The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School

The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School Kingsland Gardens, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7BH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Require improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Senior leaders have not secured consistently good teaching across the school.  The most-able pupils are not challenged well enough in writing and mathematics.  Leaders have not ensured that the gap between the achievements of disadvantaged pupils compared to non-disadvantaged pupils is closing equally well across the school.  Leaders have not analysed the impact that physical education (PE) and sport premium funding has made on increasing pupils’ participation in sports and promoting healthier lifestyles.  The quality of teaching in grammar, spelling and punctuation and in phonics (the sounds that letters make) is too variable. As a result, some boys underachieve in writing, and too many pupils leave Key Stage 1 with gaps in their understanding of phonics.  Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement. Pupils are not always well organised with the correct equipment to hand to enable them to learn. Teachers do not always ensure that pupils

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This is a school that requires improvement

concentrate well enough in lessons.  Leaders’ systems to manage the performance of staff are not robust enough.  The school’s curriculum does not promote pupils’ cultural development effectively enough, or teach pupils about mental and emotional health in sufficient depth.  The provision in the early years requires improvement. Teachers do not regularly check what the children know. Consequently, the progress of children, particularly the most able, is not good.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is improving. Pupils’ achievement is rising in reading, writing and mathematics across the school.  The proportion of good teaching has increased since the previous inspection.  The Interim Executive Board provides a good level of challenge and support to the school.  Senior and middle leaders have led improvements to the quality of teaching and raised outcomes. The new headteacher has correctly identified the school’s strengths and weaknesses.  Attendance is above average and improving.

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Full report

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement by: ensuring that teachers set work at the right level for all pupils, and that the most-able pupils, in particular, are appropriately challenged by their work adopting a consistent approach to the effective teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling improving the quality of phonics teaching, particularly for those pupils who did not reach the expected standard at the end of Year 1 regularly checking the progress of children in the early years to plan the next steps of their learning more effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the effectiveness of leaders and managers by: sharpening leaders’ analysis of pupils’ achievement and the attendance of different groups of pupils closely checking the progress of disadvantaged pupils and putting strategies in place to accelerate their progress making sure that the systems for the performance management of all staff are robust developing pupils’ cultural awareness to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain analysing the participation of different groups of pupils in extra-curricular sporting activities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ behaviour, and personal development and welfare, by: decreasing the proportion of low-level disruption in lessons improving pupils’ understanding of mental and emotional health.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders have not ensured that the quality of teaching is consistently good for all pupils. Leaders have not previously matched the management of teachers’ performance to the identification of appropriate training to further improve the quality of teaching. As a result, the most-able pupils are not achieving as well as they could.  Leaders and governors have not ensured that the achievement of disadvantaged pupils has risen in all year groups to be similar to non-disadvantaged pupils at the school. The additional funding for pupils in receipt of the pupil premium (additional government funding) has not been used effectively to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Consequently, not enough disadvantaged pupils reach the higher Level 5 in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2.  Leaders have not regularly analysed the progress and attendance of groups of pupils, including

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

disadvantaged pupils and the most able. As a result, provision has not been put in place to accelerate progress and pupils have underachieved.  The curriculum is not planned well enough to ensure that pupils develop a secure understanding of different faiths and cultures. As a result, pupils’ understanding of British Values is limited. The school has not checked if extra-curricular activities have supported pupils’ progress in a wide range of subjects.  The PE and sports premium money has been used to employ specialist coaches to teach PE lessons. This has improved the quality of teaching for PE. However, the school has not evaluated if there has been an increase in the number of pupils participating in extra-curricular sporting activities to improve pupils’ physical fitness and health.  School leaders and governors are quickly developing a culture of high aspirations for pupils and staff. This

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

has resulted in better outcomes for pupils. Unconfirmed results for the end of Key Stage 2 in 2015 show pupils’ outcomes to be broadly in line with national averages. Results from the staff questionnaire show that staff morale is high and many appreciate the improvements made at the school in the last two years.  Senior leaders and middle leaders have improved the quality of teaching. As a result, outcomes for pupils have risen. The new headteacher has accurately assessed the school’s weaknesses, and together with the senior leadership team has put forward plans to further improve the quality of teaching. The school development plan has clear actions and success criteria by which governors can measure if actions taken have been successful.  Parents who spoke to inspectors, as well as those who have expressed their views on Parent View (Ofsted’s online questionnaire), are positive about how the school is changing. Parents are pleased with

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

the extra information they have received about how the school teaches mathematics. This is having a positive effect on rising outcomes in mathematics.  The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual development through prayer tables in every classroom and frequent opportunities for reflection through collective worship and in religious education (RE) lessons. Pupils are courteous to visitors but some pupils’ moral development needs strengthening as they do not always understand the implications on others of low-level disruptive behaviour.  The governance of the school is challenging the school to constantly improve closely monitors the school through visiting classrooms and talking to pupils about their work uses the expertise of an external adviser to set targets for the performance management of the headteacher is heavily involved in the recruitment of teachers and has successfully reduced the number of supply

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

teachers working at the school.  The local authority has provided good support for the school. The adviser has challenged a succession of interim headteachers to improve the school. As a result, pupil outcomes have risen. The local authority ensured a smooth transition between the last interim headteacher and the new substantive headteacher to ensure that the momentum of school improvement has been maintained.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The Interim Executive Board has a very good understanding of its roles and responsibilities and has completed an audit to check the implementation of the safeguarding procedures. All the necessary checks on those working with children are completed. The school works well with external agencies to safeguard pupils. The school’s safeguarding policy is up to date and is shared on the school’s website with parents and carers.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teachers do not always assess pupils’ understanding well enough when planning lessons, or adapt materials within lessons, to ensure that work is pitched at the right level to meet pupils’ needs. Consequently, the most-able pupils are not always challenged well enough across the school.  The quality of teaching of grammar, spelling and punctuation is too variable. There has been no coherent strategy to teach grammar, and pupils’ understanding of terminology, for example ‘inverted commas’, is insecure. In addition, not all pupils are given enough opportunities to write at length to consolidate basic skills in writing. As a result some boys underachieve in writing.  On some occasions, pupils are withdrawn from lessons in the core subjects of English and mathematics, to learn skills and knowledge that they have not previously secured. However, when they are withdrawn from their lessons, new gaps in learning are created. As a result pupils’ progress is not accelerated.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of phonics teaching does not always meet pupils’ needs. Consequently too many pupils who left Year 2 in 2015, who retook the phonics test, failed to meet the required standard.  Teachers demonstrate creativity when planning the curriculum to capture the interest of pupils. In Year 6 pupils have been fascinated by the Titanic project and have written high-quality diary entries and formal letters for a range of purposes. In Year 4 pupils dressed up for a Spanish Day and enthusiastically conversed in basic Spanish.  The quality of teachers’ questioning is good overall, and helps most pupils to develop their thinking. Pupils’ misconceptions are tackled well by both teachers and teaching assistants. This improves the progress of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. However, the most-able pupils are not questioned as effectively as they could be in some classes.  Teachers make helpful written comments to pupils to improve their work across a wide range of subjects,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

particularly in mathematics. Even if pupils get their work correct, teachers set a challenge to deepen pupils’ understanding. In most cases pupils respond to this marking and make further progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. Pupils are not always well organised for learning. Desks can be cluttered and not all pupils have the equipment they need in front of them to work efficiently. As a result, time is lost and progress slows.  Pupils have a partial understanding of how to stay healthy, because knowledge of their own emotional health is limited. The curriculum has not fully developed pupils’ awareness of their own mental health and well-being. Consequently, pupils could not explain how they are able to manage their feelings.  Pupils show respect for other pupils’ ideas and views in lessons. However, pupils’ understanding of different cultures is limited. Pupils told inspectors that they would like to learn more about different faiths and cultures.  The school’s behaviour logs show that occurrences of bullying are rare. Pupils have a good understanding

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Personal development and welfare

of the different types of bullying, including bullying that could take place online.  Pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet and know the importance of keeping physically active. Both boys and girls participate in football, basketball and dodgeball clubs, among others, after school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. There is low-level disruption in some classes which sometimes involves pupils talking to each other to disrupt learning, rocking on chairs and fiddling. On some occasions this goes unchecked and, as a result, pupils’ progress slows.  Behaviour at lunchtimes and breaktimes can sometimes be overly physical which leads to disputes amongst the pupils. Pupils do not always follow instructions from all adults at the first time of asking.  Attendance is above average and improving, as is pupils’ punctuality in coming to school. Pupils say they enjoy the weekly attendance parties for the class with the highest attendance and that this motivates them to come to school on time and as frequently as possible.  Pupils take pride in the presentation of their work. Calculations in mathematics are set out clearly and pupils take care with their handwriting. Pupils’ written work, displayed on the ‘Star Writer’ display boards,

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Behaviour

promotes good-quality writing and a good standard of presentation, and generates a strong sense of pride amongst pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 The most-able pupils are not achieving well enough. This is because this group has not been suitably challenged to improve their progress. As a result, too few achieve the higher Level 3 in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 and too few reach the higher Level 5 at the end of Key Stage 2 in spelling, grammar and punctuation and writing.  Not enough disadvantaged pupils are attaining Level 5 at the end of Key Stage 2 assessments. No disadvantaged pupils attained a Level 5 in writing. However, the gap closed at Level 4 in reading, writing and mathematics between disadvantaged pupils and others. Current school information for other year groups in school shows wide gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and others. This is because gaps in their learning have not been addressed effectively through the use of pupil premium funding.  Unconfirmed information from end of Key Stage 2 assessments in 2015 shows that disadvantaged pupils

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

have made similar progress through Key Stage 2 as their classmates, and similar progress to other pupils nationally in reading and writing. However, disadvantaged pupils have not made better progress than others in mathematics.  Although more pupils are reaching the extended standard at the end of Year 1 in phonics, the proportion is still below the national average. In addition, less than half of pupils who did not reach the expected standard at the end of Year 1 in 2014 passed the retake at the end of Year 2. Not enough children in the early years or Key Stage 1 are developing their skills quickly enough to be able to link letters and sounds.  The progress made by disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is uneven across the school. Leaders have not effectively scrutinised the deployment of teaching assistants to focus on pupils’ achievement. As a result, the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

requires improvement because it is not consistently good through school.  Girls continue to attain higher than boys in all subjects at the end of Key Stage 2. However, more boys are making better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics than girls, and more attained Level 5 in mathematics than girls. Current school information shows the gap is closing between boys and girls in all year groups except in the current Year 5.  There is a rising trend of achievement in pupil outcomes. More pupils are achieving well at the end of Key Stage 1 assessments and outcomes are above national averages in reading and writing and broadly in line for mathematics. Current work in pupils’ science books shows a good level of understanding in Year 2.  Unconfirmed information from end of Key Stage 2 assessments in 2015 shows that more pupils are making better progress than previously. As a result, their standards are broadly in line with national

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

averages. More pupils are achieving a combined Level 4 in reading, writing and mathematics and consequently are better prepared for the next stage of their education. Evidence from current work in Key Stage 2 shows that pupils have a good understanding of history and can recount events through different genres of writing.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language are making better progress than other pupils nationally and similar progress to their classmates through Key Stage 2. As a result, their combined reading, writing and mathematics achievement at Level 4 is higher than their classmates and other pupils nationally. School tracking information shows there are no gaps in achievement between pupils who speak English as an additional language and other pupils, in all year groups except in the current Year 4.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Teachers do not regularly check children’s learning to plan the next steps. Leaders have not put in place a comprehensive system for assessing children’s progress. As a result, activities do not suitably challenge all groups of learners, particularly the most able.  The school has not moderated work with pre-school providers to ensure continuity in children’s learning. As a result, activities are not always pitched at the right level to challenge all groups of learners, particularly the most able. The school’s own information about what children can do on entry shows that a significant minority of children are above age-related expectations. However, many of these children do not make typical progress and are not exceeding expectations at the end of the early years.  Over the past two years the pupil premium funding for disadvantaged children has not been targeted well to accelerate progress. Consequently the gap in achievement between disadvantaged children and others

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Early years provision requires improvement

has not closed.  All children receive a home visit from school staff before they start school. However, opportunities for parents to be involved in their child’s learning after this point have been limited. As a result, some children’s progress has slowed.  The achievement gap between boys and girls has narrowed. More boys reached a good level of development in 2015 than previously, and this is now much higher than boys nationally. Girls continue to attain higher than boys in reading, writing and number at the end of the early years.  More children have attained a good level of development in 2015 at the end of reception than nationally, and as a result they are better prepared for Year 1. Children are confident when talking to adults about their learning and can initiate their own learning. Children listen carefully to each other and to adults for a sustained period of time. Children maintain their concentration on tasks and do not distract each other.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Children have access to a wide range of stimulating activities to engage them in their learning. Children enthusiastically sold tickets for the show ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’, while other children acted out the story. Other children were confident about describing properties of shapes while they made shapes out of playdough during child-initiated play.  The school works well with external agencies to ensure that children’s needs are identified and support is put in place. The safeguarding policy has a specific section devoted to the safety and welfare of children in the early years, which is adhered to. There are no breaches in the statutory welfare requirements.

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School details

Unique reference number 122039 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10004252

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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 388 Appropriate authority Interim Executive Board Chair Mark Ryan Headteacher Martin Lowe Telephone number 01604 714399 Website www.thegoodshepherdcatholicprimaryschool.org.uk Email address head@thegoodshepherd.northants-ecl.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 30–31 January 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Almost half of the pupils, which is well above average, come from a wide variety of minority ethnic backgrounds.  Almost a quarter of pupils speak English as an additional language. This is higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the pupil premium provides support is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  A nursery on the school site is run separately and did not form part of this inspection.  The school runs its own breakfast club, and this is managed by the Interim Executive Board.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 There have been significant staff changes within the past 18 months. A new substantive headteacher started in September 2015. Five new teachers also joined the school at this time.  The Interim Executive Board has proposed that the school becomes part of a new Academy Trust, replacing the St Bonaventure Trust. The overall structure of the new Trust has been agreed and a sub- committee is currently working on details of the proposed scheme.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 13 lessons, some jointly with members of the senior leadership team. In addition, inspectors saw a number of short parts of lessons.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ workbooks in a range of subjects.  Inspectors met with a group of pupils from Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with: senior leaders; leaders of English, mathematics and religious education (RE); the leader responsible for safeguarding, and disabled pupils and those with special educational needs; representatives from the local authority and the Diocese of Northampton; and members of the Interim Executive Board.  Inspectors spoke informally to parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the 32 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View.  The inspectors considered responses on questionnaires completed by 36 members of staff.  Inspectors also looked at a range of documentation including: the school’s self-evaluation; development

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Information about this inspection

plans; minutes of meetings of the Interim Executive Board; the school’s most recent information on pupils’ achievement; and information relating to teaching, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Martin Finch, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Jeremy Spencer 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

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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