St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Reporting inspector: Jean Morley OIN: 25470

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ST. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC 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. JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC 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 Joseph’s Catholic Primary School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr John Massey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1997 St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School ii

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Team members

25470 Jean Morley Registered inspector 13346 Chris Bailey Lay inspector 22578 Gavin Jones Team inspector

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Team members

Westminster Education Consultants Old Garden House The Lanterns Bridge Lane London SW11 3AD

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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 Joseph’s Catholic Primary School iii

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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 Joseph’s Catholic Primary school serves the parishioners of the Sacred Heart Church in Droitwich, Catholic families from surrounding villages, and, if places are available, non- Catholic families from the local area. With 204 pupils on roll it is close to the average size for a primary school. There is one class in each year group from reception to Year 6. Almost every pupil is of white, U.K. heritage and there are no pupils for whom English is an additional language. Just one per cent of pupils is eligible for free school meals, a proportion well below the National Average. Sixteen pupils are on the register of special educational needs and, at eight per cent, this too is well below the national average. Three pupils have statements of special need. There is some significant movement of pupils other than at the normal times of entry and transfer: 11 pupils joined and seven left in the last school year.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year. Viewed over time it is broadly average, although baseline data consistently shows that there is a significant minority of pupils who start with attainment that is above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This school offers its pupils a very good quality education. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve standards in English, mathematics and science that are well above the national average. Of particular note is the very high proportion of pupils who achieve Level 5, the higher than average National Curriculum Level. Standards in information and communication technology are above expectations throughout the school. The school is very well led and managed by the headteacher, her deputy and the governing body. Pupils behave very well and have equally positive attitudes towards school. The quality of teaching is good overall, helping pupils to make good progress through the school. Combined, these features represent very good value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• By age 11, pupils achieve standards in English, mathematics and science that are well above the national average. Those in information and communication technology are good throughout the school. Pupils make good progress. • The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, her deputy and the governors of the school are very good. • The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them to help raise attainment. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

There are no unsatisfactory features in the work of this school but the following issues need improvement through some fine-tuning. • The extent to which pupils are guided towards a greater understanding of and an involvement in their own academic and personal development. • The steps the school takes to raise the quality of the least effective teaching in the school to that of the best. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 2

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected five years ago: in July 1997. Since that time it has fully addressed the issues raised in the report of that inspection and has also secured a number of other improvements. Standards in English, mathematics and science have improved, particularly in terms of the proportion of pupils who achieve the higher level, Level 5. Standards in information and communication technology have improved dramatically - from being unsatisfactory in 1997 to now being above expectations throughout the school. The quality of teaching has improved: the proportions of good and very good teaching have increased. The very good behaviour of pupils has been maintained. The leadership and management of the school were good and are now very good. The school now operates particularly effective assessment systems and provides very well for pupils with special educational needs. Combined, these features represent very good progress. The potential

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STANDARDS

The table below 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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in:

1999 2000 2001 2001 English B A A B mathematics B B A B science B B A B

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Key

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

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Key

In the 2001 national tests for Year 6 pupils - the latest for which comparative data is currently available - standards in English, mathematics and science were well above the national average. When compared with those of schools with a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, St. Joseph’s pupils achieved above average standards.

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Key

The school has already received the results from the 2002 national tests. It is not yet possible to compare them with those achieved by other schools, as the comparative data is not currently available, but in percentage terms they show a further improvement over the very good performance of 2001. This is attributable to the increase, in each subject, of the proportion of pupils achieving the higher level, Level 5, and to the maintenance of the proportions who achieve Level 4, the expected level.

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Key

Year 2 pupils achieve good standards. Throughout the school, all pupils make good progress, and that which is made by pupils with special educational needs is often very good. Pupils’ basic literacy and numeracy skills are strong and standards in information and communication technology are above expectations. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 3

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very positive attitudes. They are enthusiastic, keen to learn, and respond well to purposeful teaching. They are keen to come to school and to participate in activities. They show an interest in their lessons and respond well to the challenging activities with which they are presented. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good both in and out of the classrooms. There have been no exclusions in the past three years. Staff, parents and other adults report that pupils behave well when on educational visits. Behaviour in common areas of the school is orderly and lunchtime is a pleasant social occasion for pupils. On the rare occasions when teaching is uninspiring, pupils continue to behave well, as they know that it is right to do so. Personal development and relationships Relationships between staff and pupils, and between pupils themselves, are almost always very good. There is no evidence of intimidating

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Aspect Comment

behaviour. Pupils are polite and courteous to staff, visitors, and one another. Attendance Attendance is good and there is no unauthorised absence. Pupils arrive punctually.

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

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

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

During the two days of the inspection, inspectors observed a small number of lessons, 15 in all. On the basis of this evidence, the quality of teaching in the school is good. Four lessons were very good, seven were good, three were satisfactory and one was unsatisfactory. The one unsatisfactory lesson was the work of a supply teacher who is no longer at the school. The teaching of the highest quality is typified by lively presentation, fast pace, an ability to enthuse children and to get the best out of them, and the setting of tasks which will challenge them but also allow them to be successful. Where there are weaknesses in teaching they take the form of uninspiring presentation, lethargic pace, and work that is not well matched to pupils’ ability. The overall quality of teaching is good, but there is room for some fine-tuning on those satisfactory lessons which, although generally satisfactory, have

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

English and mathematics are taught well overall, and the national literacy and numeracy strategies are well embedded in the practice of all staff. The arrangements the school makes for teaching the other subjects of the curriculum ensure that pupils have plentiful opportunities to practise newly learned literacy and numeracy skills, and to consolidate the more established ones. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 4

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school offers all its pupils a broad, balanced and very relevant curriculum. This is enriched by a wide range of visits and visitors. Planning, especially for literacy and numeracy, is of a high order. Links with other schools and with the local community are very good and have a positive impact on learning. Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision the school makes for pupils with special educational needs is very good. Problems are picked up early and action taken quickly. As a result, all pupils make good progress, and many make very good progress. Assessments are carried out accurately and lead to individual education plans of good quality, with appropriate targets. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Overall, the school provides well for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Although the school has sound and

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Aspect Comment

sometimes good strategies to help pupils develop as mature and responsible young citizens, this aspect of its work would benefit from further development. How well the school cares for its pupils Child protection procedures are in place, pupils are cared for well, and no health and safety hazards were observed. Procedures for assessing pupils’ progress are very good. This is a real strength of the school, and together with provision for pupils with special educational needs it underpins much of the school’s success. How good is the partnership with parents? This partnership is good. Parents are actively involved in the life of the school: they attend meetings, act as governors and raise money through the Parent Teachers Association. The school keeps parents well informed of their child’s progress through consultation evenings, and an ‘open door’ policy for more informal contact.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and her deputy lead and manage the school very well. They are ably supported by all the staff, particularly by the two assessment co-ordinators. The subject co-ordination of English, mathematics and information and communication technology – also within the remit of these four key members of staff - is very good. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body provides the headteacher with a very good level of advice and support. Governors bring to the school a real wealth and breadth of knowledge and expertise, and the benefits to the school are significant. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has a realistic view of its performance and is successful at identifying areas for improvement, particularly because of its skill in using its assessment data to identify where weaknesses lie. The

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Aspect Comment

headteacher and her deputy continually seek further improvement: there is no sign of complacency. The strategic use of resources The finance committee of the governing body, led by a very able chair, helps the school to make best use of all the funds available. Good use is made of specific expertise of the teaching and the non- teaching staff. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 5

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improved

• Their children like school. • Their children make good progress. • Pupils behave well and are helped to become mature and responsible. • The quality of teaching is good. • Pupils are expected to work hard. • The school is well led and managed. • Information about how their child is getting on. • A closer working relationship with the school. • More out-of-school activities.

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improved

Inspectors agree with all the positive views recorded by parents. In relation to the concerns expressed, they judge that the school provides parents with adequate information about how their child is getting on and creates generous opportunities for discussion, on both a formal and an informal basis. Two consultation evenings in October and March incorporate discussions on targets for pupils. The school also issues a formal invitation to parents to discuss with class teachers their child’s end of year report. Parents are made welcome in school on other occasions and there is an ‘open door’ if they have questions or concerns. When account is taken of the size of the school and of the number of staff available to run out of school activities, provision is generous and the activities on offer are varied. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 6

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Standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average and pupils

1. National test data for 2001 show that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve standards in English, mathematics and science that are well above average when compared with those of all schools nationally, and above average when compared with those of similar schools. While no comparable data are available for this year, raw data show that standards have continued to rise. This represents an improvement in all three subjects since the last inspection, when standards were judged to be good in comparison with those nationally.

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Standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average and pupils

2. The improvements in standards secured by the school since the last inspection in 1997 can be most clearly demonstrated by comparing the proportion of pupils who, in each subject tested, achieved the expected level, Level 4, and the higher level, Level 5. The two tables that follow make this comparison. They show that although the proportion of pupils achieving Level 4 has increased, or has been maintained at an already very high level, the most significant improvement has been in the proportion of pupils achieving the higher level, Level 5. Here the percentage increase has been 33 per cent, 37 per cent and 48 per cent respectively for English, mathematics and science: an outstanding achievement.

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Standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average and pupils

3. Improvement in attainment at Level 4 or above since the last inspection (1997 ).

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since 1997

English 85% 90% 89% 4% Mathematics 74% 97% 93% 19% Science 97% 97% 96%

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since 1997

4. Improvement in attainment at Level 5 since the last inspection (1997).

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since 1997

English 26% 48% 59% 33% Mathematics 26% 29% 63% 37% Science 19% 48% 67% 48%

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since 1997

5. The school’s assessment data track pupils’ progress right through the school. Of the 29 pupils who took the Key Stage 2 national tests in 2001, 25 were in the school in Key Stage 1 and took the relevant national tests in 1997, when they were aged seven. The table below gives details of the progress made by these pupils. It shows that although a very few pupils fell short of expectations, these are significantly outnumbered by the proportion that made progress that greater than average.

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Less than expected As expected Greater than expected

Reading 12% 60% 28% Writing 4% 80% 16% Mathematics 12% 64% 24% St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 7 7. This data suggests that pupils make good progress overall, a judgement supported by inspection findings and mirrored by the quality of the teaching in the school.

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Less than expected As expected Greater than expected

8. At the time of the last inspection standards in music and in information and communication technology (ICT) were judged to be unsatisfactory. Both have improved. Standards in music are now satisfactory. Standards in ICT are now good throughout the school. In working towards these high standards in ICT the school has spent heavily but wisely. It has made best use of available space to provide a computer suite. In addition it has also employed a computer technician who, as well as keeping the school hardware operational, works with pupils alongside teachers. Both staff and children have learned much as a result, and the school has also been able to recoup some of its expenditure by ‘hiring out’ the technician to other local schools that are experiencing technical difficulties.

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Less than expected As expected Greater than expected

9. Examples of the ICT work currently being undertaken by pupils in Years 2 and 6 show that they are regularly working above the level expected for their age. For example, in a Year 2 lesson pupils were creating a set of instructions for drawing a shape on screen. They entered them and ran them to see how accurate they were. In work previously completed in Year 6, pupils had organised, collected and refined information from a number of sources in order to make a multi-media presentation on aspects of their work in Africa.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, her deputy

and the governors of the school are very good.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, her deputy

10. The headteacher leads and manages this school very well. She has established systems which support the pursuit of high standards, in particular the meticulous way in which pupils’ attainment is assessed and their progress tracked. This allows the school to employ remedial action that is almost guaranteed success, because of the level of detail afforded to teachers by the careful analysis of data. The result has been a significant improvement in standards since the last inspection, particularly in the proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels at the end of Key Stage 2. The headteacher has overseen an improvement in the quality of teaching, made possible by developing supportive ways of monitoring the work of teachers in classrooms. She sets aside one half day per week to monitor some aspect of the school’s work: she might, for example, hear some pupils read, or look at the quality of teachers’ marking. Whatever is the focus of this session, she produces

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, her deputy

a written report and shares it with all the staff - as a group or individually, as appropriate. The headteacher has also helped to establish and maintain a good community spirit in the school: all who work there pull together as a team. In all she does she is most ably supported by her deputy headteacher, whose responsibilities include special educational needs (SEN) provision and literacy. These two key areas are overseen skilfully, and the deputy also has a positive impact on the school as a whole.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher, her deputy

11. The governing body provides the school with a very good level of support and expertise. There are no sleeping partners here; all governors make an invaluable contribution. For example, amongst them there is real skill in understanding how schools function, what test results indicate, and how standards might be improved. There is financial expertise based on a very secure understanding of how the funding systems work for voluntarily aided schools, and there is building expertise that has helped the school to ‘grow’ in a most productive and cost effective way. There is skill in working with children; this includes providing excellent additional literacy sessions for some able pupils, and invaluable help in classrooms. Finally, there is support and expertise in relation to health and safety and to pupils with special needs. Combined, these are evidence of a governing body capable of offering a very good service to the school, to its staff and to its pupils.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

12. The assessment systems that operate in this school are overseen and co-ordinated by the headteacher, who has a thorough understanding of their potential impact on the standards that pupils attain. She is most ably supported by the Key Stage 1 assessment co- ordinator, the Key Stage 2 assessment / mathematics co-ordinator and the deputy headteacher / English co-ordinator. As a result of their combined efforts and expertise:

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

• the school makes intelligent use of a range of assessment materials: now settled at a level that is sufficient to provide the information needed without being onerous; • the school carries out a careful analysis of the information that assessments generate, particularly in English and mathematics; • this analysis leads to action: in the form of whole school initiatives or establishing target groups**, for example; • the results of these interventions are evaluated to check on their success; • in order to judge the quality of its provision the school uses its assessment data to make comparisons with all schools nationally, schools similar to itself, schools in its local education authority (LEA) and schools in the cluster.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

13. The baseline assessment that the school undertakes is updated by staff at the end of the Reception Year. This information is then used to predict the end of Key Stage 1 attainment for every pupil. Through Years 1 and 2, pupils’ progress is carefully monitored to ensure that each one stays on track. Failure to do so triggers concern and action.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

14. In a similar way, detailed analysis of pupils’ performance in Key Stage 1 national tests allows staff to make predictions for individual attainment at the end of Key Stage 2. Optional national tests in Years 3, 4 and 5 then provide the school with interim data, allowing it to track progress towards these predicted final National Curriculum Levels. Any deviation alerts staff, not only to those pupils who are falling short of what is expected but also to those who are exceeding expectations. This close tracking of progress allows the school to support the pupils who need it and to raise their expectations of those who have outperformed their predicted levels. The contribution of teachers’ day-to-day assessments is equally valuable, as it enables them to fine-tune their teaching in order to respond to the needs of pupils.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

15. **The school’s ‘target group’ system allows it to pinpoint any group of pupils who would benefit from additional help from a once-a-week session over the period of half a term. The focuses of these groups have been varied, but the key to their success has been their in- built flexibility to respond to pupils’ needs that vary with time and from class to class. The make-up of groups has been identified in a variety of ways. Some, for example, are determined through the excellent audits on writing standards that have been produced by the deputy headteacher / literacy co-ordinator at the end of the last two academic years Some come about as a result of specific concerns identified by class teachers. To give a flavour of their variety, they have included:

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

• Reception class: initial sounds; • Year 1: use own word lists and attempt own spellings; • Year 2: sentences using appropriate punctuation and connectives; • Year 3: handwriting; • Year 4: children whose writing had regressed in QCA results; • Year 5: group writing; • Year 6: writing group – mainly boys. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 9 16. The school is fully aware of the benefits that can accrue from involving pupils in their own assessment, and although its adopted systems are in their infancy they are developing well. The most effective at the moment is the self-assessment books that are being used for ICT.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

Provision for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is very good.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

17. The school is fully inclusive in the way it treats pupils of all abilities, of both genders, and from both catholic and non-catholic families. Through the ‘target group’ work, all pupils have opportunities for their individual needs to be addressed in small group work. Lessons are planned with details of work for all ability groups, and their needs are well known through the assessment system. Pupils with SEN are identified at an early stage and their needs are met well by the school’s very good provision.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

18. All pupils with SEN make at least the same good progress as that made by other pupils in the school. A significant minority make very good progress. This is highly commendable when, by definition, pupils with SEN are those who find learning more difficult than their peers. The quality of their progress can best be demonstrated by looking at the Key Stage 2 performance of those pupils who, in Key Stage 1, failed to meet the standards of pupils aged seven and who were deemed by the school to have special needs. These data are shown in the table below, together with pupils’ progress in National Curriculum Levels over the four-year period. (The expected progress from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 is two National Curriculum Levels: one level for every two years.) Typically, pupils with SEN often fail to make a full two-level improvement because they find learning more difficult than others in the class. However, as these data show, all of them made the two-level progress

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

expected of pupils of average ability. In the case of 53 per cent of them, their progress was of the kind usually associated with the most able pupils in a school: three National Curriculum Levels over four years.

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The school has very good assessment systems and makes equally good use of them

Progress through Key Stage 2 of pupils with special educational needs: 1997-2002 .

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Improvement

Reading 1998-2002 4 1 3 2 or 3 NC Levels Writing 1998-2002 1 3 4 2 or 3 NC Levels

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2002

19. Such good and better progress is testament to the strategies that the school puts in place, and to the skill of the adults involved in implementing them and monitoring their success. The key features to the school’s success are outlined in the paragraphs below. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 10 20. The Reception class teacher, who is also the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) is quick to identify children who are giving cause for concern. This is good practice, as it can allow some problems to be nipped in the bud. While not all difficulties can be ironed out at this early stage, those that can be are, and others are addressed with appropriate strategies.

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2002

21. The SENCO uses a variety of tests to ascertain the nature and severity of the difficulty the pupil is experiencing. She also makes use of some high quality software, which provides teachers with a detailed list of criteria to help them with their judgements about a child and about the nature of the support they are offering.

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2002

22. Individual education plans (IEPs) are reviewed on a half-termly basis. These review meetings are attended by the SENCO, the class teacher, and the special support assistant who has been supporting the pupil. Parents are always invited but, in any event, receive minutes of the meeting. Pupils move up and down the stages of the register and these movements reflect the very close eye that is kept on every pupil thought to SEN.

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2002

23. The school withdraws pupils from the classroom to provide them with the focused support they need and, whenever possible, ensures that the support is linked to the content of the lesson from which they have been withdrawn. In addition to these sessions, the school operates a ‘target group’ system. This has already been described in detail so it is sufficient to say that some target groups comprise pupils who are on the SEN register. Some groups also comprise the most able pupils in a year group, and although the school does not have a register for gifted and talented pupils it does recognise and exploit their full potential. In particular, the work of a governor with a group of Year 6 pupils is of very high quality.

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2002

24. Overall, the success of the school is attributable to the combined efforts of everyone: to the very good organisational work of the SENCO, to the sterling efforts of the class teachers to match work carefully to the ability of the child, to the skill and dedication of special support assistants, and to the governors on the SEN sub-committee who, through their own expertise, make a valuable contribution to the work of the school. In short, the school provides a high quality, comprehensive package of provision for pupils with SEN.

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The extent to which pupils are guided towards a greater understanding of - and

25. Teachers make efforts to involve pupils in their own learning by explaining to them at the beginning of each lesson what the ‘ learning objective’ is. This is a useful exercise when the ‘objective’ is explained carefully and in a language that really means something to the pupils, but this is not always the case. The attention of Year 3 pupils, for example, was drawn to the statement on the board ‘to compare different types of humour in sound effect poems’. This meant little to the pupils, and was not referred to again. They had no means of knowing, therefore, whether or not they had learned what the teacher had intended.

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The extent to which pupils are guided towards a greater understanding of - and

26. There is some very good practice in the school: the recently introduced assessment booklet for information and communication technology (ICT), for example, explains skills step by step and in very accessible language. Pupils can record their achievements in the St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 11 book and will automatically see at which National Curriculum Level they are working. Another good example is the opportunity for pupils to reflect at the end of the year and to complete the ‘my achievements this year’ section on their end-of-year report. It is practice of this quality that could be built upon to provide pupils with a clear view of how well they are doing and what they need to do next.

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The extent to which pupils are guided towards a greater understanding of - and

27. By the time pupils leave St. Joseph’s school they are articulate young people who have made good progress academically. They have been well taught and well cared for. They take on in a mature way the responsibilities afforded them. The opportunity for them to reflect upon their ‘personal qualities’, and record on their report, is very good. They have not, however, always been given the best possible opportunities to take on responsibility and show initiative. For example, there is no forum such as a school council where pupils can voice their opinions, and contribute to or influence school decisions. While pupils do have routine tasks to undertake, there is no planning for the systematic development of pupils’ ability to take responsibility and show initiative, and to expands their concepts of morality and citizenship.

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The extent to which pupils are guided towards a greater understanding of - and

28. The school has already decided to make the development of pupils’ thinking skills a key objective in its 2002 - 2003 school improvement plan. Offering pupils systematic opportunities for taking on responsibility and sharing in decision making would sit comfortably with the school’s current planning.

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The steps the school takes to raise the quality of the least effective teaching in the

29. Inspectors observed 15 lessons over the two days of the inspection. These ranged in quality from unsatisfactory to very good, but the overall quality of the teaching was good. This judgement is supported by the standard of work in pupils’ books and the quality of teachers’ planning and marking.

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Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

30. The best teaching was typified by fast pace, the ability to motivate and enthuse pupils, and an excellent match between the work that was set and pupils’ ability to make rapid progress and achieve success while completing it.

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Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

31. Where teaching was satisfactory, there was evidence of one of the following weaknesses. In the unsatisfactory lesson the following features were prominent: • the pace of the lesson was lethargic, and work that took an hour could easily have been completed more quickly; • the teaching was uninspiring and did too little to motivate or engage pupils; • work set for some pupils was too challenging, with the result that they experienced failure and frustration.

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Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

32. Since the last inspection the school has worked hard to improve the quality of teaching. As teaching quality was judged ‘mainly satisfactory’ in the 1997 inspection and is now good, the school has been successful. The unsatisfactory teaching was the work of a supply teacher who now no longer works at the school. If pupils are to make better progress than they currently do, the school needs to sustain its efforts to ensure that teaching with the shortcomings referred to above can move towards the quality of the best. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 12

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

33. In order to raise standards, the headteacher, staff and governors should work together to:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• plan and implement strategies that will guide pupils towards a greater understanding of - and involvement in - their own academic and personal development. (Paragraphs: 27-30)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• take steps to raise the quality of the least effective teaching in the school to that of the best. (Paragraphs: 31-34) St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 13

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 15 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

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Poor

Number 0 4 7 3 1 0 0 Percentage 0 27 47 20 7 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 point[s].

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Pupils on the school’s roll YR– Y6

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 204 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 2

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Special educational needs YR– Y6

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 23

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pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 11 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 7 St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 14

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 4.0 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.

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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 15 16 31

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Boys 15 14 15 Girls 12 13 14 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 or above Total 27 27 29 School 87 (85) 87 (91) 94 (91) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Teachers’ Assessments Reading Writing Mathematics

Boys 15 15 15 Girls 13 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 or above Total 28 29 29 School 90 (85) 94 (88) 94 (91) Percentage of pupils 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 22 9 31

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Boys 19 21 21 Girls 9 9 9 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 28 30 30 School 90 (88) 97 (92) 97 (96) Percentage of pupils at NC Level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Boys 17 21 21 Girls 9 9 9 Numbers of pupils at NC Level 4 and above Total 26 30 30 Percentage of pupils School 84 (85) 97 (100) 97 (100) 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 Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 15

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Permanent

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Permanent

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Permanent

Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 202 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Permanent

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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YR– Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 8.6 Financial year 2001-2002

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YR– Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.7

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YR– Y6

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 440117.00

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YR– Y6

Total aggregate hours worked per week 125 Expenditure per pupil 2126.00

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Nursery

Balance brought forward from previous year 31844.00

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Nursery

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) N/A Balance carried forward to next year 42908.00

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Nursery

Number of pupils per qualified teacher N/A

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Nursery

Total number of education support staff N/A

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Nursery

Total aggregate hours worked per week N/A

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Nursery

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 16

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 0

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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) Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School 17

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Questionnaire return rate 41.7%

Number of questionnaires sent out 204 Number of questionnaires returned 85

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know

My child likes school. 51.0 46.0 2.0 0 1.0

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know

My child is making good progress in school. 48.0 48.0 1.0 1.0 2.0

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know

Behaviour in the school is good. 48.0 47.0 4.0 0 1.0

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know

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29.0 56.0 12.0 2.0 0

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know

The teaching is good. 52.0 44.0 2.0 0 1.0

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know

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 29.0 49.0 17.0 5.0 0

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know

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 47.0 39.0 7.0 6.0 1.0

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know

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 60.0 33.0 6.0 0 1.0

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know

The school works closely with parents. 33.0 37.0 19.0 4.0 7.0

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know

The school is well led and managed. 44.0 44.0 6.0 0 6.0

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know

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 40.0 54.0 2.0 0 4.0

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know

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 37.0 37.0 19.0 4.0 4.0

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