St Mary's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Barnard Castle

AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 9 th – 11 th June 2003

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AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - ii

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Birch Road Barnard Castle

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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: Mrs Kim Gilbert

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 1998

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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

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Team members

3624 Phil Snelling Registered inspector 8988 Joan Cross Lay inspector 30773 Judith Whitehead Team inspector

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Team members

Primary Associates Limited Suite 13 West Lancashire Technology Management Centre Moss Lane View Skelmersdale WN8 9TN

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - iv

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 1

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 12

St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is situated near the centre of the market town of Barnard Castle in southwest County Durham. It is smaller than most primary schools, with 63 pupils on roll aged between 5 and 11-year-olds. The school has four classes, one for reception children, one for Key Stage 1 and two for Key Stage 2. Whilst most of the pupils are from the town, more than a third come by bus from surrounding parishes. All pupils are white and there are no pupils from homes where English is not the language mainly spoken. Most pupils are from a mix of Christian denominations and a range of backgrounds. When they start in reception, most children attain what is expected at this age, with some doing better. After a five-year fall, numbers are rising in the school, largely due to the successful establishment of a pre-school group. The school has an average number of pupils with special educational needs, though a larger percentage than usual with statements. Most of these children have

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

problems with dyslexia or speech and communication. The number of children eligible for free school meals fluctuates; at present there are 7 (11 per cent), which is around the average percentage. The school gained School Achievement Awards in 2001 and 2002 for good national test results at Year 6.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a good school. Pupils make good progress from around an average starting point to reach well above average standards in mathematics by the age of 11 years. Standards in reading and in science overall, are above average, though standards and achievement in writing could be better. Pupils achieve very well in their personal and social development. Teaching is good overall, at its best in the junior classes. The school is led and managed effectively. The headteacher and governors show clear purpose in moving the school forward. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• It develops pupils’ reading skills very well; • It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics; • The school helps pupils to achieve very high standards in their personal development and to become mature learners; • The headteacher gives committed and effective leadership.

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What could be improved

• Pupils’ achievements in writing could be better; • The school could make better use of the information it gets from monitoring its own work . The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has improved in many ways since the previous inspection in 1998 and overall, it has been good. The most dramatic improvement has been in the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and the standards pupils reach at 11 years. Pupils were underachieving in junior classes; they are now confident users of equipment such as digital cameras and interactive whiteboards. They use computers regularly in their daily work in many subjects and the standards they reach now are at least average and at times better. Other significant improvements in the school have been:

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

• arrangements with a local sports centre to improve physical education opportunities; • better provision for teaching pupils about different cultures; • improvements to the buildings and grounds which enable better provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 2

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STANDARDS

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

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Key

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

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Key

* The school’s performance in 2000 was in the highest 5 per cent nationally

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Key

In drawing conclusions from the table of results, it needs to be borne in mind that in some years there are very few pupils in the Year 6 group and this affects the percentages. In 2002, there were 12 pupils who took the tests. However, taking into consideration trends over the past four years and current work, inspection findings show that from year-to-year many pupils reach well above average standards in mathematics and in their science knowledge. Above average standards are reached in reading but standards in writing are average. Most teachers are not as skilled at teaching this aspect of English so there are not so many challenging tasks and activities to help pupils improve. The school sets appropriate targets.

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Key

There are only three pupils currently in Year 6 but taken together with the Year 5 pupils in their class, there is outstanding achievement in mathematics. Pupils apply their number and calculating skills well in solving mathematical problems and also in other subjects such as science when handling and presenting data. Whilst most pupils achieve well in science, the practical investigations for the more able older pupils could demand more of them, with less direction and more opportunities to make decisions for themselves as to how to test a theory or record the results. Pupils in Year 3 and 4 are consistently taught well and make good gains in knowledge and skills across the subjects.

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Key

Pupils get off to a sound start in the Foundation Stage (reception) class and most reach the expected goals for this age and are working at the early stages of the national curriculum by the end of the year. This steady achievement continues through Key Stage 1. Children’s progress is not quite as rapid as it becomes in the junior classes, as the new organisation of a separate reception class is still bedding down in its first year and there is less experienced teaching in the infant class.

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Key

Pupils with special educational needs make good gains and achieve well in relation to their abilities. At times older higher attaining pupils are not given the breadth of work to challenge them beyond the ordinary, except in numeracy work. Pupils with exceptional gifts and talents are given additional opportunities to use these and they achieve well as a result. Boys and girls make equally good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are very keen, enthusiastic and well motivated. They concentrate really well on their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour in class and around the building and playground is excellent. This helps to sustain the happy but purposeful working atmosphere in school. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 3 Personal development and relationships Pupils have excellent relationships with one another and adults. By the time they leave the school, they have developed into mature, sensible children who show initiative and can accept responsibility.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very good. The school is vigorous in ensuring pupils best attendance and punctuality

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

Quality of teaching Satisfactory Satisfactory Good

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

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

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

Children achieve well and make good progress with their learning during their time in the school. The teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 is stronger partly because the teachers are both experienced and because the pupils themselves mature into excellent learners as they get older. This reflects the high quality and the success of the school’s strong personal development programme.

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

Staff have very good relationships with the children and expect them to work hard. As a result, there is a friendly but purposeful atmosphere in lessons, which encourages children to be interested in their learning. All teachers make good use of resources in their teaching. These help to stimulate children’s interests and ensure that they are able to fully participate in the activities. Teachers with access to projectors and a whiteboard use them effectively with the children to help them understand or to make explanations more interesting and clear. Teachers are good at sharing the learning intentions for lessons with pupils which helps them know exactly what they are expected to learn and to have achieved by the end. The school’s marking system involves marking work against these objectives as well as effort and presentation. Pupils become familiar with this system to the extent that some draw the necessary

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

marking boxes on the page without prompting. At times, however, opportunities are missed by teachers to get the best value out of homework.

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

The teaching of mathematics is a strength, particularly in the Year 5/6 class. It motivates pupils and helps them not only to gain knowledge and understanding but also to extend their skills in tackling problems. The eagerness and agility of the older pupils in mental arithmetic is at times breathtaking. In English, the teaching of reading is good. It enables pupils to achieve well. However, the teaching of writing, whilst satisfactory, could be improved. Children are not achieving as well in this area of their work because teachers are less confident. They are not always clear enough about what the child needs to do next to improve their writing.

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

Boys and girls are equally encouraged in lessons to play their full part in answering questions and contributing to discussions. Children with special needs are well supported in class and when withdrawn because they are set work at the right level. Now and again older more able pupils don’t get as much out of a learning activity as they could because it is too narrowly focused on acquiring further knowledge without using some of the skills they already have.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. It offers children a wide range of first hand experiences. Good use is made of visits, visitors and the locality. Due emphasis is placed on teaching English and mathematics, without the richness of the curriculum being lost. A lot of pupils benefit from clubs and activities out of school hours. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 4 Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. These pupils receive good quality support by teachers or support assistants in class and on occasions through withdrawal to work separately.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural, development Very strong social and moral development. Children have plenty of opportunities to work as part of a team and make a contribution to the school community. They are clearly taught right from wrong. The school is successful at teaching children to develop tolerance and understanding of other races and cultures as well as their own.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good; staff care for the pupils extremely well. Procedures for child protection are good.

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Aspect Comment

The school is strongly committed to offering pupils a wide range of learning opportunities, including citizenship. Pupils make great strides in their personal development because the very good provision reflects this strong commitment. The school’s systems for checking children’s progress in writing could be improved.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall. The headteacher leads very well and maintains a clear direction in the work of the school, and staff and governors share a clear view of what they are trying to achieve for pupils.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. They are a committed group who have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and development areas. They are forthright in implementing new initiatives such as the pre-school playgroup and in making changes.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is very good in evaluating its strengths and areas for improvement but it needs to make better use of the information gathered about teaching, learning, and pupils’ progress in its development planning.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. The school makes the most of its financial resources and is good at winning additional grants to fund particular initiatives or activities that extend the children’s learning.

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Aspect Comment

The school seeks best value in all its work. The headteacher and governors regularly ask parents for their views and pupils contribute their ideas through the School Council. Money has been spent well on alterations to the building to improve provision for the younger children.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The children make good progress; • The teaching is good; • It is easy to approach the school and staff; • The school is well led and managed; • The school helps children to grow up and become mature. There are no areas parents are unhappy with. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 5 Every parent who returned a questionnaire strongly endorsed the strengths. The inspection team agrees with parents that the school has many good features. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 6

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It develops pupils’ reading skills very well

1. The school is very successful in teaching the pupils to read. This stems from the efforts of the school, pupils and parents from reception onwards. Reading is given a high priority from the outset. Pupils practise their reading on a regular basis at home and in school. The regular occasions during which individuals are heard reading by an adult, commended in the previous report, continue and still contribute significantly to the pupils’ success.

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It develops pupils’ reading skills very well

2. Children have access to and use books confidently from an early age. They are well supported in learning to read by teachers and support assistants and they build a solid foundation in the reception and infant classes. For example, in lessons seen in Year 1/2, pupils were taught effectively to apply their reading skills in extracting information from a text. The teacher, who was careful to use the correct technical language for the activity, provided a group of boys with a good choice of text, which interested them. By Year 2, most pupils can identify the author of a book and know about contents, indices and glossaries. They can organise their work by using ‘sub headings’ where appropriate. Younger pupils can explain in simple terms that ‘storybooks have stories in whilst information books are about real things.’

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It develops pupils’ reading skills very well

3. A close eye is kept on pupils’ progress with detailed and useful records kept. As they become older and move into the junior classes, much is done to sustain pupils’ interest and their enjoyment of reading. There is an extensive range of high quality books that are easily accessible. The library is an attractive and worthwhile resource that is used well by the pupils when they need to find out information.

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It develops pupils’ reading skills very well

4. Pupils now have many opportunities to use and extend their reading through research in other subjects of the curriculum, such as history, which is an improvement since the previous inspection. For example, in a lesson seen in Year 3/4, pupils were finding out about ‘how the Romans kept clean.’ Pupils of different abilities were set tasks and provided with resources at the right level of challenge for them. Those who find learning difficult were supported by a classroom assistant and a worksheet with specific questions to help them. A higher attaining pupil sought her information by using the interactive whiteboard to research the Romans on the Internet, and wrote down the new facts she had learned, determinedly using her own words. She became totally immersed in her work. Other children went to choose books from the library and returned with appropriate selections to help them find out about the public baths or toiletries of the time. These children naturally used the

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It develops pupils’ reading skills very well

contents page or the index to find out where they needed to look in the book to find their particular information.

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

5. Pupils reach high standards in their mathematics. They get off to a solid start in the Foundation Stage (reception) class and Key Stage 1, and as they move through Key Stage 2 their progress accelerates. Pupils in Year 5/6 make rapid progress and show some outstanding achievement.

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

6. Pupils show an enthusiasm for mathematics from the youngest ages. In a lesson seen in reception, they were so keen to begin their measuring activities that they had to be reminded to make their estimates first. The teaching at this stage soundly St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 7 supports pupils’ learning, for example, number lines displayed in the classroom help them to master the correct writing of numerals. Their worksheets are designed well to ensure they can understand and work independently at their mathematical activities without being held back by the need to read over-difficult text. However, although their work is set at different levels of challenge, some finish quickly and could cover more ground.

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

7. Teachers demand a lot of the pupils in the junior classes, where they expect them to use and apply their knowledge in solving difficult problems. As a result, they sustain their early enthusiasm for number work and other aspects of mathematics. They produce a large amount of recorded work. Teachers have good subject knowledge and they use it effectively to explain new ideas to pupils or help them learn and understand new mathematical terms. They encourage pupils and praise them for their efforts so they not afraid to have a go at answering difficult questions.

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

8. Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills in other subjects. For example, in science, they present results of their tests using graphs whilst in geography they tackle coordinates in their map work.

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

9. The school has made good use of the national numeracy strategy to improve pupils learning of mental arithmetic skills. In the Year 1/2 class, for example, pupils learn to count in multiples of five, with the older children working on higher numbers to extend them. As a result of such exercises, pupils build up a good range of strategies for working out answers as they move through the classes. Pupils in Year 3/4 showed themselves to be very adept at placing fractions on a 16 point scale from 0 - 1, demonstrating a good understanding of equivalent fractions. For example, pupils with special needs could see that 2/4 = ½ whilst pupils of average ability could see that ¼ = 4/16. The interactive board was used well for this activity. Later in the lesson, pupils showed their ability to calculate fractions of whole numbers and explain what they had done. In a very interesting activity, more able Year 4 pupils were able to place

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

long jumpers in their landing position in the 60 point ‘sandpit’ by converting fractions. One was able to explain that she could place a jumper at the 9/10ths point because ‘I found out that 6 is 1/10 of 60 so 9/10 is 54.’ Average ability pupils were able to work out calculations such as 3/10 of 20 and explain how they did it.

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

10. By the time they are in the older junior class pupils have an excellent knowledge and understanding of numbers and can calculate accurately with breathtaking speed. For example, in a stunning display of mental agility, Year 5/6 pupils worked at a series of reasoning exercises about sequences and functions. Typical of the mental calculations they were able to set for each other and solve very quickly were:

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

1. Explain this sequence 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

2. What is the next number 10, 80, 270, 640…….

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

3. Work out the relationship between these numbers (functions)

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

(i) Two steps (ii) Three steps n ?? n ?? 5 2.5 1 20 6 3.6 2 160 7 4.9 3 540 8 6.4 4 1280 St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 8 11. Teaching in the lesson seen in this class was very good. The pupils were clearly enjoying the activities as the teacher pressed them to explain how they worked out the answers. Correct mathematical language was normally used and pupils showed rapid mental recall of facts such as 8 cubed = 512 whilst working out answers. Questioning was used well to make children think hard and give all of them opportunities to respond and explain their working or ideas. Questions of varying levels of difficulty were aimed at children of different ages and capabilities, and explanations reflected the teachers very good subject knowledge. The pace of the teaching was fast. The pupils were able to draw on their own existing knowledge as,

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

for example, when one child recounted ‘I found that my numbers were being cubed and in sequences so I ….’

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It enables pupils to reach high standards in mathematics

12. The teacher responsible for leading the subject, who has held the post for a relatively short time, is enthusiastic and becoming increasingly influential in developing it. As a leading mathematics teacher in the County, he brings a particular expertise and offers good support and advice to colleagues; for example in sharing ideas from his training on good ways of teaching mental arithmetic. He has built up a good knowledge of standards in mathematics across the school by observation of others teaching and by analysing pupils’ test results. However, this information is not yet put to best use in deciding what still needs to be improved.

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development and to become mature learners

13. The pupils enjoy school and are justifiably proud of their academic and personal achievements. They are open and friendly, well mannered and well adjusted individuals who show a very high level of care and concern for others. Their personal development is outstanding, helped by the strongly supportive, encouraging and enabling headteacher and staff.

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development and to become mature learners

14. Relationships throughout the school are excellent. Newcomers to the school are warmly embraced into its family. Many of the reception class have attended the on- site pre-school group and are already well acquainted with the staff and premises when they start. They mix freely and easily with older pupils, helped by well established routines that strongly encourage this. Pupils, for example, line up in houses rather than classes prior to entering the building from the playground. Playtimes, lunchtimes and some of the assemblies and educational visits are whole- school experiences. Older pupils instinctively look after younger ones, helped by high expectations of the staff who, for example, entrust them with responsibilities as playground buddies and partners on educational visits.

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development and to become mature learners

15. When children first start school in the reception class they tend to lack independence and some find it hard to share equipment and take turns. Staff work hard to improve their personal, social and emotional development, sometimes using stories or puppets to bring home the messages suitably. Parents are actively encouraged to say their goodbyes to the children as soon as they reach the school premises each morning and to wait to greet them at the gate at the end of the day. This ensures that the children deal with outdoor clothing and belongings by themselves. It also assures equality for all since many travel without parents from outlying areas by school buses. Staff take very good care of the pupils. Parents are particularly pleased with the very structured close-of-school arrangements that safely ensure that every child is escorted away by the nominated adult or gets on the correct bus. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 9

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development and to become mature learners

16. Citizenship features strongly in the school's very good provision for pupils' personal development. Duties as buddies, librarians, bell ringers and door lockers are undertaken sensibly and maturely by older pupils who apply in writing for the posts and attend mock interviews. This process gives the pupils very good opportunities to think about their personal qualities, organisational skills and reliability and how they might use these to help others. Pupils are also actively encouraged to put themselves forward for democratic election as school council representatives using posters, speeches and question and answer sessions to strengthen their case. They ably present their class council's views on issues such as school improvement and charitable fundraising. Key Stage 2 pupils successfully organise regular coffee mornings for parents, gaining much from the teamwork involved and thinking about costs and profit margins. Parents are delighted that their children gain such maturity

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development and to become mature learners

as they get older, and with the school overall.

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development and to become mature learners

17. Attendance is usually very good which enables pupils to build progressively upon their previous learning. Almost every child was present and on time during the inspection period. The headteacher actively promotes this through general messages in newsletters and personal communications to parents that tell them straight if standards are slipping.

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development and to become mature learners

18. Pupils' attitudes towards learning are very good. They are highly attentive and eager to contribute to discussions and get on with practical tasks without fuss. They enjoy work that challenges them and persevere well. Pupils' faces, for example, were a picture of concentration when they picked out rhythms with musical instruments to accompany a melody sung by classmates during a Year 3/4 music lesson. By the time pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6 they are mature learners. Their personal research skills are much improved since the last inspection, helped enormously by the provision of the ICT suite which enables them to search for information by themselves from a wider range of sources than before.

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development and to become mature learners

19. Behaviour in lessons and around school is excellent helped by effective praise and rewards that boost pupils' self-esteem and by staff who consistently reinforce the expected standard. Pupils, for example, are very patient whilst waiting their turn to be served food in the dining hall. They were similarly uncomplaining after their meal when a sudden downpour prolonged their time seated at the dining tables. There are few incidents of bullying and no exclusions. The 'buddy bench' in the playground enables those in need of befriending to be readily identified and supported. Pupils, staff or parents with any concerns can contact the part-time school counsellor for advice. This forms an effective part of the school's very good procedures for child protection and ensuring pupils' welfare. Staff know the families and their circumstances very well and respond to pupils' academic and personal needs and

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development and to become mature learners

20. The school offers a rich curriculum for the pupils which includes many interesting educational visits and visitors that broaden pupils' experiences and contribute very effectively to their personal development. Its small size with a high percentage from outlying areas deters neither residential visits, by joining with other local schools, nor extra-curricular provision including competitive sports.

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The headteacher gives committed and effective leadership

21. At the time of the previous inspection, the headteacher’s leadership was judged to be very good and this has been sustained. A strong feature was the headteacher’s vision for the school and this remains clear and shared by the staff and the governing body. Relationships are very good and staff are enthusiastic and keen to develop the St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 10 children in their care. The school’s ethos is one which underpins a commitment to improvement and to bringing about the highest possible achievement for each individual child.

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The headteacher gives committed and effective leadership

22. The headteacher gives a very good steer to the work of the school and leads from the front. The school has made a number of good improvements since the previous inspection. In particular, the provision, teaching and standards in ICT are much better than they were. Pupils' achievement in the core subjects (English, mathematics and science) is better though this has not been at the expense of neglecting the arts, environmental or physical subjects. In recent years, a fall in roll had begun to threaten the school but creating and successfully establishing a pre-school playgroup has reversed this. The environment has been improved and alterations made to the building that support the establishment of a separate Foundation Stage (reception) class. This is benefiting both the youngest children and those in Key Stage 1.

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Pupils’ achievements in writing could be better

23. Analysis of pupils’ test results over recent years shows that they achieve more in reading than in writing. Whilst most pupils attain above average levels in English tests at 11 years, however, not as many reach higher levels in English as is the case in mathematics and science. The school has rightly identified this as its main area for future improvement.

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Pupils’ achievements in writing could be better

24. The new arrangement of a separate reception class (Foundation Stage) is just settling down in its first year. At this stage children need to be given more opportunities to develop their early writing skills. As they move through the infant class, the range of writing is at times too narrow and there is no clear picture of a systematic development of skills here. For example, pupils’ work shows that they write stories but there is no apparent focus on developing particular aspects such as character, beginnings or endings. As they pass through the lower junior class there is a good range of different writing activities but this narrows again in the older junior class, so the level of challenge is not so high. Overall, there is an over emphasis on story writing.

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Pupils’ achievements in writing could be better

25. Whilst the setting of specific writing targets for pupils has been implemented, the usefulness of these is not yet fully realised. At present the targets are not always clear or specific enough and there are variations in how rigorously various members of staff apply them.

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Pupils’ achievements in writing could be better

26. Teachers create many opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills in other subjects and this is a strength. However, there is also a need here to take this a stage further by broadening out these opportunities, particularly for the older and more able pupils. In history, for example, pupils write many factual accounts. They write using the knowledge they have gained from research in books and the Internet but do not consider the reliability of sources of information sufficiently and write about this aspect. In science, pupils’ recording of experiments is accurate and well organised by the time they reach midway in the junior classes. As they become older this is further reinforced but follows the same pattern and is not extended as much as it might be by asking them to choose for themselves and use alternative ways to present outcomes.

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Pupils’ achievements in writing could be better

27. Whilst standards in writing could be higher, some aspects are nonetheless strong. In both key stages, pupils’ standards of work in handwriting and presentation are high St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 11 and they take a great pride in presenting their work neatly. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are generally accurate in their English work but not enough attention is given to ensuring that they are accurate in their work in all other subjects. For example, pupils effectively learn the language of mathematics and science so that by Year 5/6 they are using it orally very well. However, the written work of average and more able shows misspelling of words such as ‘thikest’ ‘pridiction’ ‘conducters’ ‘programe’ and confusion between the use of ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ which go unchallenged.

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Pupils’ achievements in writing could be better

28. During the past year or so, the school has arranged appropriate training for teachers to help them improve their skills in teaching writing. This training has been aimed at meeting individual needs and the learning has yet to be shared and discussed amongst the staff as a whole. To gain the best impact, a whole staff sharing and further training is now needed. Observations by the co-ordinator need to be more clearly focused on specific aspects of teaching writing. The outcomes of lesson observations together with data analysis would carry more weight if fed into a literacy development plan sharper than the current one, and which sets clear whole school targets for improvement.

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The school could make better use of the information it gets from monitoring its own

29. The school is successful in evaluating its own work. It gathers a vast amount of information through its monitoring procedures. However, it is not so successful in getting the best outcomes from this work through well planned whole-school improvement centred on a crisp and clear development plan.

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The school could make better use of the information it gets from monitoring its own

30. There is a wide programme of observations, work sampling, and looking at teachers’ planning involving the headteacher and key subject co-ordinators. Extensive analysis of test results is also undertaken. However, it is hard to track specific improvements based on analysis of such findings. To enable this, observations need to focus more sharply on the effect of teaching on learning, with clear targets for improvement in the development plan based on what is found.

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The school could make better use of the information it gets from monitoring its own

31. The School Development Plan is very woolly and does not set out key priorities well. It contains subject audits and action plans but they do not link closely enough together. The plans themselves are not precise enough, particularly because the expected outcomes and measures of success focus on the completion of the task rather than their impact on children’s achievement or the quality of their learning. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 12

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

32. To further improve this successful school, the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) Improve pupils’ achievement in writing by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ putting more emphasis on activities which develop early writing skills in the Foundation Stage; § extending, through training, teachers’ knowledge of the full range of writing styles and how best to teach skills; § getting more out of target setting by making sharper assessments of pupils’ levels, sharing targets more consistently with pupils and marking their work against them; § extending the challenge in the writing opportunities created in other subjects, especially for the older and more able pupils.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b) In school improvement, make better use of information collected from self- evaluation and monitoring by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

§ establishing clearer priorities in the School Development Plan, based on the findings of monitoring; § establishing success criteria in the School Development Plan that identify the expected impact of actions on children’s achievement or the quality of their learning; § identifying and sharing more effectively within the staff examples of good practice, and the learning from training. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 13

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 63

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 7

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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 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 1

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 14

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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 2002 0 5 5

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

Where there are 10 or fewer pupils in a year group, statistical data is not reliable and it is, therefore, not included.

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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 2002 4 8 12

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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)

Percentage of pupils School 92 (91) 100 (91) 100(100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

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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)

Percentage of pupils School 75 (91) 100 (91) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

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

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

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

Results are published only when there are more than 10 pupils who took the National Curriculum tests. In the 2001/2 Year 6 group there were fewer than 10 boys or girls, but more than 10 pupils in total.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other ethnic group 0 0 0 St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 15 No ethnic group recorded 15 0 0 The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 16

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 5.3 Financial year 2002/03

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 12.3

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 233757

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2 Total expenditure 233544

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 24 Expenditure per pupil 4027

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance brought forward from previous year 17642

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 213

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 0.3

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 0.3

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School - 17

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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. 100 0 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 79 21 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 86 7 7 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 71 29 0 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. 100 0 0 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. 93 7 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 93 7 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 100 0 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 100 0 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 79 21 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Percentages are rounded to the nearest integer and may not total 100.

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