St Herbert's RC School

ST HERBERT’S RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 19 th – 20 th May 2003

p.1

ST HERBERT’S RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

p.1

ST HERBERT’S RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 3

p.2

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Edward Street Chadderton Oldham Postcode: OL9 9SN

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: The Reverend Peter McKie RD

p.3

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 15/06/98 St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 4

p.3

Team members

16041 Mr O L Thomas Registered inspector 22578 Mr G Jones Lay inspector 19344 Mr D W Jones Team inspector

p.4

Team members

Network Management Services Start Farm Llangynhafal Ruthin N Wales LL15 1RU

p.4

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:

p.4

Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

p.4

Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 5

p.4

PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 – 10

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

p.5

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St. Herberts’ Roman Catholic Primary School is larger than other primary schools. There are 292 pupils on roll, aged 3 to 11, including the FTE of 28 children in the nursery taught in 9 classes + the nursery. There is a similar number of boys and girls. The school is popular, oversubscribed and classes are full. All pupils are of white UK heritage. The attainment of pupils is broadly average with a significant minority who are above average attainment. Twenty-seven pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals at 9 per cent this is below the national average. Forty- two pupils are on the register of special educational needs at 14 per cent this also below the national average; the number of pupils with statements of special educational need is above the national average. There have been no exclusions. Pupil mobility is broadly average. The socio-economic circumstances of the school are comprehensive but mainly above average.

p.6

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school is involved in an LEA initiative called “Unity in the Community” to improve links between pupils of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The school has not suffered from any significant staffing, recruitment or retention difficulties although currently the Key Stage 1 coordinator is teaching in the upper juniors because of long term staff absence.

p.6

HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St Herbert’s Roman Catholic Primary School is an overall effective school providing a rich learning environment. Its Catholic mission statement is firmly evident in practice and a very caring ethos is embedded in daily life. Pupils like school and feel safe and secure. Standards are good for many pupils by the age 11. Rapid gains are evident in progress by the age of five but this is slower for the infant pupils and then speeds up again in the juniors. Teaching reveals many strengths, staff form a dedicated and enthusiastic team; relationships with pupils are caring and supportive. The leadership of the school has a beneficial impact on many aspects of its work and has brought the school to its current level of success. The school gives good value for money.

p.6

What the school does well

• Pupils attain good standards by the age of 11. • A team of committed teachers who ensure pupils learn well. • The good leadership and management, which has steered the school well and very effectively implemented national initiatives. • The very good range of learning opportunities, which stimulate positive attitudes and support pupils’ personal development • The strong ethos of care and high quality provision for pupils’ personal and academic needs.

p.6

What could be improved

• The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their abilities. • Monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching by senior and key staff. • Pupils’ attendance levels which are affected by too much holiday taking in term time. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 7

p.6

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the last inspection in June 1998 the school has made good progress in addressing most issues for improvement. Schemes of work are now in place to guide practice and these support planning of work well in most classes. Greater opportunities have been provided to help pupils show responsibility for their own learning. Assessment procedures are established but their use, whilst overall satisfactory, is not yet impacting fully on driving standards forward for all pupils.

p.7

STANDARDS

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

p.7

STANDARDS

Performance in: all schools similar schools Key

p.7

STANDARDS

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

p.7

STANDARDS

The table reflects the school’s strong performance in the national tests for English and mathematics by the time pupils leave the school aged 11. Science scores were average and lower because few pupils scored the higher Level 5 in the subject. The investigative element of science has been a focus for improvement this year. The school trend for Year 6 test results is broadly in line with the national trend and the school met its own targets last year. It looks set to achieve the targets for the current year.

p.7

STANDARDS

The path of pupils’ progress as they move through the school is inconsistent and begs further scrutiny to even out the differences and ensure a fairer deal for all. On entry to the school most pupils are of average ability with a significant proportion, who perform better than expected. This pattern is from time to time interrupted by variance in the ability of the group. For example, the current Year 3 pupils who did not perform as expected nationally in 2002 national tests for seven year olds, came into school with many of them at lower than expected levels of attainment. They are now making at least satisfactory and often good progress.

p.7

STANDARDS

In the Foundation Stage, (nursery and reception classes) children make good and often very good progress building well on their broadly average attainment so that by the time they enter Year 1 most are more than ready and able to meet the challenges of the National Curriculum.

p.7

STANDARDS

By the age of seven, pupils are attaining broadly average results in reading, writing and mathematics but no better and in deed given their success in the Foundation Stage too few attain at the higher Level 3 and too many at the lower level 2c and below. The trend of results in Key Stage 1 is improving too slowly. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 8 By the age of 11, standards of day to day work are good for Year 6 pupils in English, mathematics and science. Science work reflects the extra effort put into improving achievement in this subject. In information and communication technology standards are in line with national expectations with some gaps in aspects of the subject. Scrutiny of work in the other subjects suggests standards are as expected with examples of good quality work which reveal that all elements of the subjects have been successfully covered. This is a positive picture of achievement by the time the

p.7

STANDARDS

pupils leave at 11 enabling them to be well prepared for the next stage of education.

p.8

Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils are ready, willing and able learners who respond well to the interesting lessons. Where a minority of pupils display immature responses, teaching is vigilant to safeguard the lesson progress. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils play sensibly together and the school offers a well ordered environment. Minor instances of bullying have been dealt with satisfactorily. Personal development and relationships Very good. Caring pupils overall who look to support each other when help is needed. Attendance Broadly satisfactory, but a significant minority of parents take too much holiday in term time. A persistent, minority of pupils, arrive late.

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

p.8

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching is good overall with almost half of teaching being very good and on occasions excellent. The teaching of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy shows strong knowledge and is presented in a stimulating and perceptive way in many lessons. Supportive relationships provide a positive learning atmosphere in which pupils feel safe and secure and in the lessons seen they were well motivated. When coupled with very effective behaviour management achievement flourishes. Where there are inconsistencies in the high quality provision such as when lesson pace, depth of questioning and expectation are lower pupils make satisfactory but less secure progress; this is reinforced when work over time is scrutinized and there are weaknesses in the amount of challenge offered to pupils. Marking of work does not always guide pupils on how to improve for themselves. Teachers work very hard to make the organisation of complex teaching groups successful in spite of large

p.8

Aspect Comment

The quality and range of The curriculum is rich, broad and well balanced and meets St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 9 the curriculum requirements. There has been very effective implementation of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy extended successfully by a very good range of extracurricular activities. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. Identified swiftly and catered for well. Support staff effectively help pupils move forward in their learning.

p.8

Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good in all aspects. The school’s Christian ethos and mission statement provide the backbone of some valuable experiences to support pupils in understanding their relationships within school and the wider world in which they will grow.

p.9

Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils High levels of pastoral care. There are very comprehensive policies to guide practice for behaviour and personal support. The monitoring of attendance is satisfactory. Assessment procedures are in place but inconsistently used to ensure all pupils achieve their potential.

p.9

Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good overall. The Headteacher has provided very good leadership to ensure pupils benefit from national initiatives. Work by key staff so far has been good but current levels of delegation and accountability are not making the best use of staff strengths and skills. The school plan has already identified this gap. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Good. Statutory responsibilities are well met. Governors apply the principles of best value well overall but there is scope for them to compare results at all stages more keenly and to link closely with key staff to discuss how improvements can be made and to hold them to account for progress. The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. The monitoring of teaching and the outcomes of learning are not systematic or formalized sufficiently well to identify areas for improvements or track success towards them.

p.9

Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Well used to support standards and the quality of education.

p.9

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school • They make good progress. • Teaching is good. • The school’s expectations for hard work. • The school is helping children become mature. • The amount of homework. • Communication with parents. • The range of additional activities. • The growing school roll and its impact on the size and organisation of classes and recreation facilities.

p.9

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection agrees with many of the positive points raised by parents although inconsistencies in teaching quality and pupils’ progress are evident. In relation to the areas for improvement the homework given is suitable and makes a valuable contribution to learning and the range of additional activities is far broader than usually found. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 10 The teaching groups are large and the staff cope very well with them. The school regularly sends out information to parents but governors may wish to check that parents gain from the information and understand its implications so that they feel fully informed. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 11

p.9

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Pupils attain good standards by the age of 11.

p.11

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. Standards at the end of Year 6, as noted in the National Curriculum tests of 2002, were well above average in English and above in mathematics when compared with all schools nationally. Pupils’ achievements in both subjects were very good when compared with similar schools. Results in science were average. Evidence from the inspection suggests that overall standards are better than usually found for many pupils. Since the last inspection steady improvements have been made year on year, keeping the school always at or above the national average. The teaching skills and commitment to delivering the school’s arrangements for grouping pupils across the junior year groups and the pupil’s positive attitudes and good response have been significant factors in achieving this success.

p.11

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. The significant drop in results at the end of Year 2 in the last National Curriculum tests of 2002 can be seen as partly being the result of a cohort of pupils who had some considerable special needs on entry to school. However, with the exception of the results in 2001, results over the last few years have shown some deterioration for seven year olds. Currently, inspection evidence suggests that most attain the expected Level 2 by the end of Year 2, with a significant minority of pupils capable of achieving the higher Level 3 in the national tests. However, too many attain at the lower Level 2c bearing in mind that these pupils were broadly average on entry to the school; there is room for some improvement in standards. This could be achieved through more challenging work being set, rigour in the monitoring of teaching and learning to check where improvements can be made and better use of assessment data to set appropriate and different tasks for pupils with differing

p.11

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. In English, teachers use the literacy hour very well to directly teach basic skills, for much of the work pupils are set by ability in the juniors. This enables teaching to be very precisely targeted at learning objectives. In a Year 6 lesson for more able pupils on writing, exemplary teaching focused on the novel “Hard Times” written by Charles Dickens and motivated the whole class to appreciate and evaluate the style and impact of the writer’s words on their emotions and feelings. The direct teaching of language conventions and grammar enabled the pupils to complete the set tasks by the end of the lesson. More able pupils used personification as well as similes and metaphors in their descriptive writing, whilst others used their mind-mapping skills to avoid the use of clichés. In other lessons, support staff added a valuable dimension to pupils’ understanding and personal development. They worked closely with teachers skilfully explaining, simplifying and encouraging

p.11

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

the pupils to do their best. Most Year 2 pupils can express themselves well and are willing to speak to an audience and share their ideas. However, scrutiny of work shows that they make limited use of vocabulary and sentence structures in their writing. Most writing shows limited extension with few challenges to drive the pupils’ beyond the closed tasks presented to them. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 12 4. Pupils use their mathematical knowledge well to decide what calculations need to be made. However, this is not subsequently developed into open ended investigations, where pupils are given more freedom to decide strategies, predict outcomes, plan methods, justify solutions and test the validity of their statements.

p.11

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. Work in number is of a higher standard. Year 2 pupils can carry out calculations using numbers to 100, with some pupils able to work to 1000 although too much of the work is based on undated worksheets, which often determine the nature of the learning. By Year 6 pupils have made good progress and can deal with improper fractions and make long multiplication calculations, using several different strategies.

p.12

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. Standards of work on shape, space and measure in Year 2 are adequate. Pupils recognise cuboids and prisms and can recognise right angles in everyday objects. Year 6 pupils can measure angles accurately and use co- ordinates to draw symmetrical shapes, changing their positions by translation and rotation.

p.12

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7. Pupils in Year 6 have satisfactory knowledge and understanding of handling data, with a significant minority showing good skills in this area of study. Pupils understand the terms mean, median and mode when discussing probability and data handling. They are confident at using pie charts and graphs and can even use a conversion graph for aspects of measuring.

p.12

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8. Teaching overall is good in mathematics. It was good in three lessons, very good in three others and satisfactory in two. It is very good in the Foundation Stage and in Year 6. In these classes the strongest features are teachers’ own knowledge and understanding of the material, their ability to teach basic skills at a high level and their overall high expectations for what their pupils might achieve and how they should behave. As a result of this, pupils are very motivated to work. They behave well and listen carefully to explanations. For example, in a lesson in the reception class, children were almost answering questions about number bonds before the teacher had asked them! Pupils in a Year 6 lesson gave very clear answers to explain how they would put information from a census on to the class computer. The good attitudes of the vast majority of pupils have a significant and positive impact on pupils’ rate of

p.12

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

progress. The same is true for pupils who have special educational needs. They too make good progress and sometimes make very good progress when they have extra adult support.

p.12

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

9. The school makes very good use of the National Strategy for Numeracy. Most teachers use their assessment information well to help match work to the individual needs of their pupils. However, the scrutiny of work showed that this is not always consistently carried out in some year groups.

p.12

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

10. Good practice has been developed in science, which has impacted directly on the teaching of investigation and improved pupils’ performance in their day to day work. The success of developments lies in the emphasis given to scientific enquiry and closer planning to the National Curriculum attainment targets. In service training has been successful in giving staff greater confidence to apply this approach, linking work in other subjects to real investigations. Key points for further improvement identified by the coordinator St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 13 are to allow pupils greater autonomy in reporting their findings and to offer more opportunities for them to determine their own lines of enquiry.

p.12

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

11. Information and communication technology is beginning to be used successfully in support of work in mathematics. The lack of sufficient numbers of computers does, however, reduce its effectiveness as pupils have to wait some time between using computers during their mathematics lessons.

p.13

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

12. At the last inspections, standards of work in information and communication technology (ICT) were noted as being broadly in line with national expectations. The world of technology has moved on considerably since that time and although the school has purchased a bank of “mobile” laptops, pupils’ access to them is limited and as a result, time available for them to learn new skills and put them into effect, is limited. The current ratio of pupils to computers is higher than found nationally. Pupils have to share hardware for their two hours a week of access time. In spite of this, pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning, although they do not reach the expected levels of skills in some aspects of the National Curriculum work.

p.13

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

13. Work in the communication strand of the subject is broadly in line with expectations, although pupils have not had opportunities in school to tackle multi-media presentations. Nearly all Year 6 pupils have sound keyboard and word processing skills, although there is too little evidence of this on display in classrooms or corridors. Year 6 pupils were seen using a computer thesaurus in order to re-write the opening paragraph of a Dickens’ text. Pupils can move text, change font sizes and use the Internet for their own research, for example in history when looking for information about life in the 1970’s. Year 2 pupils were seen working well on their laptops researching their favourite authors.

p.13

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

14. Pupils reach a similar level of competence in their work in data handling. In a numeracy lesson observed in Year 6, two pupils were working on the class computer, creating a graph to show the changes in population of Great Britain. As this was the only computer available it did mean that the vast majority of pupils did not have this opportunity to make use of their ICT skills. Whilst in a Year 4 lesson pupils showed that they had a basic understanding of how to construct a spreadsheet and enter data. They used the correct language and made good progress in the lesson.

p.13

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

15. In discussion with a group of Year 6 pupils, they were able to explain how to use their knowledge of spreadsheets in order to model simulations. They could describe entering data about shopping and understood how to calculate expenditure. This work would have been at the appropriate level for pupils in Year 6.

p.13

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

16. Work in control technology and data measuring and logging is not so well advanced. Younger pupils have had good experiences of giving instructions to a floor robot. In a lesson in Year 2, pupils were noted at work on the laptops, giving instructions to on-screen turtles, guiding them along streets in order to stop at particular houses. Not enough progression is noted in this work higher up the school. Little evidence exists of pupils controlling other devices to sense heat or light for example. Some lack of resources is partly responsible for this gap in the curriculum for the subject. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 14 17. Teaching in the single ICT lesson seen was very good. The teacher was confident in her subject knowledge and was able to explain and teach basic skills very well. She made the lesson lively and kept the pace brisk. As a result, pupils were very engaged in the work, behaved well and concentrated

p.13

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

18. In the other subjects pupils attain standards at least in line with national expectations . Pupils are presented with interesting opportunities to learn in the humanities, arts and physical subjects. They make good use of their literacy and numeracy skills.

p.14

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

A team of committed teachers who ensure pupils learn well.

p.14

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

19. Teaching is good overall and improved since the last inspection. The incidence of very good teaching is higher than previously found and no lessons were judged to be unsatisfactory. Within each key stage some good teaching was seen. Where very good teaching was observed, particularly in lessons in the nursery, reception class and junior classes, high expectations, pace and challenge were regularly evident. Well organised and stimulating classrooms also add to the high quality teaching and enhance progress and learning. This effective practice could be replicated throughout. Overall relationships are very good and high levels of care prevail throughout the school. Teachers know their children well. Planning of work is generally good and work matched to the needs of the pupils. Targets for pupils with special educational needs are appropriate and have a positive effect on the pupils’ attainment and progress. Overall provision is good.

p.14

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

20. In the nursery and reception class the very secure teaching is based on a clear understanding of how young children learn coupled with excellent organisation. Lesson observations and photographic evidence shows children engrossed and delighted by the opportunities provided for them. Planning is very thorough and uses assessments accurately, especially for the key skills of language, literacy and mathematics. Very good questioning to promote talk such as when children are having snack time sets them thinking and chatting about their likes and dislikes in food. The key to this very productive teaching is intervention rather than supervision, requiring the children to look at what they have done and to think how it may be improved.

p.14

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

21. Scrutiny of teachers’ planning and pupils’ work over the past year reinforces very well what was seen during the inspection. The children clearly acquire very systematically, skills across all areas of learning, presented in an interesting way and linked imaginatively to using basic skills. Children’s work shows that those who are higher attaining have been given extension work which has challenged their abilities causing them to make at least satisfactory or better progress over the past months. The learning environment in the nursery and reception class gives an overall impression of high expectations where learning is vibrant and fun. This high quality is not so evident across the infant classes, where progress slows and is just satisfactory over time.

p.14

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

22. Without doubt what makes teaching strong is the enthusiasm and skill of most teachers to capture pupils’ imaginations, directly teach skills and take the pupils forward with enthusiasm. A very good, stimulating mathematics lesson exemplifies this approach in Year 3.Pupils were required to recall their St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 15 knowledge of mathematical shapes and were well motivated by the practical approach and sense of humour used by the teacher to grab their interest. So that by the end of the session the majority had no problem in recalling the characteristics required to identify the various shapes presented to them. Similarly, in a Year 4/5 lesson in information and communication technology, which concerned the use of spreadsheets, the teacher’s very good presentation and the pupils’ eagerness to learn, meant that there was good consolidation of previously learned skills, together with new skills of entering

p.14

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

data for different purposes. Whilst Year 4 pupils learnt that the sense of touch is not sufficiently accurate when, as scientists they are required to judge changes in the temperature of materials during an investigation. A notable strength of the teaching in the upper juniors is teamwork. The organisation of pupils into age and ability sets for English and mathematics is paying off. The teaching of the Literacy and Numeracy strategies is secure. The school recognises the need for creating greater opportunity for investigative work in mathematics and also to build on the improvements in science and enable pupils to determine their own lines of enquiry.

p.15

The good leadership and management, which has steered the school well

and very effectively implemented national initiatives.

p.15

The good leadership and management, which has steered the school well

23. Overall leadership and management by the Headteacher and key staff in partnership with the governing body are good. The school improvement plan is the result of reflective thinking and gives a clear picture and strong sense of direction to the school’s aim of improving standards. It is well linked to funding, is inclusive and acts as an informative tool to governors in monitoring school expenditure and the implementation of the principles of ‘best value’. All staff share a common purpose and make an effective contribution to the school’s goals and values. The very positive ethos, based on deeply Catholic principles, has been sustained and valued by the parents.

p.15

The good leadership and management, which has steered the school well

24. The very strong leadership provided by the Headteacher outlined in the previous inspection report is still evident throughout all areas of school life. For example, her management of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy has been very good and has helped to raise standards. A positive management decision, clearly impacting on standards, is the organisation and use of staff to teach English and mathematics across the junior classes. This better coordinated approach is working well. Pupils like it and gain from the setting techniques and the exceptionally well planned work delivered by the highly skilled teachers and support staff; they are knowledgeable in crucial areas of literacy and numeracy, assessment, curriculum planning and educational inclusion and work well as a team. Their determination to make the organisation work and a will for improvement are impacting well on standards by the age of 11 but not consistently through the school.

p.15

The good leadership and management, which has steered the school well

25. The management structure and job descriptions have been keenly thought out and have been successful in allowing staff skills to be used in curriculum planning and for individuals with management responsibilities to gain an insight and understanding of strategic planning. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 16

p.15

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

26. The pupils’ achievements are highest when challenged and well motivated by very good learning opportunities. This in turn effectively supports their attitudes and will to learn. The provision made by the school for all elements of pupils’ personal development is very good.

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

27. The range and quality of pupils’ work around the school and in evidence in their books is very good in the juniors and good overall. It reflects the breadth of the National Curriculum and is well presented. Pupils are provided with a wide range of experiences, which capture their interests and imaginations. Most teaching ensures pupils have plentiful opportunities to discuss and share their feelings about what they are learning. There are good opportunities to use literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects.

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

28. The curriculum in the nursery and reception classes is very good. It follows national guidance well. Children gain knowledge, skills and understanding systematically through investigation and play. Realistic links are made between the areas of learning so that children’s understanding is widened and enriched in a way, which allows them to make good progress. The infant curriculum has good features, in the delivery of the foundation subjects, but literacy and numeracy skills are developed only satisfactorily. There is too little scope for investigation and experimentation and assessment is not being used sufficiently well to match tasks to ability. This causes progress to slow. In the juniors the curriculum is very good because planning is linked well to assessment information and ensures regular and systematic use of basic learned skills in a creative way. For example, in a Year 6 lesson pupils were

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

studying literacy through history. They were required to describe and evaluate the style of an individual writer, revise grammatical features of the narrative and create new similes and metaphors. The pupils’ mature attitudes to the work and their relationships contribute significantly to the learning and progress of the lesson.

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

29. The provision for special educational needs is very good. Pupils benefit greatly from the sensitive help of all teaching. Staff are consistent in their knowledge, expectation and evaluation of the pupils’ needs and progress.

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

30. The school is seeking to establish a school council formed from class representatives and pupils are eagerly working to formulate its terms of reference. Opportunities are provided that helps them develop their initiative and responsibility such as team and house captains. All Year 6 pupils are expected to act as prefects and they assist with Nursery and Reception pupils during lunch. They are generally caring children who instinctively look to support each other when help is needed. They enjoy a number of educational visits out of school as well as community activities that include Church celebrations.

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

31. Extracurricular provision is very good with a balance of sporting and musical activities including the school choir.

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

32. The pupils’ spiritual development is very well supported by the school’s close relationship with the Church through which they learn to reflect on the mysteries of existence and share in celebrations with their local community. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 17 Their curriculum work in art, science, and in poetry and stories is well used to invoke their sense of wonder and enjoyment of learning. High quality work is celebrated about the school. For example, the painted paper models of hats by Years 5 and 6 and the hand puppets by Years 1 and 2. Music is used well during worship to set a calm tone and an ethos of reflection. Relevant stories and thought provoking questions provide pupils with opportunities to consider the issues raised by the themes.

p.16

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

33. The pupils have a clear sense of right and wrong. This is demonstrated in their conduct about the school and during lessons where the quality of their behaviour means progress is often rapid. Behaviour management in lessons is consistent. Display boards celebrate achievement and good work. All staff provide excellent role models.

p.17

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

34. Visitors are welcomed to the school where the pupils are friendly and courteous. They are eager to share their work and take pride in approval. They are supportive and co-operate with one another in lessons and are learning to be responsible and considerate through the roles and opportunities provided by the school. In order to extend their social development the school provides a number of visits to educational venues. They interact with the local community and welcome a range of visitors into school.

p.17

attitudes and support pupils’ personal development

35. Pupils’ cultural development is well supported and they are provided with a broad insight into their own and other cultures. Nursery pupils are introduced to their own locality through a photographic display and older pupils are involved in the ‘Unity in the Community’ programme that seeks to encourage interaction between different ethnic and racial groups. Through this programme the pupils are involved in sport and exchange visits with schools and organisations where there is a mix of racial and other ethnic groups. Pupils from Years 3 and 4 have studied how the people from the village of Chembakolli live and through religious education studies, pupils learn about the faiths and customs of people from around the world.

p.17

The strong ethos of care and high quality provision for pupils’ personal and

36. The procedures for child protection and for promoting the welfare of the pupils are very good. The children’s welfare is very well supported through strong pastoral support and care provided by all staff. The school is a safe learning environment. Children enjoy attending and have secure relationships. The school’s policies for monitoring and promoting good behaviour and eliminating oppressive behaviour are very good, and are consistently and effectively delivered. Some parents have noted an increase in minor bullying since the introduction of mixed age group classes but this has been dealt with to their satisfaction. The children report no concerns and are confident of support. The school is proactive in seeking to encourage regular and prompt attendance and actively monitors its records. It has a sound policy to guide practice.

p.17

The strong ethos of care and high quality provision for pupils’ personal and

37. At the last inspection, assessment was noted as a priority for development. Since that time the school has improved its assessment procedures. They are now good. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 18 38. The school is in the process of changing the tests it uses to establish pupil’s individual standards on entry to the school. It has made sound use of this information to highlight pupils who may have special educational needs, whilst also grouping children according to their known abilities in order to target their needs more accurately. As a result, the progress pupils make in the Foundation Stage of learning is good and sometimes very good.

p.17

The strong ethos of care and high quality provision for pupils’ personal and

39. These initial tests are also used as broad predictors of what may be the outcome of the National Curriculum tests at age seven. Individual record sheets show pupils’ “baseline” scores then the predicted score for the end of Year 2. These are then used as targets by teachers, updated annually through the use of tests for both English and mathematics, in order to see if the pupils are on course to meet their targets.

p.18

The strong ethos of care and high quality provision for pupils’ personal and

40. When pupils leave the infant classes, their progress is checked annually through the use of the nationally recommended tests. Not only does this serve as a check against previous attainment but is used equally well as a means of targeting future progress.

p.18

The strong ethos of care and high quality provision for pupils’ personal and

41. The school works hard to foster positive relationships with parents, although a very small minority disagree that they are successful in their aim. The school makes significant effort to provide information for parents about their children’s progress and on the activities of the school. It seeks also to involve them in their children’s learning. Overall the support enjoyed by the school is good. However, a number of parents have expressed strong concern for the lack of consultation in respect of changes to class structures and increases to class size. Although the school has circulated information about these issues, some parents are concerned that insufficient time or opportunity was given for them to discuss their concerns. Teachers make themselves available at the end of the school day and the school has an ‘Open Door’ policy for parents to contact the Headteacher or class teachers to discuss

p.18

The strong ethos of care and high quality provision for pupils’ personal and

concerns. Formal opportunities are provided through three open parents meetings as well as information evenings for Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2 national test results. A number of parents assist the school through fundraising and organising activities as well as assisting in the classroom.

p.18

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

42. The good assessment information is used satisfactorily to help teachers plan work within their literacy and numeracy lessons but it could be better. Pupils are in streamed classes for these subjects and the assessment information is widely used to arrange groupings of pupils so that work can be matched to pupils’ abilities. This is not always done consistently. The scrutiny of previously completed work showed that in some classes the work given to different ability groups was fundamentally the same, thus reducing the level of challenge for pupils and showing a lowering of expectations by the teachers concerned. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 19 43. The school has not yet made best use of its information and communications technology to set out simple recording sheets for whole classes upon which all relevant information for all pupils can be placed on one easy to read sheet. This would make it easier for teachers to check not only individual but group

p.18

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

and cohort progress. At the same time it would allow members of the senior management team to have easy access to assessment information with which to check progress in any area of the school, at a glance.

p.19

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

44. Individual targets for pupils are gradually being introduced, but the process lacks some clear objectives and consistency. Some classes display class targets others do not. Some pupils have targets in their work books, others do not. If pupils are going to get used to the process there needs to be much more consistency of approach, which can then be monitored for its effectiveness.

p.19

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

45. At the same time a lack of consistency in marking adversely affects pupils’ ability to improve their own work. In some work books, teachers indicate how pupils can improve their work. In other classes, pupils are too easily given stickers, commendations and rewards for work, which is not up to the expected level. This gives pupils a false idea of their worth and does not help them to take some responsibility for their own learning.

p.19

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

Monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching by senior and key staff.

p.19

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

46. Documentation was well prepared for the inspection, and gave a good basis for exploring the most important issues at pre-inspection discussions with the Headteacher and governors. However, as recognised in the school improvement plan there is scope for coordinators to be given greater responsibilities and delegated powers to more rigorously monitor teaching and to use information gained to raise standards particularly at Key Stage 1. The current situation is constrained because the Key Stage 1 coordinator is teaching in Year 5 to cover long-term absence.

p.19

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

47. The Headteacher has not yet empowered the young senior management team and established key staff to make greater use of their proven skills, commitment and enthusiasm to take the school further in its quest to raise standards for all pupils, notably at the end of the infants.

p.19

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

48. Monitoring of staff has taken place but thus far the process has been too informal to produce the impact on improvements needed. Too much onus is placed on the Headteacher for these tasks and there is a need to open up management responsibilities, levels of accountability and add greater rigour to the process with the Headteacher leading by example. There is no systematic, laid down process by which staff understand why, when, how and what monitoring will take place. Nor is there a clear picture of what action will be taken to support and improve practice following evaluation. Key staff are capable but have not yet been involved at depth in supporting improvements to standards in their subjects or in setting and evaluating targets for success. The time for staff to carry out these activities is not planned for well enough. Governors do not have a broad view of what is happening in relation to pupils’

p.19

The use of assessment data to ensure all pupils progress well for their

achievements because they receive much of their information from the Headteacher. There is no strategy whereby they gain a more detailed account from key staff and can ask pertinent questions about next steps. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 20

p.19

Pupils’ attendance levels which are affected by too much holiday taking in

49. The pupils’ levels of attendance are broadly satisfactory but are significantly affected by pupils taking holidays during term time. A small number contribute to persistent levels of late attending. These deficits must affect pupils’ learning. The school is proactive in seeking parental co-operation to reduce these forms of absence but a number of parents fail in their obligation to support the school or their child’s learning. This deficit must affect the achievements of pupils and hinder the continuity of their learning.

p.20

WHAT THE SCHOOL SHOULD DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

50. The governors, headteacher and staff now need to:

p.20

Improve the use of assessment data to ensure that:

• all pupils’ are given work for their abilities and make suitable progress; • ICT is used more effectively to prepare easily accessible recording systems; • greater consistency is applied in using target setting for individuals and groups; • pupils are required to take more responsibility for improvements to their own work.

p.20

senior and key staff to ensure that:

• key staff take a broader role in leadership and management so that staff expertise is used to the full; • a systematic programme of monitoring is devised; • all staff understand their responsibilities within the process and how, when, why and what monitoring will take place; • clear targets for improvement are drawn up; • success towards meeting targets is evaluated; • time is made available to support classroom practice; • governors are kept informed of progress and ask pertinent questions.

p.20

taking in term time by ensuring that:

• the school is more rigorous in monitoring absence and recording the causes; • work with outside agencies to reduce the level of absence and lateness. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 21

p.20

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 7

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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 six percentage points.

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y7

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 28 292

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals N/a 27 FTE means full-time equivalent.

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y7

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0 6

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 2 40

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 13

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

% % St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 22 School data 6.1 School data 0.5

p.21

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5

p.22

PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 23

p.22

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 23 21 44

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

p.23

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

Boys 15 17 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 19 18

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 73(90) 82(93) 82(93) at NC level 2 or above National 84(84) 86(86) 90(91)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 15 16 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 18 18 18

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 75(90) 77(93) 77(97) at NC level 2 or above National 85(85) 89(89) 89(89)

p.23

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

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

p.23

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

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

p.23

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

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2002 15 13 28

p.23

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

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 14 14 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 10 11

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 86(90) 86(86) 93(97) at NC level 4 or above National 75(75) 73(71) 86(87)

p.23

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

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

p.23

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

Boys 14 15 15 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 10 11

p.23

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

Percentage of pupils School 86(93) 89(90) 93(93) at NC level 4 or above National 73(72) 74(74) 82(82)

p.23

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

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 24 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

p.23

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

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

p.24

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

White – any other White background 0 0 0

p.24

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

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

p.24

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

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

p.24

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

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

p.24

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

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

p.24

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

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 Herbert’s RC Primary School - 25 Teachers and classes Financial information

p.24

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

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.23 Financial year 2002-2003

p.25

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

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

p.25

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

Education support staff: YR – Y7 Total income 655068

p.25

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

Total number of education support staff 9 Total expenditure 637802

p.25

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

Total aggregate hours worked per week 219 Expenditure per pupil 2169

p.25

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

Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 26222

p.25

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

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 17266

p.25

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

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 30

p.25

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

Total number of education support staff 1

p.25

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

Total aggregate hours worked per week 25

p.25

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

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

p.25

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

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

p.25

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

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.25

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

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

p.25

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

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

p.25

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

FTE means full-time equivalent. St Herbert’s RC Primary School - 26 Results of the survey of parents and carers

p.25

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

Percentage of responses in each category

p.26

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

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

p.26

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

My child is making good progress in school. 33 58 8 0 0

p.26

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

Behaviour in the school is good. 29 54 6 2 8

p.26

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

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 21 46 21 2 10

p.26

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

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 50 13 4 0

p.26

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

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 48 38 4 10 0

p.26

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

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 56 44 0 0 0

p.26

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

The school works closely with parents. 29 46 19 6 0

p.26

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

The school is well led and managed. 40 46 8 6 0

p.26

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

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 31 65 0 0 4

p.26

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

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 21 48 13 10 8

p.26