St Saviour's Catholic Primary and Nursery School

St Saviour's Catholic Primary School Seacombe Drive, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH66 2BD

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 From starting school with knowledge and skills which are generally below those typical for their age, pupils make strong progress in their learning.  Pupils’ achievement is accelerating well. Standards attained by pupils are rising rapidly. School data show that the most-able pupils currently in Year 2 and Year 6 are on track to attain highly this year.  Attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school and nationally narrowed in 2014. School data show that they are continuing to close.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make strong progress in their learning because of effective support from teaching assistants, which is focused on their achieving as well as other pupils.  Pupils say there are very few incidents of bullying. When they do occasionally occur, these are resolved to their satisfaction when brought to the attention of the adults in school.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils report they feel exceptionally safe in school because staff go to great lengths to ensure that this is the case. This view is shared by parents.  The school places great importance on ensuring that pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying and how to keep themselves safe.  School leaders and managers have driven secure improvements in teaching and achievement since the previous inspection most effectively.  The innovative and inspirational headteacher, ably supported by an exceedingly strong senior leadership team and highly challenging members of the governing body, have improved the school well. The school continues to improve because of their exceptionally powerful strategic direction and vision for the future.  Early years provision is led well, thus helping children to make a strong start to their learning in school.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some slight variations in achievement of groups of pupils, such as boys compared to girls, remain in reading, writing and mathematics.  Progress in learning slows slightly for pupils, particularly boys in Key Stage 2, when a few teachers do not always ensure that they are participating well enough in their learning.  A few teachers accept work which is too untidy from pupils.  A small minority of teachers do not always mark pupils’ work well enough to help them progress as well as they might in their learning. This includes marking answers correct which are clearly incorrect, giving pupils the impression they are achieving better than they are.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning and teaching in lessons and part lessons, two of which were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, school staff and three members of the governing body, including the Acting Chair. The lead inspector also spoke by telephone with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors held discussions with parents and groups of pupils. Inspectors also spoke informally to pupils in lessons, during break and lunchtimes.  Inspectors scrutinised the work pupils produced during lessons and in their books over time. They also listened to a small number of pupils from Year 1 and Year 2 read.  Inspectors observed the work of the school. They looked at the latest school data on pupils’ achievement and the progress they are currently making. Other documentation scrutinised included development plans as well as safeguarding information, behaviour logs, attendance records and minutes of recent meetings

p.2

Information about this inspection

of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of the 32 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the 20 responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire.

p.2

Inspection team

Declan McCauley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average. The term disadvantaged pupils is used to describe those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority. These pupils receive additional support from pupil premium funding.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  Children in Reception attend full time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further strengthen the quality of teaching to continue pupils’ rapid improvements in achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, by:  eliminating the slight variations in achievement between groups of pupils, such as boys and girls  ensuring that pupils’ work is marked consistently in line with school guidelines to aid strong improvement in achievement  ensuring that all pupils, particularly boys in Key Stage 2, participate fully in learning activities  ensuring that teachers accept only the neatest possible work from all pupils.

p.3

The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is led by an inspirational and innovative headteacher who has steadfastly driven many successful improvements in school since the previous inspection. The headteacher is ably supported by a strong deputy headteacher, visionary governors and staff who all share a desire to provide the best possible education for all pupils.  Pupils now thrive in their education because of the culture of success which has been created very effectively by school leaders. A wide range of rewards is used successfully by leaders to encourage regular attendance.  Teaching is well led and has improved very well since the previous inspection. Teachers with responsibility for leading subjects have an exceptionally strong knowledge of how to bring about further improvement. Middle leaders are very effective in their roles.  Plans for improvement are well identified and clear. They focus well on improving pupils’ achievement

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

further.  Pupil premium funding is spent wisely and is narrowing effectively attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils, both in school and nationally.  All pupils are treated equally in school. There is no discrimination and much is done successfully by school leaders to create a harmonious learning environment for pupils where they all get on very well with each other.  The curriculum is innovative and creative; it meets the learning needs of pupils exceedingly well. School prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. School values such as respect and morality permeate everything which happens in school. Pupils learn well about democracy. Recently, the Mayor of Ellesmere Port visited school to speak about his role and met with pupils from the school council to discuss living in a democratic society.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development exceptionally well. Many

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

opportunities are created for spiritual reflection during the school day, which encourages pupils to treat others fairly and try their hardest in whatever challenge they are facing.  Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are very effective and meet statutory requirements. The register of checks undertaken before anyone can work in the school is maintained meticulously. Pupils say they feel very safe in school. All 32 parents who accessed Parent View agree or strongly agree that their children feel safe at school.  The local authority provided much support to the school previously when it was in a category of concern. Currently, the local authority provides only light-touch support as and when required, because the school is now performing so well.  Additional funding for school sport is used exceedingly well by the school. There is a very broad range of sports provided in which pupils participate. The skills of teachers are being developed very well through

p.4

The leadership and management are outstanding

links with the local sports college.  The governance of the school:  Governance of the school is highly effective. The Acting Chair of governors has taken responsibility for strategic leadership of the school.  Members of the governing body have an exceptionally secure understanding of how well the school is performing, including the quality of teaching. Governors have an extensive knowledge of current school data. They ask challenging questions of school leaders to aid their understanding of whether the pupils are being educated as well as governors expect. They manage the performance of staff exceptionally well, reward good teaching and tackle any underperformance in the classroom with rigour.

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Around school, pupils are polite and courteous to each other and to school staff and visitors alike. They wear their uniforms with pride and are turned out smartly. Many pupils take pride in their work and in a number of classes many exercise books are neat and tidy with pristine pages.  In lessons, the vast majority of pupils have good attitudes to their learning which enables learning to proceed at a fast rate. Occasionally, this is not always the case for a small minority of boys, particularly in Key Stage 2 and they do not participate in their learning as well as they could. Teachers generally manage these occasional instances well and ensure that they have a minimal impact on the rate of learning.  Pupils are very aware of different types of bullying because of the wide range of activities and workshops provided by school designed to raise their awareness. One workshop took place during the inspection.

p.4

Behaviour

When instances of bullying do occasionally occur, pupils report that they are swiftly resolved when they bring them to the attention of the staff.  There is zero tolerance of racism in school. The headteacher recently took strong action when a racist incident occurred and pupils have a very clear understanding of what is unacceptable in school.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils are very aware of how to keep themselves safe when using the internet because of the importance placed upon staying safe both inside and outside of school.  Very rigorous checks are carried out by the school before any staff are appointed and before volunteers are permitted to work with pupils. The register of these checks is updated on a regular basis and maintained to an exceptionally high standard.  Visitors to school can only enter through a very secure entrance when they have declared their business and further meticulous checks on their identity take place before they are permitted to gain access to the rest of the school.  The school site is fenced exceptionally well to ensure that pupils are safe in school and on the playground. Break times are well supervised, enabling pupils to enjoy the wide open spaces inside the fences and play

p.5

Safety

nicely with others.  A prime area of focus for school staff and the local authority education welfare service has been increasing pupils’ attendance, which they have done successfully. From September 2014 to the point of inspection, attendance is now higher than it was during the same period of time the previous year. This is because parents are now much more aware of the need for their children to attend school regularly.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching since the previous inspection has led to good improvements in pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.  Learning progresses at a fast rate in many lessons when tasks for pupils are matched carefully to their learning needs. All pupils check their individual target sheets regularly to ensure that they focus on the specific areas which are identified for them to improve. Termly meetings between individual pupils and their teachers to discuss progress have been introduced recently and pupils report that this is another way in which the school helps them to improve.  Pupils are taught to read well in school. The teaching of writing is effective and contributed well to recent improvements in pupils’ literacy. Mathematics is also taught effectively and learning progresses at a fast rate when pupils are challenged well in lessons. Key Stage 2 pupils were observed successfully solving

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

some very complex word problems.  Teaching assistants support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs very well in lessons and in small groups. This helps them to progress in their learning at least as well as other pupils.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils and very strong subject knowledge. They take every opportunity to extend learning for pupils by reinforcing their knowledge of technical vocabulary. Children in the Reception class were observed describing the properties of shapes using vocabulary such as vertices and faces.  Homework books support learning well; they contain a very wide range of work from many different subjects.  On occasions, teachers permit pupils to present untidy work which is not as good as they are capable of producing. A small minority of teachers occasionally mark answers correct, even though they are incorrect, which gives pupils a false impression of how well they are progressing in their learning. Occasionally, a

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

few teachers do not mark pupils’ work well enough, by forgetting to check that pupils’ corrections are accurate.  Occasionally, the progress of pupils varies slightly, for example when not all teachers ensure that a small number of boys, particularly in Key Stage 2, are as engaged in their learning as they should be.

p.5

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school with knowledge and skills which are below those typically expected for their age. They make strong progress in their learning and development, catching up rapidly so that around three quarters of children in 2014 were well prepared to join Year 1 after reaching a good level of development. This is because staff in the early years have high expectations of what the children can achieve.  Pupils continue to make strong progress in their learning as they move though Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Attainment at the end of Year 2 in 2014 improved well in reading, writing and mathematics from the previous year. In reading, attainment has increased annually since the previous inspection. At the end of Year 6, attainment increased well in 2014 from the previous year in mathematics, writing and English grammar, punctuation and spelling, although it dipped slightly in reading. The latest school data show that

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

pupils’ progress is accelerating well and predictions for attainment, confirmed by inspection evidence, suggest it will improve again this year.  Disadvantaged pupils progress well from their starting points. Attainment gaps are closing well and the latest school data show that in a few classes disadvantaged pupils are now making more progress than other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2014, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment compared to other pupils nationally was nearly four terms behind in mathematics, just over three terms behind in reading, just over two terms behind in writing and just under one term behind in English grammar, punctuation and spelling. Compared to other pupils in school, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment was just over three terms behind in mathematics and writing, just over a term and a half behind in reading and just over two terms behind in English, grammar,

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

punctuation and spelling.  The proportion of most-able pupils attaining the higher Level 3 at the end of Year 2 in 2014 was above average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. At the end of Year 6, the proportion of the most-able pupils attaining the higher Level 5 was above average in writing and English grammar, punctuation and spelling, but below average in mathematics and reading. School data show that these proportions are set to rise this year.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make strong progress in their learning because of the additional support they receive from skilled and effective teaching assistants. School data show that their progress is currently accelerating well.  A minority of boys do not achieve quite as well as girls in reading, writing and mathematics. The school is very aware of this and is working hard to eliminate these remaining slight variations.

p.6

The early years provision is good

 From the time they join the school, children make fast gains in their learning in the early years. In 2014, all children made strong progress in their learning because of effective teaching and development opportunities they experience. A large proportion of children, around three quarters, joining Year 1 in 2014 had reached a good level of development and this was similar to the previous year.  Children are encouraged to learn on their own and explore their learning environment, which leads to them making rapid gains in their learning. Children are not mollycoddled in any way. They are well supported throughout, but also encouraged to explore and find things out for themselves.  Early years provision is led well by a strong teacher who knows how to get the best from all children in her care and has a proven track record of bringing about improvement.  Children learn and develop well in the calm and well-ordered classroom and outdoor area, where they are

p.6

The early years provision is good

kept very safe by a dedicated team of early years practitioners who have a positive impact on their learning and development. Children behave very calmly and get on well with each other, which aids the development of their social and emotional well-being.  The quality of teaching is good. The adults working in early years all have high expectations of what children can achieve and expect them to do their best. Children thrive in this learning environment which is bright, stimulating and supports their good achievement.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 135505 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 461729

p.8

School details

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

p.8

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 203 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Laycock Headteacher Keith Powell Date of previous school inspection 4 July 2012 Telephone number 0151 338 2440 Fax number Not applicable Email address admin@stsaviours.cheshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9