St Chad's Catholic Primary School

. St Chad’s Catholic Primary School Hospital Street, Newtown, Birmingham, B19 3XD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 The highly focused and purposeful leadership of the headteacher has improved the achievement of all groups of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.  Decisive actions taken by school leaders, including governors, have created a culture of high expectations resulting in improved teaching.  Good governance, underpinned by strong systems to challenge staff, has arrested historic underachievement and pupils are now achieving well in relation to their prior attainment.  Good advice given from a supporting school and the local authority has helped teaching improve. It is now good and still improving rapidly.  Children get off to an effective start in the early years and standards are rising due to good teaching and well-planned classroom activities.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They have positive attitudes to learning. They are very respectful of the differences between each other and the school is a harmonious

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

community where everyone is valued.  Pupils feel safe because safeguarding systems are secure. Parents are delighted with all that the school offers.  The school’s exciting curriculum makes pupils eager to learn and supports their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. It promotes British values of respect and tolerance and prepares pupils effectively for life in modern Britain.  The school’s ethos of forgiveness and putting needs of others before your own underpins all aspects of school life.  Attendance is above that seen nationally and pupils are eager to attend school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always demand enough of the most-able pupils in mathematics in Key Stage 1.  Some pupils, especially the less able and some boys who have special educational needs, do not write enough in lessons and in different subjects.  The teaching of problem solving in mathematics is not yet firmly embedded across the school.  When early years children play outdoors, using equipment adults have put out, the adults do not always plan ahead how the activities will be used to help their learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils learning in 16 lessons covering all year groups. Most of these were undertaken jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Inspectors talked to pupils about their learning and heard several pupils read.  They held meetings with groups of pupils, senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors examined a questionnaire completed by 24 staff. The responses submitted by parents to the online parent survey, Parent View, were too few to analyse, so inspectors held informal discussions with parents and looked at the school’s own surveys of parents’ views.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents including minutes of the governing body. They also looked at the school’s self-evaluation summary, school improvement plans, behaviour records and documentation relating to safeguarding. Documents relating to the monitoring of teaching and subsequent the

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Information about this inspection

subsequent management of staff’s performance were also examined.  The school’s child protection and safeguarding procedures were scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Bogusia Matusiak-Varley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than an average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are from a variety of ethnic minority backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.  Children receiving early years provision are taught in the reception class and attend full time.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium is well above the national average. The pupil premium gives the school additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is above average.  The school’s 2014 results did not meet the government’s current floor standards for primary schools. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has received support from the Local Authority and from St Mary’s Teaching School,

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Information about this school

Handsworth, whose headteacher is a National Leader of Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching, and increase the proportion of pupils reaching higher levels in mathematics in Key Stage 1 by:  consistently providing a higher level of challenge for these pupils through well chosen extension activities that deepen their learning  ensuring that there are good opportunities for pupils throughout the school to apply the skills that they have been taught in lessons to a range of problem-solving situations.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure pupils, especially less-able pupils, and boys who have special educational needs, can write at length in all subjects by:  limiting the use of worksheets that expect pupils to respond in short sentences rather than extending their writing skills  checking that pupils write enough in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve learning in the outdoor area in the early years, by making sure adults have a clear learning intention (reason) for all the play activities provided.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have successfully steered the school through a period of rapid change both to staffing and the governing body. They have arrested historical underachievement and established a culture in which only ’the best will do’. There are tight systems of accountability through well-focused management of performance. These are coupled with stringent assessment practices and monitoring of data on pupils’ progress, and together they have resulted in improved teaching and accelerated progress of all groups of pupils. Teaching is now securely good and improving rapidly.

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The leadership and management are good

 The good work that has been accomplished in the past twenty months since the headteacher took up post has raised the expectations of the whole school community. Parents are now attending workshops and learning alongside their children. Parents are very pleased with the new changes and are delighted with all that the school is trying to do. Pupils receive good advice about the next stage of education and the school works hard to raise their expectations about their futures.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is promoted well and pupils have the opportunity to learn about different faiths in multi-cultural Britain. Acts of collective worship where values are explored reinforce tolerance and compassion. Pupils contribute to a wide range of charities, including helping to set up a school in Eritrea. They have a clear sense of right and wrong and a strong awareness of British values. Consequently they are well prepared for life in modern British society.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team works very well together. Senior leaders have embraced the help offered to them by the local authority and St Mary’s teaching school; they have taken decisive action and effectively eliminated weak teaching. Well-focussed training coupled with modelling of teaching by senior leaders has resulted in teaching now being evaluated as good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior staff provide good role models for others to follow due to their hard work and commitment to ’getting it right’ for their pupils. The detailed school improvement plan is regularly monitored and updated to check the effectiveness of implemented initiatives. Middle leaders execute their roles well and now lead their subjects effectively. The leadership of special educational needs and the leadership of the early years are both good, and both leaders are well aware of areas that should next be improved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school ensures that equality of opportunity underpins all aspects of the school’s work. Pupils are included in all aspects of school life and all nationalities are successfully integrated. Robust tracking procedures are in place to ensure that no group is left behind. There is no discrimination in the school and there are no incidents of racist behaviour. Relationships throughout the school are good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Sports’ funding has been spent wisely. Good links exist with Bishop Challoner School whose sports coaches have worked well in improving staff’s knowledge of teaching and assessing progress in physical education. Pupils now take part in inter-school sports and have a good understanding of healthy eating.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is used effectively to improve the achievement of disadvantaged pupils by providing one-to-one support and a range of individualised help. The impact of this work can now be seen in this year’s data, which show these pupils have caught up with all pupils nationally. The gap between them and their classmates has narrowed significantly compared to last year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is enhanced with a wide range of experiences to places of interest, such as Stonehenge where pupils learn about Britain’s heritage. The good provision for after-school clubs has ensured that these are very well attended by all groups of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academic curriculum is now of good quality, and leaders have identified priorities to improve it further, for example problem solving in mathematics. The school has prepared well for the changes to the National Curriculum in partnership with the local cluster group of schools who work together. Assessments and systems for tracking pupils’ progress are in place and all schemes of work have been drawn up.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The quality of governance has much improved since the last inspection and is now good. Governors have undertaken an audit of their skills to ensure that they have the expertise to move the school forward. As a result of this new governors were appointed who are now diligently holding the school to account. They know where teaching is good and where it requires improvement.  The Chair of the Governing Body is experienced and knowledgeable and ensures that governors are well trained and receive regular updates on the progress of all groups of pupils. Governors understand data, so know how well the different groups perform. Together with the headteacher they ensure that everyone is treated equally within the school.  No teachers had a pay rise last year because standards were not high enough. Governors ensure the school sets clear targets for staff performance and support the headteacher in tackling any aspects of

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The leadership and management are good

underperformance.  Governors know how well the pupil premium and primary sports’ funding are used. For example they know that through working alongside specialist coaches, teachers’ expertise in teaching physical education has improved.  The governing body makes sure that all statutory requirements are met, and that safeguarding arrangements meet current government requirements and are secure and effective.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. It is consistently well managed by all adults because systems are clear and transparent and pupils know what is expected of them. Pupils’ positive attitudes make a strong contribution to learning and their personal development. ‘Leadership buddies’ support newly arrived pupils and they take their duties very seriously, ensuring that these pupils are well looked after.

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Behaviour

 Good opportunities throughout the curriculum develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well. A high emphasis is placed on developing British values such as teaching pupils how democracy operates in parliament. This ensures that pupils are very tolerant of one another’s differences and get on well together.

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Behaviour

 Pupils know the consequences of their actions and have a grown up approach to settling their differences. This contributes to their growing awareness of being responsible for themselves.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is above average and there have been no exclusions. Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school because of all the exciting learning that takes place.

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Behaviour

 Pupils behave well in and around the school. In lessons, they are usually very attentive and try hard to do their best. However, there are a few occasions when the below average attaining boys and those who have disabilities and special educational needs do not apply themselves to writing enough in lessons. In Key Stage 1 in mathematics sometimes the most-able pupils lose concentration, when the work is too easy for them.

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Behaviour

 Children in the early years gain good social skills because staff focus successfully on developing these from the start. Occasionally, when children play outdoors they do not focus well on learning, as they are unclear about the purpose of the activity.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that a trusted adult is always at hand and that they are always listened to. Pupils know about the dangers of cyber-bullying, risks that can present themselves on the Internet and the dangers of belonging to any groups with extremist views.

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Safety

 The school provides pupils with plenty of opportunities to learn about any dangers in their neighbourhood. Visits by the police and fire officers teach pupils about safety on the street and what to do if they encounter any potential hazards.

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Safety

 Risk assessments and policies about keeping children safe are up to date and reviewed regularly. All staff have been trained in both child protection and how to keep children safe from radicalisation and extremism. They are skilled at identifying any symptoms of abuse or radicalisation in vulnerable pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching is at the heart of this school’s rapid improvement. Teachers have embraced the help given to them by the support school and the local authority and act upon the advice they get as a result of monitoring by the headteacher.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers teach literacy, reading and mathematics well, which is resulting in pupils now making good progress. Teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning have improved due to the input from the supporting school. The assessments teachers have made about pupils’ work have been checked against other teachers’ judgements, and are now accurate.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and provide interesting opportunities, such as using snippets from film, to develop pupils’ literacy and reading skills. They use a good range of practical resources in mathematics to ensure that pupils have fully grasped mathematical concepts.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is strongly promoted and both the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) and the use of guided reading have a strong impact on the achievement of all groups of pupils. The effect of the good teaching of phonics can be seen in the results of the 2014 Year 1 phonics check where standards were above average, with disadvantaged pupils achieving well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils learn well because generally activities capture their interest. However, there are occasions where the most-able pupils in Key Stage 1 are not challenged enough to deepen their knowledge in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Since the last inspection pupils are now writing more in English especially in Years 5 and 6. However opportunities for writing at length in other subjects are variable. The work of lower attaining pupils and boys who have special educational needs is often incomplete, and they do not always write enough because on occasions teachers do not expect enough of them. For example, worksheets which are undemanding because they only require short answers can prevent pupils from getting better at writing at length.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers question pupils well and quickly sort out any misconceptions. The teaching of guided reading has had a strong impact on developing pupils’ understanding of texts.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons inside in the reception class, adults seize on every opportunity to develop children’s early language skills. They encourage them to use correct vocabulary and show them how to write words correctly. However, the outdoor activities children are offered are not always underpinned by adults having thought through what they want the children to learn from them, and so the children can lose focus.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is thorough and pupils respond well to the comments made by teachers. They know what they need to do in order to improve their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who need extra guidance, especially disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, are generally helped to make good progress. They receive well-targeted support and well-written individual teaching plans, which are regularly monitored by the special educational needs leader.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since the last inspection good improvements have been made to achievement of all pupils throughout the school, due to the high focus placed on accountability of staff to improve learning. As a result pupils are making good progress, albeit from a low baseline where there has been past underachievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s in-house data show that this year nearly all pupils in Year 6 have achieved well. They are on track to attain nationally expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics, and the proportions attaining higher levels are likely to exceed those last year. Current achievement in the school is much better than the published data shows it was in past years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the reception class with many skills that are broadly typical for their age. However, significant numbers enter with skills in reading, writing and mathematics below those typical for their age. They make good progress throughout the early years and over two thirds attain the key early learning goals before they move into Year 1. This is a higher proportion than found nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014 pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 improved in mathematics to be, alongside reading and writing, broadly in line with national averages. However, comparatively few pupils attained the higher levels. By the end of Year 6 pupils attained average standards but they did not do as well in writing as they did in mathematics and reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress across Key Stage 2 made by the 2014 Year 6 was patchy, as the school did not always have the tight systems of accountability that it has now. Because of earlier underachievement, not enough pupils made expected progress in reading and writing over the four years and not enough exceeded expected progress, either. In mathematics, whilst the proportion who made expected progress was close to the national figure, too few made more than expected progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014 disadvantaged pupils did not do well. By the end of Year 6 they were a year and a half behind other pupils nationally in their mathematics and their reading, and in writing they were over two years behind. They were five terms behind their classmates in mathematics, and two years behind them in reading and writing. They did not make enough progress over the four years of the key stage, and made slower progress than their classmates and others nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Current data show that the gaps in attainment for disadvantaged pupils in all subjects have narrowed considerably, not just in Year 6, but across the school. This is due to improved teaching, secure allocation of funds by the newly formed governing body and robust monitoring of progress by the headteacher. Disadvantaged pupils are now achieving well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are now achieving well in relation to their prior attainment because of the support that they receive. However, the progress of some boys in Key Stage 2 in writing is not as fast as it could be because they do not always complete their work in class.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language are now making consistently good progress. This is due to the many pieces of special help they receive, the support that they are given in class and the help that they get from their buddies. They learn quickly and effectively. They soon pick up subject-specific vocabulary and in a short space of time access all learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils currently achieve well in all key stages except in mathematics in Key Stage 1. Here their achievement is weaker in problem solving. They sometimes repeat work that they already know and do not have sufficient opportunities to learn how to apply their knowledge to a wider range of problem solving situations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Initiatives introduced across the school to provide more opportunities for problem solving in mathematics are starting to show positive results but have not been applied long enough to have had a full impact.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress in writing across the school is improving rapidly, due in part to the way that teachers help pupils to learn to structure their ideas. However, pupils are not yet good at writing longer pieces of work and seldom do so in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils achieve well in reading. They know how to look for information in text and pick out the relevant points. They attack new words with ease and parents are delighted with the scheme that that enables them to own ten reading books.

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The early years provision is good

 The children work well together and the use of reading buddies from elsewhere in the school has helped them make gains both in reading and in spelling. All groups of children, including disabled children and those with special educational needs, make good progress in all areas of learning and are ready to start more formal learning in Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of the early years are good and the provision is effective. The deputy head teacher has managed this aspect of the school and has ensured that every aspect of children’s learning is tightly monitored. Children learning during their outdoor play is less strong than other aspects. However, plans are in place to improve planning for work in the outdoor area so that tasks set build on children’s prior learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff have high expectations of how children should behave and learn and this ensures that children have positive attitudes to learning and make good gains in their personal development. A safe learning environment with well-established routines and good safeguarding practices has been created, ensuring that children feel safe and secure in their learning and behave well.

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The early years provision is good

 The curriculum is exciting and covers all areas of learning. Activities planned around shared stories ensure that children have plenty of opportunities to practise new vocabulary. This has a positive impact on their speaking and listening skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good because learning is focused on the individual needs of children. Teachers are quick to identify and support any children who might be falling behind, especially those who may have special educational needs.

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The early years provision is good

 Progress is checked and recorded in ‘learning journeys’ (books summarising the children’s progress). These are regularly shared with parents, who are very pleased with their children’s learning.

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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 103435 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 462590

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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 204 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Brenda Beale Headteacher Matthew Tehan Date of previous school inspection 20 June 2013 Telephone number 0121 464 6554 Fax number 0121 464 6803 Email address enquiry@st-chads.bham.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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