St James's Catholic Primary School

ST JAMES’ RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ST JAMES’ RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Stanley Road Twickenham Middlesex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Philip Hudson

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 10 November 1997 St James' RC Primary School - 4

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Team members

15162 David James Registered inspector 9462 Elizabeth Cooke Lay inspector 14842 Stephanie Cook Team inspector 23031 Ian Knight Team inspector

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Team members

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St James' RC 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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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 16

St James' RC Primary School - 6 St James' RC Primary School - 7

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St James' Roman Catholic Primary is a large school that serves four local parishes. It is voluntary aided with a very strong Christian ethos; it is very popular in the local Catholic community and is heavily oversubscribed. Many of the pupils first join the school’s nursery when they are three and there are 52 part-time places for either morning or afternoon attendance. Four hundred and thirteen boys and girls are registered in Reception to Year 6 classes. Very few of these pupils are from minority ethnic groups and fourteen of them are bilingual. Five pupils are entitled to free school meals, and this is well below the national average. Nearly twenty per cent of pupils are identified as having special educational needs; this is similar to the national average. Pupils come to school with above average abilities. St James' is a Beacon school and in 2001 received an achievement award from the Department of Education and

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Skills in recognition of the maintenance of very high standards in the national tests. It is a most important time in the history of the school; in September the process will begin of increasing its size from two to three forms of entry and building a new school as part of a public-private funding initiative.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school. It has maintained very high standards for the past five years. In 2001 the results of the national tests achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 were in the top five per cent nationally. In 2001 the results at the end of Year 2 were as high. Teaching is very good. The high expectations of teachers and parents result in very good learning by pupils. The very good leadership and the strong school community help pupils to develop very good attitudes to school and promote their personal development very well. The school is not complacent and is constantly seeking ways to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they can and to maintain its high standards. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently very high and now they are just as high at the end of Year 2. • The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic leadership has been shown in planning a new school. • Parental support for the school and pupils’ learning is very good and effective. • Pupils’ attitudes to learning and their behaviour are very good. • The school is a strong community and pupils’ personal development and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are very good. • Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and effective assessment of their progress. • The school provides very good value for money.

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What could be improved

• There are no issues key to the future success of the school; however, as the school is aware, improvements are still possible. Many of these will be bound up in making use of the improved facilities in the new school. Minor issues include: standardising marking, the completion of registers and use of the library. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan or be included in the school’s development plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1997 when it was found to have many strengths. The school has built on these strengths very well since then. The quality of teaching and the standards achieved have improved even further. The school has successfully implemented the key issues for action in that report; there are now schemes of work, and the daily plans for teaching mean that frequent assessment of pupils’ progress makes teaching more effective. St James' RC Primary School - 8

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

English A* A* A* A* well above average above average A B Mathematics A* A A* A* average below average C D Science A A A* A* well below average E

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Key

The table shows standards that are either well above the national average or starred because they are very high and in the top five per cent of all schools. Standards in English have been very high for the past three years and for 2001 those for mathematics and science are as good. In 2001 the school exceeded the high targets set for it by the local education authority. Even from a very high starting point, the school’s results have improved at the same rate as those nationally and improvement was higher than the national trend in 2001. The standard of work seen during the inspection was good in the Nursery and Reception classes that make up the Foundation Stage. They were good in Years 1 and 2 and very good in Years 3 to 6. The school is on course to achieve high results again in 2002. Pupils’ skills in the use of information and communication technology are good and they apply them well.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good attitudes are quickly established and developed. Parental support helps the pupils to gain confidence and by the time they are in Year 6 they have very mature attitudes to learning.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, in the playground, on the field, in the public areas of the school and when on school visits is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils’ personal development is very good; relationships between pupils and with teachers and support staff are very good.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good; it is above the national average. Punctuality is good and lessons start promptly.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils are keen to learn, they concentrate hard in lessons and work very well. The very good relationships result in very good co-operation and collaboration between pupils when they are asked to learn together in pairs and groups. Pupils are articulate, eager to answer questions and to help each other and please their teachers. By the time they are in Year 6, they are very good listeners and can conduct reasoned arguments. St James' RC Primary School - 9

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Of the teaching seen, much was good or very good and some was excellent. Teachers’ daily plans for lessons show their close knowledge of pupils. They continually make assessments about pupils’ progress and use these well to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they can. Work is usually very well matched to pupils’ different abilities and needs. Teachers have high expectations of pupils, often presenting them with difficult ideas and demanding work. They expect pupils to listen carefully, concentrate and to work hard. As a result, pupils’ learning and the progress they make are also very good. This is true of pupils with special educational needs, and those who are bilingual, from minority ethnic groups, who are able or have particular talents. Literacy and numeracy are very well taught; pupils acquire basic skills very well and apply them in other subjects of the curriculum. Teachers make

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

good use of computers and technological aids to support pupils’ learning. The classroom assistants work very well with teachers and make an important contribution to pupils’ learning. Marking of pupils’ work is not of a consistently high standard. In the best lessons seen, pupils responded to their teachers’ enthusiasm and produced work of high quality. Homework is set regularly. Parents help to ensure that it is completed, and the work done makes a positive contribution to pupils’ progress. Parents’ high expectations reinforce those of the teachers and play an important part in pupils’ very good attitudes to learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The Early Learning Goals in the Foundation Stage and subjects of the National Curriculum are all covered. In addition there are many extended opportunities for pupils to learn through visits, visitors to the school, clubs and school events. Music and sport are particularly strong.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision for pupils is very good and there is very good progress in adapting to the new Code of Practice. Pupils’ special needs are identified early and effective action taken to help them. As a result, pupils make very good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language The few pupils who are bilingual are fluent in English and make the same very good progress as their peers.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The shared values between home and school, together with the strength of the school community, underpin the very good and effective provision made by the school for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school’s arrangements for the monitoring and support of pupils’ academic and personal development and their welfare are good. Governors are currently reviewing the school’s personal, social and health policy, which currently does not include formal teaching of sex education. Registration procedures are accurate, but registers are not always completed in ink. St James' RC Primary School - 10 The curriculum is enhanced and extended in many ways to provide additional opportunities for pupils’ learning and their personal development. The provision in the outdoor area in the Nursery is very good. The school’s Beacon status is partly based upon its very successful help for pupils with special educational needs. It also reflects the high quality investigational work in mathematics, which promotes pupils’ understanding of mathematical concepts very well. Individual music tuition, along with a school

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Aspect Comment

orchestra, choirs and recorder groups, gives pupils good opportunities in music. Day and residential visits provide motivation as well as information and the chance for pupils to develop relationships and responsibilities. The diverse range of clubs provides good opportunities for pupils to apply their skills and to learn new ones. Examples are chess, access to information via the Internet, the school newspaper and many sports clubs and school teams. Pupils’ academic progress is carefully monitored and analysed. The good involvement and support by parents is also important for pupils’ academic and personal development; the school community quickly helps and supports pupils and families in need.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The leadership and management by the headteacher and key staff are very good. Teachers’ plans and pupils’ work are frequently monitored as part of comprehensive system of school self-review. There is an insistence on the maintenance of high standards.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body fulfils its responsibilities very well. It is very supportive of the school and monitors its progress and use of resources effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school’s success is monitored very well through the analysis of results; comparisons with similar schools; the use of external inspectors and advice, and the full implementation of the system of appraisal of performance of the headteacher and teaching staff.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The headteacher, senior staff and governors have spent a great deal of time on planning for a new, larger school as part of a public–private initiative. The school ensures it gets the best possible value for money.

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Aspect Comment

Excellent strategic leadership has resulted in a successful public–private partnership initiative that will see an increase in the size of the school by fifty per cent in new school buildings on the same site. This whole process has heightened awareness of the principles of best value for money that are applied to all spending decisions. Senior staff who have long experience at the school support the headteacher’s very good leadership very well. The school’s values are evident in all of its work and the common belief in them results in a determination to maintain high standards and for all pupils to succeed. St James' RC Primary School - 11

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The school expects their children to work hard and achieve their best. • The values of home and the school community are in accord. • The behaviour is very good. • Their children like school. • The teaching is good and their children make good progress. • They feel comfortable in their dealings with the school. • They are well-informed as to how their children are getting on, and the school works closely with them. • The school is well led and managed. • The range of activities outside lessons, in particular sports and the arts. • Homework, because there is too much and the pressures to complete it are too great.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents were overwhelmingly positive about the school and supportive of it. The inspection agrees with all the positive points and recognises the very important part parents play in the success of the school. The inspection does not confirm the negative points. There is a wide range of activities outside of lessons that is much greater than for most schools. They are well attended and pupils take them seriously. The curriculum is greatly enhanced by many visits, trips, visitors to the school and school events. Homework is set regularly according to the homework policy, it is completed and marked consistently and contributes to the progress pupils make and the high standards they achieve. St James' RC Primary School - 12

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The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently high and

now they are just as high at the end of Year 2.

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The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently high and

1. By the end of Year 6 the standards achieved have been consistently high. To maintain such high standards is an achievement in itself. The results of the national tests for English have been in the top five per cent nationally for the past four years. With the exception of 2000, when they were well above the national average, they have also been in the top five per cent for mathematics. In science, results have been well above the national average until 2001, when they too were in the top five per cent for all schools. The school’s results have improved at the same rate as results nationally until 2001, when they increased at a higher rate. This is a considerable achievement, given the school’s high starting point. The school has exceeded the targets set for 2001 by the local education authority. Targets for 2002 require all pupils to attain the expected level or higher in the national tests. When compared with similar schools the results for 2001 place the school in

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The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently high and

the top five per cent of all such schools nationally. The Department for Education and Skills has recognised the school’s success and given it an achievement award. Inspection finds standards to be very high and confirms that the school’s results are likely to be well above the national average for 2002.

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The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently high and

2. Standards of literacy and numeracy are very high and pupils apply their skills very well to their work in other subjects. Some very good written work by Year 6 pupils was seen. Stories are well planned, the text expressive and the characters developed. Pupils also write well for different purposes and audiences. They can argue a case, use language specific to other subjects correctly and use accurate grammar and punctuation. Pupils’ written work is well presented. Word processing and desktop publishing skills are used to good effect, for example, when pupils are compiling the school newspaper and contributing to the website. Other examples of effective writing show how pupils can build up tension, for example, whilst waiting to take the Space Mountain Ride at Disney World and for the tide to come in before jumping off the sea-wall into cold water. Both conjure up the scene and express the authors’ feelings vividly. Thoughtful

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The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently high and

poems, some on the theme of candles and others inspired by a visit to The Cabinet War Rooms are further examples of very good writing. Pupils read very well and are articulate. During the inspection, for example, pupils had mature discussions with an inspector about the ethics of animal testing and drew comparisons with wartime experiments on the Jews. A pupil currently reading Lord of the Rings was able to compare the book and the film and also make further comparisons with Harry Potter and its place in the fantasy tradition in literature.

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The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently high and

3. By the end of Year 2 standards in the national tests are also high. For the past four years reading and writing have been either well above the national average or very high, being in the top five per cent nationally. The results in mathematics have varied considerably, but for 2001 were in the top five per cent nationally along with reading and writing. Standards of literacy and numeracy are high in Years 1 and 2. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils co-operated very well to solve a difficult mathematics problem involving time. Pupils are not streamed or set by ability for investigations in mathematics. Pupils of differing abilities worked very effectively together in groups and devised strategies to complete the task. As a result, all pupils improved or consolidated their knowledge. The school is on course to achieve standards well above the national average in the national tests in 2002.

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The standards achieved by pupils by the end of Year 6 are consistently high and

4. Pupils make good progress in the Nursery and Reception and meet the early learning goals. All pupils are expected to do as well as they can and almost all of them do. Pupils who have special educational needs have them identified very early, receive very good help and so make very good progress. Boys and girls achieve as well as each other; this is different from the national picture where girls do better than boys. The small number of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds, and the few who are bilingual, achieve as well as their peers. Throughout the school, pupils use computers frequently. They acquire good skills and apply them well in other subjects. St James' RC Primary School - 13

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The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic

leadership has been shown in planning a new school.

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The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic

5. The headteacher, senior staff and governors have invested a great amount of time planning for the long-term future of the school. As part of a Public–Private Funding Initiative a new school will be built on the existing site and some of its management will be by a private company. The school will increase in size by fifty per cent. These changes will be phased in from September 2002. This huge project has demanded excellent leadership to bring it to its current stage and will continue to demand as high quality leadership and management to ensure its successful implementation. The process of planning for the new school and working with the commercial world has heightened the school’s awareness of the need to get the best value from all of its spending decisions. The headteacher and governors are aware of the need to preserve the strengths of the school during the process of expansion and in the new larger school. Two senior

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The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic

members of staff who have long experience at the school expressed great confidence in the future of their school. They told inspectors that they had seen it double successfully in size in the past and see no reason why the next increase should not be as successful.

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The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic

6. The leadership by the headteacher is very good. Soon she will have been in post for two years and she has continued the process of maintaining and improving the success of the school. Two priorities have been the work of classroom assistants and information and communications technology. Inspection finds that classroom assistants work very well with teachers, are effective in supporting pupils and help them to make progress. Information and communications technology in the school is good. There is good provision, pupils’ skills are good and teachers ensure that they are applied in many other subjects of the curriculum. The good leadership and management by the co-ordinator is an example of how well key staff lead and manage their areas of responsibility. There have been several staff changes in the past two years. Teachers new to the school have been inducted very well and two were fulsome in their praise of the formal

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The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic

systems to help them and even more of the professionalism and helpfulness of their new colleagues.

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The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic

7. The government initiative of performance management has been implemented very well and integrated into the school’s existing practice. External assessors scrutinised evidence and have reported that the arrangements for appraisal and professional development are fully implemented. Senior staff take a leading role in its implementation, as they do in the process of school self- review. A comprehensive system has been introduced by the headteacher; it brings together and extends the monitoring of the standards pupils attain, the progress they make and the quality of teaching. The school is by no means complacent about its success and is constantly seeking ways to maintain its high standards and to improve them wherever possible.

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The leadership of the school is very good; in particular, excellent strategic

8. The current accommodation in the school is adequate but cramped. The new school will provide more space and better facilities, for example, a computer suite and a far bigger library. The current small library is very well used; pupils regularly change books, older pupils use it for research, and it is used during lunch breaks and as a teaching space for groups of pupils. Its size and the pressure on space means that it cannot always be used as a library and older pupils are unable to use it extensively for independent study, although many are capable of doing so.

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Parental support for the school and for pupils’ learning is very good and

9. Parents at the pre-inspection meeting and in their questionnaire replies and comments were overwhelmingly supportive of the school. They ensure that the school is a strong community and part of the wider local Catholic community. Although a minority feel there is too much homework, they ensure it is completed, hear their younger children read, help them to learn their tables, support the school visits and trips and school teams, attend assemblies and raise funds. They have high expectations of the school’s success and the progress their children should make and say that the school’s expectations are the same. Inspection finds that homework is set St James' RC Primary School - 14 consistently in line with the school’s policy and that it makes a good contribution to pupils’ progress. Parents say they receive good information about their children’s progress, are kept well-informed and are confident about approaching the school with questions or problems.

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Parental support for the school and for pupils’ learning is very good and

Parental support for the school and its impact on pupils’ learning is very important for the success of the school.

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Parental support for the school and for pupils’ learning is very good and

10. A sizeable minority of parents does not think the school provides enough activities outside of lessons. In particular, this group thinks that there is not enough emphasis on art and sports. Inspection evidence does not agree. The curriculum is enhanced very well and many additional opportunities are provided for pupils through the large number of visits and trips made, visitors to the school, school events and the many extra-curricular clubs and school teams. Sports and the arts are well represented in these activities, which are more numerous than in most schools. Examples for the arts, include opportunities for children to learn to play musical instruments, a school orchestra, two choir groups, recorder groups, string group, Kinder music, guitar group and art club. Sporting activities include opportunities for both boys and girls to play friendly and competitive football matches, rugby, netball, kwick cricket, athletics and swimming. In addition,

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Parental support for the school and for pupils’ learning is very good and

there are inter-house competitions in school and a school sports day. Pupils also have tennis coaching and contacts with local football and rugby clubs. These are supplemented by many other clubs that are not for the arts and sports. Provision is very good.

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Parental support for the school and for pupils’ learning is very good and

Pupils’ attitudes to learning and their behaviour are very good.

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Parental support for the school and for pupils’ learning is very good and

11. Apart from minor misbehaviour observed in two lessons, pupils’ behaviour was very good in lessons. It is also very good in the public areas of the school, on the field at lunch-time and whilst on school visits and trips. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are also very good. In almost all lessons, they settle down very quickly, listen attentively, concentrate and work hard. These good attitudes are encouraged in the Nursery and Reception classes and by the time pupils are in Year 6 they are mature and responsible. In two lessons seen, pupils supported their teachers who were anxious about being observed admirably, behaving very well and completing their work diligently. Pupils clearly like their teachers and want to please them. Relationships between teachers, support staff and pupils are very good. Pupils also co-operate and collaborate very well in their learning. In a games lesson, Year 6 pupils co-operated very well in pairs whilst they were

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Parental support for the school and for pupils’ learning is very good and

practising their skills and then competed strongly in their teams whilst playing the game. A girl who could not participate in the activities was an umpire for one of the two games. She was very strict and was obeyed because, “Umpires are always right and never change their minds.” In a science lesson, pupils studying plants co-operated closely when measuring them, estimating the number of leaves and completing their work. In another Year 6 class, pupils collaborated very well to develop a story line for their writing, sharing ideas and making suggestions for improvements. Pupils with special educational needs, those from minority ethnic groups and bilingual pupils, are fully included in all collaborative activities. Parental support and involvement are very important in developing pupils’ positive attitudes and maintaining their good behaviour.

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The school is a strong community and pupils’ personal development and their

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are very good.

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The school is a strong community and pupils’ personal development and their

12. A separate inspection will report specifically on religious education and worship, but this report must acknowledge the importance and positive impact of the school’s ethos as a strong Christian community and recognise it as a very important reason for its success. Parents were emphatic that the values of the school were in accord with their own and the wider school community. They were very positive about how the school helps their children to become mature and responsible. Many examples were seen of pupils knowing the right thing to do, respecting the views of others and caring for them. Older pupils presented mature arguments on moral issues such as the use of guns, hunting, homelessness and animal rights. Pupils have raised money for the charity CAFOD as part of helping to build a health centre in Nigeria. Pupils have opportunities to reflect in class and in assembly and express their ideas well, for example, in poems about candles. The

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The school is a strong community and pupils’ personal development and their

choice of a reading and story writing in a Year 6 class was on the theme of bullying and pupils were able to say how they felt, take a firm moral stance and to discuss bullying beyond the St James' RC Primary School - 15 stereotypical image of a bully. The school has an uncompromising stance on the worth of all of its pupils. The school implements the Diocesan policy for equal opportunities and pupils have taken part in an anti-racist competition. There is a policy of not setting or streaming, based on the belief that pupils learn better together and help one another. The few pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds and bilingual pupils play a full part in the life of the school, as do those who have special educational needs.

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Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and

13. Normally, teaching is consistently good; much is very good and there is also excellence. Learning is also consistently good or very good and sometimes excellent. Teaching is good in Nursery and Reception classes and very good in Years 1 to 6. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils to behave very well and to work very hard. They expect pupils to do as well as they can and to make the maximum progress possible. Teachers often give pupils demanding work and present them with difficult ideas. For example, in a Year 1 lesson, the teacher discussed with pupils whether the monster character in the story was really a monster or perhaps the little boy in the story because of how he was feeling. The young pupils responded very well and made insightful comments and suggestions. Pupils in a Year 3 class were able to describe previous experiments from their notes and were able to say how they had made a buggy, moved it with magnetic force

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Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and

and made it reverse. Teachers plan their lessons daily and match work very well to the different needs of pupils. They know their pupils very well, continually assess their progress and often modify their plans to take account of what pupils have learned. Work is normally set for three groups of ability, with more tasks of additional difficulty for able pupils. Often there is specific work for pupils who have special educational needs. The special abilities of gifted and talented pupils are recorded and the provision for them recorded and tracked. Teachers use resources very well. Computers are often in use and programs chosen that are directly relevant to the lesson. Pupils often use CD-ROMS and Internet searches to gather information. Classroom assistants work very well under the direction of teachers and make a good contribution to pupils’ progress.

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Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and

14. Literacy and numeracy are taught well, pupils acquire good skills that they apply to other lessons, notably science, history and geography. Problem-solving and investigations are a strong feature of mathematics teaching. Pupils can explain with enthusiasm investigations they have carried out and say what they have learned. Very good relationships between teachers and pupils are a strength of teaching. There is much good whole-class teaching and skillful questioning by teachers. The questioning is used to test knowledge, and often to deepen pupils’ understanding. Teachers use their close knowledge of pupils to direct appropriate questions to individuals and this helps to maintain their confidence. Homework is well integrated into the work for pupils and the results are used in lessons.

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Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and

15. Sometimes teachers’ enthusiasm becomes infectious and inspires pupils. For example, an English lesson when the teacher used excellent questioning and took every opportunity to keep pupils thinking and helped them to improve upon their ideas for writing that built up suspense; and a science lesson where the teacher’s own love of plants and knowledge about them was apparent.

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Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and

16. There is a lot of good marking that helps and encourages pupils to improve. There is also some excellent marking that models answers and picks out specific learning points for pupils. However, not all marking is of a consistently high standard. The school is aware of the need for greater consistency and overall improvement of marking. It has revised its policy and is monitoring the quality of marking in pupils’ books.

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Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and

The school provides very good value for money.

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Teaching and learning are very good; there are high expectations of pupils and

17. Pupils who enter the school score above the local authority average on the base-line tests used locally. They also score above average on Performance for Individual Pupils tests (PIPs) which are used across the country and have national norms. The school maintains consistently high St James' RC Primary School - 16 standards; it is effective at maximizing the progress of all of its pupils and makes effective use of its funds. It has also negotiated successfully a major expansion in the numbers on roll and greatly improved buildings and facilities. As a result, it provides very good value for money. St James' RC Primary School - 17

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

18. There are no major issues for this very good school to address. Its procedures for self-evaluation are very good and it is adept at identifying areas that are in need of further development. The following are minor issues, some of which have already been identified by the school.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• There is much good practice, but marking is not of a consistently high standard. The school is already beginning to address this.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• Registers should all be completed in ink to comply with statutory requirements.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• The current library is small. The school has restricted space and so the library, although it is heavily used, is not used extensively by older pupils for independent work and research.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) In the context of this very good school, there are no issues that could be referred to as being key for its future success. However, in order to improve still further the governors should ensure that the monitoring of marking leads to greater consistency, that registers are completed finally in ink and that the library in the new school is used as much as possible for independent work and research by older pupils. St James' RC Primary School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 23

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR– Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 413

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 64

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 14

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 16

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St James' RC Primary School - 19

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 36 24 60

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 35 36 36 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 24 24

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (97) 100 (95) 100 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 35 36 36 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 24 24 24

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (97) 100 (95) 100 (88) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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

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

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 26 33 59

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 25 25 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 33 32 33

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (97) 97 (90) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 25 25 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 32 32 33

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (95) 98 (90) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St James' RC Primary School - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 4 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 17.9 Financial year 2000-01

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 861,582

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 13 Total expenditure 851,076

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 15.3 Expenditure per pupil 1,921

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 23,645

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 34,151

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 26

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 7

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 7

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 St James' RC Primary School - 21 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St James' RC Primary School - 22

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 65 31 3 0.5 0.5

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 70 37 2 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 40 10 1 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 50 45 4 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 65 31 2 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 70 29 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 52 41 5 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 53 41 3 1 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 62 33 1 1 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 27 34 16 6 17

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