St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, Clitheroe

SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 28 th – 29 th January 2002

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SCHOOL

Inspection number: 220260 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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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 Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 1 INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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SCHOOL

School address: Lowergate Clitheroe Lancashire

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SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Father Joseph Wareing S J

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SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 2000 St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 2 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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SCHOOL

Team members 20267 K Manning Registered inspector 9652 C Herbert Lay inspector 22881 G Halliday Team inspector

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SCHOOL

Eclipse (Education) Ltd 14 Enterprise House Kingsway Team Valley Gateshead NE11 0SR.

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SCHOOL

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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SCHOOL

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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SCHOOL

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 3 REPORT CONTENTS

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Michael and St John’s is an average sized primary school serving the local community in the town of Clitheroe. The school is voluntary aided and almost all of the pupils come from English families who follow the Catholic faith. All pupils speak English. The characteristics of the area have changed little since the previous inspection. Although there is a wide social mix, the proportion of pupils who have free school meals is below the national average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

At present there are 229 pupils who are taught in eight classes from reception to Year 6. When they start in the reception class, most children are familiar with books and numbers and their attainment is judged to be typical for their age. Only a small number of pupils start or leave the school part way through their education. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is well below most schools. Thirty-two pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs because they have learning, physical or emotional difficulties. Of these, four pupils have statements of special needs.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school. The leadership and management are good and pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and to school. Teaching is good and ensures that pupils of all abilities and backgrounds achieve as well as they can and that, by the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average. The school manages this at an average cost and provides good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast pace and ensured that pupils are no longer underachieving. • Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average by the end of Year 6. • The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a result pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and behave very well.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or rigorous way. • The school does not do enough to teach pupils about other cultures and religions. 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 improved at a good pace since it was last inspected in January 2000. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 now make faster progress in English and mathematics and standards in reading and writing have risen in each of the last two years. Standards in mathematics have also risen in the last two years. The head teacher quickly set about the task of monitoring the quality of teaching and began a rigorous and systematic programme of observing each teacher. This revealed gaps in teaching and learning that have now been remedied and as a result, teaching has also improved since the previous inspection. The school has worked hard to make the necessary changes to improve the management of pupils who have special educational needs. The support that these pupils get in lessons is generally good but St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 5 there is still some way to go towards having an agreed format for writing individual education plans

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

and ensuring that the targets set for pupils are specific to their needs. Other improvements to the school’s provision include higher levels of attendance and a wider and richer curriculum. The enthusiasm and willingness with which governors, the head teacher and staff set about this, places the school in a good position to continue to improve.

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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 B A A well above average above average A B mathematics A B A A average below average C D science A C A C well below average E

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Key

When children start in the reception class, their achievements vary but are generally typical for their age. Most are familiar with books and number and have a reasonable knowledge and understanding of the world. They are confident enough to join in activities and speak to their teacher and other children. They achieve well and by the time they leave the reception class, many have achieved beyond the early goals recommended for their age and are working towards the first levels of the National Curriculum. Over the last two years, standards in Year 2 have risen considerably. Last year, test results showed that standards were well above average in reading and mathematics. They were so high in writing that the school was in the top five per cent in the country. Pupils also did well in national tests in science and achieved beyond what was expected for their age. Inspection findings are that many of this year’s group of pupils are attaining standards in all subjects that are already

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Key

beyond the levels expected for their age.

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Key

By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve extremely well and standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science. They have fluctuated over the last five years, depending on the different abilities of each year group. In general, standards are rising at a similar rate to most other schools. Last year, the school exceeded the targets it had set for raising standards in English and mathematics and inspection findings are that standards are set to be equally high this year. Pupils in St Michael and St John’s performed better in English and mathematics tests than those in schools of a similar type. Their performance in science tests was about the same as pupils in similar schools. Throughout the school, pupils with special educational needs do well and achieve the levels of which they are capable. A real success for the school was that last year, a small number of these pupils reached the levels

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Key

expected for their age. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 6

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and are proud of their school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils behave very well at all times. In lessons, they work hard and at breaks and lunchtimes they play amicably with one another. They know the difference between right and wrong and their moral development includes an understanding of wider moral issues such as pollution and conservation.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils are developing an understanding of the human spirit and share the values of their Catholic faith. They forge very good relationships with teachers and other pupils and care for one another. Pupils show their independence and maturity in the way that they help around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Well above average. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

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Aspect Comment

It is very rarely that the school has cause to exclude pupils but last year there were three temporary exclusions. These were discussed with the parents of the pupils involved and were as a result of following the school’s agreed policy for dealing with poor behaviour.

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

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

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

The teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now good overall. The teaching of English, mathematics and science is sometimes very good and is one of the key reasons why pupils achieve well during their time in St Michael and St John’s. As a result of continued training, teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects they teach and are particularly good at teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. In these subjects, pupils make very good progress from the time they start in reception class to the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are very high, which is one of the reasons why the work in pupils’ books is almost always neatly presented and completed. Teachers are good at managing pupils and do this in such a way that pupils want to do well and try their best, because they are keen to succeed rather than because they hope to

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

gain rewards or merits. Teachers ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to learn. They make good use of classroom assistants to provide the help and support that is necessary to ensure that pupils with special educational needs make good progress. In addition, teachers ensure that they are asked questions that test their ability and challenge them at their own level. This works well and helps them feel successful. One of the strengths of teaching is the way that teachers question pupils to find out what they have remembered and to assess what they have learned during lessons. They are skilful at using questions to prompt pupils’ thinking and deepen their understanding. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 7

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good; the curriculum meets statutory requirements and is enriched by a wide range of educational visits and visitors and strong links with the Church and community. Children in the reception class have a lively and interesting curriculum that is appropriate for their age. All pupils have equal access to what the school offers.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The procedures and provision for pupils with special educational needs are satisfactory. Teachers and support assistants know their pupils well and provide challenging activities that make a positive contribution to their attainment and learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. The ethos of the school is one in which pupils can grow and flourish. The school’s provision for pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory but could be improved. While pupils learn about their own cultural heritage they are not taught enough about other cultures, faiths or beliefs to help them take their place in a multicultural society.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare are very good. There are good procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in the reception class and in English, mathematics and science but these have yet to be extended to the other subjects of the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Parents are extremely loyal and value greatly the efforts made by staff and governors on their children’s behalf. Their support for the school is evident in the number that help out in school and on educational visits and in the way they raise considerable funds for the school.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the head teacher and other key staff Good. The head teacher is a strong leader who provides firm educational direction for the work of the school. Staff work together well as a team and this has helped bring about significant change and improvement since the previous inspection. Not all subject leaders monitor their subjects in sufficient depth.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Governors fulfil all of their duties well and are very much involved in the school’s work. They have played a full part in helping the school overcome previous underachievement.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school has satisfactory systems to check on and evaluate its performance. The role of the co-ordinators is not yet sufficiently developed.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good overall; the available funds are used appropriately and the principles of best value are applied well. Support staff play an important role in the life of the school and make a significant contribution to pupils’ learning. Pupils also St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 8 benefit from the time and talents of volunteer helpers.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Parents believe that children in the school behave well. • They think that the teaching is good. • Most parents feel that staff are approachable. • They are glad that their children are expected to work hard and do their best. • Parents think that the leadership and management of the school are good. • Some parents would like a more interesting range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The school is held in high regard by parents and these views are confirmed by inspection findings. Children behave very well in and around the school. Staff are always ready to talk with parents, at the start and end of each day and in more formal situations such as parents’ evenings. The teaching is good and one of its strengths is that teachers expect children to work hard and do their best. Parents are right about the good leadership and management of the school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents’ concerns about after school activities are unfounded. There is an appropriate amount of clubs and sports and these promote children’s social development at the same time as they develop skills in other areas. However, these are mostly available to pupils in junior classes and younger pupils have to wait until they are older to join up. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 9

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The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast

pace and ensured that pupils are no longer underachieving.

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The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast

1 The head teacher provides very good leadership, which sets clear educational direction for the school and contributes to the quality of education provided and the high standards achieved by pupils. Since the previous inspection two years ago, the head teacher has had to tackle a number of key issues and the fact that the school was judged to be underachieving. It is a measure of his success that throughout this difficult time staff morale remains high and governors continue to be supportive and confident of the school.

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The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast

2 Following the last report the head teacher quickly set about the issue of monitoring the quality of teaching. The system now in place is very rigorous and involves regular and systematic observations of all teachers. The agreed focus was initially the teaching of literacy and numeracy and everyone has been observed several times teaching these lessons. The head teacher and staff agreed the format for observations and, after each lesson, the head teacher provided teachers with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of their teaching. This system works extremely well and enabled the head teacher and staff to identify gaps in teaching and learning. As a result of discussions and well- structured staff meetings the head teacher has helped teachers introduce several changes to their teaching methods; all of which have improved the quality of teaching. Teachers ensure that work is challenging for pupils and in most lessons there are extension tasks and more difficult questions for the

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The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast

most able pupils. They also ensure that pupils with special educational needs are given tasks that are pitched at the right level for them to achieve success and keep up with the rest of the class or work at their own pace. One of the changes that was a result of the head teacher’s monitoring is that teachers’ planning is far more specific about what it is they want pupils to learn in lessons. In addition, teachers share these aims with pupils and this works well because pupils know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve.

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The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast

3 The head teacher’s monitoring also pinpointed needs for further training and teachers took advantage of training days to consider their methods of teaching and gain a greater familiarity with the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. This has had a significant impact on the quality of teaching and is one of the key reasons why standards in Year 1 and Year 2 have risen and why they remain well above average at the end of Year 6.

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The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast

4 The school’s development planning is improving all the time. The head teacher ensures that governors, senior managers and staff are all involved in reviews and target setting and as a result everyone is pulling in the same direction and working hard to try and maintain high standards and good teaching. Planning is simple but effective. There is a long-term overview that sets out a shared vision of where the school should be in several years time. Following this there are targets for the present year. This is the aspect of planning that the head teacher agrees is in most need of further reform. There are too many targets and they are not always specific enough.

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The very good leadership of the head teacher has helped the school move forward at a fast

5 The head teacher has worked very hard to improve the management of the school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs. Under his direction, staff continue to trial different types of individual education plan with a view to finding one that best suits their administrative and teaching needs. In addition, the head teacher has introduced a computerised system that enables teachers to plot and measure the progress made by these children and helps them keep parents informed of their children’s success. Further training and discussion is planned to enable all teachers St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 10 to write targets that are more specific and focused clearly on each child’s individual special needs. All of which puts the school in a good position to be able to continue to improve.

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

6 The main reason why standards in English are so high is that teachers provide daily opportunities for pupils to speak and listen and to read and write. They get a good start in the reception class, when some time each day is spent reading stories and poetry from big books and learning about letters and words. Staff plan activities around a topic that interests children and catches their imagination. For example, children listened attentively to a story about dinosaurs and referred to the story and to pictures on the wall when talking about books and reading. From Year 1 to Year 6 teachers ensure that pupils have a literacy lesson each day. During the hour teachers plan activities that promote pupils’ knowledge of grammar and punctuation at the same time as they are encouraged to read and write.

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

7 Teachers plan many opportunities for pupils to take part in discussions and speak to small and large groups. This starts in the reception class, when staff constantly encourage children to talk about their work. As a result, children learn to take their turn in conversations and widen their vocabulary by copying the words used by adults. Pupils in Year 1 to Year 6, are expected to take part in discussions, in small groups and as a class. By the time they are in Year 6 pupils are confident enough to speak out in assemblies and ask pertinent questions in lessons. They speak clearly and expressively as they read stories, say prayers and talk about their school.

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

8 A strong feature of teaching, that also ensures pupils learn to enjoy reading and talking about books, is the way that pupils are encouraged to read in many subjects. Because they learn to use books as a means of finding things out, children in the reception class know the difference between fact and fiction. In Years 1 and 2, teachers show pupils how to use a glossary, index and contents page to find the information they need. Consequently, when they are in the school library, pupils are quick to find books about subjects that interest them. Older pupils have begun to use CD-ROMs to research in history and geography and are given some opportunities to read from the Internet.

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

9 Teachers are particularly good at teaching writing. Once again, it starts in the reception class where children are encouraged to form their letters correctly. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 practise their skills in handwriting lessons and at home. Those in Years 3 to 6 are expected to produce writing of a good standard and generally do so. In Years 1 and 2, the attention given to letters and their sounds helps pupils with their spelling. In addition, pupils are expected to learn spellings each week and this ensures that by the end of Year 2, average and higher attaining pupils spell many difficult words correctly. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs often spell words as they sound for example, sed rather than said .

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

10 A reason why standards are so high in mathematics is the emphasis given to mental arithmetic and the good balance of whole-class teaching and time for pupils to practise and consolidate what they have learned. In the reception class, children learn about numbers, shape and measurement through exploration and apply what they have learned to solving problems involving addition and subtraction. In Year 1 to Year 6, teachers begin lessons with short, sharp sessions that set the pace for work and gain the interest of pupils. For example, in a very good lesson in Year 6, a brief session on equivalent fractions revised what pupils had already learned and got them ready for the main part of the lesson, which involved ordering fractions by finding a common denominator. Because the activity was demanding and everyone was involved, pupils’ behaviour was good and everyone paid attention. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 11

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

Teachers ensure that pupils have time to complete their work but keep the pressure on for it to be done neatly and to a deadline. Consequently, pupils knuckle down and try really hard.

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

11 Pupils do well in science because teachers have high expectations of what they can do and work is challenging. In the reception class, teachers plan activities that increase children’s knowledge and understanding of the world. For example, in a lesson about faces children were fascinated to find that their faces were reflected upside down in curved mirrors. Teachers place a great deal of emphasis on investigations and experiments and this helps pupils to work things out for themselves. In a good lesson in Year 4 pupils gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about materials and their properties by discussing how a wide range of mixtures, such as salt and sand or soil and water could be separated. They thoroughly enjoy this practical approach and their enthusiasm for learning was evident in their faces when they had solved each problem. A further strength of the teaching is that teachers insist that pupils write out their results in a scientific way. This helps pupils organise their

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Good teaching ensures that standards in English, mathematics and science are well above

thinking and their written reports and findings show that they do this in a logical and systematic way; starting with what they want to find out and what they think is likely to happen.

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

result pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and behave very well.

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

12 Teachers feel that pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development have an important part to play in the curriculum and as such they are given a high profile in the school.

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

13 The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual development continues to be very good and is at the very heart of the school. Pupils explore their thoughts and feelings during class and school assemblies, where they learn that it is good to give and receive love and forgiveness and that they should listen carefully to the thoughts and views of others. Pupils respond very well to the strong Christian ethos of the school. They talk animatedly about their religion and the values they share, such as respecting their mum and dad and showing compassion for children who are less well off than themselves. The school also provides quiet areas around the school, where pupils can take a few moments in their busy day to gather their thoughts or gaze at a beautiful object or pictures. From the reception class onwards children are encouraged to think about why they do things and to understand human feelings, such as envy, anger and sadness. The teachers of younger pupils often read stories

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

that promote discussions about these feelings and as a result, pupils identify the feelings of characters in stories they are reading and talk openly about their own emotions. For example, one girl said that she is always concerned if she sees any bullying because her baby brother regularly causes arguments at home.

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

14 The school’s provision for pupils’ moral development remains as good as it was at the time of the previous inspection and is a strong feature of the curriculum. By setting a clear moral code and being good role models, teachers help pupils to distinguish right from wrong in many different ways. Teachers expect pupils to behave well and they respond by doing so. The very good relationships between staff and pupils are built on mutual respect and friendship. This means that pupils are keen to do right because they want to rather than in the hope of gaining rewards such as stickers. Nonetheless, pupils always look pleased when they are praised or gain a reward and pupils in Year 6 got very excited when talking about how it is possible to collect merits and subsequently vouchers that can be used to buy books at a local store. One boy said that it must cost the school a lot of money because everyone seems to get a lot of merits. Having agreed a moral code, the school insists on

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

following it through. Last year this caused the temporary exclusion of a very small number of pupils. However, in making an issue of their breach of the school rules the head teacher and governors reinforced the importance of the need for appropriate behaviour. Pupils in Year 6 said that they enjoy their school because everyone behaves well and one spoke very candidly about the fact that everyone St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 12 has a right to learn. Teachers also ensure that pupils are aware of the wider moral issues affecting their town and the environment. Pupils appreciate the need to conserve the world’s resources and at a local level to do all they can to keep their school and Clitheroe free of rubbish.

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

15 Pupils’ social development is promoted very well and is one of the things that most pleases parents. The programme for personal, social and health education makes a valuable contribution to this, aiming to promote pupils’ ability and motivation to work together co-operatively. Consequently, pupils are more than willing to accept responsibilities, such as distributing materials in lessons, organising chairs and equipment for school assemblies and tidying up at the end of lessons. Although the school does not have any formal means of determining pupils’ views the head teacher is looking ahead to a time when pupils could be more involved in making decisions that affect them.

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development very well and as a

16 The school works hard to develop pupils’ sense of community and one of the ways that it successfully promotes pupils’ personal development is through the many contributions from visitors, such as the parish priest and members of the local community who work with pupils. Pupils benefit from the advice of health visitors, drug counsellors and police and fire fighters. They relate all of this to their own lives and position in society. For example, the oldest pupils talked about how the school helps them to make the choices necessary to lead a healthy life. They also said that the school is helping prepare them for the next stage in their education, when they will need to be aware of issues such as addictions to drugs, smoking or drinking. Pupils of all ages are encouraged to collect for charity and to care for others. Pupils and parents are regular visitors to the church and parents are welcomed to attend mass and special assemblies.

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

17 The co-ordinators for English, mathematics and science monitor their subjects in a systematic way and keep a close check on the quality of the curriculum, teaching and learning. This is one of the key reasons why standards in these subjects are so high. In addition, the head teacher monitors the quality of teaching very thoroughly and regularly and this has led to improvements to the quality of teaching overall. However, co-ordinators for other subjects have not had the same opportunities to evaluate and review their subjects in a systematic way and do not have the same detailed understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each subject or the gaps in teaching and learning. They see this as the next step forward for a school that is constantly striving for improvement and feel that it would help to raise standards in all other subjects.

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

18 At present, co-ordinators are responsible for reviewing the training and resource needs of their curriculum area at the end of each year. They provide the head teacher and governors with a brief outline report of what is needed and this forms part of the curriculum plan for development for the following year. This gives only part of the picture. Without agreed and systematic procedures for teachers to keep an eye on the quality of teaching, to see that planning and assessment are effective or to check pupils’ work in order to see that they are achieving standards expected for their ability, co- ordinators cannot have the same in-depth knowledge of their subjects as their colleagues who have responsibility for English, mathematics and science.

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

19 Co-ordinators keep up-to-date with national initiatives and are knowledgeable about the subjects they manage. They have a good view of how they would like to see their subjects develop but do not have the time to carry out their managerial duties. Because English, mathematics and science have rightly had greater emphasis in recent years, the time available for checking how well St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 13 pupils are doing by looking at a sample of books from each class has been very limited. Teachers have begun to do this in an informal way but have not considered how any possible gaps in teaching and learning might be remedied and they have not been expected to share their findings with colleagues and governors in a more formal setting. It is a similar picture with observing the quality of teaching. In the past two years this has largely been carried out by the head teacher, senior

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

management team and co-ordinators for English, mathematics and science. This means that other key staff in the school have not had the opportunity to watch their colleagues at work and share good practice in this way.

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

20 The head teacher and staff recognise that this is a key area for development and have begun to consider ways of managing time so that this can be incorporated into their role of senior managers. Their positive attitudes and the determination and commitment of teachers to be the best they can puts the school in a good position to tackle this area for development successfully.

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

The school does not do enough to teach pupils about other cultures and religions.

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

21 The school is very good at teaching pupils about their own shared Catholic faith and about their own culture and heritage. What they are not yet doing is preparing them well enough for life in a multicultural society. Consequently, pupils have very little idea of how people from other ethnic groups live. This is more than having knowledge of major world faiths, pupils have very little understanding about how people from other cultures celebrate shared events such as marriage or the birth of a child. This is the only gap in pupils’ personal development. It is an area that the head teacher and staff recognise as in need of further development and they have already begun to take the first steps towards improvement. The school has adopted a good quality scheme of work, which will give pupils a far wider knowledge of other faiths and beliefs. In addition, the head teacher is considering means

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Not all co-ordinators are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning in a systematic or

by which pupils can have first-hand experiences of the day-to-day lives of people from other cultures. At present, the school’s multicultural resources are insufficient to enable pupils to research and study for themselves or to prompt a wider or deeper thinking about multicultural issues. The head teacher and governors are aware of the need to extend and increase the school’s supply of books and objects. All of this puts the school in a good position to be able to make the changes necessary to improve this aspect of the curriculum.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

22 Governors, the head teacher and staff should;

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English, mathematics and science by

a. establishing formal procedures for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of teaching and its impact on standards and learning, b. using the information from monitoring to plan further training for teachers, c. incorporating aspects of teaching and learning into the school’s plans for improvement.

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by

a. following the syllabus for religious education that has been adapted by the school, St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 14 b. ensuring that pupils have opportunities to learn about other religions, beliefs and cultures through first-hand experiences, research and study, c. increasing and improving the school’s resources that are of a multicultural nature.

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by

(paragraph 21 of the report) St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 13

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 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 five percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 229

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 12

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 32

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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 0

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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 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 16 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 17

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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 13 13 26

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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 9 12 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 85% (89%) 96% (97%) 96% (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 9 12 11 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 85% (91%) 96% (97%) 92% (97%) 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 22 14 36

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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 21 22 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 13 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 94% (82%) 97% (82%) 97% (95%) 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 22 22 22 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 12 13 13

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

Percentage of pupils School 97 1 % (89%) 97% (87%) 97% (97%) 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.

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

1 This figure differs from the PANDA but is in agreement with the school’s results. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 18

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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 0 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) 10 Financial year 2000/2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.9

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 409,778

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 5 Total expenditure 409,175

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 90 Expenditure per pupil 1,780

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 12,224

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 12,827

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Michael & St John’s RC Primary - 19

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 69 30 1 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 73 28 0 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 53 40 7 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 61 34 5 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 83 15 2 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 83 15 2 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 67 27 5 0 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 90 9 0 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 79 20 1 1 1

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 29 36 20 4 12

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