St John's Roman Catholic Primary School

ST JOHN’S RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 29 th September to 1 st October 2003

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ST JOHN’S RC PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ST JOHN’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 John’s RC Primary School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary aided Age range of pupils: 3 - 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 197

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St Elmo’s Road London Postcode: SE16 6SD

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: (0207) 252 1859 Fax number: (0207) 237 3877

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Fr. Robert Ellis

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 27 th April 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

St John’s RC Primary School is in the London Borough of Southwark. It is an average-sized school with 197 pupils on roll, and has similar numbers of girls and boys. Most pupils come from white UK heritage. There are 23 pupils who speak languages other than English, very few of whom are at the earliest stage of learning English. About one sixth of pupils are on the register of special educational needs and eight pupils have statements of special educational need. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is in line with the national average. Pupils’ attainment on entry is in line with expectations and they perform well in questioning, exploring, communication and observing. St John’s RC Primary School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities 12641 Pauline Lyseight-Jones Lead inspector English, art and design, designand technology 9511 Ann Longfield Lay inspector 2229 Doreen Hansen Team inspector Mathematics, music, physical education 22927 Pauline Osborne Team inspector Science, information and communication technology, history, geography

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Barley House Oakfield Grove Bristol BS8 2BN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection 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.oftsed.gov.uk). St John’s RC Primary School - 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 10

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 10

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10 - 14

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

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learning are satisfactory, as are the school’s leadership and management. The school

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The achievement of pupils with special educational needs and what is provided for them are good . • Good teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage provides pupils with a good start to their school careers and good preparation for Year 1. • Pupils have good attitudes to school and to each other, their attendance levels are very high and they both come to school and go to classes on time. • The headteacher and senior staff show a high level of commitment to developing a school in which everyone is included. • Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory overall; however they are satisfactory in the Foundation Stage. • The new leadership team has made a sound start; even so aspects of strategic, curriculum and financial planning are unsatisfactory . • Opportunities for continuing staff development are unsatisfactory , mainly due to a lack of finance.

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learning are satisfactory, as are the school’s leadership and management. The school

The school has worked to deal with the areas for development set out in the last inspection and has made satisfactory progress. A behaviour policy is in place, pupils are aware of how they should behave and are mindful of others in lessons and as they move around the school. The presentation and marking of pupils’ work remain in need of improvement. The headteacher has been in post for one full year. For two years before this she was the acting headteacher. This was an uncertain period for the school and has undoubtedly led to progress not being made as rapidly as expected. The headteacher and her senior managers are a capable team. They are aware of the changes which need to be made and have the determination to bring them about.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2000 2001 2002 2002 English A A A A mathematics A A* C C science B A C D Key: A* - Very high; A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average. Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2.

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Most pupils achieve in line with their capabilities. In 2003 in Year 6 standards were not as

high as those in the table above. This is because two-fifths of pupils were on the special needs register, largely due to their having moderate learning difficulties. In addition, about a third of the pupils joined the school after the beginning of Year 3. In 2003 in Year 2, average standards in reading and above average mathematics have been maintained and they have declined in writing. Pupils in Years 2 and 6 have made satisfactory progress, given their previous attainment. Currently, children join the school with good standards in personal, social and emotional St John’s RC Primary School - 5 development, speaking and listening and in mathematical and physical development. In the other areas of learning, their standards are as expected . Overall, pupils make satisfactory progress in the nursery and reception classes and their progress is good in reading and writing, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and physical development.

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Most pupils achieve in line with their capabilities. In 2003 in Year 6 standards were not as

This means that they are well prepared to join Year 1. In classwork in Year 2 and 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are as expected . In Years 1 and 2, physical education standards are good . In all other subjects and throughout the school, standards are as expected . Pupils with special educational needs achieve well in relation to their previous attainment . Those pupils for whom English is an additional language achieve satisfactorily . The school is in the early stages of identifying and providing specific support for pupils who may be gifted or talented. Therefore no judgement on achievement is made.

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Most pupils achieve in line with their capabilities. In 2003 in Year 6 standards were not as

Pupils attend school very regularly and are on time. They have good attitudes to school and their behaviour is generally satisfactory . The development of pupils’ personal qualities, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural growth, is good .

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is sound . Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and both are good in the nursery and reception classes and in pockets in Years 3 to 6. The curriculum is broad and pupils study all subjects across a year but curriculum planning is not yet well enough balanced, leading to opportunities for pupils to make steady progress being lost. Links with other schools are satisfactory . Good opportunities are provided for pupils to be involved in the wider community.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the headteacher and her senior team are sound . Governors provide committed support to the school, and they ensure that legal obligations are fulfilled but governors do not yet challenge the school sufficiently on standards.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents like St John’s very much ; pupils have good opinions about their school . Parents play a full part in the day-to-day life of the school; they help their children very well at home, which helps pupils to learn in school.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Further improve strategic and curriculum planning to ensure that the school’s key priorities are thoroughly linked to pupils’ standards. • Ensure that all subjects have sound assessment procedures in place including consistent, constructive and regular marking of pupils’ work. • Further develop individual target-setting for pupils aimed at helping each pupil make the best possible progress. • Put into place a programme of professional development to meet the needs of new senior managers, subject leaders and administrative staff to enable them to meet the growing demands involved in running the school. • Ensure that financial planning procedures are improved to meet longer term requirements and developments. • Provide opportunities for good teaching practice in school to be shared as an integral part of the continuing professional development programme.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS

Standards throughout the school are satisfactory and pupils achieve in line with their capabilities. Standards are above expectations in physical education in Years 1 and 2. Pupils who have special educational needs achieve well in relation to their previous attainment because they get good teaching, access to individual and small-group work and well-planned support. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make similar progress to their classmates and boys and girls achieve as well as each other.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS

Standards dropped in 2003 in English, mathematics and science. The headteacher’s analysis of the reasons for this are balanced and there are suitable actions now in place to ensure that standards for pupils of all abilities rise in future. No judgements about standards and learning can be made about art and design, design and technology, geography and personal, social and health education as too few lessons were seen.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in physical education in Years 1 and 2 are higher than expected. • Standards in the national tests in 2003 fell significantly below those in 2002. • Children in the Foundation Stage generally do better than expected when checked against the Early Learning Goals and they achieve well in all areas of learning and very well in some. • Pupils’ learning tends to be in line with their previous attainment and pupils with special educational needs make good progress • Pupils use their literacy and numeracy skills satisfactorily across the curriculum but there is scope for more regular application of these skills by pupils of all abilities

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

Standards in: School results National results English 28.8 (29.8) 27.0 (27.0) mathematics 27.4 (30.0) 26.7 (26.6) science 28.3 (30.6) 28.3 (28.3) There were 23 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

1. In the past, Year 6 pupils have reached high standards in English, mathematics and science. Results were particularly strong in 2001. Since 2002, standards in mathematics and science have dropped and in 2003, according to the unvalidated results, this decline was also seen in English. Standards are now average. However, the overall trend between 1999 and 2002 is upward and the school has maintained its proportion of higher-level performance. There appear to be several reasons for the changes in results. These include the proportion of pupils with special educational needs or who joined the school after the beginning of Year 3. In the 2003 year group, two pupils who were expected to achieve to a higher level left before the tests. These factors had an adverse impact in the performance of the small year group of 23 pupils. Action plans to address the shortcomings in English, mathematics and science

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

are in place. St John’s RC Primary School - 7

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2002

Standards in: School results National results reading 16.2 (15.7) 15.8 (15.7) writing 12.8 (14.0) 14.3 (14.4) mathematics 17.1 (15.9) 16.5 (16.2) There were 29 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2002

2. In Year 2 national tests, there is an overall upward trend between 1999 and 2002 in reading and mathematics. Writing is a weakness and the school has introduced new teaching and learning methods to address this. Teacher assessments in science show a significant drop between 2001 and 2002. In comparison with 2002, achievement at higher levels in 2003 was sustained in English and science but not in mathematics.

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

English % L4+ 85 81 74 74 English % L5+ 15 48 31 44 Mathematics % L4+ 85 74 70 57 Mathematics % L5+ 15 33 27 22 Science % L4+ 78 70 Science %L5+ 37 31

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

3. The targets which the school set in 2002 were well in line with its previous performance. There were particularly good results in higher levels in English and mathematics. In expectation of a less promising year group, the targets were set lower in 2003. These were met in English and exceeded at the higher level of performance. In mathematics and in science, neither target was met.

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

4. The results in national assessments in Year 2 and in Year 6 are subject to some volatility because of the small numbers in each year group. However, this is not a complete explanation and the inspection team is of the view that a contributing factor in the unevenness of pupils’ achievements is the impact of changes in the senior leadership of the school. In the past year, the new headteacher has begun to put into place plans which are likely to address this decline, improving results for the more able pupils and raising standards in English, mathematics and science through work on problem-solving, thinking skills and on a writers’ workshop. The school analyses pupils’ performance with growing skill and accuracy. The headteacher has put into place regular, detailed assessments of pupils’ work. The results of national tests are checked closely so that the school understands which aspects of pupils’ learning, within subjects , need improvement and action plans are set in place to deal

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

5. Standards in physical education are satisfactory overall, with good standards being attained in Key Stage 1. In addition, the school offers pupils good opportunities for swimming, leading to confident and capable swimmers in Years 3 to 6. Where a judgement could be made in other subjects, standards are in line with what is expected and pupils’ attainment in satisfactory. However, it is likely that some pupils can do better than this and that there is too little attention given to stretching pupils, especially the most able. St John’s RC Primary School - 8 6. Children in the Foundation Stage come into school with standards which are broadly in line with most pupils of the same age. Their standards are better than expected in personal, social and emotional development, speaking and listening, mathematical and physical development. Children tend to sustain or build on this positive start. By the time they are to

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

go into Year 1 they are well prepared and have made good progress in reading and writing skills, mathematical development, knowledge and understanding of the world and physical development. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress due to the broad-based and well-taught curriculum which they are offered. The classrooms are stimulating and the teachers know their children well and give them the time that they need to learn well.

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

7. Given that pupils enter school broadly in line with expectations, their overall attainment is satisfactory; however, their previous strong performance suggests that greater success is possible for some pupils. Pupils are confident in their speaking and listening and they readily speak out in class. There are weaknesses in pupils’ writing. Pupils do little extended writing either in English lessons or in other subjects. The headteacher has introduced a writers’ workshop which gives pupils the chance to craft their writing, to change and to improve it. In mathematics, the school has recognised that pupils’ problem-solving capabilities should be improved. This will be a benefit across the curriculum. Thinking skills sessions have been introduced to encourage pupils to use a broader range of learning strategies. This innovation is particularly intended to meet the intellectual needs of more able pupils. When the school

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

fully puts into place its plans to ensure that gifted and talented pupils are accurately identified and supported, thinking skills work is intended to be an essential element of what is provided. The co-ordinator for gifted and talented pupils has recently taken up the post but it is evident that his own intellect, enthusiasm and high-level professional skills mean that this area will be well developed and that pupils’ attainment will improve. However, the presentation of pupils’ work still needs improvement and in this respect, there has been no improvement since the last inspection. Too often, work is difficult to read, it is unclear when it was done and sometimes it is not easy to decide whether it has been completed. These routine elements of classroom life have not been sufficiently embedded.

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

8. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and their attainment is satisfactory. Pupils who have specific learning difficulties are helped to learn at a good pace through being given specialist support, both within school and on other sites. There is individual and small-group work planned where pupils work closely with motivated and skilled learning assistants. Good checks on pupils’ progress are made within the school and the school is good at ensuring that there is co-ordinated support for pupils with learning, behavioural, emotional or physical needs.

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Targets and outcomes – Key Stage 2 – 2002 and 2003

9. Whilst a good proportion of pupils in the school are also speakers of languages in addition to English, these pupils tend to be fluent English speakers and they make progress in line with the majority of their classmates and their attainment is satisfactory. The headteacher is aware, through her analysis of pupils’ work and assessment results, that some of these pupils may experience some differences in understanding of specific words or phrases, even where their English-speaking is accomplished. Staff know that this is an area where they need to be diligent and use good questions and give clear explanations.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupil’s attitudes to learning and the relationships in the school are good. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, making this aspect a strength of the school. Their attendance is very good and punctuality is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attitudes and enthusiasm for school life, especially the younger children’s, contribute effectively to their learning. St John’s RC Primary School - 9 • There are good relationships throughout the school, with pupils being given the opportunity to develop confidence and a sense of responsibility. • The school prepares pupils well for life in a multi-cultural society. • Attendance is very good.

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Commentary

10. Pupils listen attentively and enjoy their learning. When lessons are lively and interesting, they respond appropriately and enjoy their work across the curriculum. A good example was in Year 1 when a small group, during a thinking skills lesson, were discussing the best way to arrange some oblong blocks, listening to each other and co-operating well in a group. These pupils enjoy their work and this leads to better progress being made than would otherwise be the case. Pupils’ behaviour deteriorates when they stop listening and become bored with the lesson.

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Commentary

11. Pupils relate well to each other and with other adults in the school. They respond to the school’s provision and expectations and the strong community ethos. This is evident in the mature way they behave at School Council meetings and in the acceptance by Year 6 pupils of the whole-school responsibilities which they undertake, whether it is introducing the Lead Inspector to the parents or preparing for assemblies. A few pupils have challenging behaviour, especially in Year 3, but staff work to reinforce good behaviour throughout the school. Whilst there have been isolated incidences of bullying in the past, these have been handled promptly and effectively. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. Staff provide good role models and show respect and concern for individual pupils. Pupils are encouraged to think of others less fortunate than themselves and they hold fund-raising events supporting ‘Jeans for

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Commentary

Genes’ and Cafod. They value the opportunity to visit ‘Lara’s Garden’ for quiet reflection.

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Commentary

12. Pupils are provided with the opportunity to discover their own local culture in history and to develop an understanding of the multi-cultural nature of society. They have the opportunity to visit the national museums in the area in support of their work on the 2 nd World War and Victorian times. They enjoyed the visit by the Mayor of Southwark, in full regalia, to introduce black history month. During the assembly and afterwards, they impressed him and his mace bearer by their good behaviour and sensible questions.

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Commentary

13. The pupils enjoy coming to school. They are punctual. Attendance is well above the national average. The school has an effective system to monitor absences and promotes the importance of regular attendance well.

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 3.9 School data 0.1 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. St John’s RC Primary School - 10

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 91 0 0 White – Irish 10 0 0 White – any other White background 12 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 1 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 1 0 0 Black or Black British – Caribbean 5 0 0 Black or Black British – African 31 0 0 Any other ethnic group 4 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teaching and learning

The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. This maintains the standards found at the last inspection. For children in the nursery and reception, teaching and learning are good. In Years 1 and 2, they are satisfactory, with some instances of good teaching. In Years 3 to 6, teaching and learning are satisfactory, with examples of both unsatisfactory and good teaching. The majority of lessons are well planned and teachers’ subject knowledge is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers plan well and are supported by the national schemes of work. • There are good opportunities for visits and visitors to promote enjoyment in learning. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. • There is limited investigative work. • Insufficient use is made of marking and target setting to improve pupils’ work. • Checking of teaching quality in lessons is not fully in place.

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

0 (0%) 3 (7.1%) 15 (35.7%) 20 (47.6%) 4 (9.5%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 42 lessons

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

14. Teachers plan well and use the schemes of work effectively. Where teaching is above average, lessons are well planned and there are structured activities which engage all the St John’s RC Primary School - 11 pupils in the class. Teachers in these classes are well organized, and use resources and subject specific vocabulary effectively. They ask probing questions that challenge the pupils to think about what they have learnt. Local resources such as Lavender Pond and The Brunel Engine House, together with local visitors lead to a high level of interest from the pupils. The support staff are highly valued and work in good partnership with teachers and this enhances the learning of pupils with learning difficulties. Homework helps pupils to make progress.

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Commentary

15. The teaching staff are well qualified, with sufficient numbers and experience to meet the needs of the curriculum but training opportunities are too narrowly focused upon subjects such as information and communication technology, special educational needs and resource centres such as Lavender Pond .

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Commentary

16. Good attention is paid to pupils who have special educational needs. They are given good in- class support and are withdrawn for specific language work. They receive both individual and group support. The teaching supports the pupils’ individual education plans. The teaching of pupils for whom English is an additional language is satisfactory.

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Commentary

17. There is insufficient checking of the quality of teaching or of pupils’ written work. This limits the school’s ability to improve its performance. For example, pupils’ written work is below previous levels because few opportunities are given for extended writing in subjects other than English. More opportunities for pupils to write at length to record their experiences and present their research in subjects such as geography, history and science would raise standards. There are insufficient opportunities for co-operative investigative work, particularly in science and history, to challenge and extend more able pupils. Unsatisfactory lessons were due to ineffective use of resources, insecure classroom management and planning which was not well-enough matched to pupils’ needs, leading to their being inattentive.

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Commentary

18. Assessment procedures for pupils with special educational needs are well developed. Clear targets are set and regular reviews take place. National assessments provide an annual overview of pupils’ progress. Few children know what they need to do next to improve their work. There are only a few instances of teachers correcting spelling and punctuation systematically.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is satisfactory overall. The way in which subjects are timetabled leads to some subjects either having little time to be covered in depth or too long a gap between each unit of work being offered. There is a modest range of out-of-school activities. Learning resources are satisfactory and sufficient and the accommodation provided is adequate.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a good range of activities and opportunities offered to children in the Foundation Stage. • Pupils with special educational needs are well provided for. • The school is good at ensuring that pupils have equal access and opportunity. • The school has a good number of learning support staff who provide good quality assistance to pupils, especially those with special educational needs. • The school has improved the range of its curriculum to meet pupils’ needs. • Pupils enjoy the activities which are provided out-of-school hours. • The balance and the progression of the curriculum are unsatisfactory and there is too little time to teach all subjects in depth. • The information and communication technology room is an asset but it is poorly ventilated. • The library computer system is not yet in operation. St John’s RC Primary School - 12

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Commentary

19. The curriculum is satisfactory. As a faith school, there are particular pressures on the time available to teach the whole curriculum. The school has worked hard to fit in all that it has to do and it manages to plan for all National Curriculum subjects to be taught. The school has also decided to give a considerable proportion of curriculum time to English and mathematics. Commendably, the school also ensures that personal, social and health education, thinking skills and problem-solving have some time given to them. The result of this tight scheduling is that some subjects are taught in all weeks (and sometimes on all days), other subjects are taught weekly or are taught only in one term of the year. History, geography and design and technology are in this latter category. As with other subjects, these three subjects are planned in line with national guidance. This means that there is balance in what pupils are taught.

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Commentary

However, the year-long gap between units in each subject being taught leads to pupils making less progress than they might. In design and technology, it is difficult to build on the skills which are necessary for good and better quality work to be planned and completed. The headteacher is committed to putting into place stronger links between subjects. This will mean that subject-specific skills, knowledge and understanding will be used to help pupils to learn in other subjects and in all school terms.

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Commentary

20. The school has only one class in each year group, some classes being particularly small. The advantages of small classes have to be set against the impact of teachers having to take the full planning load for all subjects in the year group and not being able to learn from another year group partner.

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Commentary

21. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good. Children’s literacy, speaking and listening skills are promoted through role play, capturing images using the digital camera, writing brief captions and then binding the pictures and the words and making an instant book to add to the many others in the classroom. Social education is well promoted, a good example being the active communal lunchtimes in which the full-time nursery children take part. Teachers have recently worked with the local authority to check the quality of their planning. The teaching rooms are spacious and provide plenty of visual stimulation and children are able to readily explore areas of learning, including planned outdoor play.

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Commentary

22. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are satisfactorily in place and the school has identified areas where it needs to extend the strategies further. Teachers use the three-part lesson format in their teaching, planning for pupils with different needs and capabilities. The plenary session at the end of the lesson is not yet a consistently strong demonstration of what pupils have learned, what they understand by their new learning and what the next steps are. Guided reading is now in place and is developing steadily. Problem-solving lessons have recently been put into place to improve pupils’ work in mathematics. One effect of these national strategies is that short-term planning across all subjects has much in common with the recommended methods for planning literacy and numeracy lessons.

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Commentary

23. Pupils with special educational needs are supported well, both in the classroom and by being withdrawn from specific lessons to work closely on particular learning goals. A particular innovation is the ‘dyslexia barge’ where several pupils get specialist external help through regular sessions, which are held on a nearby barge. The headteacher is also the special educational needs co-ordinator. She has ensured that the school’s procedures for assessing and tracking pupils are effective and she is conscientious in seeking appropriate support for pupils. Individual education plans are satisfactory. Small classes and a good amount of learning support staff mean that there are good opportunities for pupils’ individual learning needs to be met. The match of teachers to the needs of the curriculum is satisfactory.

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Commentary

24. The personal, social and health education is in place, as is citizenship. The school brings to life areas such as bullying and relationships by its suitable use of theatre companies to explore issues. The school provides a modest range of out-of-school activities. These are largely for pupils in Years 3 to 6. They are well attended and greatly enjoyed, and clubs include chess, St John’s RC Primary School - 13 music, prayer, French, netball, football and athletics. To extend the range it offers, the school has brought in outside providers to run art, drama and dance classes. These classes are not free but the school is assured that pupils are not prevented from attending through lack of funds. The information and communication technology club runs both during the lunch-time and after-school and extends well the work which is done in class.

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Commentary

25. Accommodation is adequate. There is no specialist art, science or design room in St John’s and the classrooms are small, even for small class groups. The hall is used for lunch and assemblies as well as for physical education, which limits opportunities for use. However, the outdoor space is well used and pupils also have good provision for swimming in Years 3 to 6. One room in school is used for parent and community activities as well as after-school clubs. It is also the base for the very successful parents’ literacy and numeracy groups. When these are running, children from the nursery and from reception join their parents in the afternoons in the base to learn alongside them.

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Commentary

26. The school has made recent improvements to the library and the information and communication technology suite. The library stock has been slimmed down, the oldest volumes have been disposed of and the remaining stock is suitable for most pupils. There remains scope for more books for the more successful reader. The dual use of the library leads to the library being used less often than it could be. The library computer system is not yet working, leading to a valuable asset being wasted. As there is no card withdrawal system in the library, opportunities for pupils to develop information retrieval and research skills are not being exploited sufficiently. The information and communication technology room is well used for both teaching and for out-of-hours clubs and the room represents a good investment by the headteacher and governors. However, the room currently has inadequate ventilation and

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Commentary

becomes very hot very quickly when in use.

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Care, guidance and support

The school provides good care for the pupils. They are provided with good, support, advice and guidance and the school involves them satisfactorily in its work.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good procedures in place for child protection and for promoting the pupils’ well- being, health and safety. • The staff knowledge of the pupils ensures that every pupil is encouraged to achieve to the best of their ability. • There is an effective school council with representatives from all but the youngest pupils.

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Commentary

27. The school has a suitable policy for child protection and all the staff are aware of their responsibilities. There are good health and safety procedures in place. Fire drills are carried out regularly. Teachers are conscientious in their supervision of pupils in their class. There are good arrangements for administering first aid and dealing with accidents or sickness. There is an ethos of care, order and structure which is emphasised in the school’s expectations and the response in the daily assemblies.

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Commentary

28. Pupils’ personal development is monitored informally through the class teacher’s knowledge of their class. Academic achievement, good attitudes and behaviour are acknowledged throughout the school with each class having its own award system, culminating in the weekly merit assemblies. There are no home visits for parents before their children enter the nursery.

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Commentary

29. The school council, which was started last year, has representatives from each year group, apart from the Foundation Stage children, and has already made a positive impact on the life of St John’s RC Primary School - 14 the school as pupils are confident that council members will discuss their concerns and that the headteacher will take action as necessary.

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community?

The school has established good links with parents and the wider community. There are satisfactory links with the other schools in the area.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school actively involves the parents in school life. • The local community is actively involved in the life of the school. • There are satisfactory links with the other schools in the area.

p.16

Commentary

30. Parents are kept well informed of all school affairs through the fortnightly newsletter and subsequent correspondence. Parents receive termly curriculum maps informing them of the areas to be covered and suggestions how they can help their children. The pupils’ annual progress reports provide parents with the basic information regarding what their children know, understand and can do. There are three consultation evenings per year. Parents support the school through their involvement in the recently formed PTA, helping in classrooms and on educational visits. Parents have said how much they appreciate the literacy and numeracy classes, run in conjunction with an outside provider.

p.16

Commentary

31. The school works closely with the local community. The successful parent and toddler group meet on school premises. The school has very close links with the church and is at the centre of the local Catholic community. Pupils attend the Parish Masses and carol singing in the community, and Year 6 pupils help at the senior citizens’ Christmas party. The school is involved in the Surrey Docks Farm and is to be part of the Junior Rangers scheme, aimed at encouraging children to take care of the local environment.

p.16

Commentary

32. There are satisfactory links with the local schools. The school works closely with the local technology college for out-of-school activities. There are a number of secondary schools for parents to choose from when their child reaches the end of year 6 and the school has regular links with them all.

p.16

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The school is satisfactorily led by the recently appointed headteacher, new senior staff and governors. Together with the new deputy headteacher and senior staff, the headteacher is devising strategies and positive ideas for the professional development of the whole staff team. Governors are very committed and support the school suitably, using their knowledge and expertise of community issues. Less well developed are the areas of management of the school’s delegated budget finance and the strategic planning, which is dependent for its success on careful budgeting from year to year. Governors have begun to evaluate the impact of governors’ decision-making on pupil standards, but this is at an early stage. Governors advise the school well on community links and on working with parents, but they are not yet sufficiently focused on the need to act as a ‘critical friend’ and to challenge the school on standards.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The head, senior staff and governors are committed to fully including all pupils in the life of the school. • Staff and governors are supportive of the new management structure. St John’s RC Primary School - 15 • The deputy headteacher is an experienced primary practitioner who works well with the new headteacher. • Teachers have very recently taken on a range of subject co-ordinator responsibilities so these roles are not as yet well established. • Governors feel involved in school matters and are developing their understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. • The process of self-evaluation is at an early stage of development.

p.16

Commentary

33. Over the past year, the headteacher has successfully created a team of senior teachers who share a common sense of purpose. She works well with her deputy headteacher and her senior teacher and they are working hard to put into place the changes which are set out in the school improvement plan. At the time of the last inspection, teachers with subject responsibility were judged to be developing their management roles successfully. Since that time, there have been a number of staff changes and the headteacher and senior staff are working with some very newly-designated subject leaders. Although the new subject leaders are at a very early stage of developing their roles, they have shown that they are capable of motivating and influencing their colleagues. The school already recognises that it has to ensure that all subject leaders are fully aware of the range and requirements of the role.

p.17

Commentary

34. The school improvement plan covers the next two years. It identifies many priorities for the school. These are all suitable but need further winnowing to ensure that the most pressing action areas are certainly dealt with. The plan sets out success critieria, yet does not make clear how the effects of the initiatives proposed are to be measured for their impact on pupils’ standards.

p.17

Commentary

35. The plan has insufficient detail about costs or about the time allocations from start to finish of initiatives.

p.17

Commentary

36. The senior management has identified the need to develop more consistent methods for pupil tracking and assessing. It has already put into place new ideas such as regular assessment weeks. The school accepts that it has to review the range, amount and quality of data that it collects so that it meets current self-evaluation and planning purposes.

p.17

Commentary

37. 45. Performance management procedures are in place for the teaching staff but are not sufficiently used to contribute to overall school self-evaluation. Continuing professional development priorities are held back by the lack of available finance to subscribe to courses or to provide cover for staff to attend training. There is some classroom observation linked with performance management and this allows the headteacher to have an overview of teaching standards and pupils’ learning levels. However, the current observation programme is not picking up sufficiently quickly specific needs and areas for improvement. New staff are welcomed and made to feel valued. Newly qualified staff have the required non- contact time and are assigned a mentor. The school is not currently making a contribution to initial teacher training.

p.17

Commentary

38. The school day runs smoothly with clear procedures in place. The school has a just-balanced budget with very little contingency fund. This may make it difficult to put in place some initiatives and the necessary associated staff training needs to be acted upon. Since the last inspection, the school roll has fallen. This partly explains the financial shortfall but there are promising signs of the roll now starting to increase. Budgets are not appropriately set because of the budget constraints and overspend of previous financial year which must be repaid. Finances are managed by an independent bursar employed by the school governors and he is effectively addressing the problems facing the school. The deployment of resources is discussed and agreed with senior management. Current satisfactory standards and progress which pupils make and the unit cost per pupil, taken together, mean that school

p.17

Commentary

provides satisfactory value for money. St John’s RC Primary School - 16

p.17

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 731,219 Balance from previous year -20,802 Total expenditure 739,936 Balance carried forward to the next -8,717 Expenditure per pupil 3,178

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

39. At the time of the last inspection, it was felt that the leadership and management of the school were good. Since that time, the school has had to face and survive some most difficult times. The two-year period where permanent leadership of the school was undecided led to some lack of forward focus and thus leadership and management are now satisfactory. Since the appointment of the new headteacher, governors feel more informed on school matters and are involved in planning for its future. They support senior management decisions but are not critical enough of the school’s performance or closely enough involved with the finer detail of strategic financial planning. With the school bursar, they are addressing the overspending which accrued in recent years. The school meets statutory requirements in the annual report to parents. St John’s RC Primary School - 17

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Overall provision in the Foundation Stage is good.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Children join the nursery class shortly after their third birthday and currently, there is the option for parents to send their children for full-time attendance before the transition to the reception class. Children’s attainment when they enter the school is in line with expected levels for this age group in all areas of learning. The children achieve satisfactorily during their time in the Foundation Stage and some children make good progress and are expected to start Year 1 of the National Curriculum with overall standards better than expected.

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Parents and carers are introduced to the nursery well. There are school visits in the term before children start school and there are well-structured information meetings for parents. Parents feel very welcome in school and consider that they receive good information. The children take home books they read and things they write and draw, to share with their parents. They enjoy reading books at home. Teaching and planning in the reception class are very good and the curriculum is carefully based on the recommended areas of learning. Staff understand the need to establish firm guidelines, yet still work with children in a sensitive and kindly manner. The accommodation and resources are satisfactory and outdoor provision for both classes is good. The good quality of resources has a positive impact on the children’s achievement. There is currently no co-ordinator for the Foundation Stage but both teachers have a very good understanding of early years practice

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

and are committed to working together with their teaching assistants to improve both planning and assessment. Provision for the Foundation Stage has improved since the last inspection when it was reported that personal, social and emotional development and mathematical development were not aligned with the areas of learning. St John’s RC Primary School - 18 Attainment in the Foundation Stage Attainment in the 1998 Inspection Current judgements for Inspection in Children’s achievement in relation to prior attainment Comments

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Personal, Social and Emotional Development Children were judged to be keen to contribute to conversation and social skills were developing well. Social skills are generally good on entry as the school takes time to communicate well with parents prior to admission to the nursery. Skills are good by the end of reception. Achievement is good. This is an improvement since the last inspection. The nursery staff report children entering with satisfactory levels of maturity. They are enabled to make good progress in both the nursery and reception class.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Communication, Language and Literacy No judgements made but children are reported as developing their language and literacy skills well. On entry to the nursery class, speaking and listening skills are good and reading and writing skills as expected at this age. Standards are better than expected by the end of reception. Achievement is good, and this has been maintained since the last inspection. Children who are interested in reading and writing at an early age should be encouraged to do so and be allowed to progress in line with their ability.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Mathematical Development Children within the nursery had some knowledge of counting, shape and matching pairs and using simple computer games. Attainment on entry is good. Skills are above expectations by the end of reception. Achievement is good. This is an improvement since the last inspection. Reception teachers continue to build on the children’s knowledge and skills.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Knowledge and Understanding of the World No judgement made but children’s knowledge and understanding of the world is reported as developing well. Their knowledge and understanding of the world are as expected on entry into school and are better than expected at end of reception. Achievement is good. The safe dedicated play area and outside environment, together with a wide range of learning resources has a good impact on the development of these skills.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Creative Development No judgement made. Children are enthusiastic and by the end of reception, children paint, use clay, constructional toys, sing well and role play. Achievement is good.

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Physical Development Children were enthusiastic. Skills are as expected on entry into school and better by the end of reception. Achievement is good. Teachers and teaching assistants make a very positive impact on children’s learning. St John’s RC Primary School - 19

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good. • There is an appropriate balance between teacher-directed lessons and opportunities for children to choose activities for themselves. • Children who are in the nursery class full-time are well cared for throughout the day

p.21

Commentary

40. Children enter school with a wide range of social skills. Overall, these are in line with those that might be expected for children of their age. Most pupils have maturing personal and social skills. A few children play in a self-interested way with limited talk or interaction with other children. Some other children are more confident and are ready to voice their ideas and opinions. This is sometimes done with feeling or awareness of others around them and the ethos of the school supports this. Children who are in the nursery class full-time stay for school dinner where social provision is good and children eat skilfully, using knives and forks.

p.21

Commentary

41. Staff provide good role models. They are starting to work well together as a team to provide calm and secure learning environments. This helps children to settle into the nursery and life of the school and helps build their confidence and their ability to adapt to others around them. Teachers and support staff provide a variety of interesting activities which engage children’s concentration and imagination well. Adults lead interesting small-group activities. They are successful in helping children grow in confidence to respond to adults and to other children. Teachers also intervene well with groups of children at play. They talk to them, pose thoughtful questions designed to make children think and consider, and they introduce new ideas. This often sparks off more talking between the children themselves.

p.21

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers provide interesting opportunities for the children to develop their communication skills and speaking and listening skills are well developed. • Letter formation is taught consistently in preparation for entry to Year 1. • Children are encouraged to write and early dictionary skills are taught. • Initial letter sounds are taught and letter recognition games played. • Children enjoy looking at books and listening to stories. • Children make a good start with reading.

p.21

Commentary

42. Children start school with satisfactory speaking skills. Attainment in listening, reading and writing are as expected for this age group. Children make good progress in the reception class; most meet, and some will exceed, the required levels by the time they start Year 1. Many children show a love of books and handle them with care, as was seen when listening to the story of ‘Goldilocks’. Stories are skilfully used as the basis for a wide range of activities which help develop literacy. In reception, children made and then manipulated puppets, and outside undertook drama role-play of the characters. St John’s RC Primary School - 20 43. Many children arrive at school able to communicate in some way using pencil and paper. However, a number of children confuse capital and lower case letters and this does need to be corrected as it happens. Most children are beginning to write independently by the time they

p.21

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good. • Most start with above average mathematical skills. • Attainment at the end of reception is above expectations and children are well prepared to enter Year 1.

p.22

Commentary

44. Most children enter school with mathematical skills that are in line with those expected. In the first few weeks, many children count objects accurately and identify basic shapes. Most children count confidently to 20 and carry out simple addition and subtraction sums. More capable children count up to ten objects and write numbers zero to eight.

p.22

Commentary

45. Good teaching ensures that children continue to make good progress in this area of learning. Teachers plan interesting activities that encourage children to achieve well and develop their mathematical skills. Children reinforce their recognition of numbers and size relationships by activities such as modelling play dough as family members, and making faces with clay. All adults use questions well to encourage, extend and reinforce learning.

p.22

Commentary

46. Most children know and identify basic shapes. Their knowledge of mathematical terms is good for their age. Children know that a pair means two similar or same items. They make good progress identifying groups of twos and threes and, for example, they know two sets of three blocks added together make six. Singing number action rhymes reinforces number work. More capable children in the reception class know the day and the month of their birthday.

p.22

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching is good. • Children are enthusiastic and enjoy the activities provided for them. • The school environment provides a good resource.

p.22

Commentary

47. Many children enter the reception class with a satisfactory level of general knowledge. The dedicated outside learning environments for both classes and the good support and care of the teachers and adults in their class help them to build successfully on this. As the children shared their ideas about autumn, one child from the nursery class, holding a handful of autumn leaves, said, ‘the trees fall down’ but gentle questioning from her teacher elicited the correct comment of ‘leaves fall down’. This showed good use of questioning and correcting mistakes. The locality has a rich history and has been subjected to much change in recent years and staff help children to develop their ideas and vocabulary about places around their local neighbourhood well. Children increase their knowledge of the natural and man-made world. St John’s RC Primary School - 21 They also enjoy learning about trees, fir cones, conkers and acorns, which links to their work

p.22

Commentary

on autumn and changing seasons. Children also develop satisfactory computer skills. Teachers provide stimulating activities and topics for investigation by the children.

p.23

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision for physical development is satisfactory .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good opportunities to develop climbing skills. • The outdoor area is used well.

p.23

Commentary

48. Children enter reception with physical skills expected for their age. They hold pencils and paintbrushes with confidence and appropriate grip. The children are encouraged to develop their physical skills through an appropriate range of activities, although which skills are to be emphasised is not always clear enough in the nursery planning. Children are able to select and place constructional toys in the correct space and they develop their hand strength and control well by squeezing, rolling, pressing and shaping play dough. They control scissors well when cutting.

p.23

Commentary

49. The climbing equipment outside provides good opportunities for children to develop their confidence and ability to climb, swing, jump, clamber, balance and slide. There are appropriate opportunities for children to develop their ability to ride a bicycle and tricycles and develop their co-ordination and control. Children are developing ball skills well. Achievement in this area of learning is good.

p.23

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision for creative development is good .

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Opportunities to experience a good range of resources and materials. • Teaching is good. • All creative work is having a higher focus within the school.

p.23

Commentary

50. Children demonstrate developing skills in the quality of their artwork and paint colourful pictures using a wide range of colours, which they can name. Photographs show that pupils have good opportunities to develop their design and creativity skills during the course of a year.

p.23

Commentary

51. Children enjoy singing and most know the words of nursery rhymes and songs appropriate to their age. Teaching is good and children learn a range of songs rapidly. Children achieve satisfactorily and quickly learn simple movement actions to accompany the singing. Teachers and adults use opportunities readily to reinforce learning with simple songs and actions. St John’s RC Primary School - 22

p.23

English

Provision in English is satisfactory. The National Literacy Strategy is in place and is being extended. There are suitable and sufficient resources. Pupils make steady progress and are confident speakers and listeners.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school’s willingness to examine and develop the breadth of its English curriculum. • Pupils read confidently and with interest across the school. • Pupils are generally good speakers and they listen well. • Standards have fallen since 2002. • The quality of pupils’ writing needs improvement including spelling, the accurate use of punctuation and the development of good handwriting styles. • The range of opportunities to write in a range of ways is too narrow.

p.24

Commentary

52. Pupils reach average standards by the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2 in reading and writing. Their speaking and listening are above average and in this respect, standards have been maintained since the previous inspection. However, standards fell in the other aspects of English in the tests in 2003 after maintaining very high standards for several years. The school set lower targets for 2003 than it had set in the previous year. This followed an analysis of the potential of the pupil group. The target for typical achievement for the end of Year 6 was met and the target for higher level attainment was comfortably exceeded. The school has a history of producing good numbers of pupils reaching higher levels, especially in reading. This makes the relative weakness in writing less understandable.

p.24

Commentary

53. Pupils join the school with expected standards in literacy. The evidence is that pupils now begin Year 1 ready to achieve well and this suggests that better standards will be achieved by the current Years 1 and 2. The weaknesses in writing bring down the quality of work across the school. The school has taken action to ensure that pupils have planned opportunities to write at length and to amend and improve their work. Pupils enjoy the opportunities which they have to discuss their writing and to build a narrative. However, there is little evidence that pupils are required to present their work well, teachers mark pupils’ errors in punctuation and spelling inconsistently and pupils are not able to use their own writing as good research and reference material.

p.24

Commentary

54. Pupils across the school are keen readers and are not shy of reading in front of the class or to an adult. They appreciate the improvements which have been made to the school library. However, they do not use the library enough to develop their own research and information retrieval skills, using computers more for these activities. The school has identified guided reading as an area which needs more emphasis, to improve pupils’ understanding of what they read. These sessions are beginning to make a difference although they only have recently been put into place. What is less satisfactory is the occupation of the rest of the class while small-group guided reading takes place, led by the teacher. Pupils have good opportunities to read silently during this time but there is not yet consistency over the purpose and organisation of these individual reading sessions. Pupils are given good teaching in their younger years to

p.24

Commentary

ensure that they have good knowledge of letter sounds and names. They use this knowledge to help them to read and to write new words.

p.24

Commentary

55. Pupils are confident speakers and intelligent listeners because much of the work which is done in lessons is oral; teachers ask a lot of questions and ask, ‘Why?’ and pupils respond well. The good relationships which teachers develop between pupils in lessons means that pupils St John’s RC Primary School - 23 know that their classmates will listen with respect to what they have to say. This aspect of English teaching means that pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language are fully involved in lessons. Pupils with special educational needs make especially good progress, and this progress is accelerated by good individual work and work in small groups led by able and knowledgeable learning support assistants. Overall, teaching and learning are satisfactory across the school, with examples of good teaching being seen in both key stages. This good teaching provides significant challenge,

p.24

Commentary

encourages links with other curriculum areas and expects pupils to use both written and spoken language independently and creatively. There are high standards in writing and in the presentation of the work. However, teachers’ planning does not always meet the needs of pupils closely enough and the final part of lessons is not always given enough time or emphasis to draw together what is learned and to set expectations for the next lesson.

p.25

Commentary

56. The subject leader has only recently taken up this responsibility. Her own keenness and ability are not in doubt and she is aware of the work which needs to be done to ensure that English regains its earlier high standards. To do this, opportunities for her to check the quality of teaching and learning have to improve. There are weaknesses in individual pupil target-setting and in the overall development of good quality assessment practice in English.

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

57. The most successful aspect of literacy and language across the curriculum is speaking and listening. Pupils are given opportunities to speak out in assemblies. They are able to show their reasoning and representational skills through their work in the school council. Older pupils help younger pupils directly with their reading. Opportunities for pupils to write at length are few across the school in English and in other subjects. In some displays in classes and around the school, questions are asked of pupils. This is especially the case in displays, which are linked to thinking skills. This aspect of school life is not well enough exploited and as a result, opportunities are missed to engage this school of keen readers as they examine the work of other classes or view special displays which support activities such as Black History Month. The school has not yet dealt with the issue from the previous report which requires the

p.25

Language and literacy across the curriculum

presentation of pupils’ work to be improved. Addressing this would improve the quality and accessibility of the writing which pupils do.

p.25

MATHEMATICS

Provision for mathematics is satisfactory .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Newly designated subject leader. • Satisfactory standards achieved throughout the school. • Pupils enjoy mathematics. • Pupils with special educational needs are well supported and achieve well. • Insufficient use of assessment to inform planning. • Insufficient practical application of mathematics in other subjects. • Satisfactory teaching and learning, but with some weaknesses.

p.25

Commentary

58. The quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory and as a result, all pupils are making satisfactory progress. Pupils with special educational needs and with English as an additional language are well supported and as a result, make the same progress as their peers. There has been a falling trend over the last two years and the school just failed to meet its targets in 2002, although a higher level attainment improved. Some caution is needed in reaching a judgement as the cohort is small. Having reviewed the potential of the Year 6 pupil group, the St John’s RC Primary School - 24 school set lower targets for 2003 and these were not met. Pupil changes and the proportion of pupils with special educational needs in the school are likely to have contributed to this result.

p.25

Commentary

59. Teaching is satisfactory overall with instances of both good and unsatisfactory teaching. Satisfactory teaching contributes to pupils’ ability to perform written computations and recall and calculate mental challenges using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Most pupils are able to explain their different methods of calculation. Most teachers have secure subject knowledge and teach all aspects of mathematics progressively but some teachers are new to using the National Numeracy Strategy and need more support to put it into place well. There is some suitable assessment of pupils’ work but the results are not always used sufficiently to inform planning and provision in lessons. Some pupils work in ability groups and this contributes to the standards achieved. Good teaching in Year 2 encourages pupils’ confidence and helps them to achieve.

p.26

Commentary

60. The subject leader for mathematics is newly in post and already has plans to develop the subject more effectively. The subject leader, headteacher and senior management team have clearly identified areas for development. Checking teaching and learning is underdeveloped and financial constraints are currently a block to extending this to a satisfactory level. Parents are kept well informed through curriculum evenings and they are encouraged and helped to support their children.

p.26

Mathematics across the curriculum

61. The use of mathematics across the curriculum is satisfactory although not abundant. Most teachers are not yet using cross-curricular approaches sufficiently in their work therefore pupils are not having to use their mathematical skills regularly in other subjects. The school is helpfully aiming to improve the quality of problem solving in mathematics by treating it as a cross-curricular learning skill which can usefully be applied across subjects as well as in mathematics.

p.26

SCIENCE

Provision and attainment in science are sound .

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The subject manager has a good understanding of development needs in the subject. • Good provision is made for pupils with special educational needs. • Pupils have a secure factual knowledge of science. • There are limited opportunities for scientific investigations. • Limited use is made of marking and target setting to improve children’s work. • There is insufficient checking of teaching.

p.26

Commentary

62. Pupils make sound progress in science and by the end of Year 6 standards are average. However, overall standards have fluctuated since the last report. This is due to several reasons, the changes in the make-up of the pupil groups, pupils joining and leaving the school in the middle of the school year; and the school’s greater emphasis on English and mathematics. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress. There are insufficient opportunities for scientific investigation which fully extend more able pupils.

p.26

Commentary

63. Teaching and learning are satisfactory and some are good. Lessons are well planned. All pupils are fully included in lessons, including those with profound special needs. Special needs assistants provide constructive and sensitive support. Good teaching concentrates on scientific enquiry and good questioning which challenges pupils to think about what they have St John’s RC Primary School - 25 learnt and enables the teachers to assess whether the pupil is ready to move on to the next stage. This was illustrated in a lesson involving bar charts. The teacher’s probing questioning eventually resulted in the answer: “it is a way of showing data pictorially”. Pupils have a good factual knowledge of life processes and living things, materials and their properties and physical processes. In good lessons, pupils are encouraged to think and to use scientific vocabulary such as ‘chlorophyll’ and ‘photosynthesis’. Throughout Years 1 to 6, marking does

p.26

Commentary

not help children improve their work. Few children know what they need to do next to improve. Spelling and punctuation are rarely corrected.

p.27

Commentary

64. Training opportunities for the subject leader and other teachers in all the elements of the science curriculum are limited. Teachers use the nationally advised scheme of work to guide their planning. This ensures continuity in pupils’ learning. The knowledgeable and enthusiastic subject leader has insufficient opportunities for supporting and monitoring work in the classroom. The subject leader has already identified the need for more scientific investigation as a means of raising standards in science.

p.27

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision for information and communication technology is good . Standards of achievement are in line with expectations.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good, well-supported subject management. • There are very good accommodation and resources. • Staff have had very good training opportunities • Lessons are well planned. • All pupils are included very well into lessons. • Assessment procedures are unsatisfactory. • Information and communication technology skills are frequently taught in isolation. • There is limited access to computerised library system.

p.27

Commentary

65. By the end of Year 6, standards are average, which was the case in the previous inspection. However, because of the advances in this subject since 1998, expectations are much higher. All children achieve the higher standards now expected. For example, Year 6 can use accurately terms such as ‘home page’. They are able to select pages of interest from the Internet.

p.27

Commentary

66. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teachers’ knowledge is good. They plan their lessons well and make good use of the resources. Good use is made of the digital camera. For example, pupils with special needs use this to illustrate word-processed books. Demonstrations on the interactive whiteboard are used effectively. Sometimes the teacher concentrates on developing computer skills out of context. This slows progress; for example, in one lesson pupils in Year 2 were given a document to word-process that most were unable to read and a year six lesson pupils produced a basic spreadsheet with no indication of its practical use. When teaching is good, pupils apply their skills to find areas of interest and they understand what they are doing. For example, one pupil in Year 6 was fascinated to find out that ‘Greek weaponry and armour underwent a continuous evolution in design from the bronze

p.27

Commentary

and Byzantine period …… and that the basic elements of body armour consisted of shield, breastplate …… ‘. Activities with a clear purpose and interest to pupils accelerated their rate of progress. All pupils remain interested and focus their attention on what they are trying to achieve. Assessment and recording procedures are not in place, which is unsatisfactory. The St John’s RC Primary School - 26 subject is very well resourced. There is a dedicated room computer suite, which has difficult ventilation, and the school has one computer for every six pupils, which is above average.

p.27

Commentary

67. The school has worked hard to enter the library books on the computer. However, many pupils have lost their pupil bar-coded library cards and therefore are without access to the library database, which is unsatisfactory. An effective policy is necessary for the storage of library cards if this problem is to be overcome.

p.28

Commentary

68. The management of the subject is good. The subject leader is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and has a very clear understanding of the need to give more opportunities for data logging and to develop assessment procedures. It is planned to install an air conditioning unit in the computer room to improve ventilation. The subject leader guides staff and parents on a range of information and communication technology issues and good training opportunities have been available for both groups. Senior management gives very strong support to further strengthen what is provided in information and communication technology.

p.28

Geography and history

Due to timetable constraints, only three lessons were seen in history and none in geography. Provision and standards of achievement in history are satisfactory .

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils respond well to visits and to visitors. • There is good lesson planning. • There is good support for pupils with special educational needs. • Pupils have too few opportunities for doing extended pieces of writing. • Insufficient use is made of marking and target setting to improve pupils’ work. • There are insufficient opportunities to extend more able pupils through historical enquiry.

p.28

Commentary

69. Pupils make satisfactory progress and reach expected standards by the end of Year 6 which was the position in the previous inspection. This maintains the standards recorded in the last inspection for Years 1 and 2. However, standards were previously good in Key Stage 2. This is largely due to the lack of a sustained emphasis on crucial features of the subject such as historical enquiry and the inadequacies of assessment procedures which meant that pupils’ next steps are not clear to them. The majority of pupils achieve satisfactorily and those with special educational needs make good progress. 70. Teaching is sound overall and there is some good teaching. In Year 4 there was good teaching of a lesson which focused on the Roman invasion of Britain. The good planning, good learning assistant support and, most importantly, the teacher’s own knowledge and expertise, led to pupils gaining empathy and insight into this troubled period of history. There is adequate

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Commentary

coverage of the expected areas for study. Pupils learn about continents and oceans and advance their mapping skills. They study the Great Fire of London and have a good understanding of why the fire spread so quickly. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use extended writing to record their experiences and present their research. There is an over-reliance on out-of-date texts and there are insufficient resources for pupils to develop good historical enquiry skills. Few pupils know what to do next if they are to improve their work, marking of pupils’ work is not precise enough and spellings and punctuation are not corrected regularly enough. 71. Visits outside school for example to Lavender Pond and The Brunel Engine House and visitors such as the Mayor of Southwark provide good learning experiences for the children. St John’s RC Primary School - 27 72. Both recently appointed subject leaders use nationally advised schemes to guide overall

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Commentary

subject planning. This ensures continuity in pupils’ learning. The geography subject leader has specialist qualifications and knows that pupils need to develop knowledge of the local area as well as extend their knowledge of other places. The history subject leader looks forward to training to develop his understanding of the subject management.

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Art and design

Provision for art and design is satisfactory. After a period where art and design were given low priority, the new subject leader is bringing renewed life to the subject, although there is a distance to travel before provision becomes good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The new subject leader brings enthusiasm and drive to her new task. • Pupils are keen to learn and to explore. • Artwork is largely small-scale and there is little built or three-dimensional work. • Insufficient attention is given to the development of art and design skills.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

73. Art and design is on the timetable fortnightly and is afforded sufficient time. However, the subject has not had a high priority in the past and the vivacity and enthusiasm seen in the artwork of the youngest pupils are less and less in evidence as pupils get older. As the inspection took place at the beginning of term, there is relatively little artwork on display. What was available tended to be illustrating other subjects, such as felt tip drawings in the corridor accompanying work on the ancient Greeks. Still-life drawings were linked to a study on the Victorians. These examples and the art in action seen being done by older pupils shows little evidence of systematic building of essential art skills. Pupils keep sketch books but the lack of skilled teaching of art and design is evident here. The picture is much brighter amongst younger pupils. In Year 1, some careful and sensitive planning by the teacher led to pupils

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Main strengths and weaknesses

making some good observations of textiles, using magnifying glasses. They moved on to drawing what they had seen and then, using strips of paper, they wove their interpretations of what they had seen. They were interested, chatty and intrigued and learned well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

74. The school has stocks of basic art materials, largely for painting, collage and drawing. Some stock is kept in classes but the remainder is stored in a room that has considerable community use, which presents some difficulties for teachers to have ready access to it.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

75. There is a scheme of work which is in line with national guidance, and links are made within it to history and geography. There is insufficient guidance on assessment in art and this is an area which the new subject leader has recognised as an area for development. It will be a key factor in ensuring quality art and design development. The action plan for the subject is in place and exactly the right priorities have been identified but too little progress was made during 2002/3. The subject leader has re-presented these and expects to make the necessary progress in the coming year, including ensuring that all teaching staff have relevant art and design training.

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Design and technology

76. Provision for design and technology is unsatisfactory. The organisation of the curriculum means that any momentum achieved in pupils’ learning is difficult to sustain. Checking the quality of work in design and technology is not done regularly enough. Assessment procedures are not yet in 0place. St John’s RC Primary School - 28

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Design and technology has been given insufficient attention over the years; as a consequence, much development is needed.

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Commentary

77. Design and technology is taught only in the summer term. This means that the skills, knowledge and understanding which are gained in that time have to be used regularly in other subjects in the intervening nine months. This does not happen to any great degree. As a consequence, the work which is available shows that pupils make less progress than expected and their work is less accomplished.

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Commentary

78. The school uses the national scheme of work. The previous subject-leader made great efforts to provide resource boxes linked to each topic. She also led some staff training which followed her own attendance at a good externally-provided training course. This work has not been sufficiently developed due to the subject-leader’s maternity leave. In her absence, the expected checking of the quality of pupils’ work was not done. The current arrangements for assessing pupils’ work in design and technology mean that this checking will not be done until July 2004, an unsatisfactory gap of two years. Transfer to the newly-appointed subject leader has not yet happened and this should have occurred. The subject is likely to develop more swiftly when the new subject-leader is up to speed and when staff use what pupils learn about design and technology more regularly.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good opportunities for pupils to take part in music groups and to perform in concerts and assemblies. • There are good resources. • The music room provides a dedicated space for children to encounter a range of musical experiences.

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Commentary

79. Standards achieved by the end of Year 6 are in line with expectations, which was the position in the previous inspection. The quality of what is provided for music is satisfactory. Music is taught throughout the school and this contributes suitably to the pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development. Pupils benefit from specialist teaching, a good range of resources and a large music room. Provision is enhanced by the opportunities different groups of pupils have to learn to play musical instruments or sing in the choir. Pupils have regular opportunities to develop their performance skills in assembly and in concerts within the school and community.

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Commentary

80. The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Currently, all lessons are taught by a specialist teacher who works hard to make the sessions fun, and pupils quickly learn how to respond to different instruments and create musical patterns and beat out rhythms. The subject leader has successfully bid for funding to pay for live performances in order to broaden pupils’ musical experience. She has drawn up an action plan, and is engaged on further fund-raising endeavours with the intent to introduce a scheme to improve the quality of singing across the school. No time is set aside to check the quality of teaching and learning and this is a weakness. St John’s RC Primary School - 29

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Physical education

Provision for physical education is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The subject leader has made a positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning and overall provision across the school since the last inspection. • Standards in swimming exceed expectations. • Provision for outdoor activities are good.

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Commentary

81. Pupils across the school make satisfactory progress and reach standards which are in line with expectations, which was the case in the previous inspection. However, pupils’ make better than expected progress in swimming and their standards exceed expectations. The school exceeds the national expectation for swimming provision and arrangements for this aspect of physical education are very good in Key Stage 2.

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Commentary

82. The subject leader has made a positive impact on the subject. She is making good progress on raising the profile of physical education. There is planning for areas of activity, but plans do not show clearly enough which knowledge and skills are to be developed and what the next the steps might be to ensure that sufficient progress is made by talented pupils. There are no formal assessment procedures in place to track the progress of pupils in all areas of activity, which is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

83. Resources are good and the outdoor provision is good. A range of extra-curricular activities is offered in which groups of pupils may participate during certain times of the year. Pupils are able to work individually, in pairs and in groups to develop their confidence and skills.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

84. Provision for personal, social and health education is satisfactory, as is provision for citizenship. Pupils are taught according to a scheme approved by the diocese, in fortnightly lessons. Pupils’ learning is suitably supplemented by theatre groups taking sessions to help pupils learn more about the emotional impact of matters such as relationships and bullying. Pupils across the school are encouraged through explicit teaching and through the faith-based ethos of the school to explore and develop their understanding for right and wrong. Pupils are encouraged to see a world which is broader than their own by active school participation in charitable and welfare activities. Pupils take responsibility for themselves and for others. St John’s RC Primary School - 30

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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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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3

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

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The quality of education provided by the school 4

The quality of teaching 4 How well pupils learn 4 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 4 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 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 4

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The leadership and management of the school 4

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

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The leadership and management of the school 4

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7). St John’s RC Primary School - 31

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