St Thomas More Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School

ST THOMAS MORE RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 − 17 January 2001

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ST THOMAS MORE RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 191282 Short inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Thomas More RC Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Greenway Berkhamsted Hertfordshire Postcode: HP4 3LF

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr F Furlong

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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.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members 21854 Dr C Lee Registered inspector 9708 Mrs S Daintrey Lay inspector 20645 Ms R Webber Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Bench Marque Ltd National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN

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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 London WC2B 6SE St Thomas More RC Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Thomas More Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School is slightly smaller than the average-size primary school. The school serves the parishes of Berkhamsted and Tring. Pupils’ socio-economic backgrounds represent a broad range that is above average overall. In Reception to Year to 6 there are currently 211 pupils, 97 boys and 128 girls. Twenty-nine children attend the nursery in the mornings. The nursery class has been established since the last inspection. Taken overall, children’s attainment when they start in the nursery class at the age of three is above average for their age. The school has 19 pupils from ethnic minority groups and eleven of these have English as an additional language although none require specialist support. Fourteen per cent of pupils are on the register of special educational needs and this is below the national average. Two pupils have statements of special educational need and this, at 0.9 per cent, is also below average. The percentage of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

pupils eligible for free school meals, currently two per cent, is well below average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school that meets pupils’ needs very effectively. Pupils make good progress and achieve very good standards that have improved steadily since the last inspection. At the age of five, standards overall are above average. By the age of seven, pupils achieve standards that are well above average in English, mathematics and science. Further good progress from age seven onwards results in standards being very high in English and well above average in mathematics and science at the age of eleven. Pupils’ personal development is excellent and they make an outstanding contribution to the quality of life in the school. Teaching is good and leadership and management of the school are very good. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and the school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils attain standards in English and mathematics that are well above average with English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven • Excellent leadership and very good management promote high standards in all aspects of the school’s work • A very good curriculum is provided that extends the statutory National Curriculum with a wide range of additional learning opportunities • Excellent monitoring and evaluation of all aspects of the school’s work are the foundation of good school improvement • Information gathered from very good assessment of pupils’ learning is used very well to plan the next stage in their learning and to establish targets that they should work towards

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What could be improved

• Standards in mathematics that are achieved by pupils aged five to seven years* • The opportunities provided across all subjects for developing pupils’ writing skills* • The planning and co-ordination of work for more able pupils* The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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What could be improved

*These aspects have been identified by the school as needing improvement and are included in the current school improvement plan. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good improvement since the last inspection in January 1997. There have been changes in the school’s leadership during this period with the appointment of a new headteacher and deputy headteacher. All the key issues from that inspection have been addressed very conscientiously and all weaknesses have been eradicated. Improvements in the teaching of science and physical education at Key Stage 2 have resulted from the appointment of teachers with specialist expertise and the sharing of good practice. Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work shows good improvement and now indicates very clearly what pupils should do in order to improve. Comprehensive curriculum guidelines have been introduced for all subjects and these provide good long-term plans. Procedures for child protection have been formalised and all staff are well informed about these procedures. In addition to the key issues, improvement has also been achieved since the last inspection in the quality of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

teaching and of the curriculum, in the assessment of pupils’ learning and in the monitoring of standards. As a result, pupils’ standards show good improvement, most notably in writing and science by the age of seven and in English, mathematics and science by the age of eleven. The excellence of the procedures for monitoring and evaluating all aspects of the school’s work means that there is a very good capacity for continuing improvement.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

science A A A* A very high well above average above average average below average well below average A* A B C D E

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Key

Between 1997 and 2000 the school’s results showed a trend of rising standards that has exceeded the national trend. There has been a very significant improvement in the percentages of pupils reaching the higher-than-average Level 5 in English, mathematics and science by the time they leave school. The overall 2000 results place the school in the highest five per cent nationally in all three subjects. The school sets itself challenging but realistic targets for the percentages reaching the required levels in the national tests in English and mathematics. Targets were exceeded in 2000. Pupils now in Year 6 are in line to exceed the 2001 English target and reach that for mathematics. They currently achieve very high standards in English and well above average standards in mathematics and science.

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Key

The work of pupils in Year 2 shows that they are in line to achieve at least well above average standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science by the age of seven. This reverses a downward trend in mathematics that has occurred annually since 1997 while standards in other subjects are being maintained. In both the nursery and the reception class, children’s standards are above those expected for their respective ages. The good progress that pupils make between the ages of five and eleven is a confirmation that they are achieving standards that are often higher than can reasonably be expected by the time they transfer to secondary St Thomas More RC Primary School - 8 education.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very good attitudes to all aspects of school life

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good behaviour in lessons, during recreation periods and when moving around the school

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent relationships between all pupils and staff and between pupils of all ages. Personal development by pupils is also excellent and is a strength of the school

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good, well above national attendance figures and negligible unauthorised absence

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Lessons seen overall Good Good 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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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

In the 23 lessons seen, teaching was very good in 26 per cent, good in 48 per cent and satisfactory in the remaining 26 per cent. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen during the inspection. All teachers have very good relationships with pupils and maintain good class management. They have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, attitudes and standards to be achieved that result in good rates of learning in nearly 90 per cent of lessons. Support staff are used very well in literacy and numeracy lessons and these staff teach well the pupils that they are responsible for. Teachers and support staff are very good at ongoing assessment of pupils’ learning and progress. Teachers use this assessment information very well for planning the next stage in pupils’ learning and for setting specific targets for pupils to work towards. An excellent feature of teachers’ planning is the provision of learning activities that are matched very well to the specific needs of individual pupils or groups of

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

pupils. This provision enables pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs, to make good progress. There is good teaching of literacy and numeracy throughout the school with very good teaching of the basic skills. Pupils’ progress and learning are good in these aspects. In all lessons, pupils show very good effort and strive to achieve high standards. They are highly motivated by the target setting and they respond very well to the feedback from their teachers, whether this is verbal during lessons or through the good quality marking, and this enables pupils to gain very good knowledge of their own learning. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good provision with National Curriculum programmes of study extended by a wide range of additional learning opportunities

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good provision throughout the school ensures that needs are met well and pupils make good progress

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development that results in the corresponding excellence of pupils’ overall personal development

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory procedures ensure pupils’ welfare, including child protection. Excellent monitoring and support of pupils’ academic progress that includes very good assessment of their learning

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Aspect Comment

Parents hold very good views of the school and home and school work in a close partnership that is particularly evident in the joint commitment to establishing and maintaining the nursery provision.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher’s excellent leadership stimulates very good school management, in which all key staff carry out their responsibilities very effectively

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good fulfilment of responsibilities. Governors are thoroughly involved and know the school’s strengths and weaknesses well

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent self-evaluation procedures enable the school to identify priorities, set itself targets and pursue very effective courses of action for future improvement

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good use of physical and human resources and prudent management of finances

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Aspect Comment

The principles of best value are applied very well. Pupils and parents are regularly consulted about school initiatives, the school is constantly challenging itself and its pupils, is mindful of how it compares with other schools and seeks the very best value in all services that it requires. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 10

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school • Children’s good progress • The good behaviour • The good teaching • How the school deals with their questions or problems • The school has high expectations of its pupils • Good leadership and management • How pupils are helped to become mature and responsible • The information provided about children’s progress • The extent to which the school works closely with parents

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors endorse all the aspects that please parents. However, they do not support the concerns expressed by some parents. There are good formal and informal arrangements throughout the school year for parents to discuss their children’s progress and specific targets with teachers. Annual reports are thorough and provide clear indications of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. There is good evidence of parents being welcomed in the school and good parental involvement occurs both in classrooms and around the school. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 11

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

1. The school’s results in national tests at the age of seven have shown an upward trend in reading and writing for the past three years. At the same time there has been a gradual fall in mathematics but the work seen during the inspection shows that the school has now successfully reversed that trend and standards are rising. Standards being achieved by the current Year 2 pupils, who will take the tests in 2001, are well above average in mathematics, as they are in English. In the national tests for eleven- year-olds, the school’s results have improved significantly during the past five years and show a trend of improvement that is greater than has occurred nationally. In the latest tests in 2000, pupils’ results placed the school in the top five per cent of all schools in English, mathematics and science. Those pupils now in Year 6 are maintaining standards close to these levels, especially in English where standards are

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

very high indeed. However, it is indicative of the school’s drive for further improvement that fresh targets are constantly being set in order to meet one of its stated aims that seeks to offer challenge leading to the highest standards of personal achievement.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

2. Monitoring of pupils’ progress is an ongoing, rigorous process which, together with detailed evaluation of performance in the tests, is used very constructively to analyse individual pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. Short-term targets are set for pupils and longer-term objectives are established for areas of learning where further improvement is judged to be possible. After the 2000 tests, the school identified three priorities. First, a need for general improvement in mathematics standards by the more able pupils aged five to seven. Second, continuing improvement in writing standards and, third, improvement of boys’ levels of achievement particularly between the ages of seven and eleven. The school is making good progress in achieving improvement in all three areas.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

3. The gradual fall in seven-year-olds’ mathematics test results has been due to the declining percentages of pupils reaching the higher than average Level 3. Early identification of pupils having the potential to achieve this level, combined with improved planning of learning activities for pupils of all abilities, are having a good impact on pupils’ learning. At least a third of the current Year 2 class are already achieving beyond the expected Level 2. They count quickly in hundreds, state approximate answers to subtraction sums before calculating precisely, know that 500 is halfway between zero and 1000 and say and write correctly numbers up to 500.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

4. Standards in English are a major strength of the school. There is a steady progression from the nursery, where standards are above expectation for the age, to well above average standards at age seven and very high standards at age eleven. Pupils of all ages are encouraged to develop their speaking and listening skills and teachers use every opportunity to aid these developments. In all lessons, teachers make very good use of questioning and pupils consider responses carefully so that, when they answer, they do so clearly and confidently. This deliberation was evident in all lessons seen during the inspection, for example the extended answers given by Year 2 pupils when discussing different characters in a story and the carefully considered views of Year 4 pupils about a polluted river during a drama lesson. Year 6 pupils showed maturity and excellent articulation in a mock trial of King Herod and the three Wise Men when

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

St Thomas More RC Primary School - 12 confident expression of personal views was very evident and a high standard of debate was achieved. Teachers urge pupils to consider the vocabulary that they use, both in conversation and in formal question and answer sessions. This results in the use of lively, stimulating language and, whenever necessary, correct terminology. All teachers ask consistently for the reasons that pupils have for the things that they say and for the ways in which they are tackling their work. Pupils in all classes are always asked to explain their working methods in mental mathematical calculations and they do so clearly and accurately. In a Year 5 geography lesson, from the time that a wide range of specific terminology about rivers was introduced at the start of the lesson, pupils used these terms with quickly increasing accuracy and understanding in all subsequent discussion.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

5. A range of strategies has been adopted successfully by the school in order to achieve further improvement in the standard of pupils’ writing. Regular monitoring of pupils’ work and, by lesson observation, of the quality of teaching enables the English co- ordinator and headteacher to evaluate the impact of fresh initiatives. The very high standards that are achieved result from the emphasis placed by all teachers on pupils’ acquisition of the technical skills of writing and on the use of all subjects as opportunities for these skills to be developed. Pupils are set very specific targets so that they can work systematically at improving particular aspects of their writing. Pupils assess their own progress towards meeting targets and negotiate fresh targets with teachers when ready. Parents are fully involved in this process, having opportunities to discuss these targets at parent consultation meetings each term.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

6. Pupils’ knowledge of grammar, punctuation and spelling builds systematically on what has been learned before. Handwriting develops well from the good habits of correct letter formation that are started successfully in the reception class. Pupils learn a basic structure for writing stories that becomes more complex as they get older. The sentences and short stories written by Year 2 pupils make good use of adjectives to describe characters and events. Year 3 pupils have a very good understanding of the sequencing of the key incidents in their stories. By Year 6, stories have an impressive depth that involve plots and sub-plots. Pupils use a wide range of interesting vocabulary and their writing reflects a very good appreciation of style that has arisen from their study of different authors and that is subsequently applied to their own writing in order to achieve desired effects.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

7. Teachers provide a very wide range of opportunities for pupils to write in different forms. Year 5 pupils show good understanding of the form of language that is appropriate for a diary in their excellent diary entries supposedly written by a Greek soldier after the battle of Marathon. The same class have produced vivid descriptions of the Titanic disaster in the form of word-processed newspaper articles. Poetry writing produces powerful imagery through choice of vocabulary. By Year 6, pupils have experienced playwriting, learned the format for writing dialogue, written very informative book and film reviews and all to a very high standard.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

8. Substantial pieces of written work are completed by Year 6 pupils in other subjects, for example the history project on Britain since the 1930s, in which pupils’ excellent research skills result in extensive descriptive and factual accounts that reflect both high standards of writing and well above average levels of historical knowledge.

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English standards being very high by the time pupils leave the school at age eleven

9. The school is eradicating successfully the slightly lower achievement levels of boys in writing. An audit of resources highlighted a need for a broader range of texts to be introduced to seven to eleven-year-old pupils in literacy lessons as stimuli for their reading and writing. Resource improvement, coupled with teachers’ planning that St Thomas More RC Primary School - 13 produces a very careful match between learning activities and individual pupils’ needs, abilities and interests, have raised standards to a point where no discernible difference between boys and girls has been evident during the inspection in either the work completed in lessons or in the scrutiny of the most recently completed work.

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aspects of the school’s work

10. All teaching staff have areas of specific responsibility within the management structure of the school. The successful performance of roles and responsibilities by individual staff results from a combination of their own enthusiasm and expertise, the school’s very good policies and procedures and, above all else, from the example set by the headteacher. The clarity of her vision of the school’s aims and values is reflected in practical terms through the success with which these aims permeate the school’s work. She sets high standards for all members of the school community and the resultant shared sense of purpose and commitment enables these high standards to be realised. Parents refer very positively to the headteacher’s ‘open door’ policy and they, like pupils and staff, are appreciative of the approachability that this encourages. In the two years of her leadership of the school, the headteacher has quickly

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aspects of the school’s work

established a leadership style that aims very successfully for ongoing school improvement through purposeful direction, team spirit and respect for the views of pupils, parents and staff.

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aspects of the school’s work

11. The very able deputy headteacher, although new to the post, provides good reinforcement of the educational direction for school development and a consistent approach to management of the school. Subject co-ordinators provide further very good support through their thorough knowledge of performance in their respective subjects. This is achieved successfully by scrutiny of pupils' work and monitoring of teachers’ planning. Co-ordinators have clear action plans for developments of their subjects that are constantly being reviewed. The newly appointed co-ordinators for literacy, science and physical education receive excellent support from the headteacher so that continuity in provision and management is maintained. The headteacher’s encouragement of the governing body to take an active role in all forms of ongoing review has had a very positive response from governors and led to staff and governors working in close and successful partnership. The initiative of Governor Days,

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aspects of the school’s work

when individual governors observe classroom practice and monitor provision in the subjects with which they are individually linked, promotes very successfully the governing body’s managerial role. At all levels, the school’s leadership and management achieve considerable success due to the detailed knowledge that all personnel have of every aspect of the school’s work, of the work and progress of individual pupils and of the priority placed on the highest quality relationships between pupils and staff. This achievement is personified by the headteacher’s very skilful leadership that has earned the obvious respect of all members of the school and the wider community.

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with a wide range of additional learning opportunities

12. Detailed long- and medium-term planning of each subject provides a very good foundation for pupils’ learning, ensuring that it is broad, balanced and systematically building on what is learned at each stage. By teachers checking that all time allocated to the teaching of each subject is used with maximum efficiency, the range of learning St Thomas More RC Primary School - 14 opportunities provided for pupils has been broadened in order that all aspects of pupils’ development are fully catered for.

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with a wide range of additional learning opportunities

13. An excellent programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education has been introduced in all classes from the start of this academic year. Carefully chosen themes are introduced very skilfully by teachers and this formal teaching of thoroughly-planned learning activities is an extension of the school’s already excellent provision for pupils’ general personal development. The success of the overall provision is the consequent excellence in the personal development achieved by all pupils. This is evident in the care and concern shown by older pupils for younger ones, not only in the ‘Special Friends’ scheme, where newcomers are allocated a friend to help them through the settling-in period, but in the consistently high quality relationships that are evident in lessons and at recreation times. The dedication of the school council and its impact on school life, the politeness and conscientiousness of Year 6 pupils as they carry out

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with a wide range of additional learning opportunities

their wide range of responsibilities and the school’s excellent involvement in charity work, are all indicative of the qualities being fostered so successfully.

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with a wide range of additional learning opportunities

14. Pupils’ learning in the individual subjects of the curriculum is developed very successfully by the provision of a broad range of experiences that extend their knowledge and understanding through first-hand practical experience and instruction by personnel with high levels of expertise. This is partially achieved by the regular flow of visitors and use of educational visits but also by the timetabling of specific weeks during the year when the whole school focuses on a particular subject. One objective of such a week is to enable pupils to experience learning activities that would not normally be part of the long-term planning of a subject. For example, during an Art Week pupils of all ages were able to work on a very large sculpture project with a visiting artist. The planning of a forthcoming Physical Education Week includes golf instruction. Book Weeks enable pupils to work with authors, poets and illustrators. Occasionally

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with a wide range of additional learning opportunities

additional, unplanned learning opportunities arise as in a Science Week when helium- filled balloons with identification tags were released at the start of the week. The school had the collective delight of an impromptu visit later in the week by two Dutch motorcyclists who decided to return, in person, a balloon that reached Holland. The learning opportunities that these weeks provide combine practical activity, workshops and performance and are a significant enrichment of the statutory curriculum that develops very significantly the breadth and depth of pupils’ learning.

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foundation of good ongoing school improvement

15. The headteacher has introduced a wide range of procedures for evaluating pupil and staff performance that are applied successfully by staff. These procedures identify relevant targets and predictors of future performance that enable resources and teaching to be focused on improvements in standards, both of pupils’ work and of the quality of teaching and subject co-ordination.

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foundation of good ongoing school improvement

16. Several school policies have been developed in order that procedures for monitoring and evaluation can be improved. There are clear guidelines for the observation of teaching, the provision of feedback, the sampling of pupils’ work and for the analysis of data arising from pupils' performance in tests in Years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

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foundation of good ongoing school improvement

17. The observation of lessons follows a clearly-defined format and schedule. Most observations are carried out by the headteacher and, on occasion, the deputy headteacher. Subject co-ordinators carry out observations if they are appropriate to the St Thomas More RC Primary School - 15 type of support that a colleague has requested. However, a co-ordinator’s monitoring role is more flexible and support is more usually provided by working alongside a colleague or teaching a demonstration lesson. In this way, good practice is very successfully shared amongst staff. There is a clear definition of responsibilities in relation to lesson observation with the headteacher primarily responsible for providing feedback on teaching while other observers focus on the quality of pupils’ learning and confine feedback to that aspect of their observation. If a co-ordinator identifies aspects of teaching that warrants comment, these are discussed with the headteacher who, in

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foundation of good ongoing school improvement

turn, may decide to raise teaching issues with the teacher concerned. In addition to verbal feedback, the headteacher provides a written Strengths/Development report for teachers. These are very effective lines of communication that provide excellent systems of support and development for ongoing improvements in teaching and learning.

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foundation of good ongoing school improvement

18. Pupils’ standards are subject to constant evaluation, both by the pupils themselves through self-assessment of progress towards targets, and by senior management through analysis of pupils’ performance in the programme of regular testing. This thorough analysis by the headteacher and the literacy and numeracy co-ordinators is used to establish the results and progress being achieved by year groups of pupils, boys and girls, pupils with special educational needs and by pupils according to their date of birth. Such different data are used very well to establish targets for development which, after discussion by all teachers, lead to appropriate action for improvement.

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towards

19. A variety of forms of assessment of pupils’ learning operates very successfully and are a significant factor leading to pupils’ very good standards. In addition to the daily on-the- spot assessment that is carried out by teachers and support staff so that short-term learning and progress are constantly monitored, a range of formal assessments is used very effectively to monitor longer-term progress by all pupils. This information from assessment is used constructively to identify the specific needs of pupils and the methods whereby improvement can be achieved. In addition to test data, the manageable programme of regular assessment of pupils’ work in all subjects means that teachers have a very thorough knowledge of all areas of a pupil’s learning. Pupils’ progress is therefore subject to very careful tracking and the sharing of the knowledge gained by assessment with all teachers contributes very positively to the common

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towards

expectation that standards will improve.

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towards

20. At the time of the last inspection, inconsistencies were evident in the quality of teachers’ marking of pupils’ work. This comparative weakness has been addressed very successfully by thorough review of the marking policy, scrutiny of work samples and a collective determination by teachers to ensure that marking becomes an assessment tool that promotes pupils’ learning. These measures have led to marking now becoming a common strength in teaching. Pupils’ work is carefully monitored and oral and written feedback is used very constructively to inform pupils of strengths and weaknesses in their work. Written comments are consistently used to confirm what is good or correct, to indicate how errors can be rectified and to suggest ways in which work can be improved or developed. Pupils are consequently highly motivated by this practical feedback and it serves as a further stimulus for them to aspire to as high a

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towards

standard as they are capable of achieving. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 16

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

21. The school has successfully identified the priorities for improvement and these are included in the school’s development plan. Inspection evidence confirms that very good progress is being made towards achievement of the specific targets stated in the plan and the need for this work to continue is recognised by the school. The most significant areas identified for improvement are related to mathematics, writing and the overall levels of achievement of more able pupils.

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Standards in mathematics that are achieved by pupils aged five to seven years

22. Mathematics standards of five- to seven-year-olds are improving due to the thorough analysis of past performance in the national tests for seven-year-olds and the action that is being taken. This action focuses on providing a wider range of learning opportunities in the areas of the properties of three-dimensional shapes, fractions and calculations that involve several operations, such as a problem that might require both addition and multiplication for its solution. Standards now being achieved by Year 2 pupils are above average in these aspects of mathematics with many starting to work beyond the Level 2 that is expected at age seven. This is enabling the school to work successfully towards its second priority for the subject which is to increase the percentage of pupils who achieve the higher Level 3 in the 2001 national tests.

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The opportunities provided across all subjects for developing pupils’ writing skills

23. Standards of writing are high throughout the school and pupils achieve very well for their age. The setting of specific targets for individual pupils and the wide range of opportunities for different types of writing that are experienced across the curriculum are the most significant factors contributing to the high standards. However, there is no record of the types of writing that are included in pupils’ work in other subjects. For example, pupils’ learning about the style of writing used in a diary is developed in their history work in Year 5 but there is no long-term planning that indicates where other diary-writing learning opportunities occur. The lack of an audit of the full range of learning opportunities limits the extent to which the long-term planning of writing can build step-by-step on what has been learned before.

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The planning and co-ordination of work for more able pupils

24. The need to address the specific needs of more able pupils permeates much of the school’s action planning for individual subjects. As the co-ordinator of provision for pupils with special educational needs, the headteacher initiates the identification of those pupils who have particular gifts or talents or who are generally more able across several areas of learning. By detailed planning of learning activities that match the needs of these pupils, teachers ensure that work is suitably challenging. Additionally, extra resources are provided, specialist advice is sought or pupils join older age groups for specific lessons. This occurs in mathematics where, for example, the work of a pupil working towards Level 6 is based on secondary text books and advice from support agencies. In the same subject, a Year 2 pupil joins Year 3 lessons in order to work at the right level of challenge. However, the monitoring of work for all the more

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The planning and co-ordination of work for more able pupils

able pupils is not yet co-ordinated with sufficient rigour. A clear and detailed policy for this provision is currently being kept ‘on hold’ by the headteacher in order that teachers are not over-burdened by additional initiatives. At an appropriate time and after further consultation with staff about the implementation of this policy, a whole-school approach to the work of more able pupils will have the co-ordination that is currently lacking. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 17

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

25. In order to improve the standards of work and the quality of education, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• raise the standards in mathematics that are achieved by pupils aged five to seven years; • ensure that there is a long-term overview of the learning opportunities for writing that are planned across the whole curriculum; • implement the existing draft policy for provision for more able pupils, including the planned introduction of a More Able Child Register.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The inspection acknowledges that the above are already identified as priorities in the school’s development plan. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 11

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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 Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 15 211

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 1 30

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 11

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 27

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 13

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 13 18 31

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 12 12 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 17 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 94 (100) 94 (100) 97 (96) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 12 13 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 17 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 94 (100) 97 (96) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 13 19 32

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 11 12 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 18 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 94 (100) 94 (94) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 10 10 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 19 18 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 91 (97) 88 (94) 97 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 1 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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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 7.3 Financial year 1999/2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26.8

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR - Y6 Total expenditure 395,281

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 1,742

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 98 Balance brought forward from previous year 34,296

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 21,006

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 0.5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 31

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Thomas More RC Primary School - 21

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 60 34 5 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 52 41 5 0 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 45 42 4 2 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 43 41 11 3 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 70 25 2 3 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 69 27 0 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 53 34 10 2 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 59 31 4 3 2

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 65 26 5 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 28 8 3 11

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