Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Newhouse

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School New House, Durham Road, Esh Winning, Durham, DH7 9PA

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a good school

 The school is well led. The new and highly effective executive headteacher has taken assertive action to improve the school’s work further since she took up post in September.  The governing body has high ambitions for the school and for every pupil. Governors showed steely determination in their work to secure a high-calibre headteacher for the school.  Teaching is good. Teachers know their pupils well. Teachers assess pupils’ work regularly and keep a careful check on the progress that pupils make.  Pupils make good progress from their starting points. Progress is most rapid in Key Stage 2.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs make good progress because work is carefully planned to meet their individual needs.  Children in the early years make a positive start to their learning because they like school and feel safe and secure at all times.  Pupils behave well in school. The school’s mission

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This is a good school

to ‘promote daily self-discipline within a loving, caring and forgiving framework’ is a reality.  Attendance has improved and is above average.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The most-able pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are not always given work that challenges them to reach their full potential.  The progress that pupils make in writing is not as strong as the progress that they make in reading and mathematics.  Support staff, although highly capable, are not always deployed effectively to make a significant impact on the progress made by pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching further so that it enables all pupils throughout the school, especially the most able, to reach their full potential by: ensuring support staff are deployed effectively across the school day making sure that pupils know the next step they have to take to make their work even better increasing the opportunities for pupils, including the children in the early years, to practise the new skills that they have learnt in their writing.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The new executive headteacher is aspirational for the pupils, the school and the local community. She has made a highly effective start to her headship. She has improved the school’s procedures to safeguard pupils, evaluated the school’s strengths and areas for development accurately and developed an ambitious plan to improve the school further.  Middle leaders are a strength of the school. They use their dedicated leadership and management time well to improve teaching, learning and assessment in all key stages.  Leaders in this small school check the standards pupils reach and the progress pupils make on a termly basis. They promote equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination well.  Leaders work hard to improve practice across the school, for example to check on the accuracy of teachers’ assessments of pupils’ standards. Staff now work with teachers from the federated school (St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ushaw Moor, Co Durham) and the executive

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

headteacher’s other school (St Bede’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School in Sacriston, Co Durham) to improve outcomes for pupils.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong in this caring school. It has been strengthened further recently through the creation of a ‘house’ system. Pupils from all year groups meet together in their ‘houses’ three times a week for periods of reflection and learning.  Leaders ensure that pupils understand modern British values. Pupils know right from wrong, they value their own individual differences and experience democracy in action through elections to their own school council.  Additional primary school sport funding is used well to increase the expertise of staff and pupils through the school’s affiliation with the Durham and Chester-le-Street School Sport Partnership.  Pupil premium funding is used wisely to employ additional staff to support disadvantaged pupils. (Pupil

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

premium funding is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and for children who are looked after by the local authority.)  Leaders support teachers new to the profession and new to the school well through high-quality mentoring and the provision of training opportunities both internally and externally. Senior leaders have recently strengthened the systems and procedures to appraise the performance of teachers.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The new executive headteacher took assertive action to improve the procedures to safeguard children at the beginning of the autumn term. Although not all parents are happy with the new arrangements for dropping off and picking up their children, they acknowledge that children are safe at school.  The local authority and the diocese have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

development. Both have supported the school well through a period of transition. The school takes full advantage of its service level agreement with the local authority to improve provision further. For example, at the time of the inspection, the local authority had visits planned to support improvement in the early years and to develop the school’s website.  The broad and balanced curriculum is under review to make it even better. For example, as soon as she took up post, the headteacher identified that pupils make less rapid progress in writing than in other subjects. As a result, middle leaders are working with other leaders throughout the federation to further develop the curriculum for writing. The formal curriculum is underpinned by a wide range of well- attended extra-curricular activities including taekwondo, multi-skills, cricket and music.  The governance of the school has been diligent in ensuring that the school remains a good school, through a period of some

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

turbulence. In recent months, the school federated with another local school, the existing headteacher retired and half of the current teaching staff moved on to new schools. Governors were determined to secure a high quality leader for the school and persevered well during a prolonged appointment process. Governors are supportive of leaders and challenge leaders about the standards reached by pupils and the progress made by pupils. Governors have not yet ensured that the most-able pupils make the progress of which they are capable in order to reach the very highest levels. They have not yet ensured that standards in writing are as strong as in other subjects across the school. Governors understand the link between performance and pay progression and welcome the more stringent appraisal procedures that have been introduced this term.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching across the school is good overall. As a result, pupils make good progress from their starting points. Pupils make more rapid progress in Key Stage 2 than they do in the early years and Key Stage 1.  On occasions, teaching enthrals pupils and is innovative. For example, in science, the pupils really understood the properties of solids, liquids and gases when they made cinder toffee.  Teachers, especially in Key Stage 2, have high expectations of the way in which pupils present their work and join their handwriting.  Teachers mark pupils’ work in accordance with the school’s current marking policy. Pupils are congratulated on the work they have completed. Pupils do not always know what the next step is to improve their work even further.  Pupils enjoy undertaking investigations in mathematics. However, the vast majority of the calculations in the workbooks of the most-able pupils are correct, which indicates that tasks are too easy for these

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

pupils. Teachers do not regularly provide activities which really challenge these pupils to make outstanding progress.  Although teachers ensure that pupils know how to write interesting sentences and paragraphs, pupils do not get enough opportunities to practise their new skills in longer pieces of writing. They do not build up their stamina for writing and, as a result, standards in writing are lower than in reading and mathematics.  Teaching assistants are not always deployed effectively in lessons. Where teaching assistants are thoroughly involved in lessons through teachers’ careful planning, their contribution enhances learning through precisely targeted support.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils appreciate the time that teachers take to comment on their work. They particularly like the congratulatory comments that they receive in English and mathematics. Pupils respond very well to challenges to make further improvements to their work when they are outlined by teachers.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. The youngest pupils told the inspector the rules for using the internet safely.  Pupils serve the community well. The school’s ‘Mini Vinnies’, a junior branch of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, were particularly helpful to the parents after the school’s harvest festival. They were very pleasing ambassadors for the school and the society.  Pupils have an appreciation of the lives of those less fortunate than themselves. They told the inspector about the distribution of their harvest collection and especially why the non-perishable goods would be

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Personal development and welfare

delivered to the food bank in Durham.  Pupils understand the different forms that bullying can take. They have absolute faith that the adults in school will take action to sort out any incidents that occur. Pupils understand that name-calling is hurtful and disrespectful.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils have exemplary attitudes to learning in lessons. They want to learn and to do their very best.  Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful to each other, to their teachers and to other adults.  Pupils are punctual for school and attend regularly. Attendance is now above average and persistent absence is very low. Exclusions from school are extremely rare.  Pupils conduct themselves well in and around school. They wear their school uniform with pride but did enjoy the non-uniform day in celebration of their harvest festival. Their behaviour during the inspection, on a uniform and a non-uniform day, was exactly the same. Pupils have mature attitudes and react well to change.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The proportion of children in the early years who reached a good level of development in 2015 was broadly average. This was a significant improvement on the proportion in 2014.  Over time, pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 reach broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics and above average standards in Key Stage 2.  The proportion of pupils who achieve the standard in the Year 1 phonics check is broadly average.  The progress made by pupils from entry to the school in Reception to exit from the school in Year 6 is good. Pupils make more rapid progress in Key Stage 2 than they do in the early years and in Key Stage 1.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 decreased in 2015 because of the proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in a very small year group. All of the pupils made at least the progress expected of them between Key Stages 1 and 2 in reading and

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Outcomes for pupils are good

writing and the majority made the progress expected of them in mathematics.  The small proportion of disadvantaged pupils, entitled to support through the pupil premium funding, generally make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  By the end of Year 6, pupils are well prepared for the demands of secondary school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their starting points because of carefully targeted intervention activities and support. The impact of this support is tracked and evaluated by the coordinator for special educational needs.  The most-able pupils do not always reach the standards of which they are capable, especially in writing at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Not enough of the most able make more progress than expected in writing.

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Early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of the early years are good. Since the beginning of term, the executive headteacher and governors have established a three-year plan to develop the indoor and outdoor learning environment in the early years. New resources began to arrive during the inspection. Improvements are underway.  The small year groups of children enter Reception with skills and abilities that are typical, and sometimes below typical, for their age. They made significantly better progress in 2015 than in 2014, to reach a broadly average good level of development, and were well-prepared for work in Year 1. The school is confident that, from its analysis of assessment information, this proportion will increase again for the current year group of children.  Teaching is lively and interesting in the Reception Class. On the first day of the inspection, the children were filled with excitement when they realised that ‘Marmaduke’ (a favourite toy) had disappeared. They

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Early years provision is good

searched the environment to no avail. They then created ‘lost and found’ posters and, without prompting, displayed them around the school. The children were enraptured by the activity and, when Marmaduke was found by the school cook in the school kitchen, mightily relieved.  The children behave beautifully in the Reception Class. They are enthusiastic, happy and self-motivated. They are welcoming to adult visitors and invite them to join in with their play and their learning.  Staff in the early years know the children and their families very well. They have identified the need to work more closely with parents as partners in their children’s education and have already initiated home– school liaison records.  Parents are very happy with the provision, the individual attention that their children get and the ease with which their children settle into school life.  In 2015, and in previous years, there were too few disadvantaged pupils in the early years to report

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Early years provision is good

specifically on their attainment and progress without identifying individuals.  Children in the Reception Class are eager mark-makers. For example, on the second day of the inspection, one child drew up a register of children’s names and ticked to show they were present in school. However, the school’s assessments show that the children do not yet have plentiful opportunities to develop their skills in writing.

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School details

Unique reference number 114269 Local authority Durham Inspection number 10003351

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 91 Appropriate authority The Governing Body Chair David Coxon Headteacher Louise Keenan Telephone number 0191 3734343 Website http://www.olqom.durham.sch.uk Email address ourladyqueenofmartyrs@durhamlearning.net Date of previous inspection 5–6 January 2012

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils or pupils who have special educational needs is average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for support through the pupil premium funding, is broadly average.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  Children in the early years attend full-time provision in the Reception Class.  The school met the government’s minimum floor standards for primary schools in 2014.  The school and St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ushaw Moor, Co Durham are joined in a federation. Both schools have the same governing body.  The executive headteacher has been in post since the beginning of September 2015. She is also the headteacher of St Bede’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School in Sacriston, Co Durham.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited 10 part-lessons, all of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also visited a range of other lessons for short periods, including groups that support the development of pupils’ reading and phonic skills.  Meetings were held with school leaders and six governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. The inspector also spoke to a representative of Durham local authority and the Director of Education of the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.  The inspector spoke informally to pupils in lessons and at various times during each day. She also spoke formally to a group of pupils on the second day of the inspection.  Questionnaire returns completed by 13 members of staff were taken into consideration.  The inspector scrutinised a range of pupils’ workbooks and information about pupils’ current progress in lessons. She also reviewed a number of documents including the school’s improvement plan, attendance

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Information about this inspection

records, information relating to the work the school does to keep pupils safe and minutes of the governing body meetings.  The inspector took account of the views of 24 parents from the Ofsted online parent survey, Parent View, and talked informally to parents at the beginning and end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Belita Scott, lead Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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