St Laurence's Catholic Primary School

St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School

Reporting inspector: Geraldine Taujanskas

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St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School

Dates of inspection: 2nd and 3rd October 2000

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St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School

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 Laurence’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 Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior (as S1 check?)

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Leeside Avenue Southdene Kirkby Merseyside Postcode: L32 9QX

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Fr Nicholas Wilde

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 23 September 1996 St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 4

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Team members

Geraldine Taujanskas Registered inspector

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Team members

Evenlode Associates Limited 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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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 Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10

Pupils make very good progress and achieve high standards.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10

The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10

The partnership with parents and the community is exceptionally successful.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10

Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 12

Standards in information and communication technology;

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 12

Standards in English at Key Stage 1; Attendance.

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 14

St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School is situated in Kirkby, to the north of Liverpool in Merseyside. Following a period of great instability and falling pupil numbers in the early 1990’s the school is thriving and since the last inspection in 1996 the number of pupils on roll has increased by over 50 per cent. The school is now over-subscribed. Situated in the Knowsley education authority, the local community in Kirkby suffers from high unemployment. Many pupils do not benefit from a family tradition of educational achievement and most enter school with low achievements, particularly in language.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Laurence’s school, which is larger than average, educates girls and boys aged 3-11 years. Pupils come from the local community, which consists mainly of local authority and some private housing. Almost all pupils are of white British heritage. The school has a very small number of pupils from other European countries, numbering less than 1 per cent of the school’s population. There are no pupils from homes where English is not their first language. Currently 351 pupils attend the school full time, in 11 single and mixed-age classes. A further 52 children aged 3 and 4 years, attend the nursery part-time. Twenty five per cent of the pupils are on the special educational needs register, which is in line with the national average. This includes 2 pupils with a statement of special educational needs, (below average for statements.) Nearly 55 per cent of the pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is well above the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

national average. The school has strong links with the parish of St Laurence and with the local community.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is an outstanding school with a significant number of strengths. The leadership of the school is excellent, which supports the very good teaching. Pupils want to learn and are enthused by the broad curriculum offered to them. They make very good progress, many from low starting points. Pupils achieve standards that are well above the national averages at the end of Key Stage 2, overall and very high compared to standards in similar schools. The school provides excellent value for money.

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What the school does well

• Pupils make very good progress, many from low starting points and they achieve very high standards compared to those found in similar schools, and well above national averages overall. • Leadership is excellent. The headteacher provides energetic and visionary leadership, which is supported by a talented and dedicated deputy headteacher. • Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need to achieve well as they move through the school. • The curriculum is rich and exciting. Pupils benefit from a broad range of learning experiences. The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on self-esteem and personal worth throughout the school. • The partnership with parents and the community is exceptionally successful. The school has developed an active and enthusiastic partnership with parents and pupils. • Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. They are respectful of others and

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What could be improved

• Standards in information and communication technology, where the provision of resources have been hampered by setbacks beyond the control of the school, resulting in too few opportunities for pupils to learn; • Standards in English at Key Stage 1, where some opportunities are missed for pupils to develop their speaking skills in a range of situations . • Attendance, which is close to the national averages and satisfactory overall but still variable, despite the school’s best efforts to ensure that pupils come to school regularly and on time. 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

St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 7 The school was last inspected in 1996 and found to have many strengths. The school has made very good progress in implementing improvements in the areas identified for action. Co-ordinators have suitable opportunities to monitor their subjects, currently focused on mathematics and English. Schemes of work are now in place for all subjects and the school is aware of the need to include any changes from the new curriculum guidance. In recognition of the need to provide more able pupils with challenging work pupils in Key Stage 2 are now set in groups by ability in mathematics, and the school is evaluating the success of this system carefully before deciding what should be done next. Considerable work has been done to provide suitable resources for information and communication technology and to ensure that teachers have the skills necessary to teach the curriculum successfully. More work still has to be done to implement the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

curriculum but this is already planned and is currently being introduced, following the national guidance. Substantial amounts of work have been done to improve standards in reading and the standards achieved in Key Stage 2 reflect this, although the school is aware that more remains to be done in some areas. Staff assess pupils’ progress rigorously. They are very clear about the standards pupils reach and they use this knowledge effectively to plan further work for pupils in English, mathematics and science.

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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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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

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

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

A* means results which are very high in comparison with the average for similar schools.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

There are particular strengths in standards in mathematics and science at the end of Key Stage 1 where the latest National Curriculum tests show pupils are in line with national averages. This includes suitable numbers of pupils gaining the higher levels. Standards in writing are similar to the national averages with most pupils reaching average levels although few pupils reach the higher levels. However, this represents significant progress for pupils over the key stage as many children enter school with low standards in communication, language and literacy. Standards in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 are below national average, with 64 per cent of pupils gaining the average levels or above, although standards have improved significantly since the previous inspection in 1996 when only 47 per cent of pupils gained this level.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

At the end of Key Stage 2 standards in the latest National Curriculum Tests are well above the national averages in mathematics and science and in line with national averages in English. Of particular note are the good numbers of pupils gaining the higher level 5 in both mathematics and science. These results show significant improvements on standards in the last inspection, where in English for example, only 57 per cent of pupils gained average levels and above against 86 per cent this year. This figure shows that numbers of pupils gaining the average Level 4 was above average. However few pupils gain Level 5 in English. Overall the quality of pupils’ learning is very good, through the good and very good teaching and the very positive ethos which makes pupils want to learn.

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Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

Standards information and communication technology are below average. The school has been dogged by setbacks beyond their control, resulting in too few resources being available for pupils. A new computer room has now just been completed and training for staff implemented. Software is being made available. The curriculum is now being taught but pupils do not have sufficient previous knowledge to enable them to reach the standards appropriate for their age. Staff, in their planning, do not yet capitalise on opportunities to use information and communication technology across the curriculum sufficiently. St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent. Pupils are keen to learn. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Exemplary. Pupils behave well in school, in the playground and at lunch times. Personal development and relationships Very good. There are very good relationships between pupils and with adults. Older pupils set good examples to younger ones. Attendance Satisfactory, close to national averages. The school has worked hard to improve attendance to this level.

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

Lessons seen overall Good Good 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

Teaching throughout the school is very good overall. In lessons observed 69 per cent was good, and 19 per cent was very good, with the remaining 12 per cent satisfactory. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed. There are particular strengths in Key Stage 2 where most of the very good teaching was observed. Teaching in literacy and numeracy is strong. This high quality of teaching enables pupils to learn well. Teachers control and manage pupils well. Some pupils, especially when they enter school, have weak social skills and poor language and communication skills, so teachers work hard, particularly in the early years, to establish acceptable codes of behaviour and classroom routines. The school meets the needs of all pupils well, especially those with special educational needs. Most pupils achieve appropriately as teachers know pupils well and cater for their needs, particularly in English, mathematics and science.

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

Opportunities are missed in some other subjects for a greater variety of challenge to be offered to higher attaining pupils. Teachers have particular strengths in behaviour management, their enthusiastic approach, high expectations of pupils, and the very good relationships they form with pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. A broad curriculum offers pupils very good opportunities to learn, with particularly good opportunities for art. Curriculum is enriched with an excellent range of extra-curricular activities in which many pupils participate particularly in music. The curriculum for information and communication technology is in place but not yet effectively implemented throughout the school. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Pupils are supported well and their individual needs met.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent. Pupils’ personal development is actively promoted from the nursery onwards, and the staff and adults in school support this well by providing excellent role models. St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 9 How well the school cares for its pupils Very good procedures are in place to ensure the effective care and protection of all pupils. This underpins the rest of the work the school does.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide a vision and clear direction for the school and the dedication to implement it, along with governors and staff. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors have a very good understanding of the needs of the school, backed up by effective action. The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school consistently evaluates and measures performance and takes steps to improve. The strategic use of resources Excellent. Resources and grants are used appropriately and careful consideration is given to best value principles.

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improved

• The school is well-led and managed, and improvements in the school are due to the headteacher and the dedicated and committed staff. • Staff are very approachable and willing to discuss problems. Parents are sure of a positive response. • Children are expected to work hard and achieve their best. • Children feel valued and treated fairly. • Teaching is good. • There are lots of varied activities after school for children to take part in. • The school is part of the community and parents are made part of their child’s education. • No issues were raised at the parents meeting or during the inspection to indicate that parents were dissatisfied with any aspect of the school. • A very small number of parents in the questionnaires expressed concern with the amount of work sent home for children to do.

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improved

The inspection team agrees wholeheartedly with the positive views expressed by parents. The majority of parents were very supportive of the homework policy. While respecting the small minority of parents who expressed concern the inspection agrees with the positive views which parents expressed that the amount of work children are expected to do at home built up as children grew older which helped to prepare them for high school. St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 10

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Pupils make very good progress, many from low starting points and they achieve very high

standards compared to those found in similar school, and well above national averages overall.

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Pupils make very good progress, many from low starting points and they achieve very high

1. Pupils enter school with low attainments overall, particularly in communication, language and literacy skills. They make rapid progress through the foundation stage and although their skills are still below average by the end of the reception year children’s personal and social skills are well developed. This means that they are able to take advantage of the opportunities offered in Key Stage1 where good teaching enables pupils to make good progress, resulting in good achievements. At the end of Key Stage I there are particular strengths in standards in mathematics and science where the latest National Curriculum tests show standards are in line with the national averages. This includes suitable numbers of pupils gaining the higher levels. These are significant achievements. Standards in writing are similar to the national averages with most pupils reaching average levels although few pupils reach the higher levels. However, this

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Pupils make very good progress, many from low starting points and they achieve very high

still represents significant progress for pupils over the key stage when standards on entry to the school are low. Standards in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 are below national average, with 64 per cent of pupils gaining the average levels or above, although standards have improved significantly in the school since the previous inspection in 1996 when only 47 per cent of pupils gained this level.

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Pupils make very good progress, many from low starting points and they achieve very high

2. The good start which pupils have from the firm foundations in the early years and Key Stage 1 enables them to achieve well in Key Stage 2. Pupils make very good progress in Key Stage 2, well-supported by the high quality of teaching, particularly for the oldest pupils. At the end of Key Stage 2 standards in the latest National Curriculum Tests are well above the national averages in mathematics and science and in line with national averages in English. Of particular note are the good numbers of pupils gaining the higher level 5 in both mathematics and science. These results show significant improvements on standards in the last inspection, where in English for example, only 57 per cent of pupils gained average levels and above against 86 per cent this year.

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Pupils make very good progress, many from low starting points and they achieve very high

3. Overall the quality of pupils’ learning is very good, through the good and very good teaching and the very positive ethos that makes pupils want to learn.

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Leadership is excellent. The headteacher provides energetic and visionary leadership, which is

supported by a talented and dedicated deputy headteacher.

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Leadership is excellent. The headteacher provides energetic and visionary leadership, which is

4. This high quality leadership is based on an exemplary partnership, which successfully promotes the school, and is clearly focused on providing a high quality of education for all the pupils. This is driven by a clear mission statement and set of aims that permeates everything the school does. The energy and vision of the headteacher is matched by the dedication of the deputy headteacher. This is shared and supported by a dedicated senior management team and staff who are keen to provide the very best education for all the pupils in the school and are prepared to work very hard to achieve it. This shared vision of success is based on very good relationships and respect within the school and a partnership with parents and the community which values parents as partners and welcomes them. Parents who attended the meeting with the registered inspector prior to the inspection were perfectly clear that the success of the school was based on the dedication of the

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Leadership is excellent. The headteacher provides energetic and visionary leadership, which is

headteacher and the hard work of all staff.

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Leadership is excellent. The headteacher provides energetic and visionary leadership, which is

5. The school development plan is a detailed document, which provides a good vehicle from which the school focuses on a set of clear targets for improvement. This is backed up by regular monitoring and evaluation of all the school’s targets and achievements. Careful analysis of tests and assessments provides further information upon which the school can act to improve standards through improving the teaching and learning. For example, the Key Stage 2 pupils are now taught St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 11 in sets for mathematics following analysis of test results. This was carefully introduced to the oldest pupils and its success led to the inclusion of the younger Key Stage 2 pupils in the setting arrangements. 6. The governing body has played a very supportive role and has a good grasp of its responsibilities for the performance and improvement of the school. This includes taking effective action when

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Leadership is excellent. The headteacher provides energetic and visionary leadership, which is

necessary and ensuring that the school gets best value for money.

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Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need as they move

through the school in order to achieve well.

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Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need as they move

7. Teaching throughout the school is good overall. In lessons observed 69 per cent was good, and 19 per cent was very good, with the remaining 12 per cent satisfactory. Teaching in literacy and numeracy is strong throughout the school. This contributes substantially to the raising of standards. There are particular strengths in the teaching in Key Stage 2 where most of the very good teaching was observed. The high quality of teaching overall enables pupils to learn well. Teachers have particular strengths in behaviour management, their enthusiastic approach, high expectations of pupils, and the very good relationships they form with pupils. Teachers control and manage pupils well. Some pupils, especially when they enter school, have weak social skills and poor language and communication skills, so teachers, particularly in the early years, work hard to establish acceptable codes of behaviour and classroom routines. Teachers show great

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Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need as they move

enthusiasm and energy in their lessons so pupils are keen to absorb the knowledge and skills which they are taught. Teachers generally have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and the standards of the work they produce. For example, older pupils use draft books and redraft work to produce a high quality final piece of work. The very good relationships established between adults and pupils is the starting point for the high expectations which teachers have. This is something pupils live up to in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Adults who work in the school, both in and out of the classrooms set good role models for pupils. Good use is made of humour to encourage and motivate pupils. The school meets the needs of all pupils well, especially those with special educational needs. Pupils achieve appropriately as teachers know pupils well and cater for their needs, but there are missed opportunities for a greater variety of challenge to be offered in some

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Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need as they move

subjects. Teachers plan extension work appropriately for higher attaining pupils but relatively few chances are offered other than in English, mathematics and science, which enable these pupils to be more adventurous and independent in their learning.

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Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need as they move

The curriculum is rich and exciting. Pupils have a broad range of learning experiences.

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Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need as they move

8. The curriculum is well-planned and clearly focused to provide a broad range of learning experiences in all subjects. An effective curriculum for teaching core subjects is well-established. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are implemented thoroughly across the school and science is taught in all classes. However, the school has retained a balanced curriculum, which gives pupils a broad experience and worthwhile learning opportunities in the other National Curriculum subjects. This is enhanced by a particularly good range of visits and visitors in connection with various subjects. For example, older pupils visited Croxteth Hall as part of a history topic and played the parts of family, servants and visitors to the hall. Good quality writing was produced following the visit, written as the character which each pupil had experienced at the hall. Music and art play an important role in the curriculum with pupils studying a broad range of

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Teaching is very good. Staff ensure that pupils build up the skills they need as they move

mainly European artists throughout the school. The curriculum is enhanced by good quality displays around the school which celebrate pupils’ work and provide a focal point and a stimulating learning environment. Particularly noteworthy is the excellent range of extra-curricular activities, which a very high proportion of pupils attends. This provides an amazing range of activities, which enrich the curriculum considerably. These include tap dancing, choir and music, cross-country, football, the Mayor’s Award for Year 5, (which includes, among other activities, French, Italian, dancing, cooking, chess, art and computers) table tennis and many others. Pupils take advantage of all the opportunities offered to them and become involved in a wide range of activities in lessons and in clubs and groups before and after the school day. St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 12

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on

self-esteem and personal worth throughout the school.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on

9. The provision for personal development begins in the nursery. The emphasis on self-confidence and discipline is carefully nurtured and developed throughout the school, but has a firm foundation in the early years. This provision is continued in both key stages with pupils undertaking a range of responsibilities, often linked with caring for others in the school community or family. For example, the oldest pupils play with younger ones in the nursery and Key Stage 1. There are particular strengths in spiritual, moral and social development. The religious education curriculum play a major part in the pupils’ spiritual development but the art and music curriculum play a strong supporting role in this aspect. Moral development is prioritised throughout the school. Pupils gain a very clear understanding of right and wrong. They understand the need for rules and respond well to the high expectations of staff that they will behave well. Adults in the school provide

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on

excellent role models for pupils, particularly in social development to which pupils respond well. They understand the need for respect and consideration for others.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on

The partnership with parents and the community is exceptionally successful.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on

10. The school has developed an active and enthusiastic partnership with parents and families. The partnership is firmly linked with pupils, both past and present, the local church and the community. The parents at the meeting with the registered inspector spoke glowingly about the development of the school in recent years, and how much they felt valued as part of the partnership in their child’s education.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on

11. Parents feel welcome in school. Crucially, the parents feel that the headteacher is always available if they need to see him and that staff will always listen and sort out any problems quickly. The headteacher knows the pupils, parents and families of the school well and is a strong and positive presence around the school, particularly at the beginning and end of the school day. This is a strong positive factor in the confidence which parents have in the school.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is excellent. A strong emphasis is placed on

12. The school has actively sought to involve parents in the life of the school. For example, the school runs a creche to enable parents to attend parents’ evening and meetings, which parents really appreciate. There are numerous opportunities for parents to support their children and to engage in learning themselves through the range of courses the school runs regularly. During the inspection this included dressmaking and interior design. The school runs clubs which families can attend and social events which families support. Parents are very appreciative of the partnership with the school.

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Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. They are respectful of others

13. Pupils have a clear understanding of the standards of behaviour which are required of them and they respond positively, behaving well both in and around the school. Pupils open doors for adults and stand back for younger children. They move around the school sensibly and purposefully. Pupils work together constructively and can be trusted to get on with work independently when required. Pupils enjoy learning. They settle to lessons quickly and follow classroom routines sensibly. There is a positive atmosphere in the school, of an ordered and happy community.

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learn;

St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 13 14. Standards which pupils achieve in information and communication technology are below average. The school has been dogged by setbacks beyond their control. A new computer room has now been completed and training for staff implemented. However, there are still teething problems with the resources, which the school is currently trying to overcome. Software is being made available. The curriculum is now in place, using national guidance, and being taught in all classes, but pupils do not have sufficient knowledge and skill from previous years to enable them to reach the standards appropriate for their age. There are some suitable examples of pupils using suitable word processing skills appropriate for their age but little evidence of the rest of the curriculum in information and communication technology. This means pupils have significant ground to make

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learn;

up. Staff are trained in the curriculum but lack experience of including opportunities for information and communication technology in all subjects. In their planning, staff do not yet capitalise on opportunities to use information technology across the curriculum sufficiently, so pupils miss opportunities for further experience of using technology in a range of lessons and subjects.

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Standards in English at Key Stage 1, where some opportunities are missed for pupils to develop

their speaking skills in a range of situations .

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Standards in English at Key Stage 1, where some opportunities are missed for pupils to develop

15. Most pupils come to school with low standards in communication, language and literacy. The foundation stage and Key Stage1 rightly prioritises the development of communication skills. This is successful in substantially developing pupils’ skills so they can then access the full curriculum. However, there are some opportunities to develop speaking skills that are missed. For example, pupils often speak in response to direct questioning, which does not allow them to express a view, or use the vocabulary they have learned in their conversations. Regular opportunities for pupils to talk in a variety of situations, rather than respond to questions, is not a regular feature in all classes. This limits chances for pupils to gain confidence in using new vocabulary.

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variable, despite the school’s best efforts to ensure that pupils come to school regularly and on

16. The school has implemented a full range of initiatives in order to improve attendance. Parents at the meeting with the registered inspector were very clear about the need for good attendance and how the school was encouraging pupils to come to school. These incentives include awards and recognition for good attendance. These actions have helped to improve attendance. Attendance figures for the latest complete school year are close to the most recently published national averages. However, this is not a well-established pattern and in previous years the attendance has been lower.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

In order to continue to improve standards the headteacher, staff and governors should;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve pupils’ attainment in information and communication technology by ensuring that the planned curriculum is now implemented throughout the school and monitored effectively to ensure that standards rise;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Continue to improve standards in English at Key Stage 1, particularly by identifying further opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking skills in a range of situations, and ensuring that this is consistently implemented;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Continuing to monitor attendance, to ensure as far as possible that all pupils come to school regularly and on time. St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 14 St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 15

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 26 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 0 19 69 12 0 0 0 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

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 26 351 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 0 187 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR– Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 2 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 91

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 32 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 0

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 7.4 School data 0.9 National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 16 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 24 32 56

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 12 17 20 level 2 and above Girls 24 28 30 Total 36 45 50

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Percentage of pupils School 64 (73) 80 (85) 89 (85) at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (86)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 16 21 21 level 2 and above Girls 26 30 29 Total 42 51 50

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 75 (80) 91 (87) 89 (87) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (80) 88 (86) 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 Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 21 21 42

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 17 20 21 level 4 and above Girls 19 18 21 Total 36 38 42

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Percentage of pupils School 86 (58) 90 (84) 100 (91) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (68) 85 (78)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 9 18 18 level 4 and above Girls 15 18 19 Total 24 36 37 St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 17 Percentage of pupils School 57 (60) 86 (77) 88 (79) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 79 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 18

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 351 White 1 0 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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Qualified teachers and classes: YR– Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11 Financial year 1999

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR– Y6

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26.6 Average class size 31.2 £ Total income 588459 Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 559275 Total number of education support staff 7 Expenditure per pupil 1690 Total aggregate hours worked per week 21.4 Balance brought forward from previous year Balance carried forward to next year 51166

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nursery

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 26

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nursery

Total number of education support staff 1 Total aggregate hours worked per week 35

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nursery

Number of pupils per FTE adult 13 St Laurence’s Catholic Primary School - 19 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 76 22 1 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 84 15 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 65 31 2 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 74 25 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 87 12 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 87 13 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 84 15 1 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 92 8 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 82 17 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 85 14 1 0 0

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