St Bernadette Catholic Junior School

ST BERNADETTE SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft 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.

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ST BERNADETTE SCHOOL

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.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: 4 Atkins Road Clapham Park London Postcode: SW12 0AB

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Fr. Christopher Basden

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 11 June 1996 St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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Team members

Linda Kelsey Registered inspector Pamela Goldsack Lay inspector Margaret Cooper Team inspector

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Team members

Gemini Inspections Ltd Brinkwells Storrington Road Thakeham West Sussex RH20 3EQ

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Team members

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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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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REPORT CONTENTS

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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REPORT CONTENTS

Achieves high standards compared with similar schools and above average standards compared nationally in all three core subjects.

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REPORT CONTENTS

All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language.

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REPORT CONTENTS

Most pupils at the school behave very well and have very good attitudes to work.

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REPORT CONTENTS

There is a high proportion of good teaching across the school. The good use of resources such as additional teaching and adult support, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment, support this good teaching.

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REPORT CONTENTS

There is strong leadership and management with a clear vision for educational improvement. A high priority is given to achieving good personal relationships and there is very good racial harmony among staff, governors and parents.

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REPORT CONTENTS

The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and that requirements are met regarding swimming.

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REPORT CONTENTS

The linking of IT themes and activities to other subjects.

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REPORT CONTENTS

Opportunities for pupils to have more responsibilities, to promote their own ideas and develop their own initiatives.

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REPORT CONTENTS

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 15

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REPORT CONTENTS

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 16 St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Bernadette RC Junior is an average sized school situated in the London Borough of Lambeth in an area of mixed housing. It shares a site with the girls’ secondary school to which the majority of girls transfer at the age of eleven. The majority of pupils come from St Bede’s Infants school, while others come from a wider area. A few pupils join the school during Key Stage 2. On roll there are 237 pupils from mixed ethnic backgrounds and slightly more girls than boys in the school. The number of pupils on the register for special educational needs is above average (42%). The number of pupils with a statement of special need is also above average. There is a high percentage of pupils who have English as an additional language (64%). The percentage of pupils who have free school meals is above average. Attainment on entry and social economic circumstances of the pupils are below average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is very effective in educating its pupils. Standards seen during the inspection are above national averages by the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils make good progress while at the school and develop literacy and numeracy skills well. In 1999 tests, by the end of Year 6, results were above average in English and mathematics and well above average in science. These results were very much better than schools with a similar intake. Teaching is good overall and the leadership and management of the school are strong. The overall effectiveness of the school and the unit cost per child are factors that contribute to the judgement that the school provides good value for money.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

What the school does well • Achieves high standards compared with similar schools and above average standards compared nationally in all three core subjects. • All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language. • Most pupils at the school behave very well and have very good attitudes to work. • There is a high proportion of good teaching across the school. The good use of resources such as additional teaching and adult support, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment, support this good teaching. • There is strong leadership and management of the school with a clear vision for educational improvement. A high priority is given to achieving good personal relationships and there is very good racial harmony among staff, governors and parents.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

What could be improved • The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure there is a good balance of subject time for every pupil and that the requirements are met regarding swimming. • The linking of information technology (IT) themes and activities to other subjects. • Opportunities for pupils to have more responsibilities, to promote their own ideas and develop their own initiatives. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school has improved greatly since it was last inspected in June 1996. Since then standards have continued to rise in English and mathematics and they have been maintained in science. Standards are now very high compared with schools with a similar intake of pupils. Standards have also improved for the high proportion of pupils who speak English as a second language and for those with special educational needs. Standards in IT are average and the resources for teaching IT are very much better, although more links with other subjects need to be made. Pupils make satisfactory progress in other subjects of the curriculum. However, the balance of teaching time for foundation subjects is not always as it should be.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Teaching has improved overall and is now more consistently good. The good attitudes and behaviour of the pupils have improved further and pupils’ relationships with each other and with adults are very good. There is a high level of racial harmony and pupils are keen to come to school. The headteacher and senior management team have continued to lead the school very effectively towards continued improvement in standards of work and to ensure St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft good care of the pupils. Governors are more active and they monitor standards of pupils’ work. The time given to the teaching of literacy and numeracy has improved standards overall but now needs careful monitoring to ensure it does not detract from time in other subjects. The headteacher has clear ideas about how the school can continue to improve in the future.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Standards are on an improving trend and pupils perform particularly well compared with schools with a similar intake of pupils. In 1999, the standards in English tests at the end of Key Stage 2 were above average nationally and well above average when compared with similar schools. Standards in reading are good but speaking and listening skills are occasionally limited by the pupils’ fluency in English. This is because the number of pupils with English as a second language is well above the national average (64%). In 1999, standards in mathematics tests were above average nationally and well above average compared with similar schools. This represents continued improvement since 1998. Science standards were well above average nationally and when compared with similar schools in the 1999 tests. Standards in IT are in line with national expectation and better than seen in a number of schools. Targets set by the school are realistic and challenging. However, teachers were too cautious

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

in their assessments last year. Because of pupils’ language fluency, they under-estimated how well pupils would do in tests, for instance in translating scientific terms into their mother language.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pupils enter the school with below average levels of literacy skills overall. Though a good number of children achieve standards typical of seven year olds, not enough pupils enter school having achieved the higher levels (level 3). Good opportunities for learning are given and they make good progress, throughout the school. This is why standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science in Year 6 are all above average. Pupils who have special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language (EAL) make very good progress. Although pupils make satisfactory progress in other subjects, it is not as good as it could be because insufficient time is given to the teaching of foundation subjects.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to school and this contributes significantly to their learning.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good around the school. Pupils enjoy doing well and little time is wasted in class.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Personal development and relationships Personal development is satisfactory. Pupils relate well to each other and to adults, but have few opportunities to take charge of their own learning or develop individual ideas or responsibilities. St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft Attendance Attendance is good and is carefully monitored. Few pupils are late for school and there are no exclusions.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Lessons seen Good 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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Teaching was good overall. Teaching was good in 14 lessons (67%) and very good in three (14%). It was satisfactory in four (19%). There was no unsatisfactory teaching seen during the inspection. Teachers plan lessons well and have very good expectations about what they want the pupils to learn. These are shared with pupils and, as a consequence, pupils' interest and concentration remain very good throughout lessons. Pupils are managed very well and as a result they behave impeccably and work hard. Basic skills are taught well in the core subjects and IT, and particularly well in literacy and numeracy. These basic literacy and numeracy skills are used well in other subjects but IT skills are not used sufficiently to support other subjects of the curriculum. The teaching of basic skills greatly benefits the needs of those pupils who have English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs. Regular amounts of homework are set and pupils complete this in a diligent way,

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

enabling them to better understand and consolidate the work introduced at school.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is broad and relevant, but lacks balance because of the lack of emphasis on the foundation subjects. Timing of some literacy lessons is long and this reduces the opportunities to teach other subjects of the curriculum.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. High quality support is offered to the pupils; individual education plans are regularly reviewed and parents are kept informed.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. The level of support from specialist teachers and outside agencies enables pupils to make good progress in improving their English. The commendable way in which these pupils are included in the school improves their self-esteem and confidence.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Pupils are friendly and courteous. They get on extremely well with each other, taking responsibility for their learning in class and at home. They know about different cultures, their own and others, but have little first hand knowledge of different faiths and religions from around the world. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to take responsibilities and develop and try out new ideas of their own.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The school has good arrangements for the pupils in its care. Procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare are good. Governors monitor health and safety arrangements in the school to a high standard. However, the playground is uneven although few accidents have occurred as a result. St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school is managed very well. The headteacher provides very effective leadership, ably assisted by the committed senior management team and teaching staff. There is a shared commitment to improvement and capacity to succeed.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Although there are some minor omissions in the prospectus and annual report to parents, governors are conscientious and well informed, and play a key role in shaping the direction of the school. They fulfil their responsibilities well.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school’s evaluation of its performance There are good procedures for monitoring the school’s performance. The school applies many of the principles of best value for money.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The strategic use of resources The school makes good use of the resources available, including teaching staff.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • The school expects children to do their best. • The teaching is good. • They can approach the school with questions and problems. • Their children like school. • The leadership and management. • Children are given the right amount of homework. • Behaviour is good. • The school works closely with parents. • Their children make good progress. • The school helps their children to mature. • No issues were identified.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Parents were very positive about the school and there was very little dissatisfaction. The inspectors support all these views and feel parents are right to be pleased with the school . St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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Achieves high standards compared with similar schools and above average standards compared

1. Pupils enter the school with below average levels of literacy skills overall, even though a good number of children achieve standards typical of seven year olds in Key Stage 1 tests. However, few pupils enter school having achieved the higher levels. Tests administered by the school confirm that standards are below average overall when pupils start in Year 3.

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Achieves high standards compared with similar schools and above average standards compared

2. In 1999, standards in English at the end of Key Stage 2 were above average nationally and well above average when compared with similar schools. Pupils behave well in class and listen carefully to instructions from the teachers. Speaking skills are less well developed because of the high number of pupils who lack fluency in English. An example of this was the lesson where pupils were annotating an extract from ‘Carrie’s War’. They could identify phrases that gave them clues to the characters of Carrie and Miss Evans. They show considerable empathy with the characters whose roles they perform. A good proportion of the class could ask questions about individual characters, but some pupils were constrained by their limited knowledge of English language.

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Achieves high standards compared with similar schools and above average standards compared

3. Reading is good, but the extent of the difficulties with English as a second language prevents writing from being as good as this. In another Year 6 class pupils could identify similes and metaphors in some text. They could describe characters and this work was in line with expectation for this year group. Standards overall are on an improving trend and pupils perform particularly well compared with schools with a similar intake of pupils. The targets set for pupils this year are good. Pupils are likely to achieve similar results to last year and be above average overall. However, this is not consistent with teachers’ assessments which show lower standards this year. Assessment arrangements are good but teachers last year under-estimated how well the pupils would do.

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Achieves high standards compared with similar schools and above average standards compared

4. In 1999, standards in mathematics were above average nationally and well above average when compared with similar schools. The trend in standards has been one of continued improvement since 1996, although against national trends this improvement has been slower. Teachers’ assessments this year for the current Year 6 estimate that pupils will not do as well as last year. However, standards seen during the inspection were above average across the school and assessments last year under-estimated the number of pupils that would achieve the higher level (level 5). In one Year 6 class pupils worked long multiplication to find the area of a measured object such as the playground. This demonstrated good application of a skill. Others in the class could calculate circumference and diameter and use pi. They set this out in a chart to help their calculations which shows good levels of achievement.

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Achieves high standards compared with similar schools and above average standards compared

5. Science standards were well above average nationally and when compared with similar schools in the 1999 tests. Standards are likely to be equally high this year. Pupils in Year 6 were able to wire a plug competently and write out the instructions and draw diagrams accurately for someone else to follow. This is a good level of achievement for this age group. Standards in IT are in line with national expectation and better than seen in a number of schools. In Year 6, pupils could record sound and use this to build up a presentation of slides using software. They could select different fonts, size and order each slide and decide how they would present their work for a specific audience. St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

6. All pupils make good progress, throughout the school and this is evident in results compared with similar schools. Pupils who have special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language (EAL) make good progress. Pupils who have English as a second language make good progress because of the high quality support by class room helpers and support staff. They develop their skills in literacy well and make use of these to improve their standards across other subjects of the curriculum. Pupils who are on the register for special educational needs make good progress towards their targets in individual education plans. In one Year 6 class a support assistant was giving good quality help to a pupil with a statement of special need. This helped to clarify the work for him, and also helped to focus his attention on the lesson and make good progress. In a Year 3 class the co-ordinator for special educational needs was supporting six

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

pupils in a literacy lesson. Her explanation and guidance helped the pupils so that their concentration was maintained and the progress they made was good. In another lesson in Year 3 the support offered to pupils extended their understanding of the work of Allan Ahlberg. High quality provision for pupils who have emotional or behaviour difficulties is a strong feature of the school.

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

7. Pupils make satisfactory progress in other subjects of the curriculum but progress is not as good as it could be if more time was given to the teaching of foundation subjects. The long sessions devoted to teaching literacy and numeracy, whilst improving standards in these subjects, are affecting the balance of time being given to other subjects. As a result standards in the foundation subjects are not as good. Opportunities to link subjects of the curriculum, such as activities in IT or history which would cover literacy topics, are not exploited fully enough. In one design and technology lesson pupils were withdrawn for additional literacy work away from the group. In this instance, work could have been linked better to the subject.

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

Most pupils at the school behave very well and have very good attitudes to work.

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

8. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good and a strength of the school. This good attitude to work, including their diligence over completing homework assignments, helps pupils to do better at school when compared with pupils in similar schools. They listen well to teachers’ instructions and are keen to learn. They respond to teachers’ questions sensibly and show good levels of concentration and skills in listening. This contributes to the improved standards seen in literacy at the school. They work hard and rarely waste time in class, taking pride in making sure that their work is neat and well presented. An example of this is the clear diagrams they produce to illustrate scientific experiments or sketches of different parts of a plant. Their work in mathematics books is well set out and this helps pupils get more sums correct, as numbers are correctly placed in the right column when adding or subtracting large numbers.

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

9. Attendance is good and good arrangements are in place to encourage pupils to be prompt and to discourage parents from taking holidays in the school term. Pupils enjoy coming to school and as a result attendance is above the national average. There are no exclusions.

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

10. Behaviour is very good in the school and pupils are aware of the school rules. They get on very well with each other and with adults in the school. Relationships in the school between all the different groups of pupils are very harmonious and they appreciate each other’s differences. An example of this was the Year 6 boy who took on the role of a female character in a literacy session, without any embarrassment or silliness. They are able to take turns, contribute to class discussions by raising their hands and rarely call out or distract others from working. All pupils St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft are polite and share equipment with each other.

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All pupils make good progress, in particular those with special educational needs and those who have

11. Personal development of the pupils is satisfactory. Pupils are friendly and courteous to each other. They relate well to each other socially at lunch times and in the playground. They work independently and conscientiously during lessons. However, not enough opportunities are being given for them to take responsibility including their own learning. Whilst spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good overall, pupils know about different cultures, their own and others, they have little first hand knowledge of different faiths and religions from around the world.

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additional teaching and adult helpers, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment support

12. Teaching was good overall. Teaching was good in 14 lessons (67%) and very good in three (14%). It was satisfactory in four(19%). There was no unsatisfactory teaching seen during the inspection.

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additional teaching and adult helpers, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment support

13. Teachers plan lessons well and have high expectations about what they want the pupils to learn. These are shared with pupils and, as a consequence, pupils' interest and concentration remain very good throughout lessons. Teachers have good knowledge and understanding of subjects, including the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. The independent group tasks set for pupils in literacy lessons are purposeful and linked closely to the focus of the skills being taught. These tasks are also planned well to meet the needs of individual pupils. As a result of this good planning and subject knowledge pupils learn basic skills well. However, the literacy sessions are occasionally too long and this inappropriate imbalance of curriculum time results in some pupils becoming restless or inattentive. This occurred after two very demanding lessons where pupils had sat and listened to teachers for a long time. There is also a lack of opportunities for pupils to

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additional teaching and adult helpers, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment support

undertake their own research and investigations. This prevents independence in learning and good personal development and responsibility.

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additional teaching and adult helpers, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment support

14. Pupils are managed very well and as a result they behave impeccably and work hard. There is a good working environment in most classes and this results in conscientious application and productive learning. Any inappropriate behaviour is dealt with immediately. Teachers use resources well and this aids pupils’ learning and helps better understanding. Work in the computer suite is a good example of where teaching of basic skills in IT is helping to improve standards in this subject. The basic skills are taught well in the core subjects and IT, and particularly well in literacy and numeracy. This enables pupils to use these skills in other lessons, although in IT the skills learnt could be used to better effect to support other subjects of the curriculum. Teachers mark pupils’ work well and the helpful comments give pupils clear guidance on how they might improve. The lack of good assessment of pupils’ skills in IT prevents teachers from knowing how

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additional teaching and adult helpers, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment support

well pupils are doing and what might be the next stage of learning.

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additional teaching and adult helpers, as well as the use of specialist teachers and equipment support

15. The teaching of basic skills greatly benefits the needs of those pupils who have English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs. Support staff provide high quality help which has a positive impact on the progress pupils make. All pupils are included in the class activity through this good on-going support. The use of a specialist coach for aspects of physical education (PE) is having a good impact on standards in this subject. Regular amounts of homework are set and pupils complete this in a diligent way, enabling them to better understand work introduced at school. St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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priority is given to achieving good personal relationships and there is very good racial harmony

16. Leadership and management of the school is very strong and has continued to improve since the last inspection. Both the headteacher and the chair of governors, together with the staff, share an educational vision based on a strong ethos. This caring and valuing of all individuals and the supporting of a strong work ethic produces high standards and good relationships throughout the school. Procedures for child protection are in place.

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priority is given to achieving good personal relationships and there is very good racial harmony

17. The headteacher has very good relationships with staff and parents and has built a strong and effective team of teachers and support staff. There is close monitoring of teaching and standards by the headteacher and co-ordinators. They observe lessons and study the pupils’ books in core subjects. However the effect of reduced teaching time for many foundation subjects has not been evaluated to see what impact this is having on progress in these subjects. Targets are set for school improvement and the school has addressed all the issues raised in the last report. Co-ordinators have responsibility for their own areas and audit these to plan the next stages of development. The school has won an award for its commitment to ‘Investors in People’. Parents are very positive about the work of the school.

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priority is given to achieving good personal relationships and there is very good racial harmony

18. Governors are fully involved in the life of the school and monitor teaching in lessons. They fulfil their responsibilities effectively, although there are some minor omissions in the annual report to parents and in the prospectus. Governors initiate their own criteria for risk assessment. There are some issues regarding safe access to the pond for younger children who may visit the school and the school is now aware of these. Governors identify their own priorities for school development and negotiate these with the senior management of the school. Financial planning is closely linked to school development and educational priorities. Good use is made of specific grants awarded to the school. The school applies many of the principles of best value for money. An example of this was the setting up and resourcing of the new computer suite. The choice of a contractor for this resource was based on both financial considerations and educational demands. Its regular use by a

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priority is given to achieving good personal relationships and there is very good racial harmony

specialist teacher has led to the raising of standards in IT.

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

19. The curriculum is broad and balanced and the school offers a satisfactory range of learning opportunities. It covers all subjects of the National Curriculum and statutory requirements are met in all subjects except PE. The curriculum offers opportunities to learn about sex education and drug misuse. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. Literacy and numeracy are well taught, the range of extra-curricular activities is good and most pupils are given an equal and fair opportunity to experience all subjects of the curriculum. However there is an element of imbalance in the curriculum. This is as a result of the school’s priorities on teaching literacy skills to the pupils, especially the high number of pupils with English as an additional language. Whilst this results in better standards for these pupils, the time given to teaching literacy is high, often over and above the hour recommended to schools. In addition to this, a number of

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

pupils are withdrawn for additional literacy support, often missing the teaching of other subjects of the curriculum. This affects pupils learning in foundation subjects and as a result progress is not as good as it should be. Not enough time is given to teaching geography, history, art, and design and technology. There was less work on these areas of the curriculum St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft and opportunities are missed to link subjects together, where for instance literacy skills could be taught through other subjects of the curriculum such as history and IT. Teachers are not currently monitoring the effect an imbalance of other subjects is having on overall standards and progress in the foundation subjects.

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

20. The school has decided to postpone the teaching of swimming because of the time it takes to transport pupils to the local swimming pool and the cost involved. As a result there are currently no swimming lessons during Key Stage 2. This does not meet the requirement within the PE curriculum for pupils to be able to swim 25 metres by the time they reach Year 6.

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

The linking of IT themes and activities to other subjects.

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

21. Standards in IT are in line with national expectation by the end of Key Stage 2. Pupils are making very good progress in this subject, especially more recently since the school has set up the new computer suite. Pupils use word processing, desk top publishing and data handling programs. They are able to control the mouse to highlight text and pictures and cut and paste these in other programs. They are able to change font styles and size, and edit pictures and text. They are able to save and load work from disks and CD-ROMs. They use the Internet to search for information. They have drawn up charts to log and analyse prices of pizzas for a project in class. Pupils in Year 3 could load their own text from disk, search for a picture to combine with the text and arrange both on a page. This illustrates good achievement, which is above expectation for most of the pupils. Year 6 pupils could build up a sequence of frames for a presentation of text, pictures

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

and sound, and this illustrates good progress for the older pupils. Activities for the teaching of IT are planned to improve pupils’ skills in using IT. The use of the new computer suite and the teaching by a specialist teacher is helping to improve standards for this subject.

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

22. The curriculum is concentrating on providing pupils with new skills and this is proving successful, as pupils are making good progress in learning. The scheme of work being used is helping to guide teaching staff in using the new software on the new equipment. The teacher in charge is knowledgeable and as a result pupils are becoming confident users. However, as yet there are no systems to assess pupils’ skills so that class teachers know how to use these in class with other activities and linked to other subjects.

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The monitoring of the curriculum to ensure good balance of subject time for every pupil and ensure

23. IT is not so well used in other subjects of the curriculum or in other class lessons other than those taught in the computer suite. This limits the opportunities to make use of the newly acquired skills. An example of a good use of IT was in one art lesson where pupils were studying the work of Georgia O’Keefe and IT was used to provide an opportunity of using another medium for pupils to illustrate work. Pupils had edited their designs of flowers and evaluated that this medium would be a good one to use for products such as wrapping paper or wallpaper. This was a very good use of skills in art lessons where the use of IT skills helped to support the art curriculum. However these opportunities are often limited because IT is being taught in isolation from other subjects. Planning is not linked to work with other topics being studied and learning in other subjects is not enhanced by opportunities to use IT skills.

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Opportunities for pupils to have more responsibilities to promote their own ideas and develop their

24. The personal development of pupils at the school is satisfactory overall and pupils relate well to each other and to adults, including their helpers. However, opportunities for pupils to have more responsibilities around the school are limited. Some are given responsibilities such as returning registers and working the Hi-fi in assembly. At lunch times they give out cups and drinks to other St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft pupils. At the beginning of the school year the oldest pupils help the youngest to settle in the new school. These are all good examples of how pupils can be relied on to take responsibility. However, opportunities are missed, such as taking charge of a table of younger pupils at lunchtime. Present routines make pupils sit in silence and the potential for social interaction is missed. The school has recently dismantled the library in order to set up the computer suite.

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Opportunities for pupils to have more responsibilities to promote their own ideas and develop their

Opportunities to engage in individual research are missed, as pupils are unable to work independently and unsupervised away from the class. Some pupils help answer telephone calls but these activities are not regular or on a rolling programme for all pupils. In the last report it was noted that there was no school council or group to which pupils could relate with their own ideas for the school. There is currently no opportunity for pupils to promote their own ideas or develop their own initiatives. In one class pupils were writing newspaper articles. This had not been used to develop independent skills further such as the production of a school magazine, which would also extend IT skills already developed. St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

25. To improve the school further, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Adjust and monitor the breadth and balance of the planned curriculum for all pupils by:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• making good use of time by linking learning across subject content when opportunities arise, such as in English and IT • keeping stricter times on lessons so that a better balance of other subjects can be taught • ensuring that pupils with literacy and special educational needs do not miss out on learning other subjects when doing additional work in literacy • re-introducing swimming into the PE curriculum, in line with requirements to teach pupils to be able to swim 25 metres by the end of Key Stage 2

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Continue to improve standards in IT by:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• ensuring more activities link closely to topics being studied in other subjects • assessing pupils’ skills to help them make better progress in their use of different kinds of software • building on the start already made in providing good and regular access to the use of equipment by increasing this access in the classroom

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop their personal and social skills through:-

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• more planned times within lessons for children to take responsibility for their own learning. • introducing systems which develop independent roles and responsibilities. • letting children contribute more directly to the running of the school community.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(Paragraph numbers 11, 13, 24, ) St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 21 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 39

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor 0 14 67 19 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Y3 – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 237 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 70 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Y3 – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 5 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 83

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 175

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 9 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8 St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 5.1 School data 0.3 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 28 32 60

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 20 18 27 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 27 27 29

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 78 75 93 at NC level 4 or above National 70 (65) 69 (59) 78 (69)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 12 19 21 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 21 29 29

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 55 80 83 at NC level 4 or above National 68 (65) 69 (65) 75 (71) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 52 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 72 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 6 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 3 Chinese 0 0 White 103 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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.

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Qualified teachers and classes: Y3 – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.2 Financial year 1999

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Qualified teachers and classes: Y3 – Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher Average class size 30 £ Total income 685184

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Qualified teachers and classes: Y3 – Y6

Education support staff: Y3 – Y6 Total expenditure 680562 Total number of education support staff 8 Expenditure per pupil 2884

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Qualified teachers and classes: Y3 – Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 115 Balance brought forward from previous year Balance carried forward to next year 46784 St Bernadette RC Junior School June 2000 - 2nd reader draft

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 61 35 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 64 33 1 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 60 38 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 63 31 4 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 73 25 0 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 82 18 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 64 31 3 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 76 22 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 65 29 1 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 52 33 8 1 4

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