St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Miss Tracey Peters Headteacher St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School Compton Street Goswell Road London EC1V 0EU

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 25 January 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in February 2015.

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

The last inspection took place soon after your appointment to the headship of the school. The rapid impact you were already having on driving improvement, motivating staff and providing more opportunities for pupils to make better progress was recognised then. Since that time, there have been considerable changes to staffing, including to the leadership team. You have drawn sensibly on external support and steered the school with commitment and determination through an unsettled time. You have recognised leadership potential in staff and developed a new team of leaders successfully. The large majority of parents and carers who completed surveys for the school and those who responded to Parent View agree that the school is well led and managed. They also agree that their child is happy at the school.

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

You analysed the reasons for disappointing results in assessments at the end of Year 6 in 2017 as a matter of urgency. Your newly formed team of senior and middle leaders identified swiftly the improvements that were needed. Leaders established new and revised systems accordingly. Leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning has focused astutely on the delivery of the new approaches for the teaching of mathematics and reading. We agreed to focus on these areas as key lines of enquiry for the inspection.

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

Pupils are welcoming, polite and respectful to each other and to adults in the school. They are attentive to their teachers and focus carefully on their work. They are proud of their achievements. Teachers nurture a safe and caring environment in their classes so that pupils are at ease sharing ideas, reviewing each other’s work and giving and receiving support from their peers. Pupils spoke to me about how much they enjoy the house system and the opportunities to take on responsibilities such as house captains, library monitors and helping in assemblies as chaplains.

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

Since the last inspection, governors have restructured their committees and recruited new members to increase the expertise they bring to their roles. The recruitment of parent governors has helped to fulfil the aim of maintaining open communications between staff, parents and pupils. Governors ask leaders challenging questions to evaluate the school’s strengths and drive improvements. Governors are ambitious for the school’s further development.

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

The administration of records relating to safeguarding is thorough and efficient. Staff follow up absences promptly so that overall attendance rates have improved and are in line with national averages. Persistent absence has reduced because of the school’s effective work with families. In addition, leaders ensure that appropriate procedures are followed when a child leaves the school so that any pupil at risk of becoming missing from education is identified quickly.

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Short inspection of St Peter and St Paul RC Primary School

Leaders ensure that up-to-date safeguarding policy is reflected in practice. There are clear processes for staff to refer any concerns that may arise. Leaders follow up safeguarding issues diligently. They work with a wide range of outside agencies to make sure that pupils are supported and safe. Pupils feel safe in school and on educational visits because staff supervise them well. Leaders make sure that pupils are taught about the risks they may encounter outside school and when working online, as well as how and why to avoid them.

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Inspection findings

 Senior and subject leaders regularly check the quality of teaching and take assertive action to make sure that it improves. They use their monitoring to plan development of the curriculum, to check the progress pupils make and to identify where further training is needed. Leaders provide support and training for staff on a one-to-one basis.  Leaders have raised expectations of teachers’ use of assessment information to inform their planning. You ensure efficient and prompt identification of, and provision for, pupils who need more support or greater challenge to achieve their best. You make sure that this happens across all year groups.  The impact of leaders’ work is seen through greater consistency in the use of assessment, both in pupils’ books and in lessons. This is evident through pupils’ clear understanding and articulation of what is expected of them and the improved progress seen in their books.

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Inspection findings

 The initiatives you have introduced this academic year have improved the quality and quantity of opportunities for pupils to develop their reading in all year groups. Pupils have access to high-quality texts in the new and refreshed reading areas, including the attractive key stage 1 library. Pupils can relate their choice of reading to their own personal experiences, as well as to curriculum-linked trips. Year 6 pupils read enthusiastically from a scene from Macbeth, inspired to share ideas on how to act it out following their recent trip to The Globe Theatre.  There are regular opportunities for pupils to read in school, including at the start and end of lessons. They often read their work out loud, both in class and in groups. They also read with reading volunteers. Teachers develop pupils’ vocabulary through discussions in class, thoughtful questioning and helpful displays and resources. You recognise rightly that adults’ delivery of phonics

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Inspection findings

lessons needs to improve further. This is especially the case in the early years, where children’s literacy skills need to be developed more routinely across a range of activities.  The impact of leaders’ actions has ensured a substantial improvement in the proportion of pupils working at greater depth in reading in key stages 1 and 2.  Leaders have also given careful thought to the choice of a new scheme for the teaching of mathematics. You have introduced this to the younger year groups successfully. Leaders work with colleagues from the local authority and from other diocesan schools in order to introduce the new scheme effectively and train staff appropriately. This collaborative work provides leadership development opportunities for your staff and valuable sharing of good practice.  Pupils use a wide range of helpful resources and teachers’ support to improve their work. Teachers recognise swiftly when pupils become stuck during a lesson

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Inspection findings

and organise additional support for them so that they do not fall behind. Most- able pupils are challenged by their work in targeted sessions. However, they do not move on to more complex aspects of mathematics in lessons as swiftly as they are able.  Information about current pupils, including the school’s assessment information and the work in pupils’ books, indicates improvements in their progress in mathematics.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 teachers continue to develop confident practice in more complex aspects of the mathematics curriculum so that most-able pupils are challenged in lessons  the delivery of phonics is improved further, especially in the early years, so that the development of children’s literacy skills is regular and routine.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Archdiocese of Westminster, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Islington. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, I met with you and other school leaders, including governors. I toured the school accompanied by you, visiting classes in all year groups. I met formally with pupils and held conversations with pupils and staff through the day. I held telephone conversations with a representative of the local authority and with the school’s strategic partner. I met with the school’s senior administrative officer to review the single central record. I evaluated a wide range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, achievement information and records relating to safeguarding. I looked at pupils’ work in their books. I took into account parents’ responses to surveys completed by the school and to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey.

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