Our Lady's Bishop Eton Catholic Primary School

PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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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. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 3 - May 2002

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr C Boulton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 4 - May 2002

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Team members

1743 D S Roberts Registered inspector 19669 F Kennedy Lay inspector 17913 B Frost Team inspector 7222 A Watson Team inspector

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Team members

Strathblane House Ashfield Road Cheadle Stockport SK8 1BB

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 5 - May 2002

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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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Our Lady's Bishop Eton Catholic Primary School is situated in the Calderstones district of Liverpool and serves the local parish. It is bigger than most primary schools, and currently provides education for 401 pupils from four to 11 years of age.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The proportion of pupils entitled to receive free school meals is below the national average. On entry to Reception, the intake of children represents a wide range of ability, but attainment levels are generally above those found nationally. Currently, just over seven per cent of the pupils are on the school's register of special educational needs, which is well below the national average. At present, 13 pupils are at stages 3-5, and their needs include those for specific learning difficulties, emotional and behavioural problems, speech and communication problems, physical difficulties and autism. Just under one per cent of pupils have statements of special educational needs, which is below the average found nationally. Two per cent of pupils are from families belonging to minority ethnic groups, and less than one per cent speak English as an additional language, which is a similar proportion to that found in most

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very good school, which has some excellent features. It provides its pupils with a high level of care, and makes very good provision for their personal and social development. Children are given a very good start to their education at the Foundation Stage, in the Reception classes, and benefit from a rich and relevant curriculum throughout their time at the school. The teaching is predominantly of a very good, and at times excellent, quality, and this enables pupils to achieve particularly high standards in literacy, numeracy, science and music. The headteacher and staff work extremely hard, and co-operate very effectively with the governing body, to create a welcoming and supportive community where the Catholic ethos is strongly emphasised. The school is very well led and managed, and provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• It enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English, mathematics, science and music. • The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes significantly towards their excellent attitudes to learning. • The teaching is predominantly of a very good, and at times excellent, quality. • The school provides a high quality, rich and relevant curriculum. • The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at all levels of responsibility is of a high calibre.

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What could be improved

• Handwriting standards could be improved by adopting a more consistent approach in all classes. 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

During the five years up to 2001, the school's rate of improvement in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, was similar to the national picture.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made very good progress in addressing the key issues identified by the last inspection in 1997. The school development plan is now a very comprehensive document, which sets out precise priorities for attention and a clear programme of action for their implementation. Detailed guidance, provided for teachers in well set out subject policies and schemes of work, has resulted in better provision and standards in the subjects outside the core areas. Considerable progress has been achieved in information and communication technology (ICT), which is now well established as an Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 7 - May 2002 important dimension of the curriculum. The very strong emphasis placed on staff development contributes towards a high level of teacher expertise, and this is reflected in the improving quality of teaching. The proportion of teaching judged to be at least good has increased from 50 per cent, in the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

1997 inspection, to 100 per cent, and the proportion judged to be very good or better from 15 per cent to 64 per cent. Considerable attention is given to meeting the needs of pupils at different levels of attainment, and this is particularly reflected in the growing proportion of pupils now exceeding the national expectation in the core subjects. The high level of commitment shown by the staff, and the strong emphasis placed by the school on monitoring and evaluation, in order to identify areas for improvement, means that the school is well placed to maintain and build on the current high standards.

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

1999 2000 2001 2001 very high A* English A A* A* A well above average above average A B mathematics A A A A average below average C D science B A A* A well below average E

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Key

The table shows that in the 2001 National Curriculum tests the pupils' performance in English and science was very high compared with the national average, and well above the average for pupils in schools with similar characteristics. In mathematics, their performance was well above the national average and that of pupils in similar schools.

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Key

Inspection evidence indicates that children at the Foundation Stage, in the Reception classes, make rapid progress and achieve the early learning goals in all areas of curriculum by the time they enter Year 1. Standards achieved by pupils aged seven are well above average in English, mathematics and science. The standards achieved by pupils in Year 6 in English, mathematics and science are high, reflecting national test results. Throughout the school, standards in music exceed those expected for their age, and pupils produce work of high quality in history, geography and art. Standards in ICT now meet the national expectations throughout the school, and pupils make good progress. In work across the curriculum, standards of handwriting vary considerably between classes and there is scope for greater consistency. The school has identified the need to raise handwriting standards as a priority for attention in the current school development plan.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils demonstrate excellent attitudes towards their work. They show considerable interest and enthusiasm, work productively and are eager to learn.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good throughout the school, and is often excellent in classrooms and assemblies.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Relationships are excellent. Older pupils show great maturity and a capacity to take initiative and accept responsibility.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. Well above the national average. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 8 - May 2002

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

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

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching is predominantly very good and sometimes excellent. High quality teaching in English, mathematics, science and music is the main reason for the very good progress made by pupils during their time in the school. Very effective teaching of ICT enables pupils to make good progress in the subject. Although only a small sample of lessons was seen in other subjects, some very good teaching was observed in art, which accounts for the work of high quality evident in displays throughout the school. In addition, some inspirational teaching of history was seen, promoting an excellent response by the pupils.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a high quality curriculum for children at the Foundation Stage and for pupils throughout the school. The development of literacy and numeracy skills is strongly emphasised, and the consistent emphasis placed on the development of pupils’ ICT skills, in work across the curriculum, is a strong feature in the learning. The curriculum is enhanced by a very good programme of extra-curricular activities and educational visits.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good provision throughout the school. The pupils’ work is guided very effectively by the specific and measurable targets identified for them in their individual education plans. Lessons are organised very effectively to meet the needs of pupils at different levels of attainment.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good provision, helping pupils to make consistently good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes very good provision for all aspects. A strong sense of spirituality pervades the whole curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school provides a high level of care for its pupils.

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Aspect Comment

A strong partnership has been developed with parents, the great majority of whom speak highly of the school. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 9 - May 2002

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The quality of leadership and management is of a high calibre. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior management team provide perceptive and purposeful leadership. Subjects and aspects of the curriculum are co-ordinated very effectively.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors successfully ensure that all statutory requirements are met. They co-operate very effectively with the headteacher to provide clear direction for the work of the school.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Highly effective use is made of national results and comparative information to analyse and evaluate performance and set targets for improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources All resources are managed efficiently, and best value principles are applied effectively when making major spending decisions. Spending is guided by highly effective school development planning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The children like school. • The children make good progress. • Behaviour is good. • The teaching is good. • Parents would feel comfortable in approaching the school with questions or problems. • The school expects their children to work hard and achieve their best. • The school is well led and managed. • The school is helping their children to become mature and responsible. A significant minority of parents are of the opinion that: • there are insufficient activities outside the classroom; • the school does not provide the right amount of homework; some want more, while others feel there is too much.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors agree with parents’ positive views about the school. They find that very good provision is made for extra-curricular activities, and that homework is used effectively to support pupils’ learning. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 10 - May 2002

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

1 In the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, the high standards achieved by pupils are reflected in national test results. Comparative information, based on the 2001 national tests, indicates that by the time they reach the end of Year 6, the pupils' performance, in relation to the national average, is very high in English and science, and well above average in mathematics. More significantly, the pupils' performance, in relation to those in schools with similar characteristics, is well above average in all three core subjects. Inspection evidence indicates that standards in music are above those expected for the pupils’ age.

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

2 Throughout the school, the pupils' very good skills in speaking and listening are particularly apparent during the whole-class introduction to lessons, when pupils listen carefully to what others have to say and express their own opinions clearly and confidently. Their progress is helped by the fact that teachers ask challenging questions, encourage pupils to think about what they have to say, and create many opportunities for them to express their opinions. The regular use of role-play activities for younger children, in the Reception classes, makes a significant contribution to their development, enabling children to acquire confidence in sharing their thoughts and ideas with the whole class. At a later stage, planned opportunities for pupils to discuss and debate topical issues help them to build effectively on their early skills. This was evident for example, when pupils in Year 5 expressed their opinions about

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

the proposed Boreham Wood bypass. They showed an excellent ability to apply new skills in the use of persuasive language, acquired during previous literacy lessons. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are further enhanced through involvement in school council meetings and participation in school productions. This means that pupils make rapid progress during their time in the school and, by the end of Year 6, most are able to vary expression and vocabulary to engage the listener, and to use these skills confidently to ask questions and express their views.

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

3 Pupils enjoy reading and standards throughout the school are high. Teachers in the Reception classes skilfully foster early reading skills, and these are built on very successful in Years 1 and 2, where pupils acquire a good grasp of phonic skills, and begin to benefit from the wide range of reading materials available to them. Throughout the school, well pitched and challenging activities during English lessons result in a consistent increase in pupils' reading and writing skills, and opportunities for enhancing these skills are taken very effectively during work in other subjects, such as history and geography. Older pupils read fluently, with excellent expression, and talk enthusiastically about the books they have read. They explain their preferences clearly, and give convincing reasons for their choice of favourite characters and most interesting events in particular books.

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

4 Regular opportunities for pupils to apply newly acquired language skills in writing for particular purposes are very good features in the teaching. For example, at one stage during the year, older pupils studied the styles and conventions of journalism, before producing highly interesting reports about a school event. At another stage, in work linked to their studies in history, they used their skills in persuasive writing to produce some highly effective arguments for and against the idea of evacuating children to rural areas during World War II. Pupils' imaginative writing is very lively. The quality of Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 11 - May 2002 their story writing is helped considerably by advice given by teachers about ways of improving different aspects of the story, such as setting the scene, introducing and describing characters, developing conflict, and reaching a final climax. This helps pupils to analyse and evaluate their work, and contributes towards the high standards

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

which are achieved. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to write poems, having studied the various styles of different poets. Just before the inspection, Year 6 pupils had completed short poems set out in the Japanese "Haiku" style. They made good use of similes, metaphors and personification to produce work of high quality.

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

5 Standards in mathematics are high throughout the school. Children in the Reception classes make very good progress in extending their mathematical vocabulary. In one lesson, for example, some children were able to make correct use of the terms sphere and spiral , when responding to their teacher's questions. The strong emphasis placed on teaching basic skills helps younger pupils to make rapid progress in their ability to read, write and order numbers to 100 and beyond. By the end of Year 2, they show a good understanding of the relationships between numbers, knowing, for example, that subtraction is the inverse of addition, and are able to use standard units accurately to measure time, mass and length. The continuing emphasis placed on developing accurate and precise mathematical language is a strong feature in pupils' learning, which is particularly noticeable in their work on shape and space.

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

6 Older pupils also make very good progress and, by the time they reach Year 6, their numeracy skills are very well developed. They show a high level of accuracy in computational work, and are competent in working with fractions, decimals and percentages. They demonstrate a good grasp of the extension of the number system, and this is reflected in their understanding of negative numbers and the relationships between fractions, decimals and percentages. They achieve good standards in their work on shape and space, and use and interpret co-ordinates in all four quadrants, accurately and effectively. In a Year 6 lesson, higher attaining pupils demonstrated a very good understanding of the properties of a circle. By the end of the lesson, pupils were able to draw accurate circles and use the appropriate formulae to calculate correctly the area of the circles. The pupils show particularly good skills in data

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

handling, and make appropriate use of mathematical terms when engaged in tasks to find the mode, median and mean when investigating test results. The excellent use of ICT enables pupils to extend their mathematical learning considerably. They use programs such as Superlogo to investigate mathematical patterns, use a range of graphs to represent findings of various surveys, and are beginning to use spreadsheets to support problem solving activities.

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

7 Pupils make very good progress in science, and achieve high standards. Well organised opportunities for pupils to engage in practical work help them to develop particularly good skills in investigative and experimental work. In Year 2, for example, pupils explored various parts of the school grounds to search for different plants and creatures. They showed a good ability to use knowledge gained from reference books to help them in their tasks, and recognised that different types of plants and creatures are suited to different environments. By looking more closely at plants they were able to see that the leaves of plants in sunny areas were different to those found in more shaded areas. They recorded their findings neatly and effectively in graphical form. Older pupils draw well on their increasing scientific knowledge to make sensible predictions, and are able to carry out a series of observations and measurements

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

with precision before reaching appropriate conclusions. Pupils in Year 5 used models and diagrams very effectively when making a group presentation on the life cycle of plants to the rest of the class. Their clear and informative presentation demonstrated Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 12 - May 2002 a very good knowledge and understanding of plants. Examination of other work completed during the school year indicates that older pupils are able to engage in disciplined scientific enquiry. This was evident, for example, when those in Year 6 used filtration and distillation methods very successfully when separating mixtures of materials.

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

8 By the time pupils reach Year 6, standards in music are above the levels expected for their age. This was evident, for example, during a Year 6 music lesson, which was skilfully linked to literacy work in poetry. The lesson drew very effectively on the pupils’ residential experiences at the Colomendy Environmental Studies Centre, during the previous week. Pupils showed a good ability to compose music, and were able to communicate mood and effect very successfully. Darkness was depicted particularly well, using low sounds and slow rhythm, and contrasted very effectively with the higher sounds and faster rhythm used to depict fireflies. During whole-school assemblies, the quality of singing is of a high calibre. Pupils show good timing, and their diction is clear. A high proportion of pupils join a school choir, and this helps them to make significant progress in their singing as part of a large group. This was

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The school enables its pupils to achieve particularly high standards in English,

very evident during an after-school rehearsal, when the choir sang quite beautifully, drawing on a good repertoire of contrasting songs from different cultures. They showed excellent breathing and superb diction, and their two-part singing was delightful. The pupils’ progress in music is greatly enhanced through participation in extra-curricular activities. The school has two choirs, a school orchestra and recorder groups, and the pupils contribute regularly to major music occasions on Merseyside, including events at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the two cathedrals, and broadcasts on Radio Merseyside. The high quality of music contributes significantly towards a rich and stimulating environment.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

significantly towards their excellent attitudes to learning.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

9 The school's mission statement includes the aim of developing a confident and constructive approach to life in each child. This aim is consistently reflected in all of the school's work.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

10 In lessons observed during the inspection, the pupils' response and their attitudes to learning were never less than very good, and in over half of the lessons their response and attitudes to their work were excellent.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

11 From the Foundation Stage and throughout the school, the curriculum is organised in a way which creates numerous opportunities for pupils to make decisions and take responsibility for their own learning. Group activities often require pupils to co-operate and work together to solve problems or complete tasks. Regular opportunities for pupils to engage in role-play and drama enable pupils to explore meaningful issues, to consider and express their views on important matters and to consider and value others’ opinions. The School Council, introduced since the last inspection, adds significantly to pupils' maturity and sense of responsibility. The wide range of extra- curricular activities and residential visits contribute enormously towards pupils' social development. The links established with a number of charities foster a sense of caring in the pupils and an awareness of the problems faced by people in their own

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

and other countries. The strong emphasis placed on promoting pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development helps to support the all-round development of each child.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

12 The pupils enjoy school, relate happily to one another, work hard and show a healthy pride in their achievements. Their excellent response to lessons contributes Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 13 - May 2002 significantly toward their good progress. Children in the Reception classes make very good progress in learning how to share and work sensibly in pairs and small groups. They demonstrate excellent attitudes towards their work and are extremely well behaved. The children benefit greatly from the close attention given to their personal, social and emotional development at the Foundation Stage of their education.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

13 As pupils progress through the school, particular features and strengths become noticeable in various subjects. In English, they listen attentively during the whole-class introductions to lessons and show considerable enthusiasm when responding to their teachers' questions. Older pupils demonstrate considerable maturity when engaging in role-play situations. They value the contributions of other pupils, and show respect for their opinions and beliefs. In mathematics, the pupils' ability to recall prior learning is a strong feature which reflects their conscientious attitudes to their work. They respond well to challenging work and show a capacity to persevere when difficulties arise. Older pupils in particular demonstrate a well developed capacity to work accurately in a disciplined manner. In science, the pupils co-operate sensibly during investigative and experimental work and share resources and equipment without fuss.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

In ICT, pupils throughout the school work very sensibly in the computer suite. They co-operate effectively in pairs, and their ability to overcome difficulties through trial and error contributes greatly towards their good progress and attainment.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

The teaching is predominantly of a very good, and at times excellent, quality.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

14 During this short inspection, all of the lessons observed were at least good, nearly half were very good and a fifth excellent.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

15 At the Foundation Stage, in Reception Classes, highly effective teaching enables children to settle quickly and make very good progress in all areas of learning. The teaching and support staff co-operate very successfully to provide a high level of interaction between adults and children, contributing significantly towards the children's rapid progress.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

16 Throughout the school, conscientious preparation enables teachers to be secure in their subject knowledge and expertise. Planning is of high quality, particularly in the key areas of English, mathematics, science and ICT. High expectations of pupils and excellent classroom management are consistent features in the teaching, which extend pupils intellectually, sustain a good pace of learning and promote high standards of behaviour. In most classes, learning objectives are shared with pupils at the beginning of lessons, giving them a good understanding of their own learning. Precise individual targets for learning are identified for pupils with special educational needs, in their individual education plans. These targets are realistic and measurable and help the pupils to make very good progress.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

17 In English, clear explanation and very good questioning skills promote interest in the topics being studied. Perceptive introduction of new concepts, which become increasingly complex as pupils progress, enables them to retain confidence as they learn. In the early stages, this helps pupils to make rapid progress in acquiring reading and writing skills. At a later stage, older pupils are helped to look closely at more specific aspects of their work. In Year 5, for example, pupils engaged in work on persuasive writing were provided with detailed guidance about how to organise and structure their argument. They were highly motivated by the imaginative way in which the class teacher had created a realistic context for them to debate issues and apply their persuasive language techniques. In Year 6, the class and support teacher co- operated very effectively to create an appropriate atmosphere and mood for pupils to

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 14 - May 2002 write poems which captured their memories of their time in the school. Throughout the school, the imaginative use of resources to support learning is a consistently good feature. In Year 1, for example, excellent use was made of the interactive whiteboard, a large screen computer projection, to introduce the text and word-level work to the pupils. In Year 2, very good use was made of individual writing boards, allowing pupils to participate and contribute during the whole-class elements of the literacy lesson. Throughout the school, very good use is made of ICT to search for information from Internet and CD-Rom sources.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

18 In mathematics, the way in which the level of challenge is adjusted to meet the needs of pupils at different levels of attainment is a strong feature in the teaching. The arrangements to re-group pupils in classes according to ability, from Year 4 to Year 6, helps teachers to meet the needs of older pupils. Throughout the school, teachers and support staff work hard and successfully to provide a good level of support in classrooms. This means that lower, average and higher attainers make the progress of which they are capable. High expectations of pupils is a very strong feature in the teaching. This was evident, for example, when pupils in Year 2 engaged in work on fractions. Care was taken to ensure that pupils at all levels of attainment were appropriately challenged and extended by the tasks given to them, the pupils' work was examined and assessed regularly, and the degree of difficulty was adjusted as

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

pupils progressed. Some excellent teaching was observed in a Year 6 lesson on shape and space, when pupils engaged in work to find the area of a circle. The approach was brisk and incisive, creating a high level of interest in the pupils, and allowing them the opportunity to devise their own formulae, before providing clear explanation to enable pupils to make accurate calculations.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

19 In science, very good lesson organisation achieves a good balance between teacher explanation and creating opportunities for pupils to learn through investigation. In ICT, excellent use is made of the computer suite, and valuable opportunities are created for pupils to use the computers in their own classroom to enhance their learning in other subjects. The attention given by teachers to their own professional development is particularly evident in ICT, where the high level of teacher expertise is an important factor in the good progress made by the pupils. The limited number of lessons observed in other subjects included some outstanding teaching of music, contributing towards the high standards achieved by the pupils.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

The school provides a high quality, rich and relevant curriculum.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

20 In addition to placing strong emphasis on the development of pupils' literacy and numeracy skills, the school has been successful in maintaining a broad and balanced curriculum, which offers a rich variety of learning opportunities. The curriculum for children at the Foundation Stage, in the Reception classes, is planned very effectively and is highly successful in addressing all of the areas of learning. Throughout the school, the requirements of the National Curriculum are met fully, and the school offers a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities in sport, music, drama and other activities. All of these activities contribute significantly towards the personal and social as well as academic development of the pupils. Since the last inspection, the school has worked very successfully to improve the quality of the learning environment. Displays of pupils’ work are now of a high standard. They are used effectively to

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

celebrate pupils’ achievements and support their learning in various areas of the curriculum.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

21 Throughout the curriculum, strong emphasis is placed on the development of literacy and numeracy skills. This is achieved through the highly successful implementation of Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 15 - May 2002 the programmes of work set out in the national strategies for literacy and numeracy, and by the perceptive use of opportunities to extend these skills through work in other subjects and educational activities. During the inspection, for example, older pupils drew very effectively on their residential experiences at the Colomendy Environmental Studies Centre, during the previous week, to produce some writing of high quality in a literacy lesson.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

22 Work covered during lessons in English and mathematics is often linked very effectively with that in other subjects. For example, older pupils, who had studied World War II in history, considered the relative merits of evacuating children from cities to rural areas, as a topic for developing the skills of persuasive writing in literacy lessons. Across the curriculum, pupils enhance significantly their English skills by talking and writing about various topics and issues arising from their studies. Valuable opportunities are also created for pupils to apply and consolidate mathematical skills during work in other subjects, particularly science. This was evident, for example, during work on life processes and living things in Year 2, when pupils calculated accurately and presented effectively their findings in graphical form, after investigative work in the school grounds.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

23 Very good progress has been made in promoting the use of ICT since the last inspection in 1997. The strong emphasis now placed on extending pupils' computer skills through work in subjects across the curriculum is a very good feature in pupils' learning throughout the school. In the classrooms, pupils are given opportunities to engage in relevant ICT tasks, which are well selected by teachers to support pupils' learning in the main areas being covered during particular lessons. The fact that classrooms are linked to the Internet provides good access to rich sources for learning. Very good use is made of the computer suite. The pupils benefit greatly from having direct access to computers, and teachers are able to introduce new concepts and learning quickly to the whole class by using the large screen interactive whiteboard.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

24 From the Foundation Stage and throughout the school, great care is taken to ensure that all children, irrespective of race, gender, background or ability, are fully involved and included in all aspects of the curriculum. Very good provision is made for pupils with special educational needs by class and specialist support teachers, who are well supported by additional support staff. Good provision is made for pupils for whom English is an additional language and for those who have been identified as particularly gifted pupils.

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The highly effective provision made for pupils' personal development contributes

25 The school is highly successful in promoting the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Topics covered during assemblies and in lessons create many opportunities for pupils to reflect on spiritual and moral questions relevant to their age. Highly effective provision is made for their social development across the curriculum and through extra-curricular activities and educational and residential visits. Very good provision is made for pupils' cultural development through work in art, music and literature.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at

all levels of responsibility is of a high calibre.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at

26 The headteacher's strong sense of purpose and commitment to provide education of a high quality for the pupils are very important factors in the progress made by this school since the last inspection in 1997. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 16 - May 2002 27 The highly effective leadership provided by those at all levels of responsibility is a strong feature in the school. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior management team co-operate very effectively with a committed and knowledgeable governing body to provide clear vision and direction for the work of the school. Well conceived development planning enables the school to identify accurately areas for educational development and make very good use of all funds. The governors’ finance committee, headteacher and highly efficient school administration co-operate very effectively to monitor spending and ensure efficient financial control.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at

28 Highly effective communication contributes positively towards the very efficient management of the school. Clear guidance is provided for all staff and very good provision made for their professional development. Some excellent strategies are employed for fostering parental interest and involvement. The imaginative arrangements for the Governors' Annual General Meeting provides a good illustration of this. The meeting is organised in a way which allows parents to express views and ideas in a constructive manner, and issues raised are systematically fed into the school's development planning process. The parents' appreciation for this approach is reflected in the rate of attendance at annual general meetings, which is considerably higher than that found nationally.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at

29 The headteacher and deputy headteacher combine very effectively to oversee the monitoring of school performance. Very good use is made of information from school and national tests, as well as that gained from on-going assessments by teachers, to identify areas for attention and set targets for improvement. Although the importance of high standards is consistently emphasised, constructive monitoring and evaluation, carried out in a sensitive and supportive manner, help to create a climate conducive to development and improvement. Teachers are keen to build on and develop their skills. The strong commitment of support staff is reflected in their willingness to attend relevant training courses in their own time.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at

30 Very good leadership and hard work by co-ordinators for subjects and aspects of provision, make a vital contribution towards maintaining a high quality curriculum. The skilful leadership of the co-ordinator for the Foundation Stage enables children to make a very good start to their education. Throughout the school, the success of those responsible for co-ordinating the core subjects of English, mathematics and science is reflected in the high standards achieved by the pupils in national tests. Very good work by the co-ordinators for ICT has contributed significantly towards the very good progress made by the school since the last inspection. The efficient work of the special educational needs co-ordinator successfully ensures high quality provision, and contributes towards the very good progress made by pupils towards the targets set out in their individual education plans. In other subjects, co-ordinators work hard

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at

and effectively, and make an important contribution towards a broad and balanced curriculum. Good work by the caretaking and cleaning staff contributes greatly towards creating an attractive learning environment for the pupils.

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The quality of leadership and management provided by the headteacher and those at

31 Very good leadership results in a well motivated staff. Teachers and support staff work closely together and this contributes greatly towards the strong team spirit and happy atmosphere which exists in the school.

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Handwriting standards could be improved by adopting a more consistent approach in

all classes. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 17 - May 2002 32 Up to Year 2, pupils use print when writing. The school begins to introduce joined-up writing from Year 2, in line with National Curriculum requirements. This form of handwriting is used by pupils during the remainder of their time in the school, but standards vary considerably between classes. In most classes, the pupils' handwriting is neat, fluent and of a consistently good standard in all subjects. In some classes, however, pupils' handwriting is less consistent and sometimes untidy.

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Handwriting standards could be improved by adopting a more consistent approach in

33 The school has included the need to improve handwriting standards as a priority in the current school development plan. A new scheme has been purchased, which includes criteria for analysing pupils’ handwriting so that improvements can be made. This scheme now needs to be implemented consistently, and standards of pupils' handwriting monitored at regularly intervals. In addition, appropriate training should be arranged to ensure that all staff are effective in promoting good handwriting.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

34 In order to raise standards further, the governing body, headteacher and staff should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i) seek to achieve good handwriting standards in all classes by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* implementing the school policy consistently; * monitoring regularly to evaluate impact; * providing appropriate training for staff needing support in promoting good handwriting standards. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 18 - May 2002

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 17

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) - 401

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs - 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register - 29

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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 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 9

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Attendance

School data 3.9 School data 0.0 Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 19 - May 2002 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 20 - May 2002

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 28 29 57

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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

Boys 25 25 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 27 29 29

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

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

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 25 25 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 27 28 28

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

Percentage of pupils School 91 (98) 93 (98) 95 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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

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

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 33 21 54

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 32 32 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 21 20 21

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

Percentage of pupils School 98 (96) 96 (90) 100 (98) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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

Boys 31 32 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 20 20 21

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

Percentage of pupils School 94 (92) 96 (90) 100 (94) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 21 - May 2002

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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 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 17.1 Financial year 2000/01

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 744,902

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 10 Total expenditure 747,816

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 173 Expenditure per pupil 1,889

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 65, 443

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) - Balance carried forward to next year 62, 529

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher -

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff -

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5.4

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 4

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 22 - May 2002 FTE means full-time equivalent. Our Lady’s Bishop Eton - 23 - May 2002

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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. 57 33 8 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 63 34 2 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 42 41 14 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 44 42 11 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 62 31 4 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 72 26 1 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 48 39 11 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 73 24 1 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 66 32 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 47 26 14 7 6

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