Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

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

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Mrs Maria Miles Headteacher Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary Bransford Road St John’s Worcester Worcestershire WR2 4EN

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

Following my visit to the school on 11 July 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 January 2014.

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

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

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

There have been several changes to staffing since the last inspection and both you and the assistant headteacher have been appointed to your roles. You and the leaders and governors provide effective leadership to the school. Leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning and review the progress pupils are making. As a result, you have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and development areas, which you use to inform your improvement planning. You have taken effective action and pupils are making good progress.

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

Leaders and governors have successfully addressed the key issues raised at the previous inspection. You and other leaders have fostered and enhanced the skills and talents of the middle leaders. You have ensured that they have undertaken training and received support. They have a secure understanding of their subject area. Middle leaders provide support for colleagues and feedback on areas for improvement following different monitoring activities. They have ensured that teachers plan activities which challenge the most able and provide support for those who find the task difficult. As a result, they are bringing about improvements in their areas of responsibility. Subject leaders have a clear vision for how they will continue to raise achievement in their respective areas and are committed to their roles. Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. Relationships between staff and children are good and pupils show respect for adults. Leaders

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

have ensured that pupils understand the learning attitudes and behaviours that will bring success. For example, in the early years, children were proud to be identified as a ‘concentration crocodile’ and ‘persevering parrot’.

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

Parents who spoke to me during the inspection were very positive about all aspects of the school, including the care and guidance their children receive. They say their children enjoy school and are well looked after. However, some parents who commented online through Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, expressed concerns, including about alleged bullying not being dealt with by leaders and about how leaders respond to any issues they raise. Inspection findings do not support this view. Pupils who spoke to the inspector said any rare instances of bullying are quickly dealt with. However, leaders acknowledge that more could be done to gather parents’ views on all aspects of the school.

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

You have identified that a focus area is to ensure that teachers are adept at using questioning to encourage pupils to think more deeply. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress in the school. However, the strategic overview of the impact of initiatives to support disadvantaged pupils is not fully developed. Leaders and governors have acknowledged that a focus area is to develop the monitoring role of governors who are new to their role.

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. As part of checking these arrangements, leaders have recently received a safeguarding audit by the local authority. Leaders responsible for safeguarding attend training and provide updates to staff so that they are clear about how to recognise potential abuse or neglect and how to raise concerns.

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Short inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. In assemblies, lessons in personal, social, health and economic education, and through special events, pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and deal with potential risks they may face. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. They are aware of who to go to if anything is worrying them.

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Inspection findings

 The leadership team focuses on improving the quality of teaching and learning and monitors the quality of this regularly. You have ensured that staff have received appropriate training and that the quality of teaching is maintained. Occasionally, pupils could be challenged further through probing questioning. You aim to embed successful strategies to develop questioning skills so that pupils are probed to deepen and extend their learning further.  One line of enquiry focused on the progress pupils made in writing. At the end of key stage 2, in 2017, the progress made by pupils in writing was within the average band nationally but not as high as in reading and mathematics, especially for the most able pupils. Leaders have worked effectively with teachers. As a result, teachers develop pupils’ writing skills well and have high expectations of what they can achieve, including for boys and the most able

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Inspection findings

pupils. Work in pupils’ books shows that pupils are taught to use different genres and styles of writing. For example, they have written stories, letters, viewpoints, persuasive leaflets and recounts. Pupils are able to express their ideas because they have a good understanding of the key features to include in a piece of written work.  Pupils are also given the opportunity to write in the context of other curriculum subjects, and the quality of this writing is of the same calibre as pupils’ writing in English lessons. For example, in Year 1, pupils were enthusiastically writing instructions on how to build a 3D castle during their topic on ‘Dungeons and Dragons’. Across the school, the presentation of work and quality of handwriting are good. Written work is displayed around the school to celebrate the children becoming authors. For example, pupils aspire to have their work displayed on the ‘what makes an effective writer’ board.

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Inspection findings

 Children join the early years with skills and knowledge which vary; and an increasing number enter school with language skills which are below those typical for their age. In 2017, you recognised that there was a dip from 2016 in the proportion of pupils reaching a good level of development in the early years. You have provided evidence to explain the dip. The recent assessments undertaken show that more children have attained a good level of development than last year. Children in the early years get off to a good start. Children know the routines well and are confident and happy in class. Teaching in the early years is effective. As a result, children make good progress and, consequently, they are well prepared for key stage 1. For example, several children who joined the school with only simple mark-making skills now write in short sentences, spell some words correctly and are starting to use capital letters. Children are also

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Inspection findings

challenged to attain at a higher level. For example, books show that some children are adding and subtracting numbers with confidence and are given opportunities for reasoning in mathematics.  At the end of key stage 2 in 2017, disadvantaged pupils attained well when compared with other pupils nationally. Work in books shows that disadvantaged pupils are supported well and make good progress. However, you agree that the evaluation of pupil premium funding does not enable leaders to analyse deeply which strategies are the most effective. The governing body is effective and committed to the school.  Governors have a clear sense of purpose, have a range of skills and are supportive of the work you do. They are aware of the current priorities and of the actions that are being taken to address areas of development. Governors are well informed because they receive detailed information from the headteacher.

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Inspection findings

Governors regularly visit and monitor the work of the school. However, there have been some recent changes to the governing body. As a result, governors have identified in their action plan that a key focus area is to develop the monitoring role of governors who are new to their role.  Some parents who commented online through Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, expressed concerns about certain aspects of the school, including how well the school responds to concerns raised. Parents are invited into school for a range of events, including a parent forum, where concerns can be raised. However, leaders agree that parents’ views on school life are not regularly sought or sampled and acknowledge that more could be done to gather parents’ views on the school.  Pupils receive a range of enrichment opportunities, which make a good contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They enjoy

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Inspection findings

activities such as the residential visits to an outdoor adventure centre and the trip to the Botanical Gardens to support their topic on the rainforests. Pupils in Year 6 enjoyed a trip to the Houses of Parliament which deepened their understanding of democracy and British values.  Pupils are proud to take on additional responsibilities, such as their roles as digital leaders, house captains and prayer leaders. Older pupils discussed their decision-making in the school through their roles as members of the pupil parliament.

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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

 leaders improve communication with parents by regularly sampling their views  embed the successful strategies to develop questioning skills so that pupils are challenged to think deeply and extend their learning  the strategic overview of the impact of the pupil premium spending is further developed  governors who are new to their roles develop their role in monitoring the work of the school.

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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 Birmingham, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Worcestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, the assistant headteacher, five middle leaders and five members of the governing body. I observed pupils’ learning in lessons and looked at examples of pupils’ work. I met with a group of pupils and spoke with other pupils during lessons and at playtime. I scrutinised documents, including the school’s development plan, the school’s own evaluation of its performance and records of checks made on the suitability of staff to work with children. I took account of responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, from 57 parents and carers. I also spoke to parents at the end of the school day. I considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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