St Patrick Catholic Primary School

St Patrick Catholic Primary School Torre Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS9 7QL

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils, parents and staff are all extremely proud of St Patrick School which is led very well by the headteacher and other leaders in school.  Achievement is good. When children start at the school they have skills and abilities that are below what is typical for their age, but they make good progress throughout school due to the good quality of teaching that they receive.  The provision in the Reception class has improved since the last inspection, especially the outdoor facilities. This ensures that children make good progress when they first start at school.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 in both 2013 and 2014 was significantly higher than the national average, especially in mathematics. This is largely due to their progress in Key Stage 2 which has been significantly higher than that seen nationally.  The dip in standards in Key Stage 1 in 2014 has been addressed. Progress in Year 2 is now good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and standards are at the expected level for the current class.  The school has a strong Christian ethos and is very effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils are friendly, polite and welcoming to visitors. The school places a high priority on keeping children safe and the procedures in place are rigorous and effective.  The school is a happy place. Children feel safe and there are extremely good relationships between staff and children which promote their overall well- being as well as their academic achievement.  Strategies to reduce absence are very effective. Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly since the last inspection and it is now consistently higher than attendance in schools nationally.  The curriculum is interesting and varied and is enhanced by a wide range of extra-curricular activities which are attended by pupils of all ages.

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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’ work is occasionally not set at the right level of difficulty, particularly for the most able pupils.  The attainment of boys in reading and writing throughout the school is not as high as it is in mathematics.  Pupils are not always clear about what is expected of them when they start a piece of writing.  Marking of pupils’ work does not always make it clear to pupils how to improve their work.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and develop their skills in writing and mathematics in other subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons or part-lessons across the school.  Meetings were held with school leaders and with five governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. The lead inspector also met a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met two groups of pupils and also spoke informally to other pupils in lessons and during breaks and lunchtimes.  Inspectors looked at the work pupils were doing in lessons and work recorded in their books over time. They listened to pupils 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 also looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements. Minutes of governing body meetings were also scrutinised.  Inspectors took account of 12 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and to a recent school

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Information about this inspection

parent questionnaire. One inspector also spoke to parents informally at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered 25 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Mark Williams, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Patrick Catholic Primary School is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is above average. Pupils come from a number of different minority ethnic backgrounds. The largest group is White British.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority is average. Additional government funding known as the pupil premium supports these pupils.  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.  The early years comprises a Reception class which children attend full time. In July 2013, the school

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Information about this school

opened a new extension which meant the Reception class was attached to the main school building, rather than being in a separate annex.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment for boys, especially in reading and writing, by building on the school’s current work to provide a range of exciting activities and learning opportunities that capture the interests of boys.  Improve the quality of teaching in order to raise achievement further by making sure that:  work in lessons is always set at the right level of difficulty for pupils, including for the most able  pupils are always clear about what is expected from them when they start a piece of writing  marking consistently gives pupils clear advice on how they can improve their work  feedback to teachers always focuses sufficiently on how well different groups of pupils are learning in lessons  pupils are given more opportunities to use and develop their skills in writing and mathematics in different areas of the curriculum.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff and parents all have confidence in the leadership of the school. The headteacher provides strong leadership and she is supported well by other leaders in school. Their leadership has ensured that teaching is consistently good, as is pupils’ behaviour. Staff feel proud to be a part of the school and morale is high. A typical comment from a member of staff was that, ‘Working at this school is like being part of a strong family.’  Staff are very positive about how school leaders provide training which helps them to improve their teaching. There is also a strong focus on all teaching staff developing their leadership skills as subject leaders and having an impact on raising standards. Middle leaders have worked effectively in school and play a key role in monitoring standards in their areas of responsibility.  There is a rigorous system in place to monitor the quality of teaching throughout the school. However,

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The leadership and management are good

feedback to teachers following lesson observations does not always focus sufficiently on how well different groups of pupils are learning in lessons and so this limits the pace of further improvement to the quality of teaching.  The school’s curriculum is broad, balanced and provides a wide range of exciting experiences for the pupils. It is enhanced by a wide range of after-school clubs, trips, residential visits and visitors to school. Pupils participate in a good range of competitive sporting events against other local schools.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through the curriculum. Pupils are given positions of responsibility in school, such as ‘break time buddies’ and take part in a number of fund- raising activities for different charities.  Even though the school has a strong Christian ethos which is reflected in its motto, ‘Christ be within me’,

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The leadership and management are good

the school’s curriculum also ensures that pupils develop a good understanding of other faiths. Pupils learn about democracy through school council elections. As a result, pupils are well-prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupil premium funding has been used extremely well by the school to promote the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. The school has used this funding mainly for staffing to provide appropriate support and intervention work. The effectiveness of the school’s work was recently recognised by a government award for being ‘one of the most improved schools in the country in terms of the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils since 2011.’  The primary physical education and sport premium is being used effectively by the school. Funding has been used to employ specialist sports coaches who teach lessons with class teachers. This has increased the expertise of teachers. The coaches have also provided a wide range of after-school sporting clubs for

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The leadership and management are good

pupils of all ages in addition to those already organised by teachers. The increased levels of participation in sporting activities has led to pupils having a good understanding of how to keep fit and healthy.  The school is committed to providing an equal opportunity for all pupils. Overall, the needs of all groups of pupils, especially those who have special educational needs, those who are disadvantaged or those for whom English is not their first language, are identified promptly and support is provided to ensure that they make good progress. Good relations are fostered and discrimination is not tolerated here.  The local authority is confident that the school is led well and performing well and therefore has provided only light-touch support.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils are effective and meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors bring a range of different skills and knowledge to the school which enable them to fulfil their

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The leadership and management are good

statutory duties effectively. Various ethnic backgrounds are represented on the governing body which reflect the diverse ethnic backgrounds of pupils in the school.  The headteacher provides detailed reports to the governing body to ensure that governors are well- informed about how well the school is doing compared to schools nationally. They have a good understanding of what the school’s priorities are, but there is a lack of rigour in monitoring how successfully the school is meeting these priorities during the course of the year.  Each class has an assigned governor who works closely with the class, for example, coming in to listen to pupils read or attending their class assemblies. These regular, informal visits give governors a good overview of school life, especially how good teaching is and the conduct of pupils.  Governors have a good understanding of the performance management process and how decisions

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The leadership and management are good

about teachers’ pay are linked to performance and the systems in place to tackle underperformance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This view is confirmed by pupils, parents and staff who all believe that behaviour is managed consistently well. There have been no exclusions in the last ten years.  Pupils are friendly, polite and welcoming to visitors. They get on well together regardless of age, gender or background. Older pupils in Year 6 take great pride in their jobs as ‘Break time buddies’, playing games with the younger children.  Pupils’ conduct around school and in lessons is excellent. Pupils mostly have positive attitudes and work hard in lessons. For example, in a Year 3 indoor hockey lesson where space was limited, pupils’ sensible behaviour helped them to make good progress in developing their skills. However, on the small number of occasions when teaching does not fully capture pupils’ attention, a few pupils lose concentration and this limits their progress.  Pupils say they do sometimes fall out with each other and call each other names, but that these incidents

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Behaviour

‘don’t happen very often’. They say that teachers always deal with problems quickly and effectively. Incidents of racist behaviour are rare.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel very safe in school.  Pupils are aware of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and can explain how to keep themselves safe when using the Internet. They say bullying is rare and that they are confident that the school would deal effectively with any problems.  Pupils confirmed that the school helps them to be safe. The school has developed good links with other agencies, such as the police and the fire service, in order to promote pupils’ awareness of anti-social behaviour, road safety and the dangers of fire.  Attendance has improved since the last inspection and for the last three years it has been higher than attendance in schools nationally. The level of persistent absence has also reduced this year.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall and this has led to the good progress made by pupils throughout the school in reading, writing and mathematics. The work provided is mostly well matched to pupils’ varying abilities and often provides good challenge for pupils. However, in some lessons, pupils find the work is either too easy or too hard, sometimes during introductory activities or sometimes in their independent work.  Teaching in reading, writing and mathematics is good. There is a strong emphasis on developing the basic skills throughout the school and the school’s rigorous assessment procedures ensure that teachers know what pupils can do and what they need to do next.  Teachers provide lots of interesting experiences for pupils which are effective in promoting an enthusiasm for reading and writing. For example, pupils, including boys, enjoyed dressing up as book characters on World Book Day and many took part in a poetry recital competition.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff have warm, positive relationships with pupils, which generates a purposeful and productive atmosphere for learning in all classes.  Teaching assistants and other adults are used very well to support pupils at all points in lessons. School leaders recognised the need to embed an effective marking system that is manageable for teachers. They have recently introduced a new marking policy. Marking is now characterised by a ‘smiley stamp’ if pupils have met their objective and a colour-coded system for what has been done well and what could be improved. Marking in mathematics often includes short additional questions to consolidate or extend learning. However, sometimes there is not enough guidance on how work can be improved. For example, marking comments in English such as ‘Use more punctuation’ are not specific enough to help pupils to improve their work.  Sometimes, pupils do not make as much progress as they could in their writing, because teachers do not

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The quality of teaching is good

make sufficiently clear what they expect from pupils of different levels of ability when they are completing the same piece of work.  Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to work together collaboratively, which is effective in promoting their language and social skills.  Teaching is good across a range of subjects. However, in some classes, pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and develop their skills in writing and mathematics across the whole range of subjects.  Homework is used well to support learning in school, mainly through additional practise of skills in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils and parents are very positive about the quality of teaching in the school. A typical remark from one pupil was that, ‘Lessons are fun. Every day is action-packed!’

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement is good. In both 2013 and 2014, their overall attainment at the end of Year 6 was significantly above the national average in all subjects. This is due to the extremely good progress pupils make in Key Stage 2. In 2014, the proportion of pupils making the expected rate of progress was above the proportion that do so nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion that made better than expected progress was also higher than that found nationally in each subject.  Pupils’ achievement in reading is good. Almost every pupil reaches the level that is expected for their age and half attain the higher levels. Older pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to reading. They read frequently in school and at home and this contributes to the high standards.  Children’s reading skills are below what is typical for their age when they start in the Reception Class, but the school places a strong emphasis on the teaching of phonics (the link between letters and the sounds

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The achievement of pupils is good

they make) and this ensures that children make good progress. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics check is average.  Most pupils attain the writing standards they should for their age and about a third attain the higher levels. In some classes, their writing skills are developed well by opportunities to write at length in other areas of the curriculum. For example, in Year 4 as part of their work in science, pupils had to write an instruction text on ‘How to survive on a desert island.’ However, these opportunities are less frequent in some classes.  In mathematics, pupils’ achievement is good. Almost every pupil reaches the level that is expected for their age and about two thirds attain the higher levels. The school has introduced a new assessment system for mathematics and this has helped teachers identify accurately what pupils know and plan work

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The achievement of pupils is good

accordingly. For example, in a Year 6 lesson the teacher carefully planned work on interpreting pie charts and deployed other adults in the classroom to support pupils with different work which built on their existing skills.  Children make a good start to their education in the Reception Class and continue to do well in Key Stage 1. However, in 2014 attainment at the end of Year 2 was significantly below average due to staffing disruption, which resulted in the Year 2 class having three different teachers during the course of the year, in addition to the part-time teacher who works permanently with this year group. This year, permanent staffing arrangements are in place in Year 2 and progress has been more rapid, resulting in standards at the expected level again. School data show that the pupils who had the disrupted year and are now in Year 3 are also making rapid progress this year and are catching up to where they are expected to be in

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The achievement of pupils is good

their learning.  In 2014, the proportion of pupils who achieved the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 was lower than the proportion nationally. By the end of Year 6, the proportion of pupils who achieved the higher levels was average in reading and writing but significantly above average in mathematics. Progress for the most able pupils is not always as rapid as it should be. This is because work in lessons is sometimes not hard enough to challenge them fully.  In 2014, the attainment of boys was higher than that of girls in all subjects. However, in most other year groups in school, the attainment of boys is not as high in reading and writing as it is in mathematics and is lower than that of girls. School leaders have identified this as an area to improve and have started to address it through ensuring that the activities and learning opportunities in school are suitably interesting

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The achievement of pupils is good

to capture the imagination of boys. It is too early to measure the impact of this strategy.  Pupil with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress. Their individual needs are met well through the good support given by teachers and teaching assistants who are deployed well to support pupils who need extra help with their work.  In Year 6 in 2014, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in reading was about one year behind non- disadvantaged pupils in the school and about two and a half terms behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. In writing, they were approximately two terms behind non-disadvantaged pupils in the school and one and a half terms behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. In mathematics, they were approximately one term behind non-disadvantaged pupils in the school, but their attainment was similar to non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. The gap in attainment narrowed in mathematics and writing in 2014

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The achievement of pupils is good

and although it widened in reading, the school’s own data and inspection evidence show that these gaps are narrowing as pupils make good progress through school. This group of pupils makes good progress from their different starting points compared to that of other pupils nationally.

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The early years provision is good

 The majority of children enter the Reception Class with skills that are below those typical for their age, especially in the areas of literacy and mathematics. Progress from these starting points is good and in 2014 the proportion of children that reached a good level of development was similar to the national average. However, the skills of some children, especially boys, in reading and writing were not as strong as in other areas of learning. Even so, the majority of children are well prepared for learning in Year 1.  Children enter the Reception Class from many different pre-school establishments, with a small number not having had any pre-schooling. The school has introduced effective induction procedures, including home visits and visits to other settings, in order to ensure that children settle in quickly at school.  Provision in early years has improved since the last inspection when facilities were limited due to the

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The early years provision is good

constraints of the building. Recent building work has ensured that now both indoor and outdoor facilities can be used well to promote children’s learning.  The outdoor facilities are well-resourced to develop children’s learning in all areas. Children play excitedly on scooters and tricycles, try to score in the basketball net and enjoy building with the large construction equipment. The school has also invested in a climbing wall and trim trail this year in order to promote children’s physical development further.  There is a good range of activities for children, some of which adults direct them to and some which they choose themselves. Children play happily for sustained periods of time.  Children get on very well together and behaviour is good. For example, two boys and two girls worked extremely well together trying to complete a jigsaw. Another girl was putting numbers on the ‘number washing line’ outside and when she got stuck, another girl showed her where the number 17 should be

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The early years provision is good

placed on the line.  The quality of teaching in the early years is good. Activities are matched well to children’s needs and abilities. For example, whilst some children were developing their cutting skills making a Gruffalo puppet, a group of the most able children had chosen to draw the Gruffalo’s house and label different parts, such as the roof and windows.  Leadership of the early years is good. There is strong teamwork among staff who all contribute to assessing children’s learning and planning activities. Adults know children well because they observe them closely. They keep accurate records and know how well children are learning in different areas.  When adults talk to children, they model language well to help children develop their speaking skills.  Safeguarding procedures and risk assessments are all in place to ensure that children feel and stay safe.

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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 108036 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 449737

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 211 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Susan Bernasconi Headteacher Susan Kneeshaw Date of previous school inspection 15 March 2010 Telephone number 0113 2480380 Fax number 0113 2480380 Email address s.sands@stpatrickleeds.org.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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