St William's Catholic Primary School, Pilling

ST WILLIAM’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 25 th to 28 th June 2001

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ST WILLIAM’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ST WILLIAM’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 William’s Catholic Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Garstang Road Pilling Preston Lancashire Postcode: PR3 6AL

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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: Rev. Fr. G. Pennington

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23 rd September 1997 St William’s Catholic Primary School - 4

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responsibilities

21277 Steven Hill Registered inspector English, Art and Design, Information and Communication Technology, Design and Technology The school’s results and pupils’ achievements, How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed?

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responsibilities

31718 Denise Shields Lay inspector How well does the school care for its pupils? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? 22704 Garry Williams Team inspector Science, Music, Physical Education, Geography, Special educational needs, How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils?

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responsibilities

31334 Barbara Atcheson Team inspector Mathematics, Foundation stage curriculum, History, Equal Opportunities Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development.

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responsibilities

Evenlode Associates Limited 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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responsibilities

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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responsibilities

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St William’s Catholic Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

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

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AREAS OF THE CURRICULUM, SUBJECTS AND COURSES 24

St William’s Catholic Primary School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St William’s is a small, voluntary aided Catholic primary school, catering for 90 pupils aged between four and eleven. It is in the village of Pilling, in north Lancashire, but pupils also come from other local villages, including Preesall, Knott End, and Stalmine. The majority of pupils are from Catholic families, although about a third are from families of other faiths. All pupils are of white, United Kingdom origin and none have a home language other than English. Pupils come from a range of social circumstances, but not many are particularly disadvantaged; no pupils are entitled to free school meals. The number of pupils with special needs has increased significantly over the last few years, and is now around the national average. These needs cover a wide range, but the most common are moderate learning difficulties. The number of pupils with statements of special needs is high. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

reception class covers a wide range and is about average overall. However, recently a relatively large number of pupils have joined St William’s at other ages, and a disproportionate number of these have special needs. Since the last inspection, new offices and a small library/computer room have been built. The school has also changed its name, and was formerly Pilling Moss RC Primary School.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school is a caring, harmonious community where pupils thrive socially. They achieve satisfactorily academically, and the quality of teaching and learning is good. Standards of attainment are satisfactory overall. The headteacher gives clear leadership to the school, and management is sound. The school gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• Teaching and learning are good. • There is a very positive ethos and pupils enjoy school, behave well and form very good relationships. • Standards are high in art and science at Key Stage One, and in music at Key Stage Two. • Children in the foundation stage are given a very good start to their education. • Relationships with parents are very good, and parents contribute well to the work of the school. • Standards of speaking and listening are good. • Provision for extra-curricular activities is good. • Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good.

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What could be improved

• Standards in information and communication technology. • Standards in design and technology at Key Stage Two. • The use of assessment information to modify the curriculum. • The systematic monitoring and support of standards in different subjects. • The organisation of the curriculum for Science, design and technology and art and design at Key Stage Two. • The quality of marking of pupils’ work, to show them how to improve. 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 has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection, in September 1997. Although results in national curriculum tests have varied from year to year, overall standards have been maintained, and have improved in science at Key Stage One and in music at Key Stage Two. Teaching has improved, is now good overall, and no unsatisfactory teaching was observed during this inspection. Sound progress has been made on the key issues from the last report. Schemes of work have been put in place, although changes in national requirements mean that some work still St William’s Catholic Primary School - 7 remains to be done on this. Assessment arrangements have improved, although more use needs to be made of assessment data to plan the curriculum. Provision of resources has improved, in English and mathematics in particular. The planning of the curriculum is more consistent, although improvement is still needed. Work is better matched to the needs of

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

individual pupils. Some improvements have been made in the role of the subject co-ordinators, but there are still weaknesses in this. A marking policy has been introduced, although this has not been followed consistently over the last year. The school development plan is satisfactory, although it still has some weaknesses. The governors’ annual report to parents has been improved.

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STANDARDS

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

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schools

1998 1999 2000 2000 above average B English A A* D E average C mathematics C B B D below average D science C B E E* well below average E

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schools

E* = in the lowest 5% nationally A* = in the highest 5% nationally.

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schools

Results have fluctuated over the last few years, mainly because of the different numbers of pupils with special educational needs in the small groups of pupils taking the tests each year. In 2000, for example, although results look weak, most individual pupils have done relatively well compared to how they scored in the Key Stage One tests in 1996. Statistically, the results were depressed by the inclusion of several pupils, new to the school since 1996, who have special educational needs. Over several years, results in all three subjects have been broadly average overall, with English results being slightly better, and science results slightly weaker. Inspection evidence confirms this general picture, with standards for pupils aged eleven being broadly average in English, maths and science. In other subjects, standards are generally in line with expectations, except in music where standards are good, and in information and

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schools

communication technology (ICT) and design and technology (DT), where they are unsatisfactory.

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schools

Children in the foundation stage (in the Reception year) are making good progress and the majority are in line to meet the nationally expected standards (the early learning goals) by the end of Reception. They are doing particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development.

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schools

Pupils at the end of Key Stage One attain standards in line with expectations in most subjects, and in art and science their standards are good. However, standards in ICT are below expectations.

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schools

Standards in speaking and listening are good throughout the school. Pupils’ achievements are sound. In most subjects they attain as expected, and they do better than might be expected in music and in speaking and listening. Their achievements in ICT and DT, however, are not high enough. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in the light of their initial attainments.

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schools

The school sets appropriate targets for results in national tests, based on pupils’ individual abilities, and works effectively to achieve them.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the Good. They enjoy school, work hard and take part enthusiastically in the St William’s Catholic Primary School - 8 school activities on offer. They are proud of their school, as well as of their own achievements. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Most pupils behave very well and this supports their learning very effectively. A few pupils, particularly in the middle years of the school, find it difficult to conform and sometimes this detracts from their learning and takes up too much of their teachers’ time. However, teachers deal with difficulties well, so that lessons are seldom disrupted to any significant extent. Pupils are sensible in a range of situations, and move around the school in an orderly way. Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils form very good relationships with each other and with the adults in the school. Pupils work well collaboratively, and show care

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Aspect Comment

and consideration for each other at work and at play. They achieve high levels of independence from an early age. Attendance Very good. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 9

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

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

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

Teaching and learning are good throughout the school. All lessons observed during the inspection were at least satisfactory. Seventy seven per cent of these lessons were good or better, 22 per cent were very good or better, and there were 2 excellent lessons at Key Stage 2.

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

A major strength of all lessons is the very high quality relationships established between staff and pupils. This helps pupils’ confidence, so they are happy to contribute to lessons, or to ask questions, because they know they are valued. Teachers’ planning is good overall, although it is not sufficiently detailed in one class. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour, and manage pupils well, so that the orderly, working ambience of the classroom enables pupils to learn well. Most lessons are well paced, so that pupils can learn a lot in the time available. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are developed well through careful questioning, which encourages pupils to explain their thinking. English and mathematics are taught well, including the key skills of literacy and numeracy. Better lessons are marked by the careful matching of work to pupils’ needs. Conversely, a weakness of some lessons, which are only satisfactory, is

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

a lack of sufficient challenge for abler pupils, or work which is too hard for the less able. This is unusual, and the careful support given to pupils with special needs, both by teachers and the skilled support assistants, is a major factor in the learning of such pupils being good overall. Marking is a weakness of teaching, and does not give pupils enough information about how they can improve. Although teachers have high expectations of pupils’ thinking, not enough emphasis is given to the presentation of this thinking in their work, which too often is rather scruffy.

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

Although the teaching and learning are good in lessons, overall standards are only satisfactory. This is partly because of the relatively high number of pupils with special needs (in the context of a small school) who join the school at different times. Other factors which partially negate the effect of the good teaching are weaknesses in the organisation of some aspects of the curriculum, insufficient time given to some subjects, and insufficient use of assessment information in planning the curriculum.

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

Pupils’ learning is particularly well supported by their good collaborative skills, their independence and their enthusiasm. A weakness is in their knowledge about their own learning, and this is partly because of the weaknesses in teachers’ marking.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory. Provision for music and for speaking and listening are strengths. However, not enough time is given to DT and art and design. Provision for ICT is inadequate, and does not meet statutory requirements. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. This is well organised, and all staff work hard to ensure pupils are fully included in all activities. Parents are successfully involved, and individual education plans are of good quality. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. Provision for social development is very good, and for spiritual and moral development it is good. However, there are weaknesses in provision for pupils’ cultural development, particularly as regards understanding a range of different cultures, and this is only satisfactory overall. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

and this is only satisfactory overall. How well the school cares for its pupils Procedures for child protection and for the day-to-day care of pupils are good. Procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment vary between subjects, but are satisfactory overall. However, the use of the information gained, to modify curriculum planning, is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

The school works well in partnership with parents. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 11

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher gives a clear lead to colleagues, and they form an effective team who work together well. However, there are weaknesses in how effectively and systematically subject leaders are able to monitor and support their colleagues’ work. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors work conscientiously in supporting the school, and have a sound understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Results are studied carefully and all staff work hard to effect improvements in standards and provision. The strategic use of resources Satisfactory, Good use is made of the skills of staff, and resources are generally used well in lessons. However, not enough use is made of the limited resources for ICT. Sound use is made of the principles of “best value”.

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Aspect Comment

Staffing, accommodation and resources are satisfactory overall. However, resources for ICT are inadequate.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school is well led and managed. • The teaching is good. • Children are expected to work hard and achieve their best • The school helps children to become more mature and responsible. • A few parents felt that the amount of homework given was inappropriate. • A few parents would like more information about their children’s progress.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspection evidence supports parents’ positive comments. The amount of homework given is appropriate to pupils’ ages, and it is generally consistent. The information given to parents is good overall, although there are some weaknesses in the reports on pupils’ progress, as well as examples of very good practice. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 12

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school in reception is average, although it varies from year to year. In addition, in the last few years, a number of pupils with special educational needs have joined the school at different times, and this has affected attainment statistically, because of the small cohorts of pupils involved. Overall, pupils’ achievements are satisfactory. Most pupils who spend their full school career at the school achieve adequately in most subjects and do well in reading, in speaking and listening and in music. However, their achievement is unsatisfactory in ICT and DT. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in the light of their initial attainments.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Children in the foundation stage (in the reception year) are making good progress and the majority are in line to meet the nationally expected standards (the early learning goals) by the end of reception. They are doing particularly well in their personal, social and emotional development.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. Results of national curriculum tests have fluctuated considerably over the last few years. Results at Key Stage Two, for example, have ranged from standards in the top 5% nationally in English in 1999, to results in the bottom 20% nationally in science the year after. These fluctuations are mainly because of the different numbers of pupils with special educational needs in the small groups of pupils taking the tests each year. Overall results have been broadly in line with national expectations at the end of each key stage. Results in comparison with “similar” schools (based on numbers entitled to free school meals) are weaker, because no pupils are entitled to free school meals. However, the attainment of pupils who start at the school is average overall, particularly when consideration is given to pupils with SEN who start at different times, and comparisons with national averages (though limited because of small cohorts) are more

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. At Key Stage One, in 2000, there were only four pupils taking the tests, so results are statistically meaningless. They do show that the school was obtaining high grades for some individuals. Inspection evidence shows that pupils at the end of Key Stage One attain standards in line with expectations in most subjects, and in art and science their standards are good. However, standards in ICT are below expectations.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

5. At Key Stage Two in 2000, results were above average in mathematics, below average in English, and well below average in science. Although results look weak, most individual pupils have done relatively well compared to how they scored in the Key Stage One tests in 1996. Statistically, the results were depressed by the inclusion of several pupils, new to the school since 1996, who have special educational needs. Over several years, results in all three subjects have been broadly average overall, with English results being slightly better, and science results slightly weaker. Inspection evidence confirms this general picture, with standards for pupils aged eleven being broadly average in English, maths and science. In other subjects, standards are generally in line with expectations, except in music where standards are good, and in information and communication technology (ICT) and design and technology (DT),

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. Standards of basic skills are variable. Standards in speaking and listening are good throughout the school, and support pupils’ learning well throughout the curriculum. Standards in reading and writing are satisfactory, although there are weaknesses in pupils’ handwriting. Standards in numeracy are secure and are used effectively in other subjects such as science and geography. However, pupils’ standards in ICT are weak, St William’s Catholic Primary School - 13 and insufficient use is made of them to support work in other subjects, particularly at Key Stage Two.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. The school sets appropriate targets for results in national tests, based on pupils’ individual abilities, and works effectively to achieve them. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 14

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

8. The school has maintained pupils’ good attitudes to school and behaviour reported in the last inspection. Pupils’ personal development and relationships are very good and are strength of the school, having a beneficial effect on the quality of learning. The parents recognise this and stress that they receive very favourable comments about the pupils’ behaviour from people outside the school when pupils go on visits. Parents of new pupils report that their children have been welcomed and supported by other pupils. One new parent said that the behaviour of her child had improved because of the positive attitudes of staff and fellow pupils.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

9. At the beginning of the day, pupils come into the playground and stand in small groups talking to each other. When it is time for them to go into school they line up quietly and quickly in an orderly fashion. Despite very crowded conditions in the cloakrooms they hang their coats up with the minimum of fuss. They greet each and hold the doors open for each other and adults.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Children in the foundation stage (in the reception year) come straight into school and hang their coats up independently and then immediately start their handwriting practice. They know the well-established routines and settle down quickly to their tasks. They are clearly secure in their environment and happy in their class. They work co- operatively together and show great independence in the way that they find resources for their work. They are keen to learn and show a great interest in everything around them. Relationships are very good and children are secure, happy and confident with their teacher and class helpers. They take responsibility well and enjoy opportunities to take messages around the school or give out the milk. Their behaviour is good and they are beginning to appreciate the views and opinions of others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. At both key stages, pupils are keen to share their work. They are interested and involved in their lessons, answering questions with enthusiasm; for example in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, when pupils were eager to demonstrate that they had the mental strategies to work out percentages. Their answers were thoughtful and they showed good concentration throughout the lesson. They were very keen to play a participatory part in their learning. One pupil helped a fellow pupil with special needs to find his place whilst another pupils held the crutches belonging a classmate.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Pupils’ behaviour is good. They behave well in lessons, listening to the teacher and to each other with respect. Pupils play together well at playtime and are happy, contented and support each other.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils are involved in the daily routines of the school. There is a list of jobs in each class from Reception through to Year 6. Pupils notice what needs to be done and do it without any fuss, for example helping a fellow pupil on crutches and holding doors open for others. Each class has its own class rules which foster good relationships such as ‘we must learn to co-operate, don’t tease, don’t waste time, invite someone to share your game and treat others as you would like to be treated’. This reinforces the school’s mission statement ‘Love one another’.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils as young as five are able to plan and organise their work. For example, a group of Reception children discussed between themselves how they would paint their model. Pupils in Year 6 organised, rehearsed and performed short plays for a history lesson and a class assembly both of which were performed with complete confidence in a spirit of true co-operation.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. Pupils listen to what others have to say and respond positively to ideas and views different from their own. This was seen in assembly and in a Key Stage Two science lesson when pupils discussed ways of separating different materials. No instances of oppressive behaviour such as bullying or sexism were seen on inspection. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 15 16. Pupils say they enjoy attending school. Attendance rates are very high compared with the national average. There is no unauthorised absence. Standards since the last inspection have been maintained. Pupils arrive promptly at the start of the school day. Registers are completed efficiently, but in some instances, absence for holiday in excess of ten days, is all recorded as authorised. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 16

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

17. Teaching and learning are good throughout the school. All lessons observed during the inspection were at least satisfactory. Seventy seven per cent of these lessons were good or better, 22 per cent were very good or better, and there were 2 excellent lessons, at Key Stage 2. Teaching has improved since the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

18. A major strength of all lessons is the very high quality relationships established between staff and pupils. This helps pupils’ confidence, so they are happy to contribute to lessons, or to ask questions, because they know they are valued. This is particularly valuable in developing pupils’ good speaking and listening skills. Good relationships also contribute positively to the high standards of discipline in the school. Pupils like their teachers and are keen to please them, so they try to behave well. Teachers have high expectations of behaviour, and manage pupils very effectively, so that the orderly, working ambience of the classroom supports good learning. When pupils, often with identified special needs in this area, find it difficult to conform, they are managed well. Over time their behaviour improves, and teachers ensure that lapses of behaviour have a minimum impact on the learning of their classmates.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

19. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good, although there are weaknesses in ICT and DT. The former impacts on progress in a number of lessons and subjects, because teachers are insecure in how to use ICT to support work across the curriculum. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are developed well through careful questioning, which encourages pupils to explain their thinking. English and mathematics are taught well, including the key skills of literacy and numeracy.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

20. Teachers’ planning is good at Key Stage One and for Reception, but is only satisfactory overall at Key Stage Two. Planning generally enables pupils to build upon what they have already been taught. However, the detail of planning is variable between classes, and it is not sufficiently detailed in one class. This means that sometimes insufficient use is made of assessment information to modify the planning of succeeding lessons. Better lessons are marked by the careful matching of work to pupils’ needs. Conversely, a weakness of some lessons, which are only satisfactory, is a lack of sufficient challenge for abler pupils, or work which is too hard for the less able. The latter is unusual, and the careful support given to pupils with special needs, both by teachers and the skilled support assistants, is a major factor in the learning of such pupils being good overall. Ongoing assessment during lessons is usually good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

Teachers monitor pupils’ progress in lessons effectively, so that any misconceptions are identified and addressed.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

21. Most lessons are well paced, so that pupils can learn a lot in the time available. They are keen to learn and try hard. Teachers give good explanations and their presentation of lessons is often lively and interesting. In better lessons, good use is made of humour, and pupils are able to share a joke with their teachers. This engages pupils’ enthusiasm, and motivates them to work hard.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

22. Marking is a weakness of teaching, and does not give pupils enough information about how they can improve. Too often work is marked simply with a tick, a cross or a “well done”. Although teachers have high expectations of pupils’ thinking, not enough emphasis is given to the presentation of this thinking in their work, which too often is rather scruffy. The weaknesses in handwriting impact negatively on this.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS TAUGHT?

23. Although the teaching and learning are good in lessons, overall standards are only satisfactory. This is partly because of the relatively high number of pupils with special needs (in the context of a small school) who join the school at different times. Other factors which partially negate the effect of the good teaching are weaknesses in the organisation of some aspects of the curriculum, insufficient time given to some subjects, and insufficient use of assessment information in planning the curriculum. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 17 24. Pupils’ learning is particularly well supported by their good collaborative skills, their independence and their enthusiasm. A weakness is in their knowledge about their own learning, and this is partly because of the weaknesses in teachers’ marking.

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PUPILS?

25. The curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage (the reception year) is satisfactory. The previous inspection report identified that the work for children under five did not always take account of the areas of learning. This has been improved and enables all children to take full advantage of a wide range of learning opportunities, as well as prepare them for the next stage in their education.

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PUPILS?

26. As at the time of the last report, the curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2 is satisfactory overall. Whilst the curriculum for both key stages is generally broad and balanced, there are elements of weakness. The organisation of the curriculum for science, design and technology and art at Key Stage Two needs improvement. In science, for example, it is taught using a “topic” approach which does not always ensure full coverage, in sufficient depth, of the programmes of study. The arrangements for teaching science also present difficulty in terms of monitoring the teaching, learning and standards of the subject. However, the school acknowledges this and the headteacher and co-ordinator are already identifying strategies to rectify this situation. Information and communication technology does not meet statutory requirements, partly due to inadequate resources.

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PUPILS?

27. The introduction of schemes of work for subjects is helping ensure consistency throughout the school and the decision to adopt nationally produced schemes of work has had some beneficial effects.

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PUPILS?

28. The teachers have implemented the national strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy satisfactorily, and these support pupils’ learning effectively.

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PUPILS?

29. The provision for extra-curricular activities is good. Teachers, parents and other support offer pupils opportunities to participate in a range of after school clubs. Most activities are linked to sport or music, which has an impact on raising standards within lessons, particularly music. Sports activities include football, netball, cricket and athletics. In music the school has recorder groups and an orchestra. It also has a school choir, which participates in functions at the local church and supports local charities. There is also a popular computer club, which helps to promote pupils’ computer skills. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 attend a residential experience and are introduced to new activities such as abseiling, archery and team building exercises such as “building a bivvy”. The pupils are enthusiastic about this opportunity, which encourages and promotes independence and inter-dependence.

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PUPILS?

30. Staff work hard to ensure that pupils have full access to the curriculum. There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs and those pupils who experience some difficulties with their learning. Good support is given from the Local Education Authority and considerable dialogue takes place before individual educational plans are drawn up. Reviews are regularly conducted and all parents attend. The Code of Practice is fully in place and pupils’ changing needs are analysed carefully. Learning support assistants provide enthusiastic and valuable support for these pupils. They discuss individual objectives of lessons and whether they have been achieved. Sometimes pupils are withdrawn from lessons to work on their own targets for learning but the school ensures that opportunities are created for these pupils to catch up on anything they may have missed. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 18

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PUPILS?

31. All pupils are well integrated into the school. The needs of higher attaining pupils are not however, always sufficiently considered, and sometimes a greater quantity of work is expected, rather than pupils being given more challenging tasks. Teachers have recognised this matter and intend to address it as a matter of urgency.

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PUPILS?

32. The school has good links with the community. These enrich the curriculum and make a positive contribution to pupils' learning and to their personal development. The immediate and wider localities are used well for educational visits, such as that by Key Stage Two pupils to the Millennium Dome. There is a good range of visiting speakers including representatives from the emergency services and from charitable organisations. The school regularly takes part in local events such as the “Pilling Coffee Feast” when pupils have the opportunity to ride on one of the floats. Pupils also collect and distribute harvest hampers to local senior citizens. There are strong links with the local church, which is used regularly to celebrate mass and to host musical events. There are good links with local primary schools and regular sporting events are held. There are effective links between St. William’s Primary School and other local

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PUPILS?

schools. The good liaison with the secondary schools in the area ensures the smooth transition of Year 6 pupils to the next stage of their education. The school regularly accommodates trainee teachers and pupils on work experience. There are good links with external agencies that support a number of pupils.

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PUPILS?

33. Provision for personal and social and health education is good. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection. The school has a clear policy on sex education, set out in the prospectus, and governors are currently considering revision of this.

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PUPILS?

34. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good. Young children are helped to develop insights into the values and beliefs of others. Their own ideas are valued by their peers and by adults in the school, who are very good role models. A good example was provided when the classroom assistant talked to Reception children about how they had constructed their models. At the end of Key Stage Two, pupils acted out Ancient Greek dramas as a way of gaining an insight into their values and beliefs. In assemblies all pupils are encouraged to listen respectfully as others read prayers. During the inspection, older pupils led the rest of the school in reflecting on how fortunate they are to have food, family and friends.

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PUPILS?

35. Provision for moral development is good. Teachers support pupils well in order that they become aware of what is acceptable behaviour. An example was seen when the reception class were moving around the hall in PE, and one boy became over excited and careless and knocked another child down. The teacher made good use of this to get children to think about moving more carefully. Pupils talk about minor misdemeanours that have taken place on the playground and this helps them to develop a very clear idea of right and wrong. The school promotes a clear moral code as a basis for good behaviour, which extends pupils’ personal understanding across a range of issues. This can be clearly seen in the class rules which are displayed in every classroom, for example, “we will respect each other, we will share, and we will always try our best.”

p.18

PUPILS?

36. The school’s provision for pupils’ social development is very good. It provides pupils with wide opportunities to take responsibility. Whilst there is no formalised policy, the consistent positive interactions between staff and pupils throughout the school day ensure high quality provision. Pupils undertake a range of jobs when they collect dinner numbers, for example, or water plants. Staff provide good role models for courtesy and respect. Pupils are taught to hold doors open for adults and each other. Despite very crowded cloakrooms, they hang up their coats with a minimum of fuss. All pupils, including children in the Reception class, are successfully taught to work co- operatively, for example when Reception children were seen helping each other, unbidden, to put on aprons. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 19 37. The school’s provision for cultural development is satisfactory. It promotes the cultural

p.18

PUPILS?

traditions of its own area well, for example, celebrating harvest and taking baskets of food to older citizens in the neighbourhood. Pupils have worked with a local ranger to make a willow sculpture in the playground. However, the school lacks a planned approach to the promotion of the cultural traditions of the ethnic and cultural diversity of British society. For example, there are few instances where music from other countries has been used for dance, and the musical instruments do not reflect a range of different ethnicities.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The school’s arrangements for ensuring the welfare, health and safety of all its pupils are good. Since the previous full inspection standards in all of these areas have been maintained, and some have improved. Teachers know their pupils well and provide a caring and friendly environment in which pupils are happy to ask for help and guidance should they need it. Day-to-day personal support and guidance for pupils is good. The secretarial and support staff play an important part in the success of this aspect of the school’s work. Because of this good provision, pupils grow in self-esteem and confidence, and this contributes well to the overall standards they achieve. Parents appreciate the fact that their children are well cared for.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The arrangements for child protection are good. There is a suitable policy and all teachers are aware of the procedures to follow if they have any concerns. Procedures for health and safety are good. Teachers adopt safe practices in their day-to-day work. For example, they ensure that the wire from the overhead projector is away from the area where pupils work. Regular health and safety tours and risk assessments are carried out and, when required, good support and advice is received from the local authority adviser. Fire drills are carried out regularly. All teachers have appropriate first aid training and there are effective arrangements to inform parents about illness or accidents at school. Minor accidents are recorded, including any follow up action that needs to be taken. Pupils’ personal and medical information is regularly updated and this ensures that parents can be contacted in the case of an emergency. There are

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

adequate arrangements for the supervision of pupils both before school and at breaks and lunchtime, but the mid day supervisors have not received training for their role. There is a good induction programme for pupils entering the reception class and this ensures they settle quickly into the routine of school life. Good liaison with the secondary schools in the area ensures the smooth transition of Year 6 pupils to their next stage of education.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. The arrangements to monitor pupils’ attendance, although informal, are good. Because the school is small and pupils are well known to teachers they are well aware of any one who is absent. Suitable steps are taken to contact parents should no reason for a pupil’s absence be provided.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Good systems for ensuring pupils’ good behaviour are inherent in school practice, but they are not always backed up by written procedures. Nevertheless, from pupils’ first days in the school the expected standard of behaviour is set and, in the main, pupils try hard to live up to this. Teachers have a consistent approach to dealing with incidents of inappropriate behaviour. Punishment is rarely used because the vast majority of pupils show respect for others; this is promoted well as part of the school’s ethos. Although each class has its own system, appropriate behaviour, effort and achievement in all aspects of school life are consistently and regularly rewarded. Pupils understand the need for punishment to occasionally be used; they feel it is firm but fair. Pupils, who sometimes find difficulty controlling their behaviour are well supported by the support assistants. However, there is sometimes no regular support for these pupils from the

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

outside behaviour support team, consequently specialist advice is not always readily available. The school has good systems in place to deal with any form of bullying. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 20 Pupils and parents are confident that any very occasional incidents brought to the school’s attention are dealt with promptly.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. Procedures for monitoring and supporting pupils’ personal development are good. Teachers ensure pupils are given responsibilities from their earliest years in school; pupils are keen to take on the duties offered. Extra-curricular activities, opportunities to take part in or lead class assemblies and for pair and group work, for example in English or personal and social education lessons, all contribute to raising pupils’ self confidence and self esteem. Personal development is monitored well. Teachers know the pupils well because much informal communication between teachers takes place. Written records are also maintained, although these are not consistently detailed in all classes.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. The previous inspection identified the use of planned assessment opportunities to provide up to date information about pupils’ attainment and progress as an area of improvement. This area has improved and developed effectively in English and mathematics. In addition to the national tests at age seven and eleven, pupils take a range of nationally validated tests each year. The data from these tests is analysed and shows the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups of pupils. The analysis is sound and enables teachers to have a better understanding of areas of development within the school. The tracking of pupils’ individual progress is being undertaken and, in music for example, progress is monitored throughout the school. However, these procedures are not in place for all subjects and the school acknowledges this as an area for development. Overall, assessment information is not been used sufficiently to

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

implement effective strategies to remedy the areas of weakness.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Assessment in the Foundation Stage is good. Baseline assessments are carried out and ongoing assessment is used effectively to address children’s needs, ensuring that the activities provided promote their learning effectively. Pupils with special educational needs are identified quickly and appropriately, and visiting staff regularly monitor their progress. The targets set out in the individual education plans are precise and are used effectively to enhance the learning of these pupils.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Teachers in both key stages are diligent in their record-keeping for some areas, but this is not consistent. Some samples of work are kept, but the keeping of portfolios is not yet an integral part of the assessment process. Marking remains variable, although there are some examples of positive marking to guide pupils’ future development. Too often, pupils do not understand the purpose of marking, and do not understand what they should be trying to achieve.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

46. Links with parents are good; this is line with the findings of the previous inspection. Parents’ views of the school, expressed through the parents’ questionnaires and the meeting before the inspection, are very positive. They like the school and what it provides for their children and overwhelmingly feel the school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. A very small minority of parents had some concerns over homework and information about their children’s progress. In comparison with schools generally, homework is at an appropriate level, but pupils’ annual reports are inconsistent in the detail provided about progress.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

47. Parents are, in the main, successfully encouraged to become involved in school life and with their children’s learning. A small number of parents regularly help in classrooms and with school visits, whilst others help organise some of the after-school sports activities. Parents are well prepared for these activities; the contribution parents make is valued by the school and makes a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Parents help the school financially. There is a very active parents, teachers and friends St William’s Catholic Primary School - 21 association (PTFA) that organises social and fund raising events. For example, it raised half the cost of the transport to take pupils to London to see the Millennium Dome. It also provides funds for additional resources for teaching and learning. Parents also give considerable support to other school events and concerts. As a result they are involved well in the life of the school. The home school agreement appropriately

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

reflects the Catholic nature of the school and encourages parents to support the work their children do at home; the vast majority do so, for example by hearing their children read. There was an excellent response when the agreement was originally sent home with virtually 100 per cent signed and returned. The school does not, however, ensure that all parents of new pupils receive a copy. Because of this the school misses the opportunity to encourage these parents to support its aims and expectations. Although there are many examples of established good practice where parents are involved with the school, it does not regularly seek parental views and, because of this, the school cannot be certain it is meeting the needs of all its parents.

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

48. The quality and range of information provided for parents are good. There are regular newsletters, and a good flow of day-to-day information. Curriculum evenings keep parents informed about new initiatives linked to their children’s learning; these are well attended. There is an informative Reception brochure providing a good oversight of what children will do when they start school. The prospectus and the governors’ annual report to parents are both well-presented and informative documents. The school has an “open door” policy and parents say they are happy to contact the school if they have any concerns. Equally the school is keen to speak to and work with parents for the benefit of their children; parents appreciate this. There are two consultation evenings each year so parents can discuss how their children have settled and what progress they are making; records show that virtually 100 per cent of parents attend. Parents of

p.21

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

pupils who have special educational needs are always invited to attend their children’s annual reviews. Parents are promptly informed if their child is identified as needing to be placed on the register of special needs, or if their child will need to be moved to a differing stage on the register. Overall, the quality of the annual reports to parents about their children’s progress is satisfactory, but is variable between classes. There are examples of very good practice at Key Stage Two. Sometimes, more especially in the foundation subjects, comments focus on attitude to work and topics covered, and so parents do not always have a clear picture of the progress their children have made. Occasionally, attendance information is not included.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

49. The headteacher gives a clear educational lead to the school, which enables it to fulfil most of its aims well. Particularly good leadership in managing and supporting pupils has led to the consistently high standards of behaviour, the very good personal development of pupils, and the very good relationships. The very positive ethos established in the school supports pupils’ learning well, and ensures that the school is a happy and supportive community, where pupils enjoy learning, work hard and attend regularly.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

50. A clear lead is given to colleagues, and they form an effective team who work together well. Staff are committed to working together for the benefit of their pupils, and respond positively to any problems which are identified, working well to try to overcome them. Analysis of the results of national tests, for example, identified some problems with writing, which the school has worked on effectively to raise standards.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

51. The monitoring and support of teaching by the headteacher has been effective. Good use has been made of time provided by a small schools’ initiative, and the head has worked effectively to observe colleagues, and give them useful advice. This has supported the good teaching in the school, and has helped improve teaching since the last inspection. However, there are weaknesses in how effectively and systematically St William’s Catholic Primary School - 22 subject leaders are able to monitor and support their colleagues’ work. The arrangements for the delegation of responsibility to staff have been through major changes recently, and some teachers have had too much to take on. The head is aware of this and is currently re-organising some responsibilities. National priorities have meant that much time has been spent on the national literacy and numeracy strategies, and these have been introduced effectively. Some useful work on

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

monitoring has been done in these subjects. However, the monitoring of other subjects is variable and is sometimes too haphazard, so that co-ordinators do not have a sufficiently clear view of the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects. This means that they are unable to target their help and advice where it is most needed, or to ensure that the curriculum is taught systematically from class to class. This has resulted in some weaknesses in pupils’ learning and in standards, in DT for example.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

52. Governors work conscientiously in supporting the school. They have a sound understanding of most of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They try hard to ensure that all their statutory responsibilities are met, and work closely with the head and staff to this end. However, they have not been able to ensure that the full national curriculum is met, in DT and ICT in particular. The school has generally been successful in identifying appropriate areas for development, although some aspects have been missed. When priorities are identified, they are addressed well and good progress is made. Financial planning is good and governors take a full and active part in this. The school currently has a relatively high contingency fund, but this is prudent, and has been carefully thought out so that, despite a predicted fall in roll in the short term, class organisation and planning will not be unduly affected. The school

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

development plan (SDP) is satisfactory. It is very detailed in this year’s plans and includes costings and responsibilities. However, targets are too general and it will be hard to see, in many cases, when they have been achieved. When and by whom they will be evaluated is not clear. It is not easy to see which of the tasks to be done have priority. Longer term planning is vague, and only goes on another year. A positive feature of the SDP is the use of highlighter to track what has been done so far, making it a useful working document.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

53. Sound use is made of the principles of “best value”. The school carefully analyses test results to identify strengths and weaknesses. It consults with various interested parties, although this is not always systematic. Care is taken to ensure that purchases are made from the most economical sources. 54. Staffing is appropriate and good procedures are in place to help new staff to settle in quickly and effectively. Learning support staff are skilled and provide particularly good help to pupils with special educational needs. Other staff are helpful and efficient, and contribute well to the positive atmosphere and the smooth everyday running of the school.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

55. The provision of accommodation is satisfactory. Some classrooms are small for the number of pupils on roll and this limits the space for practical activities in some subjects. It also makes it difficult for both teacher and pupils to move between desks, if required, during lessons. These findings are in line with comments made following the previous inspection. The recent addition of a small additional room accommodates a non fiction library and three computers. This room, however, is not large enough to enable a whole class to be taught there and therefore has an adverse impact on pupils’ learning. There is a small hall that is used well for a range of curricular activities, collective worship and as a dinning hall. Walls are decorated with good quality displays of pupils’ work and this enhances the learning environment. The school building and site are free from any litter or graffiti, clean and well maintained, by the caretaker.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Outside there is a suitable hard play area, school field and wild area that is used well for environmental studies.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. Resources are satisfactory overall, and are good for mathematics, a major improvement since the last inspection. Resources have also improved significantly in St William’s Catholic Primary School - 23 English and there is now a good range of books available. However, resources for ICT are still inadequate, despite recent improvements, and there are weaknesses in the resources for DT and music.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. Good use is made of the skills of staff, particularly the support staff. Some good use is made of staff expertise, for example in teaching music, although in other areas the expertise of co-ordinators is not made full use of. Resources are generally used well in lessons, but not enough use is made of the limited resources for ICT. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 24

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve standards in ICT (paragraphs 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. 113) by

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. Improving the resources for the subject. b. Providing staff training as required, particularly in using ICT to support other subjects. c. Make more use of ICT to support work in other subjects. d. Ensuring that the full requirements of the national curriculum are met.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Improve standards in DT at Key Stage Two (paragraphs 93. 94. 95. 96) by

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. Spending more time on the subject. b. Providing staff training as required. c. Providing time for the co-ordinator to monitor provision and support standards throughout the school. d. Ensuring that the scheme of work is implemented rigorously, and that all the required elements of the national curriculum are taught. e. Providing better resources, particularly for studying mechanisms and control.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Make better use of assessment to modify the curriculum (Paragraphs 43. 44. 45), by using data more systematically to plan future work, particularly in science.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(4) Make better use of the skills of the co-ordinators (Paragraphs 51. 92. 96. 113), by enabling them to a. Systematically monitor standards and teaching across different age groups. b. Share their findings in a systematic way with colleagues.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(5) Improve the organisation of the curriculum for Science, DT and art at Key Stage Two (paragraphs 26. 82. 87. 90. 92. 93. 95. 96), so that schemes of work ensure balance and fully coverage of the national curriculum programmes of study.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(6) Improve the quality of marking (Paragraphs 22. 24. 45), so that it

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. Clearly identifies strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ work. b. Shows them how they can improve. c. Gives them clear targets for improvement.

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Other more minor points, which the governors might wish to consider in their action plan, are to:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. Introduce joined handwriting at an earlier stage, so that pupils’ fluency and presentation are improved. (Paragraphs 69. 70) b. Improve the consistency of reports to parents. (Paragraphs 46. 48) St William’s Catholic Primary School - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 31 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 20

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactor y Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

6 16 55 23 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y6

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 90 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 16

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.25

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 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 0

p.25

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 2.8 School data 0 National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 St William’s Catholic Primary School - 26 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 27

p.25

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 0 4 4

p.27

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

level 2 and above Girls Total Percentage of pupils School at NC level 2 or above National

p.27

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

level 2 and above Girls Total Percentage of pupils School at NC level 2 or above National

p.27

Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 9 6 15

p.27

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

level 4 and above Girls 5 4 4 Total 11 12 11 Percentage of pupils School 73(94) 80(82) 73(94) at NC level 4 or above National 75(70) 72(69) 85(78)

p.27

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

level 4 and above Girls 5 5 5 St William’s Catholic Primary School - 28 Total 12 12 12 Percentage of pupils School 80(88) 80(82) 73(94) at NC level 4 or above National 70(68) 72(69) 79(75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 29

p.27

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

No of pupils Fixed period Permanen t Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.29

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0 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 78 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 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.

p.29

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 4.0 Financial year 2000

p.29

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.5 Average class size 22.5 (30) £

p.29

morning, but 3 classes most

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 21458

p.29

morning, but 3 classes most

Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 2467

p.29

morning, but 3 classes most

Total aggregate hours worked per week 53 Balance brought forward from previous year Balance carried forward to next year

p.29

nursery

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) St William’s Catholic Primary School - 30 Number of pupils per qualified teacher

p.29

nursery

Total number of education support staff Total aggregate hours worked per week

p.30

nursery

Number of pupils per FTE adult FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.30

The school has no nursery provision

St William’s Catholic Primary School - 31

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

Strongl y agree Tend to agree Tend to disagre e Strongl y disagre e Don’t know

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 53 42 3 0 3

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 67 27 4 0 3

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 34 49 11 1 4

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 51 39 8 0 3

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 72 25 3 0 0

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 71 28 0 0 1

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 46 42 9 0 4

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 70 30 0 0 0

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 59 41 0 0 0

p.31

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 53 35 6 0 5 St William’s Catholic Primary School - 32

p.31

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

58. Children start school at the beginning of the academic year in which they become five. At the time of inspection there were nine children in the Foundation Stage, (the Reception year) most of whom had some pre-school education. A sound induction programme enables parents, children and staff to get to know each other well and the children know what they can expect when they get to school. Pupils love coming to school and join in activities happily, largely due to the confidence and support gained from the class teacher.

p.32

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

59. There is a range of attainment on entry to the Reception year, with some children well below average on entry, but overall the attainment is average. It is in the area of Knowledge and Understanding of the Outside World where children have the widest range of ability on entry, and this is dependent upon the amount of pre-school activities they have experienced in this area of learning. Teaching is good. The well-planned curriculum is carefully constructed from the stepping stones for the Early Learning Goals. It includes themes that interest and involve the children so that they become increasingly involved in their learning. Lessons are planned to take into account what children already know. They achieve well, and are on course to attain the Early Learning Goals by the end of Reception. The good provision has been maintained since the last inspection.

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

60. Children enter the reception year with average personal and social skills. The good teaching ensures that children are interested and motivated to learn. Children concentrate and sit quietly when the teacher explains what they have to do. They form good relationships with adults and peers. They work co-operatively, taking turns and sharing fairly, as was seen when they painted cardboard models of playground equipment, or when they made cakes. The teacher has high expectations of them and they show great independence. They are able to put on their own aprons and help each other, unbidden, to do up the back fastenings, without fuss. They select and use resources independently, putting out their own paint and selecting an appropriately sized brush to paint their model. When cooking, they are able to wash their hands and clear away independently, and maintain concentration and attention. The class teacher

p.32

Personal, social and emotional development

provides good opportunities for them to indulge in co-operative play by planning the role-play area as a seaside café. The children are also given good opportunities to develop a sense of belonging to a group, for example through singing games. The children joined in enthusiastically when acting out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and singing ‘The Farmer’s in His Den.’ The teacher encourages responsibility by allocating jobs such as holding open the hall door, taking messages and giving out milk, on a daily basis. The children treat each other with respect and are all in line to meet the Early Learning Goals for this area of development by the time they enter Key Stage One.

p.32

Communication, Language and Literacy

61. As a result of good teaching, children make good progress in communication, language and literacy. All children are encouraged to speak, listen, write and read in many contexts. Children know how to handle books and understand that print has meaning. When children read during the inspection, they demonstrated enjoyment of books and were able to talk about the pictures and the story. Their ability varied, from those who had a basic sight vocabulary of 10-20 words and used pictures to predict the text, to those who were beginning to read with a sight vocabulary of 20 words and were St William’s Catholic Primary School - 33 already reading confidently. They use language competently for their age. For example, one child remarked in a cookery lesson that the sugar was ‘dry like sand’. Children are developing competence in their handwriting and most can write their own name. Their letters are well formed and their writing shows good control. Some are able to copy-

p.32

Communication, Language and Literacy

write, producing independent writing with full stops and capital letters, whilst others have progressed from mark-making, with poor control, to writing their own name using recognisable letters. ICT is used well in this area and children use the computer to write up how they made their models of playground equipment. All children are in line to meet the Early Learning Goals for this area of development by the time they enter Key Stage One.

p.33

Mathematical development

62. The classroom provides a rich and interesting environment for the children’s mathematical development. There are teaching displays that help children learn ordinal number, including number lines, odd and even numbers, and a height chart. Good teaching ensures that the children make good progress in order to achieve the Early Learning Goals in this area by the time they enter Key Stage One. Planning is based on children’s prior learning and is well matched to their ability. In one lesson observed, children demonstrated that they could add numbers to five. When the teacher was demonstrating the doubling of numbers, one child said “I can see a pattern, you have written out 2+2and 3+3 and 4+4 and 5+5 but you have missed out 1+1”. Children use a computer program competently to practise addition to 5. They are able to draw simple 2D shapes, and count reliably up to ten, for example when counting out the cases in

p.33

Mathematical development

which to put cake mixture. They use mathematical language, such as circle or bigger, to describe accurately the shape and size of simple 2D shapes. When three bears were used to introduce a singing game, the children immediately said, “the biggest one is the Daddy, the middle sized one is the Mummy and the smallest is the baby”.

p.33

Knowledge and understanding of the outside world

63. Many of the children start school with a limited knowledge and understanding of the outside world. Good teaching gives the children stimulating experiences that capture their interest so that they make good progress. They are in line to meet the Early Learning Goals for this area of development by the time they enter Key Stage One. After a visit to the local playground, children made their own models of playground equipment. They remember past events and build up a sense of the passage of time. In a lesson when the children made cakes, they were confident in their use of implements to bind the mixture together. They show a curiosity about the world around them. For example, when the teacher explained that they needed a certain temperature to bake the cakes, one child looked at the dial and asked “what happens at 100 degrees?” All pupils were really involved. They listened carefully to the teacher

p.33

Knowledge and understanding of the outside world

because the activity was stimulating and presented in a calm, confident way. Children are beginning to gain an appreciation of the different properties of various materials and observed carefully what happened when two ingredients were combined. One said “the sugar gets all buttery”. The children acquire satisfactory skills when using the computer to click, drag and drop objects depicted on the screen accurately.

p.33

Physical development

64. Children make good progress in their physical development through good teaching and stimulating experiences, and are in line to meet the Early Learning Goals for this area of development by the time they enter Key Stage One. Children change into their PE kit with a high degree of independence. All change without help and most fold their clothes neatly on the table. The teacher gives clear instructions with good attention to health and safety so that children know what they have to do. Lessons are well structured and children develop their skills systematically and independently. The work is well matched to the children’s attainment, enabling them to build on prior learning effectively. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 34 Children have very good concentration and are very well behaved for their age. The teacher provides opportunities for regular and frequent activity indoors and outdoors, but parked cars mean that the area used for this is restricted and there is no room for

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Physical development

big-wheeled toys such as go-karts, bicycles and scooters to develop children’s gross motor skills. Children develop their physical skills well through a range of activities, such as action rhymes. All children are able to make the appropriate movements to match the story and the music. They develop their finer motor skills effectively, using a range of equipment such as pencils, scissors, paints and a variety of small-scale toys.

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Creative development

65. The teaching is good and, by the time children have reached Year 1, they will have achieved the Early Learning Goals in this area of learning. Children are given many good opportunities to paint, draw and illustrate varied aspects of their learning. Children are able to select their own colours and choose appropriate brushes for the surface they are painting. They work co-operatively and discuss and organise themselves without fuss, for example when discussing how they are going to paint a model. The teacher plans good opportunities for children to explore and express their creativity. For example, three children played very co-operatively in the sand, creating a desert which they described as “hot, not much water but camels live there”. They organised themselves well, one moving the sand whilst the others placed the animals and trees. There are good opportunities provided for imaginative play, for example in the “Seaside

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Creative development

Café”. Children take orders for food, and cook and clean, taking great care of resources and showing much enthusiasm. When singing action songs, children are able to remember simple songs and sound patterns. They are able to repeat sounds both loud and soft, and use their imagination effectively to match movements to music.

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ENGLISH

66. Standards in English are satisfactory at the end of each key stage. This is confirmed by the broadly average results obtained in national tests over the last few years. Standards of speaking and listening are good throughout the school, while standards in reading and writing are average. Standards of handwriting are relatively weak. Standards have been maintained since the last inspection.

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ENGLISH

67. Pupils’ skills in speaking and listening are developed well throughout the school. Building on the good start made in Reception, pupils at Key Stage One sit and listen carefully to their teachers so that they make good gains in their understanding. They answer questions using an increasingly wide vocabulary and with an improving command of standard English. Most pupils are able to answer in sentences when prompted by their teacher. When asked, they can improve and refine their answers, explaining their thinking. They are confident when reading their written work back to their classmates. By the start of the juniors, pupils are able to listen to each other’s contributions carefully, and make sensible suggestions as to how work could be improved. By the end of the juniors, they are confident in explaining their views, and understand that there can be two sides to an argument. They speak clearly in extended

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ENGLISH

sentences, and are keen to contribute their opinions. Their good skills were well exemplified when pupils in Years 5 and 6 considered whether a supermarket should be built in Pilling. All pupils offered their views and, in a lively debate, considered the pros and cons of the proposition. Although the debate became heated, pupils listened carefully to each other and responded to their classmates’ points thoughtfully. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 35 68. Pupils’ reading skills develop steadily and they attain sound standards at the end of each key stage. Pupils in Key Stage One are familiar with the terms “author” and “illustrator”. They are able to offer their opinions about a book, and justify them by reference to elements of the story. In a good lesson observed during the inspection, higher attaining pupils showed that they could make sensible comparisons between the book read and other stories that they knew. By the end of the key stage they have a

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ENGLISH

good, basic sight vocabulary and are able to build phonically-regular words. Some higher attaining pupils show a good knowledge of information books, using the contents page and index to find information, and can read silently, gaining the required information accurately. By the end of Key Stage Two, all pupils are familiar with the library and can find a book on a given topic. They are able to use the index to find specific information within a book. The majority have good ‘skimming and scanning’ skills; they quickly understand the gist of a particular passage, and are able to locate a particular piece of information on a page. They can read silently with secure understanding, and can justify their understanding by referring to the text. A few less able pupils find this more difficult, and need to re-read the text, preferring to read aloud to themselves to clarify their understanding. All pupils have good phonic knowledge,

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ENGLISH

and are able to read unfamiliar words accurately, even when they do not know what the word means. Most pupils read aloud fluently and confidently.

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ENGLISH

69. Pupils’ writing skills are generally satisfactory, although there are weaknesses in their handwriting and presentation. By the end of Key Stage One, pupils write to a sound standard in a range of forms, including stories, descriptions, explanations and simple poetry. Most pupils start to write in more complex sentences, although lower attaining pupils struggle with this. Almost all pupils are able to use full stops and capital letters accurately in their writing, and higher attaining pupils also use exclamation marks, question marks and speech marks successfully, producing accurate, grammatically complex sentences. Pupils write legibly, but none have started to use joined handwriting during the key stage. Almost all pupils are able to write independently and show secure spelling skills. They make good attempts to spell unknown words, based on good phonic understanding. A number of pupils are lacking in fluency in their writing,

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ENGLISH

and some do not consistently form their letters accurately. This is partly due to their slow start in learning to join their letters, and slows down their progress.

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ENGLISH

70. During Key Stage Two, pupils make generally steady progress in their writing skills. By Year 6, they write to an appropriate standard in a range of styles. They write some imaginative stories, and are able to write analyses of stories and poems they have read, showing an understanding of meaning beyond the literal. They have gained a satisfactory understanding of punctuation, and most use apostrophes and speech marks satisfactorily. They show an increasing understanding of the tone and style required in different forms of writing, although the work of lower attaining pupils still tends to be rather “chatty” or colloquial in style. During the inspection, pupils showed a good understanding of paragraph structure, and how a story can be structured effectively. They could understand the idea of the power of a dramatic opening sentence, although most struggled to apply this idea to their own work. In a very good

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ENGLISH

lesson during the inspection, they learned a lot about presenting a balanced argument, building on their existing understanding of writing a persuasive text. They started to show how such a balanced argument could be constructed in writing. The fluency of pupils’ writing is variable, with too many taking too long to get their ideas onto paper. Pupils start to use joined handwriting in the juniors, but many take some time to use this automatically and fluently. Some pupils are still using print for part of the time at the end of Year 4. Even in Years 5 and 6, a few pupils do not use joined writing consistently. For many pupils, the neatness of their writing deteriorates when they change to joined handwriting, and the overall level of presentation at Key Stage Two is weak, although a few pupils show good standards. The routine use made of ICT to support pupils’ work, particularly in drafting and redrafting work, is weak. Few examples

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ENGLISH

were seen in lessons during the inspection, and little was available in samples of pupils’ work. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 36 71. Teaching and learning in English lessons are good. All lessons seen during the inspection were at least good, and one was very good. In all lessons, good relationships contribute in a major way to good learning. Along with well-established routines, they ensure good discipline, so that pupils work hard and get on sensibly. Good relationships also mean that pupils are confident in speaking out in lessons and contributing their ideas, because they know their teachers will value them. This is a significant factor in the good standards of speaking and listening attained. Teachers prepare and plan individual lessons well, so that pupils’ learning builds systematically on what they have been taught already. However, medium-term planning in the subject varies in detail and, while the best examples show clear links to what has happened in

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ENGLISH

previous lessons and make allowances for problems that have been encountered, this has not been consistent over the last year. Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally good, and teachers base their work appropriately on the national literacy strategy. Lessons have a good pace and pupils are involved well, so that they are interested and motivated by the work. Teachers are enthusiastic in their explanations, so that pupils’ attention is held and they concentrate well. Teachers are insecure in their use of ICT to support work in the subject. Resources are limited, but too little use is made of what is available. Even when the use of computers was planned in lessons during the inspection, sometimes the teacher forgot to include this. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well in lessons. Often different work is prepared for them, and they are given good support both by the teacher and by the skilled learning support

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ENGLISH

assistants who work with them. Behaviour is good and pupils work hard and are keen to please. Where pupils have difficulties in conforming, they are helped effectively by all staff, so that their behaviour improves over time, any impact on their classmates’ learning is minimised.

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ENGLISH

72. There are two reasons that the good teaching only leads to satisfactory standards overall. One is the number of pupils with special educational needs who join the school other than at the usual time of entry. The other is in the curriculum; too little use is made of ICT and pupils are too slow to start to joint their handwriting, impairing their fluency and presentation. The school is aware of both these issues, and the co- ordinator and colleagues are considering how improvements can be made. The subject is effectively managed by the headteacher, who has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the subject. Good use has been made of the analysis of assessment data, both from national tests and other materials, to identify strengths and weaknesses. Staff have worked together to address these, with some success. Links have been formed with other local schools to share ideas and good practice.

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MATHEMATICS

73. In the Year 2000, results at the end of Key Stage One were in line with those nationally, but below average when compared with similar schools (those with similar numbers of pupils entitled to free school meals). The school’s cohort size is small, which means that there can be considerable variation from year to year. In the year 2000 there were only four pupils in the cohort. Over time, results have been a little above average overall. At the end of Key Stage Two in the year 2000, pupils achieved results above the national average and in line with schools in similar circumstances.

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MATHEMATICS

74. Inspection findings indicate that attainment at the end of each key stage is in line with national expectations. These findings are similar to those reported at the time of the last inspection. However, there is a large percentage of pupils in Year 2 with special educational needs, which is likely to depress the results for the year 2001. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well and this enables them to make good progress. Higher attaining pupils are identified, but sometimes are not given sufficiently challenging work. Nevertheless, by the end of each key stage almost all pupils are achieving standards that are a true reflection of their ability in mathematics. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 37 75. Year 2 pupils are able to count confidently to 100 in 5s and the majority know that multiples of 5 end in 0 or 5. Pupils show a good recall of multiplication tables for their

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MATHEMATICS

age. They make good progress in understanding problem solving and the setting of problems. They know their 2,10 and five times tables and can work out the associated division facts. They understand counting to 1000 to solving money problems, and successfully undertake addition and subtraction to 100. They can recognise number sequences as odd and even. They can tell the time at half past and o’clock and can name common two and three-dimensional shapes.

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MATHEMATICS

76. In the Year 3,4 class, pupils from both year groups can order fractions on a number line. Good progress was seen in a lesson when one pupil initially put ¾ before 6/8. When the pupils counted up the eighths on their piece of paper they realised that ¾ and 6/8, were the same and were enthusiastic in their response to point this out. Work in this lesson was well-matched to pupils’ needs. Some of the Year 3 pupils worked with halves, quarters and thirds, whilst the Year 4 pupils and the rest of Year 3 progressed to working with tenths, writing them as decimals. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 use their mathematical knowledge well when undertaking investigations. However, work in pupils’ books shows that sometimes pupils all do the same tasks, and there is not a great amount of evidence of extension work for higher attaining pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

77. An excellent lesson for the oldest pupils demonstrated that they all knew that a percentage was a part of 100 and could work out percentages as fractions and the inverse operation. One Year 5 pupil could work out 40% as a fraction and one pupil with special educational needs was able to work out the fact that 9/20 = 45% in front of the class. Good learning took place, as pupils consolidated and then built on their good mental strategies. Even the lowest attaining pupils were secure in their understanding and, by the end of the lesson, were able to demonstrate that they could use what they had learned.

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MATHEMATICS

78. During the inspection the quality of teaching was never less than satisfactory. It was good overall with some excellent teaching. The Numeracy Strategy has had a positive impact upon the quality of teaching and learning and, consequently, upon pupils’ rates of progress and levels of attainment. Pupils are helped effectively to build upon their previous learning as they progress through the school. However, an over reliance on a commercially produced scheme in some lessons makes mathematics less interesting and less applicable to real life situations. Conversely, in one Year 6 lesson observed, all pupils were challenged when asked to investigate the percentage of marks they had gained in a maths test. This introduction of a real experience motivated pupils very effectively, and quick, demonstrable progress was seen. This was a stimulating way to capture the interest of all pupils who not only made progress but also enjoyed doing so.

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MATHEMATICS

Lessons are well planned and teachers explain clearly to pupils what they are intended to learn, so they are clear about what they are doing. All pupils know what is expected of them and they try hard at all times to do their best. They have good attitudes and they join in enthusiastically with the quick fire sessions at the beginning of lessons. Teachers are caring and supportive. They have encouraging teaching styles and value the contributions that pupils make to lessons.

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MATHEMATICS

79. Throughout the school pupils are taught successfully to use a developing range of mathematical language when talking about their work and explaining their strategies. Through teachers’ effective questioning, they improve their speed and accuracy in mental arithmetic. Teachers generally pitch their questions well to promote the learning of pupils of different ability levels, but in some classes teachers miss opportunities to extend the learning of higher attaining pupils. The very good relationships established throughout the school area feature of teaching. Teachers make good use of praise to motivate pupils. This encourages them and has a positive impact on learning. Marking, however, is not consistent. Sometimes work is not marked and there are few evaluative comments which would foster improvement. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 38 80. Scrutiny of pupils’ work reveals that although data handling is part of the curriculum, it

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MATHEMATICS

is an area of weakness. Insufficient use is made of ICT to support pupils’ learning in this area, and in mathematics as a whole.

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MATHEMATICS

81. Leadership of the subject is satisfactory. Assessment systems are developing well and these are helping teachers to plan work that builds on pupils’ prior knowledge. External test results are analysed and used to identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. The introduction of the numeracy strategy was sensibly managed and is having a positive effect upon pupils’ learning. The co-ordinator had only been in the school two weeks at the time of the inspection, but had already identified areas for development in the subject. These include collecting a portfolio of levelled work, monitoring the pupils’ maths books and working in partnership with teachers throughout both key stages as a way to monitor the quality of teaching and learning.

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SCIENCE

82. Standards in science are good at the end of Key Stage One and satisfactory at the end of Key Stage Two. Since the previous inspection, when standards were judged to exceed the national average, there has been a downward trend over the past four years, but more dramatically in Key Stage 2 than Key Stage 1. The reason for this is the organisation of the subject. It is taught through a topic approach, and teachers are responsible for their own timetable for teaching. Because of this, the curriculum has lacked rigour, and monitoring by the co-ordinator of teaching, learning and standards has been difficult to manage. Discussions with the headteacher and newly appointed co-ordinator confirmed this.

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SCIENCE

83. Results in the 2000 national assessments at Key Stage 1 were above the national average but the cohort was small and results are not statistically significant. At Key Stage 2, in national assessments the school’s performance was well below the national average. Over time, results at the end of Key Stage Two have been broadly average.

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SCIENCE

84. At Key Stage One, pupils know that materials often change when heated. They make simple observations and investigate using all their senses. Pupils can relate what happens when the oven is 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and why. Older and more able pupils describe the ingredients and what they think will happen to them when they are mixed. Younger junior pupils investigate how solids can be mixed, and know that sometimes the situation can be reversed. For example, pupils can explain how, after mixing, rice can be separated from flour. By the end of Key Stage Two, pupils understand that a complete circuit is needed for current to flow, if an electrical device is to work. They can explain the different properties of circuits in parallel and in series. They are aware of the requirements of health and safety issues, and conscious that care needs to be taken when components in an electrical circuit are changed.

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SCIENCE

85. Pupils at both key stages have a good level of interest in science activities. They all understand the requirements of a fair test and carry out investigations thoroughly and collaboratively and tabulate their findings.

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SCIENCE

86. The quality of teaching is good overall, with one lesson observed as excellent. Teachers outline objectives of the lessons, so that pupils understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. Throughout the school, pupils are given challenging work. There is good use of extra adult help and all staff work well with and support pupils with special educational needs. This boosts pupils’ interest in the tasks and the quality of their learning. Pupils behave well, collaborate with each other effectively, and work hard. Despite good teaching, because of weaknesses in the curriculum, and increased levels of special need at Key Stage Two, current standards by age 11 are still only average. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 39 87. The new co-ordinator is well aware of what needs to be done to improve standards. He has plans to address the issues of management of time and current teaching methods,

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SCIENCE

as well as improving monitoring in the subject. Assessment is at an early stage of development but this has also been identified as an area for improvement.

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ART AND DESIGN

88. Standards are above national expectations at the end of Key Stage One, and in line with national expectations at the end of Key Stage Two. Standards were similar at the last inspection.

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ART AND DESIGN

89. Pupils make good progress in their skills during Key Stage One. They experiment frequently with a range of materials, and their understanding of colour mixing, for example, is developed systematically with pupils at different ages, building effectively on work done in previous years. Younger pupils have done careful self-portraits, and some bright and lively pictures of pirates. Older pupils in the key stage have a good understanding of the artists they have studied. Their portraits done in the style of Picasso, for example, are very expressive, showing a good understanding of the use of line and colour by the artist. Their collages of faces are very individual, and show imaginative use of a good range of materials. Their pictures of “aliens” are carefully executed and are bright and original. The high standards at Key Stage One are attained because all lessons are taught by the co-ordinator, who has good subject

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ART AND DESIGN

knowledge and a clear understanding of the curriculum.

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ART AND DESIGN

90. At Key Stage Two, progress is more patchy. The curriculum is not clearly set out and, although the school started to follow some exemplar national guidelines last year, this was not followed through. There is no clear system in place to ensure that what pupils do builds on what they have done before. For example, the pots produced by pupils in Years 5 and 6 are not a significant advance on those produced by infants, apart from greater control associated with being older. Teachers tend to choose artwork based on the topics they are doing in other subjects. This does not provide for the systematic development of pupils’ skills as they get older. Similarly, there is no assurance that pupils will receive a balanced programme of work in their time in the juniors, or that they will study a suitable range of artists from different times and places. Individual class timetables indicate that these older classes are not having the full time allocation for the

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ART AND DESIGN

subject that is set out in the school’s policy. There are some pleasing individual examples of good work, but these are not consistent. The landscapes based on Monet’s paintings, for example, are of good quality. The use of collage with different pieces of coloured paper to reflect Monet’s use of planes of colour is very effective. Finished results show a good understanding of the artist’s style, and are themselves interesting pieces of art.

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ART AND DESIGN

91. Little teaching was seen during the inspection, but evidence indicates that it is good at Key Stage One and satisfactory at Key Stage Two. Planning is very good at Key Stage One, but is weak at Key Stage Two. In the one lesson seen at Key Stage Two, teaching was satisfactory. Although the work was part of a well-designed series of lessons on symbols, the failure of a supply teacher to follow the planning in a lesson the previous week, led to confusion. The lesson was well managed and prepared, but pupils were unclear about the intended outcomes. Pupils became clearer about the concept of a symbol, and how it could be used in art, but had little idea of how their work was to be used. Good discipline, based on clear routines meant most pupils settled quickly to work and little time was wasted, although one or two were unclear about the task and took longer to settle.

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ART AND DESIGN

92. The co-ordinator has been responsible for the high standards in Key Stage One, but has had little opportunity to monitor provision or standards in Key Stage Two. This is because of the school having other priorities. The confusion about the curriculum St William’s Catholic Primary School - 40 means that the high standards established at Key Stage One are not built upon sufficiently by older pupils.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

93. Standards are in line with national expectations at the end of Key Stage One, but are unsatisfactory at Key Stage Two because too little time is given to the subject. Since the last inspection, standards at Key Stage One have been maintained, but have deteriorated at Key Stage Two.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

94. Pupils at Key Stage One have done a suitable range of work in DT. They work with construction kits and attain sound standards in their use. They have a sound understanding of different materials and their properties. They have worked with a good range of materials, being given the chance to explore their properties, both in DT and in other lessons, such as art or personal and social education. They have completed two major projects, one making a puppet and one designing a playground. For the glove puppets, they made finished products of a sound standard, and described in writing how they made them, and evaluated the outcomes. To make their model playgrounds, they first explored real playgrounds, evaluated different pupils’ favourite parts, and drew graphs of the results. They attain sound standards in all these aspects.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

95. Very little work was seen at Key Stage Two. Younger junior pupils have made models of lighthouses, with working lights; these are generally of a satisfactory standard, although the quality of finish is weak on several. Older junior pupils have worked with a local craftsman to produce a woven willow shelter in the grounds. They did sketches for this and experimented with different kinds of weaving with art straws. However, the finished design was the one suggested by the craftsman. There is otherwise no evidence of pupils designing and evaluating their work in the subject over the past year. A group of Year 6 pupils, in conversation, were unable to think of any other DT work they had done this year, although they did recall some design work on calendars in art and design lessons. They recalled with pleasure work they had done earlier in the school, on designing a lighthouse or a playground. They could not recall using any

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

construction kits since they were in the infants. They do not appear ever to have worked with wood, with mechanisms such as gears, or with electrical devices, apart from their lighthouses in Year 4. They have not worked with computers to control models. Overall, the work they have done is insufficient to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum, and results in low standards overall.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

96. No teaching was observed at either key stage. Planning is good at Key Stage One and unsatisfactory at Key Stage Two. The curriculum does not meet national requirements. Although the school has, in theory, adopted a nationally recommended scheme, this is not being followed sufficiently rigorously at Key Stage Two. Resources are inadequate, as there are not suitable materials for pupils to experiment with different mechanisms at Key Stage Two. The co-ordinator has only just been appointed, and has had no opportunity as yet to monitor work in different classes, or to support colleagues in their teaching. She teaches all the pupils in Key Stage One herself, enabling them to reach sound standards.

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GEOGRAPHY

97. The last time the school was inspected, standards in geography were satisfactory and this remains the case, with pupils’ attainment meeting national expectations at the end of each key stage. St William’s Catholic Primary School - 41 98. By the end of Key Stage One, pupils can identify where they live and write their address. They can name the local area and their nearest town and city. They can label, on a blank map of the British Isles, the different countries. Their enquiry skills are developing well and they record their evidence on a graph and introduce a key. Key Stage Two pupils increase their knowledge of their village with particular reference to the physical and human features. They continue to develop their understanding of land use in the village.

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GEOGRAPHY

99. Younger pupils at Key Stage Two use secondary sources effectively to gather information, which is then recorded on the computer. Their geographical skills are extended as they move into the oldest class. They can contrast two environments effectively by finding out how people live, the types of jobs they do, the landscape and the economic conditions. They use geographical vocabulary well. Older junior pupils have sound mapping skills, for example in planning routes, or in gaining information from ordnance survey maps. They have a satisfactory knowledge of contrasting areas to their own, helped, for example, by their field trip to Preston.

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GEOGRAPHY

100. Only one lesson was observed, and this was satisfactory. Other evidence indicates that teaching is satisfactory at both key stages. Planning indicates that teachers’ knowledge and understanding is generally secure. Resources are used effectively to promote skills of enquiry. Curricular links are often used to promote their enquiry skills, for example, when studying Ancient Egypt they consider how the flooding of the River Nile affected the lives of ancient dwellers and further how it was remedied by the building of the Aswan Dam. The co-ordinator is working well to support this subject area and assessment procedures are being effectively adopted. Effective use is made of the school grounds and the local environment to promote pupils’ geographical skills.

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HISTORY

101. Standards have been maintained in line with national expectations at the end of each key stage since the previous report.

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HISTORY

102. Pupils in Key Stage One are beginning to master a variety of historical skills. They are beginning to recognise some of the ways in which the past can be represented. In a lesson for pupils in Years 1 and 2, they discussed a video of seaside holidays in the past. Pupils were able to recall facts from the video. They knew that clothing had to be worn and that this was often in the style of sailors’ suits. They knew that Punch and Judy shows are different now compared with those in the past. Year 2 pupils showed a sound understanding of the past and could explain correctly the differences shown in pictures of the seaside in 1885 and 2001. Pupils have an appropriate sense of chronology. They are able to place in correct order teddy bears of different ages, giving reasons for the order and why they think that the toys are old.

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HISTORY

103. Pupils at Key Stage Two continue to make sound progress in their knowledge and understanding. Pupils in Year 4 are able to empathise with evacuees and write about this satisfactorily. They are able to identify differences between Tudor and modern day bedrooms. There are examples of the sound use of literacy in history, for example when information books were used to place events on a time line. This shows that pupils are gaining an increasing understanding of chronology and a factual knowledge of the main events and changes that took place during the period. In Year 5, pupils are able to explain the differences between disease in the past and in the present day, and provide reasons for this. Year 6 pupils are able to compare the Victorians’ way of life with that of the present day. They show a good factual knowledge of a suitable range of historical topics, such as the beginning of the railways or Ancient Greece.

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HISTORY

104. Teaching is satisfactory at both key stages with some examples of very good teaching at Key Stage 2. Teachers use many first hand sources to introduce the past, for St William’s Catholic Primary School - 42 example teddy bears of different ages and old photographs and visits to museums. Pupils have been to visit Victorian buildings in Preston, and the Home Front Exhibition, where actors re create scenes from World War Two. The school uses its own resources such as the air raid shelter in the grounds and a grandfather who came in to talk about his experiences as a navigator in the Second World War.

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HISTORY

105. In a lesson observed at Key Stage One, the teacher gave a clear focus to the lesson and took care to ensure that pupils with special educational needs understood. Good links to numeracy were made as pupils worked out the number of years between 1885 and the present day. In a very good lesson during the inspection, the teacher took pupils in Years 5 and 6 outside to create the atmosphere that the Ancient Greeks would have experienced. This helped pupils to understand the role of theatre in the Greek way of life. The teacher’s planning was clear and he explained to the pupils just what they were intended to learn. The teacher used his good subject knowledge to help pupils evaluate their work and discuss the Greek Gods. Pupils were able to talk enthusiastically about the Greek heroes and relate their arguments to work that they had done in their individual research. The lesson had good links with literacy as groups

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HISTORY

of pupils presented their own ‘Greek plays’. Pupils used subject specific language well, and one group acted out their own modern day Greek myth. Pupils demonstrated a sound understanding of the different ways that aspects of the past are represented.

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HISTORY

106. Teachers’ marking is not consistent. Sometimes work is not marked at all, and there are few evaluative comments to foster improvement. The presentation of pupils’ work is too variable. Work is not always well matched to pupils’ needs, and is often the same for all pupils. This means there is insufficient challenge for higher attainers. Conversely, lower attaining pupils, who find presentation difficult, are not able to represent what they know in the given time because they lack the writing skills.

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HISTORY

107. The co-ordinator, who was recently appointed, has done her own assessment of pupils’ learning by discussing their work with them. She has developed a scheme of work based on local and national guidelines. Some useful collaborative work is done with other local schools, to share information and understanding.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

108. Standards are below the national expectation at the end of each key stage. This is largely because the school has insufficient equipment, large sections of the curriculum are not covered adequately, and pupils do not spend enough time working on computers. Sometimes opportunities are missed for pupils to use the equipment that the school does have.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

109. When pupils’ work was examined during the inspection, although there were some examples of useful work that pupils had done, both quantity and quality were below what should be expected. At both key stages, although pupils show sound skills and understanding in some aspects of ICT, they are weak in others.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

110. Pupils in Year 2 are skilled in using a mouse to control the pointer on the screen, although they work slowly when typing with the keyboard. They have all produced some writing using a word-processor, but lack facility in this. They know that the “Caps Lock” button can be used to produce capital letters, but are insecure in using the shift key. They can print out their writing, but were unable to find the program in the first place, and cannot save or retrieve their work without considerable help. They know how to use a graphics program to draw lines in different colours, but are unable to “fill in” their drawing using the program’s features.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

111. Pupils in Year 6 are very competent in using the general features of a computer. They type with sound skill, use the mouse with facility, and can load and use a variety of St William’s Catholic Primary School - 43 programs. They understand and use drop-down menus. Most have secure skills in using word-processing programs, and can save, retrieve, and amend work competently. They use the various options of the program with ease, although not all are secure with moving text around. They can load and interrogate a CD-Rom information program skilfully, quickly finding out about Odysseus, for example. They can load and enter data on a spreadsheet, but have no knowledge of the capabilities of this program. None of the pupils questioned could remember using the computer to produce a graph or pie chart, and could not suggest a suitable program to do this. Pupils could not recall how to draw a picture on the screen, or suggest which program to use. They have not had

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the opportunity to use e-mail or the internet, or to use the computer to control different devices. The major gaps in the curriculum mean that the school is not meeting statutory requirements in the subject.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

112. The school, until recently, had woefully inadequate resources for ICT, with few computers, and many of these old and out of date. Despite a recent upgrade, resources are still inadequate to teach the national curriculum. The two classes at Key Stage Two, for example, share three computers, which are kept in the new library. There is insufficient room in the library for a class to work together, and there would not be enough computers if there were room. It is very difficult for the teachers to teach their classes any new aspect of computer work, except in “shifts” of half a dozen. This is not practical with a class of over 30, without detracting significantly from time spent on other subjects. The school has made very good use of the new machines, by way of the ICT club after school, to enable groups of pupils to take turns in using computers outside school hours. This has helped pupils in Year 6 to develop the sound general

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

skills observed during the inspection. It has not addressed the major gaps in the curriculum caused by lack of equipment.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

113. No specific lessons in ICT were observed during the inspection. In other lessons, teachers sometimes missed opportunities to use the computer to support work in other subjects. The scrutiny of work shows that this is too often the case. The co-ordinator is new to the school and has already identified some of the shortfalls in the subject.

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MUSIC

114. Standards are in line with expectations at the end of Key Stage One, and above expectations at the end of Key Stage Two. Pupils enjoy their music-making activities and the tuition provided by the teacher responsible for music and the visiting specialist is a strength of the school. Standards in music lessons improve steadily as pupils get older, and are good by the end of the juniors. Good opportunities are provided for pupils throughout the school to appraise and compose. Younger pupils sing well showing good control of pitch and dynamics. The quality of singing is good, in lessons and in assembly. In a Key Stage One lesson, pupils used percussion instruments well to demonstrate their understanding of rhythm and of playing together. In a Year 3 /4 lesson, pupils were introduced to the principal features of Baroque music, and the teaching encouraged keen listening skills, and pupils identified accurately the different

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MUSIC

instruments. At the end of Key Stage Two, pupils are able to classify many types of music, such as classical and jazz. When appraising “Romeo and Juliet” they successfully expressed their own personal feelings about what they thought was happening. In a lesson on composing, they identified the instruments they would use for a musical score of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. For example, pupils felt that when Father Bear came into the house they would use the cello and double bass and when Goldilocks was running away, the triangles.

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MUSIC

115. The quality of teaching is good overall. Music is taught by the co-ordinator who is a music specialist. All aspects are taught well and in Key Stage 2, pupils keep music notebooks to record their work including appraisal and composition. Singing is taught with enthusiasm and skill, and the headteacher supports the co-ordinator well when St William’s Catholic Primary School - 44 there are large groups. Pupils respond eagerly and enthusiastically, for example when singing hymns in two parts. The few pupils with challenging behaviour are supported and encouraged by older pupils and they try hard to sing well and share the enjoyment these pupils have in their singing.

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MUSIC

116. Pupils learn recorders and brass and the visiting specialist supports the extra-curricular musical activities with his brass orchestral work. This is of a high standard for pupils of this age and enables the more able pupils in music to achieve well. They read music, follow the conductor, and rehearse with enthusiasm.

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MUSIC

117. The previous inspection report gave standards of music as satisfactory and indicated that the co-ordinator had clear ideas for development. The current situation confirms that her ideas have now been put into practice and standards have been raised. Resources are generally satisfactory but the number of percussion instruments is limited and there are too few non-European instruments such as the “rainmaker” to extend the cultural musical opportunities of pupils.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

118. Few lessons were seen during the inspection, but evidence indicates that standards meet national expectations at the end of each key stage. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 demonstrated satisfactory standards in a dance lesson. They experimented successfully with different ways of moving, and older pupils showed imagination in modifying their movements. Some pupils, particularly younger ones, found difficulty in keeping their steps in time to the beat. A group of junior pupils showed sound games skills when they took part in a netball practice after school. Their throwing and catching skills were satisfactory, and they showed a good emerging understanding of playing as a team, looking for space and marking opponents appropriately. Records show that pupils achieve well in swimming. They have lessons during Year 5, and few leave the school without being able to swim 25 metres unaided.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

119. Teaching in the one lesson seen was satisfactory. Positive relationships, clear explanations, well-established routines and good pace all supported pupils’ learning and their good behaviour. At times, insufficient attention was paid to keeping steps in time with the beat of the music, and some pupils found this very difficult. Throughout the lesson the pupils displayed a sound appreciation of space, particularly with the small space available.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

120. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and is enhanced well by a good range of extra- curricular clubs, and by a residential visit for older pupils. The residential visit offers pupils a variety of experiences in activities such as archery and abseiling, as well as involving them in team building exercises. The pupils enjoyed the experience and felt that it was valuable, not only to try out different aspects of physical education but also to work collaboratively to achieve different goals. Assessment is at an early stage of development but the co-ordinator acknowledges this and is already considering strategies to identify clearly where pupils are in each discipline and how they may move forward.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

121. This was inspected under section 23 of the Schools Inspection Act, and is reported upon elsewhere.

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