give pupils good opportunities to discuss their ideas so that pupils are more confident when working on their tasks.  Children in the early years have access to very exciting, fun activities in all areas of learning. Reception age children frequently work alongside those in the nursery and this helps the younger children to progress quickly, learning from their older classmates. The outside areas are particularly interesting as children explore the world around them and develop their physical skills by, for example, building lifeboats

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The quality of teaching is good

and looking for the early signs of spring.  Teachers promote the teaching of reading from the early years where children learn letters and the sounds they make (phonics) very effectively. This good practice is maintained through Key Stage 1 so most pupils have secure reading skills by the time they enter Key Stage 2. Pupils say that they enjoy reading, especially reading aloud, although some say they do not do this enough because the guided reading sessions are more about talking about their reading than actually reading.  The teaching of writing is good and most pupils write well by the time they are in Year 6, as is evident in the quality of their writing in religious education. However, when not reminded, for example, through marking, too many do not apply the basic skills of spelling, grammar and punctuation consistently well, not just in their English work but in other subjects too. Thus, a few pupils continue to make the same

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The quality of teaching is good

errors. These lapses result in pupils not always attaining the levels in writing of which they are capable.  The teaching of mathematics is usually good, with pupils, particularly those in Key Stage 2, responding enthusiastically to the mental mathematics activities that require them to apply rapid recall skills for example, using their multiplication tables, to calculate answers quickly. The increased emphasis on developing pupils’ reasoning skills is helping them to think methodically when solving problems and to apply their number skills more accurately. Occasionally, pupils are not challenged appropriately, for some the work is too easy and for others too hard and so not all make the best progress possible.  Disadvantaged pupils benefit from extra support in most lessons. When this support is not available, some find it hard to keep up and so do not achieve as well as they could. To a lesser extent, the same is true

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The quality of teaching is good

for pupils who have special educational needs. Staff work closely to plan the right level of work to help these pupils make good progress but when support is limited some struggle to complete their work.  On occasions, teachers do not deploy teaching assistants to maximum effect to support learning, especially during whole-class activities where the range of ability levels is very wide. A few struggle to engage fully until the class breaks into smaller groups.  The progress pupils make is tracked thoroughly and senior leaders set targets for pupils based on this information. Most teachers use assessment well to plan the work pupils are to do and provide appropriate challenge. Where this occasionally fails to happen, pupils persevere but the rate of new learning slows or pupils may repeat work they have done previously but not necessarily at a deeper level.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The action taken by leaders to improve teaching since 2014 when standards dipped slightly at both Key Stages 1 and 2 has resulted in pupils now making more rapid progress this year and an increasing number of pupils are now working at the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics. A small number of pupils are making outstanding progress from their starting points.  Children enter the Nursery class with knowledge and skills typical for their age. They make good progress in the early years so, by the end of their Reception Year, most achieve a good level of development and are well prepared for Year 1.  The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening test in 2014 was above average. Pupils make good progress in reading with standards being consistently above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This is because phonics is taught very effectively and pupils build

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The achievement of pupils is good

successfully on this strong start. Their love of reading is evident in the way pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they read and how they want to copy their favourite authors in their own writing.  Standards in writing are also above average with an increasing number of pupils this year working at the higher Level 3 and Level 5 at the end Year 2 and Year 6 respectively. Pupils have a good grasp of the features in writing that make their work interesting and apply their skills effectively to write very mature, thoughtful accounts in religious education and emotive poetry in English. However, there are occasions where pupils do not apply their basic writing skills accurately enough when writing at length in every subject in order to achieve more.  Pupils’ progress in mathematics is improving rapidly with the school’s greater focus on developing pupils’ number, calculation and problem-solving skills. Pupils have a good understanding of the need to think

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The achievement of pupils is good

logically when carrying out multi-step calculations and working in ability groups ensures work is more accurately matched to pupils’ needs. The most able pupils particularly, apply their skills confidently and accurately and, consequently, a few Year 6 pupils are currently working towards Level 6, the highest level at primary school.  The most able pupils are provided with a good level of challenge to help them attain high standards. The number of pupils making more progress than expected is increasing consistently across the school. Occasionally, this level of challenge, for a few pupils, is too high for them to move on quickly without additional support.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs generally achieve well because provision for them is good. Teachers and support staff challenge them well through the work they plan but, occasionally, this support is limited and so progress is not always as fast as it could be. The school works

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The achievement of pupils is good

effectively with other agencies where appropriate to help pupils make the best progress they can.  The small number of disadvantaged pupils, do not always make the rapid progress they should because they are not always supported closely enough. Pupils eligible for pupil premium funding are identified in the early years and while some do make the same rates of progress as their classmates, some do not. By the end of Year 6, the gap is not closed entirely. At the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014, disadvantaged pupils were three terms behind in writing, reading and mathematics compared with non-disadvantaged pupils in the school and two terms behind other pupils nationally.

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The early years provision is good

 The proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the early years in 2014 was above average; a significant number exceeded this level. Current children are achieving equally well, particularly in their reading and number skills because these skills are taught well. Early indications are that children’s progress is accelerating. They well prepared for their start in Year 1.  The early years leader is new to the school but has made a good start in ensuring that children are challenged sufficiently so they all achieve well. Staff identify early any children who have specific needs and discuss any concerns with parents before children start in the Nursery class so the school can plan for their needs more effectively. Nursery children work alongside Reception age children and this helps to accelerate children’s progress through the good role models older children provide.

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The early years provision is good

 The school’s links with families are strong and the arrangements to introduce children to school life before they start formally are good. Parents are given good guidance as to what children are learning and are encouraged to support their children’s progress and development, for example, by reading with them.  Teaching is consistently good; expectations are high for behaviour and effort and children are supported well. In a safe, friendly environment, children learn and play happily and safely. Children comment ‘you mustn’t run about, you could get bumped’.  They are eager to learn and demonstrate high levels of independence as they select activities sensibly and talk about their learning confidently. For example, children loved rehearsing their letters and sounds in order to write and read subsequently. Children digging in the mud were delighted to find ‘bones’ and debated excitedly that these might be from ‘dead dinosaurs’.

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The early years provision is good

 Children learn to cooperate with others by sharing toys and joining with others in role-play activities that encourage them to discuss their ideas and plan their learning. They work particularly well in adult-led activities because they are encouraged to think about their learning and apply what they have done previously to help them extend their knowledge and skills. Occasionally, a few, if not checked, especially when they work on activities they have chosen, do not settle well enough to achieve well.  Assessments of children’s achievements are generally accurate and the information is used effectively to plan the next steps to raise their achievement. Work in children’s learning journals show that staff observe children closely at work and play to identify where they need to intervene to help them improve. This results in all children making good progress. A few, when challenged sufficiently make outstanding

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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 138827 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 449785

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Freda Robinson Headteacher Pamela Tonge Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01724 710249 Fax number 01724 710249 Email address admin@stnorbertscrowle.co.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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