St Jude's Catholic Primary School

School report St Jude's Catholic Primary School

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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 Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership and management are good. The new headteacher’s strong leadership has led the school successfully through a period of significant change. She has been ably supported by other leaders in her relentless drive to effectively secure improved teaching and good pupil achievement.  Governors provide robust challenge and support to the headteacher and other leaders as they continue to strive to raise the quality of teaching and ensure more rapid progress for all pupils.  An almost completely new teaching team is resulting in good, and sometimes outstanding, teaching. This is enabling pupils to acquire competent literacy and numeracy skills in readiness for secondary school.  Provision for early years children is outstanding and they make very good progress.  Previous underachievement through the rest of the school has been rigorously addressed and all groups of pupils now make at least good, and sometimes better, progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy learning because of exciting and creative ways of planning and teaching different subjects.  Pupils have a good attitude to school life. This is demonstrated by the pride they take in their beautifully presented work and the responsibilities they undertake.  The school’s strong provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins the excellent relationships that exist between all adults and pupils.  The school keeps pupils safe and secure. All safeguarding procedures are strictly adhered to and pupils are well looked after.  The vast majority of parents hold the school in high regard. This is typified by a comment from a parent who wrote, ‘The last two years have been exceptional (our son) has progressed to a level that even we as parents didn’t realise he could reach. I feel this has been entirely down to the commitment of his teachers and the school as a whole.’

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teachers are not sufficiently expert in teaching problem solving in mathematics. This means that pupils do not develop their reasoning skills effectively to enable them to make more rapid progress in mathematics.  Teachers do not consistently give pupils enough time to respond to marking to help them improve their work in mathematics.  The attendance of some groups of pupils is not good enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at learning in 17 lessons and observed eight teachers. Teaching assistants were observed working with individual pupils and small groups. Some observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors attended assembly, talked to pupils about their work and life at school, and heard individual pupils read.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including systems for checking progress, records relating to behaviour and attendance, safeguarding procedures and analysis by the school of how well it is doing and how it plans to improve. Records of checks on the quality of teaching and the minutes of the governing body meetings were examined.  Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work across a range of subjects and classes, especially writing and mathematics.  Meetings were held with members of the governing body, school staff and groups of pupils. Individual

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Information about this inspection

pupils were spoken to in lessons and around the school. A telephone conversation took place with an adviser from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the views expressed in the 41 online responses from Parent View, two letters from parents and informal meetings with parents at the school during the inspection.  Inspectors took account of the results of 16 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Anna Sketchley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Jude’s Catholic Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Children in the early years attend the Reception class on a full-time basis.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is similar to that found in most schools. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to children who are looked after by the local authority.  The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups is average. None are in the very early stages of learning English.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  There are breakfast and after-school clubs and a Nursery on site. These are not provided by the school

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement and the quality of teaching in mathematics by:  sharing the exemplary mathematics teaching that exists in the school so that all teachers have the expertise to teach pupils the reasoning skills they need to enable them to solve problems effectively  ensuring that pupils have dedicated time to respond to marking and correct errors in mathematics to improve their work.  Improve the attendance of some groups of pupils by introducing more strategies that will encourage them to come to school regularly.

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The leadership and management are good

 The strong partnership between the headteacher, senior leaders and governors has successfully managed significant staff turbulence, tackled underachievement and eradicated weak teaching.  Initiatives to improve the school building, classrooms and equipment have been equally effective in providing high quality surroundings, making a strong contribution to pupils’ rising achievement.  The performance of teachers and all support staff is now regularly checked against challenging targets. Teachers are in no doubt as to the rates of progress expected so that pupils make better progress. Leaders have been quick to offer opportunities to develop teachers’ skills where necessary. This has been particularly noticeable in successful strategies driven by middle managers to improve writing and, as a result, pupils’ progress in writing has risen strongly.  Effective middle managers consistently check the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in their subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

However, the school realises that there is more to do to improve mathematics. The exemplary practice that exists in the school is not yet used to sufficiently improve the skills of other teachers, especially in the teaching of reasoning and problem solving.  Effective support from the local authority has helped subject leaders, especially for reading and writing and computing, to successfully develop curriculum plans to enrich these subjects, for example introducing programming to extend pupils’ computing skills and the use of classic books to enrich pupils’ literacy skills.  The school’s review of the new National Curriculum provides exciting experiences that ‘hook’ pupils into learning at the beginning of themes and celebrate learning when the theme ends. A history-led enquiry, for example, entitled ‘Hunter Gatherer – Noble or Savage?’ began with a trip to an ancient farm to explore life in the Stone Age. It culminated in a creative presentation by pupils to parents to share their

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The leadership and management are good

knowledge and photographs. An important part of the project was the use of the children’s book ‘Stone Age Boy’. Pupils learned valuable historical and literacy skills through this engaging and memorable study.  Equal opportunities abound for all pupils to enjoy the creative way in which subjects are planned and taught. None are discriminated against, ensuring that all pupils have the chance to flourish.  Additional funding to support the needs of disadvantaged pupils is well used and targeted. This has resulted in gaps in achievement between this group and other pupils being considerably reduced.  Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well led and managed. Pupils are ably supported by skilled teachers and teaching assistants. As a result, from their various starting points, these pupils make similar good progress to all other pupils.  Provision for pupils from ethnic minority groups is strong and this group of pupils achieves as well as all

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The leadership and management are good

other pupils. The school’s welcoming and inclusive ethos ensures that these pupils are not discriminated against.  Very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development ensures that pupils thrive in an atmosphere of calm and harmonious relationships. Pupils develop mutual respect and tolerance of others in the school that have different faiths and beliefs. For example, they celebrate key events and receive visitors of different faiths, cook world foods, and study cultural diversity through themes, such as ‘Who do you think you are?’ This supports pupils well in being prepared for life in modern Britain.  Teachers promote learning about democracy and British values well throughout the curriculum and school activities, with, for example, visits to the local Mayor Making and borough council meetings, the work of the school council and voting on the new school logo. The school ‘house’ names of Gandhi, Romero,

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The leadership and management are good

Mandela and King, present pupils with inspiring role models of those who fought for democracy, peace and forgiveness. Pupils help to make the behaviour and anti-bullying policies, attend Remembrance Day and raise funds for those less fortunate than themselves. All of these activities promote further opportunities for pupils to grow in an understanding of the rule of law and individual liberty.  Well-planned use of additional funding for sport provides pupils with opportunities to learn new skills across a wide range of sports. Sports coaching delivered by an outside provider, observed during the inspection, was of a high quality. Funding is also providing good opportunities for pupils to participate in, and enjoy, both competitive sports with other schools and extra sports activities after school. In the last two years after-school clubs have increased by 50%. Pupils speak positively of these activities. They have

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The leadership and management are good

a good understanding of the part sport can play in leading a healthy lifestyle. Teachers have benefited from professional development with sports coaches, enabling the school to sustain new sports initiatives in the future.  Strong partnerships with other Catholic schools offer good opportunities for teachers to develop their areas of subject leadership and to learn new skills. The curriculum is enhanced for pupils by sports and science events at secondary schools. External agencies are used well to support the needs of vulnerable pupils. The local community make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning and development. For example, ‘Parish Readers’ come into school to listen to pupils read. The vast majority of parents, especially those who spoke to inspectors, are highly satisfied with the school and feel that their children make good progress, both academically and personally. Pupils are well prepared for secondary education.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding arrangements for keeping pupils safe and secure meet statutory requirements and are effective. All adults adhere conscientiously to the school’s well-developed systems for keeping pupils safe.  The governance of the school:  Governors are well organised and effective. They fulfil their statutory duties diligently. Governors check the performance of the school rigorously through regular visits to observe learning, meetings with leaders and pupils and presentations and reports. These activities ensure that they have a good knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors use the information about the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress to check the school’s performance very thoroughly against what is expected nationally. Governors’ minutes of meetings demonstrate that the governors challenge the school robustly, asking searching questions, especially about pupils’ achievement. They have a very

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The leadership and management are good

good understanding of how teacher underperformance is tackled and how good teaching is rewarded.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. School records show that there have been no exclusions since the previous inspection and seriously challenging behaviour is very rare. All minor incidents are carefully recorded and followed up, leaving pupils in no doubt as to what is expected of them.  Pupils judge behaviour to be good, both in lessons and on the playground. They are fully involved in helping to regulate behaviour. The school council has played a full part in the preparation of the school’s behaviour leaflet. This offers clear guidance for fellow pupils of the school’s high expectations of behaviour. Training is being given to some pupils for them to become mentors to their classmates. These activities help pupils to understand the importance of good behaviour and attitudes and the impact this has on their learning and progress.  Pupils were observed behaving exceptionally well together on the playground and field and in the dining

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Behaviour

hall. They move carefully and safely around the building and their behaviour in assembly was impeccable. Pupils are especially polite and helpful to visitors.  The vast majority of pupils concentrate well, are attentive during lessons, and show a real love of learning. They have great respect for their teachers and for one another and are quick to help each other with their learning. Although there is no low level disruption in class, very occasionally a few pupils become disengaged with their work, usually when tasks are either too hard or too easy.  Pupils enjoy the responsibilities they are given as members of the school council, prefects and monitors. Older pupils particularly like looking after younger pupils and are very caring with them. These responsibilities make a good contribution to pupils’ personal development.  The attendance of some pupils is not good enough, especially the attendance of some disadvantaged

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Behaviour

pupils and some disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs. This prevents these pupils from making the more rapid progress of which they are capable. Some of the procedures implemented by the school are effective in promoting good attendance. However, other procedures are not always rigorous enough in dealing with the low attendance of these specific groups of pupils.

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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 have a good understanding of the different types of bullying, but they say that any form of bullying in school is very rare. Pupils are very sure about to whom they should go if worried or in any kind of trouble. They feel well supported and were very keen to tell inspectors that teachers would always listen to them and deal with any problem immediately.  Pupils know and understand about how to stay safe when using the internet and reminders are clearly displayed in the computer suite.  Safeguarding systems for keeping pupils safe are robust. For example, leaders keep good records of fire drills, risk assessments and accidents. Safeguarding training for all staff, especially for child protection and first aid, is regularly updated. Leaders and governors are fully aware of their responsibilities and ensure

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Safety

that pupils are kept safe and secure at all times.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good, and sometimes outstanding. It is now leading to pupils making good progress over time throughout the school, combatting previous underachievement. Pupils’ good progress in lessons is also supported by the excellent relationships between themselves and their teachers.  Teachers have high expectations of work and behaviour. This is evident in the beautifully presented work in pupils’ books, especially in their writing and the various projects they undertake in other subjects.  The basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics are well taught because teachers have good subject knowledge. This also enables teachers to ask challenging questions, to probe pupils’ understanding and adjust learning accordingly.  Teaching is lively and engaging. Lessons are well planned and teachers capture pupils’ interest with exciting themes. Pupils say they enjoy learning because challenging work is usually at the right level for

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The quality of teaching is good

them, especially in their writing tasks. Information displayed on the classroom walls supports learning well if pupils get stuck.  Pupils were observed making good progress with their writing as they made notes from an excerpt of the film The Railway Children, in preparation for writing their own descriptions. Their imagination was entirely caught by the place at which the teacher cleverly stopped the film clip, because Roberta’s body was lying on the line in front of the train. Pupils used the good strategies they had been previously taught by listing the questions they had already discussed and having their notes beside them. This enabled them to cement their skills well.  Pupils’ competent basic skills in mathematics support pupils well when working at routine number tasks. However, some teachers are not yet sufficiently expert in teaching pupils the reasoning and thinking skills they need to solve mathematical problems. In this area of mathematics, pupils do not make as much

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The quality of teaching is good

progress as they could.  Pupils make particularly good progress when giving clear reasons for their thinking as they explain their answers. For example, pupils in Year 5 demonstrated and advanced their good understanding of how to solve algebraic problems by explaining how they had solved the problem of 4x = 100 and proving their answer. This helped the teacher to check pupils’ understanding and to address misconceptions. As a result, pupils made rapid progress.  Teachers’ marking, in line with the school's policy, consistently gives pupils their next steps for improvement in mathematics, but they are not always given time to act upon these and correct their mistakes. This means that sometimes the same errors are repeated in the next piece of work and pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Reading is well taught through opportunities for pupils to read classic children’s books together. As well as

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The quality of teaching is good

developing pupils’ higher level reading skills, such as inference, these challenging model texts also help to extend pupils’ vocabulary and writing skills. Pupils were entirely captivated when reading Northern Lights and made very good progress as they considered the characters and the plot and supported their answers using the text.  Pupils who find learning more difficult are very well supported by skilled teaching assistants who encourage them to take a full part in the lesson.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of children in the early years is outstanding and is a strength of the school. This is now being built on very successfully in Year 1 where pupils have made very good progress this year, especially in writing. Standards in Year 2 are not as high this year as they were in 2014, but pupils have made good progress from their lower starting points.  Pupils are taught phonics (the sounds that letters represent) correctly. This supports pupils’ reading very well and pupils use these skills consistently when tackling unfamiliar words. The school’s results for the national screening check for phonics have improved year on year and standards in Year 1 this year are higher than the national average for 2014.  Pupils read with increasing confidence, fluency and expression from books appropriate for their ages. Pupils’ enthusiasm for reading is growing because of the rich texts to which they are introduced. They say

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The achievement of pupils is good

they enjoy reading and that the school has a good stock of books from which to choose. Pupils’ reading records show that pupils read regularly in school, especially if they need extra help and practise. This strong reading culture supports pupils’ reading progress very well.  In the 2014 national tests, standards in Year 6 were below average in all three subjects of reading, writing and mathematics. This was due to previous weaknesses in teaching and underachievement throughout the school.  School information and results of recent tests show that pupils’ levels of skill in the current Year 6 have improved significantly this year. Standards are well above the 2014 national expectation for writing and similar to the national expectation in reading and mathematics.  Underachievement has been rigorously addressed. Standards are improving across the school and in some year groups they are already higher than would nationally be expected for pupils’ ages.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress. This year in Year 6 the percentage of pupils making expected progress is higher than that expected nationally in all three subjects. The percentage of pupils making more than expected progress is higher than is expected in writing and close to that expected in mathematics and reading.  Evidence in pupils’ books, school information and observations in lessons show that the most-able pupils throughout the school are making good, and sometimes better, progress. The most-able pupils in Year 5 worked at a level much higher than would be expected, grasping concepts quickly when solving complicated algebraic problems. Learning was outstanding because pupils were challenged in their thinking skills, enabling them to make leaps in their understanding of algebra and number patterns.  This is not the case in all mathematics lessons as some teachers lack the skills necessary to build pupils’

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The achievement of pupils is good

reasoning and thinking skills and help pupils to tackle more difficult problems.  In 2014, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were three terms behind other pupils in the school in mathematics, reading and writing. They were four terms behind other pupils nationally in mathematics and five terms behind in reading and writing.  This year, school information and indications from this year’s national assessments suggest that gaps between this group and other pupils in the school have been considerably narrowed to a term or less in reading, writing and mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils make the same good progress as all other pupils in the school and similar progress to other pupils nationally. Where progress is slower for a small minority of pupils it is because they have complex learning and emotional needs. The picture of achievement for this group of pupils across the school is improving rapidly.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make the same good progress, from their

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The achievement of pupils is good

various starting points, as all other pupils in the school. This is because they receive effective support in class, often in small groups. Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that tasks and interventions are appropriate to pupils’ specific needs. Pupils in need of emotional support and nurturing are very well supported. This is borne out by the words of one parent who wrote, ‘The school have gone way beyond their duty of care for my children….providing the exact amount of care, empathy and support…nothing is too much trouble for them.’  Pupils’ good achievement and personal development prepare them well for secondary education.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 The majority of children begin Reception with skills, knowledge and understanding that are mostly close to those typical for their age. They make exceptional progress because of excellent provision. By the end of the Reception year, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development is well above national expectations. The children make an excellent start to school and are very well prepared for Year 1.  The leadership and management of the early years are outstanding. An exciting, but safe and secure, setting awaits children every morning. Staff are all on hand to welcome warmly both children and their parents who say they know their children are very well cared for.  The early years partnership with parents is excellent. Parents commented very positively on induction procedures when children joined the school. They appreciate the ongoing involvement they have throughout the year, contributing to children’s learning journals with useful information from home.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 On arrival, a wide range of well organised activities engages children immediately in purposeful learning. Well-established routines ensure that children quickly become confident in their surroundings. As a result, they are very well behaved and get on very well together.  Teaching is outstanding. The well-planned, well-staffed and highly imaginative setting is the key to children’s rapid learning. Wherever they are, indoors or outside, children are always learning. Skilled adults involve themselves in children’s activities, asking searching questions and enabling children to take great strides in their development.  During the inspection, children were preparing for their visit to a local ice cream parlour. One morning a large letter arrived. It told the children of a problem at the parlour. The ice cream was melting! This imaginative introduction took the children on a journey of discovery and discussion about why the ice

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The early years provision is outstanding

cream was melting and what could be done about it. This then formed the basis for children’s letter writing, while some actually made some ice cream. Others painted or made models to help the ice cream parlour to solve the problem. Throughout all of these exciting activities, children were fully immersed in the characteristics for effective learning as they were encouraged to think critically, persevere and have a go at the wide range of tasks on offer. Children demonstrated their growing independence and self-help skills as they cooperated exceptionally well together to organise the painting area carefully.  Children’s mathematical skills were enhanced as the teacher skilfully used the coinage that would be needed to buy an ice cream on their proposed visit. The children’s interest was immediately captured by very large replicas of coins hanging on a ‘washing line’. Children quickly identified the different shapes and

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The early years provision is outstanding

values as the teacher held up real coins for them to compare. They then moved swiftly to activities planned specifically around identifying and using money in different situations.  Procedures for checking how well children are progressing are very thorough. A comprehensive system for recording children’s activities and regular conversations with children mean that adults are very aware of children’s particular interests. Adults continually observe children at their activities and keep daily notes of milestones in each individual child’s learning and development. These are used regularly to plan children’s next steps so that activities are entirely relevant and appropriate and their needs are fully met. This makes a significant contribution to children’s outstanding achievement.

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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 116376 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 456205

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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 186 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Docherty Headteacher Sarah Wall Date of previous school inspection 15–16 March 2012 Telephone number 01329 235131 Fax number 01329 827939 Email address admin@st-judes.hants.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 .

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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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