St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 1 st – 4 th July 2002

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SCHOOL

Full 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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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 Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Littledale Avenue Heysham Morecambe Lancashire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 th June 1997 St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 16493 Mr N Sherman Registered inspector Equal Opportunities The Foundation Stage Art and design English as an additional language The school’s results and pupils’ achievements How well are pupils taught? What could the school do to improve further? 9981 Mr S Hussein Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 21750 Mrs S Hall Team inspector Mathematics Music Physical education How well is the school led and managed?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

27324 Ms D Crow Team inspector English History Geography Special educational needs 13110 Ms P King Team inspector Science Design and technology Information and communication technology How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to the pupils? How well does the school care for its pupils?

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The inspection contractor was: Lynrose Marketing Bungalow Farmhouse Six Mile Bottom Newmarket Cambs CB8 OTU

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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 Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 11

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

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 32

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School is situated in Heysham, close to the town of Morecambe, in Lancashire. The school is of average size and provides education for pupils in the 4 – 11 age range. There are 221 pupils on roll with an even number of boys and girls. Sixty-three pupils, 28% of the school roll, have special educational needs, a figure that is above the average. This includes 5 pupils who have a statement of special educational needs, a figure that is slightly above average. 50 pupils claim free school meals, which is above average. Around 20% of the school are pupils who are members of the travelling community. The school has a higher than average number of pupils who leave or enter the school other than the normal admission times. The percentage of pupils with English as an additional language is below average. Most pupils enter the school with below average levels of attainment.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides pupils with a satisfactory standard of education. Strengths in provision include the quality of provision in the Foundation Stage where the children get a very good start to their education. Pupils with special educational needs as well as those who are members of the traveller community are very well integrated into the everyday life of the school. Pupils make satisfactory progress and, by the time they leave the school, pupils’ achievement in mathematics is good. Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage and satisfactory overall at Key Stage 1 and 2 with good features. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher is very committed to the school and is effective in developing a strong sense of teamwork. Aspects of monitoring teaching and learning with a view to using the information gained to improve learning need to be strengthened. Overall, taking all factors into account, the school provides satisfactory value

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What the school does well

• Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good and children make good progress. • Pupils who are Travellers are well integrated into the school. • At Key Stage 2, pupils achieve well in mathematics. • The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs. • Pupils have good attitudes to learning and their behaviour in and around the school is good. • All pupils are very well cared for and relationships at many levels are very good • Links with the community are good and parents make a very positive contribution to the life of the school. • The provision made for pupils’ social and moral development is good.

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What could be improved

• Standards in science at Key Stage 1. • Standards in information and communication technology at both key stages and in geography at Key Stage 2. • The way the school monitors teaching and learning to further improve teaching and provide a clear steer to the school’s work. • The quality of school development planning. 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

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 7 The school was last inspected in June 1997. Since then it has made satisfactory progress. Most of the key issues from the last report have been addressed. Provision for children in the Foundation Stage has been considerably improved, and the curriculum for design and technology now meets with statutory requirements. Good progress has been made in improving the quality of teaching and learning. In 1997 teaching was unsatisfactory in nearly one in five lessons and now no unsatisfactory teaching is evident. However, the school has yet to develop an effective school development plan that clearly highlights how standards are to be raised and the school improvement plan does not effectively highlight priorities. The school demonstrates sufficient capacity to build on its strengths and improve further.

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STANDARDS

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

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schools

1999 2000 2001 2001 well above average A English E E D A above average average B C mathematics E E C A below average well below average D E science E E E D

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schools

The above table shows that in the most recent end of key stage National Curriculum tests, pupils attained standards that were below the national average in English and well below average in science. In mathematics, standards were average. When the results are compared with those of similar schools, based on the number of pupils who claim free school meals, standards were well above average in English and mathematics and below average in science. The results include those of pupils who have joined the school at different times within the key stage and pupils who are Travellers whose attendance patterns at the school are mixed. Pupils who have been at the school for their full primary years attain standards that are in line with the national average. The overall pattern of attainment over three years is below the trend in improvement seen nationally.

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schools

The findings of the inspection, based on the current cohort of Year 6 pupils, are that standards in English are below the national average. Standards in mathematics and science are in line with national expectations. The school has concentrated on improving standards in science over the past year and this has resulted in pupils attaining higher standards at Key Stage 2. Pupils make good progress in mathematics. Standards in information and communication technology are below expectations. The school has not kept pace with improvements seen nationally in this subject and pupils make unsatisfactory progress. The school does set challenging targets for improvement in National Curriculum tests and early indications are that those set for 2002 have been achieved. With the exception of geography, where standards are below expectations, standards in all other subjects are in line with those expected for eleven-year-olds.

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schools

Pupils’ attainment in the Key Stage 1 National Curriculum tests in 2001 was well below average in reading and in writing and mathematics standards were very low and in the lowest five per cent of schools nationally. When compared with similar schools, standards were well below average in reading and mathematics and very low in writing. The results include a high St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 8 percentage of pupils who started at the school at different times during the key stage and pupils who are Travellers who have intermittent patterns of attendance and this depresses overall attainment in the National Curriculum tests. Inspection findings indicate that standards in reading and writing are below the national average as they are in science. Standards in mathematics are line with the national average and pupils make good progress. In English progress is satisfactory, but pupils do not make sufficient progress in science. Standards in

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schools

information and communication technology are below national expectations, and pupils do not make sufficient progress.

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schools

Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress. By the end of the Foundation Stage children attain the standards expected for their age in all areas of their development; in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, personal, social and emotional development and in creative and physical development.

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schools

Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in many areas of their learning. The school identifies their particular needs early and ensure that the support they receive closely matches their learning needs. The pupils identified by the school as having English as an additional language make satisfactory progress. There is no significant difference in attainment between boys and girls.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils work well in lessons and demonstrate a high commitment to the school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school and this helps to provide a good working environment.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are very good and children of the travelling community are very well integrated into the school. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to assist in the day-to-day organisation of the school and this contributes well to their personal development.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Well below average. Attendance rates are severely affected by the intermittent attendance by some pupils who are Travellers.

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

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory Satisfactory 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 in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching and learning is good in the Foundation Stage and is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and 2. The teaching in the Foundation Stage is frequently good resulting in the children making good progress in many areas of their learning. The teaching of mathematics across the school is good and has a strong impact on pupils’ achievement. The teaching of science in Key Stage 2 is good. The teaching of English across the school is satisfactory. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 9 The teaching of basic skills in literacy and numeracy is satisfactory, although the school needs to develop more effective ways to ensure that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are developed through other subjects. The teaching of information and communication technology is unsatisfactory and there are missed opportunities by teachers to ensure that pupils develop their learning of information and communication technology in daily lessons.

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

The teaching of geography at Key Stage 2 is unsatisfactory. Strengths in teaching lie in how pupils are managed and in the use of support staff, who work effectively with pupils. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. The school makes good use of the various outside agencies who work alongside teachers in providing additional teaching support for those pupils who are Travellers.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage is good, although there is a need to further develop provision for outside play. The curriculum for pupils at Key Stage 1 and 2 is broad, although pupils do not cover sufficient work in geography.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Pupils identified as having special educational needs are well supported in lessons. Those who need more support because of a behavioural need are given good guidance as to how to work effectively with others.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The few pupils who have English as an additional language have their needs well met.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. The way school plans to promote pupils’ social and moral development is good. Whilst planned provision for pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is satisfactory, there are missed opportunities to promote these aspects through other subjects of the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The pastoral needs of the pupils are very well met by all staff, who are sensitive to the pupils’ needs. Assessment procedures in English and mathematics are well developed and teachers make good use of the information from these to plan pupils’ learning. Teachers need to make greater use of assessment information in other subjects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school works in partnership with parents The school enjoys very good support from parents. Parents participate well and enthusiastically in the many initiatives planned by the school to encourage them to play an effective part in their children’s education. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. The headteacher is very effective in ensuring that the school is fully inclusive and all associated with the school work effectively together as a team. However, the procedures for ensuring that teaching and learning are monitored in order to identify weaknesses and share good practice need to be further developed. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governors give the school well targeted support and are effective in fulfilling their legal responsibilities. Many are frequent visitors to the school and have a secure understanding of the school’s needs and circumstances. Governors need to ensure that that the school’s priorities for development focus on raising educational standards appropriately. The school’s evaluation of its performance Whilst the school makes increasing use of National Curriculum data to highlight where improvements need to be made, the

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Aspect Comment

procedures for monitoring teaching and learning are not sufficiently developed and this leads to difficulties in identifying what needs to be done to address weaknesses. The strategic use of resources The school makes effective use of the specific grants to support Traveller pupils and pupils with special educational needs. The school has been very active and successful in obtaining pockets of funding for various initiatives but such funding is not always used as effectively as possible to support the improvements for which it was obtained. Care is taken to ensure that the principles of ‘best value’ are endorsed when making financial commitments. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources. There are a good number of teachers to support pupils’ learning. Resources are sufficient to support teachers in their work. The quality and range of accommodation are satisfactory. However, resources to support outside play for children in the Foundation

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The degree of day-to-day care their children receive. • How pupils are taught to treat one another with care and respect. • The work the administration and support staff undertake. • The knowledge and understanding the headteacher has of the pupils as individuals. • The use of homework to support pupils’ learning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors fully support parents’ positive views of the school. Whilst inspection findings indicate that the school makes satisfactory use of homework to support pupils’ learning in English and mathematics, there is potential to make greater use of homework to support pupils’ learning in other subjects of the curriculum and inspectors partly support parents’ views on this issue. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. The children’s attainment when they enter the Reception class is below expectations. The children make good progress in their first year at the school and, by the time they transfer to Year 1, they attain the Early Learning Goals in all areas of development; in their communication, language and literacy, mathematical, creative, physical, knowledge and understanding of the world as well as their personal, social and emotional development. Children from Traveller families and children with special educational needs have their needs identified at an early stage by the teacher and are given good support. As a result, they make similar progress to their classmates.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. On the basis of the 2001 end of Key Stage 1 National Curriculum test results, pupils’ attainment was well below average in reading and standards were very low in writing and mathematics and in the lowest five per cent of schools nationally. When compared with similar schools, standards were well below average in reading and mathematics and very low in writing. However, these results include those of pupils who joined the school at different times during Key Stage 1 and those of pupils who are Travellers whose attendance pattern at the school can be irregular. This depresses the overall standards achieved. When the results of pupils who have been at the school since starting their primary education are evaluated, a more positive picture of attainment is evident with standards in reading, writing and mathematics close to the average. In science, the assessments made by teachers show that pupils’ attainment is well below

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Standards in Key Stage 1 are improving and the inspection findings indicate that pupils’ attainment in reading and writing and science at the end of Key Stage 1 is below average. In mathematics, standards are in line with expectations. Standards are not as high in English and science as reported at the time of the last inspection. Standards in speaking and listening are average, although few pupils have developed the confidence and ability to speak clearly and articulately when asked to speak aloud. Pupils’ attainment in reading is below average. Higher-attaining pupils are able to read expressively and with good levels of fluency but these skills are not well developed by the majority of pupils. Most pupils recognise many words but are hesitant in their approach to putting words together to make sense of what they are asked to read. Standards in writing are below average. Whilst the majority of pupils understand the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

need for and use full stops and capital letters in the course of their writing, few are able to write at length or use a range of vocabulary to give their writing added impact. The basic skills of reading and writing are taught well and, along with the structure of the National Literacy Strategy, this is starting to impact well on raising standards.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In mathematics, pupils have a satisfactory ability to solve mental problems quickly and are making sufficient progress in their ability to mentally solve problems using addition and subtraction as well as using more traditional pen and paper methods. Effective teaching of the principles that support the National Numeracy Hour help to explain the difference between the inspection findings and National Curriculum results. In addition, the school has paid increased attention to ensuring that pupils undertake work of an investigative nature and this contributes well to the good progress that most pupils make in their approach to and understanding of mathematics. Pupils do not make sufficient progress in science. Their knowledge and understanding of different scientific St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 12 ideas is insufficiently developed and their understanding of and ability to undertake work

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

of an investigative nature is under-developed.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. The results of the 2001 Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests for English indicate that standards were below the national average but well above average when compared with similar schools. In mathematics, standards were in line with the national average and well above average when compared with similar schools. In science, pupils attained standards that were well below the national average and below average when compared with similar schools. Over time, the results attained by pupils in the science tests have not kept pace with improvements seen in English and mathematics.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Inspection findings are that standards in English are below the national average and in mathematics, standards are in line with national expectations. Pupils make satisfactory progress in the development of their English skills and they make good progress in mathematics as they move through each of the classes. Standards in science are in line with national expectations. The difference in inspection findings and the results of the National Curriculum tests is largely due to the improvement that has been made in the quality of teaching and learning since the previous year and in particular in the quality of teaching seen in the Year 6 class. Here the teacher has given increased attention to the development of pupils’ ability to understand scientific questions and answer these in detail and with clarity. The results of the 2002 tests indicate a considerable improvement as a result.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. By the end of Year 6, pupils’ speaking and listening skills are in line with national expectations. Most pupils listen carefully and are gaining confidence in speaking in front of an audience. Pupils listen and respond well to the interesting opportunities that teachers provide for them to develop their speaking and listening skills through a range of subjects, for example, by exploring and describing what various artefacts from the Second World War may have been used for or by airing their views in ‘Circle Time’ sessions. Standards in reading are below the national average. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of and are able to express their views about the books they read, but only higher-attaining pupils effectively use different strategies to make sense of what they are reading. Many pupils read hesitantly and lack confidence and do not always understand what they read. The school has made writing a focus of its

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

development work and in particular in developing pupils to write at length and imaginatively. Most pupils, including lower attaining pupils, use punctuation such as speech marks effectively and have a satisfactory understanding of how writing may be in different forms. However, few pupils are able to write at length or write sustained pieces that hold the interest and attention of the reader.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. In mathematics, pupils are effectively taught to undertake investigations and this helps to develop their understanding of the relevance and purpose of mathematics in their daily lives. Pupils work out different ways of solving a problem and then re-check their answer to determine its validity. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of shape, space and measurement, although their ability to construct, interpret and infer conclusions from graphs and tables is the weaker feature of their attainment. Information and communication technology is insufficiently used in this regard. In science, by the end of Year 6, pupils have developed a satisfactory understanding of living things, forces and materials. However, weaker features of pupils’ attainment include their ability to undertake open-ended investigation work and pupils’ progress in this aspect of science is unsatisfactory.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. In information and communication technology, pupils attain standards that are below national expectations by the end of both key stages. Progress is unsatisfactory. Pupils St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 13 are provided with too few opportunities to effectively use computers in the course of their day-to-day learning. There are many missed opportunities for pupils to use information and communication technology in, for example, their literacy sessions, by composing, editing or redrafting their work. In art and design, history, design and technology, music and physical education, pupils attain standards that are in line with expectations for seven- and eleven-year-olds and pupils make satisfactory progress. Although standards in geography are in line with national expectations at the end of Key Stage 1 and pupils make satisfactory progress, pupils do not build sufficiently on this knowledge and understanding as they move through Key Stage 2 and, by the end of the

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

key stage, standards are below expectations. Since the last inspection, standards have not been maintained in information and communication technology and geography at Key Stage 2.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

10. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets that are set for them in their individual education plans. Many of these targets have literacy or numeracy targets as a focus. The learning support assistants who support the pupils in their work guide them well in their efforts. The pupils respond well and make equally good gains in their confidence in approaching their work. Pupils with a higher level of need as identified in their statements of special educational needs make equally good gains in their learning.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

11. The school’s policy of inclusion is effectively implemented and this impacts well on the attainment and progress of those pupils at the school who are Travellers. They are well supported in lessons and both teachers and support assistants take care to ensure that the pupils are given appropriate work to help them catch up with any work they may missed if they have been absent from the school for some considerable time. This ensures that they make progress in line with their individual abilities.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

12. There is no significant variation in the attainment of the boys and girls. Higher attaining pupils are generally challenged in the work that they are set by teachers in most subjects. As a result, these pupils make satisfactory progress. However, this is not the case in science at Key Stage 1 and higher attaining pupils are often presented with same work as other pupils in the class. Consequently, higher attaining pupils make unsatisfactory progress in the development of their knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas as they move through Key Stage 1. The few pupils that have English as an additional language make satisfactory progress.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

13. Despite the difficulties the school faces with pupil mobility, it does set challenging targets in relation to pupils’ attainment in the National Curriculum tests for English and mathematics. The targets that are set are generally below those set nationally for primary schools. However, they are based on a good knowledge and understanding of the pupils’ individual abilities. Early indications are that the targets agreed for 2002 have been met. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 14

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils have good attitudes to their learning and to one another. Relationships are very good and are as positive as those noted at the time of the last inspection.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in their good attitudes to their learning and in the good levels of behaviour. In the Foundation Stage, children respond well to the high level of care they receive from the teachers and support staff. Many of the children are highly interested in what they are asked to do and work very effectively with one another. They really enjoy their learning and listen carefully to the guidance and explanations given to them by their teacher. At Key Stage 1 and 2, pupils demonstrate high levels of interest and involvement in lessons and other school activities that are planned for them. In lessons, most pupils persevere with what they are asked to complete, although in some afternoon sessions pupils’ attention spans can wane owing to the length of the lesson. Pupils enjoy taking part in the extra-curricular activities provided and participation rates are high.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. Behaviour is good across the school. The large majority of pupils behave sensibly in classrooms, during assemblies, at break-times and as they move around the school. Their behaviour in lessons makes a significant contribution to their achievements. Parents say there is a little bullying, but the school has good procedures, which are well known to pupils, to deal with it on the rare occasions when it may take place. Teachers and support staff effectively handle the few day-to-day problems that may develop in relation to pupils’ behaviour. The School Council is regularly involved in discussing the school rules and considering any changes. There are also opportunities in each class to talk about classroom rules. As a result, pupils have a very good understanding of the impact of their actions on others. There were five incidents of exclusion for temporary periods in the last school year for unacceptable behaviour.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. Personal development is good. Pupils are caring towards each other and the environment. The school’s good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development makes a significant contribution the pupils’ personal development.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Spiritual development was evident in ‘Circle Time’ for Year 2 pupils as they passed around seaside learning resources. Each pupil examined the different types of starfish brought in by the teaching assistant and was captivated by the beautiful forms and textures. Pupils have a strong moral code reflected in their views about justice and fairness. Relationships between staff and pupils, and between all pupils and their peers, are very good. Pupils show very high levels of respect for the feelings, values and beliefs of others. A major strength of the school is the level of harmony between all pupils, including Travellers and those with special educational needs. Pupils work very effectively with each other. Although pupils appreciate their cultural heritage they do not know enough about African, Caribbean and Asian cultures. A similar point was raised at the last inspection and the school has not addressed this issue effectively.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

19. Pupils respond well to the opportunities provided for them to help in the day-to-day running of the school. For example, the School Council, comprising class representatives, carries out its role effectively. The group makes many suggestions to improve school life. A good example of this is the replacement of water fountains with the bottle system. Pupils use their initiative in learning well. For example, during a Year 4 geography lesson to develop fieldwork skills and awareness of environmental issues, pupils effectively carried out a school survey and decided what to report to the head- teacher in the same lesson. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 15 20. Attendance is well below the national average. However, there are a significant proportion of Travellers who are often absent because their parents are working away. The school holds places in accordance with regulations for Traveller children whose

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

parents have indicated they will return to school and this has a negative impact on attendance figures. The school has tackled unauthorised absence very well and the latest figures for the current year show that it is now just above the national average. Attendance levels are similar to that of the last inspection. Punctuality is satisfactory and ensures a smooth start to the school day.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. The overall quality of teaching and learning is good in the Foundation Stage and satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and 2 with some good features. During the inspection, the quality of teaching was very good or excellent in 21% of the 42 lessons seen, good in 38% of lessons and satisfactory in the remainder. There is some variation in the quality of teaching in the school and some good teaching was noted in all classes. The quality of teaching has improved greatly since the previous inspection. In 1997, unsatisfactory teaching was evident in nearly one in five lessons. The headteacher and staff have successfully addressed the shortcomings in the previous report and the successful introduction of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy has further helped to improve the quality of teaching at the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The quality of teaching in the Foundation Stage is good overall. The teacher has a very good knowledge and understanding of the needs of young children and plans their learning very effectively. Good use is made of ‘open-ended’ tasks which children find challenging yet not over demanding. The teacher effectively helps to develop their personal, social and emotional development as children are given frequent opportunities to work in pairs or in small groups in solving the problems set. Good attention is paid to the development of the children’s early literacy and numeracy skills and the organisation of the classroom, complete with attractive books, is effective in supporting the development of these early skills. The teacher has developed very good systems of monitoring and assessing children’s progress in all areas of their learning. The children are assessed when they first enter the school and this information is used

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

well to plan learning that matches their abilities. Children are regularly assessed at different points of the academic year in order to monitor their progress. Further strengths in teaching lie in the quality of the rapport that the teacher and support staff quickly establish with the children. This helps to ensure that children are well settled into the school and quickly learn the expectations the school has of them. Equally effective is the good use that is made of the additional support staff, that include the Nursery nurse and visiting students, to support the children, including those with special educational needs and Traveller children, in their day-to-day learning.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. The teaching of English is satisfactory across the school ensuring that pupils make satisfactory gains in their learning. Basic skills are taught well, although expectations of how pupils present their work are insufficiently high in some subjects, and this can sometimes result in untidy presentation of work. The teaching of mathematics is good at both key stages. Teachers have a good understanding of the subject that they teach and good emphasis is placed on developing the pupils’ mental abilities. Where necessary, and particularly for pupils in Key Stage 1 and those with special educational needs, good use is made of practical equipment to reinforce pupils’ learning. Whilst pupils are given opportunities to practise and develop their literacy and numeracy skills St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 16 within English and mathematics lessons, the school has yet to develop successful ways to ensure that pupils’ literacy skills, in particular, are effectively developed in other

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

subjects. Information and communication technology is insufficiently used in this regard.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. The teaching of science at Key Stage 2 is satisfactory, and good in Year 6. Good attention is paid in Year 6 to ensuring that pupils develop the knowledge and understanding of different scientific ideas. At Key Stage 1, however, the teaching of science is unsatisfactory. This is characterised by some low expectations of pupils and work set for pupils at too superficial a level. Across the school, the teaching of information and communication technology is unsatisfactory. Whilst some effective use is made of computers in some lessons to support pupils’ learning, this is the exception rather than the norm. In one good Year 4 mathematics lesson seen during the inspection, for example, pupils had to work through problems in relation to railway timetables using a simple spreadsheet. They worked hard on the task and by the end of the lesson had developed an understanding of how software can be used to solve

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

mathematical problems. However, in the main, teachers’ lesson plans do not highlight sufficiently the knowledge, understanding and skills pupils are expected to learn by using computers in day-to-day to lessons. In addition, there are missed opportunities for pupils to develop their skills by using computers and other related information and communication technology more frequently in other subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. The quality of teaching in art and design, history, design and technology and physical education in both key stages is satisfactory overall with some good features. In art and design, for example, good links are made with science to develop pupils’ drawing skills as Key Stage 2 pupils are given good opportunities to develop their drawing skills by looking at plants, flowers and shrubs as part of a science topic on ‘Living Things’. In history, pupils are given good opportunities to explore artefacts from the past and discuss what they may have been used for. This helps to develop pupils’ understanding of how people in different eras lived their lives. In design and technology, pupils are given good opportunities to develop their understanding of the design and making process when constructing simple models. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to develop their evaluation skills by reflecting on what they have made in order

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

to improve the quality of their finished work. The teaching of music is often undertaken by visiting specialists. The quality of this teaching is often good and pupils benefit from the good knowledge and understanding of the subject that the visiting teachers often demonstrate. In physical education, pupils respond well to the tasks that are set for them by their teachers and in small team games, for example, develop their understanding of collaborative teamwork well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. At Key Stage 1, the teaching of geography is satisfactory. However, at Key Stage 2 it is unsatisfactory. At present, teachers do not plan for pupils to explore different geographical themes and topics in suitable depth, and this impacts negatively on their progress. In addition, teachers have too low expectations of pupils and some work set for pupils does not sufficiently stretch or challenge pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. At both key stages, teachers are effective in ensuring that pupils understand the nature of the work they are expected to complete. Lesson objectives are often written out for pupils so that they understand what the lesson is about and what they are expected to complete by the end of it. Learning support assistants are used well when directly working with pupils but there are occasions, particularly at the start of lessons, when their time could be used better. Most teachers ensure that lessons move briskly and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 17 this keeps pupils motivated in what they are doing. However, some of the sessions, especially in the afternoon, are overlong and some pupils’ attention spans can drift as a result. All teachers effectively use the concluding part of lessons in drawing pupils together to explore with them what they have learned or what they may have found difficult. These sessions are also used to praise the pupils’ efforts and to give the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

teacher a closer insight into what pupils have accomplished in order to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning. In all classes, pupils are managed well and a close rapport is very much evident in the relationships between pupils and the teacher. The quality of relationships is such that some teachers sprinkle lessons with a touch of humour and this helps to keep learning moving forward in a purposeful way.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

28. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is good. The school has developed effective ways to ensure that teachers and support staff have relevant information to help plan pupils’ learning. This information is used well in devising the pupils’ individual education plans that often contain targets that are clear, relevant and achievable. There is a close match between what pupils are expected to do and the targets that have been devised for them and this enables pupils to develop their skills slowly yet surely. Relationships with the learning support assistants who work with pupils are good and pupils know that the support assistants are there to help them in their work and behave accordingly. The small number of pupils who are at the early stages of learning English are given good support in lessons enabling them to make comparable progress to their classmates.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

29. The school caters well for the needs of the Traveller pupils and teachers understand how some of the pupils’ absences can impact on their learning. Pupils who return to school after an absence are quickly welcomed back to the class and are given good support so that they can catch up with the work they may have missed. In planning learning, teachers are careful to ensure that Traveller pupils are given work that takes good account of their ability and previous learning and this enables the pupils to achieve success and boosts their confidence. All pupils are fully included in all the activities that are planned for them and this helps to ensure that they feel very much a part of the school.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

30. Teachers make satisfactory use of homework to support pupils in their learning. At Key Stage 2, older pupils are given opportunities to work on ‘mini-projects’ to develop their initiative and this has a positive impact on their personal development. Most of the work set for pupils is in English and mathematics and, in general, too little use is made of homework in other subjects to develop pupils’ learning. The marking of pupils’ work is effective in English and mathematics and teachers ensure that the pupils are given sufficient guidance as to how they may improve their work. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 18

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. The curriculum provided by the school is satisfactory, meeting all statutory requirements for the National Curriculum and religious education. An overall curriculum map helps to ensure that all necessary elements are addressed as pupils move through the school, although the school has yet to develop fully effective links between subjects to help develop pupils’ learning. Teachers’ medium term plans for subjects other than English and mathematics are appropriately based on subject guidance from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and the local education authority. The gap between these and the curriculum map, which identifies topic titles only, means that no substantive long term plans are in place for these subjects, so that teachers sometimes have insufficient awareness of issues such as progression in learning within a subject . In addition, there is insufficient guidance for teachers on the use of

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

information and communication technology within subjects, which has an adverse impact on standards within this subject.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. Strategies for teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy are good and the national literacy and numeracy strategies have been fully implemented and have a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Whilst pupils are given opportunities to practise and develop their literacy and numeracy skills within English and mathematics lessons, the school has yet to develop successful ways to ensure that pupils’ literacy skills, in particular, are effectively developed in other subjects.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. The quality and range of learning experiences provided by the school are satisfactory overall. Learning is enhanced well by visits within the locality, such as the Heysham village trail for Year 4, the local maritime museum, and a visit to a bakery as part of work in design and technology. Further afield, Year 6 pupils have visited the Rheged Centre and enriched their study of Shakespeare by learning about costume and stagecraft. Local artists and theatre groups visit the school and make a positive contribution to the curriculum. Older pupils have the opportunity to take part in both outdoor pursuits and cultural experiences through a well-thought out policy of alternating the type of residential visit for Years 5 and 6 and this has a positive impact on their social and personal development.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. The balance of time allocated to subjects overall is appropriate, although the way it is distributed during the week, with whole afternoons often devoted to science or a foundation subject, presents challenges for teachers in managing pupils’ learning experiences to maintain concentration and pace. This contributes to some ineffective use of time in some subjects, including history and geography throughout the school and science in Key Stage 1, with consequent lack of depth and a limited learning experience for pupils.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. The school makes good provision for extra-curricular activities as it did at the time of the last inspection. Staff continue to give their time to ensure that pupils can develop their learning through extra-curricular activities. These include music tuition, various sports and other clubs, such as sewing, reading, and chess. Many educational school trips and visits enrich pupils’ learning further. For example, Year 4 pupils recently went to the heritage centre in Heysham to find out more about the village. The school makes many visits to the Heysham power station and this supports a wide variety of pupils’ work. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 19 36. The community makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning as it did at the time of the last inspection. Strong links with St Patrick’s and Holy Family churches include frequent visits from members of the clergy. They lead assemblies on religious, spiritual and

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

moral themes. Coaching in many sports from clubs and individuals is making a good contribution to pupils’ success in competitions, as well as to their physical development. For example, sports instructors from Lancaster and Morecambe College frequently coach at the school. Other visitors include a ‘wildlife roadshow’ and a science caravan, which includes drugs education. School trips in the wider community enrich learning and many of these are supported by local business through groups such as business in the community.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37. The school has good, constructive links with universities, colleges and other schools. For example, several trainee teachers from the University College of St Martin’s carry out their work experience here each year and this gives pupils additional learning opportunities. The strong link with Lancaster and Morecambe College has allowed many pupils to take part in events at the College including ‘European Awareness’. Most pupils transfer to Our Lady’s High School for the next stage of their education and there are valuable initiatives in place to aid the transition. For example, older pupils can attend a ‘summer school’ where there tuition is given in literacy and numeracy. Transfer arrangements are good with both Year 5 and 6 pupils involved in induction visits to give them an early awareness of their new school surroundings in preparation for Key Stage 3.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

38. The provision for pupils’ personal, social, health and citizenship education is good and this has improved since the previous inspection. The co-ordinator for this aspect of the school’s work is keen and enthusiastic and there is an appropriate action plan for development in place. There is a suitable policy and scheme of work, which is being implemented across the whole school. The introduction of regular discussion sessions, called ‘circle time’ gives pupils the opportunity to explore a variety of issues, including personal and emotional concerns, in a sensitive and secure context. The school makes good use of visitors to school, such as the school nurse, to support work in this area. It also takes advantage of local and national initiatives which include ‘Life Education’, ‘Healthy School Standard’ and the ‘Rainbow Project’. There is a good drugs awareness programme and parents are appropriately encouraged to be involved in this through

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

participation in PRIDE (Parents’ Role in Drugs Education). Suitable provision is also made for sex education. There is an active School Council, which is used as a forum for decision-making and discussion of issues of concern to the pupils. The school pays due attention to the Council’s requests and acts on them wherever possible. For example, the adventure playground has been improved and a healthy eating tuck-shop has been provided. A strength of the school is the way in which Travellers’ children are valued and respected and this makes a positive contribution to pupils’ personal and social development.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

39. Overall, the provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and makes an effective contribution to the quality of pupils’ learning. This is an improvement on findings in the previous inspection when the provision was said to be satisfactory. The school has a clear policy for the promotion of racial harmony and is effective in raising pupils’ awareness of the importance of treating one another fairly and equitably.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

40. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory. Assemblies sometimes give pupils good opportunities to marvel and reflect on the wonder of their world. This was illustrated during the inspection when assemblies were centred on the theme of St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 20 ‘treasure’. Pupils in the infants gazed in amazement at what was being taken out of the treasure chest, not money or jewellery but a rock, a leaf and a shell. The moral being these are truly God’s treasures and belong to us all. When taking assemblies, teachers are aware of the importance of encouraging pupils to explore and reflect on their own experiences, to question, empathise and learn to be still. ‘Circle times’ take place throughout the school and these give pupils the opportunity to discuss emotions and feelings. Occasionally opportunities in lessons are well used to engender a sense of awe and wonder. In a good literacy session observed, the teacher generated a sense

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

of wonderment when telling the story, ‘Ghost Dog’. In general, however, spiritual development is not planned for sufficiently and opportunities for pupils to explore the wonder and fascination about the world in which they live are not always effectively planned for by teachers.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

41. The provision for pupils’ moral development is good. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and pupils respond accordingly. The school has a clear set of values that teach the principles of right and wrong. These are implicit throughout the daily life of the school and spelt out clearly to all pupils. Consequently, pupils’ attitudes to each other are good and they show respect to adults and each other. Sometimes pupils have opportunities to consider the wider aspects of morality, such as September 11 th or environmental issues. For example, Year 5 pupils wrote persuasive letters to the local council asking them to do something about rubbish on the estate.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

42. There is good provision for pupils’ social development. The good example set by adults in the school encourages the development of positive attitudes and generally good social behaviour. Older pupils take on responsibility for routine tasks around the school and a ‘buddy’ system has been set up whereby older pupils help the younger ones. Pupils are encouraged to help those less fortunate through fund raising activities. On many occasions during the inspection, pupils, from the youngest to the oldest, were observed collaborating and co-operating in lessons. Teachers also provide pupils with opportunities to share their work and to show appreciation for each other's achievements. The school has a number of extra-curricular activities, including sporting events, and older pupils also have opportunities to participate in residential field trips, which further promote their social skills. Pupils can make decisions at School Council

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

meetings about matters that affect them, such as the availability of bottled water at points throughout the school.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

43. Provision for the pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils develop an understanding and appreciation of art, music, drama and literature by exploring different subjects of the curriculum. In literacy lessons, for example, pupils study the work of a wide variety of authors and poets and the school has made a good effort to ensure the library has increased the range of books which depict children from other cultures. However, there is very little promotion of music and art from non-European cultures. The local authority music service visits regularly to perform to the pupils and every Christmas a theatre group performs a traditional pantomime. Recently, the younger pupils visited Leighton Hall. However, although due attention and respect is paid to aspects of other cultures, particularly the culture of Travellers, there is no systematic policy for promoting the multicultural nature of society throughout the school.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

44. The school assemblies are generally well planned and satisfy statutory requirements. They provide suitable opportunities for engendering a sense of community within the school and a time for quiet reflection. They make an effective contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 21

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. The school provides a very high level of pastoral care for all pupils, as it did at the time of the last inspection. Parents are rightly pleased with the very strong family ethos and pupils feel valued as individuals. Staff know pupils very well and are very caring towards them. The school works very closely and effectively with the Traveller Education Service and other specialist support agencies and this makes a positive contribution to the pupils’ learning. The educational and personal support and advice given to pupils are good. These factors are effective in supporting pupils in their learning. The school has very good arrangements to induct new pupils. During the inspection, several parents completed the ‘Starting Out with the Children’ course that is arranged for parents as their children start the Foundation Stage and praised the arrangements very highly. Arrangements for child protection and to ensure pupils’ welfare are very good.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

The designated officer for child protection is appropriately trained. Staff show very high levels of care and vigilance at all times.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. There are appropriate arrangements to identify potential hazards to health and safety. Risk assessments are carried out regularly and school governors are effectively involved. Arrangements are made to ensure that all equipment and appliances are periodically tested. Fire drills are carried out regularly and any problems recorded. Many staff have completed basic first aid training and two are extensively trained. There are good links with the medical and emergency services to promote health and safety. The school nurse is effectively involved in sex education and there are also strong links with the police and fire services. Year 6 pupils are able to take part in safe cycling training and take a test.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. Procedures to monitor and improve attendance are very good. This represents good improvement since the last inspection. The school is highly active in reducing unauthorised absence. The ‘truancy call’ computer system is proving effective with a marked improvement in unauthorised absence from the last school year to the current one. The excellent link with the Traveller Education Service includes frequent support from two education access officers. The educational welfare service is also highly involved. Parents are regularly given reminders about the importance of good attendance and punctuality to their children’s learning. Certificates are given to pupils achieving good attendance each year.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are good, as they were at the time of the last inspection. Records of any problems are fully detailed. When there are problems, pupils are given opportunities to reflect on behaviour. ‘Golden rules’ and ‘how to be cool in school’ provide pupils with guidance on the school’s expectations. There are many opportunities for pupils to discuss behaviour and bullying constructively in ‘circle times’ and assemblies. Headteacher’s awards, certificates and treats are effectively used as incentives to behave well.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. The monitoring of pupils’ academic performance and personal development is satisfactory and since the last inspection the school has made satisfactory progress towards establishing a comprehensive assessment system. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory overall and very good in English and mathematics. During the past two years a systematic approach to assessment has been introduced to monitor attainment in these two core subjects, including assessments of reading and a wide range of standardised tests as pupils move St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 22 through the school. The good assessment procedures are beginning to have a positive impact on standards.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. For science and the foundation subjects, assessment procedures are satisfactory. A system is in place for teachers to make regular assessments against key objectives, but is not yet fully effective or sufficiently embedded in day-to-day practice. The plethora of data and information accumulated for the attainment of each pupil generally makes analysis difficult and the system is somewhat unwieldy and would benefit from further streamlining.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The use of assessment to inform curriculum planning is satisfactory. Results of national tests for eleven-year-olds in English, mathematics and science are analysed by the assessment co-ordinator and used well to monitor trends and to ensure that all groups of pupils achieve equally. The co-ordinators of the core subjects make sufficient use of this information to identify areas of the curriculum where learning has been least successful and modify provision accordingly. Ongoing assessment is also used well in English and mathematics to plan appropriately differentiated learning experiences for pupils, though not always in other subjects. Records of internal assessments are passed on to the next class teacher but as yet the system is not sufficiently established for the influence on curriculum planning to be effective.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

52. Provision for monitoring pupils’ personal development is satisfactory. Teachers know their pupils well, and there are good informal strategies for monitoring personal development. Pupils are encouraged to identify areas where they need to develop, including identification of targets for their own reports. Various strategies are in place to praise and reward pupils for achievement, consideration for others, personal effort and other positive contributions.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

53. External assessments and optional standardised tests are used effectively to track pupils’ progress in English and mathematics, though not yet in science. Assessment information is used to predict future attainment and monitor progress. Targets are set in English and mathematics, and sometimes in science, and are shared with pupils so that they are aware of their own learning and what they need to concentrate on to make progress.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. The school has excellent relationships with the parents and this is a similar picture to that found at the time of the last inspection.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Parents have very positive views of the school. Evidence from the parents’ meeting and inspection questionnaire shows that parents have a very high level of confidence in the school and its staff. All parents replying to the questionnaire were pleased about the way the school is led and managed. Parents believe that the headteacher is very dedicated to their children’s learning and day-to-day welfare. The vast majority are pleased about: the quality of teaching, their children’s progress, the school’s high expectations for their children, pupils’ behaviour and how the school helps their children become mature and responsible. Parents believe that the school works closely with them and feel very comfortable about approaching the school with any questions or problems. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 23 56. A significant number of parents feel that their children do not get enough homework. Inspection evidence suggests that whilst provision is satisfactory, more use could be

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

made of homework in subjects other than English and mathematics to support pupils’ learning. A few parents would like to see more extra-curricular opportunities on offer. Inspection evidence suggests that pupils have the opportunity to participate in a good range of extra-curricular activities. The quality of information to parents, especially about pupils’ progress is good. Pupils’ annual reports are detailed and provide parents with a helpful pen picture of their children’s academic, personal and social development. They give appropriate details about what pupils know, can do and understand. Strong features include ‘next steps’ where teachers provide guidance for future learning. Towards the end of the reports pupils set three ‘targets’ for themselves. The school prospectus is well presented and detailed. This is supported with a booklet welcoming pupils to the reception class. Teachers regularly send out very helpful

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

information about the forthcoming curriculum. The weekly newsletters provide clear information about issues and dates to remember.

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HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

57. Links with parents are very effective, and the parents’ involvement has a positive impact on the work of the school. The contribution of parents to children’s learning, at school and at home, is good. A strength of the school is the quality of courses it organises for parents to develop skills and get more involved in their children’s learning. On average, two courses are run each year. These include ‘parents as educators’, a course for parents about using computers and courses to assist parents in helping their children in their first year in the foundation stage and as they move further through the school. The Parents’, Teachers’ and Friends’ Association gives very good support to the school by organising social and fundraising events. It has recently provided funds for computers, books and other learning resources. Some parents help in school with activities such as listening to readers, classroom support and extra-curricular activities.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. The quality of leadership and management in the school is satisfactory overall with aspects of pastoral leadership that are very effective and other areas for further development. Leadership and management have remained very similar to that seen in the previous inspection of the school. The headteacher has a very caring approach to his role and spends considerable time and effort in supporting and nurturing pupils and parents alike in a wide range of pastoral matters. The headteacher is highly regarded by parents, staff, governors and the local community for his support of all those involved in the life of the school. This work serves to effectively enhance the school’s ethos and aims, which are ‘to develop and enhance the distinctive nature of our Catholic school’. The school is rightly proud of the inclusive nature of leadership and how staff strive to overcome the local barriers to pupils’ learning. However, the role of

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the headteacher in monitoring and evaluation and in driving school improvement forward and raising standards lacks sufficient focus and clarity.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The delegation of management responsibilities to staff and contribution they make is satisfactory overall with some areas of strength and others for development. The headteacher is supported in a thoughtful and considered manner by the deputy headteacher especially in areas of development planning and in developing the school’s environment. Other senior staff have developed their roles well in several areas, and especially in developing assessment procedures in English and mathematics and in leading the co-ordination of these subjects. The school has worked hard to gain the ‘Investors in People’ and ‘Basic Skills’ awards in recognition of their achievements in St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 24 standards of staff training and professional development and in teaching and learning in literacy and numeracy. The well-focused way in which several roles have been developed, particularly in the last year, has been of significant importance to the way in

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

which the school has recently improved. However, this very effective practice has not been sufficiently modelled or shared across the school to ensure consistency in procedures.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The Governing Body effectively supports and guides the school’s work. Governors meet twice a term to discuss school issues and the full board is kept fully informed through minutes of the various sub-committees. The chair of governors is a frequent visitor to the school and the headteacher welcomes both his and other governors’ views and opinions before determining a course of action. Other governors fulfil their roles effectively and the Governing Body is very effective in achieving their stated aims in respect of inclusion and valuing all members of the school community. The governors need to ensure that the school improvement plan is more tightly focused on raising standards of attainment in some subjects and could be more critical in holding the school to account for the standards that it attains.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school are unsatisfactory overall because they are not regular or rigorous enough. This was an area identified for improvement in the previous inspection and remains a current key issue for improvement. The school has a suitable outline that identifies the programme for the evaluation of plans, lessons, books and assessment information. The involvement of senior staff is not as regular or rigorous as necessary. The criteria for ensuring the monitoring of teaching has purpose and is sufficiently searching lack clarity and the plan for monitoring and evaluation activities has not always been achieved. Monitoring fails to accurately identify all areas for improvement or link sufficiently well to development planning. The lack of rigour in such work has failed to pinpoint specific areas for improvement and has had a limiting effect in the development of several

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

subjects, including science and information and communication technology.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The monitoring roles of the headteacher and deputy headteacher are under-developed as is that of co-ordinators in many subjects, with the exception of English and mathematics where such work is effective. There is little monitoring of teaching and learning in several non-core subjects. Where monitoring does take place, it does not identify exactly what works well and what needs to be done to improve teaching and learning. The feedback given to staff is supportive of personal and professional sensitivities and often reflects the positive pastoral ethos of the school but is not sufficiently rigorous and evaluative in identifying what requires improvement.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The school’s priorities for development are not sufficiently based upon raising standards and are unsatisfactory overall in helping to drive the school forward. The production of the school development plan involves extensive consultation and involves staff, governors, parents and pupils. However, the final development plan and school improvement plan are both much more focused on the acknowledged pastoral strengths of the school than upon raising standards and rigorously identifying and addressing other areas of weakness. For instance, the first three key issues of the school development plan are to enhance the ethos, environment and resources of the school. Whilst the improvement plan satisfactorily identifies areas for development, the action to be taken largely centres around issues that are not really central to overall school improvement. Such planning lacks the necessary clarity to identify the step-by-

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 25 step measures the school needs and intends to take to raise standards across the curriculum.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. The school has taken satisfactory overall action to meet its targets both for attainment and in strategic development. Targets for attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 are appropriate. Through the effective work of the assessment co-ordinator the school has instituted a good range of assessment routines and staff regularly measure the achievements of pupils in English and mathematics. However, the more general actions identified in the school development plan and assessment in other subjects are less clear. Staff share a high level of commitment to the pupils and school community. There is a satisfactory capacity to succeed further with potential to improve at a greater rate as and when improvements are made in school development planning and monitoring and evaluation.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. Educational priorities are satisfactorily supported through the school’s financial planning and there are some areas of strength within financial management. Governors are well informed on financial matters and budgetary information is shared and prudently monitored. The school applies the principles of best value to purchases in a satisfactory manner. Specific grants such as those to support pupils with special educational needs are used well as is funding to support the education of Traveller pupils.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. The headteacher is very well informed of both local and national initiatives through external professional responsibilities. This leads the school to being very active and successful in seeking and obtaining pockets of funding for various initiatives. However, such funding is not always used as effectively as possible to support the improvements for which the funding was obtained. As a result of changing pupil numbers, the school has a financial carry forward above that usually recommended, but it has not addressed the identified need to improve areas such as science and information and communications technology, because development planning does not sufficiently identify the main areas for school improvement. Whilst the school now has plans to develop an ‘Internet Café’, to some extent this is because a financial underspend has been achieved rather than as a result of careful development and improvement

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. The school makes satisfactory overall use of new technology with a balance of strengths and areas for development. The school uses new technology well to monitor attendance and day-to-day financial management. However, classroom computers are not used sufficiently to improve standards in information and communication technology and across the wider curriculum. Taking all factors into account, the school provides satisfactory value for money overall.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. The school has addressed the minor concerns regarding staffing identified at the last inspection. The match of teachers and support staff to meet the needs of the curriculum is good. This marks an improvement from the satisfactory position of the last inspection. All teachers are appropriately qualified and many have considerable teaching experience. The school has a considerable number of support staff to meet the needs of pupils, including those with special educational Needs. Teaching assistants attend appropriate training courses to enable them to give good support in key areas of learning such as literacy and numeracy. There is good teamwork in the classrooms between teachers and support staff. Procedures for induction, appraisal and professional development are satisfactory. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 26 69. Accommodation is satisfactory overall. Classrooms are of sufficient size to enable

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

effective teaching in all subjects. Storage space is limited. The library area is adequate. Although there is currently no computer room, the school has plans for an ‘Internet Café’ for pupils’ and community use. The outdoor areas include grass areas for sports and also a ‘wildlife area’ that is used for studies on plants and animals. Playgrounds are adequate, except that there is no separate area for the Foundation Stage. Displays of pupils’ work positively support learning since they are informative and well presented. The whole premises are clean, litter free and well maintained. Accommodation and learning resources are similar to that of the last inspection.

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HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. Learning resources are satisfactory overall to meet the needs of the curriculum. Resources are good for mathematics and for meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs. The school has enough computers in classrooms, but the resources for outside play for children in the Foundation Stage are currently under- developed.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

71. In order to improve pupils’ education further, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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key stages by ensuring that:

• greater use is made of computers in the course of daily lessons; • teachers identify the skills pupils are expected to learn in the course of their daily lesson plans; • a scheme of work is developed and used effectively across the school in planning pupils’ learning; • assessment procedures are developed in order to give teachers a clear idea of what pupils need to do next in order to improve their learning; (paragraphs 9, 24, 31, 50, 61, 67, 95, 108, 119, 125, 136, 142, 144 - 150) St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 27

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2) raise standards in geography at Key Stage 2 by ensuring that:

• the subject is taught in sufficient depth; • pupils’ knowledge and understanding of geographical vocabulary is developed; • teachers’ expectations of what pupils are capable of attaining are raised; (paragraphs 9, 26, 34, 133 - 138)

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3) raise standards in science at Key Stage 1 by ensuring that:

• teaching is effective in planning learning that matches pupils’ ability; • greater emphasis is placed by teachers on developing pupils’ scientific vocabulary; • teachers make greater use of investigation work to develop pupils’ skills of scientific enquiry; (paragraphs 4, 12, 24, 111 – 114, 119, 121)

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4) strengthen the leadership and management of the school by:

• creating a school development plan that focuses sharply on how standards are to be raised and evaluated in the light of pupils’ performance; • ensuring that the Governing Body and senior staff have effective methods of monitoring and evaluating the school’s performance and focus appropriately on addressing weaknesses as well as sharing good practice; • developing more effective procedures for directly monitoring teaching and learning; (paragraphs 58 – 63, 121, 132, 137, 143, 150, 166)

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plan:

• resources for the Foundation Stage outside play; (paragraphs 70, 74, 85) • make greater use of homework in subjects other than English and mathematics to support pupils in their learning; (paragraph 30) St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 28

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 26

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than two percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 221

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 50

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 63

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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 3

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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 24

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 23

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Attendance

School data 13.4 School data 1.9 St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 29 National comparative data 5.6 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 Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 30

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 12 16 28

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 8 6 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 11 12

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

Percentage of pupils School 68 (58) 61 (55) 75 (70) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 7 10 8 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 11 12 11

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

Percentage of pupils School 64 (61) 79 (67) 68 (67) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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

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

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 13 11 24

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 8 10 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 8 7 5

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

Percentage of pupils School 67 (65) 71 (45) 67 (71) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 8 7 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 6 4 6

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

Percentage of pupils School 58 (58) 50 (61) 63 (58) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 31

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups

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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) 8.6 Financial year 2001/02

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 25.7 £

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Average class size 31.6 Total income 491 468

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 489 127

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Expenditure per pupil 2 330

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 232 Balance brought forward from previous year 32 041

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 34 382

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 32

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Questionnaire return rate

Percentage of responses in each category

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Questionnaire return rate

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

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Questionnaire return rate

My child is making good progress in school. 58 39 2 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate

Behaviour in the school is good. 64 35 1 0 0

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Questionnaire return rate

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 36 27 3 1

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Questionnaire return rate

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 51 40 5 2 2

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Questionnaire return rate

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 77 20 2 1 0

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Questionnaire return rate

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 69 29 1 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate

The school works closely with parents. 64 34 1 0 1

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Questionnaire return rate

The school is well led and managed. 77 23 0 0 0

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Questionnaire return rate

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 63 36 1 0 0

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Questionnaire return rate

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 45 43 9 1 2

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Other issues raised by parents

No other issues were raised by parents. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 33 St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 34

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

73. Children start at the school in the academic year in which they become five. The current class includes a number of children who have special educational needs and five who are Travellers. The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good overall and much improved since the last inspection when a number of shortcomings in the provision were noted. Teaching has improved greatly and this ensures that many children make good gains in all areas of their learning in their first year at the school.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

74. A key feature in the improved provision is the very good way in which the school works closely with parents. Before children commence at the school, a series of workshops are organised for parents and their children. These are led by the class teacher and are designed to give parents a closer insight into the work that their children are to do and to give the parents themselves a clearer idea of how they can support their children at home. Many parents attend these sessions and are eager to help in the Foundation Stage in various ways. The children settle well into the school and many have few qualms about starting school. The close co-operation between the parents and the school continues to thrive during the academic year and the ‘open door’ policy that is very much evident ensures that parents feel comfortable in approaching the class teacher at the start and end of the school day to discuss any concerns they may have.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

75. The overall attainment of the children when they first enter the school is below average, although there are a few higher attaining children. In the Reception class, children make good progress in most areas of their learning. By the time they transfer to Year 1 children attain the expected levels in their personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy and mathematical development as well as in their knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. Progress in the children’s physical development is hampered in part by the lack of outside play facilities. However, there are plans in place to improve the provision in this area, which will offer rich opportunities to improve the children’s progress in this aspect of their development.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

76. The quality of teaching is good in many areas. A strong feature of the teaching is the way in which the teacher plans to encourage the children’s independent learning skills. This is done in a number of creative ways and great care is taken to ensure that the children explore and find out for themselves ways to solve certain problems. Equally effective is the way in which the children’s attainment and progress is measured and detailed records are kept. This is done frequently, starting at the beginning of the academic year to give the teacher an initial idea of the children’s attainment, and then at half-termly intervals. A record of the children’s progress is measured against each area of their learning. The information gained by the teacher helps to build up a very detailed profile of what the children know, can do and understand and gives the teacher a clear idea of what aspects of learning should be planned to move the children on in their

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

learning. Relationships are very good and all pupils are treated with care and respect. The Nursery nurse is an integral part of the team and makes a positive contribution to the purposeful and friendly atmosphere that prevails in the class. All children, including those who are Travellers and can spend some time away from the school, have their needs well met and are fully included in the whole programme of work that is planned for children. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 35

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Personal, social and emotional development

77. By the time children move into Year 1, most achieve the Early Learning Goals in their personal, social and emotional development. Teaching is very good and children make good progress. When changing for physical education in the school hall, most do this quickly and for themselves. Strong attention is paid by the staff to promoting children’s understanding of the need to play and share equipment fairly and equitably with their friends. Children demonstrate good capacity to do this and equal attention is paid by staff to promoting the children’s understanding of the need to replace what they use in order for others to use at a later point. Teaching places strong emphasis on developing the children’s ability to explore and use a range of materials for themselves in order to work out problems for themselves. In one lesson seen during the inspection, for example, children had to make a ‘tree’ using doweling rods, wheels and card. The

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Personal, social and emotional development

children found this quite challenging, particularly in making their model stand freely. However, many persevered with the task set and demonstrated high levels of interest in what they doing as well as devising a number of ways to complete the task.

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Personal, social and emotional development

78. By the end of Reception, the children co-operate well and share and play effectively with one another, although a few still find these expectations more difficult to meet. All staff are successful in using praise and warm words of encouragement to all the children as they work. As a result, the children are motivated in what they do and are sensitive to the needs of others who may be asked, for example, to explain at the end of a lesson what they have achieved in front of the class. Children successfully develop their confidence in both their approach to learning and with each other and by the end of the Foundation Stage have successfully developed their understanding of what it means to work and participate fully as a member of a wider group.

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Communication, language and literacy

79. By the time children leave the Foundation Stage, most attain the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning. Teaching is good and children make good progress. Good attention is paid by the teacher to promoting children’s basic skills in speaking and listening, reading and early writing. In many carpet sessions, for example, children are given good opportunities to answer questions, give their opinions or express a view as to what might follow in a story that they are being read. Children are attentive and listen carefully to what their classmates have to say. In the role-play areas, such as the class ‘shop’, children participate well in imaginary discussions and readily take on the role of a ‘shopkeeper’ when taking part in structured imaginative play. Whilst not all children are able to speak clearly, many are developing their confidence in talking in both small and wider groups by the time they transfer to Year 1.

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Communication, language and literacy

80. Teaching makes effective use of a wide range of literature to promote children’s own love of books and to develop early reading skills. ‘Big Books’ are used well to stimulate the children’s understanding of how books convey meaning and this helps to stimulate the children’s awareness of how pictures and illustrations can be used to work out what is happening or about to take place within the story plot. Higher attaining children know what the terms ‘author’ and ‘illustrator’ mean and are able to read early reading scheme materials confidently and ably. Children are effectively introduced to early phonics which are taught well and the effective links with parents ensure that the parents are able to support their children at home in learning the phonics that are taught in daily lessons.

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Communication, language and literacy

81. Children are given frequent opportunities to develop their early writing skills. These include using whiteboards to write down what goods they may wish to purchase in the St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 36 class ‘shop’ and this helps to develop their understanding that writing has a purpose and an intention. By the end of the Foundation Stage higher attaining children are able to write very simple sentences and have a satisfactory understanding of the need to use full stops or capital letters for their names. Many children are able to write and recognise the letters of the alphabet. However, most children are at the stage of ‘copy writing’ and still need the assistance of adults to write out a sentence or phrase before making an attempt at writing that sentence for themselves.

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Mathematical development

82. Children make good progress in their understanding of early mathematics skills and by the end of the Foundation Stage many children attain the Early Learning Goals in this area of their learning. Teaching is good and is effective in providing children with many rich and varied opportunities to develop their understanding of number, shape and space in a variety of ways. These include, for example, the use of computers to support the children’s understanding of number. In one very good lesson seen during the inspection, for example, the teacher made good use of the concept of ‘Noah’s Ark’ to develop the children’s understanding of how to count in twos. Children were asked to collect and move two ‘animals’ up the ‘ark’ in order to prepare for the great ‘journey’ that was to take place. By careful counting of the animals in twos, children successfully developed their understanding of counting in twos to twenty.

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Mathematical development

83. By the end of the Foundation Stage, higher attaining children are able to count beyond 20 and are able to count to 100 in tens or twenties. Most children are aware of the concept of ‘add’ and ‘take away’ and through frequent use of the class ‘shop’ develop a good understanding of the concept of money and can identify simple coins. Most recognise shapes such as squares, rectangles or triangles and understand the terms such as ‘bigger’ or ‘less than.’ Children are given good opportunities to use sand and water in their everyday play and this work helps to consolidate their understanding of terms such as ‘full’ or ‘empty.’ At present, few children other than those higher attaining children are able to write and work out simple addition or subtraction problems.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

84. By the end of the Foundation Stage, most children attain the Early Learning Goals in this area of their learning. Teaching is good and good attention is paid to developing and expanding the children’s awareness of their place in the world. By the end of the Reception year, children know that there are various modes of transport through their exploration of topics such as ‘Travel’. They know that trains are generally faster than cars but that planes are needed if travelling to more distant countries. Children are able to explain what buildings they may see on their way to school and know that Morecambe is a town that lies close to the sea. Children have a developing sense of time and know that people grow older and that birthdays are special occasions. Teaching makes good use of stories from overseas and this helps to develop the children’s early understanding of life in other countries. Through regular visits to places

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

of interest in the local community, children develop a satisfactory understanding of how other groups of people, such as firemen and police officers, help others in various ways. Good use is made of the school grounds, such as the garden area, to support the children’s learning. This helps to develop their understanding of other living things and how they need water and sunshine in order for them to grow and thrive.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

85. Teaching is effective in enabling children to have full and regular access to the two classroom based computers to support their everyday learning. These are effectively used to support the children’s literacy and numeracy development. In one lesson seen St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 37 during the inspection, for example, children were making good use of an electronic dictionary to explore the meaning of certain words and phrases. By the time they transfer to Year 1, the children use a mouse ably to move around the different layers of a computer program and are able to use appropriate software without the assistance of an adult, although few are able to save their work for later retrieval without assistance.

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Physical development

86. Children make satisfactory progress and by the time they transfer to Year 1 attain the Early Learning Goals in this area of their learning. Whilst some aspects of teaching are effective, particularly in the development of the children’s fine motor skills, the lack of a purposeful and regular outside structured play session hampers children’s progress. Teaching is satisfactory overall. At present, the school has limited facilities for this aspect of the children’s learning, but plans are in place to improve provision considerably. If implemented, these should impact well on children’s learning.

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Physical development

87. Children do have opportunities to take part in more formal physical education lessons in the school hall. Children are able to undress and change quickly for these sessions without too much assistance from an adult. When in the hall, children are careful of others when using the floor space and show sufficient degrees of coordination. Children listen effectively to the instructions of the teacher and show appropriate levels of control in the work they are asked to do. In classroom based lessons, children are given good opportunities to develop their finer physical skills through regular use of scissors, fasteners, glue, paint brushes and playdoh. Children work well using this equipment and particularly enjoy the tactility of clay or playdoh as they mould it into simple models or figures.

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Creative development

88. By the end of the Reception year, the majority of children attain the Early Learning Goals in this area of their learning. Progress is good and greatly aided by the good teaching that places a strong emphasis on the development of the children’s creative skills. Teaching is effective in ensuring that children have regular opportunities to take part in creative and structured play that proves useful in developing the children’s imaginations as well as, for example, developing their literacy or numeracy skills. The areas that are set up for this are well resourced and provided with suitable props and equipment that add a degree of authenticity for the children’s learning. These motivate the children’s interest further and enable them to work with a high degree of commitment. The children have good opportunities provided for them to play musical instruments and they enjoy singing simple tunes and rhymes that often link the ending

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Creative development

of one teaching session before moving on to another. Children sing well for their age and are developing a reasonable understanding of high and low sounds.

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Creative development

89. By the end of the Foundation Stage, children know that colours can be mixed to make others and they are able to paint with a fair degree of accuracy and enthusiasm. Many are taught well to handle a brush correctly and to wash it before applying a different paint colour. Work on display demonstrates that children understand that adding water or white to a colour alters the shade of that colour. Good opportunities are provided for children to work with a range of creative art materials, such as fabric or clay, and this proves useful in developing the finer features of their physical development.

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ENGLISH

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 38 90. The results of the National Curriculum tests for 2001 show that at the end of Year 2 standards in reading are well below the national average and well below average compared to similar schools. Standards in writing were very low when compared to all schools and when compared to similar schools. On the basis of the 2001 results, attainment at the end of Year 6 was below average in English when compared with all schools but well above average when compared with similar schools. Girls usually do slightly better than boys in these tests, but this is similar to the situation nationally. Standards have varied over the past few years because of the differences in the ability of groups of pupils, but have been consistently below or well below average at the end of both key stages. Standards are not as high as those reported in the last inspection. Early indications are that standards in the 2002 National Curriculum tests are very

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ENGLISH

91. Inspection findings indicate that pupils’ overall attainment is below national expectations at the end of both Year 2 and Year 6, although the pupils’ speaking and listening skills are in line with national expectations. The school has implemented a good number of procedures to raise standards, which are having a positive effect on the progress of all the pupils. The National Literacy Strategy has been implemented well. However, the improvements made by the school have not yet been in place for a sufficiently long time to have a significant impact on the quality of pupils’ learning, particularly for those who have joined the school during the key stage, and progress of pupils over time is satisfactory. Pupils with special educational needs, Traveller children and those with English as an additional language receive effective support from well-trained teaching assistants and make good progress.

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ENGLISH

92. By the end of both Year 2 and Year 6, pupils’ speaking and listening skills are in line with national expectations. The school puts a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills through all subject areas and the pupils make good progress. Pupils listen appropriately to their teachers and their classmates and are keen to participate in discussion. Class discussions are particularly successful when all pupils, even the most reluctant speakers are encouraged to participate and where pupils’ interest is captivated. This was illustrated in a very good lesson observed in Year 2 in which the class discussed ‘The Day in the Life of a Footballer’. The teacher made very effective use of a range of questions appropriate to pupils of different abilities that ensured all were fully included and, consequently, they made very good progress in extending their speaking and listening skills. By the end of Year 6, most

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ENGLISH

pupils listen carefully and are starting to develop confidence in speaking in front of an audience. Pupils listen and respond confidently in a wider range of contexts by the end of Year 6. For example, in an excellent lesson in Year 6, pupils were able to pose pertinent questions and give relevant replies regarding their study of Anderson shelters and gas masks in history.

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ENGLISH

93. Pupils’ attainment is below average at the end of both key stages in reading, although progress is satisfactory. In Key Stage 1, the whole class shared reading of ‘Big Books’ is having a positive effect in developing pupils’ confidence in reading. They become familiar with the conventions of reading. They understand terms such as ‘title’, ‘front cover’, ‘author’ and ‘illustrator’ and know the difference between fiction and non-fiction books. Following the good examples set by their teachers, pupils start to put expression in their reading. Pupils enjoy these sessions and respond well to the teachers’ questions about the content and meaning of the text. In their own reading, average and higher attaining pupils employ a number of reading strategies, such as using picture clues and ‘sounding out’ unfamiliar words. However, lower attaining pupils are still working at a very basic level and do not use their knowledge of letter sounds

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ENGLISH

sufficiently to work out the words they are unsure of. Although the introduction of St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 39 projects such as Early Literacy Support ensures most pupils make satisfactory progress with their reading, by the end of Year 2 many pupils still rely on the support of adults.

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ENGLISH

94. By the end of Year 6, only a small proportion of pupils are reading at the higher level and a significant number of pupils are reading at a level below the national average. Teachers ensure pupils have the opportunity to become familiar with a good range of literature, both fiction and non-fiction. The pupils discuss with interest the style of the author or poet and the way in which they set the scene in works such as ’Ghost Dog’ by Edel Wignell. Pupils are taught an appropriate range of reading strategies but they do not always employ them when reading independently and need to be reminded. Whilst higher attaining pupils read with good expression related to punctuation, many pupils read hesitantly and lack confidence. Although they can often read words accurately, lower attaining pupils do not always understand their meaning. The school has implemented a number of procedures to support these pupils, for example, the

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ENGLISH

Additional Literacy Strategy and a reading club, but as yet these have not yet had sufficient time to impact on attainment at the end of the key stages. Year 6 pupils know how to use a dictionary and a thesaurus and reference books for independent research.

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ENGLISH

95. The school has made the improvement of writing one of its priority targets in its planning and there are signs that standards are rising. However, whilst pupils make satisfactory progress overall, their attainment in writing is below national expectations at the end of both key stages. At the end of Year 2, many pupils are working below the expected level. Higher attaining pupils make satisfactory attempts at writing in a story format, which has a clear beginning, middle and ending. They spell commonly occurring words correctly and make plausible attempts at spelling more difficult words. Their sentences are sometimes punctuated with capital letters and full stops. The average and lower attaining pupils produce only short pieces of written work, which are not always clearly structured and many pupils require a high level of support with their writing. Handwriting is mainly well formed and consistent in size. By Year 6, pupils

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ENGLISH

produce pieces of work of a reasonable length for a range of different purposes, such as book reviews, poems, stories, instructions and reports. Teachers encourage pupils to write in a variety of styles by evaluating how authors have developed their individual approaches. After reading an extract from ‘The Stinky Cheese Man Story and Other Stupid Fairy Tales’ by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, pupils in Year 6 wrote interesting pieces maintaining a similar style well. Most pupils understand the basic grammatical structure of sentences and apply it correctly in their own writing. Higher attaining pupils use a good variety of punctuation and spelling is usually accurate. They begin to sustain ideas and develop them in an interesting way, although there are few examples of them writing at length. The school is seeking to address this. By the end of Year 6, pupils present their work well and handwriting is mainly joined and legible. However,

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ENGLISH

many pupils are not writing at the expected standard for their age. Lower attaining pupils still need a lot of adult support and encouragement. Teachers work hard at motivating pupils and try to give them the confidence they need to succeed.

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ENGLISH

96. Teaching and learning are satisfactory in both key stages. Teaching and learning in the lessons observed during the inspection were good overall, but evidence from pupils’ work suggests that over time this is not always the case. Too few opportunities have been provided for pupils to develop their literacy skills through other subjects of the curriculum and this has hindered pupils’ progress. Basic skills are now being taught well. Teachers constantly promote pupils’ speaking skills and this is effective in developing their vocabulary and use of grammar. Pupils are becoming confident in speaking in front of an audience and standards are higher in this aspect of the subject. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 40 In the best lessons, teachers make very good use of open-ended questions targeted effectively at the differing ability levels of the pupils. They have very high expectations of the pupils and the lessons are well paced. Pupils respond very well to this and are

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highly motivated in their learning. They listen with interest to their teachers’ suggestions as to how they might improve their work further, act on this advice and are keen to give of their best. Teachers use the end of the session appropriately to assess and evaluate the learning that has taken place, which gives pupils a clear idea of the progress they have made. Teachers know and manage their pupils well, which helps pupils to behave well and enjoy learning. Teaching assistants are well deployed to support the learning of Traveller children, those pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language, and this enables them to make good progress. The quality of marking is good overall. The best marking relates specifically to the pupils’ progress towards their own individual targets and gives pupils a clear understanding of what they need to do next. However, there is only limited use made of information and

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technology as a means to support work within the classroom. Other subject areas are sometimes used effectively to support work in literacy. For example, Year 2 pupils wrote an account of The Great Fire of London in the style of a newspaper report during a history lesson.

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ENGLISH

97. The school has implemented a number of good initiatives to help to address the low standards in English. These include Early Literacy Support, Additional Literacy Support and booster classes. The Traveller Education Service provides valuable support for Travellers’ children and runs twice weekly reading clubs, which make a positive contribution to the pupils’ progress. The subject is well led by an enthusiastic co- ordinator. She has only had responsibility for the subject for a short time but has already identified a number of areas for improvement and developed an appropriate action plan. She has monitored teaching and learning and this has helped her to have a better idea of the quality of teaching and learning within the school. There are clearly focused long and medium term plans for the subject in line with the aims and objectives of the National Curriculum and National Literacy Strategy and these are

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ENGLISH

related appropriately to short term planning in the classes. There are good procedures for the assessment of pupils’ progress. These are undertaken regularly and used effectively to support pupils’ learning. However, they have not been in place long enough to ensure continuity and progression throughout the school and to impact on standards. Group and individual targets are set which enable pupils to know what they need to do next. Visits to places of interest help to boost pupils’ interest. For example, Year 6 pupils visited Rheged in Penrith to watch Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Initiatives such as ‘Dads and Lads’ have been set up to help stimulate boys’ interest in literacy. Overall, the school has shown satisfactory improvement in English since the last inspection, although this has yet to be reflected in the end of Year 2 and Year 6 tests.

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98. The 2001 National Curriculum test results for pupils in Key Stage 2 were average compared with schools nationally and above the average for schools with similar numbers of pupils entitled to free school meals. Trends in attainment in Key Stage 2 national tests show that attainment has risen each year since 1999 when it was very low. This positive picture has not been reflected in Key Stage 1 where standards have been below average over some time. In the 2001 national tests at the end of Key Stage 1, standards were very low and among the lowest five per cent of schools nationally and well below the average of similar schools. Trends in attainment in Key Stage 1 national tests show standards have been consistently low since 1998. However, early indications from National Curriculum tests in 2002 are that standards have St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 41 considerably improved in Key Stage 1 in the number of pupils attaining the national

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average, although with relatively few attaining standards above the average. Early information from 2002 national tests indicate standards have been maintained well in Key Stage 2 with a very slight improvement in the number of pupils attaining levels above the average.

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MATHEMATICS

99. The inspection findings are that pupils’ overall attainment in mathematics is in line with national expectations at the age of seven and eleven. This indicates an apparent fall in standards from the previous inspection in Key Stage 2 when attainment was slightly above average. Standards in Key Stage 1 are similar to those noted in the previous inspection. Since the last inspection, the school has had to work hard to improve attainment at Key Stage 1. Evidence suggests that the high turnover of pupils at Key Stage 1 has depressed the overall standards reached by pupils over time. At both key stages, school information indicates that the ‘core group’ of pupils who remain at the school for most of their primary education achieve higher standards than those who move in and out of the school. Standards in Key Stage 1 are better than those seen in recent years because of the increased attention paid by the school to planning more

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MATHEMATICS

effectively for the different needs of the pupils. In addition, the effective implementation of the National Numeracy Strategy over a three-year period is now also having a positive impact on the standards reached by pupils at Key Stage 1.

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MATHEMATICS

100. Historically, children have entered the school with below average mathematical skills but improve their knowledge, understanding and confidence well in the Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 and 2. Because the quality of teaching is good pupils generally achieve well and make good progress as they move through the school. There are good arrangements to support those pupils with special educational needs and those from Traveller families and many of these pupils make good progress especially if they are in school for some time. However, the school has a very mobile population and several families also take holidays in term time all of which affect the progress pupils make. Pupils speaking English as an additional language make the same progress as their classmates. The pupil identified by the school as being gifted and talented in mathematics also makes good progress.

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MATHEMATICS

101. Pupils in Key Stage 2 achieve well because of the high quality of teaching in several year groups and most notably at the end of the key stage in Year 6. Here, the very good quality of teaching provided by the mathematics co-ordinator makes a significant impact on raising pupils’ interest and achievement in the subject and this enables a significant proportion of older pupils to achieve standards that are above the average.

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MATHEMATICS

102. Pupils throughout the school use and apply their knowledge of mathematics well in problem solving and investigations. The mathematics co-ordinator has worked hard with colleagues to extend the opportunities pupils have to take part in investigative activities and to overcome any anxiety the pupils have to formally record what they have done after every activity. This has been a very successful strategy and the wide range of imaginative problem solving activities interests and motivates many pupils to try hard. This is reflected in recent work carried out by Year 6 pupils following a visit to a ‘Johnny Ball Roadshow’ that inspired both the staff and pupils. Following this, the teacher and pupils became very absorbed in operating a method of multiplication using graphs. Work shows that the pupils started with a theory that decimals would also work on the diagram and then set about proving or disproving the theory and were spurred

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MATHEMATICS

on by the genuine admission of the teacher that she did not know the answer either. Higher attaining pupils make very good progress in such activities and pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils achieve well because the quality of support offered is very effective. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 42 103. In investigative work, staff and pupils make good use of resources including individual white boards to enable pupils to work out a range of problems. In Year 6, pupils use the boards confidently to show how they choose and use appropriate number operations to solve two and three stage problems of increasing complexity to work out the functions when given an input and output number. In Year 5 lower attaining pupils make suitable progress when using known facts for all four number operations to solve money problems or ‘real life’ word problems. In Year 4 higher attaining pupils have confidence

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MATHEMATICS

in their problem solving skills which they use well to make their own number problems and ask, ‘If I have 60 sweets and six friends, if they are shared equally, how many sweets do we get each?’

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MATHEMATICS

104. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress and they are confident in using and applying what they know about mathematics when solving problems. They investigate the possible choices they can make in a ‘Burger Bar’ by working out the costs of different items and the amount of change they should have. They draw a path for a mouse to follow along a series of lines to get to the cheese. Staff plan carefully to ensure that different types of work in areas of number, shape, space and measures and handling data have an investigative strand and practical learning activity. These activities make a positive impact upon improving pupils’ skills in other subject areas, including speaking and listening.

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MATHEMATICS

105. Throughout the school pupils have satisfactory knowledge and understanding of numbers and make good progress in their use of number in a wide range of mental and written calculations. All lessons start with well-planned mental and oral activities where the aim is for pupils to improve the speed of their calculations. These activities are often seen as fun by the pupils, who are anxious to beat their own time targets. For instance, pupils in Year 2 take part in a ‘speed round’ where, when sitting in a circle, they add on from the previous number and aim to get as far as possible in 90 seconds. Similarly in Year 6 pupils are really motivated to concentrate well when working out a series of questions and marking their numbers off on a ‘number bingo’ grid. Speed of calculations improves even further when carrying out a class ‘loop game’ where each pupil has to work out if ‘their’ number is the answer to a series of quite complex

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MATHEMATICS

questions with the aim of beating their own previous best time.

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MATHEMATICS

106. Pupils in Key Stage 1 have positive attitudes to using numbers and most try hard to improve their work. The sample of pupils’ recent work shows that in Key Stage 1 higher attaining pupils make good progress in their ability to double numbers up to twenty and put in order a series of numbers, such as 621,521,421 and 321. They identify the difference between 18 and 46 and are able to work out totals of items of given costs such as 2p+9p+£2.50. Lower attaining pupils are able to carry out similar calculations with lower prices when receiving support. In Year 2, pupils produce Venn and Carroll diagrams with average levels of skill to identify numbers that are less or more than 14 and then which of these are odd or even. Pupils make good progress in choosing and using the appropriate operations for simple one and two step word problems. They offer numbers that make ten or twenty and what numbers have a difference of ten. In

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MATHEMATICS

Year 1, higher attaining pupils are able to identify number patterns when adding 5 and 10 and find out how many ways they can make 35p with satisfactory understanding.

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MATHEMATICS

107. In Key Stage 2 pupils make good progress in developing their understanding of number and higher attaining older pupils make very good progress in this area. By the end of Year 6, pupils are able to work out a range of calculations in a ‘magic square’ format so that they are able to accurately conclude what the missing numbers are and work out their own number patterns for empty ‘magic squares’. Many average attaining pupils St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 43 are able to work out the numbers on an ‘addition snake’ when starting with minus 16. Older pupils have good understanding of prime and square numbers and of how to work out calculations with brackets.

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MATHEMATICS

108. Pupils in both key stages have good understanding of shape, space and measures. Pupils from Year 1 have good understanding of symmetry and can complete the ‘missing’ half of a range of cartoon style faces to match the first half. In Year 2 pupils are able to use their knowledge of shapes well to identify all the triangles that have one half shaded. Key Stage 1 pupils particularly enjoy activities where they have to calculate the cost of different items and how much change they would get from their purchases. In Key Stage 2 pupils continue to make good progress in this aspect of learning and in Year 3 the teacher’s use of an overhead projector is effective in helping pupils understand how to work out fractions of a circle. By Year 6 pupils are able to identify and measure different angles with quite good levels of accuracy so that they are able to identify an angle of 123 degrees.

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MATHEMATICS

109. Pupils use their firmly grounded understanding of numbers well in data handling activities although this aspect of mathematics is less developed than the others. By the end of Year 2, pupils show growing confidence in using the information they have collected from the dates of birth of their classmates to work out the months with most and least birthdays. By the end of Year 6, pupils produce accurate ‘pie charts’ representing their favourite football teams and different eye colours. However, throughout the school staff do not make enough use of information and communication technology to support learning and this has a limiting impact upon improving data handling skills further.

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MATHEMATICS

110. The quality of teaching is good in both key stages and is particularly effective in Year 6 where it is often very good. All teachers plan mathematics lessons very carefully and with good understanding of the format of the Numeracy Hour. Explanations to pupils of new ideas are clear and this gives the pupils a good understanding of what they are expected to learn during the course of a lesson. Staff have generally high expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly of pupils in Key Stage 2 and most especially in Year 6. Staff usually plan well for pupils of different ability to ensure that an appropriate level of challenge is offered, although the sample of work indicates an over-use of worksheets that sometimes limit the pupils’ own recording skills. Time is used well and teachers make effective use of the time at the end of lessons to explore with the pupils what they have learned or what they may have found difficult. This provides the

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MATHEMATICS

teachers with good information upon which to base the introductions to subsequent lessons, therefore helping to consolidate what pupils learn. However, very occasionally in Key Stage 1 more could be expected of higher attaining pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

111. The subject co-ordinator provides very good leadership and management of the subject. She has a high level of interest and enthusiasm for developing the subject and has been pivotal in raising standards. She ‘leads from the front’ by providing high quality teaching and has boundless enthusiasm to look at new ways of making improvements. This has led to very good assessment routines being established throughout the school. There is a full and very detailed system of testing and recording pupils’ attainment and this enables pupils to become familiar with assessment routines, which helps them gain confidence when tackling national tests. However, further use could be made of the information available to tailor the level of challenge more to the needs of higher attaining younger pupils. The co-ordinator, together with external support, undertakes monitoring of planning, teaching and learning. The monitoring undertaken

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MATHEMATICS

has generally been very effective in identifying many areas for improvement and is a very good model for the school to adopt in other subjects. However, the school could St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 44 extend the level of challenge for pupils in Key Stage 1 and the use of information and communication technology to support pupils’ learning throughout the school.

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SCIENCE

112. The results of the National Curriculum tests for Year 6 in 2001 were well below the national average, and below average compared to similar schools. At the end Year 2, assessments by teachers indicate that attainment was well below national expectations. Initial indications from the results of National Curriculum tests for Year 6 in 2002 suggest that standards of attainment in this year group have improved greatly. This is confirmed by the standard of work seen during the inspection, which was in line with national expectations in Year 6 and, after a period of falling standards, this means there has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection.

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SCIENCE

113. As pupils move through Key Stage 1, the overall pace of progress is unsatisfactory and the standard of work seen during the inspection confirms that attainment by the age of seven is below expectations for pupils of this age. More able pupils receive insufficient challenge between the ages of five and seven, and their progress is unsatisfactory. At Key Stage 2, progress is satisfactory and by the age of eleven pupils achieve well. There is no significant difference between the progress and attainment of girls and boys throughout the school, and pupils with special educational needs, Traveller children and those for whom English is an additional language make similar progress to others in their age group.

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SCIENCE

114. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ understanding and skills in scientific enquiry are unsatisfactory. Most pupils can add labels to drawings, for example, the parts of a plant, but only higher-attaining pupils can measure, produce their own simple bar charts of the results of their work, and write simple explanations of their learning. The quality of written work is poor for many children and, although they are sometimes encouraged to develop their writing skills, too often poor quality worksheets and ‘cut and paste’ activities are used, which hamper the development of recording skills.

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SCIENCE

115. Attainment by the end of Key Stage 1 in the other areas of the science curriculum is also below expectations overall, although pupils have experience of appropriate ranges of topics and teachers have addressed key learning points. Although most pupils know that plants need water to grow and can name the main parts of a plant and recognise that animals produce babies, they do not have a satisfactory and secure understanding of the needs of animals for survival and their attainment in understanding the conditions needed for living creatures to grow and thrive is unsatisfactory. Higher attaining pupils can sort materials into groups and have a good understanding of how materials can be changed by, for example, melting or forces. They are aware that some things can be changed back and some cannot. Most pupils are aware of the uses of electricity in everyday life and the use of batteries to store electricity but at the time of the inspection

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SCIENCE

pupils in Year 2 have not yet experienced activities to investigate an electrical circuit and their understanding of this area is unsatisfactory. The pace of work is sometimes too slow and in some lessons teachers’ expectations of pupils are too low, restricting learning especially for the more able pupils. Work on forces emphasises pushes and pulls and the effect on objects, but only more able pupils are able to show good understanding of this in their recorded work and the range of work pupils have undertaken is limited. Pupils’ knowledge of sources of light and the variation in sounds from different musical instruments is thin and insufficient attention has been given to this aspect of the science curriculum, so that attainment in this aspect of their work is unsatisfactory overall. The weaknesses in pupils’ attainment in Key Stage 1 arise from St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 45 insufficient challenge, especially for pupils with higher ability, and standardised

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SCIENCE

assessments of seven-year-olds show that no pupils attain beyond the national average level. Although some worksheets which are used provide a useful structure to support pupils’ thinking and recording, others are not challenging enough and have more emphasis on colouring or ‘cut and paste’ and make limited contribution to pupils’ learning or to reinforcing pupils’ learning of key scientific points.

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SCIENCE

116. In Key Stage 2, pupils’ achievement between the ages of seven and eleven is good overall, though stronger in Years 4 and 6 where teachers’ expectations are generally higher. By the end of Year 6 pupils’ attainment is in line with expectations overall. However, by the end of Year 6 pupils’ attainment in scientific enquiry is unsatisfactory. Although there has been an emphasis on revision for much of Year 6, the majority of lessons throughout Key Stage 2 involve experimental work, but pupils do not develop skills and understanding in science enquiry consistently as they move up the school. Towards the end of Year 6, pupils are developing better investigative skills because they have better opportunities to plan and carry out their own investigations, such as comparing arm-length in boys and girls, but pupils have insufficient opportunity to experience these open-ended activities in earlier years. There is a commendable

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SCIENCE

absence of worksheets in most year groups, but pupils are not sufficiently encouraged to develop and use scientific vocabulary. For example, they are able to make predictions but do not use the term, nor do they consistently refer to fair testing. Pupils are largely expected to write their own reports of their activities so that science supports the development of writing skills. However, the lack of an agreed, progressive approach to recording activities results in even the oldest pupils using inconsistent strategies to write up their work. Most pupils can measure with appropriate units and record their findings in tables and graphs and some pupils produce well-structured line graphs with their own axes and labels. As a result, there are satisfactory opportunities for links with numeracy, but insufficient use is made of information and communications technology.

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SCIENCE

117. By the end of Year 6, pupils have satisfactory knowledge of how humans carry out basic life processes and higher-attaining pupils understand the reasons for faster heartbeat and increased breathing during exercise. Pupils develop a satisfactory understanding of the structure of plants and their needs, exemplified by an ongoing series of experiments supported by interactive display in Year 3. Although aware of the role of micro-organisms in disease, pupils do not appreciate how they can be useful. Work on suitability of animals to their environment shows satisfactory understanding, but pupils do not link this to differences in environmental factors. By the age of eleven, pupils have a good grasp of food chains and the role of producers and consumers.

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SCIENCE

118. From their work on materials and their properties pupils recognise that only some metals are magnetic and that magnets attract and repel, and have learned well about different types of insulation for heat and electricity. In Year 5, an activity investigating sound insulation has been recorded well by pupils, showing good learning of scientific principles. Understanding of evaporation and condensation is satisfactory, but pupils have limited understanding of factors affecting dissolving, or separation of mixtures.

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SCIENCE

119. Pupils have gained a satisfactory understanding of the nature of a basic electrical circuit and higher-attaining pupils can draw clear diagrams with symbols and know the effect of adding components. They are aware of sound as vibration and have some understanding of factors affecting pitch, and pupils’ understanding that light travels in straight lines extends to basic aspects of reflection. Forces are understood well especially by higher-attaining pupils, including the concepts of upthrust, air-resistance and friction. Learning about earth and space is somewhat mechanistic and, although pupils have written about this topic, most show limited understanding. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 46 120. Teaching over time is good overall at Key Stage 2 although it is unsatisfactory at Key Stage 1. Most teachers have good scientific knowledge and plan with clear, though rather general, learning objectives throughout the school, but objectives for developing

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SCIENCE

the pupils’ skills of scientific enquiry are seldom clearly identified and this results in low attainment in this aspect of the curriculum. Where the purpose of the lesson is shared with pupils they are aware of their own learning. However, at Key Stage 1, pupils’ work indicates that planning often takes place with insufficient consideration of prior attainment so that work is not tailored to meet the needs of different groups within a class, especially those who are capable of more advanced work. For pupils in Key Stage 1, the impact of this on more able pupils is particularly marked and they receive insufficient challenge so that their achievement is limited . Where teaching is most effective, independent writing is encouraged and science therefore helps in the development of literacy. Teachers use different strategies to support this, such as providing key questions, standard headings or writing frames. The absence of a

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SCIENCE

consistent approach to guiding pupils in the recording of their work limits opportunities for progression in scientific enquiry. In Key Stage 1, numeracy is less well supported as pupils undertake limited measurements and draw graphs only occasionally. Development of pupils’ skills in information and communication technology through science is unsatisfactory; for example, although pupils have used sensors to monitor changes in temperature in Year 4, they do not use data handling software to analyse the results of their experiments in any year group. Classroom management is good, and this has a positive effect on the learning of all pupils. In the very long afternoon lessons in science the pace of activities is sometimes slow, especially in Key Stage 1, and this poor use of time reduces pupils’ motivation and wastes learning opportunities. Marking of pupils’ work is often good, with an appropriate combination of praise and challenging

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SCIENCE

comments so that pupils are encouraged to think more deeply about their learning.

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SCIENCE

121. Throughout the school the presentation of work is variable, with no consistent approach to setting out written work, although from an early age pupils consistently date their work, and pupils of all abilities make an effort to complete what they have been asked to do. Good behaviour was seen in all lessons during the inspection with pupils responding well to teachers’ expectations, showing enjoyment and good engagement with their work and carrying out practical activities responsibly. Where individual targets are shared with pupils in their books they have a positive effect on pupils’ attitudes to their learning.

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SCIENCE

122. After a period of instability, the subject is now satisfactorily led and managed by a new co-ordinator who has a clear sense of direction and has correctly identified key areas for development, particularly at Key Stage 1, including improving assessment, the introduction of end-of-year tests to facilitate tracking of pupils’ progress, and the refinement of planning. Teachers’ planning is supported by units of work from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority linked to the local education authority guidance for science. Curriculum coverage is appropriate overall, although little attention is given to the teaching of electricity throughout the school. Sufficient time is allocated to science, but its distribution in whole afternoon blocks presents challenges for teachers’ use of time, especially with classes for younger children. This is exacerbated by the withdrawal of some pupils for additional literacy or numeracy support that makes

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SCIENCE

continuity of learning of science during the lesson difficult. The co-ordinator is aware of the potential for science to contribute to pupils’ spiritual development but no evidence of this was seen during the inspection. Social and moral development are fostered by interactive teaching and learning throughout the school, but opportunities for cultural development are not identified. The monitoring of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 47 lacks rigour and the school is aware of the need to ensure that pupils’ learning and the quality of teaching are more effectively monitored.

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ART AND DESIGN

123. By the end of both key stages, standards of attainment are in line with national expectations. The school has maintained standards in the subject since the previous inspection. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, English as an additional language and those who are Travellers, make satisfactory progress in the development of their understanding of art and design as they move through each of the classes.

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ART AND DESIGN

124. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have a satisfactory understanding of the concept of colour and know that mixing colours together can make others. Pupils mix and apply paint with a fair degree of accuracy and take appropriate care in producing paintings that fairly reflect their capabilities. By exploring the ‘Great Fire of London’, for example, pupils have explored ‘hot’ colours by mixing different shades and tones of red and yellow. Pupils draw with suitable accuracy, although their understanding of ‘line’ and ‘tone’ is a weaker feature of their attainment. Pupils use sketchbooks to explore their initial ideas and use these as a basis for their future work. Pupils use a range of three- dimensional media to produce interesting artwork. However, their understanding of the works and techniques employed by different artists and craftspeople is under- developed for their age. At present, the school has yet to devise a clear programme of

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ART AND DESIGN

what artists’ work the pupils are to explore during the course of their artwork and this limits pupils’ progress in this feature of their learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

125. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils produce satisfactory pieces of work exploring the concept of ‘pattern’, and teachers devise interesting links with mathematics in this regard as pupils explore the concept of ‘tessellation’ in both their mathematics and art and design work. Pupils make satisfactory progress in the development of drawing skills by sketching plants, flowers and shrubs in the school grounds. By the end of the key stage, pupils have developed a satisfactory understanding of shade and perspective by using these techniques in their everyday drawings of watches, various tools and other everyday objects such as cups. Some good links are made with information and communication technology. Year 6 pupils, for example, have used photo-imaging software to alter designs and drawings and this helps to develop pupils’ understanding of how information and communication technology can be used to

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create pieces of artwork. Pupils continue to use sketchbooks as a means of preparatory work. However, some pupils’ work in these is rather untidy, and the potential for using these as a means of producing work in detail or in collecting examples of art and design by collecting pictures of everyday objects from magazines or other similar media is often missed. By the end of Year 6, pupils do not develop a sufficient understanding of how other artists have used different methods and techniques in producing artwork in a range of different media and their learning in this aspect of their art and design work is unsatisfactory.

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ART AND DESIGN

126. The quality of teaching and learning at both key stages is satisfactory. Where teaching is most effective, as seen in Year 4, for example, teachers devise interesting artwork for pupils that has strong links with other subjects. This helps to reinforce pupils’ learning and develop pupils’ appreciation of how pieces of art can be generated by exploring aspects of other subjects. Across the school, teachers have satisfactory subject knowledge and understanding and plan work that is appropriately challenging and is successful in developing the pupils’ appreciation of the subject. Teachers have St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 48 yet to devise a clear list of which artists and their work pupils are to explore during the course of an academic year. What work pupils explore in this regard is very much left at the discretion of the individual teachers. As a result, pupils’ progress in this aspect of

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ART AND DESIGN

their learning is somewhat haphazard and limiting. In addition, teachers have yet to devise ways to effectively plan to develop pupils’ spiritual and cultural development through the work they explore in art and design. The contribution the subject plays in promoting pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is limited as a result. Some teachers, particularly in Year 6, make good use of information and communication technology to support their teaching of art and design. However, in the main, teachers make insufficient use of computers and do not plan to successfully incorporate them into lessons to support pupils’ learning.

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ART AND DESIGN

127. There is satisfactory leadership and management of the subject. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic about the subject and is aware of the strengths of provision and of the ways in which pupils’ learning could be further enhanced. At present, the school is in the process of merging the guidance given by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority with that of the local education authority to produce a clear programme of knowledge and skill development to help teachers plan pupils’ learning as they move through the school. Action points include the further development of how teachers plan to assess and record pupils’ attainment and progress in the subject. At the moment, this is very informal and the school has yet to devise clear records on the precise stages of pupils’ development. This makes it difficult for teachers to plan pupils’ learning so that it successfully builds on their prior achievements. Resources to

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ART AND DESIGN

support teachers in their work are satisfactory.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

128. Standards in design and technology are in line with national expectations at the end of both key stages and all pupils make satisfactory progress. At the time of the last inspection, standards were below expectations. Since then there has been good improvement in provision leading to the present satisfactory standards.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

129. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have experienced a range of designing and making activities and are developing related skills, such as cutting and joining, although there is not a systematic approach to progression in the development of skills. Pupils are given satisfactory opportunities to design but scope for pupils to evaluate their finished products are more restricted. Pupils in Year 2 have followed a food theme, designing and making a class picnic blanket with individual ideas for decoration followed through into the finished product. Pupils have drawn their design, describing well the materials they would use and the tools involved, although they have not evaluated the product. In a lesson where pupils designed a sandwich for a picnic, they were able to consider their own preferences, what the consumer might like and decide on a type of bread and sandwich filling to meet the specification.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

130. By the end of Year 6, pupils show satisfactory understanding of all aspects of design and technology. Pupils are given sufficient opportunities to explore how products are designed to a certain specification. By looking at different types of bread, Year 6 pupils developed an understanding of why people prefer different types of bread and a bakery tour was used well by the teacher to help pupils investigate the process. Good strategies were used for evaluating different types of bread against specified criteria, and a loaf was designed to a specification. Digital photographs showed a well made product, evaluated against the specification, and higher attaining pupils have retained a good record of the whole process. Links to food have also been explored by Year 4 St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 49 pupils, who showed knowledge of structures and nets to make a box suitable for a sandwich, and evaluated the product. By exploring a range of different slippers, Year 4

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

pupils then made their own and developed their understanding of the concept of designing for purpose, designing and producing a paper prototype. The textiles used have been joined with good attention to finish and appearance. In Year 5 pupils have investigated the work of levers in making moving pictures and, in a lesson observed, were able to measure and cut to size in preparation for joining moving parts. They used saws and drills safely, and based their work on initial designs and thereby developed a satisfactory understanding of initial sketches and drawings as a basis for their later work.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

131. Pupils enjoy their work in design and technology. They behave well, engaging with tasks and co-operating with each other, and show a responsible attitude to the use of equipment. They contribute their ideas well during discussions and are prepared to make suggestions and, when given the opportunity, put effort into aspects such as evaluation.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

132. Teaching is satisfactory across the school, and teachers display good knowledge of all elements of design and technology, planning appropriate activities that address all elements of the subject so that pupils experience well-structured lessons that provide good opportunities for learning. In lessons, teachers make good use of questions to encourage pupils to develop their skills of evaluation. Organisation of pupils’ learning is good so that practical activities run smoothly and resources are used effectively. The organisation of the curriculum into long blocks of time presents a challenge for teachers to maintain the pace of learning. Some design and technology sessions seen in both key stages are quite long, taking up most of the afternoon and some pupils’ attention and motivation dip as a consequence as the afternoon progressed.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

133. The subject is well led and managed well so that there has been good improvement in the provision of design and technology since the last inspection. The use of national guidance from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has provided a suitable framework to ensure statutory curriculum requirements are met, although there is no longer-term substantial plan to ensure the development of pupils’ design and technology skills as they move through each of the classes. The co-ordinator has a good overview of the subject throughout the school, and staff development has ensured improved teacher knowledge of the subject. Links with pupils’ spiritual development are not evident, although social and moral development is fostered satisfactorily through group activities and recognition of the importance of health and safety rules. Opportunities to develop pupils’ multicultural awareness, for example, when working

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

with food from different cultures, are not exploited. Assessment against key objectives for each topic has recently been introduced but is not yet firmly established to ensure that teachers effectively plan pupils’ learning to build on what they already know and understand. Monitoring of plans takes place, but there is at present insufficient monitoring of teaching and standards of work with a view to ensuring that effective practice can be shared more widely. There are few links identified in teachers’ plans with information and communication technology and this limits pupils’ understanding of how computers can be used to explore aspects of design and technology.

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GEOGRAPHY

134. Standards of attainment at the end of Year 2 are in line with national expectations. However, standards of attainment at the end of Year 6 are below national expectations. This is a reversal of the situation as reported in the previous inspection when standards St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 50 were judged to be unsatisfactory at the end of Year 2, but satisfactory at the end of Year 6. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1, but unsatisfactory progress in Key Stage 2. Pupils with special educational needs, Travellers and those who have English as an additional language make similar progress as their classmates. The quality of teaching and learning seen during the inspection in Key Stage 2 is currently satisfactory. However, the quality and range of learning over time is not good enough and shows that teaching has been unsatisfactory in the past.

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GEOGRAPHY

135. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge of the locality. They make a map of their journey to school and are able to find the easiest, shortest and safest route from place to place within the school. Most pupils have a basic understanding of a seaside environment and make a simple plan of a caravan site on the beach. Pupils have been given suitable opportunities to undertake research, such as keeping a weather chart and making a weather forecast. They have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the use of weather symbols and how they represent changes in weather conditions. However, most pupils have only a very limited knowledge and understanding of different countries.

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GEOGRAPHY

136. In Key Stage 2, not all pupils develop their geographical skills, knowledge and understanding as well as they could. This is because the subject is not taught in enough detail. Pupils have only a sketchy knowledge of other countries and cultures. They have some understanding of atlases, globes and maps but cannot explain sufficiently how to use them to locate places. Although pupils know how to identify mountains on maps, their recall of previous learning, such as the mountain environment, is sketchy and they are unsure of its association with rivers. They have some knowledge and understanding of how people can cause damage and improvement to their environment, but even the more able pupils do not present convincing opinions using the appropriate vocabulary.

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GEOGRAPHY

137. Teaching and learning in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory overall. Teachers make effective use of the local area to support pupils’ learning and this helps to reinforce pupils’ understanding of geography. Teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 is unsatisfactory. Although in lessons observed it was at least satisfactory, over time pupils have not made enough progress because there have been weaknesses in the planning of the subject. Key Stage 2 pupils have not been given enough opportunities to study topics in sufficient depth. In some classes, teachers have not had high enough expectations of pupils and, as a result, they have produced work below the expected standard for their age. Pupils have small pockets of knowledge but work has not been developed in a systematic and coherent way across the key stage. Marking of pupils’ work in most classes is only cursory. Where it is better, it includes comments to encourage pupils to

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GEOGRAPHY

think about their work and ways in which it might be improved. Pupils are provided with some opportunities to use numeracy and information and communication technology skills to support their work in geography. For example, in Year 3, pupils constructed a graph to show how Year 1 pupils spent their time and then transferred it on to the computer. In Year 6, pupils used the World Wide Web to find information on mountains. In a good lesson observed during the inspection, good links were made between personal, social and health education through references to hygiene related to environmental issues of picking up litter and the location of litter bins. Pupils have some opportunities to undertake fieldwork. For example, the younger pupils recently studied habitats on a visit to Leighton Hall. However, overall, there are few opportunities provided for older pupils to undertake independent research in enough depth.

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GEOGRAPHY

138. Leadership and management of the subject are generally satisfactory, although there are shortcomings. The subject leader has recently updated the school policy and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 51 scheme of work to take into account national guidance. She is aware that standards could be higher. Although she monitors teachers’ subject planning, she has not monitored teaching and learning in the subject in order to be fully effective in her role. Summary judgements are made on pupils’ work at the end of each topic, but this is not sufficient to develop pupils’ geographical skills, knowledge and understanding across the age range. The co-ordinator is seeking ways to address this.

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GEOGRAPHY

139. Since the last inspection the school has made some progress in developing the subject and raising standards in Key Stage 1 but this has not been sufficient to maintain or raise standards in Key Stage 2. This remains an area for further development.

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HISTORY

140. Standards of attainment at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are in line with national expectations. This represents an improvement since the previous inspection when standards were judged to be satisfactory at the end of Year 6, but unsatisfactory at the end of Year 2. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, Travellers and those who have English as an additional language, are making satisfactory progress.

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HISTORY

141. By the end of Year 2, pupils have a reasonable grasp of simple timelines. They understand that their grandparents, for example, are older than themselves and that certain events, such as birthdays, are remembered on an annual basis. They have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of important events in the past, such as ‘The Great Fire of London’ and know that the lives of those who died in wars in the last century are remembered in November each year. Higher attaining pupils refer well to secondary sources, such as books, to find out more, but generally most pupils have a limited understanding of how different sources of information about the past can be explored and interpreted. Through stories and other related activities pupils begin to appreciate the lives and achievements of famous people, such as Florence Nightingale. In Year 1, through comparing entertainment at the seaside, pupils start to understand

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HISTORY

how their local environment changes over time.

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HISTORY

142. By the end of Year 6, pupils have made satisfactory advances in their understanding of history and are able to discuss their ideas with each other and with their teachers. Pupils have a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of past events and are developing an understanding of why events occur. Pupils in Year 4 know why the Vikings invaded and settled here and undertake research into the history of the local area. In Year 5, pupils discuss well why they have chosen certain events in the life of John Lennon as important in the order they had taken place. Higher attaining pupils demonstrate an understanding of why certain events, such as John Lennon being introduced to Paul McCartney, can change peoples lives forever. Pupils in Year 6 have a satisfactory knowledge of some past civilisations, such as the Ancient Greeks and the Aztecs. They demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of aspects of the

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HISTORY

history of Britain and recognise some of the changes that have taken place in more recent times. They are developing a very good understanding of how to link information from a variety of sources, such as books, photographs, artefacts and newspapers and to select only what is relevant in order to support them in their learning. This was illustrated in an excellent lesson observed during the inspection in Year 6, where the teacher was preparing pupils to undertake individual projects on Britain since 1948.

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HISTORY

143. Teaching in history is satisfactory overall and has a satisfactory impact on learning in both key stages. In the best lessons pupils respond very positively to the high standards expected of them and learning is then very good. Relationships within the St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 52 class are generally good and pupils are keen to participate. They show interest and are usually attentive. Teachers have satisfactory subject knowledge and use questions effectively to encourage pupils to think critically about events in the past. However, in some classes in Key Stage 2, pupils do not study topics in enough depth and are given insufficient opportunities to undertake independent research. In these classes, the recording of history in pupils’ own books is not always satisfactory. Marking is mainly just a series of ticks. It is rarely annotated sufficiently in order to show pupils how their

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HISTORY

work could be developed or improved. History is sometimes used well to support work in literacy. Pupils in Year 6 retold the story of 'Theseus and the Minotaur' in good detail and wrote lively accounts of life in Ancient Greece from the point of view of a Grecian. The availability of a greater number of computers now presents teachers and pupils with opportunities for accessing a greater database of historical information and new ways of recording their findings, but currently information and communication technology is not used sufficiently to support work in history. Some teachers use artefacts well to stimulate pupils’ interest and curiosity. For example, in Year 6, related to the study of Britain since 1948, there is a good display of artefacts dating from that period.

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HISTORY

144. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. However, the subject co- ordinator has only had responsibility for the subject for a very short time and is yet to be fully effective in her role. She has already updated the policy and scheme of work to take account of new developments and national guidance, but has not had the opportunity to monitor teaching and learning to have a good enough overview of what is being taught. Although teachers make summary judgements on pupils’ work at the end of each topic, there is no coherent scheme for the assessment of pupils’ progress in history across the age range.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

145. Standards in information and communication technology are unsatisfactory and pupils’ attainment is below national expectations by the ages of seven and eleven. At the last inspection standards were judged to be broadly in line with expectations. However, national expectations of the subject have increased considerably since then, and although the school has put a number of useful developments in place they have not yet worked through to impact on attainment in all age groups. Whilst some improvements have taken place since the last inspection, the overall pace of progress has been too slow. Standards are now below expectations and pupils do not make sufficient progress as they move through each of the classes.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

146. By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils have a limited knowledge and understanding of using information and communication technology to support their day-to-day learning or of how computers and other equipment impact on their daily lives. In Year 2, only higher attaining pupils know how to give instructions to a programmable toy and have a satisfactory understanding of control. They use art packages to make pictures, selecting colours, but using a poor range of techniques. Use of word processing for writing is limited, but by the end of Year 2 most pupils are able to change font size and style, although some need assistance when doing so. Higher attaining pupils can use punctuation, bold and underlining as part of their writing activities, but do not know how to change the colour of the font they are using. These pupils can confidently find a program they wish to use, open their own file, and save their work, but most other pupils

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

need support to carry out these procedures. Even the more confident pupils needed to confer to decide how to exit a program, and are unsure of the use of the toolbar and icons, since the teacher uses them mainly. However, these pupils showed good use of St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 53 a mouse to select and drag in a game they enjoy, where they rearrange parts of a picture, easily selecting different levels of difficulty, showing satisfactory basic computer skills. Pupils have not used computers to generate graphs to support numeracy or other subjects in the curriculum, though some have identified their town on a map of Britain and added weather symbols. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to review and evaluate their work and, although they can talk about and describe their use of information and communication technology, they cannot describe any uses of computers outside school.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

147. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Key Stage 2 is unsatisfactory overall. By the age of eleven, pupils are able to access the ‘Internet’ and use it as a research tool, and describe well how they have used it to find local street maps in geography as well as for revision packages. Sometimes the research is linked well to speaking and listening, since individuals research a topic then present it to the rest of the for class. Limited resources for information gathering, such as CD-ROM, across all subjects, result in insufficient opportunity for pupils of all ages to use information and communication technology for research to support learning across the curriculum. Pupils’ ability to find things out using information and communication technology is, therefore, below expectations. Pupils in Year 6 can describe clearly how instructing a robot has built on earlier work with a programmable toy, showing good progression in learning about

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

making things happen. Work currently taking place in Year 4 shows a satisfactory level of attainment in control, using sensors and switches to control traffic lights, well supported by worksheets to aid independent working. Year 3 pupils showed good interest when using a simulation program in which they design a duck and try to improve its flight, and this project shows community collaboration through the support of a pupil on work experience from a local high school. Overall, pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 have had narrow experience of control devices and have not linked their understanding well with other relevant subjects, such science, although this is beginning with design and technology.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

148. The way pupils present their work using information and communication technology is also below expectations, and pupils make little use of word processing to support their work in subjects across the curriculum at Key Stage 2. However, some examples, such as the poetry work produced in Year 5, show that pupils are capable of setting out work appropriately. They are able to change font style, size and colour, cut or copy and paste, insert clip art and save and retrieve their own work. Natural opportunities to use word processing or desk top publishing have not been taken, such as in the production of a leaflet about a local village trail by Year 4. By the end of Year 6, pupils have had little experience with databases, spreadsheets or data handling and cannot describe their uses apart from the production of bar graphs. Most pupils in Year 6 lack confidence with a video camera, digital camera and audio equipment but are rapidly acquiring skill in this

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

area through a multimedia presentation project. They show satisfactory skill with a photosuite package, making digital images of pictures and editing to produce effects, such as soft focus or oil painting, but they have no experience with a scanner or fax. Pupils’ work is not consistently retained electronically and little is printed for display so that pupils’ achievements in information and communication technology are not shared and celebrated throughout the school. The lack of breadth in the information and communication technology curriculum is also a factor in pupils’ lack of awareness of the uses of computers in society. Pupils’ ability to review, modify and evaluate their work in information and communication technology is underdeveloped and pupils in Year 6 explain that they do little work on drafting or revision of work in progress.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

149. Pupils respond well to their learning; where they need to take turns, as in Year 6 touring the school and preparing their multimedia presentation, they are patient and maintain St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 54 their interest while others are using the equipment. They behave responsibly with the equipment and try to work independently, seeking help when needed. Pupils of different levels of attainment work well together, with higher attainers supporting the work of others, thereby consolidating their own learning.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

150. The teaching of information and communication technology is unsatisfactory. Teachers have undertaken training and now have adequate knowledge of the subject, as have teaching assistants who work well to support pupils’ learning. The provision of computers in classrooms should facilitate their use across the curriculum but this is not the case. As there is currently no computer suite, teachers are presented with challenging organisational issues when they need to teach their class as a whole group, and this is not always managed well. For older pupils who are capable of working more independently good materials are provided in some classes to support paired use of computers. A system of assessing progress against key objectives has been introduced but is not well established, needing refinement in order to ensure that teachers plan learning that takes into account skills pupils have already mastered. This,

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

plus the absence of a clear whole school scheme of work to inform the medium term planning, means that progression in pupils’ learning is not yet assured.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

151. The subject is led by a co-ordinator who has a good awareness of what are steps are required to ensure that standards rise. However, the pace of improvement needs to be increased in order for pupils to make the progress of which they are capable. The co- ordinator recognises the need for more clarity and focus in planning, and monitors teachers’ plans, advising on possible improvements. There is a need to ensure that information and communication technology is used in different subjects to support pupils’ learning. Developing staff confidence and developing their experience and understanding of how information and communication technology can be used effectively across the curriculum is rightly seen as an issue. The successful bid to the Children’s Fund for the provision of a computer suite should result in a positive impact on whole class teaching and pupils’ attainment.

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MUSIC

152. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 are in line with national expectations and pupils make satisfactory progress over time in each element of the music curriculum. Standards have been maintained at a similar level since the previous inspection of the school, although with some changes of organisation since this period. The school has recently identified a lack of staff confidence and expertise in music and has ‘bought into’ the Lancashire Music Service. These visiting staff have a high level of knowledge and understanding and provide teaching of good quality, which is having a very positive impact upon motivating pupils and raising standards. Pupils with special educational needs, those speaking English as an additional language and those from Traveller families all make similar progress to the rest of their classmates. No pupil has been identified as gifted and talented in the subject.

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MUSIC

153. Throughout the school pupils listen to and appraise music with a generally average level of skill. However, some pupils’ limited speaking and listening skills can have a negative impact on such work and some lower attaining pupils offer little in appraisal activities. Musical appreciation skills are very effectively extended in a Year 6 lesson where a visiting teacher gives the pupils sufficient opportunities to appraise the work of both contemporary and classical musicians. Higher-attaining Year 5 pupils can identify musical concepts such as mood, texture, dynamics, tempo, pitch and how timbre is created, although virtually all pupils struggle to identify the difference between these St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 55 features. Pupils in Year 2 make satisfactory progress when exploring timbre, tempo and dynamics and know that they have to listen hard to identify fast and slow parts of music and when this is high or low.

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MUSIC

154. Pupils perform and become involved in creating music in a range of well-considered activities provided by visiting staff. In Key Stage 2 pupils explore descriptive sounds and rhythmic patterns. They create rhythm and pulse rounds and identify how lyrics and melody are performed together. In Year 5 pupils make good progress in creating their own music in response to a variety of picture stimuli. Higher attaining pupils are able to use the good range of percussion instruments such as the ‘rain stick’ and special drum to create gentle musical phrases. However, several pupils struggle to focus upon the specific task in hand and simply try to make as much noise as possible with their chosen instrument. In Key Stage 1 pupils understand the concept of simple notation and understand what is meant by high, middle and low notes. The school misses opportunities to extend the skills of composition further by, for example, making use of

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MUSIC

information and communication technology to support such activities.

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MUSIC

155. All pupils enjoy the beginning of lessons taught by visiting staff, where they improve their sense of rhythm and pulse by performing ‘copycat’ patterns where they tap knees, clap, click and say ‘aaah’ in a series of ‘warm up’ exercises. In Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress in repeating canons of the names of their favourite chocolate bars. In Year 2, pupils enjoy their ‘potato rhyme’ where they repeat the phrases scrub- scrub, mash-mash with other appropriate phrases. Teachers make good use of a range of music to interest pupils. Older pupils learn and practice a range of unaccompanied traditional rhymes and rounds, such as ‘Music alone shall live’ and ‘Fire down below’, to a reasonable standard. Pupils in Year 2 particularly enjoy singing ‘Whose pigs are these?’ and ‘Woman in a Churchyard sat’. The large majority of pupils enjoy singing although in class lessons they often sing quietly with few being really

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MUSIC

confident performers. The quality of singing is satisfactory overall and some pupils sing well. When singing along to a humorous song performed by two visitors from a local Christian group in a whole school assembly, pupils sing with great enthusiasm and enjoyment.

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MUSIC

156. Pupils are able to evaluate their work and that of others with reasonable skill and some higher and average attaining pupils are able to identify what they could do to improve their performance. In Year 6 all pupils identify that they found it much harder to fit their newspaper headline to the chosen music than they thought because, the words needed altering to fit the tempo of Travis’s work. This leads to clear improvements in their understanding of the difficulties lyricists and composers face. In Year 2 pupils are keen to explain how they enjoyed taping their songs and listening to them again and deciding if they liked their finished pieces or not.

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MUSIC

157. The quality of teaching and learning is currently good and is considerably boosted by the quality of visiting staff from the Lancashire Music Service. This teaching is of high quality and enables pupils to make good progress in such lessons. The Lancashire Music Service staff have high levels of subject knowledge and understanding and plan lessons well to incorporate the different strands of the music curriculum. Teachers have high expectations of the pupils and set the pupils challenging tasks to which the pupils respond well. Class teachers work well alongside visiting staff mainly focusing upon the management of some pupils, particularly in Year 5, who find concentration difficult. The school misses some opportunities to extend musical skills further by building on the good quality in-put of visiting staff. This restricts pupils’ progress over time. St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 56 158. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The part-time teacher

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MUSIC

with responsibility for the subject has helped to move the subject forward through the involvement of the Lancashire Music Service. However, the co-ordinator has little opportunity to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning not only in these lessons but also in any other follow up activities. There are missed opportunities to extend these skills in the aspect of listening and appreciating a wide variety of music and developing performing skills. For instance, in some assemblies there is no music when entering or leaving the hall and no hymn or song for the pupils to join in with. On some days the pupils have the opportunity of listening to classical music as they eat lunch although the title and composer of the works played is not shared with pupils. Whilst the subject makes a reasonable contribution to extending pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, much more could be achieved in this area if this was a

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MUSIC

conscious area of focus and development.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

159. Pupils’ attainment in physical education is in line with national expectations at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2. This indicates a slight dip in standards in Key Stage 2 since the previous inspection but this is not of particular significance. Any difference is due to the different natural abilities of the specific cohorts of pupils and because some pupils do not have a particularly high level of physical fitness. Pupils throughout the school make satisfactory progress. Pupils with special educational needs, those from Traveller groups and those speaking English as an additional language make similar progress to their classmates in most areas of the physical education curriculum.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

160. During the period of inspection the teaching of some Key Stage 2 pupils was organised by students from Lancaster and Morecambe College. Whilst this is a worthy attempt to provide the pupils with a different range of adult helpers, and activities that interest many of the pupils, the organisation of such activities has some shortcomings. However, the quality of teaching provided by staff in the school is of a higher standard.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

161. Pupils acquire and develop a range of appropriate physical skills. During the course of the year pupils take part in a wide range of activities including games, athletics and gymnastics, which successfully promote their physical development. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 have the opportunity to learn to swim and the majority of pupils achieve the nationally recognised minimum of 25 metres. However, some Traveller pupils have few previous experiences of swimming and some struggle to achieve the national minimum qualification.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

162. In Key Stage 1 pupils make satisfactory progress in acquiring and developing the skills of throwing, catching and bowling. In Year 2, when using a quoit, pupils learn how to control the height and direction of their throws and make progress in the number of times they catch the quoit. In individual and paired activities pupils learn how to control the quoit so that they can bowl it to a partner with an average level of skill and accuracy. In Year 1 pupils make satisfactory progress in using a plastic bat and sponge ball. They learn how to control their techniques of striking the ball in a more careful manner rather than the initially haphazard swipes in the direction of the ball.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

163. In Key Stage 2 pupils make satisfactory progress in acquiring and developing a range of batting, bowling and fielding skills in preparing and playing games of rounders. Pupils learn how to move their body behind the ball when attempting to stop and catch a low ball and to bend their knees to improve their body positioning when doing so. Pupils also make satisfactory overall progress in developing a range of athletic skills when St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School - 57 practising and measuring their performance in short sprints, putting the shot and longer sprints. In short sprints over 50 metres and longer sprints round a 200 metre course most pupils, and particularly the boys with good physical skills, are keen to improve their times. However, the pairing of boys against girls in such timed activities, even though supposedly racing against themselves and the clock, is not effective in building

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

the self esteem of some girls or promoting good attitudes to learning. In putting the shot pupils make satisfactory progress in their techniques of holding the shot and transferring their body weight at the appropriate time to extend the distance of their putt.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

164. Pupils have few opportunities to select and apply skills and compositional ideas. It was not possible to observe any dance or gymnastics lessons where this could be achieved. Whilst there was some possibility of applying tactics in the games of rounders, this was not a specific feature of the work observed. This is an area for further development in future planning. There is limited evidence of pupils specifically acquiring an understanding of fitness and health, and there were few references to why warm up or cool down activities are done or of the effect of exercise on the body.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

165. Most pupils in both key stages are able to evaluate and improve their performance satisfactorily. In Year 1 pupils recognise they have improved their ability to strike the ball in the air and occasionally repeat this in a series of strikes. They identify that they have done this by controlling their grip of the bat and particularly by watching where the ball is, when trying to hit it. In Year 2, pupils show that they have improved their control of the quoit by increasing the number of times they can do this. They recognise that their performance is improved by how they hold the quoit and the direction of their throw. In Key Stage 2, pupils evaluate their performance in athletics events in a broadly satisfactory manner by contrasting the speed or distance they achieve and comparing this with previous week’s performances. However, pupils are not always as clear as to how to improve their performance further as there is limited teaching of these skills.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

166. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Where class teachers work closely with their own class, the quality of teaching is at least satisfactory and with several good features. Here, the management of pupils is good and teachers demonstrate to pupils exactly what they need to do to improve their performance. Where teaching is good, effective use is made of pupil demonstration to show pupils how to throw and catch or roll a quoit. However, during the inspection, the main weakness in teaching was the ineffective development of pupils’ skills and self-esteem in activities organised by visiting students. However, this is not a regular feature of work throughout the year and indications are that, as pupils’ performance in several areas is at least satisfactory and sometimes good, teaching over time has been of a better standard.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

167. The leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and has plans to further develop extra-curricular activities. However, there are few opportunities for the co-ordinator to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning and this has therefore failed to identify the weaknesses of the current work with older pupils. There are satisfactory opportunities to develop pupils’ social skills in pair and team activities.

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