St Malachy's RC Primary School

ST MALACHY’S R C PRIMARY SCHOOL

Eggington Street, Collyhurst, Manchester

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ST MALACHY’S R C PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 20 th - 22 nd May 2002

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ST MALACHY’S R C PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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ST MALACHY’S R C PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Eggington Street Collyhurst Manchester

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 16 th June 1997 St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 4

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Team members

23696 Mr J Morris Registered inspector 19426 Mr C Farris Lay inspector 2911 Mr E Steed Team inspector

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Team members

Evenlode Associates Ltd 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Malachy’s R C 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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Malachy’s is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic primary school in Collyhurst, Manchester. It is smaller than many other primary schools with 190 pupils on roll. About a dozen children attend a toddlers group with their parents on Thursday mornings. There are 28 boys and 19 girls in the nursery and reception, who all attend full-time. There are 72 girls and 71 boys in Years 1 to 6. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (76 per cent) is extremely high. The percentage of pupils with special educational needs (22 per cent) is in line with the national average. The percentage of pupils with English as an additional language (about 5 per cent) is higher than in most schools. More than a fifth of the pupils are from non- white backgrounds. About a tenth of the pupils are from non-Catholic backgrounds. Attainment on entry to the nursery is below average, particularly in communication, language and literacy. The school is involved

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

in several national and local initiatives including Excellence in Cities, Primary Social Inclusion and Healthy Schools.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very effective school with an excellent ethos. Teaching and leadership are very good. As a result, pupils achieve well in relation to their abilities and they have excellent attitudes to school. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT). • The teaching is very good and has improved significantly since the previous inspection. • Pupils’ attitudes are excellent and their behaviour and personal development are very good. • The leadership and management of the headteacher and other key staff are very good. • Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The school is particularly successful in promoting the personal development of the older pupils. • The school meets the needs of all pupils well. Consequently, pupils with special educational needs and pupils with English as an additional language make good progress.

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What could be improved

• The school library. • Standards in art and design, design and technology, geography and history. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was previously inspected in June 1997. Improvement has been good overall. Action has been taken with regard to all the issues raised. Improvement in promoting and monitoring attendance has been very good. Progress on issues relating to some of the other subjects has been limited by the appropriate and successful emphasis on raising standards in English, science, ICT and, in particular, in mathematics. There has been an extensive and effective programme of staff training. Health and safety and accommodation issues have all been addressed, except for the main playground, which is due to be resurfaced in the next few months. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 7

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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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Performance in: all schools Similar schools Key

1999 2000 2001 2001 English D E C A well above average above average A B Mathematics E A A A* Average below average C D Science E E* C A well below average E

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Performance in: all schools Similar schools Key

A* means the school’s performance was in the highest 5% nationally and E* means the school’s performance was in the lowest 5% nationally.

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Performance in: all schools Similar schools Key

The school’s results in national tests have improved broadly in line with the national trend of improvement, at both seven and 11 years of age. Standards in English and mathematics have improved consistently since 1997. Fluctuations in standards have occurred because in some year groups there was a significantly larger proportion of pupils with special educational needs. The school achieved very good results in the National Curriculum tests in 2001 in comparison with similar schools at both seven and 11 years of age. Compared with all schools nationally, standards were average in English and science and well above average in mathematics, at 11 years of age. They were above average in reading and writing and below average in mathematics at seven years of age. The school received an achievement award from the Department of Education and Skills for the results achieved in 2001.

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Performance in: all schools Similar schools Key

This inspection finds that pupils achieve well in relation to their abilities throughout the school. The current group of pupils in Year 6 is below average in English and mathematics and close to average in science. This group of pupils was well below average at seven years of age. They have, therefore, made good progress and this does not mean that standards have fallen. The current group of pupils in Year 2 is achieving standards that are broadly in line with the national averages in English, mathematics and science. The high priority given to English, science, ICT and, in particular, in mathematics, has resulted in standards in art and design, design and technology, geography and history that are not high enough, particularly in the juniors. Pupils in the nursery and reception make good progress, especially in communication, language and literacy and personal and social development. However, the children are not generally achieving the

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Performance in: all schools Similar schools Key

national early learning goals by the end of the reception year. The school sets challenging targets for 11 year-olds. The school achieved slightly better results than predicted last year and it is likely to achieve results very close to those predicted this year. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have individual targets in English, mathematics and science and are making good progress towards them. Pupils with special educational needs are, in the main, successful in achieving the targets in their Individual Education Plans.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school All pupils have excellent attitudes to school. They really enjoy school, want to learn and try hard.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good during lessons and at other times. Movement around the school is orderly. Lunch and break-times are characterised by lively conversation and energetic, happy play.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Children in the nursery settle into school routines quickly. Pupils develop a very good sense of responsibility as they move from year to year. Relationships between pupils and staff and among the pupils are extremely good. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 8 Attendance Constantly improving and above average for the first time this year. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 9

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching and learning is very good overall. Teaching was good in the Foundation Stage and infants and very good in the juniors. These judgements are based on lesson observations and supported by the examination of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen and this is a substantial improvement since the previous inspection. English and mathematics, including the key skills of literacy and numeracy are taught very well. The school meets the needs of different groups of pupils well. Teachers have high expectations that all pupils will enjoy learning and make good progress in their work and personal development. Because these expectations are made plain and there is a very high degree of mutual respect between pupils and staff, pupils work hard and persevere when they have difficulties. Consequently, learning is at least good in most lessons and it is often very good.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides good learning opportunities for all pupils and there are very good links with the local community. However, too much time is allocated to the teaching of mathematics and not enough time is allocated to some of the other subjects. Statutory requirements are met.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs There are very good arrangements for those pupils who have special educational needs and they make good progress, particularly in the key literacy skills. Primary Social Inclusion funding has had a very positive impact.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress. This is because of an effective programme of staff training and appropriate classroom support.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school has a very strong Roman Catholic ethos, encapsulated in the school’s mission statement. The provision for the pupils’ development is very good in all respects. This is the main reason why pupils have positive attitudes to school and a strong sense of respect and care for others.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils This is a very caring school with good regard paid to national and local requirements and guidance. The school has good arrangements to assess what pupils know, understand and can do and teachers use the resulting information well in planning what the pupils will learn next. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides very good leadership to the work of the school. Staff with key responsibilities are effective in their roles. There is a tremendous sense of common purpose and commitment among all staff, to both the school’s very strong Catholic mission and to high academic standards.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. The school benefits from the support of a strong, committed governing body. They know the school and local community very well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has good procedures to measure its performance and to take appropriate and effective action to improve identified shortcomings.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school makes very good use of available finance, staffing, accommodation and learning resources, except that the school library is not used well as a key learning resource. Increased staffing means that pupils are no longer in mixed age classes and this has helped to raise standards.

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Aspect Comment

The school applies the principles of best value well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Nearly two thirds of parents expressed views about the school. This is a very high level of response. Parents were very positive about nearly every aspect of the school’s work, with an extremely high percentage of parents saying that: • The teaching is good; • The school expects their child to work hard and try their best; • Their child is making good progress; • The school is well led and managed; • Behaviour in the school is good. Of those parents who responded, about one in six think that: • The school does not provide an interesting range of activities outside lessons, particularly for the pupils in the Foundation Stage and infants.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team shares the parents’ very positive views of the school and finds that there is an excellent partnership between parents, staff and governors. There are very good extra-curricular activities for pupils in the juniors and the school recognises that it could do more for the younger pupils. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 11

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

1. This inspection finds that pupils achieve well in relation to their abilities throughout the school. The school’s results in national tests have improved broadly in line with the national trend of improvement, at both seven and 11 years of age. Standards in English and mathematics have improved consistently since 1997. The school achieved very good results in the National Curriculum tests in 2001 in comparison with similar schools at both seven and 11 years of age. Compared with all schools nationally, standards were average in English and science and well above average in mathematics, at 11 years of age. They were above average in reading and writing and below average in mathematics at seven years of age. The school received an achievement award from the Department for Education and Skills for the results achieved in 2001.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

2. The current group of pupils in Year 6 is below average in English and mathematics and close to average in science. This group includes a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs. They achieved standards that were well below average at seven years of age. They have, therefore, made good progress and this does not mean that standards have fallen. Pupils have quite good presentational skills when asked to give a verbal report on their reading. A case study of the author Anne Fine has resulted in the good development of a range of skills including writing in different styles and for different audiences, summarising information and searching the Internet. Pupils’ use of punctuation is consistent and generally accurate and they use paragraphs well. However, a weakness in this group of pupils is that their vocabulary is rather limited and their spelling is not consistently accurate. Progress is slower in this area because they do not habitually

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

use dictionaries and thesauri when writing. This is seen in lessons other than literacy lessons. For example, average ability pupils made several spelling and grammatical errors when writing out word problems in a numeracy lesson.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

3. In mathematics, the high quality teaching is moving the pupils forward rapidly in mental calculation and a wide range of written tasks. Pupils are confident to ask questions if they are not sure and use what they have previously learnt well when presented with new work. They complete a lot of work in number, shapes and measurement. Average ability pupils have a good understanding of negative numbers and the use of brackets in complex number problems. Although even the most able Year 6 pupils make mechanical errors and misinterpret problems expressed in words, all pupils are improving at a good rate. This is because the teacher explains the importance of showing their working out and checking their answers using their knowledge of the reversibility or not of the four rules of calculation. Most pupils have a good understanding of the relationships between different types of numbers such as fractions, decimals and percentages. Again, the

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

teacher invariably points out errors when marking pupils’ work, such as when one pupil wrote ‘39% = 1/39’.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

4. In science, pupils have quite a good understanding of experimentation and investigation and scientific conventions. Some pupils have completed investigations and written good quality, well presented reports, for example on conductors and insulators in electricity and the absorption qualities of different types of paper. However, their knowledge is rather patchy and difficulties are again sometimes apparent in written tasks, such as listing household devices and appliances that need electricity to work. In ICT pupils have a good range of skills and satisfactory understanding of word-processing, use of graphics and use of spreadsheets. ICT tasks such as word-processing poems and letters or producing bar graphs clearly reinforce the pupils’ basic literacy and numeracy skills. They have exchanged electronic mail with High School pupils through the ‘Cyberbuddies’ project. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 12

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

5. The school has substantial evidence that standards are higher in relation to national averages in other year groups. This includes the national tests and teacher assessments in Year 2, optional assessments in Years 3, 4 and 5 and other standardised tests such as in reading. For example, nearly all the pupils in Year 5 are working at the expected level in mathematics.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

6. The current group of pupils in Year 2 are achieving standards that are broadly in line with the national averages in English, mathematics and science. All pupils write clearly and the most able do so well with uniform-sized letters and good spacing between words. Pupils use knowledge of phonics well in writing, although there is a tendency to be over-reliant on this. The use of punctuation is good.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

7. In mathematics, pupils have completed a good amount of work using a variety of methods and resources including their own exercise books, worksheets and commercially produced workbooks. They are developing a good range of strategies for solving number problems and have a good understanding of odd and even numbers. Most pupils have a good understanding of addition, subtraction and multiplication and use hundreds, tens and units. They know about fractions, money and time and how to read different scales, such as for height and weight. Pupils know about a good range of shapes and have a reasonable understanding of symmetry. In science, a lot of work has been completed over time and much of it is good quality. Pupils know about variation in plants and animals and are beginning to use scientific vocabulary, such as ‘investigate’ and ‘predict’, and tables, charts and labels in their written work.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

8. It is understandable why the school has placed such an emphasis on English and mathematics, with the introduction of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy. It has been successful in raising standards in these subjects and in science and ICT.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

9. Pupils in the nursery and reception make good progress, especially in communication, language and literacy and personal and social development. However, the children are not generally achieving the national early learning goals by the end of the reception year. They are very close to expectations in their personal and social development and physical development. However, many of the children in reception still have a limited vocabulary for their age and do not consistently speak in whole sentences. This low level of language development affects their learning in other areas. The children know about letters, sounds and basic punctuation and are beginning to write simple sentences with reasonable accuracy. They use their knowledge of phonics to make sensible guesses. More able children write sentences correctly, such as, “Postman Pat delivers letters” and identify rhyming words. The less able children are not yet writing clearly and, at times,

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

are not able to tell the teacher what they have written.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

10. The school sets challenging targets for 11 year-olds, in accordance with statutory requirements. The school achieved slightly better results than predicted last year and it is likely to achieve results very close to those predicted this year. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have individual targets in English, mathematics and science. Pupils with special educational needs are, in the main, successful in achieving the targets in their Individual Education Plans. More generalised, whole school targets are also set and made known to pupils. At the time of this inspection, there were extensive displays, in the dining hall, of pupils’ work from reception to Year 6. These showed high expectations and good progress in non-fiction writing and problem solving in mathematics and science.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

The teaching is very good and has improved significantly since the previous inspection.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

11. The quality of teaching and learning is very good overall. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen and this is a substantial improvement since the previous inspection. Half the lessons seen were very good or excellent and nearly nine tenths of them were good or better. Because of the limited time available in a short inspection, priority was given to observing teaching in the juniors and, in consultation with the headteacher, the teaching of mathematics. All of the lessons seen in Years 1 St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 13 to 6 were in English, mathematics, science or ICT. An emphasis was given to communication and mathematics in observations in the Foundation Stage. Teaching in the lessons seen was good in the Foundation Stage and infants and very good in the juniors. These judgements are supported by the examination of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 14 12. The very good use the school’s finances, including additional funding through standards funds,

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

Primary Social Inclusion funding and Excellence in Cities funding has clearly improved the quality of teaching and learning. This funding has been used to increase staffing so that all classes now have pupils from a single year group. This was not the case at the time of the last inspection and it has contributed to the improvement in standards. The skills of both teachers and support staff have been developed through an extensive programme of training. Good use is made of staff expertise. For example, the Year 5 teacher takes Year 5 and Year 6 for numeracy lessons and the Year 6 teacher takes them for literacy. There are three learning support mentors, two of whom work with targeted pupils in Years 5 and 6 and one who works with pupils with special educational needs in Years 1 to 6. Two teachers have been involved in a research project (for three years) looking at pupils speaking and listening skills. The school benefits further from the

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

input of very competent temporary teachers.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

13. English and mathematics, including the key skills of literacy and numeracy are taught very well. The teaching of phonics is given a very high priority, particularly in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. Pupils are grouped by ability in literacy and numeracy lessons and tasks are set that are well matched to the needs of each group. For example, the teacher presents appropriate challenges to the least and most able children, in simple counting and matching activities in the nursery. In such ways, the school meets the needs of different groups of pupils well. There are booster classes on Saturday mornings for specific pupils. A good measure of the effectiveness of the teaching of mathematics is the fact that all pupils asked said this is their favourite subject. On the other hand, many of the same pupils reported that any subject involving writing is their least favourite and mentioned geography, history and religious education.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

14. Science and ICT are taught well throughout the school. An excellent science lesson in Year 6, investigating the rates of descent of paper helicopters, featured thorough planning and stimulating delivery of an exciting activity. More able pupils were given an additional challenge in their investigation. This resulted in a very high level of pupil interest and involvement and a clear development of the pupils’ understanding of the scientific principles and processes involved.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

15. In the nursery and reception, the teachers make effective use of the national guidelines on the six areas of learning to plan and organise activities for the children. They teach specific basic skills well and promote learning through imaginative and exploratory play. For example, children in the nursery use many different shaped wooden blocks to construct complicated looking buildings or pretend a single block is a telephone handset. Learning is fun when you are counting how many toys you have thrown into a box.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

16. Throughout the school there are very good relationships between adults and pupils during lessons. Most lessons are characterised by a very busy but calm atmosphere. Teachers have high expectations that all pupils will enjoy learning and make good progress in their work and personal development. Because these expectations are made plain and there is a very high degree of mutual respect between pupils and staff, pupils work hard and persevere when they have difficulties. Consequently, learning is at least good in most lessons and it is often very good.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

17. Teachers always mark pupils’ work. Written comments reinforce verbal comments during lessons. At best, these comments show both recognition of achievement and effort and draw attention to unacceptable errors or standards of presentation. Arrangements for homework are good throughout the school. There is a homework club, run in conjunction with the breakfast club by the learning support mentors. Teachers set tasks in literacy and numeracy throughout the school and a range of other homework in the juniors. Pupils are reminded about homework, for example, Year 2 pupils were asked to revise their two-times table.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

18. It was not possible to observe any lessons in physical education. However, brief ‘incidental’ observations were made of a Year 6 gymnastics lesson and organised football, basketball and cross-country running activities at lunchtime. An emphasis on the safe handling of equipment, St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 15 awareness of personal safety and the promotion of the benefits of personal endeavour and fair play were clear. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 16 Pupils’ attitudes are excellent and their behaviour and personal development are very good.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

19. All pupils have excellent attitudes to school. They really enjoy school, want to learn and try hard. Pupils are polite and helpful to staff and visitors. They are inquisitive and show genuine interest about others in conversation. Pupils say that all the teachers and other adults regularly in school are, “nice, kind and helpful”. Very good attitudes to learning and behaviour were noted during formal lesson observations and brief visits to all classrooms during the registered inspector’s pre- inspection visit to the school and during the inspection week. Pupils very strongly express the view that they get on with each other and there is no bullying.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

20. Behaviour is very good during lessons and at other times. The building has three lengthy corridors and two staircases. Pupils often have to walk a considerable distance between activities. Movement around the school at such times is orderly. For example, when moving between classrooms and the ICT suite, going to lunch or walking to the swimming coach. Lunch and break- times are characterised by lively conversation and energetic, happy play. Good use is made of the different play areas and available equipment. Activities are well supervised and often formally organised by the mid-day staff or teachers. During the inspection, mid-day staff led organised ball and circle games, a teacher did some football coaching and another teacher and governor took a group of pupils cross country running in the nearby parkland. There is a computer club on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a percussion group on Wednesdays. In these ways, pupils are given

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

21. Children in the nursery settle into school routines quickly and understand that they need to learn on their own at times and get on with others. Pupils develop a very good sense of responsibility as they move from year to year. There are house captains and the school council includes representatives from Years 3 to 6. Pupils use the ‘bully box’ to say good things about each other as well as reporting difficulties. There are ‘healthy school’ officers who give out fruit in the mornings. Pupils show initiative, for example when suggesting possible stalls and games for the school summer fair or collecting for charities. Relationships between pupils and staff and among the pupils are extremely good. Older pupils mix with and help younger ones at dinner and playtimes.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

22. Rates of attendance have improved constantly since the previous inspection and are above the national average for the first time this year. This is because the school has very good, effective procedures in monitoring and promoting good attendance. Governors emphasise the importance of regular attendance at school to the parents and the office staff are very efficient in following up absences. Examination of registers shows that in some classes, for example the current Year 2, there are long periods of near perfect attendance.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

The leadership and management of the headteacher and other key staff are very good.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

23. The headteacher provides very good leadership to the work of the school. Staff with key responsibilities are effective in their roles. The deputy headteacher understands and fulfils her various roles very well. Leadership of key subjects such as English, mathematics, science and ICT is often very good. There are co-ordinators for all subjects of the curriculum and other key aspects of the school’s work such as special educational needs and assessment. There is a tremendous sense of common purpose and commitment among all staff, to both the school’s very strong Catholic mission and to high academic standards.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

24. The school benefits from the support of a strong, committed governing body. Governors play a significant part in the day-to-day life of the school and, for example, governors were seen helping in the classroom and with sporting activities during the inspection. They know the school and local community very well. Links between the school and parish play a pivotal role in the daily life of the school. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 17 25. The school has good procedures to measure its performance and to take appropriate and effective action to improve identified shortcomings. The school improvement plan (SIP) is a very detailed description of the school’s identified priorities, how they will be achieved in terms of both action and funding, who is responsible and how success will be measured. A new model of SIP was introduced after the headteacher and deputy headteacher attended a training course. Although this

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

is an effective tool for the management of change, insufficient attention is paid to planning in future years. Since the previous inspection there has been an extensive and systematic programme of staff training to improve skills in identified areas of weakness.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

26. The school makes very good use of available finance, including specific grants, and examples are given elsewhere in this report. There is a good balance of experience among the teaching staff and there are good arrangements to support newly qualified teachers. Staffing, accommodation and learning resources are used well to promote the pupils’ personal development and academic learning. There have been many improvements to the accommodation since the last inspection when many shortcomings were identified. The roof has been repaired and an ICT suite has been installed. Railings have been replaced or repaired and painted. Outdoor provision for the younger children has been developed, a traversing wall has been created in the main playground and the school shares a new outdoor football and basketball court with the neighbouring Church of England primary school. During the inspection week, work was taking place on a garden area at

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

the front of the school funded by a local environmental award. The remaining issue is the unevenness of the main playground and resurfacing of this is scheduled for this summer. The school is very well maintained and the appearance of the accommodation, such as a total lack of clutter in corridors, makes a significant contribution to the very good learning environment.

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All pupils achieve well in English, mathematics, science and information and communication

27. Financial planning and management are good. A deficit budget at the time of the previous inspection has been eliminated. Available funding has been used very effectively to improve staffing and resources. The school buys into an independent bursar service, which brings in outside expertise and objective information on best practice in other schools. The school applies the principles of best value well. For example, it compares its performance with that of other schools.

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Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The

school is particularly successful in promoting the personal development of the older pupils.

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Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The

28. The provision for the pupils’ personal development is very good in all respects. This is the main reason why pupils have positive attitudes to school and a strong sense of respect and care for others. The school has a very strong Roman Catholic ethos. The spiritual and moral development of the pupils is central to the school’s mission statement and aims and this is evident in daily practice. It was not part of this inspection to make judgements about the provision for religious education (RE) and collective worship. Therefore, no lessons were seen in RE and, in fact, it was not possible to observe any assemblies. However, the high priority given to the teachings of Jesus and the recognition of a deity is manifest in the school’s documentation and daily life and the extensive Sacramental programme. This occurs throughout the life of the school community and was seen in a very good hymn practice for the juniors, prayers in classrooms and when inspectors

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Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The

met with the school governors. Two of the governors are priests and are very regular visitors during the school day.

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Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The

29. Pupils are given insights into the beliefs and values of others and the value of respecting these. Examples were seen of pupils having studied religious beliefs and cultures other than those grounded in Christianity, such as Judaism and the Chinese New Year. There was an Indian workshop in February 2002. In history, Year 6 pupils are currently learning about ancient Greece. Central to this work is the nature of democracy and links and references were repeatedly made to this when inspectors visited this classroom, for example during a literacy lesson. Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is promoted through art and design activities, for example studying famous artists such as Picasso and making African masks. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 18 30. Moral and social development is promoted through the school’s common approach to classroom practice and how adults interact with pupils at other times. Pupils are expected to listen to adults

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Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The

and each other and value what others say. The benefits of high standards of behaviour are explained and understood. The recently introduced school council is a very good example of how the school promotes individual and collective responsibility. All pupils in Years 3 to 6 have voted for two members of their classes to serve on the council. There is a house points system (based on the patron saints of the countries of the United Kingdom) and there are good opportunities for participation in competitive sporting activities, including football and cross-country running.

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Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The

31. There are very strong links with the local community, particularly major professional sports clubs in the city of Manchester. An extensive programme of lunchtime and after-school clubs, inter- school competitions and visits and visitors considerably enhances the school’s provision for physical education during lessons. Over 200 pupils and 50 adults from St Malachy’s and the other primary school across the road, contributed to the re-development of the nearby parkland. This included tree planting and performances. Pupils raise money for Catholic and other charities. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 sing in the local church and homes for the elderly. The Missionary Brothers of Charity (who live on site) organise and run a fun club with parents during the Easter and summer school holidays. ‘Crucial Crew’, road safety, police and fire service personnel all make regular inputs into the school. The very strong partnership between school and parents,

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Provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The

clearly further develops the pupils’ understanding of and feeling for the local community.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils well. Consequently, pupils with special educational

needs and pupils with English as an additional language make good progress.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils well. Consequently, pupils with special educational

32. One of the school’s aims is to be socially inclusive. This inspection finds that it is very successful in meeting this aim both socially and educationally. There is good equality of opportunity in the delivery of the school’s curriculum, including sporting activities, such as cross-country running, musical activities and membership of the school council.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils well. Consequently, pupils with special educational

33. There are very good arrangements for those pupils who have special educational needs and they make good progress, particularly in the key literacy skills. Primary social inclusion funding and Excellence in Cities funding are having a very positive impact on this area of the school’s work. One of the three learning mentors works exclusively with pupils with special educational needs from Years 1 to 6. This year, and for at least one more year, funding has been used to release the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) from his classroom responsibilities. Pupils with English as an additional language make good progress. This is because of an effective programme of staff training and appropriate classroom support. There are strong links between the school, primarily through the SENCO, and a range of other local education authority and health services, including the Behaviour Support Service, primary Learning Support Service, Speech and Language

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The school meets the needs of all pupils well. Consequently, pupils with special educational

Therapist and Ethnic Minority Support Service.

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The school meets the needs of all pupils well. Consequently, pupils with special educational

34. Observations were made of staff working with individual pupils or in small groups. As in whole class observations, the positive relationships between adults and pupils were a very important element of the teaching. The pupils are making clear gains towards their individual targets in lessons and are largely achieving them over time. This is because the adults give clear information to the pupils and praise them when they are successful, or if they try hard when they are not. The pupils were confident to “have a go” because they received positive encouragement, for example, when having difficulty choosing between ‘sh’ and ‘ch’ sounds. Similarly, in a Year 6 science lesson, a pupil with special educational needs confidently told a member of staff that a paper helicopter would not fly because it hadn’t been made properly. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 19

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

35. The school has resources for learning that are at least adequate, and often good, for all subjects of the curriculum, including English and ICT. However, the school library does not present well as a key learning resource. Many of the books in the library are old and in a rather poor condition. The condition of the decoration and furnishings and quality of labelling and displays is less effective than in the rest of the school and does not convey a sense that this is an important place for learning. There are insufficient high quality books to develop the idea of reading for pleasure in all pupils and to promote the higher order skills of personal research and investigation in the older pupils. Although it is not in the current school improvement plan, the headteacher and deputy headteacher had extensive discussions about the library in March 2002.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Standards in art and design, design and technology, geography and history.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

36. The school’s considerable successes and strengths in standards, teaching and the curriculum are explained earlier in this report. However, the high priority given to English, mathematics, science, ICT and RE, has resulted in standards in art and design, design and technology, geography and history that are not high enough, particularly in the juniors. These subjects are taught throughout the school and pupils achieve at least satisfactory standards in the work they do carry out. For example, pupils in Year 6 have produced good written reports, both by hand and using a computer, of their visit to Lytham St Anne’s. This was part of a study on coastlines in geography. However, too much time is being given to the direct teaching of mathematics. This is substantially higher than in other primary schools. Consequently, less time is given to other subjects and pupils do not, for example, have sufficient opportunities to record their learning in geography and history, plan

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

and evaluate what they make in design and technology or carry out three-dimensional work in art and design. What is taught is taught well, but the lack of time restricts the breadth of the teaching in these subjects. The school is not teaching all elements of the National Curriculum 2000 programmes of study in sufficient depth. Furthermore, opportunities are missed to reinforce and further develop pupils’ key literacy and numeracy skills through these subjects.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

37. The headteacher, senior staff and governors should now:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) As soon as possible, as finances permit, improve the library as a learning resource, which promotes independent learning and the development of research skills, by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improving the books by re-organising the current book stock and adding more up-to- date and attractive books, with an emphasis on non-fiction materials;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Providing a computer with a library catalogue and CD-ROM facility;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Re-decorating and furnishing it to improve the learning environment.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Raise standards in art and design, design and technology, geography and history by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Reducing the time allocated to the teaching of mathematics and increasing the time allocated to these subjects;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Utilising the pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills to greater effect across the curriculum; St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 20 • Fully implementing the programmes of study of National Curriculum 2000. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 21

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 16 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 21

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 1 7 6 2 0 0 0 Percentage 6 44 38 13 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than six percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 27 163 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/A 124 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 1 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 1 41

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 9

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 16 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 15

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 5.4 School data 0.0 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 22

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

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 13 10 23

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 13 13 12 level 2 and above Girls 9 9 8 Total 22 22 20

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Percentage of pupils School 96 (80) 96 (100) 87 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 13 12 12 level 2 and above Girls 9 8 9 Total 22 20 21

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 96 (100) 87 (100) 91 (85) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88) 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)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 10 9 19

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 5 5 7 level 4 and above Girls 9 9 9 Total 14 14 16

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 74 (50) 74 (44) 84 (44) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 5 5 7 level 4 and above Girls 9 9 9 Total 14 14 16

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 74 (44) 74 (69) 84 (69) St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 23 at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 24

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 4 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 8 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 19 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 8 Chinese 0 0 White 150 White 0 1 Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11 Financial year 2001/2002 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 14.8 Average class size 20.3 £ Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 637151 Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 615882 Total aggregate hours worked per week 270.5 Expenditure per pupil 3276 Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year Number of pupils per qualified teacher 27 Total number of education support staff 1 Total aggregate hours worked per week 32.5 Number of pupils per FTE adult 13.5 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 5

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 St Malachy’s R C Primary School - 25 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Questionnaire return rate = 64

Number of questionnaires sent out 190 Number of questionnaires returned

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 80 19 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 72 26 0 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 63 30 2 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 72 22 6 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 78 19 2 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 83 16 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 68 27 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 77 21 1 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 71 26 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 24 14 3 8

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