St Mary's Catholic Primary School

ST MARY’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 11 th – 12 th October 2000

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ST MARY’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection number: 224311 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 MARY’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Holden Road Salterbeck Workington Cumbria

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1997 St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 2

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Team members

Mrs A Pullan (30839) Registered inspector Mr A Anderson (14083) Lay inspector Mr J Atkinson (18819) Team inspector

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Team members

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

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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 Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 3

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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 Mary’s is a voluntary aided Catholic School. It caters mainly for catholic pupils aged four to 11 from the parish of St Mary’s, Harrington. The school is on the Salterbeck Estate and most of its pupils come from this estate. Many pupils attending the school have not been baptised Roman Catholic but some pupils do travel from surrounding areas to attend the school because of its religious affiliation.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

There are 107 pupils on roll (57 boys and 50 girls), which is smaller than most schools. Pupils’ ability on starting the school is below what is typical of most four year olds. The school has identified more pupils as having special educational needs than is typical for a school this size and one pupil has a statement that specifies a particular need. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals (39 per cent) is more than most schools. There are no pupils at the school from an ethnic minority background and no pupils have English as an additional language.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is a very effective school. As a result of very good teaching throughout the school, pupils make very good progress in English and good progress in mathematics. By the end of both key stages many pupils achieve good results in the national tests for seven and 11 year olds when compared to schools with a similar number of pupils eligible for free school meals. Results at the end of Key Stage 2 show that pupils achieve well above average results in English and the school has identified science as an area for development. The school is well managed and makes sure that its aims are well reflected in its work. It provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The quality of teaching is very good. • The attitudes and behaviour of the pupils are very good. • Pupils make very good progress in English and good progress in mathematics throughout the school. • The school uses assessment very well to monitor pupils’ progress and identify areas for improvement.

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What could be improved

• Attainment in information and communications technology. • The experimental aspects of science allowing pupils to apply the knowledge they have gained. • The management role of the subject co-ordinator. • Resources for the foundation stage and the library. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection. The previous inspection report identified four Key Issues that the school had to address: raise standards in music; raise standards in information and communication technology; complete all policy documents and schemes of work; monitor the implementation of new policies and schemes of work and the quality of class teaching more closely in order to raise standards further. Good progress has been made in raising standards in music with a comprehensive scheme of work being put into place to supplement teachers’ knowledge. Extra music tuition is offered to pupils and staff have undertaken in-service training to improve their knowledge. The school has adopted most of the nationally recommended schemes of work but has adapted them and supplemented them with existing schemes of work written by the school or which are commercially produced. Consequently, they now have good schemes of work for all areas of the curriculum. The

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

school has gone a long way to raising standards in information and communications technology and has purchased many resources, including equipping an information technology suite. However, staff are still St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 5 not confident in all areas of the information and communications technology curriculum and standards are still not high enough. The quality of teaching is monitored by the head teacher and the advisers from the local education authority. Feedback is given to staff which allows them to identify their strengths and weaknesses. However, subject co-ordinators do not yet monitor the quality of teaching in their subject areas which means that they cannot accurately determine areas for future development. The school is well placed to make further improvements in the future.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

The number of pupils in the Year 6 class, and therefore sitting the Key Stage 2 tests, varies each year but is always less than 20. As a result, when being compared to other schools nationally the school’s results look as though they change significantly. This is not an accurate representation for this school as only one pupil can alter their results quite noticeably. When the end of Key Stage 2 results are compared to the pupils’ attainment on entry to the school and their attainment in the end of Key Stage 1 tests, pupils make good progress. Attainment in the end of Key Stage 2 tests is good when compared to other schools that have 39 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals. The school also has a high number of pupils reaching the higher levels of the tests. Attainment is particularly good in English because of good teacher knowledge in this area. The standard of work seen in the present Year 6 class would indicate that

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Key

attainment is improving, particularly in mathematics. However, attainment is not as good in science as other subjects. This is because pupils have insufficient opportunities and resources to carry out experiments in science and thereby apply the knowledge they have been given by the teacher.

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Key

The school’s results are above average in Key Stage 1 and well above average when compared to similar schools. When compared to the level of attainment on entry to the school pupils make very good progress in Key Stage 1. Progress in English is very good throughout the school. Boys attain lower than girls when they start the school in the reception class. The school has recognised this and has altered some of its provision to be more appealing to boys. Consequently, by the end of Key Stage 2, boys attain much better than would be expected with many attaining higher results than the girls. Children’s attainment on entry to the school is below what is typical for their age. Children make good progress in the reception class and, by the age of five, their attainment is close to what would be expected.

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Key

On balance, the school’s results show an improvement over time that is in line with the national trend. The school analyses the results of tests well and targets specific areas for development. Pupils’ progress is monitored very well throughout the school to ensure all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. The school has set realistic targets for future attainment with a challenging target for improvement in science. The school is well placed to meet these targets. St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 6

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils take an active part in all lessons and try to produce their best work. They are keen to come to school. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour is very good. They are polite and courteous to each other, staff and visitors. Standards of behaviour are well established in the school and pupils behave well with minimal reminders from staff. Personal development and relationships Relationships amongst pupils are good. They work together well in pairs and groups. Attendance Satisfactory. The school has improved the attendance of pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils are very well behaved both in and out of the classrooms. They have a good understanding of school rules and behave well even when teachers are not there. They listen carefully to their teachers and to each other and are very keen to be involved in lessons and answer questions. Throughout the school pupils show respect for each other, adults and the equipment they use. Pupils reflect the Christian ethos of the school and this creates a very positive atmosphere. In all classes, pupils work purposefully and take pride in their work. Older pupils are keen to take on responsibilities and sensibly carry out any tasks given to them.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching is very good. Good or better teaching was seen in 87 per cent of lessons with 60 per cent of those lessons being judged very good or excellent. In all the lessons seen, teaching was at least satisfactory. This high quality teaching motivates pupils. They are keen, work hard and consequently, learning in the school is good. The quality of teaching in English was good and very good in mathematics, particularly in the reception and Year 6 classes. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and work. As a result, pupils take pride in their work and try to produce their best work. Teachers use questioning well to ascertain pupils’ levels of understanding and they know their pupils well through this day-to-day informal assessment. Teachers’ daily planning is thorough and the school has developed very good assessment procedures that help teachers to plan work at the correct level for their pupils.

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

Consequently, all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those capable of higher attainment make good progress. Teachers analyse tests to identify pupils’ specific strengths and weaknesses and individual and class targets are set that suitably challenge pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good in English and mathematics. Satisfactory in science with the exception of applying scientific knowledge. Barely satisfactory in information and communications technology. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Satisfactory. Pupils are identified at an early age and appropriate individual education plans and support are provided. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development There is good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This has resulted in the pupils showing a respect for adults and each other. The recently created outdoor garden has allowed the pupils to understand nature and how it should be cared for. They are also committed guardians of the local pond and the wildlife on it. How well the school cares for its pupils Staff in the school are very caring, however, child protection procedures are

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Aspect Comment

not known by all staff working with the pupils. There is poor disabled St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 7 access.

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Aspect Comment

The school correctly places an emphasis on English and mathematics, consequently attainment in these areas is good or improving. The school also provides a broad curriculum for pupils in other areas and enriches this curriculum with visits to places of educational interest and by inviting visitors into the school. The school has developed the information and communications technology curriculum well but has identified that this still requires further development to more fully cover all the required areas. In particular, using the computer for controlling, modelling and sensing in other areas of the curriculum. The school teaches the knowledge and understanding of science well, however, there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply this knowledge in experiments. Consequently attainment in this subject is not as high as it could be. Teachers are restricted in what they can do in this area because of a lack of resources.

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Aspect Comment

Teaching in the foundation stage is very good, however, children cannot gain full access to all the areas of learning because of a lack of equipment, particularly for outdoor play.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the head teacher and other key staff The school is well led and managed by the head teacher who is very well supported by the deputy head teacher. Some co-ordinators are new to their post and others are not yet monitoring the quality of teaching and attainment in their subjects rigorously enough. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body know the school well and is very caring and supportive. Some areas of the governors’ annual report to parents and the school prospectus are missing. The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school has comprehensive assessment procedures. The results of tests are analysed well and targets set for future development. Pupils are monitored throughout the school to ensure that they make the progress of which they are capable. The strategic use of resources Good. The school applies the principles of best value to ensure that it

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Aspect Comment

provides a good education but also gains value for money from the services available to it.

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Aspect Comment

The school development plan is a useful document that clearly sets out how the school will develop in the future and how it will measure its success. All staff and governors have been involved in the plan ensuring the school has a clear educational direction that is shared by all concerned. The head teacher and deputy head teacher manage the school well on a day-to-day basis allowing staff to concentrate on their teaching. However, there is insufficient monitoring of teaching to ensure that high quality teaching is shared by all or that subject co-ordinators know the quality of teaching and provision in their subject areas.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their child likes school. • Their child makes good progress. • Behaviour in the school is good. • The teaching is good. • The school is approachable. • The school expects their child to do their best. • The school works closely with parents. • The school helps their child to become mature and responsible. • The amount of work their child does at home. • The leadership and management of the school. • The range of activities the school provides outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree with all the positive views the parents have about the school. Inspectors feel that the St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 8 school is well led and managed and that there is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities. Most pupils get the correct amount of homework, however, this is not consistent throughout the school. The school has identified this and has plans to redress the situation. St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 9

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1 Identified as good in the previous inspection report, the quality of teaching has improved and is now very good. In 60 per cent of lessons the quality of teaching was either very good or excellent and no lessons were unsatisfactory. Some excellent teaching was seen in the reception and Year 6 classes. In these classes the teachers have a very through understanding of how children learn and most of their lessons are lively, animated and involve many practical and interactive activities that inspire and motivate the pupils. For example, in the reception class children had to make more than three buns for teddy’s tea party and use large and small construction equipment to build towers taller and shorter than a given example. As a consequence, pupils in theses two classes make very good progress.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2 All teachers have good subject knowledge in English and mathematics. The school implements the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies effectively and teachers teach these basic skills well. As a result, teachers confidently plan lessons that interest pupils and thereby gain their attention. For example, in a literacy lesson in Year 1 the teacher used a puppet monkey to mispronounce words so that pupils had to supply the missing sound. The pupils found this fun and totally engaging so tried hard to teach the monkey the correct sound. All planning is thorough and based on good assessment procedures that enable teachers to have a secure understanding of the needs and abilities of all of their pupils. For example, in a numeracy lesson in Year 2, pupils bought real grocery items but some pupils had to work out two different ways of paying for items up to £1.50, some up to £1.00 and others up to 10p. As a result, all pupils,

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

including those identified as having special educational needs and those capable of higher attainment, make good progress in these subjects. The good analysis of test results and monitoring of pupils’ progress means that teachers clearly identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and choose the content of their lessons based on this analysis. As a consequence these strategies are raising standards .

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3 A positive feature of the teaching throughout the school is the way in which teachers organise and manage their classes. The organisation and management of the mixed-age classes is good. For example, in a numeracy lesson in the reception/Year 1 class, reception children completed activities on more or less and Year 1 pupils completed activities on measuring using non-standard measures. The classroom and pupils were very well organised to ensure that they all had access to the correct equipment and activities were matched to their ability. Teachers set high expectations of pupils’ attitudes and behaviour. This reflects the school’s positive focus on personal and social development and contributes well to pupils’ very good relationships and behaviour. Teachers have good control and insist on high standards of behaviour. They also vary the range of activities within a lesson to ensure that pupils remain interested and involved

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

enough to work productively. For example, in a literacy lesson in Year 6 pupils watched a video of Macbeth, compared it to a written version, researched the origin of names and wrote witches spells. As a result, pupils respond very well to activities and concentrate on their work.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4 Teachers use a range of questions well. Some questions posed are to ascertain pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the subject. Others require a more detailed answer and are used effectively to develop pupils’ reasoning skills. For example, in a numeracy lesson in Year 6 pupils gave quick fire answers to finding pairs of numbers that totalled 100. After three correct answers the teacher stopped and asked pupils if they could identify a pattern to the answers. Pupils were then asked if they thought the pattern could be applied to other pairs of numbers or if the method would work for finding multiples of 50 that totalled 1000. This level of challenge motivated the pupils and they responded very enthusiastically. As a result of the very good teaching pupils make good progress in most subjects.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The attitudes and behaviour of the pupils are very good. St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 10 5 Pupils behave very well in classes and around school. They show respect for their teachers and each other by listening well when someone is speaking. For example, in a literacy lesson in Year 6 pupils read passages from Macbeth aloud. They used very good expression and were not embarrassed to do so as they knew other pupils would listen and respond well to them. In an information and communications technology lesson in Year 5, pupils realised they needed to listen carefully to the teacher’s instructions to be able to carry out the task effectively. This they did and consequently they were amazed at the things the computer was able to do. In all lessons seen pupils listened well. As a result, they had a good understanding of the tasks they had to do and were able to complete many of them independently.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6 Pupils work well alongside each other and co-operate fully when necessary. For example, in a literacy lesson in Year 4 pupils had to write new scenes or characters into a story. They worked well together in groups offering ideas and taking turns to do the recording. Also in Year 4, pupils supported each other when collecting information on dates of birth to make a pictogram.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7 Pupils show an enthusiasm for school and are keen to be involved in their lessons. This was particularly evident in an information and communications technology lesson in Year 6. Pupils were very motivated to learn by having individual access to the computers. They confidently handled the machines but realised there was still a lot that they could learn when the task was explained to them. The pupils quickly saw the potential uses of the computer to present information in the form of graphs that could easily be converted to line graphs, bar charts or pie charts without them having to draw them. Some pupils found the activity quite challenging but persevered until they fully understood what they were doing.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8 Pupils are eager to take on any responsibilities given to them and carry them out sensibly and effectively. For example, pupils at the school are the “guardians” of the local pond. This is a responsibility they have had for some time but they take the role very seriously. Having realised that the swans on the pond were put in danger by the speed of the local traffic, and one was actually hit, the pupils made and displayed warning signs pointing out the danger and asking motorists to slow down. This apparently was very successful. The older pupils show a very caring attitude to the younger ones. They all play well together with older pupils being conscious of how little ones could be scared on the yard and limiting the amount of boisterous play. At lunch times, older pupils help the younger ones in the dinner hall.

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Pupils make very good progress in English and good progress in mathematics throughout the

9 When they start the school in the reception class the attainment of many of the children is below what is expected for four year olds. However, when compared to schools that have a similar amount of pupils eligible for free school meals, results in the national tests for 11 year olds show that pupils in this school attain higher results in English and mathematics than other similar schools. In particular, pupils make very good progress in English and test results show that pupils in this school attain higher results in English than most schools nationally.

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Pupils make very good progress in English and good progress in mathematics throughout the

10 The main reason that the pupils do well is the high quality of teaching and the careful analysis of test results carried out by the school. Whilst analysing the results of tests it was apparent that boys did not do as well as girls. The school identified that one of the reasons for this was that aspects of the curriculum were not particularly appealing to boys. The school bought additional reading books that had subjects in which the boys were interested to try and encourage them to read more. The content, and in particular the choice of text, of English lessons was altered to include more non-fiction work and factual writing to motivate boys into writing more. In addition, the Year 6 teacher is a very good role model to the boys in his class. The effect of this has been a rise in the standard of boys’ English work with results now being better than would be expected by pupils’ ability on starting the school.

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Pupils make very good progress in English and good progress in mathematics throughout the

11 By the end of Year 6 most pupils write well. In particular their stories are very well structured and include a lot of descriptive vocabulary. For example, in a story titled “The ghost executioner” one pupil St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 11 opened the story with the sentence: “Unnoticed, darkness grew thicker and thicker whilst John, Harry and Stuart were trick or treating”. Pupils write interesting stories that make the reader want to read more. A clear emphasis is given to the endings of their stories so that it has as much an importance and impact as the rest of the story. Pupils are given many opportunities to experience alternate ways of writing, for example they write letters, diaries, stories, poems and reports. The presentation of their work is of a high standard with handwriting neat and carefully done.

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Pupils make very good progress in English and good progress in mathematics throughout the

12 Pupils mathematical knowledge and understanding is developed well throughout the school. By the end of Key Stage 2, they have a sound grasp of numbers and apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems. Pupils are confident and enthusiastic about mathematics, especially the mental sessions. They have a firm understanding of mathematical concepts and vocabulary. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson pupils quickly and correctly gave a range of answers about pairs of numbers that totalled 100 and multiples of 50 that totalled 1000. They also showed enjoyment in their response to the challenging questions and were therefore highly motivated.

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The school uses assessment very well to identify areas for pupil improvement and to monitor

13 The assessment co-ordinator provides good leadership in this aspect. A lot of time and effort has been spent in the area of staff development to ensure that assessment procedures are done well. This area has shown significant improvement since the last inspection.

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The school uses assessment very well to identify areas for pupil improvement and to monitor

14 The school undertakes thorough and systematic assessment of pupils. Assessment of most areas of the curriculum is carried out at the end of each topic to ascertain what pupils have learnt and what requires further development. Teachers then use this information when planning future lessons. Most classes have annual tests to find out how much progress pupils have made over the year. These tests, plus the statutory tests at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2, are fully analysed to identify areas for development. From this, individual and class targets are set. Individual targets are shared with the pupils and parents and the pupils are carefully monitored as to their progress towards those targets.

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The school uses assessment very well to identify areas for pupil improvement and to monitor

15 Teachers carry out effective day-to-day assessments of pupils. This is done through the careful marking of work and also through the good use of questioning. Specific assessments are identified in teachers’ planning and the results of these assessments are used when teachers plan their next lessons.

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The school uses assessment very well to identify areas for pupil improvement and to monitor

16 The result of this good assessment has been to identify particular areas for development. The first area for analysis was English which identified weaknesses in writing and boys’ attainment. Improvements were put into place with a subsequent rise in standards, particularly with regard to how many pupils reach the higher levels at the end of Key stage 2. The current area for development is mathematics. This is showing a rise in standards across the school but has not yet significantly influenced the end of Key stage 2 test results.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Attainment in information and communications technology.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

17 The school is aware that, by the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in information and communications technology does not match expectations for their age. Quite recently an information technology suite has been created that allows larger groups of pupils to be taught specific skills at the same time. The head teacher has secure knowledge and understanding of what pupils need to learn and so he predominantly teaches information and communications technology lessons as all staff are not yet confident with this subject. This has improved pupils’ attainment since the last inspection but it is still below what it should be as there has been insufficient time with suitable equipment for any significant improvement to St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 12 have been made.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

18 Pupils are most confident with the word processing aspect of information and communications technology. They enter and retrieve text, change font sizes, colours and styles and create different effects in their work. By the end of Year 6, most pupils know how to combine their drawings with text. However, they have insufficient knowledge of spreadsheets or how to use the computer to monitor and control events. In addition, they have limited understanding about how they could create their own databases, or why databases are more useful than other forms of storing information. Teachers make insufficient use of the computers in their classroom to promote pupils’ information and communications technology skills or to enhance the subjects they teach.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

19 The school uses a commercially produced scheme of work in information and communications technology that identifies the skills that pupils should be taught and also gives examples of activities that teachers may use with pupils to develop these skills. This is linked to the nationally recommended scheme of work in this subject but all aspects of this cannot yet be fully covered as the school does not have all the resources required for these areas.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The experimental aspects of science allowing pupils to apply the knowledge they have gained.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

20 Teachers have at least sound subject knowledge of science. Most aspects of the National Curriculum are covered well and pupils have a sound knowledge and understanding of these areas of science. However, the resources in science are inadequate and therefore teachers are limited as to the amount of experimental and practical work they can give pupils. As a result, pupils are able to talk knowledgeably about science and use the correct vocabulary but are not as able to apply what they know or have learnt. Consequently, by the end of Key Stage 2, attainment in the national tests is not as high as other subjects.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The management role of the subject co-ordinator.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

21 Subject co-ordinators do not monitor the quality of teaching in their subjects. In addition, little analysis of pupils’ work is done by the co-ordinators so they do not have a clear and full picture of the standards in their subjects. As a result, co-ordinators cannot guarantee that they have a full knowledge and understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their subjects and therefore if the priorities identified for development are the correct ones. In addition, they cannot fully determine if particular developments have had a significant impact on raising pupils’ attainment.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

R esources for the foundation stage and the library.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

22 The quality of teaching in the reception class is very good. However, resources in the foundation stage are not adequate enough for all the areas of learning to be fully accessible to the children. In particular, children do not have access to outdoor play that involves the use of apparatus such as climbing frames or wheeled toys. The teacher compensates for the lack of resources by developing more opportunities for adventurous play in the hall.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23 Since the last inspection library books have been improved but not yet to a satisfactory level. The library only has non-fiction books. This is compensated for in classrooms where there are an adequate number of fiction books. However, the non-fiction books have a narrow, limited range. Many of them are old and very unappealing to pupils. As a consequence, the library cannot be used effectively by pupils for independent research. St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 13

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

24 In order to continue to improve the quality of education for the pupils, the governing body and staff of the school should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1 Raise attainment in information and communications technology by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• improving teachers’ confidence and expertise in information and communications technology; • purchasing the hardware and software needed to deliver the full requirements of the National Curriculum; • using information and communications technology more effectively to promote pupils’ learning in other subject areas; • monitoring the provision in this subject more effectively. (Paragraphs 17 - 19)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge to experimental work; • developing pupils’ skills in writing independently for a scientific purpose; • improving resources so that more experiments can be carried out. (Paragraph 20)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

3 Improve the management role of the subject co-ordinators by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• enabling co-ordinators to observe lessons in their subject area; • undertaking scrutiny of pupils’ work to help co-ordinators gain an overview of the attainment in their subject. (Paragraph 21)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

4 Improve resources in the foundation stage and the library. (Paragraph 22) St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 14

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 14

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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 percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 107

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 42

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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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 4

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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 5.4 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 Mary’s Catholic Primary - 15

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 5 2 7

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 71% (77%) 86% (100%) 86% (100%) at NC level 2 or above National 86% (82%) 88% (83%) 93% (87%)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 71% (77%) 100% (77%) 86% (100%) at NC level 2 or above National 84% (82%) 88% (86%) 92% (87%) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year Where the number taking the tests is less than 11 individual results are not reported

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 11 7 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 8 8 9 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 78% (89%) 67% (74%) 78% (89%) at NC level 4 or above National 78% (70%) 75% (69%) 89% (78%)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 7 8 7 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 73% (89%) 67% (74%) 78% (89%) at NC level 4 or above National 70% (68%) 72% (69%) 79% (75%)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Where the number taking the tests is less than 11 individual results are not reported St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 16

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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) 5 Financial year 1999 - 2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21.6

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 227,829

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 220,151

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 4 Expenditure per pupil 2,002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 42 Balance brought forward from previous year 1,918

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 9,596 St Mary’s Catholic Primary - 17

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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. 72 22 1 1 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 44 1 1 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 39 44 12 2 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 54 35 4 1 4

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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. 71 22 3 1 3

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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. 78 21 0 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 49 43 1 1 6

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 47 38 10 1 3

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 61 37 0 1 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 35 34 18 2 11

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