St Cross Catholic Primary School

SAINT CROSS R. C. PRIMARY SCHOOL

Headteacher at time of inspection: Ms. M. Arthur

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SAINT CROSS R. C. PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 15 th and 16 th January 2002

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SAINT CROSS R. C. PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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SAINT CROSS R. C. 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. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Upper Marsh Lane Hoddesdon Herts

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr. D. Dempsey

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: October 1997 Saint Cross RC Primary School - 4

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Team members

21685 Jenny Catlin Registered inspector 10049 Michael McCarthy Lay inspector 12172 Wendy Crouch Team inspector

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Team members

PkR Educational Consultants Ltd 6 Sherman Road Bromley Kent BR1 3JH

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Saint Cross RC Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Saint Cross Roman Catholic Primary School has 197 pupils on roll and is about the same size as other schools of this type. The school is experiencing difficulties in employing permanent staff and has a number of temporary teachers from overseas. There is one pupil from an ethnic minority background. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is just over two per cent; this is below average nationally. Fifty-eight pupils speak English as an additional language. This is very high compared to most schools and is due to a high proportion of Italian families within the school’s catchment area. However, most of these children are fluent in English. There are a total of 30 children in the Foundation Stage class. Children’s overall attainment on entry is above average, with a significant proportion well above, that expected for children of this age. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs, just over 15 per cent, is below the national average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

There are no pupils with a statement of special educational need; this figure is well below average nationally.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Saint Cross Roman Catholic Primary School is a caring and supportive school and provides a secure learning environment for its pupils. Standards are currently well above average in English, mathematics and science by the time pupils leave the school. However, given pupils’ attainment on entry and the progress they are currently making throughout the school, progress overall is unsatisfactory. In some classes, the quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory but there are some good features, most notably in Year 6. The leadership and management by the headteacher and deputy headteacher are satisfactory overall. The slightly above and, often well above, average attainment on entry to the school, the overall unsatisfactory progress of pupils, the improvements in some areas of the school since the previous inspection, the school’s average expenditure per pupil, when taken together, indicate that value for money is unsatisfactory. The school is ineffective in

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

ensuring that all pupils make satisfactory progress and achieve their full potential.

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What the school does well

• Current standards in Year 6 in literacy and numeracy are above average. • Teaching in Year 6 is consistently good. • Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. • Relationships between pupils are good.

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What could be improved

• The quality of teaching across the school. • The learning opportunities for children in the Foundation Stage. • A greater focus on the under-achievement of a significant proportion of pupils. • A broader curriculum for all pupils, particularly in music. • The monitoring and evaluating of the work of the school. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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What could be improved

In accordance with section 13 (2) of the School Inspection Act 1996 I am of the opinion, and HMCI agrees, that special measures are required in relation to this school.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has satisfactorily addressed some of the key issues from the previous report and, as a result, the overall improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. The previous inspection in October 1997 required the school to plan an appropriate curriculum for children in the Foundation Stage of learning. This has not been successfully addressed and, as a result, progress within this early stage of children’s learning is unsatisfactory. They were also required to ensure that the school assessment policy is consistently implemented. There has been some progress in this area, but much work still needs to done in order to ensure that assessment of pupils’ learning is applied consistently in all classes. A further key issue was to review and update school documentation. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 7 This has been a focus of the current headteacher’s work, since her appointment in September 2000,

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

and has been implemented effectively. Finally, the school was required to review and amend the school development plan. There was no plan in operation when the headteacher was appointed. There is now a comprehensive plan to support the school in its work. This is presented in a clear format with initiatives aimed at improving standards. Taking into account the school’s comparatively recent progress in identifying appropriate priorities to improve the quality of education and the updating of the school’s documentation, the school has made satisfactory progress in addressing some of the issues raised at the time of the last inspection. However, what is happening in the school often does not match the intentions set out in these documents.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

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

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Key

The above chart shows that standards by age 11 in English were very high and pupils achieved standards in the highest five per cent nationally. In mathematics and science, standards were well above the national average. When compared with schools with pupils from similar backgrounds, attainment in all three subjects was well above the average for these schools. The trend in the school’s average National Curriculum points scores in recent years is broadly in line with the national trend. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys and girls in English but girls are outperforming boys in mathematics and science. This does not match the picture nationally in these two subjects. The school’s targets, set in conjunction with the local authority, were met in 2001 in both English and mathematics. Targets set for 2002 are appropriately challenging and the school is likely to meet them. Inspection evidence shows that standards in Year 6, particularly for higher

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Key

attaining pupils are not as high as last year. Standards in mathematics dropped in 2000 at the higher level 5, although they have remained well above the national average. In science, standards began to fall in 1999, although, as with mathematics, they have remained well above the national average. Standards in English fell in 2000 but improved considerably to reach a very high standard in 2001 when pupils’ results were in the highest 5 per cent nationally. The current Year 6 pupils are likely to attain above, rather than well above, average standards in English, mathematics and science. By the end of Year 2 in 2001, the average point scores in National Curriculum tests were below average in reading, writing and mathematics. This was because of the below average proportion of pupils attaining at the higher level 3. It is unlikely that standards will improve noticeably for the current group of Year 2 pupils. Higher attaining pupils throughout the school are not making

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Key

the progress of which they are capable, except in Year 6. The attainment of children on entry to the reception class is above and often well above, that expected for children of this age.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils are ready to take part in new experiences and to learn from them, but, at times, their attitudes to learning vary. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 8

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms There are many examples of good behaviour in the school, although a small minority of pupils struggle to behave appropriately in lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships between pupils are good and they develop a sense of equality and fairness in their dealings with one another.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance The attendance and punctuality of pupils are very good.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils usually have positive attitudes to school. All but a very few arrive on time, ready for work. They are proud of their school and speak with enthusiasm about their schoolwork. Very positive attitudes to learning are demonstrated by pupils in Year 6. Behaviour around the school is good. The relationships that pupils have with each other are good overall and within this, there are some real strengths.

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

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

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

The quality of teaching across the school varies considerably and ranges from poor to very good. Overall, the quality of teaching is unsatisfactory because 33 per cent of lessons are unsatisfactory. Teaching is very good in 6 per cent of lessons, good in 22 per cent and satisfactory in 33 per cent. There was a small proportion of teaching which was judged to be poor. The weaknesses in the Foundation Stage are mostly in the pace of lessons, in the level of challenge, in teacher knowledge of how children of this age learn and in assessment.

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

Particular strengths in the teaching that is satisfactory or better in Key Stage 1 and 2 are the teachers’ subject knowledge, particularly in literacy and numeracy, the management of pupils and appropriate expectations for pupils’ learning. Areas for improvement include increasing the pace in lessons, higher teacher expectations of what pupils are able to know and understand and do, improving the effectiveness of teaching methods to ensure the needs of all pupils are catered for and effective use of assessment information to inform teachers about what pupils already know and understand and what they need to learn next. The learning needs of higher-attaining pupils are not always considered in teachers’ lesson planning and, as a result, they do not make the progress of which they are capable. The biggest weakness in pupils’ learning stems from some teachers’ low expectations of what they are able to achieve and this is evident from the time that they enter the

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school endeavours to offer a satisfactory range of worthwhile opportunities for pupils that interest and motivate them. However, there are weaknesses in the time allocated to music.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Arrangements for identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs are satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There is suitable support for pupils who have English as an additional language. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Provision for pupils’ cultural development is good and it is satisfactory for spiritual, moral and social development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils There are good procedures for eliminating oppressive behaviour in school. This has a positive effect on the pupils’ attitudes towards school. There are some weaknesses in procedures for assessing and tracking their attainment and progress.

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Aspect Comment

The provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory. The school’s curriculum contains some weaknesses because not enough time is allocated to the teaching of music. Additionally, the time allocated to some subjects varies considerably and, as a result, are not taught with sufficient regularity or consistency to ensure that pupils build incrementally on their knowledge and understanding as they move through the school. English and mathematics occupy an appropriately prominent place in the curriculum, but the time allocated for science is often below the suggested level. Procedures for assessing pupils’ learning are not applied consistently in all classes. Curriculum information for parents is good and makes an effective contribution to the parents’ support for their child’s education.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and her senior management team provide clear educational direction to the school. There is not as yet a shared commitment to improving standards. The monitoring of teaching is unsatisfactory and requires further development in order to raise its quality.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The governing body is effective in carrying out its statutory duties. It is clear about its role to ensure that the pupils in the school receive a good education. It is now more proactive but needs to be more involved in challenging the school about the standards it achieves.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The procedures for determining the priorities of the school have been improved but remain unsatisfactory because they are not yet having sufficient impact to ensure that raising standards is the basis of improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school makes appropriate efforts to seek best value when purchasing goods and services and specific grants have been used appropriately for their intended purposes. However, there is a large under-spend in the school’s budget, which the headteacher inherited when she was appointed. The school has suitable plans to spend this money in order to improve the learning environment.

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Aspect Comment

Although systems are in place to ensure subject managers are able to lead, develop and monitor their areas of the curriculum within and across the key stages, further development is required. Subject managers, especially those for English and science, have not yet had sufficient time to explore and establish their co-ordinating roles. The school has recently experienced severe difficulties in attracting staff and has addressed this by employing a range of overseas teachers on short-term contracts. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 10

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children like school. • Their children are making good progress. • Behaviour in the school is good. • The school working more closely with parents. • The leadership and management of the school. • A more interesting range of activities outside lessons.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection agrees that children like coming to school and that behaviour is good. It does not agree that children are making good progress or that the school does not work closely with parents. Overall, the leadership and management of the school are satisfactory but there are areas for improvement. The range of extra-curricular activities is appropriate considering the school’s size and the age range of pupils. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 11

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Standards in Year 6 in literacy and numeracy are above average

1. In 2001, pupils at the end of Year 6 attained standards in English within the highest five per cent nationally. In mathematics and science, attainment was well above the national average. Boys and girls perform equally well in English but in mathematics and science girls are outperforming boys. The percentage of pupils reaching the higher level 5 was very high in English and well above average in mathematics and science. When these figures are compared with similar schools, that is, those schools which have a similar proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals, standards in English, mathematics and science were well above average. Although, higher attaining pupils are entered for the higher level 6 papers, none have achieved at this level. Since 1997, the trend in the school’s average National Curriculum points for all three subjects matches the national trend for all schools.

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Standards in Year 6 in literacy and numeracy are above average

2. The school’s targets for 2001, set in conjunction with the local authority, were met at the expected level 4 in both English (91 per cent) and mathematics (94 per cent). The school is confident that, with the continuing developments in the literacy and numeracy strategies, they will achieve future targets for 2002 of 90 per cent in English and 88 per cent in mathematics. Inspection evidence confirms that the school is likely to meet these challenging targets. However, the proportion of pupils attaining at the higher level 5 is unlikely to be as high as in previous years.

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Standards in Year 6 in literacy and numeracy are above average

3. Current standards in Year 6, particularly for higher attaining pupils, are not as high as last year. Inspection evidence shows that standards in Year 6, particularly for higher attaining pupils, are not as high as last year. Standards in mathematics dropped in 2000 at the higher level 5, although they remained well above the national average. In science, standards began to fall in 1999, although, as with mathematics, they have remained well above the national average. Standards in English fell in 2000 but improved considerably to reach a very high standard in 2001.

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Standards in Year 6 in literacy and numeracy are above average

4. There are no significant differences in achievement by pupils with English as an additional language and they make satisfactory progress throughout their time in the school. The achievement of these pupils is at least satisfactory and sometimes good, both in the lessons observed and as seen in previously recorded work.

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Standards in Year 6 in literacy and numeracy are above average

5. Pupils with special educational needs achieve satisfactorily in relation to their abilities and their individual education plans, especially in their acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills. They are often well supported by the learning support assistants. These pupils are offered work providing appropriate challenge; the tasks they are set closely mirror those offered to other pupils, so that they feel included in all class activities. Learning support assistants develop close working relationships with the pupils for whom they are responsible and this contributes to their progress.

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Standards in Year 6 in literacy and numeracy are above average

6. Most pupils’ standards of literacy are above national averages by the end of Year 6 and in this year group are sufficient to support learning in subjects across the curriculum. Writing is often used appropriately to support development in other subjects, for example, in science and geography. 7. Current standards of numeracy in Year 6 are above the national average but there are many examples of insufficient progress in previous year groups. There are suitable opportunities to develop pupils’ mathematical skills in other areas of the curriculum, for example in science, information and communication technology, geography and design and technology. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 12

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Consistently good teaching in Year 6

8. The quality of teaching in Year 6 is good overall. The teacher has a secure command of the subjects to be taught, particularly in numeracy; the planning for lessons specifies the content to be taught to the whole class and to specified groups and individual pupils. Lessons incorporate high expectations and challenge for pupils with different levels of attainment. There are effective links with what pupils have already achieved and new learning makes progressive demands on them. Relationships are very good and pupils are expected to have high standards of behaviour. Pupils demonstrate very good attitudes to their work and are keen to complete work to an acceptable standard within set time limits. Pupils are on occasions given choices about how the work is to be done and this makes a positive contribution to their independent learning skills. Lessons have a brisk pace and resources, pupil groupings and adult assistance are all well managed and are used

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Consistently good teaching in Year 6

to promote the learning of specific knowledge or skills and to keep pupils on task. The teacher knows her pupils well and her lesson planning identifies how particular aspects of the work will be assessed and the evidence that will be gathered in order to measure attainment and progress. Homework is set and caters appropriately for pupils of differing abilities.

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Consistently good teaching in Year 6

9. A very positive aspect of this teaching in Year 6 is the very good classroom management and discipline, which are maintained. There is a consistent approach to behaviour, which enhances the quality of pupils’ learning. A further strength of the teaching is the sharing of the aims of lessons with the pupils. This enables them to have a clear understanding of what is to be covered during the session and for them to recognise what they have learned. There is good development of literacy skills and these are taught effectively. The numeracy session was very well taught and the teacher questioned pupils very carefully to check their understanding of the work covered.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning

10. Pupils have positive attitudes to school. All but a very few arrive on time, ready for work. They are proud of their school and speak with enthusiasm about their schoolwork. Very positive attitudes to learning are demonstrated by pupils in Year 6. The vast majority of parents support the view that their children like school. Pupils are ready to take part in new experiences and to learn from them. However, instances of pupils losing concentration and employing time-wasting tactics are evident in some classes. Some pupils become easily distracted when teaching fails to inspire them or lacks a certain impetus. In these circumstances, the pupils’ learning suffers. However, when teachers demonstrate enthusiasm and drive, the pupils respond with a correspondingly high level of interest, which in turn enhances the rate at which they expand their knowledge.

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Relationships between pupils are good

11. The relationships that pupils have with each other in school are good overall and, within this, there are some real strengths. Most pupils show respect for their teachers with the majority complying with oral warnings about unsatisfactory attitudes or behaviour. In this respect, most pupils develop a sense of equality and fairness in their dealings with each other. Governors and parents see the school as an orderly community and the inspection evidence would support their view. Pupils respect each other’s values and beliefs and there are no racial tensions. They play happily together in the playgrounds and, in good weather, enjoy having access to extra playing space on the field. In the dining hall, boys and girls engage in friendly Saint Cross RC Primary School - 13 discussion and there is a good social atmosphere.

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The quality of teaching across the school

12. The quality of teaching across the school varies considerably and ranges from poor to very good. The overall quality of teaching for children in the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory. The weaknesses are mostly in the pace of lessons, in the level of challenge, in teacher knowledge of how children of this age learn and in assessment. Attainment on entry to the reception class is above and, for a significant number, it is well above, that expected for children of this age.

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The quality of teaching across the school

13. Many children are not clear about what is expected of them and therefore make unsatisfactory progress in their learning. The implementation of the teacher’s lesson plans is not consistent, the pace of lessons often slows because of inappropriate behaviour and it is not always clear how the teacher will assess the learning that was planned to take place in the lesson. There were lost opportunities to develop children’s vocabulary when the teacher was reading the story of Cinderella. When a group of children is well supported, for example, by the learning support assistant, they make satisfactory progress. This is because they are clear about what they have to do and are given the opportunity to show what they have learned. For example, they are able to discuss their design for a slipper for Cinderella. The teacher’s lesson plans are brief and do not make clear what she intends the children to learn and how she will assess what progress they have

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The quality of teaching across the school

14. There is a high proportion of unsatisfactory teaching in both the infants and juniors. At the time of inspection the school had made the decision to bring in two headteachers of local schools to support the teaching in Year 3 and Year 5. This was because two overseas teachers had been employed by the school, on temporary contracts, in the week prior to inspection and it was felt that they lacked the experience to teach the National Curriculum. In addition to the two newly appointed overseas teachers, there is another overseas teacher in Year 4 and a newly qualified teacher in Year 1. Thus the school lacks experienced teaching staff. In addition, some classes have experienced a succession of temporary and/or supply teachers. An analysis of pupils’ past work, in all year groups, indicates unsatisfactory progress in many aspects of the pupils’ learning with the exception of Year 6. As mentioned earlier, the children who enter the reception class are, with

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The quality of teaching across the school

isolated exceptions, attaining standards at least above, with many well above, those expected for children of this age. These above average standards are supported by baseline assessment, which can be tracked back to the current Year 4 pupils. However, the progress that these pupils have made since entering the school is unsatisfactory with just about average standards in the current Year 4 and Year 2 and below average standards in the current Year 1 and Year 3. Standards in Year 5 are just in line with those expected but there are few pupils working at the higher levels. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 14 15. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is ineffective in too many classes to maintain the above average standards with which children enter the school. Teachers do not expect enough of many pupils; the pace of lessons is slow and this results in a lack of effective learning in lessons. Although the school states

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The quality of teaching across the school

individual targets have been set for improvement, there is little evidence of pupils being reminded of these during lessons. Consequently, many pupils are unable to identify what progress they make in their learning. A further weakness in teaching, which is noticeable in the school, is the poor quality of teachers’ questioning skills, except in Years 2 and 6, where they are at their best. As a result, some teachers do not use the introductory part of lessons to assess, through targeted questions, what pupils already know and what they need to do next. Also, many opportunities are lost to develop effectively pupils’ speaking skills.

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The quality of teaching across the school

16. Particular strengths in the teaching that is judged to be satisfactory or better are the teachers’ subject knowledge, particularly in literacy and numeracy, the management of pupils and appropriate expectations for pupils’ learning. In a good literacy lesson in Year 2, the teacher reviewed effectively the learning from a previous lesson and therefore the pupils recognised what they had learned and could say what they needed to learn next. The teacher’s good knowledge of how pupils develop their literacy skills resulted in the introduction of alliteration using words such as ‘splish’, ‘splash’ and ‘splosh’. As a result of the good literacy teaching in this class, many pupils are encouraged to build on their previous learning in order to spell words such as elephant, photo and dolphin. Higher and average attaining pupils demarcate sentences accurately with full stops and capital letters; a few begin to use commas

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The quality of teaching across the school

17. Areas for improvement, in many classes, include increasing the pace in lessons, higher teacher expectations of what pupils are able to know, understand and do, improving the effectiveness of teaching methods to ensure the needs of all pupils are catered for and effective use of assessment information to inform teachers about what pupils already know and understand and what they need to learn next. The learning needs of higher-attaining pupils are not always considered in teachers’ lesson planning and, as a result, they do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching across the school

18. The biggest weakness in pupils’ learning stems from the teachers’ low expectations of what they are able to achieve and this is evident from the time they enter the school. It would be expected that if teaching were satisfactory, pupils would be maintaining at least the above average standards with which they enter the school. Current standards in Year 6 are above average due to the good and very good teaching they are receiving in this class, which enables them to make very good progress and to address the weaknesses in their learning which are currently evident. However, this situation cannot be maintained by the Year 6 teacher because there is a limit to which her good teaching will be enough to compensate for the previous unsatisfactory and often poor, progress, made by pupils as a result of weak teaching. This situation is clearly unsatisfactory. Unless the school arrests these problems, by improving the quality of teaching and therefore the progress

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The quality of teaching across the school

pupils make, the current falling standards identified in Key Stage 1 and the younger Key Stage 2 classes will impact on standards by the end of Year 6. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 15

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Learning opportunities for children in the Foundation Stage

19. The quality and range of the curriculum is unsatisfactory and has not improved since the last inspection. The reception teacher is not familiar with, or knowledgeable about, the Foundation Stage curriculum. Consequently, she is unable to use this effectively to inform her lesson planning. In the daily timetabled play session there are many lost opportunities to develop children’s oral literacy skills. These sessions are not planned for effectively by the class teacher and the opportunity to extend pupils’ experiences and assist them to meet all of the Early Learning Goals are therefore lost. Although the class teacher’s weekly lesson planning is based loosely on these Early Learning Goals it lacks sufficient detail to ensure that children make the progress of which they are capable. This situation is unsatisfactory.

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Learning opportunities for children in the Foundation Stage

20. The activities offered to these children are not planned in enough detail and, as a result, do not help to stimulate the children’s learning. There are some planned play experiences to develop children’s knowledge and understanding about the world. However, there is little teacher or adult focus in these sessions and, as a result, children’s progress is limited. The children have opportunities to use sand and water to develop science and mathematical concepts such as capacity and volume. However, these opportunities are not satisfactorily developed, in order that the children can make satisfactory progress in their mathematical understanding.

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Learning opportunities for children in the Foundation Stage

21. The provision for outdoor play is insufficiently used. There is limited use of these facilities to enable children to develop and practise their motor skills using the equipment available. The school has introduced daily creative play sessions with the expectation that children will make choices about activities and work independently. However, staff are not making best use of these sessions and there is no planned intervention in pupils’ choice of activities. This results in children often participating in the same activities each day and not being given the skills to make choices in their activities to ensure they benefit from these experiences. Notes on children’s progress are helpful, but assessment in general is not well focused on specific learning objectives or on the criteria outlined in the Early Learning Goals. The Early Years policy for these children lacks sufficient detail to support the teacher in her

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Learning opportunities for children in the Foundation Stage

lesson planning. There is no suitable scheme of work to assist inexperienced teachers in their planning for the learning of children in the Foundation Stage.

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Greater focus on the underachievement of a significant proportion of pupils

22. The assessment procedures for recording what pupils know, can do and understand are not followed consistently and there were weaknesses in this area of the school’s work at the time of the last inspection. This is mainly due to the high turnover of staff and because the system is not secure enough. There is little evidence of diagnostic marking in pupils’ work, although the quality of the small amount seen was good. The process of setting individual targets for improvement is not fully understood by the pupils. Few could clearly state what their targets were or what they needed to do to achieve them. Consequently, many pupils have little involvement in their own learning and this was highlighted as a weakness at the time of the last inspection. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 16 23. The headteacher has set up systems to track pupils’ progress across the school, but the system is too new to have any significant impact. Many pupils make

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Greater focus on the underachievement of a significant proportion of pupils

unsatisfactory progress in their learning and there is a considerable amount of under-achievement across the school. The greatest barrier to success within the school is many teachers’ lack of awareness that these pupils are capable of learning more and that, with above average attainment on entry, standards in all year groups should match these found on entry.

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Broader curriculum for all pupils, particularly in music

24. The school’s curriculum contains some weaknesses, because not enough time is allocated to the teaching of music. Additionally, the time allocated to some subjects, for example history, geography, design and technology and art and design varies considerably between classes and as a result, they are often not taught with sufficient regularity or consistency to adequately cover the required curriculum. Consequently, the school cannot ensure that pupils build incrementally on their knowledge and understanding as they move through the school. English and mathematics occupy an appropriately prominent place in the curriculum, but the time allocated for science is below the suggested level.

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Broader curriculum for all pupils, particularly in music

25. The school’s strategies for teaching literacy and numeracy are broadly effective and the basic skills of reading, including the learning of phonics, are taught systematically. Teachers and parents work well in partnership to ensure that pupils have a firm understanding of fundamental literacy and numeracy skills by the time they leave the school. Literacy is sometimes used well to support other areas of the curriculum, for example, science and geography in Year 6. However, pupils do not always have sufficient opportunity to write at length. With the exception of information and communication technology, the continuity and progression of pupils’ learning in the other subjects of the curriculum are less secure. This is because many of the temporary overseas teachers are unfamiliar with the National Curriculum and the schemes of work to which they refer when they plan the curriculum. The school cannot, therefore, always be sure that there is no

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Broader curriculum for all pupils, particularly in music

unnecessary repetition of work or gaps in pupils’ learning.

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

26. The school’s use of assessment and its monitoring of pupils’ performance are unsatisfactory. These were identified as areas of weakness at the last inspection. This is more fully developed in Year 6 than elsewhere in the school where there is some variation in assessment practice. The school has some procedures for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics, including the regular administration of reading and spellings tests, but these are not always used systematically to guide teachers’ planning and, therefore, do not impact positively on teaching and learning.

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

27. An assessment co-ordinator was appointed from within the staff. Data derived from standard assessment tasks has been analysed to determine trends in performance for boys and girls, but the school cannot be sure that the progress of individual pupils is good enough because the systems in place are very new.

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

28. Teachers make little use of assessment procedures to guide their planning, which does not yet take sufficient account of pupils’ individual learning needs. Teachers have agreed some procedures to record pupils’ attainment in most subjects of the National Curriculum, but they have yet to apply this knowledge consistently in their evaluation and recording of pupils’ day-to-day achievements. The school’s assessment procedures for identifying pupils with special educational needs are Saint Cross RC Primary School - 17 satisfactory.

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

29. The headteacher was appointed in September 2000 and there have been significant improvements in many areas of the school since her appointment and the setting up of a senior management team. Her management skills are good, she has a clear vision of the educational direction the school now needs to take and she has effectively involved most governors in the life of the school and in understanding how it works. However, with so few permanent teachers, there is not yet a strong commitment to improvement or an acknowledgement that standards need to be raised in the Foundation Stage, Year 1 and the younger classes in Key Stage 2. Central to improving the standards in the school are the monitoring and evaluating systems that are now in place for use by the headteacher, curriculum co-ordinators and governors. The school’s capacity to succeed is also very dependent on improvements in the quality of teaching and a greater awareness of what pupils of

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

this age are able to do, know and understand. The capacity for improvement is dependent on the school sustaining the recent improvements and at present this cannot be guaranteed.

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

30. The monitoring, evaluation and development of teaching is improving. The headteacher regularly observes teaching. These procedures are effective in identifying both weak and good teaching and teachers are informed about their strengths and areas for development in order to improve the quality of their teaching. Through this monitoring, the headteacher has identified the need to develop effective systems of tracking pupil achievement. This is to be achieved through analysing the baseline assessment and making use of this information to set whole school targets. This includes the use of new technology. However, the use of ongoing assessment to inform subsequent teaching is under-developed. This has a negative impact on the quality of teaching and meeting the needs of all pupils in reaching their full potential. The subject co-ordinators have also been involved in some monitoring of learning, although at present this is in the very early stages of

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

development. Overall, the role of curriculum co-ordinators is considerably under- developed, as highlighted in the last inspection report, but the need for further development has been highlighted in the school improvement plan.

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Monitoring and evaluating the work of the school

31. The school has recently experienced severe problems in recruiting permanent teachers in order to fulfil the demands of the National Curriculum. Appropriate staffing is provided for pupils with special educational needs. However, a shortcoming in staffing provision is the lack of appropriate early years’ experience for the teacher currently teaching the Foundation Stage. A further shortcoming, evident during the inspection was the significant disruption caused to the routines of the school by the number of supply and part-time teachers being employed, including two headteachers, who had been brought in to cover classes during the inspection. This caused uncertainty for the pupils and their learning in some classes was limited because they were insecure with yet another temporary teacher. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 18

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

32. In order to build on the existing standards in the school, the governors, headteacher and staff should:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve the quality of teaching across the school by: - ensuring that all teachers have sufficient understanding of the National Curriculum; - ensuring that all teachers make clear in their lesson planning what pupils are to learn and how this will be assessed; - improving the quality and use of assessment so that teachers’ correctly identify pupils’ levels of attainment and monitor their progress; - ensuring that there is appropriate pace and challenge in all lessons. (Paragraphs 12 – 17)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Improve the provision for children in the Foundation Stage by: - improving the teacher’s knowledge of how pupils of this age learn; - developing a scheme of work to support the teacher’s lesson planning; - ensuring lesson planning is effectively delivered. (Paragraphs 19 – 21)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Address the underachievement of a significant proportion of pupils by: - ensuring that the progress of all pupils is effectively tracked across the school; - ensuring that all work is matched to pupils’ previous attainment; - ensuring that higher attaining pupils are consistently and effectively challenged in their learning. (Paragraphs 22 – 23)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensuring that an appropriately broad and balanced curriculum is consistently offered to all pupils, particularly in music. (Paragraphs 24 – 25)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Effectively monitor and evaluate the work of the school by: - ensuring that all subject leaders consistently monitor and evaluate standards in order to raise achievement. (Paragraphs 26 – 31) Saint Cross RC Primary School - 19

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents six percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 197

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 30

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 58

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 20

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 15 16 31

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 14 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 13 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 87 (93) 87 (100) 90 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys 14 14 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 13 14 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 87 (97) 90 (100) 90 (97) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

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

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 16 16 32

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 15 15 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 15 16

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 97 (85) 94 (91) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys 11 11 14 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 16 15 15

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 84 (85) 81 (82) 91 (91) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 21

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 9.6 Financial year 2000/2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 20.5

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 425,824

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 8 Expenditure per pupil 1,999

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 141 Balance brought forward from previous year 24,416

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 2.4

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Saint Cross RC Primary School - 22

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 49 48 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 44 51 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 51 13 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 37 49 11 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 51 37 7 4 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 59 36 4 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 34 45 15 5 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 28 46 16 6 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 52 41 6 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 15 46 24 11 4

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