St Mary's Catholic Primary School

ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC 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. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary school School category: Voluntary aided 1 Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 212

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Penn Hill Road Weston Bath Postcode: BA1 4EH

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01225 429030 Fax number: 01225 319012

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr Paul Martin

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

St Mary’s Catholic School is an average-sized voluntary aided primary school situated on the outskirts of Bath. It serves a relatively prosperous area with a mixture of mainly privately owned homes. Currently there are 212 pupils (110 boys and 102 girls) on roll aged 4 to 11 years. When children enter the school their attainment is above that expected for their age. The majority of pupils are of white British origin; 20 per cent are from minority ethnic groups. One per cent speaks English as an additional language. Three per cent of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. The school has identified 17 per cent of pupils as having special educational needs, which is close to the national average. Four pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need. The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school other than at the usual times of first admission or transfer to secondary school is below that found nationally.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

1 Because St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided Catholic school the inspection of religious education and collective worship is carried out under Section 23 of the Schools Inspections Act 1996 (Denominational Education) by the inspector approved by the Diocese and appointed by the governing body. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

25406 Paul Nicholson Lead inspector Mathematics Information and communication technology Design and technology Physical education English as an additional language 9446 Helen Griffiths Lay inspector 16038 Jill Bavin Team inspector Foundation Stage curriculum Science Geography History Special educational needs 33020 Michael Reeves Team inspector English Art and design Music Personal, social and health education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Altecq Education Ltd 102 Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7JX

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 10

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

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OVERALL EVALUATION

St Mary’s is an effective school that provides its pupils with a good quality of education. Teaching is good and pupils do well . The school is well led and managed. It provides good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Teaching is good, which ensures that children in reception make a good start to school life and that pupils in Years 1 to 6 do well in English, mathematics and science. • Pupils have very positive attitudes and their behaviour is very good. • Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) for pupils in Years 1 to 4 are in line with national expectations but are below average in Years 5 and 6. • The headteacher provides effective leadership and, together with the staff and governors, manages the school well. • The school provides a broad curriculum and a good range of extra-curricular activities. • Although procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science are satisfactory, they are unsatisfactory in other subjects. • It is a caring school and there is good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • Planning for the future is satisfactory overall, but does not provide a clear enough focus on

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

whole-school priorities. • There are good links with parents and the community that support pupils’ learning. • Although satisfactory, there is scope to improve the involvement of pupils in the work of the school.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has made good progress since the last inspection. The school has addressed the weaknesses in its curriculum. Standards in English, mathematics and science have improved but standards in ICT have not kept pace with national expectations.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English A* A A* A* Mathematics A A* A* A Science A B A A Key: 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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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ achievement in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science is good. The work seen during the inspection indicates that children in the reception class do well. Almost all are on course to reach the national standards for their age (the early learning goals) in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, and in mathematical development, and many will exceed them.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils do well and by the end of Year 2 reach standards that are above average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. In Years 3 to 6, all pupils continue to do well and by the end of Year 6 standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science. In 2003, test results in English and mathematics were in the top 5 per cent nationally and compared very favourably with those of similar schools. Standards in ICT in Years 5 and 6 are below national expectations and pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory, as they have not sufficiently developed their knowledge and skills in using computers. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School Pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils behave well and have very positive attitudes. They are keen to please and willing to work hard. Their attendance rate is well above average. Pupils’ spiritual, social and cultural development is good and moral development is very good.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

Overall, the school provides a good quality of education. Teaching and learning are good and so pupils make consistently good progress as they move through the school. Teaching is particularly good in reception and in the teaching of English, mathematics and science in Years 1 to 6. The school’s systems for assessing pupils’ work are satisfactory but they do not provide adequate information for all subjects. The school provides pupils with a good range of learning opportunities. There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs, including effective support by skilled learning support assistants. Consequently, these pupils do well and make good progress towards their individual targets. Good levels of care and positive links with parents and the community support pupils’ learning well.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides clear leadership and, together with the teachers, he manages the school effectively. The staff and governors manage the inclusion of all pupils particularly successfully. Governance is good. Governors are very supportive and carry out their duties well and they ensure all statutory requirements are met. Planning for the future is satisfactory but there is an insufficiently sharp focus on the priorities for improvement.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are happy with the work of the school. They feel it is a caring school and that their children enjoy school. Parents believe the quality of teaching is good and they are pleased with the way the school is run. Inspectors agree with a small minority who would like clearer information on how well their children are doing. Pupils expressed positive views of the school. They feel they have to work hard and they appreciate the help teachers give them. They know who to seek advice from if they have a problem.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • raise standards in ICT for older pupils and develop the use of ICT in supporting learning for all pupils; • develop a more effective whole-school approach to assessing and recording pupils’ progress in order to help teachers with their planning and the reporting of achievement to parents; • in planning for the future and in monitoring progress towards whole-school targets, provide a sharper focus on priorities through the school’s development plan; • provide more opportunities for pupils to be involved in the school’s work and in the setting of personal and learning targets. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Achievement in reception and in Years 1 to 6 is good . Standards in the core subjects are above average in Year 2 and well above average in Year 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have improved since the last inspection. • Children in reception do well and make a good start to their education. • Pupils in Years 1 to 6 do well in English, mathematics and science. • In Years 5 and 6, standards in ICT are below average. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress towards their individual targets.

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Commentary

1. At the time of the last inspection (March 1998), pupils made satisfactory progress and standards by the end of Year 6 were above average in English and average in mathematics and science. The school has worked hard at maintaining good teaching and improving the learning opportunities provided for pupils. Consequently, pupils now make good progress in the three core subjects, their achievement is good and their performance in national tests has improved and is well above average.

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Commentary

2. Foundation Stage: From an above average starting point, the children in the reception class do well and almost all achieve the early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world, and many exceed them. Children’s achievement is good because of good teaching and children’s very positive attitudes. It was not possible during the inspection to make judgements on children’s achievements in physical and creative development.

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Commentary

3. Key Stage 1: In Years 1 and 2, pupils build on the good start made in reception and continue to do well. Over recent years the school’s results in national tests in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 have been well above average. Pupils’ results in tests compare favourably with those in similar schools and improvements in test results have been better than the national trend. Standards in the current Year 2 are above average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. This is slightly lower than in recent years as there is a greater proportion of pupils with special educational needs within the current year group. However, work seen shows that all pupils make good progress and achievement continues to be good because of effective teaching in these subjects.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results Reading 18.5 (18.2) 15.7 (15.8) Writing 16.4 (16.3) 14.6 (14.4) Mathematics 18.3 (17.9) 16.3 (16.5) There were 30 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

4. Key Stage 2: By the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average. Recent national test results (see table in Section A) and work seen during the inspection confirm this. The proportion of pupils that gain the higher standard, Level 5, in each St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School subject varies from year to year and is slightly lower in the current Year 6 compared with the previous year. However, it is much higher than is normally found. The school’s performance in national tests compares very favourably with that of similar schools. These standards represent good achievement and are the result of good teaching and pupils’ very positive attitudes towards learning.

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Commentary

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

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 31.1 (29.3) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 30.0 (30.5) 26.8 (26.7) Science 31.3 (29.7) 28.6 (28.3) There were 32 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

5. Standards in ICT are average by the end of Year 2 and by the end of Year 4. Standards for pupils in Years 5 and 6 are below national expectations. Improvements made to the provision for the subject are too recent to have impacted on the older pupils’ knowledge and skills. Their achievement in ICT is unsatisfactory as gaps in their previous learning have not been fully addressed.

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Commentary

6. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress in English and mathematics. They are supported well by teachers and learning support assistants and achieve well in relation to their individual targets. The very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language are given adequate support and they make similar progress to their classmates.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good . Pupils’ personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good . Attendance is very good and punctuality is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attendance rate is well above the national average. • Relationships are very good; adults and pupils display high levels of mutual respect. • Pupils have very good attitudes to school and their learning. • Behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good. • Pupils’ personal qualities are well developed through school assemblies. • A more structured approach to understanding the cultural traditions of others is needed.

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Commentary

7. Attendance: The school’s procedures for monitoring and promoting attendance are good. Parents understand the schools systems for reporting pupil absence. Consequently, attendance levels are very good and the punctuality of pupils is good.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 3.9 School data: 0.0 National data: 5.4 National data: 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School 8. The school successfully promotes very good relationships and has created an environment where pupils feel valued, supported and want to learn. During discussions with pupils, many said that what they like best about school is the way in which their teachers are friendly and helpful. Parents feel that the school helps their children become mature and responsible. Most pupils are keen to take responsibility when it is offered and are willing to help in classrooms and around the school. Older pupils are given responsible roles in order to help develop their maturity. For example, they help younger pupils with their reading, have responsibility for the

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Commentary

maintenance of the junior library and referee football games played at lunchtimes by younger pupils.

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Commentary

9. Development of pupils’ personal qualities is good. Assemblies very effectively promote pupils’ spiritual and moral understanding. The school’s strong moral code is underpinned by a clear behaviour policy that is consistently applied by all adults working in the school. The school’s ‘Golden Rules’ are prominently displayed in classrooms for reference by staff and pupils. Pupils behave very well both in lessons and around the school. Playtimes have a very positive atmosphere; pupils play in a friendly way or sit and talk with friends in specifically designed quiet areas such as the Millennium Garden. Pupils can sit on the friendship bench if they are without a person to play with. Pupils in Year 6 believe this works well and that it makes sure everyone has someone to play with during playtimes and lunchtimes. There have been no exclusions since the last inspection.

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Commentary

10. Staff and pupils support charitable work of the school by raising funds for a number of local and national charities. Pupils in Year 6 identify this as a key role for someone to be an active member of a community and illustrates well the development of their social understanding. A good range of extra-curricular clubs encourages social development. The school is involved in a good number of sporting events with other primary schools and this ensures that all children are involved in representing the school at some time throughout the year. This very inclusive approach makes certain that all pupils have the opportunity to develop their social skills through sport. In the reception class, children’s achievement in their personal, social and emotional development is good.

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Commentary

11. The overall provision for pupils’ cultural development is now satisfactory. This is an improvement from the previous inspection. The school provides a good understanding of British culture through a wide range of visits to museums, art galleries and places of local interest. Pupils in Year 6 are looking forward to the production of Twelfth Night later this term. Appreciation of the cultural traditions of others is mainly developed through subjects such as art, music and religious education. Resources to address issues related to racism are beginning to be used in some classes. The school has also purchased artefacts from other faiths to support pupils’ learning. School events such as International Day also raise pupils’ awareness of different cultures around the world. However, a more structured approach is needed to increase pupils’ awareness of multicultural issues to a similar level to that found in

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Commentary

other aspects of their personal development.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The school provides a good quality of education for its pupils. Teaching and the curriculum are both good. The school provides good levels of care and links with parents and the community are good.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching is good and pupils make good progress in their learning. The use of assessment is satisfactory overall, although there are some weaknesses.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good teaching in reception ensures children make a good start to their time at school. • In Years 1 to 6, teaching in English, mathematics and science is good. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School • Whole-school procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ progress in subjects other than English, mathematics and science are not fully developed. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 21 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Commentary

12. The school has maintained the good quality of teaching seen at the last inspection. Teaching is good in reception and so children feel happy and secure and they make good progress towards their early learning goals. In Years 1 to 6, teaching is good overall. Evidence from pupils’ previous work and lessons seen indicates that teaching in English, mathematics and science is good and in other subjects it is satisfactory.

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Commentary

13. Throughout the school, teachers manage the pupils very well. They provide a caring environment, high levels of encouragement and regular opportunities for pupils to work collaboratively and so positive relationships flourish. Consequently, pupils behave very well, gain confidence in communicating with others and are keen to do well. Teachers have a good understanding of the subjects they teach and so give clear explanations, promote plenty of discussion and question pupils effectively. This helps pupils gain good levels of knowledge and understanding, particularly in the core subjects. Teachers make good use of learning support assistants to help pupils with special educational needs.

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Commentary

14. In the best lessons teachers plan suitable activities matched to the needs of the different ability groups within their class. There is a good pace to activities and a clear focus and constant reinforcement of what pupils are to learn. In lessons that are satisfactory, lesson objectives are sometimes too broad and do not provide sufficient challenge for all groups. As a result the teaching is not sufficiently well focussed to ensure better than satisfactory learning.

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Commentary

15. Pupils’ work is regularly marked but the quality is variable. It ranges from useful comments, particularly in English, that help pupils to improve to just ticks. Individual pupil targets are set in English but not in other subjects. Procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ progress in the Foundation Stage are good. In English, mathematics and science the procedures are satisfactory, though there is scope for development. These procedures help in the planning of future activities but in other subjects there is no consistent whole-school approach to assessing and recording the progress of groups of pupils in order to help teachers plan more effectively and assist in the reporting of achievement to parents. The school does not involve pupils sufficiently in setting their own targets or in assessing their progress.

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The curriculum

The school provides a good quality curriculum that caters for the needs of all pupils.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school has successfully addressed previous weaknesses in the curriculum. • Provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good. • There is good provision for pupils with special educational needs. • The school provides a good range of out-of-school activities and clubs. • Pupils are well prepared for transfer to their next school. • Effective use is made of the staff’s skills. • The school has improved resources for information and communication technology, for learning in the outdoors and for sport. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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Commentary

16. At the time of the last inspection, the school’s schemes of work were not planned in a systematic manner and this impacted on the teaching of skills in subjects such as history and geography. The school’s curriculum, which is now good, has developed to meet the needs of its pupils in a number of ways and it now meets the requirements of the National Curriculum in all respects. The national strategies for literacy, numeracy and the Foundation Stage are well established in the school. The school provides a good range of learning opportunities, including the experience of a modern foreign language through access to a teacher from the Italian Consulate. The school has achieved Active Mark Gold, which recognises good quality provision in physical education combined with extra-curricular sporting activities. The school has a very inclusive approach to sport with all children given opportunities to represent the school

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Commentary

17. The provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education is good. There is a structured drugs education programme. Sex and relationships education follows the agreed school policy and is provided in partnership with health professionals. Older pupils are encouraged to develop maturity and responsibility. For example, the reading buddies’ scheme enhances pupils’ social skills and learning. Visitors, theatre groups, musicians and the local services add to the richness of the curriculum and develop pupils’ cultural awareness. Pupils are involved in a wide range of educational visits directly linked to the planned curriculum. This makes their learning more meaningful in a number of subjects. Pupils in Year 6 participate in a residential trip, which supports their social development.

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Commentary

18. Provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. These pupils are included well in lessons and all activities. Pupils have good individual education plans that are well linked to teachers’ lesson plans. Targets on individual education plans are clear, specific and measurable. This means that they are helpful to staff and demonstrate good rates of progress. Daily sessions known as ‘Brain Gym’ take place for some pupils with special educational needs. These are successful in helping to develop their listening and concentration skills. There is adequate provision for the very small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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Commentary

19. The school provides a good range of extra-curricular activities. These include, in the main, sporting activities such as hockey, gymnastics, football, rugby, netball and basketball as well as arts activities such as drama club. After-school classes are available for pupils in Year 5 who need extra support in mathematics. A good balance of both boys and girls and pupils from different ethnic groups attend activities. These allow all pupils access to a wide range of activities and help to develop positive attitudes to learning.

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Commentary

20. The school has well established systems to prepare pupils for the move to secondary school at the end of Year 6. The pattern of visits between the primary and secondary school are reassuring for pupils. Specially designed work in English, mathematics and science for pupils in Year 6 help continuity of learning as they move into Year 7.

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Commentary

21. The school is staffed by a sufficient number of experienced teachers. An adequate number of skilled teaching assistants provides good support to pupils with special educational needs. Good use is made of teachers’ expertise. Some specialist teaching takes place in art and physical education. Music and singing in assemblies is enhanced by teachers’ musical knowledge. The school places importance on the development of all staff for the benefit of pupils’ learning. Specialist sports coaches are used to enhance the teaching of sport. Community Sport Leader students organise physical activities for pupils at lunchtimes.

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Commentary

22. Resources to support pupil learning are satisfactory. Since the last inspection, the school has developed its accommodation. It has improved opportunities for learning in ICT through the creation of a computer suite. Attractive library areas for infant and junior pupils support learning. Development of the infant playground areas with a Millennium Garden and an activity play area enhances pupils’ social development and learning, but the lack of a covered area limits the use St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School of the outside resources during inclement weather. Grants have been used well to improve resources in physical education. The number of pupils in Year 4 requires morning lessons for some pupils to take place in a rather restricted area. The school has plans in place to address this issue.

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Care, guidance and support

The provision for pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety is good. The provision of support, advice and guidance based on the monitoring of pupils’ achievement is satisfactory . The involvement of pupils through seeking and acting on their views is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are effective procedures for health and safety, child protection and first aid. • The induction arrangements for pupils in reception are good. • All adults know pupils well and provide good levels of care. • Arrangements for monitoring pupils’ personal development are effective. • Pupils are not fully involved in the work of the school.

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Commentary

23. The school has good health and safety procedures. The headteacher is the designated person for child protection and for children in public care and has been recently trained. Procedures are effective, although he currently has no deputy in these roles. Staff are very aware of child protection issues and there are good guidelines for both teaching and non-teaching staff. Arrangements for the administration of first aid and for monitoring pupils’ medical conditions are very good. Good numbers of staff have been trained in first aid. Emergency procedures are very thorough. Risk assessments and health and safety checks are carried out regularly. Additional assessments are carried out for trips and visits.

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Commentary

24. There are good arrangements for children when they start at the school, including preliminary visits to the school by both children and parents and a carefully phased introduction, especially for very young children. The visits enable teachers to gather information about the children and, as a result, children settle in quickly and make good progress.

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Commentary

25. There is a strong bond of trust between pupils and all adults who work in the school. Nearly all pupils who responded to the inspection questionnaire felt there was at least one adult to whom they could turn for advice. Adults know the pupils very well and monitor their personal development effectively, if informally, through class files and the sharing of information at staff meetings. Academic monitoring is used satisfactorily to inform pupils’ reports. However, marking and assessment is not always used well to ensure that pupils really understand what they have to do to improve. The school does not yet fully involve pupils in its work through any formal seeking of its views. Although pupils have the opportunity to express their opinions informally through circle time 2 and in assemblies, there is scope to develop the ways in which pupils can express their views, participate in the work of the school and contribute to the setting

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school’s links with parents and the community are good . Links with other schools are very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents have positive views of the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

2 During Circle Time pupils discuss a wide range of personal and general issues. It is agreed by all pupils that no interruptions should occur and only one person at a time will speak. Respect for other pupils’ views will occur at all times and therefore pupils feel confident that they can talk with ease and free from any form of interference of interruption from other children. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School • Very good links with other local schools provide many benefits for the pupils. • The school has good links with the local community, especially the church. • Reports to parents do not contain enough information on pupils’ progress and achievement.

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Commentary

26. In a good return to the questionnaire, parents and carers expressed positive views on nearly all aspects of the work of the school. Some concerns were expressed at the parents’ meeting about the behaviour of a small number of older boys: this was found to be mainly on the school buses. Parents felt that any incidents of bullying were dealt with effectively by the school. Overall, information provided for parents is satisfactory. Regular, lively newsletters and home/school books keep parents well informed of events and the school’s prospectus and governors’ annual report are clearly written and informative. Brief details about the work pupils are to cover are provided at the beginning of each year for English, religious education, mathematics and science: however, some parents would appreciate more detailed information and a few parents at the meeting had not received any details. Written annual reports on pupils’

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Commentary

progress are satisfactory: class teachers give helpful and supportive targets for pupils’ development for English, mathematics and science. However, they do not provide comments to show how pupils have achieved against expected levels for their age. They also give too much information describing what children have learned and not enough about their progress.

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Commentary

27. Parents support the school very well through the PTA, which regularly raises considerable amounts to buy equipment to support children’s learning. Very good numbers of parents help in school on a regular basis and more on trips and visits. Parents help their children’s learning through supporting the regular homework that is given, which includes useful guidelines on how they can help their children. Links with parents of children with special educational needs are good. The school has sought parents’ opinions several times in recent years on matters such as the behaviour policy and arrangements for Year 4. There are good links with the local community, especially the church: the parish priest regularly says Mass at school and children visit the church for services. There are also strong links with a local rugby club and sponsorship has been obtained from local firms for sports equipment.

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Commentary

28. The school has very good links with the Catholic secondary school to which pupils transfer, especially through sport and music, and these links have had a very positive effect on pupils’ development in these areas. Transition to the secondary school is managed very effectively. Effective links have also been made with other local Catholic schools for joint staff training. These primary schools and the Catholic secondary school have worked together to produce a course on religious education, now used in all the schools. Pupils from local secondary schools use the school for work experience. Pupils have good links with other local primary schools through sports and music.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership, management and governance of the school are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher provides enthusiastic and supportive leadership for pupils and staff. • The headteacher has successfully led and managed a good level of school improvement. • There is very effective teamwork amongst staff. • The school development plan does not focus sharply enough upon identifying whole-school priorities and the monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work. • Governors and staff share a robust commitment to valuing all pupils and maintaining a strong Catholic ethos.

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Commentary

29. The headteacher provides highly principled leadership and manages the school well. He holds strong views about preserving and developing the school’s existing strengths within its Catholic St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School ethos. He has successfully led the school through a sustained period of improving pupils’ standards and achievement, but is far from complacent. He is very supportive of his staff and encourages their professional development, thereby aiding their involvement in the school’s good rate of continuing improvement. Consequently, he has been very successful in creating a cheerful and committed team of teachers who work well with him to provide a happy and caring school. This is the climate in which pupils flourish and teaching is good. He is ably supported by two assistant headteachers who bring different areas of expertise and complementary skills to the senior management team.

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Commentary

30. The school has an adequate development plan, which is supplemented effectively by subject co-ordinators’ individual action plans. Subject co-ordinators now make a good contribution to developing their areas of responsibility and this represents an important improvement since the previous inspection. Staff and governors share a good understanding of the school’s strengths and development needs. However, there is not always an equally shared understanding of what the whole-school priorities are and how to best move forward and evaluate the school’s decisions. The development plan, while satisfactory, does not consistently express the distinction between its targets, action to be taken and success criteria with clarity and rigour. The knock-on effect of this is that while governors challenge the school satisfactorily, they are not always in a position to evaluate the school helpfully on educational issues, such as the

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Commentary

impact of the new computer suite on pupils’ learning. However, overall governance is good and since the last inspection governors have successfully developed their role by increasing their involvement and expertise. Together, governors, headteacher and staff manage the inclusion of all pupils particularly successfully and ensure the school is a positive and happy community.

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Commentary

31. One of the headteacher’s strongly held views has been to ensure that the large group of pupils in Year 4 is not always taught together. After detailed consultation with parents the school decided to budget to bear the cost of an extra teacher if necessary. This accounts for the school’s currently high carry forward into this financial year. The projected carry forward for next year is approximately 10 per cent, so slightly reduced but still significant and for the same reason.

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Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

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Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 473,250 Balance from previous year 50,750 Total expenditure 455,468 Balance carried forward to the next 68,468 Expenditure per pupil 2,128 St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

32. Most boys and girls join the reception class, after attending nursery, with strengths in their use of spoken language and their social skills. As a result of good teaching and learning during their reception year they achieve well. This means that by the time they start Year 1 the vast majority have achieved the wide range of early learning goals in personal, social and emotional development, communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world, and many exceed them.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

33. All children make equally good progress, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs. The teacher and classroom assistant observe children closely and use their knowledge of children to plan lessons and activities carefully that are well suited to their age and individual stages of development. The development of provision for children in the reception class has been well managed. Consequently, the strengths found at the time of the previous inspection have been maintained in spite of significant changes and increased requirements of the curriculum.

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Personal, social and emotional development

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• All adults share consistently high expectations of children’s behaviour. • All adults set very good examples of how to behave. • Children’s ideas are valued so they grow in confidence. • Occasionally opportunities for children to take the initiative are missed.

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Commentary

34. Children are taught with unfailing patience and courtesy. Adults have high expectations of their behaviour, which are adjusted sensitively to ensure that the children with least confidence do not experience unnecessary pressure. Any minor misdemeanours are addressed from a positive point of view and children are not in any way ‘put down’. Consequently, children know that they will be listened to, feel good about themselves, and willingly take part in all that is on offer. They increase their understanding of the reasons for listening quietly to adults and each other and conform to class and school rules with a high level of maturity for their age. They are helpful to each other and polite and welcoming to visitors. Children make choices confidently, although occasionally opportunities for them to make their own decisions are missed. However, consistently good teaching produces a good rate of learning and achievement and accounts for

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Commentary

high standards in this area of learning.

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Communication, language and literacy

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching makes early reading and writing fun so children achieve well. • Adults have high expectations of children’s work. • All adults listen patiently to children and encourage them to voice their ideas. • Lack of a covered outside area means that outside activities are constrained by weather conditions. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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Commentary

35. Good teaching results in good progress for all children and so most will reach or exceed the expected early learning goals. Lessons beginning with exciting ‘games’ such as the teacher very gradually revealing hidden letters and pairs of letters stimulate enormous enthusiasm. Children are desperate to share their growing knowledge of letters and sounds, and no one has this excitement dampened. Because of very strong relationships between children and adults the atmosphere is one of learning being great fun. Very high expectations of children’s concentration and effort are tempered with considerable sensitivity, so all children address the ‘problem’ of reading and sequencing sentences to re-tell a story with impressive consideration and perseverance. Children are accustomed to being treated with warmth and understanding so they are prepared to try and meet the challenge of reading ‘tricky’ words, such as ‘knocked’.

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Commentary

Similarly, because children know their ideas will be taken seriously and their efforts valued they are prepared to voice their thoughts and to write with impressive levels of confidence and independence. Currently, valuable outside activities to support this area of learning are dependent on fair weather. The reception class teacher is well aware of the value of children using the outside space as an extension of the classroom and has plans for a covered area.

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Mathematical development

Provision in mathematical development is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Strategies for teaching this area of learning are chosen well for variety and interest.

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Commentary

36. Teaching and learning are good because adults understand the importance of harnessing children’s imaginations to support their learning. This makes mathematical ideas relevant and fun for the children, which contributes significantly to the high standards that they reach. For example, during the inspection children used addition and subtraction in the context of a story with toy animals. They calculated how many animals had moved to the water-hole and how many remained in the village with varying levels of mental agility, but all were fully involved because of skilful, individual questioning as well as a high level of interest.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• This broad area of learning is planned very carefully, but adults retain the skill to exploit spontaneous learning opportunities. • There are good links between this and other areas of learning.

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Commentary

37. This is a very wide area of learning that encompasses several elements. Careful planning and good teaching guarantees children developing a wide range of early geographical, historical, scientific and technological skills to a good standard. This is helped by the close links that are made between this and other areas of learning. For example, children work collaboratively to join large plastic bricks to replicate a ‘building site’. This means that they are developing socially, while working creatively and using mathematical ideas throughout the ‘construction’. Similarly they record practical investigations into floating balloons and sinking scissors and practice writing purposefully when they label their drawings. However, the careful planning does not prevent adults from exploiting the learning opportunities that arise spontaneously or fortuitously. For example, children explore snow, some for the first time ever, first outside and

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Commentary

then by observing it melt in the classroom.

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Creative development

St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School 38. There is insufficient evidence to make judgements about the overall quality of provision and teaching and learning for this area of learning. However, staff clearly have a good understanding of the importance of children learning through using their imaginations. During the inspection no lessons in which children used art materials were seen and only one lesson with a music focus was seen. This was a good lesson because children had a good ‘hands on’ experience experimenting with musical instruments. Adults make good use of music throughout the day to calm children down and to liven them up when there is a change of activity.

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Physical development

39. There is insufficient evidence to make secure judgements about the quality of teaching and learning in this area of learning. Clearly children enjoy a good variety of activities that involve them developing safe control of small tools and implements. Most children develop good control of pencils that helps their writing skills. Photographic evidence shows children using log bridges and clambering over and under wooden constructions. These photographs support observation of children moving around their room and the school, that they have the skills of balance and co-ordination expected for their age.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in English are well above national averages. • Overall, teaching in English is good and pupils achieve well. • The subject co-ordinator provides good leadership. • Writing is well developed to support learning in other curriculum areas. • Assessment and record keeping is under-developed.

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Commentary

40. Standards in English have improved since the last inspection. Compared to all schools nationally standards in reading and writing have been well above average at the end of Year 2 for the past three years. Similarly standards in English tests have been well above average at the end of Year 6 during the same period. In 2003 the percentage of pupils achieving the higher levels was very high when compared to schools nationally. Standards in the current Year 2 are above average in reading and writing. This is slightly lower than in recent years as there is a greater proportion of pupils with special educational needs within the current year group. However, work seen shows that all pupils make good progress and achievement continues to be good. In the current Year 6, standards are slightly lower than the very high standards reached in 2003 as the proportion of pupils achieving the higher level is lower than in the

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Commentary

previous year. However, overall standards remain well above average and achievement is good.

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Commentary

41. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers make lessons relevant, which captures and sustains pupils’ interest. The use of exciting resources acts as a good stimulus to pupils writing. For example, a lesson in Year 1 captivated pupils’ imagination with the use of mystery objects hidden beneath a wizard’s cape. Lessons have a clear focus and build well on previous learning. Teaching assistants provide good support to individual pupils and small groups. This helps all pupils to succeed in lessons.

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Commentary

42. Standards in speaking and listening are above expected levels. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 listen carefully and offer relevant responses to questions. They can discuss ways to improve their work and share their ideas with the class. In Year 3 pupils can recite poetry from memory with St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School confidence. By Year 6, pupils listen carefully to the suggestions of others, constructively develop an idea and justify a viewpoint.

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Commentary

43. Reading is well promoted and there are good levels of support from parents with reading at home. The school makes good use of work on letter sounds (phonics), which helps pupils with their reading and spelling. Pupils who are underachieving with reading are identified and receive additional support, which helps their progress. Pupils in Year 2 read accurately, with understanding and make good use of letter sounds to identify unknown words. They confidently use the colour code in the non-fiction library to select books for a given topic. By Year 6 pupils have a good understanding of the characters and themes of books. They use the Dewey system to locate non-fiction books in the library.

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Commentary

44. Pupils make good progress in writing and they have regular opportunities to write for a wide range of purposes. They have useful individual targets for writing development and this helps them know the next steps to improve their work. Pupils’ work is generally well marked with comments that praise their effort, suggestions for improvement and reference to pupils’ writing targets. Good use is made across the school of whiteboards to assist pupils in their drafting and recording ideas. This increases pupils’ confidence and encourages them to develop their writing. Where teaching of writing is very good it moves at a rigorous pace, challenges pupils to work at a higher level and uses high quality pupil responses to bring about improvement throughout the class. This approach to whole class teaching of writing is operating very effectively in Year 6 to improve standards in writing.

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Commentary

45. The school has in place some satisfactory systems for assessing and recording pupils’ progress. The headteacher makes good use of a computer program to track pupil progress annually. Records for monitoring pupils’ writing are in place to record progress in narrative and non-narrative writing. However, whole-school assessment and recording systems are not firmly established across the school.

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Commentary

46. The co-ordinator provides good leadership and management for English. She has good subject knowledge and high levels of expertise. The co-ordinator uses a number of procedures to monitor and evaluate the development of English. She makes good use of this information to create an action plan for English, which feeds into the school improvement plan. However, the lack of regular observation of lessons reduces her ability to have a full understanding of the quality of provision or the impact of new initiatives.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

47. Pupils’ language and literacy skills are well used in other subjects. Pupils make good use of their writing abilities in a range of subjects such as science, history and geography. Collaborative group work and paired discussion in subjects such as music and art is used to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills. Pupils read Bible extracts with confidence in assembly. Pupils make satisfactory use of ICT to present their written work. Older pupils produce a school newspaper, which makes good use of their literacy and computer skills.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards by the end of Year 6 are well above average. • Standards have improved since the last inspection. • Teaching is good and pupils achieve well as a result. • There are insufficient targets set for individual pupils. • Pupils make insufficient use of ICT. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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Commentary

48. Over recent years, standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 have been well above average. Almost all pupils have achieved the expected standard for their age, Level 2, and over half have gone on to reach the higher standard, Level 3. Standards in the current Year 2 are above average though not quite as high, because there is a slightly higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs in the year group. Over the last three years, results in national tests at Year 6 have been consistently well above average. Almost all pupils have achieved the expected standard for their age, Level 4, and the proportion reaching the higher standard, Level 5, has been well above average. For example, in 2003 standards were in the top 5 per cent nationally as all pupils in Year 6 gained Level 4 and nearly three-quarters went on to reach Level 5. In the current Year 6, standards continue to be well above average though the proportion of

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Commentary

pupils reaching Level 5, at just over a half, is lower than in 2003.

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Commentary

49. Pupils’ current work shows quite clearly that from a good starting point they achieve well and make good progress as they move through the school. This is a significant improvement since the last report when pupils made satisfactory progress and standards by the end of Year 6 were average. This reflects the good management of the subject by the co-ordinator and good quality teaching.

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Commentary

50. The quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school. Teachers make good use of the National Numeracy Strategy to provide full coverage of the curriculum. Lessons are usually well structured and follow the recommended lesson pattern and provide a suitable balance between teaching and individual activity. The short mental activities at the beginning of lessons are at least satisfactory. The better examples seen had a good pace, fully involved all pupils and had a clear focus on practising a useful mental strategy. Teachers give clear explanations, although occasionally introductions are too long. They question pupils effectively to help them sort out ideas and develop their thinking. The end part of lessons is used appropriately to check on what pupils have learnt.

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Commentary

51. There are adequate assessment procedures and teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, but this often does not help the pupils to understand what they have learned, what their targets for future learning are or how they can improve. Resources are adequate and in some lessons they are used well to help pupils, such as the use of coins when solving money problems. At other times, the use of practical equipment, number lines and number grids is insufficient to help pupils visualise numbers. Insufficient use is made of ICT to support pupils’ learning in mathematics.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

52. Teachers satisfactorily reinforce numeracy skills in other subjects. Number skills are used well in science but opportunities are missed to use data handling and measuring skills in other subjects, such as design and technology.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well in science throughout the school. • Standards are above average by the end of Year 2 and well above average by the end of Year 6. • Science is planned well with a good emphasis upon practical work and pupils recording their work independently, but insufficient use is made of ICT. • The subject is managed well and there has been good improvement since the previous inspection. • Assessment procedures are not consistent throughout the school. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School 53. Pupils attain standards by the end of Year 2 that are above national averages and they achieve well. Last year standards were well above average when almost three-quarters of the class gained the higher standard, Level 3, but there are more pupils with special educational needs in the current Year 2 group than in previous years. By the end of Year 6 standards are well above average following a similar pattern to recent years and pupils are achieving well. Nevertheless,

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Main strengths and weaknesses

fewer pupils than last year are likely to gain the higher Level 5 in the subject. This is because there are fewer higher-attaining pupils in the current Year 6.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

54. Teaching is good overall and helped by regular planning for pupils of all ages to learn through practical investigations. Teachers have high expectations of pupils and are enormously encouraging of them. These strengths in teaching contribute to teachers’ success in enabling pupils to record their scientific ideas and activities independently. This in turn makes a significant contribution to pupils reaching a greater depth of knowledge and understanding than is usual for their age. This was evident during the inspection when pupils in Year 2 devised various means for protecting the seeds they were planting. The most confident pupils described providing ‘hot-house’ conditions with jam jars, while most designed ‘bug-proof’ mats or windmills to scare birds away.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

55. Pupils in Year 6 demonstrated a very secure understanding of the principles of fair testing in a lesson that began by throwing them the challenge, ‘Does the colour of the food affect what birds in the playground eat?’. Skilful questions meant that pupils’ ideas and enthusiasm, while initially strong, gathered further momentum and within an hour they formulated their plans and began to implement their investigation to find the answer. Throughout the school the amount of individuality in recording practical work is impressive. This means that the subject is providing good opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy and numeracy skills. However, there is little evidence of them using computers in the subject.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

56. The headteacher leads the subject well with enthusiasm and expertise. He has ensured a much improved practical curriculum since the last inspection, which has resulted in rising standards. He recognises that while teachers assess their pupils sufficiently to meet individual needs they do not share consistent assessment systems. This means that the school is not in a strong position for easily tracking pupils’ progress and precisely identifying areas for greater focus and clarification.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in Years 1 to 4 are in line with national expectations but are below average in Years 5 and 6. • The curriculum, resources and pupils’ access to computers have improved since the last inspection, but they have not had time to take full effect. • There are no whole-school procedures for assessing pupils’ progress. • Insufficient use is made of pupils’ ICT skills to support their learning in other subjects.

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Commentary

57. At the time of the last inspection, standards were in line with national expectations at Year 2 and Year 6 and pupils made satisfactory progress. Since that time the school has not kept pace with developments in the subject and pupils’ progress declined because of their limited access to computers. In order to address this weakness the school created an ICT suite, introduced a new scheme of work based on national guidelines and provided training for staff. The subject is satisfactorily managed and the opening of the ICT suite has supported teaching and enhanced pupils’ learning. As a result pupils now have regular access to computers during a weekly lesson in the suite. The co-ordinator has drawn up appropriate plans to further develop the subject. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School 58. Currently, standards in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 and 4 are in line with national expectations and pupils’ achievement is satisfactory. In Years 5 and 6 standards are below average because

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Commentary

there are gaps in pupils’ previous learning. Their achievement is unsatisfactory. By Year 6, most pupils are confident in using a word-processing program and satisfactorily edit and present their work. They make satisfactory use of data-handling programs to present information and are beginning to display data in a spreadsheet. They use the Internet to research their topic work. However, they have not developed their knowledge and skills sufficiently to use desktop publishing programs, produce multimedia presentations or confidently send e-mails.

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Commentary

59. Overall, teaching is satisfactory. In the lessons seen during the inspection teaching ranged from satisfactory to good. Teachers made effective use of the resources in the ICT suite. The adoption of national guidelines for the subject has improved the planning, and training has given teachers secure subject knowledge. Explanations on the use of programs are clear and teachers intervene effectively to tackle common problems. In the best lessons, there is a good balance between the teacher’s explanations and pupils’ hands-on experience of using and experimenting with suitable programs for their age. Pupils work sensibly in pairs and the subject makes a good contribution to their social development. However, there are no whole- school procedures for assessing and recording pupils’ progress to help teachers plan more effectively. There is also scope to develop procedures for pupils to assess their own learning to

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Commentary

help improve their understanding of what they can do and what they need to improve.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

60. This is unsatisfactory overall. Pupils use computers to type and print some of their written work and to find information for their projects on the Internet. However, the school is not making sufficient use of its new resources to support pupils’ learning across the curriculum. Teachers have not clearly identified in their planning where pupils’ ICT skills can be consolidated whilst supporting their learning in other subjects

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HUMANITIES

It was not possible to make overall judgements on provision in history and geography. No lessons were observed but pupils’ previous work was analysed and discussions with pupils and staff took place.

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Geography and history

61. Geography and history were not a focus of the inspection. However, it is clear that the school is planning for and providing the National Curriculum in these subjects. In discussion with pupils from Year 6 they demonstrated expected levels of knowledge and skill in both subjects. Because they are articulate pupils they use the language of the subjects confidently and explain their ideas, for example about pollution, reasonably well. They have a satisfactory understanding of how to use maps and atlases and of different periods in history. However, they do not demonstrate the more mature skills of comparison and understanding that history may be depicted from diverse perspectives. Pupils write about geographical issues and historical events at length and in different styles. Therefore, in both subjects, pupils throughout the school make good use of the strengths in their writing. The subject co-ordinators have

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Geography and history

rightly identified that the priority for development is to introduce consistent and manageable assessment procedures in these subjects.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

These subjects were sampled during the inspection, but not in sufficient detail to provide a judgement on provision. No lessons were seen in design and technology. Two lessons were seen in music and one in each of art and design and physical education. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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Art and design

62. The school has a well planned and carefully evaluated art curriculum. Teachers plan lessons that give pupils satisfactory opportunities to investigate and develop art techniques prior to using these skills to produce a quality finished product. This approach was observed in a satisfactory lesson where pupils produced collage pictures based on Van Gogh’s Sun Flowers . Previously pupils had investigated a variety of suitable techniques to create the effects incorporated in their work. Pupils are given the opportunity to evaluate their own work and the work of other pupils, which helps them reflect on how they can improve their work in future. Visits to galleries and museums are used to develop pupils’ art knowledge. Pupils are introduced to the work of famous artists such as Monet and Matisse as a stimulus for their own work. Study of Aboriginal art and the visit to a museum of East Asian art help develop pupils’

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Art and design

63. It is not possible to judge the overall quality of teaching in the subject as only one lesson was observed. Work on display and in the school art portfolio indicates that standards are broadly in line with national expectations. Pupils make good use of sketchbooks to develop their ideas. This was evident in Year 6 where pupils had developed their depiction of movement in art through a variety of different approaches. The development of three-dimensional work is good. By Year 6 pupils are using their understanding of structures to create quality sculptures and imaginative hat designs.

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Art and design

64. Leadership and management of art are good. The art co-ordinator has reviewed the art scheme to ensure that it provides pupils with progression through relevant art skills and techniques. Resources have been audited and organised for effective use. A very good portfolio of work has been developed to illustrate the range of work and the required standards in art for each year group.

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Design and technology

65. Little work was available to show pupils’ practical making skills. Younger pupils satisfactorily use paper fasteners as a pivot in simple moving pictures and glue and decorate pieces of wood to make bookends. The practical work of older pupils, including pizza boxes made from card and slippers made from a range of fabrics, indicated that pupils’ making skills are not well developed as they move through the school. The finished products showed that skills, such as methods of joining materials, were not progressively developed. Pupils’ planning sheets show they are taught to make a suitable range of artefacts based on national guidelines for the subject. Their simple sketches are labelled to identify materials. For some activities, pupils use printed worksheets to show what they did and to evaluate their work. The quality of written work on these sheets does not always reflect the high standards achieved in literacy. Pupils’

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Design and technology

mathematical and ICT skills, including measurements, scale and tally charts and graphs to show the results of simple surveys, are not sufficiently well used in planning and evaluating work. There is no whole-school system to assess and record pupils’ progress in their knowledge, skills and understanding.

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Music

66. A detailed scheme of work clearly identifies the musical development across the school. Teachers carefully plan music lessons to meet the needs of the pupils. In the two lessons seen the quality of teaching was satisfactory in one and very good in the other. Teachers had a secure knowledge of what they were teaching and so gave clear explanations, which resulted in at least satisfactory progress. Teachers made good use of action songs and musical games to engage pupils. Pupils enjoy music lessons because they are interactive and fun. When working in pairs or groups pupils collaborate well to develop their ideas.

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Music

67. Pupils make steady progress in the composition of music and their knowledge of musical instruments is well developed. Year 1 pupils can identify high and low sounds; they can detect St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School changes in mood and explain their ideas to others. By Year 2 pupils are recording their musical ideas in pictorial form. Older pupils can select percussion instruments, compose music using contrasting dynamics or mood and perform their work for others. Opportunities for performing are well developed. Pupils play musical instruments in assembly and the school takes part in a local musical festival, which provide pupils with opportunities to perform to a large audience. Whole-school singing is well developed, pupils are taught to sing in two-part harmonies. This ensures that the quality of singing is very good and develops pupils’ spirituality in assemblies. Provision for learning to play violin, recorder or brass instrument is available through peripatetic

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Physical education

68. The subject is well led by an enthusiastic co-ordinator, who is at present reviewing the introduction of a new scheme of work produced in partnership with other local schools. The new scheme ensures that all activities, including gymnastics, games and dance, are taught and provides useful guidelines to help teachers plan their lessons. The school has a suitable programme for swimming, in which pupils in Years 3 and 4 take part in weekly lessons. There is a very good range of well attended extra-curricular clubs. Many older pupils take part in a good number of inter-school games and tournaments with a good degree of success. These activities make a positive contribution to pupils’ progress and to their social development.

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Physical education

69. Teaching in the one lesson observed was good. Pupils made good progress in developing their understanding of complementary and contrasting movements in dance because of the teacher’s secure subject knowledge, effective management of the pupils and good choice of music. Pupils enjoyed the lesson, worked hard at developing their performance, collaborated well with their partners and showed skills in line with the expectations for their age.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

70. It was not possible to judge all aspects of the provision for this subject. Pupils have a clear understanding of their role in supporting others both locally and nationally. The school is involved in a number of charity fund raising initiatives. This helps children understand their role as citizens in the local and world community. Older pupils in Years 5 and 6 assume responsibility and show high levels of maturity and they recognise that some people are less fortunate than they are and they are keen to help others. There is a buddy reading scheme by which pupils in Years 5 and 6 support pupils in reception and Year 1 with their reading. This peer support is extended to when pupils visit the church. Year 6 pupils believe that this gives them responsibility and a sense of achievement. The school has also made a commitment to the Millennium Development Goals 3 . This helps pupils understand that they have a role to play

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

71. The school does not have a scheme of work to develop this subject. However, it has achieved ‘Schools for Health’ Award which illustrates the commitment to developing health and well being for staff and pupils. An appropriate programme is available for sex education and drugs education. The school has a clear policy for race equality and systems for dealing with racial incidents should they arise. Residential visits for Year 6 pupils help to develop pupils’ independence. Pupils’ viewpoints are valued but the school has no organised forum for considering pupils’ ideas.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

3 The Millennium Development Goals are pledges made by all member states of the United Nations that by 2015, for example, extreme poverty and hunger will have been eradicated and that all children will have access to primary education. St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 4 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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