Our Lady's Catholic Primary School

OUR LADY’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th – 11 th October 2001

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OUR LADY’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - ii

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Old Chapel Street Edgeley Stockport

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1999

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - iii Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - iv

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 12301 Mrs J Boden Registered inspector Design and technology The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Teaching and learning Leadership and management Key issues for action 13723 Mrs J Overend Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Partnership with parents and carers 30954 Mr B Ashcroft Team inspector Mathematics Physical education Equal opportunities Quality and range of opportunities for learning

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

25429 Mrs A Currie Team inspector The Foundation Stage Art and design Music 4295 Mr D Dodds Team inspector Science Information and communication technology Geography History 30773 Miss J Whitehead Team inspector English Special educational needs English as an additional language

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Primary Associates Limited West Lancashire Technology Management Centre Moss Lane View Skelmersdale WN8 9TN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - v London WC2B 6SE Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - vi

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 5

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 20

Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - vii Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Our Lady’s is an average sized primary school with 216 pupils on roll. It is situated in the centre of Stockport where most of the pupils live. Most of the pupils are white and they all speak fluent English. There is a very small number of Traveller children. Pupil numbers have declined steadily over the past few years, reflecting demographic change. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average. A quarter of the pupils are on the school’s register of special educational need. An average proportion of pupils have statements of special educational need. Children enter the school with a wide spread of ability, but overall, attainment on entry is below average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an effective and improving school that provides good value for money. The high quality of the teaching, especially in the Foundation Stage and the upper junior classes, means that the pupils, most of whom start from a low base, make very good progress in English, mathematics and science. They achieve well above average standards by the age of 11. The headteacher, staff and governors work very effectively together. Their prime concern is that all pupils achieve their full potential in a caring atmosphere.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Leadership and management by the headteacher and governors are good. • The quality of teaching is good overall. • Children get off to a very good start in the reception class. • Pupils achieve above average standards in English, mathematics and science by the age of 11. • Pupils have very good attitudes and are keen to learn. • The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is very good.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Standards in information and communication technology are not high enough. • Art and design, geography, history, music and swimming are not taught in sufficient depth. • The deputy is not given enough responsibility. • The coordinators for art and design, design and technology, geography, history and music are not given enough opportunities to manage their subjects effectively to raise standards.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory improvement since it was last inspected in 1999. At that time, it was judged to have made sufficient improvement to enable special measures to be removed. All the issues identified have been addressed and the quality of teaching has improved. Standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology have improved dramatically. The school has kept a much closer check on what pupils can do and planned work carefully to take them on to the next step. Overall standards in the non-core subjects have been maintained, but with the concentration on improving literacy and numeracy skills, some aspects of art, history, geography, and music have been neglected. Given the commitment and determination to succeed by the headteacher, staff and governors, the school is well placed to improve further. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 2

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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STANDARDS

English C D A A well above average above average A B mathematics E C A A average below average C D science E C A A well below average E

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STANDARDS

The test results in English, mathematics and science have improved dramatically, and are now well above the national average and the average achieved by pupils in similar schools. Inspection evidence indicates that the present Year 6 are currently above average in English and science, and well above average in mathematics. Given the quality of the teaching, they are on course to reach well above average standards in English and science. These improvements are the result of the good teaching of reading, writing and number skills. When the children join the school, their skills in language and mathematics are below those expected for their age. By the end of their reception year, as a result of the very good teaching and the rich curriculum, most children achieve well and reach the standards expected for their age. In the infant classes, pupils build effectively on this good progress and the standards by the end of Year 2 are in line with those expected. This good progress

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STANDARDS

is sustained in the junior classes and the pupils achieve above average standards by the end of Year 6. Although pupils with special educational needs do not reach the same high standards, they achieve well because of the good support they receive. Higher attaining pupils achieve well because they are challenged to go that little bit further in lessons. The school analyses assessment information very effectively to address apparent weaknesses and to set challenging targets that have been exceeded this year. They noted, for example, that boys did not do as well in writing as girls. They tackled this successfully by using materials and resources that the boys would find more interesting.

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STANDARDS

Standards are average in art and design, design and technology, geography, history and singing in music. However, pupils do not have enough experiences in these subjects to work independently and develop their own ideas. This means that higher attaining pupils do not do as well as they might. Standards in most areas of physical education are average. Only about half of the pupils, however, achieve the national standard of being able to swim 25 metres by the age of 11. Standards in information and communication technology have improved throughout the school. However, because the pupils had so much to catch up on, standards are still below average at ages 7 and 11.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Children in the reception class are enthusiastic learners. Their very positive attitudes are nurtured well as they move through the school.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. The school is an orderly place. The pupils are attentive in lessons and work well even when they are not being taught directly. Playtimes and lunchtimes are pleasant social occasions because the pupils get on together so well. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 3 Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good. Pupils are sensitive to and supportive of the needs and feelings of others. Personal development is very good overall. Although pupils accept responsibility willingly, they do not have enough opportunities to use their own initiative.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attendance Satisfactory. Most pupils arrive at school on time.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Very good Satisfactory Good

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Most of the teaching is at least good. During the inspection, about one in five lessons were very good or outstanding. The best teaching is in the reception class and the upper juniors. The teaching of English and mathematics is particularly good. The teachers are very good at devising interesting lessons that concentrate well on developing pupils’ reading, writing and number skills. A common feature of most lessons is the very good use of questioning to check pupils’ understanding and draw out their ideas to take their learning forward. Most teachers adopt a lively approach to their lessons and this stimulates the pupils’ interest, and increases their enjoyment of learning. Teachers plan carefully to include all the pupils in all aspects of their lessons. They often give pupils with special educational needs extra help and always make sure that no one is struggling. They keep a careful check on what pupils have learnt and plan the next step that each pupil should take. In English and

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

mathematics they expect pupils to work hard and match work accurately with the right amount of challenge for all pupils to achieve their full potential.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

The very good relationships between teachers and pupils create a good climate for learning, where the pupils feel secure and are prepared to ‘have a go’ even though they may not know the right answer. They enjoy their lessons and are very keen to learn, particularly in English, mathematics and science. They are developing a love of books and use these very effectively to develop banks of expressive phrases that they can use to make their own writing more interesting.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

A weakness in the teaching is that the teachers do not challenge the pupils enough to carry out investigations and find out for themselves. In most subjects, they give the pupils all the information they will need to answer questions. In science, geography and history, they teach the investigative skills well, but they do not give the pupils enough opportunities to use the skills that they have learnt. As a result, pupils cannot plan their own work and their research skills are under-developed.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum In the Foundation Stage, children enjoy a rich curriculum that promotes their learning very well. In the infant and junior classes, the curriculum is satisfactory overall, but the pupils have a narrow range of activities in art and design, design and technology, geography, history and music.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Pupils are supported well and work is matched closely to their needs. As a result they make good progress. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 4 Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. The school makes excellent provision for pupils’ moral development. Opportunities for spiritual and social growth are very good and there is a good range of cultural activities for children to develop knowledge and understanding of their own heritage. Opportunities for children to gain deeper insights into the other cultures represented in modern society have improved since the last inspection but still need further improvement.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory overall. Staff know the pupils well, and provide effective support and guidance.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The school has a good partnership with parents that is helping to improve academic standards and making a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Although a minority of parents have some concerns about homework and the information they receive, the vast majority are very happy with the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall. The headteacher and key staff work very closely together and this is having a significant impact on improving standards. The English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology coordinators have been very successful in raising standards in their subjects. The deputy is not given enough responsibility for running the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. The governors are very well informed and play a major part in running the school.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school analyses data very effectively to identify areas for development. The headteacher and governors have a very clear idea of what the school needs to do to improve further.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Good. The school makes effective use of the funds it receives to raise standards.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The coordinators for art and design, design and technology, geography, history and music do not have enough opportunities to manage their subjects effectively to raise standards. They do not know enough about how well their subjects are taught in other classes because they do not have the opportunity to observe lessons. The school applies the principles of best value well.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

• The staff are approachable. • Their children are making good progress. • Behaviour in the school is good. • The teaching is good. • The school expects their children to work hard. • They would like a more consistent approach to homework. • They would like more information about how their children are getting on. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 5 Inspectors agree with the positive responses. They also agree that there should be a more consistent approach to giving homework. They do not agree that parents receive too little information about their children’s progress. The quality of information that the school provides is good.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Several written responses were received. Most of these reinforced the views expressed in the questionnaires. A very small minority of parents of Year 6 pupils feel that their children are not always given enough access to the class teacher, and are taught instead by a support assistant. An examination of the Year 6 teacher’s planning and records shows that this is not the case. Support is used judiciously to ensure that all the pupils are supported effectively. All the pupils spend an equal amount of time being taught by the class teacher, and the work done by the support assistant is planned and monitored very closely by the class teacher. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 6

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Children enter the reception class with a wide spread of ability, but overall, their attainment is below average, particularly in language and mathematics. As a result of the rich curriculum and the very good teaching in their first year, the majority make very good progress and are on target to reach the levels expected for children of their age in all the areas of learning by the end of their reception year. In language and mathematics, a small minority are set to exceed the expected levels.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. In reading and writing at Key Stage 1, the results of the 2001 tests and tasks show a significant improvement in overall standards. Although the proportion of pupils reaching the highest level (Level 3) has remained static, the proportion reaching the higher Level 2 (2B) has increased significantly. There has also been a significant improvement in the overall standards in mathematics, particularly in the proportion of pupils reaching Level 3. There has been a very marked improvement in the achievement of boys at all levels, whereas the girls’ achievement has fallen. The school made a concerted effort to improve boys’ attainment to match that of the girls by using materials and resources that the boys would find more interesting. This was very successful. The high proportion of girls with special educational needs in the year group accounts for the drop in standards reached by girls.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Teachers’ assessments in science show that standards are average. Pupils have good factual knowledge but their ability to carry out their own investigations is weak.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. At Key Stage 2, standards in English, mathematics and science have improved dramatically in the past year. Whereas standards in English have fluctuated in recent years and were below average both nationally and compared to similar schools last year, the 2001 results show well above average standards. Pupils write for an increasing variety of purposes as they move through the school. They are introduced to a very wide range of authors and writing styles and, through their reading, they acquire a very good repertoire of descriptive words and expressive phrases. They use what they have learnt with increasing confidence to create dramatic effect in their writing as they move through the school. The school has focused successfully on raising boys’ achievement, particularly in writing.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. In mathematics and science, there has been incremental improvement since 1999. The 2001 test results show that overall standards have improved from average to well above average in both subjects. The school uses assessment data very effectively to set challenging targets and these targets have been exceeded. In addition to whole school targets, the school also sets group and individual targets. The pupils are very aware of these targets and work hard to achieve them. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 7 6. This improvement has been brought about by a combination of good teaching, and a clear focus on improving literacy and numeracy skills. As a result, pupils are taking more interest in lessons and showing a determination and eagerness to succeed. Inspection findings confirm that standards are improving. Pupils have good mental skills that they use effectively to solve increasingly difficult problems as they move through the school. A weakness

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

in all three subjects is that pupils do not develop the ability to work independently because they are not given enough opportunities to do so. Although reading, writing and number skills are taught well, the pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop these skills across the curriculum. In science, for example, pupils are given a lot of factual information, and the investigations they do are over-directed by the teachers. There is no challenge for the pupils to find things out for themselves or to be creative in presenting their findings. This means that although overall progress is good, some higher attaining pupils do not always achieve as well as they might.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Standards in information and communication technology have improved since the last inspection, but they are still below average at ages 7 and 11. In some aspects of the subject, such as word processing, standards are as expected. Pupils are learning to incorporate text and images using a digital camera. They do not reach the required standard in some aspects of the subject, such as using CD-ROM and the Internet, because until recently the school did not have the resources to teach these.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. Overall, standards in art and design, design and technology, geography, history, music (singing) and physical education are in line with those expected for pupils aged 7 and 11. However, achievement in some aspects of geography, history and music is not as high as it should be. Pupils learn a lot of geography and history facts, but their skills of finding information for themselves are not as good as they should be because they do not have enough opportunities to do so. Pupils sing well but their composing skills are weak. Standards in swimming are not high enough.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils achieve well across the curriculum. The special educational needs group makes up 25 per cent of the school’s pupils. As a result of the carefully planned work and the good support and encouragement they receive in lessons from teachers and support staff, both they and the Traveller pupils make the same good progress as the rest of the pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ very good attitudes, personal development and very high standards of behaviour are a strength of the school. Parents’ positive views on this are fully justified.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Children in the reception class have particularly good attitudes because they are happy to be in such an exciting environment. They are immersed in a very good range of activities that make learning interesting and fun. They Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 8 work hard and develop remarkable confidence and co-operation. This was seen when they were working in pairs with a floor robot. They took turns fairly and decided together how to make the robot travel to the right place. They behave very well because they are always so engrossed in their work.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. As pupils get older their attitudes generally remain positive but are significantly better in Key Stage 2 where the teaching is better. In both key stages, pupils work hard, sustaining their concentration and work rate very well even when they are not being taught directly. They listen attentively to the opinions and ideas of others and watch carefully when others demonstrate their work such as showing movement sequences in physical education lessons.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils’ behaviour is very good. They are respectful and well mannered to all adults and to each other. In the playground their play is good-natured and they make good use of the equipment provided. They respond very well to school rules and conventions such as behaving well in the dining hall and in assemblies where they are very attentive and keen to join in. Pupils who find it difficult to behave well are given good encouragement, and behaviour and attitudes to learning make a very good contribution to learning.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Relationships throughout the school are very good. Pupils are sensitive to and supportive of the needs and feelings of others. All the pupils, including those with special educational needs mix well. They get on well together and work productively in groups. Pupils’ personal development is very good. When they are given jobs they do them conscientiously and they take responsibility very seriously, but they receive too few opportunities to develop their own ideas so their initiative is limited. They show a strong sense of responsibility towards property and the environment. The children also respond very well to charitable initiatives, Parish links and the residential activities provided by the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Attendance is satisfactory. The attendance rate has fallen slightly this year due to parents taking their children on holiday in term time. The level of unauthorised absence is broadly in line with the national average and punctuality is satisfactory. Most pupils arrive at school on time and registration is brief and efficient so no teaching time is lost.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

16. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good overall. During the inspection, all the lessons seen were at least satisfactory, and over two-thirds were good or better. One in five lessons were very good or excellent. The high quality of the teaching means that pupils achieve well and build successfully on their prior learning. The best teaching is in the reception class and in the upper junior classes, and it is here that the pupils make the most progress. Teaching in the reception class is consistently very good and, as a result, the children make very good progress. The teacher plans a very good range of learning experiences that the children find interesting and exciting. She expects the children to work Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 9 hard and behave well and they respond very well to the challenges set. The teacher and the support assistant take every opportunity to engage the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

children in meaningful conversation. Through this they acquire the confidence to talk to visitors about what they have learnt. During the inspection, children took it in turns to work with a partner programming a robot. The robot had to travel pre-determined distances to ‘visit’ characters from the reading scheme. This gave them good opportunities to reinforce their reading at the same time as developing their information technology skills and their social skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. In the junior classes, work is planned very effectively to stimulate the pupils’ interest and challenge them to think. In a Year 6 literacy lesson, for example, the teacher asked challenging questions to develop the pupils’ understanding of how a poet had used language to engage the attention of the reader.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Throughout the school, the very good relationships between the teachers and their pupils create a relaxed and secure environment. The pupils work hard and know that their answers are valued. They are prepared to ‘have a go’ at answering questions because they are not afraid to be wrong.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Reading is taught well throughout the school, and as a result, the pupils achieve well overall. Teachers make good use of the national literacy guidelines. They systematically build strategies for tackling unknown words from the reception class onwards. As they move through the school, pupils are introduced to a wide range of texts and this develops their interest in books. Grammar and punctuation are taught effectively with the result that pupils achieve well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers are good at encouraging the pupils to write imaginatively. Pupils are encouraged in their reading to ‘collect’ useful words and phrases that they may be able to use to enhance their own writing. The effect of this is that the pupils learn to use expressive language appropriately. In Year 6, for example, pupils write very good poetry using powerful descriptive language such as, ‘The sea is a wild beast, fast and ferocious, he will eliminate any obstacles in his path’ .

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Teachers have a very good understanding of the national numeracy strategy and use this well to develop calculation skills very effectively. They use a good range of resources and strategies to reinforce learning. For example, they give pupils individual whiteboards or digit fans to show their answers. This ensures that all the pupils are involved and the teachers have an easy means of checking that all the pupils have understood. As a result, pupils make good progress and they enjoy learning. They are able to use their well- developed mental skills to solve problems successfully.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. Teaching in science is good overall. Teachers have good subject knowledge and this gives them confidence to give pupils reliable factual information. They teach the skills of science investigation and exploration well, but they do not give the pupils enough opportunities to apply these skills independently in their own investigations. This means that pupils are not Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 10 always challenged sufficiently, and higher attaining pupils are not achieving as well as they might.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. Teachers have good subject knowledge across most subjects of the curriculum. The exceptions are in information and communication technology and music. They generally use their knowledge very effectively when questioning the pupils to probe their understanding and take their learning forward in incremental steps. They take particular care to tailor their questions to meet the needs of all ability groups in the class. This has a very good impact on pupils’ learning as it raises their self-esteem by allowing them to build on success.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. Teachers know their pupils very well and generally use information from marking well to match work accurately to the needs of the different ability groups within their classes. They plan carefully to include all the pupils in all aspects of their lessons. Pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils are given extra support, either from the teachers or the support assistants. In English and mathematics, higher achievers are expected to do more. Support staff are used very efficiently leaving teachers free to work with particular groups. The class teachers plan the work that the support staff do and the teachers check what pupils in the support groups have learnt. Great care is taken to ensure that pupils of all abilities have equal access to teachers’ time. The concern expressed by parents of pupils in Year 6 regarding their children always being taught by support staff is unfounded.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. Teaching in all other subjects is satisfactory and pupils make satisfactory progress. The main weakness is that, as with science, although the skills are taught effectively, the pupils are not challenged to use them in independent work. Good opportunities are missed to develop literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology across the curriculum. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 11

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

26. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage is very good. The wide range of interesting and relevant activities meets the needs of all the children and covers all the recommended areas of learning. The environment of the classroom is bright and welcoming with colourful displays and very well planned practical activities that catch their interest and imagination and reinforce their learning. In the role-play area, for example, they have many good opportunities to develop their creative, language and numeracy skills.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

27. The curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 is satisfactory overall and meets statutory requirements. However, not all the subjects are taught in sufficient depth. The long gaps between the teaching of some subjects, such as geography, mean that pupils do not always achieve as well as they might because they forget what they have learnt previously. Although skills are taught appropriately in science, geography and history, the pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop these skills through independent learning. In art, geography, history and music, pupils have only a narrow range of experiences. There are, consequently, significant gaps in the experiences and the skills of many pupils.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The school has successfully adapted the national strategies for literacy and numeracy to meet the needs of all the pupils. Additional strategies for improving writing and spelling have been put in place, and this action has borne fruit, particularly in respect of boys’ achievement. The concentration on developing pupils’ mental skills has had a positive impact on standards in mathematics.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. All pupils have equal access to the curriculum. Both boys and girls are encouraged to be involved in all types of activities, including those pupils with special educational needs. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and those from Traveller families is good throughout the school with work matched well to their learning plans.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. Extra-curricular provision is good and includes good quality experiences to extend pupils’ learning. Members of staff and the community give generously of their time to support regular sporting, spiritual and cultural activities throughout the year. Included in the wide variety of activities are inter-school sports competitions, a chess club and a computer club that produces the school newspaper. A variety of visitors, visits and a rich programme of residential visits contribute well to pupils’ academic and personal development.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. There is a comprehensive programme of lessons to cover all aspects of personal development, including sex education, which works effectively alongside the religious education programme. Health and aspects of safety are taught as part of the science curriculum and the school also makes good use of community experts to deliver safety, health and hygiene messages. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 12 32. The school’s links to partner institutions are appropriate and are particularly effective in helping pupils make the transition to secondary school both in terms of their pastoral and academic welfare.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. The provision of the Family Learning course, helping people to help themselves and their children’s learning, has had a good impact on raising pupils’ achievement. The parents understand more about what their children do in school and are able to support them more effectively.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. The provision for the pupils’ spiritual development is very good. Close links with the parish support pupils’ spiritual development; for example, through their preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Communion. The daily act of collective worship provides many opportunities for reflection and spirituality. In Key Stage 1, for example, the headteacher used a story very effectively to encourage the pupils to think deeply about racial harmony. Children in Year 4 gathered around a lit candle to remember the families and children affected by events in America. Most of the children then contributed individual thoughts and prayers. These were treated with the utmost respect. Lessons also provide spiritual opportunities and moments of wonder, such as when a teacher brought her young child to a science lesson on growth. A highlight of pupils’ spiritual and moral learning is when Year 4 pupils go on a

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

residential ‘retreat’, and when Year 6 pupils revisit the retreat at the start of their final primary year.

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TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. The provision for pupils’ moral development is excellent. The pupils’ very good behaviour, very positive attitudes and relationships reflect this. Staff set a good example and their relationships with pupils are friendly yet firm. Discipline is unobtrusive. Children are taught the difference between right and wrong, and many opportunities are provided to reflect on this in assemblies. Specific aspects are further developed, such as drug misuse, by the school’s participation in ‘Crucial Crew’ activities.

p.19

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36. The provision for pupils’ social development is very good. There is a broad range of after school clubs, which include participation in team games and matches, working collaboratively to produce a termly newspaper in computing, and joining in intellectually challenging tasks in the chess club. Class teachers give pupils many opportunities to work together. Pupils are give good opportunities to debate issues and present ideas, such as a junior class playing the role of villagers protesting against their community being flooded by the creation of a dam in a water conservation scheme. Pupils learn to share their talents with others by singing to the elderly at Christmas. They join in local art and music festivals.

p.19

TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37. The provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory overall. There is a good range of cultural activities for children to develop knowledge and understanding of their own heritage. Opportunities for children to gain deeper insights into the other cultures represented in modern society have improved since the last inspection but still need further improvement.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 13 38. The school makes effective provision for the support, guidance and welfare of its pupils. Parents are happy with the help and care that staff provide. Relationships are very good so pupils are comfortable about seeking help and advice. The caring approach by all the adults sets a very good example to pupils. Pupils with special educational needs receive good support. There are very effective home-school links for children under five and those from the Traveller community. They are welcomed into the school and this helps them to settle quickly.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The systems for monitoring and promoting very good behaviour and personal development are good. The consistent whole school approach to managing pupils’ behaviour is very effective. The reward systems have been well considered to encourage self-discipline in children who find it difficult to behave well. These include stickers, house points, the ‘raffle’ for the ‘Good News’ assembly and good behaviour post cards sent home. Bullying is rare, but suitable procedures are in place to deal with incidents that arise. Pupils’ attendance is monitored closely and the school takes effective action where attendance or punctuality is a problem, working closely with the Educational Welfare Officer.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The procedures for child protection are appropriate. Staff are aware of these and of the need to be vigilant. All staff have received training in first aid and asthma awareness. Risk assessments have been carried out but not yet shared with staff. A health and safety policy is in place but provision is not sufficiently monitored. Training in the storage and use of hazardous substances is needed. Aspects of personal safety, health and hygiene often feature in the curriculum and good use is made of community expertise to present these messages to the children.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. The procedures for assessing and monitoring pupils’ academic performance are good. These procedures have improved since the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. In the Foundation Stage teachers measure what children can do at the beginning and end of the reception year. Teachers use their knowledge of children’s learning very effectively to plan the next learning steps. Assessment in English, mathematics and science is good, and the effective use of the information gained has helped to raise standards in these subjects. Appropriate targets are set for the pupils and regular assessments measure progress effectively. There are, however, no formal assessment records for the non-core subjects. This means that planning is not effective because the work is not based on what pupils know already.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. Pupils’ personal progress is monitored well and teachers are aware of what pupils need to do to improve.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

44. The school has a good partnership with parents, which supports pupils’ attainment, progress and personal development well. Parents find the staff Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 14 approachable and welcoming. A minority of parents have concerns over homework and the information they receive about their children’s progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

45. The school has good arrangements for keeping parents informed. While some end of year reports focus only on what the children know and can do, the reports for the older children contain targets for future development and indicate clearly the progress made. Good general information is given through letters, notice boards, the termly newsletter and the school website. Pupils have homework diaries that provide effective communication between parents and teachers. Information provided for parents of children under five and for parents of pupils with special educational needs is good. Parents of the youngest children receive home visits and attend open days before their children start school. The parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept fully informed of how their children are doing in relation to their targets. All parents are welcomed into school at any time to discuss any aspect of their children’s education.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Parents are strongly encouraged to help out in school although only a few choose to do so on a regular basis. They are given appropriate help to be involved in their children’s learning through the provision of curriculum and topic information. Their concern that the homework provision needs to be more structured is justified, particularly for the older children to extend their learning at home and to better prepare them for secondary school.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. There is a small group of parents in the parents’ association who are active fundraisers on behalf of the school. They successfully support the improvement of the school resources and environment through their efforts. A group of parents were involved with staff and governors in painting the classrooms in order to make a more pleasing environment for their children.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

48. The leadership and management of the school have improved since the last inspection when it was judged to be sound. The very strong team spirit mentioned in the last report has enabled the school to go from strength to strength in improving the standards of teaching and learning. The headteacher has a very clear idea of what the school needs to do next in order to improve further. He recognises, for example, that with the emphasis that has been put on raising standards in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology, some aspects of some other subjects have not moved on. All the staff are involved in major decisions and this has a beneficial effect on teachers’ performance. There is a strong determination and shared commitment by all the staff to raise standards, particularly in English, mathematics and science. A weakness in the leadership and management is that, although the coordinators for English,

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

mathematics and information and communication technology are fully involved in managing their subjects, the rest of the coordinators do not promote change well enough. The deputy headteacher does not have a clearly defined management role. The headteacher keeps her fully informed but she does not have any specific management responsibilities. This means Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 15 not only that the workload on the headteacher is excessive, but also that the deputy is not equipped to take over the running of the school in his absence.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The governors are knowledgeable and effectively involved in running the school. They have a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They have confidence in the headteacher but this does not stop them asking challenging questions. They keep themselves up to date with new initiatives and requirements by regular training, and visit the school on a regular basis to keep themselves informed. The governor with responsibility for special educational needs is particularly well informed. She has a very good overview and monitors practice very effectively to make sure that all the pupils with special educational needs are included fully in all aspects of school life.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good overall and has improved since the last inspection. There are clear procedures for monitoring pupils’ progress. Pupils’ individual education plans are of satisfactory quality with clear manageable targets. They are used well in lessons to ensure that work is matched closely to pupils’ needs.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The school is very good at monitoring its performance and taking effective action to address any areas of weakness. The results of this can be seen in the latest set of test results for English, mathematics and science. For some time, the low attainment of boys in writing has been an issue. The school has addressed this successfully, and the latest test results show a remarkable increase in boys’ achievement. The improvement in pupils’ performance is linked very clearly to the rigorous monitoring and evaluation of teaching. The very good relationships between the staff create a good atmosphere where they are all prepared to learn from each other and listen well to constructive criticism.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Performance management arrangements are well established and staff are very clear about their objectives. All the staff have personal professional development objectives in addition to those to improve pupils’ performance. The help and guidance given to staff new to the school is good. They are given plenty of support and advice from other members of staff, and have regular non-contact time to attend specific courses.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. The budget is managed well. The school makes good use of all the funding that it receives to bring about improvements in standards. Since the last inspection, for example, the school has made considerable investment in computers. The use of these has had a considerable impact on raising pupils’ attainment. Booster classes in English and mathematics have also been very successful, not only in increasing the numbers of pupils reaching the average level 4, but also in boosting the performance of higher attainers to level 5.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

54. The school has an adequate number of teachers and support staff who together form a very effective and hard working team. Parents’ concerns about the effects of splitting Year 6 in the afternoons between the teacher and the learning support assistant are unfounded. The school is dealing very Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 16 well with the difficulty imposed by the large class size. The teacher provides well planned and delivered intensive support for the whole class in this way. The very efficient administrative officer, well supported by the clerical assistant, contributes significantly to the smooth running of the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The accommodation is satisfactory. There has been some creative use of decoration to make rooms, corridors and other spaces into an attractive learning environment. This work was carried out by very willing staff, parents and governors. The library is used for some lessons. This means that pupils do not always have access to it for personal study and wider reading.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. The school’s resources are satisfactory. There has been an improvement in resources for most subjects so that these are now resourced well. However, resources for geography and history are unsatisfactory and this is affecting pupils’ learning. Resources are mainly in good condition, accessible and are being well used.

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

57. In order to improve the school further, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) Raise standards in information and communication technology in both key stages by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensuring that the staff receive the training necessary to deliver those strands of the subject where they lack expertise. • Providing more opportunities across the curriculum for pupils to develop and refine their skills. (paragraphs 100, 104, 106, 108)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b) Improve the quality and range of learning experiences in the non-core subjects by:

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensuring that all the aspects of each subject are taught; • Improving teachers’ subject knowledge in music. (paragraphs 27, 48, 92, 96, 113)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Providing a better balance between giving pupils information and • challenging pupils to find things out for themselves; • Planning more opportunities for pupils to use the skills that they have been taught; • Planning more opportunities for pupils to use their knowledge and understanding in different situations; Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 17 • Allowing pupils to be more creative and put forward their own ideas in science and design and technology. (paragraphs 69, 76, 84, 86, 94, 100, 102, 114)

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d) Developing the role of the deputy by:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Involving her more directly in running the school; • Allocating specific responsibilities. (paragraph 48)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

e) Raise standards in swimming. (paragraph 8, 116)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

f) Develop the roles of the coordinators for art and design, design and technology, geography, history and music by:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Providing opportunities for them to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in classes. (paragraph 48, 92, 97, 101, 114)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In addition to the issues above the following less important point should be considered for inclusion in the action plan.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve further the provision for cultural development so that pupils are prepared better for life in a multicultural society. (paragraphs 37, 115) Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 18

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 34

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 6 16 49 29 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents just less than two percentage points.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 216

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 36

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 44

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 12

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 1

p.25

Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 19

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 14 19 33

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 14 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 18 18 19

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 97 (84) 97 (90) 100 (94) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 14 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 17 16

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 94 (90) 94 (90) 91 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 17 16 33

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 15 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 12 15

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 82 (67) 85 (69) 94 (79) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 15 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 12 15

p.26

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 82 (72) 85 (67) 94 (77) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 20

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 3 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.5 Financial year 2000/2001

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.3

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 415,286

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 392,468

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 115 Expenditure per pupil 1728.93

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 4,481

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) N/a Balance carried forward to next year 27,299

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher N/a

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff N/a

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week N/a

p.27

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult N/a FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

p.27

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 21

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 38 61 1 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 48 49 1 0 1

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 48 24 4 4

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 32 46 17 4 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 30 0 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 62 35 3 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 37 54 7 3 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 61 38 1 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 55 44 1 0 0

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 38 54 4 1 3

p.28

Results of the survey of parents and carers

A small minority of parents of Year 6 pupils feel that their children are not always given enough access to the class teacher, and are taught instead by a support assistant. An examination of the teachers’ planning and records shows that this is not the case. The teacher uses the support available very judiciously to ensure that all the pupils are supported effectively. All the pupils spend an equal amount of time being taught by the class teacher, and the work done by the support assistant is planned and monitored very closely by the class teacher. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 22

p.28

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. Standards in the Foundation Stage have improved since the last inspection. Children enter the reception class at the beginning of the academic year in which they are five. Observations indicate that there is a wide range of attainment on entry to the school, but overall it is below that normally found for children of this age, especially in the key areas of communication, language and literacy, and mathematics. In personal, social and emotional development, physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world, many children enter with the standards generally expected. There is wide variation in their creative development. Most children have attended one of the several nurseries or playgroups in the area.

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. The reception class is well resourced with a good range of appropriate equipment, some of which has been made by the class teacher. The quality of teaching is consistently very good in all the areas of learning. The teacher has a very good understanding of the needs of young children and very good knowledge of the standards expected at this age, the early learning goals. She works in effective partnership with the classroom assistants to provide a very good range of learning opportunities. These activities are well thought out to give children very good experiences in all the recommended areas of learning. As a result of such reinforcement activities, the children learn well. Assessment procedures are good. Staff record observations of how children undertake individual tasks and the information gained is used well to set targets and to guide planning for what the child has to do next. Children with

p.29

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

special educational needs are identified early. Appropriate support and monitoring procedures are put in place to support them to ensure that they make good progress from their varying starting points. At such an early stage of the school year, no children have been identified as gifted or talented.

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

60. The teaching is very good. The teacher takes great care to establish a very positive classroom atmosphere where children learn to take turns, share resources and play in co-operation with others. Their self-esteem and confidence are developed well through the use of praise and encouragement. The teacher puts appropriate emphasis on enabling children to work and play together because the children come from about seven different pre-school settings and they are still learning each other’s names and making new friends. She is supported well by the classroom assistants. Self-help is encouraged; for example, when children are changing their clothes and shoes for activities in the hall and they are asked to ‘struggle a bit first’ before they ask for help. Children’s experience is extended by the contact they have with a few older pupils who befriend them during lunchtime play. Considering Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 23

p.29

Personal, social and emotional development

the early stage in the term, the children have settled into school well, mainly as a result of the secure environment they are taught in and the clear guidance they receive. Most co-operate well together and they are keen to take part in activities. They concentrate well on their activities, both those selected by the teacher and those they have chosen for themselves. Almost all children are well on the way to achieving the standards expected in this area of learning by the end of the reception year. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 24

p.30

Communication, language and literacy

61. The quality of teaching is very good and in one lesson observed it was excellent. The teacher rightly places great emphasis on developing children’s vocabularies and their speaking skills, as this is an area where their attainment is generally below that expected. She does this by providing well- planned activities and by the interactions she and support staff have with children during other activities, extending children’s vocabularies and encouraging their use of complete sentences. Staff use questioning skills well. For example, when a child indicated that he needed help doing up the buttons on his clothes, the teacher asked ‘What are these?’ pointing to the buttons. When the child replied that they were ‘fasten things’ the teacher replied ‘buttons’ and modelled ‘please help me fasten the buttons’ for the child to repeat. In the excellent lesson, the teacher guided a group of children through acting out the story of ‘Goldilocks’ for the rest of the class, using a

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

well-prepared box of props. The ‘actors’ were encouraged to repeat the familiar phrases from the story, as well as perform the actions. This session was used as an example of what other groups were expected to do when it was their turn to undertake the activity.

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

62. The teacher provides good examples of reading and writing in appropriate ways that help children understand the connection between spoken language and written words. She helps children begin to learn the names and the sounds of initial letters and of the need to build up children's sight recognition of simple words that they frequently meet in books. An appropriate range of large texts is used for whole class sessions. For example, children enjoyed joining in with familiar phrases in the story of The Three Bears. The book area in the classroom is inviting and children are keen to look at books and they handle them with care. They are beginning to retell stories using the pictures. Writing skills are taught systematically. Higher attaining children make early attempts at independent writing when they write about events in their lives. The less experienced writers enjoy the tactile experience of forming letters in sand and with play dough and extending their hand control

p.31

Communication, language and literacy

through tracing. Many children are still gaining confidence in writing their names independently and name cards are readily available to help them. With the very good teaching and the range of activities provided most children are on course to reach the standards expected by the end of the reception year and some will exceed them.

p.31

Mathematical development

63. The quality of teaching is very good and one lesson observed was excellent. Children have opportunities to undertake a range of first-hand practical mathematical activities, which reinforce their learning well. As a whole class they take part in a range of activities, which give a good level of challenge for the higher attainers as they count forwards to 20 and backwards from 10. Good use is made of resources to give children a visual aid to reinforce their learning, such as number lines and number cards. Further activities are devised, which match the abilities of different groups of children and additional help given by both the teacher and support staff, is well focused to Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 25 extend and reinforce the learning of individual children in the group. For example, the teacher works with children using a dice and matching the number of dots shown with the numeral on their sheet, whilst the classroom

p.31

Mathematical development

assistant supports children counting up to five items correctly. Good links are made in other subjects. There was a very clear emphasis during a physical education lesson in the hall on developing children’s understanding of positional language as they were asked to move over the apparatus, along it and under it. The role-play of the story of ‘The Three Bears’ was well resourced with items, such as chairs, bowls and spoons of various sizes, for children to match correctly to the different characters. As a result of the very good provision, most children are on course to reach the standards expected by the end of the reception year and some will exceed them.

p.32

Knowledge and understanding of the world

64. The quality of teaching is very good. The children are surrounded by a good variety of interesting activities to explore for themselves. Through exploring the materials and equipment with the effective guidance and questioning of adults, they learn a lot for themselves about how things work. By ‘playing’ with magnets, they learn which materials are attracted to magnets and which are not. In the sand area they find out that wet and dry sand behaves in different ways. They use computer programs and soon learn that the mouse can control movements on the screen. They learn to dress ‘Teddy’ by adding the items of clothing in the correct sequence and with growing skill to locate them accurately. They learn about everyday life by acting out the roles of nurses, doctors and patients in the ‘hospital’ area. Most share equipment fairly and take turns readily. In physical activities, the teacher takes the opportunity to extend children’s knowledge of the names of body parts as

p.32

Knowledge and understanding of the world

they follow her lead and move different parts of their bodies. The topic this term is about bears and, as well as work related to imaginary bears, children are also learning about living bears, the different types, where they live and what they eat. By the end of the reception year, most children are on course to achieve the early learning goals as a result of the wide range of learning experiences provided.

p.32

Physical development

65. The quality of teaching is good. As a result of the well-planned activities, children make good progress in developing their gross motor skills. Fine motor skills are supported appropriately through handling small construction materials and through learning to use pencils and different mark-making tools and scissors. Children use the hall for three sessions a week, so that they have good opportunities to learn to move in a large space and also to use the range of apparatus provided. They also have access to their own outside area. Although there is some outside play equipment, there are no wheeled toys. Most show an appropriate awareness of space and of each other and they move with good co-ordination. They skip around the hall and stop and start in response to signals given by the teacher. Most children climb confidently up the ladder, move along planks in various ways, jump from a low bench and balance on the beam. Staff support individual children well

p.32

Physical development

Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 26 and they have high expectations of the level of concentration and the variety and quality of the movements used. The teacher makes good use of individuals to demonstrate different ways of moving and children respond well to this. By the end of the reception year, almost all children are on course to reach the expected goals for this age and some will exceed them.

p.33

Creative development

66. The quality of teaching is good. The teacher recognises that this is an area where some children need additional input. They lack the range of expressive language necessary to communicate their ideas and they do not use their imaginations readily and, as a result, the teacher devises a good range of appropriate opportunities. The children enjoy experimenting with musical instruments and they are beginning to join in with an accompaniment when others sing songs. The role-play areas are well resourced to stimulate the children’s imaginations and adults join in with these activities to ensure that children’s ideas are extended further. By the end of the reception year, most children are on course to reach the expected targets for this age.

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ENGLISH

67. Standards in English are average for 7-year-olds and above average for 11- year-olds.

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ENGLISH

68. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are satisfactory at the end of Year 2. They are given appropriate opportunities to speak in a variety of ways, can give a range of responses in class discussion and are beginning to speak clearly. For example, children discuss the use of labels on a diagram and offer suggestions to label parts of the body. They carry out instructions accurately and answer questions with increasing confidence. By Year 6, pupils have developed more confidence in speaking to an audience. They experience a growing range of opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills. In a Year 5 lesson, pupils gave a lively presentation as they considered and presented a case for saving a village from being flooded.

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ENGLISH

69. Standards in reading are broadly as expected at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Standards in reading of the oldest children have risen since the last inspection. As a result of the good teaching of reading, children develop an increasing variety of suitable strategies, such as using letter sounds and picture clues, to help them to tackle unknown words. They read with understanding and talk confidently about what they have read. All pupils read books at an appropriate level, and as a result, most, including the less able children make good progress. Most pupils in Year 2 know the difference between fiction and non-fiction. At this early stage in the school year, pupils in Year 2 have limited knowledge of how to find information from reference books.

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ENGLISH

70. Pupils in Year 6 express strong opinions about what they like and dislike in authors. They are encouraged to read from a wide variety of texts, including books, plays and poetry. They select information to answer questions and Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 27 can refer to the text in order to support their views. Their library skills are not well developed. There are limited opportunities for pupils to use and develop information finding skills.

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ENGLISH

71. Standards of writing in the infant classes have improved since the last inspection and they are now satisfactory for children aged 7. The pupils are given good opportunities to write in a variety of ways including writing instructions, labelling diagrams and creating their own stories. Most can read what they have written. Average and above average achievers write in sentences using some punctuation. Some of the more able children have begun organising their work in a clear and imaginative way, using good description. Their handwriting is developing well. It is generally legible and consistent in style.

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ENGLISH

72. In Years 3 to 6, the introduction of extended writing sessions has helped to improve standards. The quality of writing achieved by most pupils is impressive. They write with increasing confidence and striking vocabulary as they move through the school. An examination of work in pupils’ books shows a developing range of writing. In Year 3, story planning has helped to develop pupils’ use of descriptive language. Pupils of average ability use descriptive phrases confidently in their writing as, for example, ‘He longed to dive into the crystal clear water.’ Poetry writing is a developing strength in the school and in Year 6 it is very good. Using wind, fire or the sea as their theme all pupils use powerful, descriptive language such as, ‘The sea is a wild beast, fast and ferocious, he will eliminate any obstacles in his path.’ Most children spell accurately and write legibly in a joined-up style. This does not come about by

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ENGLISH

accident. It is carefully planned and stems from teachers’ enthusiasm for language and their ability to help pupils to see themselves as authors by encouraging them to read widely and learn to appreciate different writing styles.

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ENGLISH

73. The quality of teaching in the infant classes is sound. The carefully planned teaching of reading and writing gives pupils of all abilities confidence in writing and reading. The quality of teaching is good in Years 3 and 4 and very good in Years 5 and 6. Literacy has been given a high priority in the curriculum and teachers are knowledgeable about the subject. Their very good planning, methods and organisation are ensuring that pupils have a structured programme of learning that develops literacy skills in a systematic way. Teachers make good use of marking to provide challenging and interesting activities that are well matched to pupils’ stages of learning. Teaching assistants are used very effectively in support of children’s learning. Time is managed well to develop phonics, spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Questions are adapted appropriately so that children of different abilities are able to make worthwhile contributions. For

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ENGLISH

example, questions following the reading of the poem ‘The Loner’ allowed children to respond with considerable insight and achieve high standards in their writing.

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ENGLISH

74. In the infant classes, children are enthusiastic when their imagination and interest is aroused. They work well in groups and concentrate well on their Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 28 work. Good relationships established early in their school life help to support sound achievement. In the junior classes, the very good relationships between teachers and children result in pupils’ attitudes and behaviour being very good. The high quality teaching and interesting lessons make the pupils enthusiastic. Lessons are prepared well, the teachers have good subject knowledge, they expect the pupils to work hard and the pace of the lesson is brisk. The teachers make effective use of their knowledge and skills to make lessons interesting, particularly for those children with special educational needs. As a result, these pupils make good progress. For example in Year 6, very effective planned discussion with the special educational need group

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ENGLISH

helped them to compose a quality poem reflecting on an elderly persons view of winter. Pupils listen attentively to teachers and other pupils. They co- operate well in groups. This was seen when Year 4 pupils worked exceptionally well together in preparing to read play scripts, discussing and writing character sketches.

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ENGLISH

75. All staff following the school’s marking policy would improve assessment. The best marking includes the good use of encouraging comments that inform pupils how they can do better. All pupils know what they have to do to improve their work and teachers match work appropriately to help them in this. They use homework well to give pupils practice and further their learning.

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ENGLISH

76. Teachers do not make the best use of other subjects such as religious education, history, art, science and geography to reinforce the skills learned in the literacy hour. Information and communication technology is used effectively to support literacy, particularly in word processing and desktop publishing; for example, in the production of a termly newspaper in Year 6.

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ENGLISH

77. The management of English is satisfactory overall. The recently appointed coordinator is supported well by the headteacher, and she has a clear understanding of what the school has achieved. She does not, however, have a clear idea about how the subject can be developed further. She needs further training to ensure that she has a clear overview of English and its place in the curriculum. Whole school strategies in spelling, extended writing and questioning techniques have successfully raised standards. However, there is no whole school policy for English. Identified priorities such as the development of the library are not sufficiently planned to ensure successful implementation, which ensure their full impact on pupils’ learning.

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MATHEMATICS

78. There has been an upward trend in test results since the last inspection but the latest results in the Year 2001 show a great improvement, particularly in the number of pupils who are now attaining the higher levels. The end-of-year assessments that are completed by the school indicate that these results will be maintained in the coming years.

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MATHEMATICS

79. There are a number of reasons for this improvement. The national numeracy strategy has been successfully implemented throughout the school. Staff Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 29 have received training and are familiar with the new recommendations. The coordinator is very effective and has worked well to improve the standards. She has monitored teaching and leads training for staff, as well as setting a good example to other staff because of her excellent mathematics teaching. Pupils have targets for mathematics. These are discussed with the pupils and displayed in the classrooms. Another factor is that teaching has improved and it is now very good. The lessons are planned well and teachers identify clearly what they want the pupils to learn in them. This is always shared with the class at the beginnings of lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

80. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in developing their calculation skills in relation to their abilities. This is because teachers plan work at the right level for them and the classroom assistants give them good support. They are given praise and encouragement to raise their self- esteem. For example, in a Year 3 lesson on two-dimensional shapes, pupils were encouraged to share their work with the rest of the class in the discussion at the end of the lesson. There is now no significant difference in the performance of boys and girls throughout the school.

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MATHEMATICS

81. The very good start the pupils make in the reception class is built upon throughout the infant classes and by the time they reach the end of Year 2, pupils are attaining well. The teachers know their children well and they have formed good relationships with them. This motivates them to work hard. For example, in Year 1 the teacher was heard to say, ‘I’m looking for a clever person to answer.’ All the class put up their hands and wanted to answer. By the end of Year 2, most pupils have a good understanding of number and can recognise and name common two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional shapes such as cube, cylinder and sphere.

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MATHEMATICS

82. Throughout the junior classes, pupils achieve well and overall make very good progress. This better achievement is largely because of the consistently good and very good teaching that was seen, particularly in Years 4 and 6. In Year 6 all the pupils were actively involved in the lesson throughout and a large amount of work was produced. Teachers match work accurately to the needs of all the children. This is a strong feature of the lessons in the junior classes. It gives pupils confidence to complete their tasks and achieve very well. By the end of Year 6, most pupils can add, subtract, multiply and divide large numbers accurately and have a very good knowledge of the relationship between decimals, fractions and percentages.

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MATHEMATICS

83. The quality of teaching is very good overall. A particular strength of the teaching is the mental arithmetic part at the beginning of lessons. The school identified this as an area that needed to be developed, and it has been addressed effectively. Teachers use a good variety of resources such as number fans, whiteboards and digit cards to ensure that all the pupils are involved. The pupils respond eagerly to the questioning and are keen to show their answers. For example, in a very good lesson seen in Year 6, the teacher was able to check the progress the pupils were making when they were writing their answers to questions about equivalent fractions on the whiteboards. Teachers use the mental sessions well to extend the pupils’ Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 30 knowledge of number. They have good subject knowledge and ask challenging open-ended questions to consolidate the children’s previous

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MATHEMATICS

knowledge and extend the learning. Lessons have good pace and the interesting activities the teachers plan ensure that the children remain interested and they sustain concentration throughout. Pupils enjoy mathematics and always behave well in every lesson.

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MATHEMATICS

84. Information and communication technology is used well to support pupils’ learning. In almost every lesson seen during the inspection children were using computers. Programs were carefully selected to help the pupils to develop their mathematical skills. However, only limited opportunities are given for mathematics to be used across other areas of the curriculum; for example drawing graphs in science and measuring in design and technology. There was little evidence seen in the inspection to suggest that pupils are given enough opportunities to use and apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems.

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SCIENCE

85. Standards are average at Key Stage 1 and above average at Key Stage 2. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 and very good progress in Key Stage 2. The school has made good progress in raising standards throughout the school, and particularly by the time the pupils leave the school at the end of Key Stage 2. Much of this success can be attributed to the very good leadership of the subject. The school has analysed past performance and has identified areas that needed strengthening, in particular pupils’ knowledge and understanding of scientific terminology, pupils’ ability to interpret data and their understanding of facts – for example they could name the parts of plants but they could not describe their functions. The coordinator also identified the need to improve the quality and range of resources and to give the staff training to develop scientific investigation and to use the science scheme consistently. Assessment procedures have been strengthened and

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SCIENCE

she has recently introduced a framework for matching work to individual pupils’ needs. The training that staff have received has given them some clear insights into evaluating lesson outcomes and lesson plans are often modified in the light of previous learning. The coordinator monitors pupils’ work and teachers’ planning and uses the latter to evaluate the effectiveness of training to alter practice.

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SCIENCE

86. Standards have risen because teaching has improved. No lessons were seen in Key Stage 1 and there was not enough work available to make a valid judgement of teaching. The quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 is good and pupils achieve very well. The knowledge and understanding of life processes and living things, materials and their properties, and of physical processes are taught securely. Often practical activities are used well to consolidate understanding. The skills of investigation and recording findings are taught well, but at present pupils do not have enough opportunities to plan and carry out their own investigations. Generally, the teacher does the practical work while the pupils watch. The school has an example of good practice in the method used by the Year 6 teacher to organise an investigation activity into Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 31 ‘making dirty water clean’, which was very successful. Groups had devised

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SCIENCE

their own investigation based upon filtering the water through a variety of meshes and filter papers. The teacher assigned each group to a leader who was responsible for setting up and organising the work. She monitored the work thoroughly and intervened appropriately. The pupils were delighted with the change in the water’s appearance after the various filtrations and this made them want to find out more. The teachers have good subject knowledge that enables them to intervene appropriately with open-ended questions that take learning forward. Practical activities are used well to consolidate understanding. Year 4 pupils learned about bone growth and skeletons through measuring the arm length of reception, Year 4 and Year 6 pupils and then comparing the results. They used tape measures accurately and recorded their results in a table.

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SCIENCE

87. Overall, pupils make very good progress. Progress in investigative science is less marked as the pupils need more opportunities to show what they can do. Whilst feedback to pupils about their progress is good in lessons it is unsatisfactory in the teachers’ marking strategies, which is rarely used to develop scientific thinking.

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SCIENCE

88. The pupils’ attitudes to science are good. They listen attentively, work well in pairs and groups and enjoy practical activities. They use apparatus and equipment carefully, and learn to use measuring equipment with increasing precision. They treat specimens with care and pay good attention to safety procedures. For example, pupils handling soil specimens in Year 5 used protective gloves. They record their work very carefully, and can use computers to record their findings when given the opportunity. However, computer resources are under-used at present. By Year 6, pupils use and understand correct scientific terminology.

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ART AND DESIGN

89. Overall, standards at ages 7 and 11 are similar to those found nationally. They are similar to those reported at the time of the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

90. During the inspection pupils in Year 2 were given good opportunities to develop their observational and imaginative skills, as well as their drawing skills, when they looked at a small section of a picture and then tried to complete the rest. They worked competently with an appropriate range of media including crayons, pastels and paint. Most tried to match the colours carefully to those in the original and to complete items that had been cut in half. A few pupils practised their newly acquired skills enthusiastically in mixing powder paint and produced good colour matches. Pupils in Year 6 undertake a suitable range of work linked to their study of how feelings are conveyed in works of art from various eras and cultures, such as classical paintings and African sculpture. The classroom assistant working with the group used questioning skills effectively to encourage pupils to think about the techniques employed by artists. Pupils responded well to this activity.

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ART AND DESIGN

They showed a good understanding of the subject and they drew satisfactory sketches to try to produce similar effects. A group worked with clay to make Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 32 faces with a range of expressions. They used various tools competently to add facial details. However, they needed reminding of the techniques for joining pieces on to the face, for the ears and nose, so that they did not crack when fired. Pupils had worked previously with clay in Year 5 to make pots and vases. Other three-dimensional work in Year 5 includes making interesting models; for example of a rainbow fish, using withies and tissue paper.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. Some use is made of drawing programs on the computers to allow pupils to illustrate their written work, especially in the lower part of the school. Older pupils use their increased knowledge of the techniques available to produce pictures in the style of various artists. For example, they use dots to draw pictures in the style of Monet and lines and various shapes to produce work in the style of Kandinsky.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. Insufficient work and lessons were seen to give an overall judgement of the quality of teaching. The two lessons seen were well resourced and teachers had secure subject knowledge. The headteacher is the acting coordinator, but there has been no monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning because of other priorities. The school follows national guidelines to ensure coverage of the National Curriculum, but the range of activities offered to pupils and the media used is limited. There is insufficient emphasis on building pupils’ skills and techniques systematically. There are no formal assessment procedures in place to indicate pupils’ achievement and guide what they have to do next.

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ART AND DESIGN

93. The school has made good use of resources in the school and the wider community to extend pupils’ skills and experience of art. Staff and visiting artists have contributed works of art around the school, for example pictures of characters in reading books in the reception class and a scene depicting the water cycle in the upper part of the school. There are not enough examples of art from different cultures to support multicultural provision. Pupils’ work is displayed carefully around the school to show that it is valued and to improve the environment. The school has valuable links with the local art gallery. Pupils visited the gallery to work with staff to design a football kit. This activity was partly designed to raise the achievement of boys and is a good example of how the school considers the needs of all groups of pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

94. Throughout the school, pupils make satisfactory progress and reach standards that are in line with those expected. This is similar to the findings of the last inspection. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. By the age of 7, pupils have made a good start to designing, and realise the importance of using labelled diagrams to communicate their ideas. These skills are built upon systematically in the junior classes. However, some pupils do not achieve what they are capable of because the teaching is too directed. In the Year 3 lesson, for example, all the pupils did the same practical task, using identical materials and tools. While this is appropriate in building up the skills Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 33 and confidence of lower attaining pupils, it means that higher attainers are not challenged sufficiently.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. By the age of 11, pupils have a good understanding of the design process and can draw and measure accurately in producing realistic designs. The work in their books shows that they review and evaluate their designs, modifying them appropriately in the light of their findings. They make realistic suggestions about the materials to be used for specific purposes. Discussion with the pupils reveals the good links with science in choosing their materials.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. The school has adopted the latest guidelines for the subject, but there is no system for monitoring teaching and learning. It is apparent from observation of the poor cutting skills of the Year 3 pupils that they have not had enough opportunities in the infant classes to handle tools and work with a sufficient range of materials. The school recognises this and has recently invested a substantial amount of money in resourcing the subject.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

97. Management of the subject is satisfactory. The coordinator has a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses but has yet to devise a plan to raise standards.

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GEOGRAPHY

98. Standards in geography are at the expected level in both key stages. This is in line with the findings of the previous inspection. However, whilst pupils’ knowledge overall is satisfactory, their skills are not as well developed as they should be.

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GEOGRAPHY

99. The school now uses the national primary scheme for geography. Teachers’ planning indicates that this is being adhered to and so the breadth of the subject is being covered. Knowledge and understanding of places is taught securely, the youngest pupils using the local environment whilst at the same time developing their knowledge of the wider world through the travels of a class bear that accompanies staff and children to distant locations. In the junior classes, pupils study a distant location through a village study in India, and engage in field study work by undertaking a river study in Derbyshire. By Year 5, pupils are learning to confront environmental issues, such as, ‘should the high street be closed to traffic?’ During the course of their studies, they are introduced to topics such as mountainous regions, weather and climate, and continents and islands.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. Not enough lessons were seen to make a reliable judgement on the quality of teaching. However, pupils develop an understanding of environmental change through progressively studying environmental issues, from investigating how to make the local area safer in Year 1, and studying the local environment in Year 4, to appreciating those environmental changes can have human consequences in Year 5. Year 4 pupils investigated litter found around school to sort it into re-usable, recyclable and waste products. They also looked at noise pollution around the school. Year 5 pupils enjoyed role-playing in a debate about the consequences of flooding a village as part Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 34 of a water conservation scheme. It was interesting to observe their thinking develop from ‘we’ll all be drowned’ to a more focused look at village assets and why they should be saved. The debate was enhanced by the teacher’s

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GEOGRAPHY

effective interventions, subject knowledge and her ability to slip in and out of role as a government environmental agency officer. Pupils responded well to the challenge, really enjoyed the practical activity and behaved very well within the context of speaking and listening. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in knowledge and understanding of places is generally below the expected level. Their knowledge of environmental change and development is good. The development of geographical skills is less secure because the school’s resources are currently insufficient to develop this area, and the way the timetable is constructed does not support pupils’ learning effectively. The long gaps between taught time means that often pupils forget what they have learnt previously. When a discussion was held with some Year 6 pupils their knowledge of places and their ability to use maps successfully was found to

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GEOGRAPHY

be very limited. Not enough use is made of information and communication technology to support the subject.

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GEOGRAPHY

101. The coordinator has been in post for a very short time. She has the dual responsibility of leading history and geography. Both subjects have the same shortcomings. She is aware of the need to extend resources for the development of the skills in both subjects, and to extend the opportunities for pupils to employ these skills independently. She has been allocated a budget to begin the task, but her role of coordinator needs to be developed further to enable her to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning in geography and history. Although standards are satisfactory overall there are shortcomings than need attention if standards are to rise.

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HISTORY

102. Standards in history are satisfactory in both key stages. This is in line with the findings of the previous inspection. The knowledge and understanding of people and events is taught securely. Pupils develop chronological understanding through the uses of time lines, the sequencing of events, and the development of understanding about historical periods. They learn to use appropriate historical vocabulary associated with the passing of time. Pupils are taught about people and events from the past, and can select and organise historical information, and are able to use dates and historical vocabulary securely by the end of Year 6. Whilst the knowledge of history is taught soundly, the skills of being an historian are less well developed. Museums and historical sites are used effectively, but it is difficult to discover about the past using a range of historical resources when the school currently

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HISTORY

has such a restricted supply. The coordinator recognises this need. Some Year 6 pupils have demonstrated that they have the skills to acquire historical data using information and communication technology, but this has been done as a homework activity, and the school has yet to provide the resources to do it in history lessons. The pupils in Year 6 are studying the life and times of King Henry Vlll. They can explain why he married six times, and they can use information resources to research the backgrounds of the participants and the events of the period. They use appropriate historical terms. Their Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 35 research would be richer if the resources were sufficient for them to work independently.

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HISTORY

103. The study by Year 3 pupils of Roman life has been enhanced by a visit to Chester’s Roman Camp. Pupils in Year 1 are taught to recognise changes over time through the study of toys from their own, their parents’ and their grandparents’ generation. They have been taught to reason from historical evidence; for example, ‘Does a broken toy mean necessarily that it is old?’, ‘Can a toy that looks new, and is still in its box, be old?’, ‘A wooden yo-yo looks old because of what it’s made from until you turn it over and see the price tag?’ They have created a questionnaire to gather information about toys from their families and they have interviewed older people about favourite toys. They are looking at photographs of toyshops from the first half of the 20 th century. Enquiry is begun well, but does not continue to have the same emphasis.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

104. Standards are below the expected level in both key stages, but the school has made good progress since the last inspection. In the previous report it was stated that standards were low and pupils made unsatisfactory progress. Standards have improved since then. In some strands of the subject they are now at a satisfactory level, and because pupils are making sound, and often good, progress in lessons, standards are rising.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

105. Standards have improved because the subject is well led, resources have been improved to a satisfactory level and will soon be good, the staff have received national training and arrangements have been made to ensure that all children have weekly lessons. The school has adopted the national guidance for the subject and has modified it to take account of the needs of the pupils. The weekly skills and applications teaching is beginning to be augmented by the use of computers across the curriculum. Word processing and publishing is undertaken to a satisfactory standard throughout the school. At times it is done well, such as the publication of the school’s termly newspaper. Images are incorporated successfully with text, using a digital camera and clipart. Pupils are taught to create tables and graphs. The youngest children are taught how to program a floor robot and this work is developed further in the lower and upper junior classes. Most pupils are now

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

confident in using computers. The younger children can use the mouse and keyboard and, by the time pupils reach Year 4, they can save and reload their work, and access and close programs.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

106. The quality of the teaching is at least sound and often good. The teachers are confident in using computers and have secure subject knowledge within the applications that they are using currently. This basic competence ensures that all pupils get satisfactory teaching, which is now on a regular basis. This competence has been developed through the national training scheme, the school based training that teachers have received and the informal support that they are given by the coordinator. Further training is required, however, Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 36 in those applications and subject strands that are currently under- represented: ‘finding out’ using CD-ROM and the Internet, ‘exchanging and sharing information’, and ‘developing ideas’ using data handling packages. Now that the school has projection facilities to support skills teaching to a whole class, staff require training to ensure that the best use is made of these

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

excellent facilities. Advice and training are also needed to develop information and communication technology across the curriculum.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

107. Pupils enjoy their learning. They have very good attitudes and, because they are so attentive and motivated, the lessons have good pace and the pupils often achieve well. In a good lesson observed, a Year 4 pupil used a simple spreadsheet to create a graph about the length of bones increasing with age. She drew upon data from three classes. She accessed the program, constructed the graph, modified the data and printed out the bar chart working entirely independently.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

108. The use of classroom machines and small clusters of computers is giving pupils access to machines that help develop independence. However, a lot of the tasks given to pupils are still too directed. Whilst the skills of ICT are being taught securely the opportunities for pupils to apply them across the curriculum are not well developed. Applications are used regularly in mathematics, and word processing is often used in English, but little use is made in other subjects. Pupils have yet to learn how to combine graphs and tables with words so that they can include description and evaluation with the production of charts. The pupils are learning how to ‘develop ideas’ using word processing, art and drawing packages, and graphing programs.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

109. The subject is well led and the school has made good progress in raising standards. The coordinator knows the school’s development needs and has devised an effective subject development plan, with clear and realistic targets. She has modified the national programme of study to align it with the school’s needs, and will do so again to reflect the progress made. She has led training, regularly monitors planning, and provides formal and informal support to colleagues on using applications. The resources have been built up to a suitable level. The imminent arrival of further computers and the connection to the Internet and National Grid for Learning funded by the national scheme will make the school well resourced. Given this rate of development, the school is on course to achieve the national standard.

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MUSIC

110. Standards in singing across the school are average and they have been maintained since the last inspection. There was insufficient evidence to make judgements on attainment in other aspects of the subject.

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MUSIC

111. Pupils achieve satisfactorily in singing. They sing confidently, with accurate rhythm and pitch, clear diction, and good volume and enthusiasm. Almost all pupils in the reception class and Years 1 and 2 joined in singing and performing the actions for a variety of religious songs. They responded very well to the instructions they were given to help them improve their Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 37 performance. A few pupils successfully added an accompaniment by playing a limited range of untuned percussion instruments; for example, castanets were used to reinforce the sound of birds pecking. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 sang very enthusiastically and signed a range of hymns. This was because of the school’s determination to include pupils who may be deaf. Pupils are aware that, when they add signing actions to their singing, they are using another language. Year 4 pupils successfully developed their understanding of

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MUSIC

ostinato during their lesson. First they split into four groups and each group repeated its own simple phrase in unison with the others. Then they progressed to playing a selection of musical instruments in the same rhythms. However, it was apparent that they did not have the experience of using tuned and untuned percussion that might be expected for pupils of this age. They did not know all of the instruments’ names and sometimes they did not play them correctly. Throughout, pupils showed a good level of concentration and they persevered when they found the activity difficult. All pupils, including those with special educational needs are supported well during musical activities.

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MUSIC

112. The teaching observed, most of which was by the coordinator, was good. It led to good learning during the sessions. The teacher used her secure subject knowledge to extend pupils’ understanding of how to improve their performance, for example, by clearly distinguishing between the long and the short notes in a tune.

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MUSIC

113. The school has adopted national guidance to ensure that the National Curriculum is appropriately covered, but until recently the range of work planned for pupils was limited. Pupils have had insufficient experience of playing a range of instruments in lessons, of composing and recording their own music or of appreciating a wide range of music. Some teachers do not have a secure understanding of how to cover some aspects of the curriculum. Individual teachers use music effectively in other subjects such as dance. Until recently the school had few musical instruments, so there were insufficient resources to teach a whole class. In addition, the emphasis on raising standards in literacy and numeracy has limited the amount of time allocated to music. All these factors mean that pupils of all abilities throughout the school do not achieve as well as they might.

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MUSIC

114. The school does not yet have the equipment necessary to enable pupils to compose music on computers. However, they do record their singing and evaluate their performance. For example, Year 6 pupils recorded their singing of a round and then discussed it and worked to improve their performance. The coordinator is well aware of the shortcomings in the range and quality of learning opportunities provided and of the lack of assessment procedures to record pupils’ knowledge and understanding and to guide what they need to learn next. To date she has had no release time from her own class to monitor teaching and to share her expertise formally with staff, other than through hymn practices and assemblies. Time has now been allocated for this, later this term. Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School - 38 115. The school does not have any extracurricular activities linked to music, but pupils do sing in the church and take part in carol singing and music festivals

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MUSIC

in the local area. Some pupils receive tuition in a range of musical instruments from teachers who visit the school each week. The range of music pupils experience is gradually expanding, for example, through listening to African music and learning African songs. However, overall, pupils have insufficient opportunities to listen to a wide range of music, either through recordings or live performances. This limits their cultural development. The quality of pupils’ singing in unison in assemblies makes a significant contribution to their spiritual development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

116. In most aspects of the subject, pupils make satisfactory progress and reach standards typical of those found in most schools. The standards have been maintained since the last inspection. The school provides swimming tuition at some time during the year for each year group. However, in 2001 only 50 per cent of Year 6 pupils were able to swim the national standard of 25 metres. This is unsatisfactory. Pupils now take part in gymnastics, dance and games activities each term.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

117. Pupils achieve steadily throughout the school. They show good control of their bodies and have a good awareness of space. Pupils in Key Stage 1 can stop and change direction without bumping into each other. In Year 2, pupils were seen refining their jumping and landing skills and developing a sequence of movements. Good passing skills were being developed in Years 4 and 5. Pupils throughout the school understand the effects that exercise has on their bodies and are aware of the importance of warming-up exercises prior to beginning skill practices.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

118. The quality of teaching is satisfactory in the infant classes and good in the junior classes. A very good lesson was seen in Year 6. This lesson was very well planned and the enthusiastic teaching brought out some wonderful responses to the music by the pupils. They worked individually and in pairs to create a very creative and imaginative dance that was developed during the lesson. Lessons are well planned with varied activities to improve the skills. Teachers manage the pupils well and they respond by taking part enthusiastically and behaving well in the lessons. Pupils are given the opportunity to evaluate their own and each other’s work. Teachers set good examples when they are teaching the subject. They are suitably dressed and pay attention to safe working practices.

p.45

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

119. Resources for the subject are good. They are conveniently stored and easily accessible. The coordinator has helped to put together a programme of work that helps to give staff confidence to teach the subject.

p.45