Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School

Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School St James Square, Boscombe, Bournemouth, BH5 2BX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 headteacher has brought together a strong team of leaders, after a period of changes. They know the strengths and weaknesses accurately and have quickly established a clear vision for the school. Middle leaders make a good contribution to leadership and management.  Leaders make sure teachers know what needs to improve. Teaching is typically good, and some is outstanding. Teachers know the pupils’ needs very well, and prepare tasks for them to do which challenge them well.  Since the previous inspection, the early years provision has improved considerably. Children have access to a well-organised outdoor area and lots of resources to stimulate their learning. Teaching and learning in the early years are good.  Pupils make good progress across the school, particularly in reading and mathematics. They reach standards which are above average.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are supported effectively by well-informed

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

adults. This ensures they make good progress.  The behaviour of pupils is outstanding because they are passionate about their learning and work hard to produce their best effort. This is a very significant factor in their successful learning.  Pupils are polite, kind and courteous to one another and to adults. They respect each other’s views, and enjoy giving each other feedback on their work.  Pupils feel very safe and well cared for; attention to their safety is outstanding. They understand clearly how to think carefully about situations and make safe choices.  Governors know the school in great detail. They gather lots of information about the different areas of performance. They use this, alongside their good knowledge of their responsibilities, to challenge and support the school and leaders.  Leaders and governors pay close attention to all the statutory requirements, particularly those in regard

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

to keeping pupils safe. The policies and procedures for this are exemplary, and staff are very clear about their responsibilities.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not make as consistently rapid progress in writing as they do in reading and mathematics.  The most able pupils sometimes do not get enough opportunities to get on with their work as soon as they know what they need to do.  Teaching is not consistently outstanding.  Teachers’ comments when they mark pupils’ books do not always help pupils know precisely what they need to do to improve. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to make such improvements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 31 lessons, to observe pupils’ learning, look at the work they were doing in their books, and talk to them about their learning. About three quarters of these observations were done together with senior leaders.  Inspectors met with senior and middle leaders, groups of pupils, teachers and members of the governing body. The lead inspector met with two of the advisors from the local authority.  During the inspection, inspectors looked at a wide range of documents provided by the school, or requested by the inspection team, including: teachers’ records tracking pupils’ learning; documents showing the way the curriculum is organised; leaders’ checks about the quality of learning and teaching; policies and procedures to keep pupils safe; plans to bring about improvements; and minutes from meetings, including those of the governing body.  The inspectors considered the 65 responses to the online survey, Parent View. They also spoke to a

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Information about this inspection

sample of parents informally before and after school. Inspectors reviewed the 25 responses to a survey for staff at the school.

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Inspection team

Andrew Saunders, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average primary school. There are two classes in each year group. Children in the Reception classes attend full time.  The majority of pupils are White British. Other pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, particularly any other White and Asian British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language has been increasing and is now slightly more than one in three pupils, above the average. Some of these pupils join the school at the very early stages of learning English.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average, at about one in six pupils. These pupils include those who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and children looked after.  There have been many changes in staffing, leadership and in the governing body over the past couple of

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Information about this school

years, including a new headteacher, appointed shortly after the previous inspection.  The school met the current floor standards in 2014. These are the minimum expectations set by the government for the attainment and progress of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teaching consistently outstanding, by:  ensuring all teachers expect pupils to work at even higher levels, particularly the most able pupils  giving teachers more opportunities to observe outstanding practice and identify what they can put into action for themselves  probing pupils’ understanding in greater detail, and responding more quickly when learning develops rapidly and pupils are ready to move on.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the rate and consistency of pupils’ progress in writing, to match that in reading and mathematics, by:  ensuring pupils respond more frequently to high quality comments through marking  giving the most able pupils more opportunities to get on with their work as soon as they understand what they need to do.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since his appointment the strong leadership of the headteacher has brought the school through a period of considerable change in staffing and governance. He has built a strong team of leaders at all levels, who share the ambitious vision for improving teaching and raising achievement. Some of these leaders are new to their roles and, understandably, this means that the impact of their leadership is not yet fully evident in improvements to pupils’ achievement.  There is an ongoing determination to ensure that all teaching is of a high quality and focuses on pupils’ learning. Leaders use a wide range of evidence to identify where teaching is effective and where there are issues that need to be tackled. They make sure teachers benefit from helpful feedback so that they know what they need to improve. Consequently, teaching is consistently good and sometimes outstanding. Giving teachers even more opportunities to observe outstanding examples of teaching has been accurately

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The leadership and management are good

identified as the next step in terms of staff development.  Middle leaders have worked together with teachers to develop a curriculum which enthuses the pupils about learning and gives them lots of opportunities to develop their skills across a wide range of contexts. In particular, pupils’ reading and mathematical skills are used in many different situations, so that they become very confident with these. The development of skills in writing has been a focus for improvement. This is beginning to have an impact on the quality of writing which is evident from the improving standards as reflected in recent data.  Pupils are given appropriate homework to do, to reinforce the skills they have been learning. On top of this, they choose tasks from the ‘take-away’ homework, which is focused on getting families to work together on project work. Pupils are very enthusiastic about this work. Additional support for those who

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The leadership and management are good

need it is one example of the school’s strong emphasis on ensuring equality of opportunity.  The primary sports funding is used well to provide specialist coaches who inspire pupils to get fit and stay healthy. Teachers work alongside them, gradually taking over more responsibility for running the sessions. The pupils and teachers say this has improved the quality of physical education. The funding has also provided opportunities for pupils to participate more frequently in competitive sports, which they greatly enjoy.  Leaders ensure that behaviour is managed consistently across the school, and that any discrimination is tackled quickly. They also check that attendance is monitored closely. They follow up any pupils whose attendance is a concern. Pupils’ involvement in taking on responsibilities, voting for the school council, and studying the local and wider communities mean pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is taking a lead in the professional development of teachers from other schools, particularly in the use of technology and the internet to support the development of writing. For example, on the second day of the inspection, the school hosted a ‘teachmeet’, where about 100 teachers came together to share ideas.  The local authority has supported the school effectively over the past few years, through the process of changes in leadership and governance. As the confidence of the current leadership has grown, and the impact of governors has become evident, the school has required less support. Parents express very positive views about the improvements that have been brought about by the headteacher. They say they are well informed about their children’s progress and the events that are happening in the school.  The governance of the school:  There have been many changes in the governing body over the past year. Those currently on the

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The leadership and management are good

governing body have an excellent understanding of the many strengths of the school. They are also very clear where the school needs to improve further. They gather plenty of information about how well pupils are achieving and the quality of teaching, and use this to support and challenge leaders to address any issues. They use the information regarding the performance management of teachers to help them make appropriate decisions about additional pay awards. This ensures underperformance is tackled, and the best practice is encouraged.  Governors ensure that they closely monitor the way the school’s finances are used, to ensure that pupils benefit as much as possible. They particularly check that the additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is having an appropriate impact in reducing the gap for these pupils.  Governors and senior leaders take very seriously their responsibilities to check that the school fulfils its

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The leadership and management are good

statutory requirements, particularly those around keeping pupils safe. Policies and procedures are carefully updated in line with new legislation, and governors check that these are understood by all staff. They make sure that recruitment procedures include checks about the suitability of adults who will work with pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding because they are so keen to do their very best work. Pupils readily focus on the tasks and activities teachers have prepared for them, and seldom require any reminders to do so. They find the topics they study very interesting and enjoy sharing what they have learnt.  Pupils show great respect for adults and towards one another. They are very polite, have excellent manners and take pride in their uniform and the school environment. This helps make the school a lovely, friendly place to learn and make friends.  Pupils are very helpful to one another, celebrating each other’s successes and reminding one another about the school’s high expectations for behaviour. They enjoy giving each other very helpful feedback, and often work together to tackle difficult tasks. When asked to reflect about what they have improved, they are self-motivated and accurately assess how well they have done.

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Behaviour

 The pupils make the most of the clubs and activities that are available to take part in. They are particularly passionate about raising funds for charities and often do so of their own choice. They apply for a range of responsibilities in the school, explaining why they think they will carry these out effectively. Older pupils particularly enjoy their opportunities to support the learning of younger pupils, for example, as writing buddies.  Their positive attitudes towards school, learning and the wider world mean that pupils are exceptionally well prepared for moving on to the next stage of their education. They face the future with considerable confidence and a sense of anticipation.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding because pupils are very well informed about dangers they may face. They know how to weigh up situations they may find themselves in and make sensible, safe decisions.  Pupils say that any kind of bullying is extremely rare. If it does ever happen, they are very clear about what they must do about it and how it would be dealt with. Pupils were very specific that using unkind words is not acceptable. If this ever happens, staff deal with it very quickly and effectively, so that it does not happen again.  Parents and pupils say that all the adults at the school show exceptional care and consideration for the pupils, which gives them great confidence in their children’s safety. All the adults working at the school are very well informed about how to keep pupils safe and how to deal with any situations which might arise.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good. Some teaching is outstanding, particularly for the oldest pupils. Teachers make sure that pupils have interesting topics to study which develop the key skills they need. They know the pupils in their classes very well and there are positive relationships between adults and pupils which underpin good learning.  Teaching is not yet outstanding overall because a few teachers do not expect enough of the pupils in their classes. Some teachers do not always check frequently enough or in sufficient detail how well pupils are learning; their questions do not always probe pupils’ deep understanding. At times, the rapid progress some pupils make is not recognised and teachers do not always act to increase the pace of learning quickly enough, more notably for the most able. Teachers have had some opportunities to watch how other teachers tackle this, but some staff have not yet fully implemented all that they have learnt from

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The quality of teaching is good

such observations. Developing this process is one of the school’s priorities.  Teachers use the information available to them to plan carefully to meet the particular needs of different groups of pupils. They make excellent use of the technology they have access to, for pupils to do research, to show good examples of pupils’ work, or to capture examples of pupils’ successes. For example, Year 3 pupils enjoyed developing their dance about their topic of the Egyptians, to perform for parents. They used digital video to analyse their movements and how well they were keeping in time with the music.  Teachers and teaching assistants make sure that pupils are given helpful verbal feedback during lessons. This helps ensure that pupils make good progress. Teachers also give pupils opportunities to give one another feedback. Pupils respond maturely and sensibly to this, often showing great insight into what

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The quality of teaching is good

needs to improve.  Teachers and leaders have agreed an approach to marking books, and this is being used increasingly consistently. However, there remain some teachers whose comments do not tell pupils precisely enough what they need to do to improve. Some teachers do not always expect enough response or action from their pupils. This means that errors persist longer than they ought to. When pupils are given the chance to respond, they do so with enthusiasm and great determination to improve their work.  Teachers and leaders carefully evaluate the needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. They put in place suitable support and closely track the impact this has on the pupils’ learning. Teaching assistants have an excellent understanding of the specific needs of individual pupils they support. They are also well informed about how to support all pupils in different subjects, such as

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The quality of teaching is good

mathematics and science.  Reading is taught effectively. Pupils quickly develop their confidence in using phonics (linking letters and the sounds they make) and enjoy reading a great deal. They use these skills to help them spell ambitious words.  New approaches to teaching writing have been introduced. For example, pupils are encouraged to speak out their sentences before writing them down, to listen to whether it makes sense. Pupils have more opportunities to write longer pieces in English, but this is not always as evident when pupils are writing in other subjects. Boys’ writing in particular has benefited from sharing writing on a blog, with a focus on short but high quality pieces. Pupils are highly motivated by this and enjoy giving and receiving appreciative comments online.

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is good

 Pupils have consistently reached levels of attainment which are above average, particularly in reading and mathematics. In 2014, standards in writing were lower than usual, but nevertheless slightly above the national average. The school has addressed this so that standards are rising again.  From their starting points, pupils make good progress. Progress in reading and mathematics is often rapid, but it is not always so in writing. The lack of opportunities to respond to the comments teachers make in their books means that some errors in pupils’ writing, including punctuation and spelling, continue for longer than necessary. Pupils’ efforts to develop their writing skills are not always as effective in subjects other than in English. Although improving, there are not always opportunities to write longer pieces in other subjects.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language are supported effectively so they quickly develop their

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is good

confidence in speaking and understanding. As this grows, their progress in other subjects also accelerates. Those who join the school at the very early stages of learning English make particularly impressive progress. This is because the school makes excellent use of other partners and resources to support them.  The support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs means these pupils make good progress, and many overcome the issues they face, so that they need less support as they get older.  The most able pupils make good progress because they work hard at challenging tasks. However, there are occasions when they sit through explanations of work or skills about which they are already confident. This limits the time they have to get on with more challenging work.  Disadvantaged pupils make similarly good progress compared to other pupils in the school. In 2014, there was a considerable gap between these pupils and other pupils in the school, of about a year and a half.

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is good

This meant they were slightly below other pupils nationally. A group of disadvantaged pupils had joined the school towards the end of Key Stage 2. The school had limited time to improve their rate of progress and this negatively affected the overall profile. Typically the gap is much smaller across the school. Disadvantaged pupils currently in Year 6 are about a year behind other pupils, which means they are slightly ahead of other pupils nationally. The effective support they benefit from means the gap is reducing further as their progress accelerates.

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is good

 Children join the Reception classes with skills and knowledge which are typical for their age. However, skills in speaking and listening are often lower than usual. Children very quickly settle into the routines and expectations of the school and parents say that their children are eager to come to school in the morning because their learning is fun.  The proportion of children who speak English as an additional language has risen. An increasing proportion of these children have not spoken any English previously. These children are very well supported because teachers and teaching assistants understand the difficulties this poses and help them to develop their understanding and speaking rapidly.  New leadership of the early years provision ensures that teachers make good use of the outdoor area for learning. For example, children had great fun creating their own giant snakes-and-ladders game using

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is good

chalk and a grid outside. This stretched their use of numbers and they worked very cooperatively. Leaders have also ensured children have a clear understanding of what is expected and that outstanding behaviour and excellent cooperation are promoted effectively.  However, learning is not yet outstanding because occasionally adults rely more on the activities they have organised for children to develop their skills. These activities do not always challenge the most able children sufficiently. Adults do not always focus on using children’s interests to promote learning as much as they could, particularly when developing independent writing skills.  Children greatly enjoy using technology to record or photograph their learning, so that they can put this into their learning journals. These are shared with parents so that they have a good grasp of what their children are learning. The school provides lots of opportunities for them to understand how children learn

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is good

and what they can do to support learning at home.  Leadership in the early years provision has made sure that all staff have a good understanding of the needs of this age group. It also makes sure that staff know the school’s procedures and policies for keeping children safe. This ensures parents and children are right to feel confident about their safety and care.

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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 113845 Local authority Bournemouth Inspection number 448441

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 426 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anna Murphy-Sullivan Headteacher Declan Goodwin Date of previous school inspection 11–12 January 2010 Telephone number 01202427544 Fax number 01202427544 Email address corpuschristirc@bournemouth.gov.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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