All Souls' Catholic Primary School

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

All Souls Catholic Primary School - 2 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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Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 3

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

All Souls is a Voluntary Aided Catholic primary school located in the Chapelfields area of Coventry, to the west of the city centre. It serves a mainly residential area made up of a mixture of rented and owner occupied accommodation. Currently there are 181 pupils in the main school. An additional 20 attend part-time in the Nursery. Numbers of pupils are gradually falling. There were 250 on roll at the time of the last inspection. Two pupils are at an early stage of learning English. Approximately eight per cent of the pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is below the national average. Ten per cent of the pupils are identified as having special educational needs, of whom two have a statement of special educational need. Children’s attainment, as they start school, is above average in all areas of learning. There are very few pupils who start or leave the school other than at normal admission times.

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CW8 4DU

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). All Souls Catholic Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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ALL SOULS PRIMARY SCHOOL

A Voluntary Aided Catholic primary school located in the Chapelfields area of Coventry inspected on 22 nd to 24 th September 2003 by an inspection team led by Mr J Williams.

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This is a school which gives satisfactory value for money. However, although it gives pupils

an acceptable education, it is underachieving. The school is underachieving because standards are too low when compared with similar schools, standards in information and communication technology are below average throughout the school, the provision for non-core subjects is unsatisfactory and systems for tracking pupils’ achievements are not fully developed.

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This is a school which gives satisfactory value for money. However, although it gives pupils

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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Strengths

 The provision for children in the Foundation Stage.  The attitudes and behaviour of the pupils.

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Weaknesses

 Standards in all subjects are too low because many average ability pupils and the higher attainers are not challenged enough.  The provision for information and communication technology is unsatisfactory and results in pupils’ below average standards throughout the school.  The curriculum is not sufficiently broad and balanced to cover all the requirements of the National Curriculum.  Subject leaders are not sufficiently involved in monitoring their subjects.

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Weaknesses

The school has not made sufficient progress since its last inspection and has not fully addressed the issues raised at that time. However, there has been rapid improvement recently, since the appointment of the new headteacher and deputy headteacher, who now give strong leadership to the school. There is evidence of recent improvement in the quality of teaching and learning, and standards in national tests in summer 2003, though not yet ratified, indicate a marked improvement.

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Year 6 results

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2000 2001 2002 2002

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Year 6 results

English B D E E mathematics C C D D science D D E E Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those with up to 20 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals. (Data matching performance to prior attainment was unavailable.)

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Children achieve well in the nursery and reception classes. However, in Years 1 to 6 pupils’

achievement is unsatisfactory. In the Foundation Stage children are on course to reach the early learning goals set for them and some will exceed them. The children are very well taught and achieve well as a result. In Years 1 to 6, standards are average in most subjects. However, most pupils have above average levels of attainment when they start school and thus standards overall should be higher. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are below All Souls Catholic Primary School - 7 average throughout the school. Pupils do not achieve highly enough because the curriculum is insufficiently developed to provide adequate challenge for all groups of pupils.

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Pupils’ personal qualities are very good and their spiritual, moral social and cultural

development is good. The school has a strong Catholic ethos which successfully fosters spiritual and moral values. Pupils enjoy school and are keen to learn. They behave well in lessons and at break times. Attendance, which has recently improved, is satisfactory and pupils arrive punctually.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The school provides an acceptable education for its pupils. The quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage is very good. It is good in Years 1 to 6, except for the higher attainers. Staff work together as a good team. Teachers’ planning is now good ensuring that, most pupils achieve well in most lessons. However, the planning does not always specify adequate extension work which will sufficiently challenge average and higher attainers. Teachers expect high standards of behaviour and this results in the pupils working hard in a busy atmosphere. Teachers know their pupils very well and use this knowledge effectively to plan work for most groups. However, more formal assessment is not used sufficiently to track pupils’ achievements and monitor their success. Thus opportunities are missed to push pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills forward at an accelerated pace. When teachers make lessons interesting and exciting

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

and allow pupils to be actively involved, then pupils are well motivated and learn quickly. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is not sufficiently broad. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been satisfactorily implemented. However, provision in other subjects is less well developed. There is no structured provision to teach personal, social and health education or citizenship. This is a disadvantage. However the curriculum is enhanced well by educational visits and by extra-curricular activities such as sports clubs. The school works well with parents and with other schools. It cares and supports its pupils well. These attributes ensure a satisfactory education for all pupils.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The new headteacher has a very strong vision for the school and a resolute determination that standards will be improved. She has already made her mark on the school by identifying priorities for improvement and preparing an action plan to address these issues. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher who shares her vision for the school’s success. The governors are supportive of the school and act as critical friends. However, the way in which the school monitors standards, teaching and learning, is as yet under- developed.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

The overwhelming majority of parents fully support the school. Many recognise the recent improvements that have been made in all of the work of the school and applaud this. The pupils enjoy coming to school and feel that they are valued.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are:  Develop the systems of assessment in order to identify all pupils’ capabilities and challenge them sufficiently and in particular offer more challenge to the higher attainers.  Improve the ICT curriculum so that pupils develop their skills and then ensure that these are employed in other subjects.  Ensure that the curriculum is broad and balanced and covers all the requirements of the National Curriculum.  Develop the roles of the subject leaders in managing improvement so that they raise the status of the non-core subjects. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Overall, pupils’ achievement is now satisfactory in lessons . Achievement in the Foundation Stage is very good. Standards in most subjects are average by the time that the pupils leave the school in Year 6. Most children reach and many exceed the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Foundation Stage. Results in the 2003 national tests and tasks improved and are now in line with national standards. However, because most start school with levels of attainment above average, this represents under-achievement for many pupils. This is particularly so for the majority of average ability pupils and for those who are higher attainers. There is insufficient improvement in standards since the last inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Standards in all six areas of learning 1 in the Foundation Stage are very good.  The majority of pupils achieve good standards in number work in mathematics.  Standards in science have improved and are now above average for most pupils in Year 6.  The recent improvement in the quality of teaching, due to increased monitoring, means that pupils begin to achieve well in some lessons.  Results in the 2002 national tests for Year 6, when compared with similar schools, were below average in mathematics and well below average in English and science.  Standards in information and communication technology are below average throughout the school.  The school does not yet track pupils’ attainment and progress efficiently nor analyse results effectively. This can limit the amount of progress pupils make as they move through the school.

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Commentary

1. In the Foundation Stage, children consistently achieve well, enabling all groups to reach, and mostly exceed, the early learning goals set for the age group by the time that they begin Year 1. This is because of the very good  teaching that they receive, which results in very good learning and extends their knowledge and understanding in all areas very effectively,  curriculum, which matches the requirements closely in all areas of learning, enabling all children to achieve very well,  leadership of the Foundation Stage, which takes good account of what children know and can do when they start school and builds on this successfully to ensure that they continue to learn rapidly.

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Commentary

2. Pupils throughout the school, from Year 1 to Year 6, now achieve well in some lessons, particularly in mathematics and science. This is because teachers are beginning to  plan opportunities for pupils to be actively involved in lessons and take responsibility for their own learning,  implement systems of tracking what pupils have done previously so that they can plan work at a suitable level for each group, enabling them to achieve better. However, these systems are at an early stage of development and do not yet impact enough on standards.

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Commentary

1 The six areas of learning for the Foundation Stage are: personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 9 3. Standards of reading, writing and mathematics at Year 2 begin to show some improvement. Results in the national tests and tasks are improving and most pupils achieve satisfactory standards. However, standards are not yet high enough. Pupils’ performance is below that of similar schools in reading and writing, and well below in mathematics.

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Commentary

4. Similarly in Year 6, although there is a discernable upward trend in standards and the provisional national test results in 2003, showed good improvement, the majority of average ability and higher ability pupils still do not achieve highly enough. When compared with similar schools the performance in mathematics is below average. In English and science, it is well below. Standards in ICT are below average although in Years 1 and 2 pupils are making good improvements in their skills and are on target to reach national standards by the end of Year 2.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in [year]

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results Reading 15.5 (17.0 ) 15.8 (15.7) Writing 14.3 (16.2 ) 14.4 (14.3) Mathematics 15.8 (16.2) 16.5 (16.2) There were 33 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2002

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 26.7 (26.2) 27.0 (27.0) mathematics 26.5 (26.4) 26.7 (26.6) science 27.5 (27.4) 28.3 (28.3) There were 33 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

5. Currently, there is a small number of children in the Foundation Stage, for whom English is an additional language. They learn English rapidly because of the good opportunities to speak and listen to good role models that teachers plan for them. This means that, by the time they move into Year 1, they work successfully alongside pupils of similar abilities.

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Commentary

6. The achievement of pupils with special educational needs is satisfactory because they make the expected progress as they move through the school. Over time, the school demonstrates that, as their needs are addressed, pupils are removed from the special educational needs register. This reflects good provision for them. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 10

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Pupils’ attendance is satisfactory. Punctuality is good. Their attitudes and behaviour are

very good and provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good.  Provision for pupils’ moral development is very good and the school provides well for its pupils’ personal development, although they could be offered more opportunities to take responsibility.  Attendance is improving and pupils are prompt in coming to school.

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Commentary

7. Pupils show very good attitudes in lessons, where they are keen and enthusiastic. They are very willing to contribute to lessons and are happy to listen and to learn. They are keen and enthusiastic about all aspects of school life. They behave very well in lessons, in corridors and in the playground. Teachers have very high expectations of their pupils’ attitudes and behaviour and this makes a very strong contribution to the orderly ethos of the school.

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Commentary

8. The school provides well for its pupils’ personal development. Provision for their spiritual development is satisfactory. Pupils are encouraged to develop their self knowledge and spiritual awareness, respecting the feelings values and beliefs of others. Pupils’ moral development is very strong. Codes of behaviour are formulated after consulting the views of pupils, who are actively taught the difference between right and wrong. The school provides a range of extra curricular club activities and educational visits, in order to improve pupils’ social development. Cultural development is satisfactory overall. There needs to be a greater emphasis on the arts. However, events such as “Multi-cultural Week”, make good contributions to developing pupils for life in a modern culturally diverse society.

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Commentary

9. Pupils are happy to take responsibility, and the development of the School Council is a useful forum for their views. Pupils would benefit from more opportunities to take responsibility, particularly for independent learning. This is confirmed by the results of the pupils’ questionnaire. A significant number of pupils thought that the curriculum could be more interesting and stimulating.

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Commentary

10. Attendance is satisfactory, showing an upward trend over a three year period. Systems for following up absences and controlling unauthorised absences are effective. These are positively impacting on levels of attendance. They are useful in promoting improved attendance throughout the year. Pupils show marked enthusiasm when coming to school. They arrive promptly and quickly settle into lessons. Levels of lateness are incredibly low. Registration procedures are efficient. In one class, pupils practise their language skills by answering registration in Spanish. This encourages pupils’ confidence and their commitment to learning.

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Commentary

11. For monitoring purposes and on a more regular basis, the school needs to be more proactive in analysing absence data. For example, the school was unaware of the level of pupils taking holidays during term time. This is now 1.3 per cent of last year’s authorised absences.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 6.3 School data : 0.0 National data: 5.4 National data: 0.5 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 11 Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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Commentary

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 195 0 0 White – Irish 6 0 0 White – any other White background 3 0 0 Mixed – White and Black African 1 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 1 0 0 Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 1 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0 Black or Black British – African 2 0 0 Chinese 1 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 1 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is satisfactory. Teaching and learning is now good although the systems for tracking pupils’ achievements need improving. The curriculum is under- developed and does not meet requirements in respect of personal, social and health education and citizenship. The school cares for its pupils well and has good relationships with parents.

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The overall quality of teaching and learning is very good in the Foundation Stage. It is good

in Years 1 to 6. The very good teaching for nursery and reception children means that they achieve well in all areas of learning. The good teaching in other years is beginning to result in pupils achieving satisfactorily in lessons. This has not yet impacted sufficiently on overall achievement, which is unsatisfactory. This is why standards are not high enough. The systems used to track pupils’ achievements are not fully implemented. Therefore, they are not successful in monitoring pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage are very good.  Teachers’ planning is good.  The encouragement given to pupils to involve themselves in their work is good.  High expectations that pupils will behave well in lessons.  The thoroughness and construction of assessment and its use needs to be improved.  The challenge set for some average ability pupils and for those pupils who are high attainers needs to be greater  Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in number of lessons

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Main strengths and weaknesses

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons All Souls Catholic Primary School - 12

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Commentary

12. Teaching in the Foundation Stage has a significant impact on children’s achievement. All staff work as a most effective team, ensuring that children are happy and fully involved in all planned activities. They assess children’s work thoroughly and record their findings efficiently. Thus, achievement is better in the nursery and reception than in Years 1 to 6, and children learn more rapidly.

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Commentary

13. Planning throughout the school is good overall. Lessons are thoroughly and efficiently prepared and well organised. However, there is often insufficient challenge in the form of extension work for average and higher attainers. This is due to the lack of assessment systems which could enable teachers to know what pupils achieve and what they need to do to improve. Teachers use their knowledge of the pupils well to group them according to their ability and there have been recent improvements in the systems used to do this. However, they are not yet fully nor formally implemented nor are they used consistently to give teachers the information they need to plan the next lessons. Those teachers who do assess accurately on a day-to-day basis, alter the next lesson in light of their evaluations. This leads to better challenge for all pupils and better achievement by all groups.

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Commentary

14. Teachers constantly encourage pupils to work hard and reward them with praise. Pupils respond well to this and are keen to try and eager to learn. In recent months, teaching has improved because of the increased monitoring by the headteacher and some subject leaders. This has led to the beginning of improved achievement in some lessons and better learning by all groups of pupils. Teachers have high expectations that pupils will behave well. They reward good behaviour with positive praise and encouragement. Pupils learn well because they are well motivated.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is unsatisfactory. The school does not provide a broad range of curricular opportunities that cater for the interests, aptitudes and particular needs of pupils, especially the older pupils. As a result it does not ensure sufficient progression in pupils’ learning. Although extra-curricular provision is good, the school does not provide opportunity for enrichment because pupils are not provided with a coherent programme that enhances their personal, social and health development, including citizenship. The quality and quantity of accommodation is good. The resources at the school meet the needs of the curriculum.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is very good.  The quality of the accommodation, including in the Foundation Stage is good.  There are good extra curricular activities, including sport.  The curriculum needs to be broader for older pupils.  Provision for personal, social and health education and citizenship is unsatisfactory.  The curriculum for information and communication technology is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

15. The school does not provide a broad range of curricular opportunities to cater for the interests, aptitudes and particular needs of pupils, especially the older pupils. As a result, it does not ensure sufficient progression in pupils’ learning. Although extra-curricular provision is good, the school does not provide opportunities for enrichment because pupils do not have a coherent programme for enhancing their personal, social and health development, including citizenship. The quality and quantity of accommodation are good. The resources at the school meet the needs of the curriculum provided. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 13 16. Since the last inspection, the quality of provision has worsened. The school has focussed its attention on English and mathematics in the light of falling trends in the standardised assessment tests (SATs). As a result standards in other subjects have been neglected. The

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Commentary

leadership and management of subjects such as information and communication technology, art and design, design and technology, geography, history and music, have been unsatisfactory. While each subject has a ‘curriculum map’, setting out the topics to be taught in each year, until very recently, there has been little monitoring and evaluation by subject leaders of pupils’ achievements in these subjects.

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Commentary

17. This unsatisfactory co-ordination was identified at the last inspection, but not enough has been done to redress it. Because each subject is content based, many cross curricular links between the different subjects have not been identified. As pupils move through the school, not enough has been done to ensure that the work set by teachers is focussed on developing their skills. The skills learned in English and mathematics are not being applied, monitored or evaluated in other subjects.

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Commentary

18. Pupils have good opportunities to participate in a range of sporting activities after school. These include musical movement, tag rugby, basketball, soccer and cross country running. There is also an art club and an environmental club. Pupils visit places of interest in support of their class work in history, including to Kenilworth castle, a local Roman fort and the Cathedral; while, in geography, the Year 4 pupils have worked with Powergen in their studies about the weather. Visitors to the school include local theatre groups.

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Commentary

19. The quality of education in the Foundation Stage is very good. The curriculum is very broad and ensures pupils learn very well. The accommodation in the Foundation Stage, both inside and outside, is of a very high standard and provides a stimulating and challenging environment. The classrooms are spacious and are full of colourful display materials. The outside play area is also spacious and attractive, with a good range of good quality play equipment.

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Commentary

20. The rest of the school’s accommodation is good. Classrooms are of a good size and most have easy access to ‘wet areas’. The school has the benefit of a dedicated dining area and a large resources area. There are also a library and an information and communication technology suite, but the content of both rooms need updating. While resources overall are adequate, there is a need for a broader range of reading materials and more up to date computers.

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Commentary

21. The use of information technology in subjects is unsatisfactory, as is the pupils’ use of the library in order to develop their independent learning skills. Crucially, there is no structured provision to teach personal, social and health education or citizenship and, so, pupils are being disadvantaged, in comparison to pupils in many other primary schools.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Risks around the school are evaluated and appropriate action is taken.  The school cares very well for all Foundation Stage children.  Overall the school’s approach to matters relating to care and welfare is good.  The School Council drew up the pupils’ code of conduct. However, currently involvement in the School Council is restricted to Year 6 pupils.  The school acknowledges that there is a weakness in first aid provision.  Monitoring of pupils’ personal development and use of records needs improvement. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 14

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Commentary

22. There is good understanding of risks to pupils around the school. Risk assessments are undertaken and actions taken to greatly reduce or eliminate hazards. All members of staff are vigilant in ensuring that pupils do not come to any harm, both in the classroom or in the playground. The school acknowledges that they need more trained first-aiders. There are plans to address this.

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Commentary

23. The approach towards child protection is particularly good. As the designated person responsible for this area, the headteacher liaises very closely with outside agencies. She is fully aware of all children potentially at risk. Staff are kept aware of all developments relating to child protection. This is an aspect that contributes to making it a caring school.

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Commentary

24. Teachers keep records of pupils’ achievements and of their development. The school respects and recognises pupils’ efforts. “Super Stars” assemblies allow others to share and celebrate pupils’ achievements. However, there is a need to improve pupils’ personal development records. Achievable targets are not set. For example, there is no programme that clearly defines targets for improving inappropriate behaviour or self esteem. The special needs coordinator is currently addressing this problem.

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Commentary

25. The school has recently re-introduced a School Council but it is too early, yet, to evaluate the impact on the way that all pupils can share views about the school. The Council is currently restricted to Year 6 pupils. Whilst the pupils fairly represent the views of others, through their feelings and friendliness, it would be advantageous to have representatives from a wider section of the school. Relationships between pupils and adults are good. This trust and openness leads to good exchanges of views.

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The school’s links with parents are good. The school forms good links with the local

community, with other schools and with other providers.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 The school’s links with parents are developing well. An open-door policy is strengthening these links.  The parent-teacher association is proactive in raising funds for school.  Good community links enrich the curriculum and enhance pupils’ learning.  There are effective links with colleges.

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Commentary

26. Until recently, there has been a general reluctance on the part of parents to involve themselves with the activities of the school. Very few parents help around the school, listening to pupils read or in preparation work in classrooms. There is now a clear open-door policy and parents have access to teachers if they need to discuss any concerns about their children. The most negative view from parents' questionnaires relates to “how well the school informs and consults parents”. Insufficient information about the formation of a split year group in Years 1 and 2 was given to parents. The headteacher agrees that this situation was unfortunate but was a result of her steep learning curve when she moved to the school. However, it has been a contributory factor to the developing understanding between school and parents.

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Commentary

27. The information sent to parents about pupils’ progress is well thought out and suitably pitched for the pupils’ level of education. There are meaningful communication links with parents. Newsletters, such as those informing parents about the aims of improving handwriting of pupils, help them to assist in their children’s learning. A “Guide to Safe SATS” written for “confused All Souls Catholic Primary School - 15 parents by a grateful teacher” is an effective way of introducing parents to the approach to how best help children prepare for the statutory assessment tests. This innovative piece of writing enhances parents understanding of and commitment to their children’s learning. Data in the annual governors’ report to parents are clearly presented. The parent-teacher association supports the school well. They raise amounts in excess of £1500 each year for the school. They are working towards improving the outdoor play facilities.

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Commentary

28. The school is keen to use the community as a way of enriching the curriculum and to enhance pupils’ learning. A well-defined policy for ascertaining risks to pupils exists to assist staff members responsible for organising outside trips. Outside visits enable the school to enrich the curriculum. For example, Year 5 pupils visit the Thinktank Science Museum in Birmingham and Year 1 pupils visit the partnership Centre in Cheylesmore. The residential visit to Alton Castle is an annual event that develops the pupils’ awareness of the outside world. All pupils are involved in the community through the local church. There are strong links with Warwick University, which sends students for training at the school.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher is a very good leader.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 The very good leadership of the headteacher.  Her clarity of vision and high aspirations.  The supportive role played by the governing body.  The role played by subject leaders in managing improvement in their subjects needs to be improved.  The school has failed to develop a policy for the teaching of citizenship.

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Commentary

29. The headteacher, who is new, has carefully and rigorously assessed the needs of the school. Working closely with her deputy, she has devised a school improvement plan which concentrates on improving the quality of educational provision in the school, with emphasis on raising standards and the achievements of all pupils. The careful monitoring of teaching and improvements in the impact of the National Literacy and Numeracy strategies have already brought about improvements in standards. She has a very clear vision of how she wants the school to develop and a strong determination to succeed. She receives strong support in this from senior staff who are very good role models for other staff and pupils.

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Commentary

30. The leadership of the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) for pupils with special educational needs is good. Individual Education Plans are appropriate to pupils’ needs and all documentation is of a high standard. Effective use is made of information and communication technology to manage provision for special educational needs. The management and deployment of resources are satisfactory.

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Commentary

31. The management of the school is satisfactory. Day-to-day, the school runs smoothly. Efficient routines are in place and the school is an orderly community. The headteacher has devised a management plan which is up-to-date and has taken account of an analysis of the school’s current performance. It has clear targets for development and criteria for evaluating success. Financial management is strong. As a result of firm management, a substantial budget deficit will have been eliminated by the end of the current financial year. Performance management and appraisal are at early stages of development. The school is supportive of new members of staff. Administrative staff work effectively and efficiently to support the teachers. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 16 32. The roles of subject managers are less well developed, particularly in the non-core subjects. The school plans to raise the status of subject leaders, so that they are empowered to manage

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Commentary

improvement in their subject. At present, they do not devise development plans for their subjects. There is very little use of assessment in these subjects and managers do not set targets for improvement.

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Commentary

33. The governance of the school is good. During the recent unsettled period when the school had no permanent headteacher, governors worked hard in support of the school. The headteacher takes care to ensure that governors are kept fully informed about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This ensures that governors are realistic in helping to shape the vision and direction of the school. They are supportive of senior staff in their efforts to bring about improvement. Their role as critical friends of the school is developing.

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Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

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Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 585,810 Balance from previous year 19,215 Total expenditure 613,998 Balance carried forward to the next -11,563 Expenditure per pupil 2981 All Souls Catholic Primary School - 17

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

34. The provision for the children in the nursery class and reception class is very good, and a strength of the school. The Foundation Stage has been very well implemented enhancing provision considerably since the time of the last inspection. Children enter the nursery in the September term of the academic year in which they are four. Most move the reception class the following September, in the year in which they are five. The two classes operate as a self- contained unit. Staff and children move between the two classes regularly. The majority of children start in the nursery with above average levels of attainment in all areas of learning. The quality of teaching and learning is very good in all areas of learning. Thus, children achieve rapidly in their first terms in school and the majority move into the reception class with attainment levels above those expected for the age group. They continue to achieve well in the

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

reception class because the very good teaching continues there. The majority are on course to achieve and, in many cases, exceed the goals set for the Foundation Stage in all areas of learning.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

35. Leadership of the Foundation Stage is very good. Each area of learning is managed very well and very good links are made between each subject. Staff work very effectively as a team. Relationships between adults are very good. This helps children settle quickly, relate very well to adults and to each other and, thus, they learn successfully in a friendly and secure atmosphere. Staff track very carefully what children know and do. They use this information very successfully to plan activities which challenge all groups of children. Occasionally, this planning could be used to introduce extension work for individual children, in order to raise their achievement even further.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Staff teach children to become independent.

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Commentary

36. Children settle into school routines very quickly. They cooperate with adults and with each other very well. Staff encourage children to take part in all activities and work alongside them supporting their learning. Thus, children achieve well and learn rapidly. Staff teach children good manners and explain clearly their expectations for school routines. Because staff are on hand to remind them and help them when needed, children learn the routines quickly and soon become independent. Children are expected to clear away after lessons and leave their things tidy. Thus, by the time they are in reception, they take responsibility for clearing away equipment and, in the main, look after their clothes and belongings efficiently. The majority are likely to exceed the goals set for this area of learning. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 18

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Staff lead by example.  Staff provide very good opportunities for children with English as an additional language to speak and listen to good English role models. Thus children make very rapid progress in acquiring English.

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Commentary

37. Staff work alongside the children and demonstrate what it is that they expect the children to do. They talk to the children, using most appropriate language structures. They encourage children to communicate with them and with each other. Thus, children feel comfortable when taking part in discussions and are prepared to ‘have a go’ at reading and writing. By the time they are in the reception class, most children competently handle books and retell stories, using the clues given in pictures. They happily copy writing and many write their names independently. Their speaking and listening skills improve as they move through the unit. The majority of pupils achieve well and are on target to attain or exceed the goals set for this area of learning.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

 Staff plan very good mathematical activities which engage children’s interest and enable them to achieve well.

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Commentary

38. In the nursery, mathematical activities are freely available at the beginning of each session. This encourages children to feel confident with numbers, shapes and colours so that, when they work with staff on guided mathematical activities, they achieve well and reach good standards. When they move to the reception class, they are adept with two-dimensional shapes and know their properties. They know the names of most colours and quickly learn to count to 10 and further. This means that they achieve well and the majority will reach, and possibly exceed, the goals set by the time they move to Year 1.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is very good.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Staff have high expectations that children will achieve well.  They use the children’s previous knowledge and experiences very effectively as starting points for work in this area of learning. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 19

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Commentary

39. Staff build on the children’s previous experiences so that they achieve well when they explore the activities provided. For example, children work with different materials and talk about their experiences. They know that they can build with wet sand but not dry, and explain why. Staff work alongside them and encourage children to use new words correctly. Staff, throughout the unit, expect children to achieve well and provide a wide range of activities that are planned very well to extend developing concepts in science, design and technology, history, geography and information and communication technology. By the time the children are in the reception class, they are well on their way to attaining, and for many exceeding, the goals set.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is very good.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Children have access to a very good outside, secure play area with good quality equipment.

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Commentary

40. Children have many very good opportunities to use the outside play area. They plant seeds and care for the garden. They use the climbing and adventure equipment to develop their co- ordination. They improve their balance and agility, using the wheeled and pushable equipment provided. Teachers also use the school hall for movement and physical education lessons, which greatly enhance children’s coordination. In class, there are many opportunities for children to use tools, such as pencils, paint brushes and glue sticks, all of which help pupils’ fine coordination skills. Children also use a wide variety of different sized and shaped construction kits on a regular basis. They use their imagination when building models and become adept at handling different materials. Consequently, by the time children move into Year 1, they have mostly reached or exceeded the goals set for this area of learning.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is very good.

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Staff provide a wide range of media for children to explore. This enables them to achieve well.  Children are encouraged to use role play to work out their ideas.

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Commentary

41. Staff provide a wide variety of activities and introduce the children to such techniques as colour mixing, cutting and sticking. Children extend these skills in reception and become more accurate when painting and creating pictures and models. Children know a good range of nursery rhymes and songs. In the nursery they sing regularly, for instance, in reply to their teacher’s ‘hello’. As children concentrate on their activities, staff constantly extend their ideas and language skills and encourage them to cooperate with others. They use role play very effectively to enhance children’s communication skills. Thus, children achieve well and rapidly move towards the goals set. In many cases they exceed these goals by the time they enter Year 1. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 20

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ENGLISH

Provision in English is satisfactory overall.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Attainment in reading and writing at the ages of seven and 11, is good in comparison with national averages.  The good impact of the temporary co-ordinator (the headteacher), since taking on interim responsibility for the leadership and management of the subject.  Attainment in reading and writing at ages of seven and 11, in comparison with similar schools, and with pupils’ prior performance is below average.  The use of assessment and target setting is underdeveloped.  Teachers’ planning could be improved so that pupils are challenged, especially the higher attainers.  The use of the library could be improved to develop pupils’ independence as learners.  Coherent and cohesive strategies are needed to further develop reading and writing across the school.

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Commentary

42. At the age of seven and 11, standards in reading and writing are broadly in line with age-related expectations. Although standards have been falling for several years, there was a significant improvement in the unvalidated results in this year’s Standardised Assessment Tests (SATs). Overall, pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory at the ages of seven and 11 because the standards of attainment on entry to the school are mostly above average. Many of the older pupils, especially the higher attainers, are under-achieving in speaking and listening, reading and writing.

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Commentary

43. Teaching and learning is satisfactory. In the lessons observed, the teachers worked effectively with the teaching assistants, ensuring that all pupils were kept active and insisting on high standards of behaviour. Pupils’ attitudes were always at least good, demonstrating their eagerness to learn. Teachers’ planning is detailed and closely follows the requirements of the National Literacy Strategy in most respects. However, it does not challenge pupils enough, especially the higher attainers. Teachers mark work regularly but their comments do not always tell pupils what they need to do to improve, nor set clear targets for them. Because of this, most pupils have little awareness of how they are doing and, crucially, what they need to do to improve.

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Commentary

44. Leadership and management are now satisfactory. They have improved during the course of the past year through the efforts of the interim co-ordinator, who put in place some drastic remedial strategies. This contributed significantly to the improved SAT results. The attractive and spacious library is not used enough by pupils to develop independent learning skills, including research. Most pupils are keen readers and writers, but the school does not address their individual needs because strategies to develop guided reading and independent writing are not well established in all classes.

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Commentary

45. The quality of provision in English has worsened since the last inspection, when pupils were making satisfactory progress in speaking & listening, reading and writing. Progress now is unsatisfactory for many, even though eventual outcomes are comparable to national averages. Many pupils are not achieving as well as they are could. Standards of work since the last inspection had fallen, until this year. The quality of teaching is now satisfactory. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 21

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

46. Pupils’ literacy skills are good but insufficient opportunities are provided for them to practice and develop these skills in all subjects.

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MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Pupils throughout the school achieve above average standards in the four rules of number.  The quality of teaching overall is good.  The National Numeracy Strategy has been implemented. However, it does not yet fully impact on standards.  Standards are not high enough for the majority of average ability pupils nor for those who are high attainers.  Assessment procedures are not used consistently to track pupils’ attainment and progress nor to devise targets for pupils.  There has been insufficient improvement in the leadership and management of the subject since the last inspection. 

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Commentary

47. The majority of pupils reach good standards in number by the time they leave Year 6. They do not achieve as well in other aspects of the subject. They reach satisfactory standards in mathematical areas, such as shape and space, but they do not have enough opportunities to use and apply their mathematical knowledge in investigations or to solve problems. This was an issue raised at the last inspection and it has not been satisfactorily addressed. The majority of pupils start school with above average levels of attainment, and should, therefore, reach at least above average standards by Year 6. Thus, the higher attainers and many average ability pupils underachieve.

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Commentary

48. The National Numeracy Strategy has been fully implemented and the curriculum is satisfactory. However, the school has identified areas, such as mental and oral mathematics, which are not fully or successfully embedded into lessons. Teachers currently focus on this aspect in their planning to ensure that pupils’ mental strategies improve. The school has identified some gifted and talented mathematicians in some year groups and has begun to challenge these pupils in order that they may achieve highly. This group is beginning to make rapid progress.

p.21

Commentary

49. The good quality teaching and learning is beginning to impact on standards. In very good lessons, teachers plan activities which allow pupils to work practically and be actively involved in their own learning, making decisions and solving problems for themselves. This was seen in a Year 5 lesson, when pupils had the chance to work independently. They played a game ordering fractions, using their knowledge of equivalent fractions. All groups of pupils achieved well. They showed good interest in, and clear understanding of, their work.

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Commentary

50. There has been a period of stagnation since the last inspection. The subject has not made enough progress and has not improved as fast as it could have done. Leaders have not been empowered to develop the subject. However, since the appointment of the new headteacher and deputy headteacher, many priorities for development have been identified and the subject leader has been empowered to move the subject forward. Assessment is beginning to be used to track and monitor pupils’ attainment and to identify what individuals need to do to improve. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 22 The systems to do this are in the early stages of development but are not yet fully embedded in planning nor do they yet have the impetus to move standards on significantly.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

51. Teachers do not plan enough opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills as tools in other subjects, such as science. There is some evidence of calculations and measurement being used in design and technology and science, but this is limited and not specifically identified in planning.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Standards by Year 6 are above average, as confirmed by the 2003 test results.  Pupils make very rapid progress toward the end of Key Stage 2.  Teaching and learning are good  Provision for investigative science is inconsistent. This results in pupils’ scientific thinking and vocabulary being less well developed than they could be.  The use of assessment and target setting needs to be improved.

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Commentary

52. Pupils attain satisfactory standards by the end of Year 2 and good standards by the end of Year 6. Performance in the unratified 2003 national tests showed a marked improvement. This represents satisfactory achievement by many pupils. However, opportunities for pupils in some classes to design and carry out their own investigations, and to develop their scientific thinking, are severely limited. This area of the curriculum needs to be improved and made more consistent, so that these skills are learned progressively, and all pupils are given opportunities to achieve the standards of which they are capable.

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Commentary

53. In the scrutiny of completed work and from a small sample of lessons seen, it is evident that pupils have access to the full curriculum. Teaching overall is good. Pupils learn best when actively involved, whether in learning, in Year 2, about different food groups, learning, in Year 5, to investigate the length of shadows or, in Year 6, in designing experiments to test the different factors involved in dissolving. In these lessons pupils are encouraged to test out their scientific thinking and ideas. Learning is good and pupils of all abilities achieve well. They respond very well to the challenge, come up with lots of ideas and really enjoy their lessons. Their teachers’ expectations, both of their behaviour and performance, are high, and they respond very well. It is evident that pupils make accelerated progress toward the end of Key Stage 2 where “booster” classes are in place and where active learning predominates.

p.22

Commentary

54. Systems of assessment are in place. However the use of the assessment gained from these procedures is an area in need of development. Individual and groups targets need to be set on a regular basis and the information shared with pupils and parents if further improvement is to be made.

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Commentary

55. The subject leader is aware of the deficiencies in provision. However, she has limited resources at her disposal at the present time. She is not yet fully empowered to monitor the work of her colleagues, in order to bring about consistency of provision. Nor to ensure that suitable levels of challenge exist for pupils of average, and above average, ability. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 23

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

 Pupils report that they enjoy working with computers.  Standards are too low. They are below average in both key stages.

p.23

Commentary

56. Standards and provision in ICT are unsatisfactory. Pupils do not achieve well enough. There has been satisfactory improvement since the last inspection, when the provision for the subject was raised as a key issue, because staff expertise has improved. There has been a good level of in-service training for the majority of staff. They are more confident to use ICT, for instance in their planning. However, it is still underused by staff and pupils and there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use the computer suite.

p.23

Commentary

57. The hardware in the computer suite is, in the main outdated, but it is still capable of providing satisfactorily for the whole of the requirements of the National Curriculum. There is an adequate number of computers and sufficient software to enable the subject to be taught to a reasonable standard. However, the suite lies idle for much of the school day, thus restricting pupils’ opportunities to learn and achieve required standards.

p.23

Commentary

58. When pupils do use computers they learn rapidly. This was observed in a good Year 2 lesson, when pupils worked in the suite to write instructions as to how to turn a computer on and load a paint program. This was part of a literacy lesson on instructional writing. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the activity, achieved well and compiled a set of instructions. They worked very well in cooperation with each other.

p.23

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

59. ICT is not used sufficiently across the curriculum. Occasionally, computers are used in lessons to support learning in other subjects. For example, in Years 1 and 2 a shape program was used to support work in mathematics during a session on the properties of two-dimensional shapes. However, this is an under-developed subject which does not adequately support learning in other subjects.

p.23

Geography and History

60. Provision in geography and history is unsatisfactory overall . Some good lessons were observed, however insufficient attention is paid to these subjects. Some good lessons were observed in both subjects during the inspection. For example, when a very lifelike Florence Nightingale visited some of the youngest pupils and when the Year 5 pupils used atlases and spreadsheets to plot deserts and wettest areas in the world. This demonstrates that, where teachers plan lessons that interest and challenge pupils, they respond well.

p.23

Geography and History

61. However, neither subject has been given enough priority by teachers, with the result that pupils’ learning is not developing coherently as they move through the school. Assessment is unsatisfactory and, so, teachers give insufficient attention to the development of pupils’ skills. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory because the co-ordinator (who oversees both subjects) is not well placed to give the attention that the subjects merit, and her work is being inhibited by lack of time and resources. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 24

p.23

school’s legal requirements but these subjects are not sufficiently emphasised within the

62. Inspectors did not observe many lessons in these subjects. However, it is obvious from reviewing teachers’ planning documents, that greater emphasis is placed on the importance of developing skills in subjects such as art and design and design and technology, in Years 1 and 2, than in Years 3 to 6. Achievement, therefore, is not as good as it could be.

p.24

school’s legal requirements but these subjects are not sufficiently emphasised within the

63. Music is taught regularly and the curriculum is enhanced by visits from teachers for violin and recorder. On occasion, pupils perform in concerts or form a choir to perform at various events outside school. However, music does not generally feature sufficiently prominently in the life of the school.

p.24

school’s legal requirements but these subjects are not sufficiently emphasised within the

64. Pupils are very keen to attend the wide range of sports clubs that are provided for them after school. These enhance the physical education curriculum and provide opportunities for those pupils who show promise to develop their skills.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

65. The school does not currently meet the requirement to teach its pupils about citizenship. All Souls Catholic Primary School - 25

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 5

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 4 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 4 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 5 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 5 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 4 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 4

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7). All Souls Catholic Primary School - 26

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