St John Vianney's Catholic Primary School

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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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 John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Glastonbury Avenue Blackpool Lancashire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Rev Father P C Cousens

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: November 1997 St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 4

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Team members

20810 Sheila Pemberton Registered inspector 9777 David Heath Lay inspector 31012 Ann Welch Team inspector 21094 John Brennan Team inspector

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Team members

Quality in Focus Thresher House Lea Hall Park Demage Lane Lea by Backford Chester CH1 6LP

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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 John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 17

St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 6

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St John Vianney is a large Catholic primary school in the Tyldesley ward of Blackpool. Most pupils live in the parishes of St John Vianney and St Monica, although others come from different areas of the town. Pupils are drawn from a wide range of social backgrounds and many attend the school’s new nursery on a part-time basis. Many children’s early achievements are average for four-year-olds. Almost all pupils have white ethnic backgrounds and all but three speak English as their first language. Of the 465 pupils on roll, there are fewer boys, 216, than girls, 249. Fewer pupils than nationally, 13.4 per cent, are known to be eligible for free school meals. An above average number of pupils, 26.23 per cent, has special educational needs for physical disabilities and for difficulties with learning and communication. The percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs for behavioural and learning difficulties, 1.3 per cent, is average. Over the last two years, the

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

school has met significant difficulties in retaining staff and filling vacant teaching posts with experienced Catholic teachers. Out of a total of 18 teachers, 13 have left and been replaced by many temporary, recently or newly qualified staff. This has led to a reduction in the quality of teaching. A new headteacher was appointed in 2000 and a new deputy headteacher in 2002. The school is involved in a locally funded scheme for raising achievement in writing and maintains close links with a school for pupils with severe learning difficulties.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The school provides a satisfactory standard of education. Although teaching is now satisfactory it was not strong or consistent enough last year to maintain the high standards usually achieved by pupils in Year 6. This is a direct consequence of the crises caused by continuous changes in staffing and the appointment of temporary and inexperienced staff. Since then, the situation has stabilised to the point where sound leadership and management give the school the capacity to reverse this recent decline in teaching and standards. While governors’ efforts to carry out their responsibilities are satisfactory, time that was not allocated to ongoing responsibilities has recently been spent trying to get the staffing right. All this has meant that they have not been able to keep a close enough eye on standards and teaching. Parents have also done their best to keep the morale of the school high and to help

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

their children make as much progress as possible. The school gives satisfactory value for the funding it receives.

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What the school does well

• Good provision for personal growth makes a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual and social development. • Good support for pupils with special educational needs provides them with good opportunities to learn. • The school has made good improvements to its provision in the nursery and reception classes. • Very good partnerships with parents support pupils’ learning and the life of the school.

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What could be improved

• Pupils are not reading often enough to improve their skills. • The work in mathematics does not always meet the needs of all pupils in some classes. • The way the school checks the quality of teaching and learning. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 7

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Following a two-year period of disruption and change to its management, the school has addressed issues identified for improvement in 1997 with reasonable success. The adoption of new programmes of work ensures that all aspects of design technology, art and music are taught. Although systems for assessing and recording pupils’ progress are now in place, teachers are not using them consistently enough to support all pupils’ learning. The needs of more able pupils are met in many lessons although occasionally the work provided for them still lacks challenge. There are strong improvements to the maintenance and storage of resources. Also, the school has made good improvements to the curriculum for children in the early years through high-quality planning, a new nursery and the refurbishment of the reception classes.

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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 C B D D well above average above average A B Mathematics B A C D average below average C D Science B A D D well below average E

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Key

• In national tests in 2002, fewer more able 11-year-olds reached the high levels they were capable of in English, mathematics and science. As a result, standards deteriorated in all three subjects. • However, inspection findings indicate steady improvements to the achievements of more able pupils in mathematics in this year’s Year 6. • Although reading in Year 2 improved to average in national tests in 2002, the standards achieved by more able pupils were too low. They were below average. • Standards in writing in Year 2 have been either very low or low over the past four years. They were low in 2002 and more able pupils did not do well enough. • Standards in mathematics in Year 2 were well below average in 2002. • Standards were above average in teachers’ assessments of science in 2002 but the standards reached by more able seven-year-olds were not high enough in mathematics and science. They were well below average in both subjects.

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Key

• In 2002, the performance of boys in Year 2 improved. Their achievements in reading were average for their age, above average in mathematics but below average in writing. • The performances of girls in Year 2 were below average for girls of the same age in reading, writing and mathematics in 2002. • When compared with the achievements of pupils in similar schools, the results of seven- year-olds were too low. They were below average in reading and writing and well below average in mathematics. • A recent emphasis on writing is beginning to raise standards in this year’s Year 2. • The school did not reach its targets for pupils in Year 6 in English and mathematics in 2002. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils have good attitudes to school. They enjoy all activities, work hard and are keen to do their best.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Satisfactory. Although many pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, small groups of mainly younger children are too noisy in the classrooms and are not listening carefully enough to instructions from their teachers.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Most pupils act in a sensible and reliable way. Because relationships between teachers and pupils are good, pupils become confident learners and responsible members of the school and local community.

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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory Satisfactory 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

Suitable activities and skilful teaching provide good guidance and help for pupils with physical disabilities and learning and behavioural difficulties. From their training in national strategies and local initiatives, teachers understand how to teach reading, writing and mathematics. However, weaknesses arise in pupils’ learning because reading is not taught early or often enough for them to make sufficient progress. Teachers often provide less able mathematicians with tasks that are too hard and which limit their progress by excluding them from work at their own level. When teachers plan work without reference to their assessments, pupils’ learning is weakened and becomes less effective. Good-quality planning, activities and resources in the nursery and reception classes make a strong impact on children’s early learning. Teaching assistants provide good support for teaching and guidance for pupils’ learning.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a good range of interesting and exciting activities for children in the nursery and reception classes. The curriculum for children in the infants and juniors is satisfactory. It provides the full range of subjects and a good range of activities outside lessons. The school has improved its provision by providing free tuition and access to a range of musical instruments. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The work, guidance and resources provided for pupils with learning difficulties help them to make good progress towards their personal targets. Teachers and support staff are good at meeting the needs of pupils with physical disabilities and behavioural problems.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Satisfactory. Teachers use the skills of teaching assistants effectively to ensure that children improve their understanding of English.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good provision for spiritual and social development makes positive contributions to pupils’ spiritual life, attitudes and relationships. Satisfactory provision for their moral and cultural development increases their understanding of the need for good behaviour and important features of their own culture. Cultural development is not raising pupils’ awareness of people with different backgrounds.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes good care of pupils’ well-being and is effective at maintaining harmonious relationships. Teachers do not always use information about pupils’ learning to plan work that meets their needs. Very close partnerships with parents provide a good basis for their children’s learning and personal development.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory. Despite the constant disruption to continuity caused by continuous changes to the staff, the headteacher has recently established a management team that is beginning to address new initiatives. The headteacher and co-ordinators have succeeded in improving the provision for children in the nursery and reception classes and support for pupils with special educational needs. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Satisfactory overall. Governors fulfil many of their statutory responsibilities but are not checking closely enough on the quality of teaching and the standards that pupils achieve. The school’s evaluation of its performance Although the school is aware of weaknesses in its provision, it is not giving enough attention to checking the quality of teaching and learning. The strategic use of resources The school’s ability to use the strengths of its teachers to

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Aspect Comment

maintain and raise standards has been impaired by the unusual circumstances it has met in retaining and recruiting a suitable balance of recently qualified and experienced Catholic teachers. It makes good use of high-quality resources for the learning of children in the nursery and reception classes. While the school makes sound efforts to get best value from spending and resources, it is not comparing its performance with that of similar schools.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Most parents are glad that their children enjoy school. • Many find it easy to approach the school with their questions or problems. • Teachers help their children to become mature and responsible. • They think that behaviour is good. • Parents believe that the teaching is good and that teachers expect children to work hard and to do their best. • The school is well-led and managed. • Some parents would like more information about how their children are getting on. • A small group of parents would like more involvement in school events.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with parents that their children enjoy school, that the headteacher and staff are approachable and help pupils to become mature and sensible. While teachers expect children to work hard, the teaching of a relatively inexperienced staff is mainly satisfactory rather than good. Similarly, with limited opportunities in the last two years to develop new initiatives in a stable environment, leadership and management are sound but not good. Inspectors disagree with parents who feel that the school does not involve them in all its activities. They agree with parents who would like more opportunities to discuss their children’s progress with teachers. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 11

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Good provision for pupils’ personal growth makes a strong contribution to their

1. The school’s character embodies clear Christian values and a strong commitment to the care and well-being of its pupils. Provision for spiritual and social development remains good, as it was at the last inspection. As a regular visitor to the school, the parish priest helps raise pupils’ awareness of their roles in a caring community. Teachers also encourage pupils and their families to play a full part in the life of the parish. They foster spirituality by enabling pupils to lead Family Mass in church and to take part in a Nativity Play at Christmas and a Passion Play at Easter. Staff increase pupils’ spiritual awareness through hymns and prayers in assemblies whose carefully chosen themes help them to consider and to express their feelings. Pupils gain experience of the beliefs of others when sharing assemblies with schools with different Christian backgrounds.

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Good provision for pupils’ personal growth makes a strong contribution to their

2. Caring relationships contribute strongly to good social development. Teachers encourage pupils to work together responsibly and in a co-operative way in lessons. They also use personal, social and health education well to foster self-esteem, to help pupils understand their own feelings and to feel good about themselves. A teacher in Year 6, for instance, made an effective job of getting pupils to think and talk about events in their lives that made them feel proud. These ranged from things they had done and things that others had done such as, When I sing, people get emotional and When my mum got a job . Involving everyone in the life of the school is part of the work of the school’s council. Pupils from different year groups get the chance to behave sensibly when voicing their own ideas and representing the views of others. Older pupils become sensitive to the needs of young children when treating them as buddies

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Good provision for pupils’ personal growth makes a strong contribution to their

in the playground. Caring for others extends beyond the bounds of the school. For instance, pupils consider the plight of the homeless and the lives of sick children when making donations to a range of different charities. Pupils in the juniors develop social skills outside their usual settings during educational and residential visits.

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Good support for pupils with special educational needs provides them with good

3. The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs has grown in quality since the last inspection. This is mainly because a well-informed and enthusiastic co- ordinator offers training and guidance that improve teachers’ skills. The co-ordinator also works with individuals and groups of pupils who experience learning difficulties and behavioural problems. The range of work covered by the co-ordinator is extended through the efforts of a specialist teacher and also by the skills of trained assistants in lessons. Teaching assistants work alongside pupils with statements of special educational needs in lessons to guide their learning and personal development. Very good contacts provide parents with clear information about their children’s difficulties and encourage them to contribute to their children’s progress.

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Good support for pupils with special educational needs provides them with good

4. Teachers benefit from the good quality of pupils’ educational plans. Every class has a well-organised file containing achievable targets for pupils’ learning and development with helpful strategies and resources to bring about improvement. These files offer valuable insights that help teachers plan activities at a level that meets the needs of individual pupils. They also offer teaching assistants with clear guidance to use in St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 12 lessons. In the best practice, teachers make evaluative notes on individual educational plans and use information from assessment to modify pupils’ targets and activities.

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Good support for pupils with special educational needs provides them with good

5. Letters to agencies outside the school demonstrate the school’s determination to gain accurate diagnoses and the best available support for pupils with serious difficulties. The co-ordinator is in contact with a wide range of agencies to get the most helpful provision for every pupil. As an outcome, pupils in need of specialist guidance attend nurture groups, receive physiotherapy and speech therapy, and in some cases, the help of local education authority advisers and social services. Such high-quality provision places the school in a strong position to work this year in closer partnership with a local school for pupils with severe learning difficulties. With additional funding to extend the building and its resources, the school is well-placed to offer these pupils access to opportunities available to its own pupils.

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The school has made good improvements to its provision in the nursery and

6. Since the last inspection and the appointment of the new headteacher, the school has made strong improvements to its provision for children in the nursery and reception classes. One of the ways that the school has achieved this is through the recent opening of a new nursery. This initiative extends children’s opportunities to learn and to enjoy a wide range of experiences at an early stage in their development. It is good preparation for the next step in their education. A further good development stems from training undertaken by the co-ordinator that has improved the planning of activities in all areas of learning and allowed staff to benefit from the expertise of other teachers in the locality. This training was of such high quality that it greatly improved teachers’ understanding of how young children learn. For instance, after listening to a story that extended their knowledge of African culture and village life, children in a reception class

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The school has made good improvements to its provision in the nursery and

tasted an interesting variety of new and unusual fruit. A host of other equally interesting activities was taking place at the same time.

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The school has made good improvements to its provision in the nursery and

7. A big injection of funding has provided children with the use of high-quality equipment and materials. This spending has had a marked effect on children’s enthusiasm for school and their progress towards the goals established for their learning. Extensive funding has also brought about considerable improvements to the space available for activities in the reception classes and to areas and resources for outdoor play. Greater space outside reception classrooms means that the area is buzzing with practical activities that contribute strongly to all areas of learning. Children gain independence and positive attitudes through a wide choice of high-quality activities that teachers plan to suit their needs. A good feature of teaching lies in the caring relationships teachers form with children. These enable children to feel secure and to settle quickly into school.

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The school has made good improvements to its provision in the nursery and

8. Teachers in the nursery and reception classes make good use of assessment to identify strengths and weaknesses in learning and personal growth. Regular observations help teachers to track children’s progress and to record their achievements. Files containing samples of work, photographs and assessments of their learning keep parents well informed about their children’s progress. Teachers also use assessment well to plan challenging activities that promote children’s progress. In the nursery, for example, while several children were baking bread, others were engrossed in washing scooters and bicycles with bubbles everywhere. These and other activities were accompanied by continual dialogue that encouraged children to think about what they were achieving and how they could extend their learning. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 13

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Very good partnerships with parents support pupils’ learning and the life of the

9. Most parents have very positive views of the school. The headteacher has strengthened partnerships with parents since the last inspection and raised them to a level that is very good. Warm relationships have a helpful impact on pupils’ achievements since well-informed parents encourage learning in the home and become involved in all activities and events. The school adds to parents’ knowledge of the curriculum by running informative courses like Parents as Educators and Better Reading Partnerships . Of special importance to many parents is the school’s strong Catholic teaching and caring Christian atmosphere. Parents are confident that teachers share and help transmit their values to their children and many travel considerable distances to take advantage of the school’s religious life.

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Very good partnerships with parents support pupils’ learning and the life of the

10. At the pre-inspection meeting, the parents of pupils with special educational needs praised the staff for their caring attitudes. They were equally delighted with the headteacher’s determination to involve their children in all activities. They felt that the efforts of the whole staff have a good effect on their children’s learning and behaviour, and on the partnership between them and the school. Arrangements for children to join the nursery and reception classes are organised well. They help both parents and their children to quickly take the school’s routines on board.

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Very good partnerships with parents support pupils’ learning and the life of the

11. Parents are very well informed about happenings in the school. Newsletters keep them up-to-date with the topics taught each term, educational visits, news about events and ways they can support their children’s learning. Annual reports provide detailed information about their children’s achievements and where improvements are needed to their learning. Reports share pupils’ personal targets with their parents and contain helpful comments about their personal and social development. Homework diaries provide useful channels of communication between parents and teachers that support pupils’ learning and welfare.

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Very good partnerships with parents support pupils’ learning and the life of the

12. Parents appreciate the welcoming atmosphere of the school and opportunities to share their concerns informally with teachers. Many at the parents’ meeting voiced strong approval of the way the headteacher meets them in the playground in the morning. It makes their children feel special and increases their self-esteem when greeted individually by name. A few parents, who attend school regularly to help in classrooms, make a good contribution to teaching and learning.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Pupils are not reading often enough to improve their skills.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

13. The standards reached by seven-year-olds have been too low in national tests in reading over recent years. This is partially because of changes to staffing that have brought inconsistencies to the way that reading is taught. Also, teachers are not addressing this issue analytically enough to find the causes of low standards. Reading is not taught as a priority early in children’s time in school or from the beginning of each term. In the week before the autumn half-term, many pupils had read only once or twice to an adult in school. Consequently, willing learners were finding it hard to become independent readers because they lacked opportunities to practise their skills. The efforts of parents who support their children’s reading at home make a positive impact on pupils’ learning. The pupils who were benefiting most from existing arrangements were those who have difficulties with their reading. These pupils are taught by the

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

special educational needs co-ordinator and a teacher who understand the importance St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 14 of providing pupils with skills to make sense of print and opportunities to read at regular intervals.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

14. Teachers also lack ambition for more able pupils to increase their fluency and understanding by encouraging them to tackle an increasingly difficult range of texts. The most confident readers in the infants are often reading texts that are far too easy and hinder their progress. These pupils explain an interest in books that are far more challenging but are not easily available in school. Less able readers are equally keen to learn. On the few occasions they read in school, they often read to teaching assistants (two of whom are unqualified) or usually weekly to their teachers. Teachers’ low expectations are equally evident in the reading of pupils of average attainment. Their reading moves forward at too slow a pace and with unchallenging texts.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

15. The detail contained in teachers’ records is too superficial to support pupils’ learning and increase their achievements. It lists mainly the groupings established for pupils to read together, the name of the texts used and the days and dates when pupils read. Without evaluative commentaries outlining areas for improvement, the teaching of groups of pupils with different achievements lacks the clear focus needed to drive standards up.

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The work provided in mathematics does not always meet the needs of all the pupils in

16. Although procedures for assessment have improved, new staff have not got a grip on consistently using the information it provides. This shows up in mental mathematics, where the work is often too hard for some less able pupils. In Year 6, for instance, the teacher kept pupils on their toes with quick-fire questions. However, many questions were too difficult for less able pupils. A pupil who said, I don’t get it, and others who looked puzzled were left behind when the teacher moved on too quickly to new questions. None of these pupils was involved or included in the remainder of the session. A similar problem was evident in Year 2, for example. A teacher left pupils with too little time for thought with the result that only half answered any questions and those who contributed already knew the answer. Pupils with special educational needs usually have a better deal in mathematics, as teaching assistants support their

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The work provided in mathematics does not always meet the needs of all the pupils in

17. In some lessons, tasks are planned with care to meet the needs of different pupils. However, in others, regardless of their previous achievements, all pupils work at the same or similar tasks. When this occurs, the more able and the average mathematicians cope better with the work provided. As in mental mathematics, less able pupils struggle and make numerous mistakes. Too little of the work in mathematics involves pupils in using what they learn to solve practical problems. A further difficulty arises in year groups where significant differences exist in the achievements of pupils in parallel classes. Assessments of children’s early learning indicate that one class in a year group often has a higher percentage of average and more able pupils while less able pupils predominate in the other. When both teachers in the year use identical lesson plans the tasks are often too difficult for the class with

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The work provided in mathematics does not always meet the needs of all the pupils in

less able mathematicians. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 15 The way the school checks the quality of teaching and learning.

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The work provided in mathematics does not always meet the needs of all the pupils in

18. Although monitoring takes place, it lacks the clear focus needed to identify aspects of teaching that affect pupils’ learning. This has resulted mainly because recent changes to the school’s senior staff have held monitoring back. The monitoring that has taken place has become irrelevant as the teachers involved have left the school. Consequently, monitoring is failing to root out the underlying causes of low standards in reading or why some pupils did not do well enough in national tests in mathematics. The school is not acting briskly enough on information from assessment to find out what how it may improve its teaching. For instance, although a recent policy explains that marking should guide pupils’ learning, no-one has checked that the policy is in place. Similarly, teachers’ planning is not examined and evaluated. Nor is the teaching of reading and mental mathematics observed thoroughly enough to find the causes of

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The work provided in mathematics does not always meet the needs of all the pupils in

19. Following the recent crises in appointing and keeping new staff, governors have not spent enough time evaluating the effect that temporary, newly qualified and inexperienced teachers have had on standards. However, with much greater stability to its staffing, the school is in a satisfactory position to agree new structures for monitoring and to provide its teachers with the constructive feedback from monitoring that drives concerted efforts for improvement. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 16

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) raise standards in reading for all pupils by - reorganising existing arrangements to allow pupils to read much more regularly to teachers and other adults to improve their skills and fluency - making sure that confident, fluent readers in Year 2 use a more challenging range of texts - ensuring that reading is given high priority at a much earlier stage in children’s education and that it is taught promptly at the start of each term - recording weaknesses in pupils’ achievements and strategies to improve their reading. ( See paragraphs 13, 14 and 15 of the report. )

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) raise standards in mathematics by - targeting work at a level that promotes all pupils’ thinking and develops their skills in mental mathematics - using information from assessment and marking to improve existing opportunities for pupils with similar achievements to work together - planning problems that enable pupils to increase their mathematical understanding. ( See paragraphs 16 and 17 of the report. )

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) improve the effectiveness of existing monitoring by - establishing clear, agreed procedures for monitoring - providing teachers with constructive feedback to improve their practice - making the weaknesses identified by monitoring into priorities for action in its development planning - involving governors in planning for improvement - evaluating initiatives arising from monitoring in terms of their impact on pupils’ learning. ( See paragraphs 18 and 19 of the report. ) St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory 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 three 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) 26 439

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 34

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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 0 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 49

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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 1

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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 16

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 13

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Attendance

School data 4.7 School data 0.1 St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 18 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.

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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 28 31 59

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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 24 20 25 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 28 26 30

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

Percentage of pupils School 88 [88] 78 [77] 93[87] at NC level 2 or above National 84 [84] 86 [86] 90[91]

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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 21 24 26 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 28 28 31

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

Percentage of pupils School 83 [88] 90 [87] 97 [98 ] at NC level 2 or above National 85 [85] 89 [89] 89 [89 ]

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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 2002 31 29 60

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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 20 32 34 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 25 23 24

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

Percentage of pupils School 75 [82] 73 [92] 92 [97] 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)

Boys 21 32 33 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 25 23 24

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

Percentage of pupils School 77 [87] 77 [92] 88 [97] St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 19 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. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 20

p.19

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

p.20

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background

p.20

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background

p.20

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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.

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 18.8 Financial year 2001

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 23.5 : 1

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 851624.00

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 16 Total expenditure 859101.00

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 327.5 Expenditure per pupil 2055.00

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 85406.00

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 77929.00

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20.7 : 1

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 1

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 27.5

p.20

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per FTE adult 10.35 : 1 St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 21 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.20

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 13

p.21

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 10

p.21

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

p.21

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.21

Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 1

p.21

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School - 22

p.21

Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out: 462 Number of questionnaires returned: 111 (24%)

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

Strongl y agree Tend to agree Tend to disagre e Strongl y disagre e Don’t know

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

My child is making good progress in school 53 36 6 2 3

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

Behaviour in the school is good 51 43 3 0 3

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home 33 45 9 3 10

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on 35 41 19 4 2

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem 77 19 4 0 1

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best 66 28 3 3 1

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

The school works closely with parents 45 41 10 4 1

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

The school is well led and managed 60 31 3 3 4

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible 52 43 1 0 4

p.22

Questionnaire return rate

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons 46 34 5 3 12

p.22

Strongest points in order:

• The school could provide better information about progress and activities. • Pupils get good individual attention. • Staff are approachable. • Parents could be involved more in school events.

p.22