Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School

Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Gladys Avenue, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO2 9AX

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Safeguarding is not effective. Pupils are potentially at risk of harm because leaders and governors have not fulfilled their statutory duties.  Changes in leadership and staffing have disrupted the work of the school. Leaders know what needs improving but are too slow to do it.  Teaching requires improvement because it is inconsistent across the school. Leaders do not tackle poor teaching quickly enough.  Some teachers have weaknesses in their subject knowledge, especially in mathematics.  Assessment information is not used well to plan learning to help pupils make good progress.  Governors rely too much on what leaders tell them and do not check things for themselves.  A significant minority of pupils, staff, parents and carers have concerns about how well behaviour is managed around the school. During their visit, inspectors saw examples of unkind, rough and silly behaviour at break and lunchtime that was not dealt with by adults.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 In lessons, pupils’ engagement wanders when their learning is not interesting.  The most able pupils, those who need to catch up and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) often make less progress than their peers. Currently, progress is weaker in mathematics than in English.  Some aspects of the curriculum are poorly planned or not adequately covered. As a result, pupils do not make good progress in some subjects.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Standards in English and mathematics at the end of each key stage are broadly in line with national expectations.  Children in the early years make good progress developing their early reading and writing skills. The majority of pupils learn to use phonics well in their reading.  Attendance is above average and improving. Most families are supportive of the school and ensure that their children attend regularly.  Aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education are a strength of the school.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve safeguarding procedures, including in early years, by ensuring that: – all staff read the statutory guidance (Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018) and receive training to help them understand and apply this guidance – at least one member of a recruitment panel has received training in safer recruitment – the single central register of recruitment checks complies with statutory requirements – all staff know whom to refer to with any concerns about pupils’ welfare – break and lunchtime supervision is effective so that pupils play safely and are considerate of others.  Improve leadership and management, including governance, by ensuring that: – governors fulfil their statutory duties, especially with regard to safeguarding – leaders have clear roles and responsibilities that are understood by all staff – weak teaching is tackled quickly and effectively – records relating to pupils’ behaviour are kept accurately

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– the curriculum is reviewed to ensure that pupils’ knowledge and skills build sequentially in all subject areas.  Improve the quality of teaching to enable pupils to make stronger progress throughout the school by: – using assessment accurately so that any gaps in pupils’ learning are filled and pupils who fall behind are quickly helped to catch up – planning work that challenges pupils, especially the most able, so that they think deeply and try hard – improving teachers’ subject knowledge, especially in mathematics – checking that additional teaching for pupils with SEND helps them to make good progress from their starting points.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance 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 Inadequate

 Leaders and governors have failed to comply with statutory duties designed to keep pupils safe. As a result, pupils have potentially been put at risk of harm.  Frequent reorganisation of the leadership structure of the school has slowed progress towards tackling the weaknesses identified in the October 2018 inspection. Due to changes in roles and responsibilities, leaders do not have the necessary information, nor the authority they need, to make decisions promptly. As a result, improvements are slow and staff are left frustrated.  The lack of clarification around roles and responsibilities means that nobody is taking responsibility for aspects of school leadership. For example, it is not clear who is managing the pupil premium strategy or responsible for accurately recording and monitoring incidents of poor behaviour.  Leaders can identify the strengths and weaknesses in teaching. However, their plans to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

improve teaching as a result of their observations have not yet had an impact. Leaders have been too slow to provide support and have not focused on the most important weaknesses in teaching.  Teachers, including those who are new to their careers, are now receiving suitable training and support from a local teaching school, their ‘sister’ school, and also from leaders within the school. However, this support has not had enough time to lead to improvements in teaching.  In some parts of the school, the curriculum has been narrowed to focus on English, mathematics and religious education, with the aim of helping pupils to catch up. Some pupils told inspectors that they do not get to learn about science and other subjects as much as they would like.  The curriculum is not planned sequentially. Pupils can recall many interesting facts from history, geography, technology and science. However, the curriculum does not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

enable pupils to build on their prior learning and deepen their knowledge, skills and understanding in the subject over time. For example, when learning about how fast light travels, pupils are not able to make links with previous or current learning.  Pupils’ experiences at school are enhanced through a wide range of extra-curricular activities, sporting events and interesting visits and trips. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed very well. Pupils learn to be tolerant and are generally well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Around three quarters of the parents who completed the online questionnaire, Parent View, would recommend the school to others. A significant minority of parents had concerns about changes in leadership, the quality of teaching, the behaviour of pupils and how the school communicates with parents. Parents who spoke to inspectors were generally positive about the school and especially about the care received by

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Governance of the school

 Governors have not fulfilled their statutory duties, including those related to safeguarding. Information about members of the governing body and their attendance has not been published on the school website as required.  Governors find out what is happening by reading reports from leaders and visiting the school for themselves. They sometimes over-rely on the information given to them by leaders without checking its reliability. As a result, they have not held leaders to account for the rapid improvements needed in the quality of teaching.  The school’s financial resources are managed carefully. There are some weaknesses in leaders’ oversight of strategies to support pupils eligible for additional funding. However, governors can talk in general terms about the positive impact that this grant is having. They are also aware of the impact of the funding for primary sport.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  Statutory safeguarding requirements have not been met. In particular: – not all staff have received, read or understood the latest statutory safeguarding guidance – leaders have recruited new staff without having completed the statutory safer recruitment training – the single central record of recruitment checks was incomplete at the time of the inspection.  Staff have received basic safeguarding training, but their knowledge of key aspects is not strong. Some members of staff do not know whom they should refer concerns about pupils’ safety to.  Leaders responsible for safeguarding know vulnerable pupils and their families well. These leaders work appropriately with families and other professionals to keep pupils safe from harm.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Wide inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are evident throughout the school. Leaders recognise this and know that their actions to improve teaching have not yet been wholly successful.  Some teachers have weak subject knowledge in mathematics. This means that they are not able to help their pupils to understand clearly the concepts they are being taught. Some teachers do not understand how what they are teaching should build on previous learning and how it prepares pupils for the next stages of learning in mathematics.  In English, pupils are taught to apply and use a wide range of vocabulary they have learned through reading key texts. While this helps most pupils to develop their fluency as writers, the pupils with the lowest starting points are catered for less well.  Leaders recognise that there are still some inaccuracies in assessment. As a result, the most able pupils are not always provided with work that is suitably challenging.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Where teaching is most effective, teachers are able to check closely on how well pupils are learning in each lesson. This allows them to adapt tasks so that all pupils can make progress.  Pupils with SEND who have education, health and care plans are generally well supported by additional adults. They ensure that these pupils are able to access the work they are given and make progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  Personal development and welfare are inadequate because leaders have not fulfilled statutory safeguarding duties and have therefore potentially put pupils at risk of harm.  Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when in school, in the community and when online. For example, they learn about road safety, safe cycling and safe use of social media.  Pupils enjoy opportunities to practise early leadership skills by being elected to the school council or becoming an early years mentor. Pupils are proud of these roles because they complete a full application process and are democratically elected by their peers.  Pupils understand how to look after their bodies. Equipment is provided at lunchtime to keep them active. In lessons, pupils learn about nutritious, balanced diets and they know they should not eat sugary snacks. Younger pupils recalled a visit from the

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Personal development and welfare

dentist that they had while they were in Year 1.  Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils and parents have no major concerns about bullying.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  During playtime and lunchtime, the majority of pupils play and interact well with one another. However, some pupils do not always feel safe in the playground due to over- boisterous play and rough behaviour. Inspectors witnessed this and noticed that adults are not vigilant and do not intervene.  Leaders do not have robust systems in place to ensure that all poor behaviour is tackled in a clear and consistent manner. Only the most serious behaviour incidents leading to exclusion are formally recorded. Therefore, it is not possible to see if behaviour is improving over time.  Pupils’ behaviour in classes where tasks do not meet their needs well enough is disruptive. For example, low-level off-task behaviour, chatting and playing with resources are evident in some lessons where teaching is weakest.  Attendance is improving and is above the national average. Leaders have put effective

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Behaviour

actions in place to reduce the persistent absence for some pupils.  Some staff, pupils and parents who responded to the online surveys are concerned about the poor behaviour of some pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Over time, attainment at the end of key stage 2 has been broadly average. However, far fewer pupils have been reaching the highest standards compared to national figures. This is because in recent years pupils have made poor progress in key stage 2 in writing and mathematics. This is especially true for the most able pupils.  In 2018 outcomes at the end of key stage 1 were inconsistent. They were low overall in mathematics and at the greater depth standard in reading. Broadly speaking, pupils develop their early reading skills well and achieve the required standard in the phonics screening check. Leaders know those pupils who fall behind with learning to read well and make sure that they get additional teaching and support.  Current pupils are making better progress. They are making more progress in English than mathematics because the quality of teaching is stronger. The least and most able pupils make less progress than others because they do not consistently have

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

appropriate tasks to complete.  Pupils with SEND are making some progress from their starting points. It is not possible to say if additional strategies are working for these pupils because assessments are not accurate. Therefore, most of these pupils are not catching up with their peers.  The inconsistent approach to the wider curriculum means that pupils make highly variable progress across subjects. While pupils have a deep knowledge of some topics, they also have wide gaps in knowledge within others, because the curriculum is not coherently planned.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Early years provision is inadequate because leaders have not fulfilled statutory safeguarding duties that relate to the early years, and have therefore potentially put children at risk of harm. Other welfare requirements such as staffing ratios and the provision of trained paediatric first aiders have been met.  Most children develop their confidence and independence in the early years and achieve a good level of development. This means that they are well prepared for Year 1.  The learning environment is engaging. Children can access resources independently, and opportunities for physical development are planned into each activity.  When teaching is most effective, teachers’ questioning skilfully moves children’s learning on, for example by asking probing questions about capacity when children were investigating water.  Other adults vary in the contribution they make to children’s learning. Some intervene

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Early years provision Inadequate

too quickly rather than letting children develop ideas for themselves, while others allow children to wander aimlessly throughout learning time without redirecting their attention.  Many children make secure progress developing their phonics. They are able to use the sounds they have learned to read in their own writing, including when writing simple narratives about pirates. Children can read back their writing to an adult.  Children generally behave well. However, when activities go on too long, and in unstructured times, children can become disengaged and at times boisterous.  Leaders are aware of the strengths and weaknesses in learning in the early years. The new leader is receiving support from the sister school’s early years leader to enable her to improve the provision.

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School details

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

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Brenda Schouller (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Website www.corpuschristicatholicschool.org.uk

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School details

Email address admin@corpuschristi.portsmouth.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9 October 2018

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Information about this school

 The school was judged good at its last full inspection in December 2013. A short inspection was carried out in October 2018.  Since October, there have been two changes to the head of school role. The previous substantive postholder left shortly after the inspection in October 2018. The role was then shared for a period of time. The current postholder is now full time and the role is in place on a temporary basis until August 2020. There have also been numerous changes in teaching staff.  The executive headteacher is also executive headteacher at the ‘sister’ school, St Pauls.  The school has been receiving support from the Portsmouth Teaching School Alliance brokered by Portsmouth City Council.  The school has a designated Catholic character, and this was last validated by a Section 48 inspection in February 2016.

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Information about this inspection

 The school last had a full inspection in December 2013 where it was found to be good. At the short inspection in October 2018 the lead inspector judged that the school may be declining and that a follow-on full section 5 inspection should be carried out. This was the follow-on inspection.  Inspectors observed learning in all classrooms, mainly with the school’s senior leaders. They talked to pupils about their work and looked at pupils’ workbooks.  Inspectors held meetings with staff in leadership positions and with newly qualified and trainee teachers. They also had shorter discussions with members of staff around the school.  During break and lunchtimes, inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and talked to pupils about the school.  An inspector heard some pupils from Year 1 and Year 2 read and met with a group of Year 4 pupils. Another inspector toured the school with older pupils.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body and another governor. He

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Information about this inspection

also met with three representatives of the local authority and held a telephone conversation with a representative of the Diocese of Portsmouth.  Inspectors spoke to parents before and after school. They also considered 75 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including 16 free-text comments.  There were 48 responses to the pupil questionnaire and 23 responses to the staff questionnaire, which were taken into account.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of school documentation, including documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lee Selby, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Haines 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

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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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Inspection team

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

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