Servite RC Primary School

SERVITE RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 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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SERVITE RC PRIMARY 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. Servite RC Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: 252 Fulham Road Chelsea London

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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: Miss Maggie Henessy (Acting)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 13 – 17 January 1997 Servite RC Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members 2901 Gulshan Kayembe Registered inspector 9779 Suzanne Smith Lay inspector 17932 John Bald Team inspector 8139 Barbara Johnstone Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Open Book Inspections 6 East Point High Street Seal Sevenoaks Kent TN15 0EG

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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 Servite RC Primary School - 5

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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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PART B: COMMENTARY

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER? 18

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PART B: COMMENTARY

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 19 - 22 Servite RC Primary School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school has 219 girls and boys between the ages of 3 and 11 and is about average in size. All pupils attend full-time, including the three and four-year-olds in the nursery class. The school serves a very mixed community and pupils’ home circumstances reflect diverse social and economic backgrounds but, overall, the level of social and economic disadvantage is more marked than in most schools. The proportion of pupils eligible to claim a free school meal is above average at 31 per cent. The ethnic mix is also very varied with a significant proportion (over 60 per cent) of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including 10 per cent who have refugee or asylum-seeker status. A high proportion of pupils, about 50 per cent, speak English as an additional language and 22 per cent are at the early stages of learning English. Over half the pupils receive support from a government grant to promote

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

the achievement of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. About 30 per cent of pupils are on the school’s register of special educational need and this is above average, but the 1.5 per cent with a statement of special need is similar to most schools. The attainment of pupils on entry to the school varies from year to year but, on balance, especially given the high proportion of pupils at the early stages of learning English, it is well below average. The movement of pupils into and out of the school at times other than the normal times for admission into the reception class and transfer to secondary school at the end of Year 6 is significant. Last year 15 pupils joined the school and 17 left at times other than the norm.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school because it provides a highly effective and well-rounded education for its pupils. The school creates a supportive and challenging environment that successfully promotes pupils’ self-confidence, achievement and sense of responsibility. By the age of 11, standards of work are high and pupils are mature and responsible. The Christian character of the school promotes a strong sense of community. Each pupil is valued for herself or himself and the rich variety of backgrounds of pupils is regarded by all as a plus. Relationships between pupils and staff and amongst pupils are harmonious and respectful. The headteacher provides excellent leadership. She is clearly focused on doing the best for all the pupils in her care and ensures that standards of teaching are high. The headteacher and governors ensure that money is well spent in order to benefit pupils’ education. The

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, key staff and governors is very good. • Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners. • Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school. • The excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development generates a happy, harmonious and caring school community. • Parents’ views of the school are very good. • The education for pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language is very good. Servite RC Primary School - 7

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What could be improved

• Some aspects of English, such as attention to accuracy in spelling and punctuation and widening vocabulary, are not as good as they could be. • Pupils’ skills in aspects of investigative science, such as drawing conclusions and using scientific knowledge to explain results and observations, are underdeveloped. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in January 1997. Since then it has made very good progress in improving its education and the standards achieved. The progress made by the school is all the more remarkable because the proportions of pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language have increased. Improvement in the results of tests for 11-year-olds has been better than the national trend. The quality of teaching has improved quite markedly and the school has successfully tackled the key issues from the last inspection. The quality of education and standards of children in the nursery were major concerns in the last inspection report. These are now good and the children make good progress towards achieving the Early Learning Goals, which are national targets for five-year- olds. The match of work to the needs of lower-attainers, which was another issue in the last

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools 1998 1999 2000 2000

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Pupils make very good progress and achieve well given their low starting points. In 2000, as shown by the table above, pupils’ performance in the National Curriculum tests for 11-year- olds was well above average in English and mathematics. Pupils’ performance in English and mathematics was also amongst the top five per cent of similar types of schools. In science, the results were above the national average and well above the average of similar schools. These results were a significant improvement on the results of previous years, however, the group of 11-year-olds taking the tests in 2000 was a more able group academically. Nonetheless their achievements were very good and the school exceeded its targets by a wide margin.

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STANDARDS

In the 2000 National Curriculum tests for seven-year-olds, results were not as good and performance in writing and reading was well below average. Performance in mathematics was in line with the national average. Generally, results for seven-year-olds tend to be lower than those of 11-year-olds. This is because most of the pupils with English as an additional language are at the early stages of learning English in the lower year groups. By the time Servite RC Primary School - 8 they reach the age of 11, their fluency in English has markedly improved so that their performance in the tests is much better. Overall, there is no discernible difference between the attainment and achievement of different ethnic groups within the school or between the standards of work of boys and girls.

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STANDARDS

Inspection evidence indicates that standards of work are above average by the time pupils are 11 and below average by the age of seven. Numeracy skills are strong, especially by the age of 11, and most pupils can effectively explain how they have solved a given problem. In English, pupils’ reading skills are sound and, by the age of 11, they write fluently demonstrating good composition skills. However, pupils too often make errors in spelling and punctuation. The range of vocabulary they use is not always wide enough, especially for abler pupils. In science, pupils demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of scientific facts and ideas, and many aspects of investigative work are well developed. However, they rarely provide detailed explanations for their results. Children in the nursery make good progress in developing their language and literacy and mathematical skills as well as in their

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are keen to learn and do their best in lessons.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good as a result of being very well managed by staff. By the time they reach the top of the school, pupils have developed very good self- discipline.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are mature and responsible. They interact well with one another so that the school is a harmonious and welcoming community.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

There are no signs of harassment or bullying. Many pupils, particularly between the ages of three and eight have the potential to behave badly and to respond with little enthusiasm to work. However, the very good management of behaviour and the very good support and encouragement pupils are given by all staff means that poor attitudes and behaviour are rarely seen. Instead, pupils are enthusiastic about school and want to do well.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Lessons seen overall Very good Very good Very 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 AND LEARNING

The quality of teaching seen was very good overall. No teaching was less than satisfactory and almost all teaching seen was good or better. About 47 per cent of the teaching seen was good, 26 per cent very good and 21 per cent excellent. Teachers manage pupils very well and lessons are thoroughly planned so that what pupils are expected to learn is clearly identified and work is well matched to the differing needs of those in the same class. High expectations lead to challenging work being provided and Servite RC Primary School - 9 pupils are kept effectively involved through the use of interesting activities. Questioning is often very intense and used well to probe and extend pupils’ learning. English and mathematics are very well taught and whole-class teaching is first-rate in many lessons. In the best lessons, teachers provide excellent activities for pupils which help them to understand key ideas rapidly. Teachers pay good attention to developing pupils’ basic

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

literacy and numeracy skills, such as learning relevant vocabulary in history and science, writing letters in history and reports in science. However, they do not always pay enough attention to accurate spelling. Teachers make very good use of time and resources in nearly all lessons. Computers are frequently used well to help pupils learn. Support staff provide very good help to pupils and are very well briefed by teachers so that they know exactly what to do in lessons.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. Statutory requirements are fully met and the school provides a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Pupils are given specialist help in lessons and individually. Their progress is carefully monitored and effectively supported. The area is very well managed

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) Very good. The co-ordinator for EAL provides very good support to pupils and to staff in order to help them to teach EAL pupils effectively. Many pupils advance rapidly in their learning of English and most are fluent by the age of 11.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. Strong Christian values underpin provision. Assemblies make a very good contribution to pupils’ personal development and there are many opportunities for pupils to consider moral and ethical issues, to learn about other cultures and to reflect thoughtfully on their and others’ lives.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils The pastoral care given to pupils is excellent. Very good procedures are in place for child protection and health and safety. Staff are not briefed regularly enough on the procedures for child protection. Servite RC Primary School - 10

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent leadership from the headteacher. It is focused well on the school’s needs and on continued improvement. There is very good delegation of responsibilities and the school’s aims and values are very well understood by members of the school community. The deputy headteacher and key stage and subject co-ordinators provide high quality leadership of their areas.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. Governors are actively involved in the work of the school and know well its strengths and weaknesses.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school monitors its performance very well, including checking the quality of teaching and learning and taking appropriate action to improve.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Very good. Money is very carefully managed and spent in order to get the best value out of it for the benefit of pupils.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • Children like school • Children are making good progress • Behaviour in the school is good • The teaching is good • The school expects pupils to work hard and achieve their best • The school is well led and managed • Some parents, mostly those with children aged between four and seven were not happy with the range of activities outside school • Some parents at the meeting, when asked what could be improved, highlighted music because there is no instrumental tuition

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The inspection evidence fully supports the positive views of parents. Whilst it is true that there are few after school activities for younger pupils, this is entirely appropriate given their young age. The school provides a curriculum that is enriched with regular visits and visitors to the school for pupils of all ages and a very good range of extra-curricular activities for older pupils. Standards of music are satisfactory and pupils’ performance in singing is good. However, parents are right about the lack of opportunities to learn to play an instrument. Servite RC Primary School - 11

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and governors is very good

1. The headteacher sets the tone for the school and what sort of school it should be. She is a very purposeful leader working in active partnership with staff, governors and parents to ensure that the pupils in the school have every opportunity to achieve their very best. The headteacher’s outstanding leadership very effectively promotes common understanding of the school’s values and aims, all the more important given the high turnover of staff. There is a very strong commitment to ensuring that the highest standards of education and results are achieved. Very good delegation of management duties for staff with responsibilities coupled with thorough monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work ensure that the school’s laudable aims and intentions are translated into appropriate action that helps it to achieve its goals. The very effective way in which the key issues from the last inspection were dealt with is a good example

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and governors is very good

of this. Overall, the headteacher has a very clear idea of the future direction of the school and, through her own example, successfully inspires the dedication and commitment from staff and governors to keep on improving the school. 2. There is a very good working partnership between the headteacher and the deputy headteacher who very ably supports the headteacher in the management of the school. Key stage and subject co-ordinators have very clear roles and know what they are expected to do. They, in turn, provide very good leadership and management of their areas. They diligently monitor and assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the areas of the school’s work that are in their remit, and provide good strategies to overcome the weaknesses. For example, the English co-ordinator identified an issue with pupils’ progress in writing as they moved through the school and a scheme was purchased and clearer guidance given to class teachers on how to promote appropriate

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and governors is very good

progression as pupils move through the school. The impact of this is being monitored. 3. A major strength of the management of the school is the extent to which all staff are consistent in their implementation of school aims, policies and procedures. For example, all staff regularly apply the school’s assertive discipline policy and pupils, therefore, receive a clear and consistent message from the adults in the school. Very good communication with staff helps to promote such consistency, as well as the very clear guidelines that they are given through policy documents and staff meetings. Regular monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work and feedback to staff on their performance also help to ensure that policies are properly implemented. 4. The governors fulfil their responsibilities very well. They have a very clear idea of the strategic direction for the future development of the school. Through their committee

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and governors is very good

work and through regular visits to the school, they play an active part in helping it to move forward and to improve. Governors are aware of their role in setting policy but leave the operational management of the school down to the headteacher. They monitor well the school’s performance and its implementation of policies and plans through their work on various committees, particularly through the curriculum committee, and a planned programme of visits. 5. The net results of the very good leadership and management of the school include the high quality of teaching and learning, the very good academic achievements of pupils and the excellent ethos and working partnership with parents. Servite RC Primary School - 12

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

6. The quality of teaching seen was very good overall. No teaching seen was less than satisfactory. One lesson seen was satisfactory and the others were either good, very good or excellent. About 47 per cent of the teaching seen was good, 26 per cent very good and 21 per cent excellent. The quality of learning closely matches the quality of teaching. English and mathematics are very well taught, with whole-class teaching being first-rate in many lessons. As a result, pupils make very good gains in knowledge, understanding and skills in English and mathematics lesson. For example, in a very good Year 4 mathematics lesson, pupils rapidly learned their six times table and mastered the skill of converting fractions expressed as tenths into decimal form. In an excellent English lesson for pupils in the reception class, where over half the pupils are at the earlier stages of learning English, they made significant progress in re-telling a

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

story in sentences using their own words.

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

7. The way in which teachers manage pupils is a major strength of teaching. They successfully achieve a very good balance between being firm and being encouraging and supportive. In most lessons, the excellent relationships established by teachers with their pupils motivate them to try their best and to put considerable effort into their work. If pupils make a mistake, they are encouraged to try again and to think again. In effect, teachers have established a very good learning atmosphere within which pupils understand that it is OK to make mistakes because that is a way of learning. Hence, pupils are not afraid to answer questions – in fact they are usually very keen. Firm discipline ensures that the minority of pupils with challenging behaviour are kept well focused on their work. Learning support staff play a very key role in keeping them attentive.

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

8. Planning is thorough and clearly identifies what pupils are expected to learn. Planning also ensures that work is planned at varying levels of difficulty so that it is usually well, and often very well, matched to the differing needs of different groups of pupils in the same class. High expectations lead to challenging work being provided and pupils are kept effectively engaged through the use of interesting activities. These are often very well structured in order to make pupils think for themselves and to help them to learn to work on their own, with minimum level of dependency on teachers. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils were given complex problems based on everyday situations, such as changing currency or working out discounts in different stores and comparing them, in order to develop their skills in solving problems. A very well structured example was completed with the whole class first so that pupils were shown

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

very good strategies for tackling such problems.

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

9. Whole-class teaching of pupils, particularly in literacy and numeracy lessons, is very good, and often excellent. Questioning is usually very intense and used well to probe and extend pupils’ learning. When new work is being introduced, very good methods are used to get difficult ideas across to pupils, for example successful use was made of riddles in a Year 2 lesson to help reinforce the idea of rhyme. From lesson observations, though there were examples of excellent activities for pupils, in some cases these were not as effective as whole-class teaching because they were either a little too easy or too hard for some groups of pupils. This is not a major issue and is a question of further fine-tuning the activities to match them more effectively to the needs of pupils. From pupils’ science books, it is clear that the work on experimental and investigative science is well developed and pupils have regular opportunities to carry out

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

well-structured practical work. Servite RC Primary School - 13 10. Teachers pay good attention to developing pupils’ basic literacy and numeracy skills, such as learning relevant vocabulary in history and science, writing letters in history and reports in science. In lessons, teachers frequently encourage pupils to give extended answers to questions, thus, helping their speaking and listening skills. Relevant technical words are often displayed in the classrooms. However, good attention is not consistently paid to accuracy in pupils’ spelling and punctuation so that it is not unusual to find common errors in their written work. The learning environment in all classrooms is excellent with a wide range of interesting and colourful displays, often of pupils’ own work. These act as a reminder to pupils of what they have been learning about. There are good displays of work carried out by pupils using computers. Teachers make good

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

use of information and communication technology as part of their teaching, and in almost all lessons seen the computer in the classroom was being well used to help develop or reinforce skills in other subjects. For example, a good range of mathematics’ programs were being used to help pupils consolidate their numeracy skills.

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Pupils are very well taught and thrive as learners

11. Teachers make very good use of time and resources in almost all lessons. Support staff provide very good help to pupils and are very well briefed by teachers so that they know exactly what to do in lessons.

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

12. There is a very wide range of attainment amongst pupils when they begin school. There are some very able pupils but, on balance, especially given the high proportions of those on the special educational needs register and those at the early stages of learning English, attainment is well below average when they start school. However, the attainment on entry does vary from year to year. For example, pupils in the Year 6 group who took their National Curriculum tests in 2000 were a more able cohort than previous or subsequent groups. Overall, pupils achieve very well, given their low starting points. Able pupils reach the high standards that they are capable of and lower- attainers achieve creditable results in national tests.

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

13. Results in the national tests for 11-year-olds are much better than for seven-year-olds and this is because most of the pupils with English as an additional language are in the lower part of the school. In 2000, for example, pupils’ performance in the tests for seven-year-olds was well below average in reading and writing but in line with national averages in mathematics. The results for 11-year-olds were well above average in English and mathematics and above average in science. As pupils move through the school their confidence and competence in all aspects of English improve quite markedly, and this improvement is reflected in the much better performance in the national tests for 11-year-olds. The results of tests in mathematics for seven-year-olds were better than in reading and writing because in this case the early stage of competence in English of English language learners is not such a great barrier to

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

14. The mathematics results for seven-year-olds compare well with the results found in similar types of schools, but the results in reading and writing for seven-year-olds were well below the average of similar schools in writing and below in reading. However, the similar schools comparison does not take specific account of the high proportion of pupils at the early stages of learning English. In contrast, the performance of 11-year- olds compared very well with that of pupils in similar types of schools in English and mathematics and was well above average in science. The 11-year-olds in 2000 did very well given their prior attainment and their prior performance in national tests when they were seven years old. Servite RC Primary School - 14 15. The very good picture of long-term progress and achievement given by national test results is reflected in the evidence of inspection. By the age of five, pupils’ standards of

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

work are well below average; these improve to below average by the age of seven and to above average by the age of 11. The very recently published National Curriculum test results of 2001 confirm that pupils are making very good progress. Though national results have not yet been published, the test results for 11-year-olds were good in English, mathematics and science. The school exceeded its targets for the second year running. Science results were better than the science results in 2000 but English and mathematics results, though good and reflecting very good achievement by pupils, were not as high. The test results for seven-year-olds were similar to those in 2000 in reading and writing but much better in mathematics.

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

16. Inspection evidence indicates that pupils make good progress in developing their skills in reading and writing as well as in speaking and listening. Particularly good progress is made in the development of pupils’ composition skills. They produce well-structured writing which shows a growing awareness of sentence structure and use of paragraphing. Pupils’ writing in Year 6, for example, is well-organised with key themes and story lines being well sustained throughout the piece. Pupils also demonstrate good creativity and imagination. For example, when pretending to be living at the time of World War 2, Year 4 pupils write fluent and imaginative pieces depicting what life was like then. In Year 2, pupils make very good progress with story writing and developing good confidence in unaided writing and writing at length. However, pupils do not pay sufficient attention to ensuring that their work is accurately spelt and punctuated. As

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

pupils move through the school, their reading skills improve well and a most show good understanding of the text they are reading; however, the development of a suitably wide range of vocabulary is slower, especially for some higher-attainers.

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

17. In mathematics, pupils make very good progress in developing their skills in numeracy as they move through the school. They quickly grasp the four basic rules of number, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, and apply them equally well to mental arithmetic and written problems. Lower down the school, the numbers used are simpler, but pupils make very good progress in developing the methods to solve problems involving larger and more complex numbers. By Year 6, pupils solve problems effectively with numbers to two decimal places. Graphical skills are well developed also and by the time they are in Year 6, the vast majority of pupils draw line graphs competently and clearly and show growing confidence in interpreting graphical information, though this is at times weaker than their understanding of how to construct graphs. As pupils move through the school, they explain their methods with increasing

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

18. Pupils make very good progress in science. Examination of their books indicates that they acquire new knowledge and understanding at a very good rate. The development of their experimental and investigative work is also very good in most respects. By the age of seven, pupils can suggest scientific questions that they might explore experimentally. By the age of 11, pupils are confidently planning simple experiments, such as finding out about the best way to make a solid dissolve in water, or how to separate a mixture of two substances. Able pupils achieve well, identifying, for example, a wider variety of ways of exploring the concept of dissolving, such as using granulated sugar and a lump of sugar, trying hot and cold water, stirring and not stirring. Though the overall progress pupils make is very good, there is room for improving their skills in drawing more detailed conclusions from their observations than is currently the

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

case. Servite RC Primary School - 15 19. Good progress is also made in other subjects. Pupils’ skills in the use of information and communication technology are developing well as a result of the frequent use of computers and the regular visits to a local computer centre so that a whole class can participate at once. Singing skills develop well as do pupils’ knowledge and understanding of historical events, such as World War 2.

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Pupils make very good progress in their work as they move through the school

20. Children in the nursery make good progress towards the Early Learning Goals. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress, as do those with English as an additional language.

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generates a happy, harmonious and caring school community

21. The school’s strong Christian principles and values underpin and inform every aspect of the life of the school and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is inextricably interwoven into the fabric of everyday life. Pupils are cherished and valued for themselves and every member of staff takes responsibility for their personal development. In their everyday contacts and interactions with pupils, teachers and support staff communicate clear messages of how they should treat one another and how to become a better person, with the result that the school community is a harmonious and caring one.

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generates a happy, harmonious and caring school community

22. The quality of assemblies is very good and they provide extensive opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Every teacher provides thoughtful and regular opportunities for pupils to reflect on their lives and the lives of others. The current theme of ‘Choices’ is developed well through assemblies and religious education to help pupils think about how they make choices, such as about their friends. The issues presented to pupils help them to think deeply about their own lives and how the choices they make may affect others. For example, asking Year 4 pupils to write about good choices and bad choices made them think how other members of the family might be affected if they chose not to share a game or chose not to help clean out their room. Thinking of others is an important part of both the spiritual messages and the social messages that the school so effectively promotes. Many pupils have filled shoe

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generates a happy, harmonious and caring school community

boxes to be sent to children in need with things they feel they can do without, when they themselves are not particularly well off.

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generates a happy, harmonious and caring school community

23. There are very good opportunities for pupils to socialise with one another at lunch times and play times. They also learn to work together well through the good opportunities for collaboration during lessons. Pupils willingly work with others and co-operate very well with one another. Their social skills are very well developed and pupils not only engage well in conversation with adults but initiate discussion and ask questions. The school has very high expectations of behaviour and the pupils live up to these expectations very well. By the age of 11, they are mature and responsible youngsters as a result of the school’s excellent provision for personal development.

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generates a happy, harmonious and caring school community

24. The wide range of cultures represented in the school is highly valued by all. Teachers successfully promote interest in, and understanding of, other cultures through their own respect for the pupils’ home backgrounds and their very good encouragement of pupils to share their differences, for example asking pupils to say a prayer in their own language. Parents also noted that teachers try to ensure that pupils learn to say names which are not English properly, no matter how difficult they may seem. Portuguese classes after school help to establish the respect for and importance of foreign languages. There are many example of displays of writing from different countries around the school. Cultural development is also very well promoted through the wide Servite RC Primary School - 16 range of trips and visits to places of interest and by visitors as well as extra-curricular activities.

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Parents’ views of the school are very good

25. The responses of parents to the OFSTED questionnaire and at the meeting with inspectors were very positive. The vast majority expressed a high degree of satisfaction with almost all aspects of the school’s provision. Parents are very satisfied with the progress their children make and the standards they achieve. Their children are happy at the school and the parents of those with English as an additional language are very pleased with the progress being made in learning English. Parents were particularly positive about the quality of teaching and the behaviour in the school, as well as the high expectations of work. The headteacher is highly rated by parents and they feel they are kept well informed about their children’s progress and work.

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Parents’ views of the school are very good

26. At the meeting with inspectors, parents had only praise for the school and were keen to communicate how happy their children were at school. Inspectors had to probe them carefully to find out if there was anything they felt could be improved. Other than a concern about lack of tuition for music and a desire to see less use made of supply teachers, they found very little to criticise. Inspection evidence indicates that parents are right to feel so positively about the education provided by the school. Though they are also correct about the lack of music tuition, the use of supply cover is not excessive.

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Parents’ views of the school are very good

27. Overall, the inspection evidence fully supports parents’ positive views of the school.

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language is very good

28. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. A comprehensive policy is in place and pupils are carefully assessed. Pupils’ individual educational plans are well developed and clear, useful targets are identified in the plans to help pupils improve their work. There is a very good balance of individual and specialised teaching for pupils with learning needs and support for them in class. There is good provision of learning support staff in lessons and they are very well briefed as to how they can best support pupils with special educational needs.

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language is very good

29. The progress of pupils with special educational needs is very well tracked and there are regular termly meetings with staff to keep them well informed as to their progress. Class teachers are very well informed about the special needs in their class and make very effective arrangements to ensure that these pupils are well supported. Overall, the quality of support and the teaching for pupils with special educational needs are very good and contribute to the pupils’ very good progress.

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language is very good

30. The area is ably managed by the deputy headteacher, who is the special educational needs co-ordinator. Very good links are maintained with outside specialists such as the educational psychologist.

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language is very good

31. The provision for pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) is also very good and, overall, these pupils make very good progress in learning English. Pupils are carefully assessed to identify exactly what their English learning needs are and then provision is made to support these needs. Generally pupils are supported in class and this has been found to be the most effective method of helping them to learn English. Pupils are rightly placed in appropriate ability groups within the class; able EAL pupils are place in high-ability groups and this promotes their progress in learning English well. Servite RC Primary School - 17 Most of the school’s support and resources are put into helping the pupils at the early stages of learning English and this is extremely effective as they acquire English at a rapid rate. One girl, for example, is operating fluently in English having arrived in the

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language is very good

country about two years ago with no prior English learning. Another boy in the reception class is persisting in answering questions in English even though he is encouraged to use his first language if he is not sure. Though the EAL co-ordinator is aware of, and monitoring, the progress of pupils who are fairly fluent in English, more could be done to develop their fluency further, for example by giving greater attention to helping them to widen their vocabulary.

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language is very good

32. The EAL co-ordinator provides very good leadership, including team teaching with class teachers in order to extend and develop their awareness of the range of methods and strategies that can be used effectively to promote the progress of EAL pupils. Useful resources are being gathered together to provide additional support for class teachers.

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language is very good

33. The progress of EAL pupils is diligently assessed using a comprehensive assessment scheme. There are termly assessments with the class teacher and appropriate targets are set. Where pupils do not appear to be advancing rapidly enough, a special needs assessment is also carried out. There is very good collaboration between the special educational needs co-ordinator and the EAL co-ordinator to ensure that the needs of individual pupils are successfully met.

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and widening vocabulary, are not as good as they could be

34. Though pupils write fluently and produce well structured work which sustains a theme or a storyline well, their work is often marred by weaknesses in spelling and punctuation. By the age of 11, their vocabulary is sound but not always as imaginative and as wide as it could be, especially for the highest attainers.

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and widening vocabulary, are not as good as they could be

35. Whilst teachers often point out correct spellings and teach pupils how to punctuate their writing, this is not done consistently. As a result, pupils do not pay sufficient attention to these points in their work. Marking of work does not always highlight these errors. For example, some work on display includes spelling and punctuation errors. Some older pupils are reading books that are not challenging enough in terms of developing the range of their vocabulary, and this means that they are not using as wide a range as they could be in their own writing. EAL pupils, who have made very good progress and developed good fluency in their English, still require further support to continue to widen the range of their English vocabulary.

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using scientific knowledge to explain results and observations, are underdeveloped

36. From examination of pupils’ work, their overall progress in developing skills in investigative science work is very good, but this is more true of the skills related to setting up an experiment, recording results and plotting graphs. Where progress is weaker, especially for able pupils, is in their ability to draw relevant conclusions and to use their good scientific knowledge and understanding to explain their results. For example, pupils do not explain in sufficient detail why solids dissolve and why some dissolve more quickly than others or the differences in rate of dissolving under different conditions. Servite RC Primary School - 18 37. There are too few opportunities for pupils to use a range of sources of information to find out about science and about how and why scientific principles work. This contributes to the lack of explanations they can provide for their observations from experimental work.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

38. In order to improve the school’s provision further the headteacher, senior staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the standards of pupils’ written work by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improving the attention that pupils’ pay to accuracy of spelling and punctuation; • ensuring that work on display is correctly punctuated and spelt; • widening the range of vocabulary pupils know and use; • ensuring that EAL pupils who have acquired fluency in English continue to receive support to develop their vocabulary. (Paragraph numbers: 10, 16, 34, 35)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Develop pupils’ skills in drawing conclusions from experimental results and their ability to explain their observations using their scientific knowledge and understanding by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• asking pupils to provide written explanations in their experimental reports; • ensuring that pupils use a range of sources of information to find about why they may have obtained the results they did. (Paragraph numbers: 18, 36, 37) Servite RC Primary School - 19

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 17

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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) 30 189

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 5 58

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 3 57

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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 120

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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 15

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 17

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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. Servite RC Primary School - 20

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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 16 14 30

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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 13 14 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 10 9 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 77 (88) 77 (88) 97 (92) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (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 14 15 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 10 13 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 80 (81) 93 (96) 97 (77) 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 20 8 28

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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 18 19 20 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 8 8

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 93 (71) 96 (68) 100 (86) 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 12 19 19 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 7 7 7

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 68 (61) 93 (68) 93 (71) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (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. Servite RC Primary School - 21

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 8 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 22 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 51 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to all pupils, including those in the nursery and reception classes. 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) 9.7 Financial year 2000-2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR-Y6 Total expenditure 782352

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Expenditure per pupil 3622

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 137.75 Balance brought forward from previous year 43540

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 17191

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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) 1

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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 4

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 66.5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Servite RC Primary School - 22

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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. 75 25 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 69 31 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 61 35 4 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 77 20 3 0 0

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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. 77 20 1 0 1

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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. 74 24 0 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 65 32 1 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 79 18 0 0 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 77 20 3 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 49 30 12 1 7

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