St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School

St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School Church Lane, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 2ES Inspection dates 21–22 April 2016

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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 Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3, do not make good enough progress in writing and mathematics.  The attainment of groups of pupils from these areas in school is lower than is expected for their age. As a result, pupils are not well prepared for their next stage of learning.  Teaching in these classes does not meet pupils’ needs closely enough. This means that work is not challenging enough, and where pupils have misunderstood the learning, there is not enough opportunity for them to revisit and improve their work. This means their learning is not fully secured before they move on to new learning.  There are not always high enough expectations of pupils in these classes in terms of how hard they work, present their work or respond to the advice teachers offer. This means these pupils’ attitudes to learning are not as strong as those of others.  Leaders have not ensured teaching has improved

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This is a school that requires improvement

rapidly and consistently across the school since the last inspection. This means teaching and pupils’ outcomes still require further improvement.  The systems for monitoring the quality of teaching are not sharp enough to ensure that evaluations are accurate. This means leaders do not fully understand where rapid action is needed to secure improvements.  Governors are not fully aware of the areas for further improvement in the school. They are not aware that systems for checking the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes are not rigorous enough. This has led to some inaccuracy in the view of the school by governors.  The attendance of pupils is not good. Too many pupils are absent persistently and there is no consistent improvement in this area.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching of different groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special education needs or disability, in the top end of the school and in the early years is effective. These pupils’ needs are met well and they make rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a real strength of the school and supports pupils’ good behaviour.  The expectations of pupils at the top end of the school and in the early years are high, leading these pupils to have positive attitudes to learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in key stage 1 and the early part of key stage 2, so that it is consistently good or better in order to accelerate the amount of progress pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics by: building on the strong skill development secured in the early years, as children move on from Reception ensuring that pupils have a chance to secure their learning before moving on to new learning ensuring that teachers check pupils’ understanding in order to provide further learning activities that closely match the needs of all groups of pupils ensuring that pupils have regular opportunities to use and apply the skills they learn in a variety of ways and across all areas of the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by: formalising the monitoring of teaching so that where teaching is not good enough, this is accurately identified and leads to actions for improvement that are clear and can be easily reviewed ensuring that the attendance of pupils increases and fewer pupils are persistently absent ensuring that key management documentation identifies how well actions taken by leaders are impacting on key areas for improvement, including teaching and pupils’ outcomes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The actions taken by leaders in school since the last inspection have not ensured rapid enough improvements to the quality of teaching and the outcomes for pupils in key stage 1 and the early part of key stage 2. As a result, pupils are not making good progress in these classes, which means not enough pupils are reaching the expected level in reading, writing and mathematics and too few are exceeding the expected level. Different groups of pupils in these classes do not make good enough progress.  Although most pupils have a clear understanding of the high expectations on them to behave well and work hard, this is not consistent enough across the school. This means pupils are not always highly focused on their learning and this inhibits how well they are making progress.  The checks on teaching have not always led to an accurate and sharp evaluation of the quality of teaching across the school. This means that some parts of the leaders’ evaluation of the quality of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

teaching are too generous. In turn, this means school leaders have not worked effectively enough to ensure a consistently high standard of teaching.  The performance management of staff has only recently been made more robust. Until now, the appraisal of teachers had not been robust enough and where teachers had not had a good enough impact, this was not identified through the system. It now provides clear, challenging targets for teachers, which are linked to their overall responsibilities. As a result, the system is now able to ensure that staff are accountable for the impact they have.  Leaders have worked effectively to support the training and development of other adults in school, who support teachers in classes. As a result, the impact of these adults is consistently good in the school.  The leadership of provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is strong. Using the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

strength of teaching assistants, along with a good understanding of these pupils’ needs, pupils with particular needs make good progress.  Leaders have worked well to offer vulnerable pupils strong support to develop their social and emotional well-being. This means that all groups of pupils, including the most vulnerable and those with particular needs, enjoy positive relationships with their peers and adults in the school. Consequently, these pupils make good progress.  The work to improve and maintain attendance has not been effective. Since the last inspection, attendance has not improved consistently. In addition, a higher than average proportion of pupils are absent from school on a regular basis, which is having an impact on how well they make progress.  The leadership of the pupil premium funding is not consistently good. The use of funding for disadvantaged pupils has had a positive impact on those in the early years and in the top classes in the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

school, where the attainment gaps between these pupils and their peers in school are closing. However, while there are not significant gaps between these groups of pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3, this is because pupils from both groups are not making good progress.  The work of leaders to engage parents has been strong. Parents are very pleased with the school and believe it is well led. They feel that they are well informed and are able to support their children in their learning. Moreover, the large majority of parents believe that their children are happy, safe and well cared for by leaders and other staff. Parents also believe that the behaviour in school is good and that any behavioural issues, including bullying, are dealt with effectively so that they do not persist.  The school formally assesses pupils regularly. The information gathered is tracked to provide an overview of how well pupils are performing. However, this information is not always used to focus sharply on the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

needs of some pupils. This includes where pupil progress is not rapid and where pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is not reaching the expected level. The tracking, as well as the pupils’ books, show that low attainment continues to be an issue in the school in Years 1, 2 and 3 and that gaps are not closing rapidly enough.  The school’s curriculum is now broad and balanced, with pupils offered the opportunity to learn a wide range of subjects. However, in certain classes, this breadth of curriculum is not used to reinforce the key skills of reading, writing and mathematics. This means there are missed opportunities for pupils to improve their learning in these areas.  The opportunities pupils have to enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are strong. Pupils go on visits and receive visitors into school. Pupils report that these events are engaging and these opportunities link well to the broader curriculum, as well as to their spiritual, moral, social and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

cultural development. For example, recently children of parents in the armed forces attended an ecumenical service in Ripon to celebrate the bravery of their parents and the role they play in British life. In this way, and in others, such as the way pupils in school invite older members of the community into school to see what they are learning, pupils have a strong understanding of and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Outcomes for groups of pupils in different classes are too inconsistent. This demonstrates that currently the school does not provide equality of opportunity. However, there is no discrimination between different groups of pupils or parents.  The local authority has a clear understanding of the school’s needs, supported by a local teaching school, which has provided support very recently. In this way, it has offered a clear and accurate view of the school on its journey since the last inspection. However, while the school recognises this support, there

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

has not always been a rapid and fully effective response to advice given and this has inhibited the impact of this support.  The governance of the school The governance of the school requires improvement. At the last inspection, a review of governance was recommended. New governors have subsequently been in place over a 12–18-month period. As a result of this, governors have a much clearer understanding of what the school’s strengths are. However, the time lapse in getting a substantive governing body in place has meant that there has not yet been a strong impact on the leadership in the school in the areas that are not strong enough. The lack of rigour in the appraisal system until this academic year has meant that governors have not yet had the opportunity to use this system as a way to ensure leaders and other staff have clear and challenging targets and are accountable for these. The assessment systems and other management documentation, such as the monitoring of teaching

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

and the school’s self-evaluation, are not yet sharp and accurate enough to ensure governors have a clear view of where improvements are needed and how the challenges are being overcome. Governors know how the funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent but are not ensuring that this is having a consistently good impact on the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils from all classes. Governors have ensured that there is financial stability.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school works closely with external agencies and the school’s pastoral staff ensure that pupils are well supported and safe. Records show that pupils’ safeguarding needs are documented as appropriate and staff are regularly trained to ensure pupils are safe at school .

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teaching in the school is not consistently good. This means that pupils in some year groups are not making good progress. Equally, over time, these pupils are not closing the gap between the standards they reach in reading, writing and mathematics and those of the expected national standard.  Teachers in all classes check how well pupils are doing. Some also provide them with advice as to how to improve, although this is not always apparent. However, where teaching is weaker, teachers are not using these checks to provide activities that meet the needs of pupils. This means that at times where misconceptions are apparent, pupils are not given the chance to secure or improve their understanding. Equally, other pupils are not given the opportunity to move on quickly in their learning, once it is clear they have a good understanding. Where teaching is stronger, the use of the checks leads to teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

providing activities that do closely meet the pupils’ needs.  In some classes, teachers question pupils skilfully and have high expectations of the answers pupils give. Pupils know they should articulate their answers fully, with reasons and using good English and key terminology to demonstrate their depth of knowledge. This leads to pupils having high expectations of themselves and challenging themselves to improve their learning and to do increasingly difficult and complex work. However, this is not consistent across the school and where expectations are not as high, pupils’ work shows that they are not as productive, and that these pupils are not always given close guidance as to how to improve their work.  The teaching of literacy is not consistently strong across the school. In the upper school and in the early years, the teaching of literacy is effective and teachers use a range of opportunities to support improving

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

learning in reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar. In these year groups, pupils are given the chance to reinforce these skills in a number of ways, meaning that pupils, including children in the early years, are reaching and exceeding the required standard in English for their age. However, in the middle years, pupils are not making rapid progress. The teaching of phonics is improving and this is helping; however, pupils are not always given the chance to move their learning on rapidly and this is slowing their progress.  The teaching of mathematics is not consistently strong across the school. Work is often not challenging enough and where learning has not been secured, there are not always opportunities for pupils to revisit their learning. Furthermore, there are not enough chances for pupils in some year groups to apply their mathematical knowledge in order to understand the use of mathematics and to apply the skills in a range

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

of situations. This has led to below-average attainment in recent years at key stage 1 and not enough is being done to raise the standards rapidly.  The effectiveness of support staff in the classroom is strong. They are well trained and effective. They know all the pupils well and often support pupils with specific behavioural, emotional and academic needs. As a result of their strong work, pupils with particular needs make good progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils believe that they are safe and happy and their parents agree. Pupils understand what it means to feel safe and can describe how the adults in the school keep them safe.  Pupils’ attendance overall is not good. This is largely because too many pupils are persistently absent and because the attendance of pupils since the last inspection has not been consistently above average. However, the overall attendance of pupils this academic year shows that there are improvements in this area, which is pleasing.  The school rightly prides itself on the nurture of the pupils, including those with specific needs. This means that pupils are confident to offer their views and feel they are well cared for. This is evident through the very positive relationships enjoyed within the school community, between different groups of

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Personal development and welfare

pupils and adults.  The work done to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to go on trips and to meet visitors in school. They say that they take part in community activities, and that the special events they take part in are exciting, as well as useful for their learning in class. In addition, this strength in the school means that older pupils take responsibility for younger pupils in the school and that there is a very clear understanding of how important they all are as individuals and as part of the whole school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning in the early years and in Years 4, 5 and 6 are consistently positive. The attitudes of the oldest pupils are exemplary. This is apparent in the enthusiastic way they engage in their learning and in the way they insist on work being more challenging because they want to do their very best. It is also seen in their very well-presented work in books, which shows how much pride they take in their work and in their school. In other year groups, attitudes to learning are not as strong because teaching is not challenging enough and there are not as clear, established routines and expectations. This leads to some pupils not trying their hardest or not realising the importance of working hard.  The conduct of pupils around school is consistently strong. This is seen by the very few behaviour incidents and the way in which pupils who have previously had difficulties in managing their behaviour

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Behaviour

have made significant improvements so that now they are fully included in all aspects of school life and making good academic progress.  At playtimes and in the dining hall, pupils’ conduct is exemplary and little adult intervention is required. However, adults do play with pupils of all ages and help them to use their imagination to create new games. They also talk to the pupils and in these ways they model strong practices to the pupils. There is a real sense of fun when pupils have time in the playground, with music played and both pupils and adults dancing and enjoying their time together. Again, pupils take the lead in this as well, with older pupils teaching younger pupils new games.  Parents and pupils believe that general behaviour is good and that bullying is very rare and dealt with immediately. The perceptions of both pupils and parents are that while there may be occasional quarrels,

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Behaviour

this is never allowed to lead to bullying. Records of bullying reinforce this.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe on the internet, explaining that they have regular lessons on computers and are given regular and clear guidance on what to do if they have a concern. They are also aware of what is and what is not appropriate for them to use, given their age.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Pupils’ outcomes in key stage 1 and in Year 3 are not good. This is the case in reading, writing and mathematics. This is also the case for different groups of pupils in these year groups, including disadvantaged pupils.  The standards that pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics in these classes are lower than is expected for their age and not enough is done to ensure that they make accelerated progress to close the attainment gaps. This means that pupils are not meeting national expectations in the key areas. This also means that pupils are not always ready for their learning as they move on to the next stage of their education.  The outcomes in other year groups are good. In these classes, pupils make good progress and the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils are also now good, having improved since the last inspection. In addition, the outcomes of the phonics check at the end of Year 1 have improved, meaning

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

that more pupils are able to read by the end of Year 1.  The achievement of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is good. Those pupils who have an education, health and care plan make good progress and the gaps in attainment between them and their peers are, therefore, closing, thanks to the well-targeted support for these learners. The support has come from a clear understanding of their needs by leaders, including the headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator, who have provided strong training for adults supporting these pupils in learning.  Disadvantaged pupils in the early years and in Years 4, 5 and 6 make good progress and the gaps previously seen in attainment between these pupils and their peers in school and nationally have closed. However, this improvement and the strength in outcomes seen in certain classes are not apparent consistently across the school, and in the middle years disadvantaged pupils are not making good

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

progress and there remain gaps between these pupils and other pupils nationally.

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Early years provision is good

 Overall, children start school in Nursery or Reception with skills and knowledge generally typical for their age, although this varies and a small proportion enter with skills below what is typical for their age. In recent years, the proportion of pupils leaving the Reception Year with a good level of development has increased and is now well above the national average. Children are well prepared for key stage 1.  The teaching of children is effective, thanks to a vibrant curriculum with activities that offer children the chance to develop and reinforce their learning and that meet their needs closely. This includes regular chances to write, read and do number work in a variety of vibrant and engaging activities. The provision for children both indoors and outdoors is of equal strength and this means they have a lot of choice in how they want to learn.  The work of the teacher and other adults, including the very skilled higher level teaching assistant, is

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Early years provision is good

particularly good in terms of responding to the needs of children and offering them guidance to try new things and new activities. Assessment information is clear so that all adults can use this and the teacher’s planning to support children’s development needs and interests.  Owing to the strong and engaging curriculum and the effective teaching of children, they make good progress, and since the last inspection, an increasing proportion of children are moving beyond the expected level for the end of Reception. The gaps between different groups of children are also smaller than is seen nationally.  The curriculum and teaching also support children’s conduct in their learning and the way they understand and value established routines. This helps learning time to be used well. Children say they feel safe.  Children trust the adults in the provision, and parents are particularly positive about this aspect of the

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Early years provision is good

school, praising the high levels of care and progress of their child; they also say that staff are very approachable, with good communication systems in place between home and school.  The school’s leaders know that the early years provision is a strength in the school and they have worked effectively to support the ongoing training and development of all adults in the setting. This has led to the strong impact on children’s development.

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School details

Unique reference number 121638 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10011965

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 161 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simon McCudden Headteacher Jill Allen Telephone number 01765 603232 Website www.riponst-wilfrids.n-yorks.sch.uk Email address admin@riponst-wilfrids.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 22 January 2014

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  A lower than average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language.  A lower than average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged. These pupils are supported through the pupil premium funding, which is additional government funding provided to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average.  Children enter the school in Nursery on a part-time basis and then move into the Reception class on a full-time basis.  The school is organised with mixed-age classes.  The school is a local authority school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed a range of lessons.  The inspectors observed and spoke with pupils during lessons and at breaktime. They also met formally with groups of pupils from key stages 1 and 2.  The inspectors observed collective worship.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders. Meetings also took place with members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority and a representative from the diocese.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ work and a range of documents, including the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, performance management procedures, and pupils’ attendance data. Inspectors also looked at information about pupils’ progress and attainment.  Inspectors considered 46 parental responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They also spoke with parents as they brought their children to school during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Fiona McNally, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Christine Turner Ofsted 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

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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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