The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie

MARY OVERIE

Dates of inspection: 20 th - 22 nd June 2005

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MARY OVERIE

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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MARY OVERIE

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. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary aided Age range of pupils: 3 – 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 231 School address: Redcross Way London Postcode: SE1 1HG Telephone number: (0207) 407 2600 Fax number: (0207) 089 4250 Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mr D Harris Date of previous inspection: 21 st June 1999

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie is an average-sized multi-racial one form entry primary school for pupils aged between three and 11. Children’s attainment on entry is wide- ranging but well below the national expectation. The school draws children from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds. The school is situated in an area in the top ten per cent of those with the greatest amount of social and economic deprivation. More pupils have free school meals than expected. There are many more pupils for whom English is an additional language than is normal and 26 different languages are used by parents and carers of pupils in the school. Many of the pupils need additional support in developing their English language skills. There are more pupils with learning and disability difficulties than expected, and the number of pupils with statements of special educational needs is well above what would normally be expected. The

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

school also has a lot of pupils entering and leaving the school between the Nursery and Year 6. The school was awarded the School Achievement Award in 2003 and had its Beacon status renewed in 2003. Also in 2003 the school was awarded the Arts Council Artsmark Gold Award and in 2004 was awarded the Activemark Gold Award. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 2

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

10422 Mr M Greenhalgh Lead inspector Science Art and design Design and technology Music Physical education 9079 Ms A Moss Lay inspector 5565 Ms B Thakur Team inspector Foundation Stage Mathematics Personal, social and health education English as an additional language 20963 Ms J Keiner Team inspector English Information and communication technology Geography History Special educational needs

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

The inspection contractor was: Tribal Education 1 - 4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR

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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 inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637 833) or Ofsted’s website (www.ofsted.gov.uk). The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 3

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 6 - 9

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 9 - 13

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 29

The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 4

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is an extremely effective school where all pupils achieve very well academically and personally. The school is extremely well thought of by parents, pupils and the local community. The leadership of the headteacher is excellent and the school provides very good value for money.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

• Pupils achieve very well in English, mathematics and science. • The pupils’ personal development is very good. • The headteacher leads the school exceptionally well. • Teaching throughout the school is very good. • The pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are excellent. • Attendance levels are very high. • The relationships the school has with parents and the local community are excellent. • The curriculum is adapted well to meet the needs of all the pupils. • Management is good but the school development plan needs to be more concise and have a better focus on the key things that need improving. • Information on pupils’ progress is not gathered or analysed robustly enough to ensure all groups of pupils achieve as well as they can in all areas of the curriculum.

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The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

The school has made very good progress since the last inspection improving standards and maintaining aspects of the school that were judged excellent. As a result, the school continues to be of a high quality. A particularly notable improvement is that of attendance which was below the national average at the time of the last inspection and is now well above.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2002 2003 2004 2004

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

English A A* D E mathematics B A C E science A A B D Key: A* - in the top five per cent nationally; 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

All pupils achieve very well. The school has consistently been a high achieving school in recent years. There was a dip in last year’s results because of an usually high proportion of special educational needs pupils who did not meet the high expectations targeted for them following their exceptional performance at the end of Year 2. The present Year 6 has performed exceptionally well in this year’s tests. Considering where children are when they enter school, this is a very good achievement. Children get a very good start in the Nursery and Reception classes and this continues throughout Years 1 and 2. By the end of Year 2, pupils have achieved very well in reading, writing, mathematics and science. These high standards are maintained in Years 3 to 6. Pupils are also making good progress in their information and communication technology (ICT) skills and also do very well in art and design and history. The additional support given to pupils with

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

learning and behaviour difficulties is very good, as is the extra support given to those pupils who have English as an additional language.

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Pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral and social development are

excellent and the pupils’ cultural development is very good. Pupils always want to do their best The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 5 and work very hard to achieve this. Behaviour in and around the school is excellent with the older pupils looking after and taking care of the younger ones when appropriate; Year 5 pupils are at present being trained as ‘Playground Buddies’. Excellent relationships exist between pupils and adults and this means pupils have high levels of confidence and self-esteem and socialise in an atmosphere of racial harmony. Pupils want to come to school and do so to levels that are very high compared to other schools.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education provided by the school is very good. Teaching is very good throughout the school. Teachers and non-teaching staff care a great deal about the pupils and know them extremely well. This enables them to deal very effectively with social and academic difficulties and pupils respond very well indeed to this. The curriculum provides a wide range of academic and personal opportunities for the pupils in lessons and also during lunchtimes and after school. The breadth of the curriculum is therefore very good with Latin and French also being taught. Pupils are very well cared for and feel secure and well looked after. Relationships with the local community are excellent.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership is excellent and management is good. The headteacher has a great vision for the school and ensures that excellence is aimed for and when achieved it is developed and improved further. This drive for excellence is shared by staff and governors and all those within the school’s community. The school is very well managed on a day-to-day basis and all relevant policies and documents are in place to ensure the school meets all statutory requirements. Governance is good, and although management procedures are also good, they could be further improved by ensuring there is a keener focus on key priorities for improvement and on the range of information the school has on the progress pupils make.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents and pupils think very highly of the school. They are very supportive of the atmosphere the school generates to ensure all feel respected and valued.

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The most important things the school should do to improve are:

• Continue to develop the school’s procedures for gathering information about the progress individuals and groups of pupils make as they move through the school to ensure all achieve as well as they can. • Improve the school development plan so that it is concise and succinct, and clearly has a focus on the key things that will enhance what the school does to improve and maintain standards. • Improve systems for ensuring the needs of those pupils with English as an additional language (EAL) are consistently met throughout the school. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 6

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Pupils achieve very well. Standards since the last inspection have remained well above the national averages for pupils aged seven and 11 despite attainments on entry that are well below those expected.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in English, mathematics and science have remained well above the national averages. • Pupils achieve very well across a wide area of the National Curriculum. • Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make a very good start to school and make very good progress. • Standards in information and communication technology (ICT), art and design and history are above the national average.

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Commentary

1. The school has done extremely well to maintain standards that are well above the national averages. Attainment on entry is well below that expected and more pupils than is normal enter the school between the Nursery and Year 6, many of whom do not speak English as their first language. This represents very good achievement for all pupils throughout the school.

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Commentary

The school’s test results at ages seven and 11

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2004

Standards in: School results National results reading 17.8 (17.4) 15.8 (15.7) writing 16.2 (16.9) 14.6 (14.6) mathematics 16.7 (17.3) 16.2 (16.3) There were 30 pupils in the year group (19 boys and 11 girls). Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

Standards in: School results National results English 26.4 (30.1) 26.9 (26.8) mathematics 27.0 (29.9) 27.0 (26.8) science 29.5 (31.1) 28.6 (28.6) There were 28 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

2. The present Year 6 attains standards in English and science that are very high when compared to the national expectations; in mathematics standards are well above. This is an improvement on the standards achieved at the time of the last inspection and much better than those achieved in 2004 when there was a particularly high proportion of pupils with learning difficulties. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 7 3. Children entering the Nursery make a very good start to school and this continues as they move through the Reception class. Excellent progress is made in their personal and social development and in their creative development, and very good progress in all other areas of the curriculum. By the time they leave the Reception class, standards have gone from well below the national expectation on entry to the Nursery to very much in line. This very good progress continues in Years 1 and 2. By the end of Year 2, nearly all pupils attain the

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

expected Level 2 in reading, writing, mathematics and science with about a third attaining beyond this. In the present Year 6, this is bettered by nearly all pupils attaining the expected Level 4 and nearly two-thirds attain above this in English and three quarters in science. In mathematics, it remains at about one third of the pupils attaining the higher Level 5.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

4. Pupils with special educational needs make very good progress in Years 1 and 2, because teaching and learning supports their needs so well. Teaching assistants also give them very good support whilst encouraging them to work as independently as possible. The regular opportunities they have to use easy to use word desktop publishing, image making and route programming software on the wireless classroom laptops helps them achieve very well. Because their work looks so attractive, they take pride in what they have achieved. These pupils continue to make very good progress in Years 3 to 6, but do not have as many well planned opportunities as younger pupils to do tasks designed to offer the highest levels of challenge of which they are capable. In some cases, individual education plans and targets do not give clear enough guidance on what they need to do to make better progress.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

5. Pupils with EAL make very good progress as a result of the very good induction procedures there are in the school, and the very good foundation they have in their learning in the early years. Pupils quickly settle in class for their work and begin to show a good awareness of using the correct forms of words in a sentence. They soon become confident and start taking part in small discussions. Their fluency levels increase in their spoken language and achievement is very good.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

6. Standards in ICT, art and design, and history are above the national expectations. The school has a keen focus on providing a rich and broad curriculum and the standards seen in lessons in other subjects such as physical education (PE) and music were also usually above the standards expected for those particular year groups. As a result, pupils make good progress across the breadth of the curriculum.

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2004

7. A key strength of the school is the way pupils develop their basic skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT across different areas of the curriculum. Pupils are expected to apply these skills, for example, when writing accounts of science investigations or historical events, using numbers to calculate variations in the temperature of water, and ICT skills to research on the Internet.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils, including the very youngest children, have excellent attitudes to school and to learning. Their behaviour in and around school is also excellent and the school’s warm and caring ethos strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning and behaviour in the classroom help them in their very good achievement. • The caring ethos of the school, and the very good example set by the staff, contribute to the excellent relationships between pupils and between pupils and staff. • Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very well supported in many lessons and assemblies. • Very high attendance levels and the punctual arrival of the vast majority of pupils contribute very well to their attainment. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 8

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Commentary

8. Pupils have excellent attitudes to their work and collaborate very well with other children. They listen very attentively, undertake tasks enthusiastically and are keen to answer questions. This is particularly noticeable when teachers plan lessons that pupils find interesting and set appropriately challenging tasks that ensure that pupils of all levels of attainment have the opportunity to achieve very well. Pupils enjoy school and play a full part in school life and the very good range of activities offered. Attendance levels are very high, being well above average, and almost all pupils are punctual to school. This is a vast improvement since the previous inspection when attendance levels were below average. Rates of attendance are still improving and the school continues to work hard to maintain these figures and to improve them still further. The School/Home Liaison officer is working very closely and very successfully with parents to make them aware of the school’s

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Commentary

expectations of them when their children are absent or late.

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Commentary

9. Standards of behaviour are excellent overall in the classrooms and around the school. Impeccable behaviour was observed during assemblies. All pupils discuss and agree class rules. They are fully aware of the very high standards expected and insisted upon by all staff. The caring ethos of the school results in pupils knowing right from wrong and showing consideration for others. The pupils play very harmoniously together at playtimes and no signs of aggressive or racist behaviour were seen during the inspection. Pupils confirmed that bullying occurs very rarely, and that any instances of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with quickly and efficiently. Racial harmony is promoted very well, and pupils from a range of ethnic backgrounds play and work extremely well together. There have been two exclusions during the past year which were recorded and dealt with appropriately.

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Commentary

10. Pupils are encouraged to become independent and willingly take on a range of responsibilities appropriate to their age. These include acting as monitors and being members of the school council. Year 5 pupils are undergoing training to become ‘ playground buddies’. They co-operate very well when raising funds for others less fortunate than themselves, and take their responsibilities of living in a community very seriously. Overall, pupils are assured and confident and they are keen to develop good relationships and to care for each other. They work very happily together and show increasing maturity and self- awareness as they progress through the school.

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Commentary

11. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall. Spiritual development is supported excellently, particularly in assemblies and in lessons such as art and music. The general atmosphere around the school is one of calm and spirituality built on mutual respect. Pupils show a pride in their work and respect the work of others. Every pupil is valued. Collective worship allows pupils to learn effectively and to develop a sense of empathy with others as they pause for prayer and reflection. They are very aware of right and wrong. This is because staff give a very positive lead in engendering excellent relationships and, for example, by giving praise and encouragement at every opportunity. Socially the pupils are encouraged to play a full part in their own community and they participate very enthusiastically in the meetings of the school council. Well attended extra-

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Commentary

curricular activities enable pupils to develop their social skills effectively. Pair and group activities in lessons allow pupils to learn how to negotiate and manage people. The school ensures that all pupils are included effectively in activities and they make very good progress in their personal development. However, although there is an activity week each summer term, there are no residential visits to help older pupils to learn about working with others even more closely.

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Commentary

12. Pupils have excellent opportunities to understand their own heritage and culture through learning in subjects such as art, music, geography and religious education, and through many exciting and interesting visits to local places of interest to widen their horizons. There is The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 9 obviously a very strong Christian ethos in the school, and a lesser recognition of other faiths and festivals to further promote pupils’ understanding of the many different cultures and faiths that make up contemporary British society.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 2.9 School data 0.1 National data 5.1 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is very good throughout the school. This is an overall better picture than that found at the time of the last inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• All teachers insist on high standards of behaviour. • Pupils apply themselves well to all lessons and work very hard. • Teachers use a wide range of teaching methods to engage and interest all pupils. • Teachers show all pupils a great deal of respect and value their contributions to lessons. • Pupils do not always know what they need to learn next because this is not always shared with them. • Assessment is not used effectively in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 38 lessons Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor 2 (5%) 17 (46%) 18 (49%) 1 (3%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

13. The key strength of teaching in the school is that it is consistently good to very good in all year groups. This enables all pupils to achieve very well across a wide range of subjects as they move through the school. It is clear to all involved with the school that staff care a great deal about the pupils’ personal as well as their academic development. This gives the pupils a great deal of self-confidence. They are well respected and are made aware that teachers really value their contributions, thoughts and views. Pupils respond to this very positively and always work extremely hard to do their best.

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Commentary

14. This caring and supportive environment is achieved through a consistent approach to behaviour management. All teachers expect the highest standards of behaviour and that pupils show respect to each other. When this does not occur, pupils are firmly reminded of the expectations and respond appropriately.

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Commentary

15. Many of the activities teachers organise for the pupils have a strong visual element to them. The use of interactive whiteboards to show recordings from the Internet is a particularly strong aspect of visual learning. Teachers also make the lessons interesting for the pupils by ensuring they are actively involved in the lesson. This may be devising an experiment in science, creating musical sounds or putting together interesting sequences in PE. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 10 16. Although pupils are given targets to achieve and know what the overall objective of the lesson is, the teachers do not break the expected learning down into easily defined steps. This means that there are occasions when the pupils do not know precisely what is expected of them and how they can improve their learning. This is more commonplace in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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Commentary

17. Teachers know their pupils well and provide very good guidance and support to them. However, teachers do not check the progress pupils make across a year in all subjects. This means that although teachers are trying to meet the needs of all the pupils, they are unable to assess whether the pupils are making as much progress as they can.

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Commentary

18. Some very good examples were seen during the inspection of pupils with special educational needs making very good progress because of the quality of one-to-one support they received. For example, a teaching assistant helped a pupil with physical challenges to enjoy and make very good progress in developing balance and co-ordination skills, based on exercises recommended by the visiting specialist occupational therapy service. Teachers’ planning does not always provide well enough for the learning needs of pupils with high levels of special educational needs. For example, a writing task set for a pupil with dyslexia did not follow the school’s guidance on how to support these pupils, and the teacher was unaware of the targets set on her individual education plan.

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Commentary

19. Teachers are well aware of the language and learning needs of their pupils and they plan their activities on that basis. There are high expectations, and teachers provide very good opportunities to extend pupils’ speaking and listening skills through a variety of activities. Books and resources are suitable to capture their interests. Teachers evaluate their lessons and identify those pupils who are not doing as well as others, and plan the next stage of work accordingly. Targets are set, but they are not always focused on their specific needs, nor measurable, to determine their rates of progress. The school acknowledges the different languages that are spoken at home and the cultural diversity is celebrated.

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The curriculum

The school provides a very good curriculum for its pupils with a very good range of opportunities for enrichment. The quality of accommodation and the range of learning resources are also very good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are very good opportunities for pupils to participate in many interesting and stimulating activities in school time and after school. • The quality of staff, accommodation and resources for learning are very good. • Procedures to ensure all pupils have equal access to the curriculum to achieve their potential are not robust enough.

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Commentary

20. The curriculum is very well planned with a key focus on basic skills. It also gives pupils very good opportunities to sample and enjoy many experiences and activities over and above those included in the National Curriculum, for example French and Latin. There is a very high level of participation in the arts and other activities. Participation in sport is good, but the headteacher agrees that there is now a need to further develop competitive sporting activities. Many out of school clubs, visits and visitors make learning more relevant and fun. Pupils are involved in musical performances in singing and dancing at Southwark Cathedral and at other venues. Although the older pupils participate in an activities week in the summer term, there have been no residential visits in the last two years to enable them to take part in outdoor and adventurous activities as well as to learn to live in harmony with others in environments away

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Commentary

from home. 21. Provision for pupils with special educational needs, who have English as an additional language and those who are gifted and talented, is good. It is very good in Years 1 and 2 The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 11 because of the very effective ways in which teachers and teaching assistants ensure that these pupils understand the tasks set, and have the right tools and support to complete them to the best standard of which they are capable. The good provision for pupils in Years 3 to 6 ensures they continue to make good progress. However, more could be done to ensure literacy and task demands are more keenly matched to the needs of individual pupils. The lack of expertise in the school, on issues related to those pupils who have English as an additional language, is a contributory factor to this.

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Commentary

22. The school has a generous allocation of staff, and teachers are very well matched to the needs of the curriculum. They willingly share their skills and knowledge with colleagues so that all aspects of the curriculum can be successfully taught. Learning support staff and school meals supervisory assistants give good general support and work effectively with pupils. The school’s accommodation provides a very good learning environment and is very well maintained and attractive. However, there are no sheltered areas adjoining the Nursery class and the Reception class so that children can play outside in inclement weather, and there is a lack of shaded areas outside the Nursery class to protect the children from the sun. Resources are very good in all subjects and are used very well to support learning in all curriculum areas.

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Care, guidance and support

The school provides an excellent standard of care and welfare. The support, advice and guidance pupils receive for their personal development are very good overall. Pupils are involved very well in school life because the school seeks their views and acts on their ideas.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils feel very secure and well cared for in school. • They have excellent and trusting relationships with all adults in the school. • The school does much to seek pupils’ views and acts on them when appropriate. • Pupils have an excellent introduction into school life. • Very little assessment information is gathered to identify the progress pupils make in subjects other than English, mathematics and science. • Targets set for pupils with special educational needs are not sharp enough so that teachers can use them effectively in lessons.

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Commentary

23. The school provides a very happy environment that is conducive to learning. Very close attention is paid to health and safety issues. Pupils’ healthy and safe living is promoted through very good personal, social and health education lessons and the school is working towards becoming part of the Healthy Schools Initiative. Child protection procedures are very good and there is good liaison with other agencies. Designated members of staff are fully up to date in aspects of first aid, and risk assessments are undertaken regularly.

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Commentary

24. Assessment procedures for tracking and improving pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory. Large amounts of assessment data are being collected in English, mathematics and science, but are not being used effectively enough across the curriculum to add to the school’s effectiveness in raising attainment. Little information is collected in other subjects and therefore the school does not have a clear picture of how well pupils do across the curriculum. Although pupils are involved in writing their own targets, they are not being made fully aware of what they can do best to improve. However, the procedures for tracking and monitoring the personal development of pupils are very good overall. Although these procedures are informal and are not recorded systematically, they are very effective. Teachers and support staff know the pupils and their families very well and are very sensitive to the pupils’ individual needs. This contributes much to pupils’ personal guidance and

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Commentary

development. The home/school liaison officer and the pupils’ support worker make a very large contribution to the care and welfare of the pupils, and they are also very supportive of The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 12 any parents who may need help and guidance. The excellent relationships between pupils and staff encourage pupils to raise any concerns they may have, knowing that they will be dealt with sympathetically. The pupils enjoy coming to school and they say that the staff are ‘ really nice and very kind’. Almost every parent who responded to the questionnaire, who attended the parents’ meeting before the inspection and who was spoken to during the inspection period, said that their children like school.

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Commentary

25. All pupils are highly valued and their views are sought on a regular, formal basis through the school council. The council is influential on school life and has recently been involved in, for example, the purchase of playground equipment, and two members have sat in on interviews for new staff. Pupils spoken to during the inspection were very confident that their ideas are sought and acted on when appropriate.

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Commentary

26. Excellent induction arrangements ensure that children settle happily into the Nursery class. Pupils who start school at times other than the beginning of the school year are also looked after very well and made to feel welcome, enabling them to also settle quickly and happily into school.

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Commentary

27. There are regular informal discussions with pupils with special educational needs to review their progress and discuss the targets they need to work towards. However, these consultations are not formally organised and recorded, as expected by the national Code of Practice for pupils with special educational needs. Individual education plans for most of these pupils provide clear guidance on the targets they are set and how lesson planning can be modified to help them. In some cases, the targets are too vague and there is too little guidance to teachers and teaching assistants on how best to give support. There is also no systematic review for each pupil of how best the school’s very good ICT facilities can be used to help them make as much progress as possible.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The links with parents continue to be very good and there are excellent links with the community and other schools and colleges.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents are very supportive of the school and appreciate what it provides for their children. • There are excellent links with the community and other schools and colleges. • The school is very approachable and there are excellent procedures to deal with any concerns or complaints. • The school involves parents very well in the life of the school through seeking, valuing and acting on their views. • Reports on pupils’ progress do not give the same quality of information across all subject areas.

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Commentary

28. Parents are very satisfied with the school. They feel it is well led and managed and are very comfortable about approaching staff with any concerns. They say that their children are encouraged to be mature and they appreciate the very good range of extra-curricular activities. They value the school’s caring attitudes highly and say that the school expects their children to work hard and achieve their best. The inspection team agrees with all these very positive views.

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Commentary

29. Parents are kept well informed about their children’s standards and progress through regular consultation evenings and annual reports. However, these reports, although satisfactory overall, do not consistently give details of progress in every subject and class teachers do not give targets for improvement. Parents are kept very well informed about the school through the prospectus, governors’ annual report to parents, newsletters and frequent other The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 13 correspondence. They also receive regular information on the curriculum and topics to be covered in lessons.

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Commentary

30. Several parents come in to the school to help in classrooms and on school trips. Their views are regularly sought through questionnaires and acted on when appropriate. They are currently being consulted regarding healthier meals and curriculum evenings for parents. The headteacher ensures that feedback is given. The Parents’ and Teachers’ Association (PTA) is an enthusiastic and hardworking group of parents who have raised substantial amounts of money to subsidise school trips to help in their children’s learning. The school provides literacy and numeracy workshops for parents so that they can contribute to pupils’ learning at school and at home, and weekly newsletters very often contain hints on how to help their children. The school/home liaison officer is proving to be a very valuable link between the school and parents, often giving support to parents as well as to the pupils. Many parents

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Commentary

31. Excellent links with the local community are used to pupils’ benefit. For example, the school has excellent links with Southwark Cathedral and with two local employers who visit the school to participate in the volunteer reading scheme. The school has received support from several Worshipful Companies and they also have links with a football club and a county cricket club. Pupils have led a carol service on board HMS Belfast.

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Commentary

32. The school uses every opportunity to take advantage of the proximity of so many cultural and historic resources and they have visited, for example, many art galleries, museums and theatres. Members of the local community such as the police force, the fire service and theatre groups come in to talk to pupils.

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Commentary

33. The school takes in students from a local university for their initial teacher training and pupils from local secondary schools come in to do work experience. Links with local schools are very productive and support pupils’ learning very well as the school gains access to additional activities for pupils and training for staff. Excellent links with the local secondary school ensure that there are very good mechanisms in place to help pupils to move easily on to the next stage in their education.

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Commentary

34. Individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs include very good practical guidance for parents on how they can support their child’s learning at home. There is also good ongoing informal liaison between these parents, teachers and support staff about their children’s progress. There are sound procedures for involving parents, as required by the national Code of Practice, in consultations when pupils are first identified as having special needs, and in subsequent consultations about the progress made over six monthly intervals. However, the consultations are not recorded, as expected by the Code of Practice.

p.15

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are very good. The leadership of the headteacher is excellent. Management and governance are good.

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The inspirational leadership of the headteacher is a key factor in sustaining aspects of the school that are excellent. • Subject co-ordinators feel empowered by the good management support and training they receive. • The school has very good systems for checking pupils’ progress in English, mathematics and science but not in other subjects. • The school’s development plans are not focused clearly enough on key actions for improvement. • Staff do not always make enough use of assessment information to make sure pupils make as much progress as they can. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 14 • Provision for pupils with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language are not as effective as they could be.

p.15

Commentary

35. The headteacher’s enthusiastic promotion of her vision of excellence and enjoyment, for all in the school, inspires and motivates governors and staff in their efforts to provide the best education possible. Her outstanding leadership skills are reflected in the harmonious teamwork which sustains the excellent relationships in the school, and with parents and the wider community.

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Commentary

36. Co-ordinators are enthusiastic about the good support and training opportunities senior management gives them, and are keen to research and develop more effective ways to improve teaching and learning across their areas of responsibility. There is very good training and management support for teaching assistants and new staff. Since the last inspection, the school has further improved its very good systems for recording and tracking pupils’ progress. However, senior management and co-ordinators do not always use the information effectively enough to ensure that all groups of pupils are doing as well as they can. Recent extended staff absences and illnesses have resulted in too little being done to ensure that pupils with special educational needs, gifted and talented pupils and those with English as an additional language are given the most effective support to meet their particular needs. More needs to

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Commentary

be done to ensure that reviews of provision for pupils with special educational needs fully comply with current national guidance on consulting with and recording the views of these pupils and their parents.

p.16

Commentary

37. There is a high degree of commitment to ensuring all pupils are well cared for regardless of their background and have an equal opportunity to achieve their potential personally and academically, and there is an impressive level of racial harmony in the school. The school’s policy for pupils with English as an additional language is very good, but for a number of reasons, the practice has not been as successful. The headteacher has an acting dual role of co-ordinating the provision for pupils with special educational needs, and for those who speak English as an additional language. At times, the boundaries become blurred, as the criteria for making assessments are not sufficiently clear. There is scope to strengthen the co- ordination of the provision through giving this area a higher order of priority in the school improvement plan, and by making suitable arrangements for specialised training for staff. At

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Commentary

present, there are no bilingual teachers in the school to provide good role models for others or to lead in-service training, to strengthen the provision. The school has yet to consider using the recommended extended scale for assessing EAL pupils’ language competencies, and tracking progress alongside the National Curriculum levels. There is insufficient analysis of the trends in progress made by pupils from different ethnic groups.

p.16

Commentary

38. The governing body has a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and has shown readiness to challenge the senior management’s assumptions. The school’s capacity for improvement is therefore very good. The governing body draws on very good financial management information to support school improvements. However, the school’s development plan, although comprehensive, it is not clearly enough focused on key school priorities. It does not make clear how initiatives will be monitored for effectiveness, and governors do not have clear criteria for checking how rigorously the monitoring is done and action taken where necessary. 39. The school has improved its approach to ensuring the principles of best value, for example, drawing on a very effective bursar service and ensuring parents and pupils contribute effectively to the development of the school. The financial information below identifies a

p.16

Commentary

substantial carry forward, but much of this is earmarked for capital expenditure. Taking into account the high standards achieved, the very good quality of teaching and learning and the effectiveness of leadership and management, the school is providing very good value for money. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 15

p.16

Financial information for the year April 2004 to March 2005

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 997,235 Balance from previous year 84,896 Total expenditure 973,711 Balance carried forward to the next year 63,315 Expenditure per pupil 4,126

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision in the Nursery and in Reception class is very good. Standards at the end of Reception class are broadly as expected for children’s ages and progress is very good from where they start. This compares very well with the judgements of the last inspection report. The curriculum is rich, The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 16 and the teaching very good; both are helping to promote a secure and happy learning environment for the children. Assessment of the children’s achievement is good and pinpoints the next stage in learning, a factor that is proving useful in ensuring children’s rapid progress during these early years. There is a good teamwork approach to planning the curriculum, although approaches to assessment and for tracking progress are more variable. The co-ordinator has started new systems of recording progress in the Nursery in all areas of learning, using ‘stepping stones’ towards the

p.17

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

early learning goals, so that the Reception teacher can continue with the same next year. The co- ordinator for this phase is knowledgeable. There is a constant drive to raise standards and to achieve an integrated Foundation Stage unit, which successfully meets the children’s varying needs.

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The planning is thorough, with a clear focus on what children should learn from each activity, both indoors and outside, and a clear distinction between levels of work for the ability groups. There is a good balance between formal and informal teaching and between teacher-directed activities and those chosen by the children. Children achieve very well, building successfully upon the generally lower than average standards, with which they enter the Nursery. By the end of Reception, the majority reach the national expectations in all the areas of learning. In personal, social and emotional development, creative development areas and in the use of ICT, standards exceed expectations. The Reception class teacher ensures that both literacy and numeracy lessons are planned in line with rest of the school. Consequently, children continue to make progress towards the first level of the National Curriculum. The small number of children with special educational

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

needs, and those who are learning English as an additional language, are very well supported, and make equally good progress as others. The accommodation offered to the children is good although there is no covered area for outdoor activities and little shelter for the children during hot conditions.

p.18

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is excellent .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children behave extremely well and show very positive attitudes and relationships. • Teachers make good use of the ‘circle time’ and the role-play activities to discuss different feelings, and promote empathy for others.

p.18

Commentary

40. The teaching is stimulating, exciting and challenging. As a result, children show excellent behaviour, attitudes and enjoyment in their learning. Attainment by the end of Reception is above the national expectation. Teachers ensure that all children feel happy and secure in class and achieve very well. They provide very good role models and have high expectations that children will listen and concentrate, and they do. Children show excellent relationships with staff and with one another, and they concentrate and persevere in their work. Children in the Reception class are confident with adults and they cooperate very well in the role-play using the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’, and when taking turns to read. Children in the Nursery work equally well in groups and independently when they make their large frieze of the ‘Bear Hunt’ story. They show a good degree of involvement in their role-play as ‘travel

p.18

Commentary

agents’ and display sensible attitudes. Both the Nursery and Reception children participate well in the ‘circle time’ to discuss, and to consider a range of things that concern them and others. They listen attentively and soon learn the rules of the games. Children in the Nursery showed a good capacity to discuss feelings and emotions, and were able to reflect on their actions as to whether they were right or wrong. Children are developing a very good awareness of their own culture and faith, and showed friendly relationships with those from other communities.

p.18

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 17 Provision in communication, language and literacy is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A carefully structured plan of activities results in very good teaching of the early reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. • Targets set are helping children to make very good progress from where they start, and they achieve very well.

p.19

Commentary

41. There is a systematic approach to teaching all aspects of communication, language and literacy, which results in very good learning and achievement. Attainment is in line with the national expectations. Most children are set to reach the early learning goals by the time they leave Reception, and a small number are likely to exceed them. There are many examples of good speaking and listening activities throughout the school day, which provide a good foundation for developing English language skills. Imaginative play successfully supports the development of children’s language. Reception children use stories very well as a basis for their role-play, and to recreate roles and scenarios with their peers. Nursery children use the story language through play and express their own ideas when playing as ‘travel agents’. Careful planning of the indoor and outdoor activities ensures that children make a good

p.19

Commentary

connection between all areas of their learning. Children learn letters and sounds systematically. They use their knowledge and awareness of the links between the two, when reading their books. Reception children read the most frequently spoken words, and use a variety of clues when reading their storybooks. They take their reading books home on a regular basis, which helps to enable regular links with parents through the children’s reading diaries. Children enjoy the wide range of books available, and they are enthusiastic in participating in shared reading activities. They take good interest in listening to songs and poems. Children in the Nursery gave a fantastic example in their ‘underwater world assembly’ of how well they learn words from songs, such as ‘commotion in the ocean’. They could sing, act and express their enjoyment in front of a large audience. There are many opportunities to develop children’s ability to recall and sequence events from stories. They answer questions

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Commentary

confidently, show their imagination and retell a story in its correct sequence. Children in Reception write simple sentences for a variety of purposes, using the basic sentence structure. More able children read their sentences, add more words or make corrections by using their knowledge of letters and sounds and learn spellings. Nursery children write letter strings to convey meaning. Handwriting is taught systematically. Generally, their writing is recognisable and letters have appropriate size and shape.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are very good and children achieve very well. • There are good opportunities to reinforce mathematical skills, ideas and language through practical activities throughout the day.

p.19

Commentary

42. Children achieve very well because an interesting range of activities is planned for them in formal lessons and throughout the day, to promote mathematical language and ideas. Attainment is in line with national expectation by the end of the Reception class and children make very good progress. Most children are likely to reach the early learning goals by the end of Reception, and a good number are likely to exceed them. Using interesting activities, such as ‘the teddy bears’ picnic’, Nursery children learn everyday words that describe positions, such as ‘under’, ‘on’, ‘in front’ and ‘next to’. They use small numbers to count objects in a The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 18 variety of situations, and answer questions such as “How many bears are missing?”, and “Take one away, how many left?”. Reception class children count numbers from one to 20 or beyond in practical ways, and begin to estimate and guess when playing numbers games.

p.19

Commentary

There is a good focus on using the correct language. Children are familiar with terms, such as ‘one more’, ‘one less’ and “how many bricks does the pig need for his house?” Children sort and match two- and three-dimensional shapes and learn to name and describe their properties in their numeracy lessons, which are well-structured.

p.20

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

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

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• A wide and interesting range of activities promotes very good learning, linked to science, the humanities and design and technology. • Teachers use ICT very well to support children’s learning.

p.20

Commentary

43. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes achieve very well and attainment is at least as expected. Most are on course to reach the early learning goals by the end of Reception, and a good number are likely to exceed them, especially in their ability to use ICT in their learning. Teaching and learning are very good. Interesting activities are planned and children are encouraged to use ICT for a variety of purposes. They use a digital camera to take photographs of their finished work and use a laptop to write invitations for a performance of their play. Children show much confidence in using the computer and have used painting programs to draw their pictures. Nursery children use the computer frequently to play their favourite games, independently and in pairs, and they need very little adult support. There are good opportunities to explore and investigate in science. Through using stories as a stimulus,

p.20

Commentary

children in the Nursery do experiments and talk about light sources and shadows. They observe a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, and talk about their immediate environment around the school. Reception children learn about the life cycle of a butterfly and features of its growth. Visits are often arranged to local areas and places of interest beyond the locality, such as the ‘Tate Modern’. These visits help to extend children’s learning in all the areas, and enrich the curriculum as a whole. Children know about their local area and the important landmarks. After their visit to see the local buildings, children in Reception class used their observations and photographs well to design their own buildings, and to make models of houses, using a range of materials and techniques. Activities were planned to discuss what familiar objects are made of, and how different materials can be used for different purposes.

p.20

Commentary

Children benefit from listening to Bible stories, and from attending whole school assemblies, which helps them to have a good insight into culture and beliefs. There is relatively lower emphasis on learning about other cultures and beliefs. Limited examples are available to indicate that children know about other people’s cultures and beliefs, and that these also should be respected.

p.20

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is very good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Well-planned activities successfully promote children’s physical development both in the Nursery and in Reception. • Outdoor areas are attractive, spacious, very well resourced and used effectively. • There is no covered area to help make best use of the outdoors for learning.

p.20

Commentary

The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 19 44. Teaching and learning are very good and children’s achievement in physical development is consequently very good. Attainment is in line with the national expectation. There is easy access to the well-equipped play areas, which help children to practise different aspects of their physical development. For Nursery children, there is easy access to large play equipment and wheeled toys which give them freedom to experiment movements and help develop their body control. Reception children increase their skills of co-ordination, balance and control, and become more aware of the space through planned gymnastic lessons and games. They use large and small equipment well, and make good use of their imagination when playing outside and acting out parts from familiar stories. On their own, they dress and undress quickly, and listen attentively to their teacher’s instructions. Using a parachute,

p.21

Commentary

children played a number of games, both co-operatively and safely, and enjoyed their experiences enormously. They moved with confidence and control, showing a good awareness of space and of others. Boys and girls play skilfully with skipping ropes and rugby balls. All children develop their manipulative skills well through a range of activities indoors, such as designing and making pictures and models of buildings, using dough and recycled materials brought from home. The lack of a covered area in the Nursery and Reception outdoor areas limits the access to this facility to enhance and develop learning opportunities.

p.21

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is excellent .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are enthusiastic and innovative in this area. • Teachers use a wide range of activities, ideas and resources, including visits, to help creativity and the use of imagination.

p.21

Commentary

45. Both Nursery and Reception class children achieve very well in this area, because of the very good planning and teaching. An excellent range of interesting activities allows them to respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch or feel. Children are inspired through looking at art in the environment, and the work of famous artists, both of which they see on their visits to the local areas and art galleries. Reception children observed and painted a portrait of their friend sitting opposite, producing some excellent images. They were good at experimenting and mixing their own colours. Nursery children explored different materials, colours and textures effectively to create a wall frieze of the ‘Bear hunt’ story co- operatively. Attainment is above the national expectation, most children are on course to attain the early learning goals and a good number are likely to exceed them. There are ample

p.21

Commentary

opportunities both indoors and outside to promote children’s creativity and imagination. Children take part in dance and imaginative play, and they listen to and respond to music. There are opportunities to compose music using their own ideas and imagination. Children’s displays show very good use of colour, shape, pattern and texture in their pictures, paintings and models. Reception children have used the computer to good effect to create their symmetrical butterflies. Children take pride in their work and are encouraged to use the digital camera to take photographs of the finished work.

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards of reading and writing are high when compared to national averages and all pupils achieve very well. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 20 • Teaching and learning are very good throughout the school. • The subject co-ordinator is a very good role model and aids improvement. • The high quality curriculum and the use of ICT boost pupils’ achievement. • Teachers provide too few opportunities for pupil discussion. • Pupils do not get enough guidance on how to improve their work.

p.21

Commentary

46. Standards seen in the inspection were high when compared to national expectations in Year 6 and pupils achieve very well. Results in the most recently published national tests, for 2004, were below national averages because a group of pupils with special educational needs did not reach the nationally expected levels. Standards for reading and writing, at the end of Year 2 in national tests and in work seen during the inspection, are high. Standards of speaking and listening are above average throughout the school, but are not as high as in reading and writing. One reason for this is that pupils do not have enough opportunities for discussion. This represents very good improvement since the last inspection, when standards were below average at the end of Year 2, and well below average in handwriting. The very good progress made reflects the consistently high quality of the fiction and non-fiction pupils read, the rich

p.22

Commentary

curriculum opportunities they have through work with nearby centres of national excellence such as the Globe Theatre, and the input from a writer in residence in the school. There are a few instances where some of the older highest achieving pupils, those with special educational needs and those with English as an additional language do not make as much progress as their classmates in writing because they are not set tasks and targets that offer the right challenge.

p.22

Commentary

47. Teaching and learning are very good, taking into account the consistently very good development of literacy in all curriculum subjects, the very effective promotion of wider reading of books by outstanding writers and the systematic development of high standards of handwriting and presentation. This is very good improvement since the last inspection, where teaching and learning were judged good in Years 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Years 3 to 6. The most effective teaching, seen during the inspection, featured fast paced interactive guidance which used imaginative approaches helping pupils to achieve their best. In a Year 3 lesson observed, pupils made very good progress in developing newspaper-style accounts of the life of Romulus as the teacher helped them develop the content by taking on the role of Romulus, whilst a supplementary teacher acted the role of the newspaper editor offering good advice on how to develop their ideas for writing up their reports. Pupils are highly motivated

p.22

Commentary

by the work they do with a writer in residence. Year 5 pupils wrote very striking poetry as part of an extended project in the term before the inspection, of which an extract was: I could not see her face. I could not see her arms. I could not see her feet, in the moonlight. Who is the mysterious woman, in the moonlight? 48. However, the school does not always use the opportunity of drawing on this experience and expertise in working with professional editors to help lower achieving pupils develop the skills of proof-reading and redrafting they need to improve their work. Very good use of ICT to boost pupils’ achievement was seen in Year 1 and Year 2 classes, where wireless laptops and easy to use desktop publishing software helped pupils of all abilities draft and polish factual reports in which they took great pride. The teaching of speaking and listening, although good, is not as effective as that of reading and writing. Teachers provide too few

p.22

Commentary

opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas and understanding during lesson introductions, and do not set enough tasks where the whole class develops their skills through discussions in pair groups. Teachers give good informal assessment feedback to pupils during lessons, but written comments on pupils’ work do not give clear guidance on how to improve. Pupils are not taught to check their work systematically before completing it, so that they do not correct errors they could easily identify. Although teachers set pupils targets for improving their work, these often do not address the weaknesses evident in their writing. These two factors particularly affect the progress made by some older pupils with special educational needs or with English as an additional language. Teaching assistants give good support to The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 21 pupils but classroom teachers do not always involve them enough in contributing throughout

p.22

Commentary

49. Leadership and management are good. The co-ordinator is a very good teaching role model and is passionately committed to improving teaching, learning and assessment in English. She has improved subject resources and provided training for colleagues on the use of National Curriculum indicators for assessment. She is aware that better use could be made of the school’s assessment data to identify pupils making less progress than their classmates.

p.23

Language and literacy across the curriculum

50. Teachers promote language and literacy skills across the curriculum very well. They use every opportunity to provide very good reading and writing opportunities to help pupils progress in each subject. For example, younger pupils compose brief prayers on post-it notes in a religious education lesson which helps them develop skills in the language of prayer. Older pupils write attractive tourist brochures based on their visits to such major local literary tourist attractions as Dr Johnson’s house. These tasks add to the range of writing styles they master, and contribute significantly to the high standards achieved.

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in Year 6 national tests have generally been well above the national average since the last inspection and pupils achieve very well. • Standards in the Year 2 national tests have been consistently well above average when compared to schools in a similar social context. • Teachers make very good use of the computer in their lessons to help pupils understand new mathematical ideas. • Pupils have very good opportunities to apply mathematical skills in other subjects and in real life.

p.23

Commentary

51. The school has continued to perform very well in Year 6 National Curriculum tests since the last inspection. Although the trend in improvement dipped last year, the present Year 6 has achieved very well and attained standards well above the national expectation. There has been more consistency in pupils’ performance in the Year 2 national tests. Standards in the last four years have been well above those found in similar schools, although the number of pupils at the higher Level 3 is average. Standards observed during the inspection show a similar picture. The achievements of all pupils between Years 1 and 6 are very good. Teachers are successful in building on what pupils across the ability range attained previously.

p.23

Commentary

52. The quality of teaching and learning in Years 1 to 6 is very good. Teachers plan activities consistently well, ensuring that the work pupils do builds systematically on what has gone on before. This is due to the useful evaluations teachers make at the end of their lessons. Teachers give confident demonstrations, often making very good use of the technology to introduce lessons, and this stimulates pupils’ interests and gets them fully engaged in the lessons. Interesting activities are offered and tasks are suitable for meeting the needs of pupils in their ability groups. During the inspection, mostly very good lessons were seen, including an outstanding lesson in Year 6, where teaching was more creative. In this lesson, pupils learned to use logical approaches to solve number problems at higher levels, linked to their work on triangles. The teacher made use of open-ended activities, which helped pupils

p.23

Commentary

of all abilities to take charge of their own learning. Expectations were high and most of the lessons were designed so that pupils of all abilities were fully extended in their thinking. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 22 Challenge of the activities captivated the pupils, who became fully involved in what they were doing and remained keen to achieve their best. In the very good Year 4 lesson, for example, pupils were well motivated to the end, and there was additionally challenging work and support for pupils at both ends of the ability range. There is a special programme of work for the gifted and talented pupil in class, and suitable arrangements have been made to keep up his level of motivation. Pupils are encouraged to take part in the ‘Maths Challenge’ and pupils’ achievements are recognised in the whole school assemblies.

p.23

Commentary

53. There is effective leadership and management of the subject. There have been improvements in the quality of teaching since the last inspection, when it was reported as ‘sound’ overall. The co-ordinator monitors pupils’ achievements and analyses test results across the school, noting subject strengths and weaknesses, and where to take necessary action. He takes an active role in monitoring the planning and teaching, and gives feedback as relevant. He has been very supportive of his colleagues, especially those who are new to the school, and has led in-service training in a range of mathematics topics to help improve subject knowledge and understanding. The action plan identifies priorities for moving forward. An area that has been overlooked is the need to look at the level of progress different groups of pupils make and trends in attainment over time, to calculate the value that is added by the school.

p.24

Mathematics across the curriculum

54. There are plenty of opportunities for cross-curricular work. Pupils apply mathematical skills really well across subjects and in real life. There were many examples of this in the lessons seen and in the work displayed. For example, in Year 1, the teacher made excellent use of the lesson on ‘shapes’ to enhance pupils’ understanding and skills, their ability to appreciate art, and to promote speaking and listening skills as well as to extend writing skills. Pupils in Year 2 made excellent use of their laptops, both independently and as pairs, to generate symmetrical patterns, showing good levels of understanding of the ‘reflective’ and ‘rotational’ symmetry. There were many good examples of the older pupils using ICT to record tables, graphs and charts, in the context of their work in geography and history.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve very well. • Standards have consistently been above the national average since 2001. • There is a very good emphasis on teaching science through investigation and exploration.

p.24

Commentary

55. All pupils achieve very well in all aspects of science. The present Year 6 has performed extremely well when compared to the national expectations with all pupils attaining the national average Level 4 and 75 per cent attaining beyond this. By the end of Year 2, pupils are also achieving high standards and making similar good progress. This is an improvement on the good standards achieved at the time of the last inspection. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 23 56. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. Teachers focus on the practical aspects of science allowing pupils to learn through exploration and investigation, enabling the whole experience to be very visual, which helps those pupils at the early stages of learning English and those with special educational needs. As a result, all pupils learn very well. In the lessons seen during the inspection, it was very evident that pupils were given much

p.24

Commentary

opportunity to find out things for themselves with very good guidance and support from the teachers. Pupils are encouraged to work together in groups and to discuss how they might set up an experiment that would give them secure information. During these discussions, pupils are also given ample time to comment on how the investigations are going and how other groups could improve theirs. Scientific methodology is also promoted well with pupils being given the task to identify what their aim was, what resources they would need to conduct the investigation and how they would conduct it fairly. In all instances seen, the pupils respond very well to this practical approach. They are very enthusiastic and very well motivated. They remain on task and do not waste time.

p.25

Commentary

57. The science co-ordinator has made a good start in this role. There is a significant focus on investigation and exploration and she has supported staff well in developing this aspect of teaching. The assessment of the progress, which different groups of pupils make, is not, however, robust and therefore information is not effectively gathered and analysed to identify whether all pupils do as well as they can in each year group.

p.25

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Provision in information and communication technology is very good .

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards have risen significantly since the last inspection. • Pupils achieve very well. • ICT is regularly used very effectively to support subject learning. • Well-chosen software and hardware help pupils make good progress. • More could be done to help pupils understand appropriate use of Internet sources. • The ICT curriculum and related assessments are not closely enough focused on current National Curriculum requirements. • ICT is not used systematically enough to help pupils with special educational needs make the best possible progress.

p.25

Commentary

58. Standards in Year 2 are well above those usually found nationally, and are above those found nationally at the end of Year 6. Pupils achieve very well by the end of Year 2 because they have so many opportunities to develop their skills and understanding through classroom use of wireless laptops and very well chosen easy-to-use software. Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 6, but make slightly slower progress in Years 3 to 6 because they do not have enough opportunities to develop the skills of planning and evaluating their use of ICT for different purposes. Too little use is made of ICT to help lower achieving pupils, and those with special educational needs, to make the best possible progress, for example through the use of digital cameras and “talking” word banks to write up investigations.

p.25

Commentary

59. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers use interactive whiteboards well to demonstrate tasks and present inspiring ideas and images. The very regular use of the laptops in lessons constantly develops pupils’ skills and confidence, and results in tasks being completed promptly and to a good standard. The best teaching sets high expectations of the quality of pupils’ work, and the very good software and hardware resources provide support for pupils in meeting the expectations. For example, the Year 3 teacher led a very good discussion of the merits and drawbacks of different search engines as part of a lesson on researching The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 24 information about ancient Rome. The wireless laptops enabled the pupils to complete and comment on the task as they sat in their classroom, with easy access to related written work and books. The range of high quality ICT challenges that teachers set includes designing

p.25

Commentary

kitchen layouts with graphic drafting software and making complex programmed control systems. Pupils are regularly set tasks requiring them to use the Internet to research information and find images. They become very confident users, but are not taught enough about copyright limitations in downloading and using what they find. A weakness of teaching, in most years, is the lack of tasks set which meet national requirements for pupils to use investigations and evaluations to develop higher quality work, for example, analysing well- designed posters and greetings cards in order to guide and improve their own attempts. In a small minority of classes, where teachers lack expertise, they set less challenging tasks than those set for younger pupils. Whilst there is good informal classroom feedback and guidance for pupils from teachers and classroom assistants, much of the pupils’ ICT work is rarely formally assessed in relation to national expectations. Work is not usually printed out and

p.26

Commentary

written comments added. The written comments seen were not related to National Curriculum requirements.

p.26

Commentary

60. Leadership and management are good. The substantial investment made by the school in investing in high quality hardware and software has been well rewarded. The co-ordinator has good ICT expertise and has used this well during the year she has been in post. She has successfully led the good adoption of interactive whiteboard technology and has contributed to the high level of teaching and non-teaching staff confidence through providing well organised training. She has recognised that assessment needs improvement. She has checked the quality of classroom teaching through lesson observations and looking at the quality of pupils’ work, but subject monitoring is not closely enough focused on checking the progress made by pupils of all levels of achievement against national expectations.

p.26

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

61. The use of ICT across the curriculum has greatly improved across the curriculum since the last inspection, and is now a strength. It contributes significantly to raising pupils’ attainment in literacy, mathematics, history and geography because it is used so well to help pupils understand and make progress in subject tasks. For example, during the inspection, younger pupils developed their understanding of symmetry and older pupils their understanding of Pythagoras’ theorem through well chosen tasks and demonstrations.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The well-planned curriculum is enriched by very good quality museum and locality visits. • Links with the arts and literacy help to fire pupils with enthusiasm for the subject. • The subject contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • There is scope for more systematic development of pupils’ skills in interpreting documents and other evidence. • Assessment needs improvement to enable pupils to be set the right challenges.

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Commentary

62. Very limited evidence was evaluated during the inspection, and no judgements can be made on standards, achievement, teaching and learning. However, indications are that standards of knowledge of patterns of daily life and the typical beliefs and culture of the periods studied The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 25 are above those found nationally. Pupils’ knowledge of how documents and other evidence may be studied and evaluated is less well developed because too few lessons and tasks focus on these aspects.

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Commentary

63. Both the lessons seen were good. Teachers used such dramatic techniques as taking on the role of an historical character or involving pupils in a visit to a reconstructed historical setting, such as the Fire of London presentation at the Museum of London to excite and enthuse the pupils about the events and how they were experienced by the people who witnessed them. The school makes very good use of the history-saturated local environment to introduce pupils to the world of London’s Tudor, the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, 1930s and World War II residents. They use ICT sources, and particularly Internet links, well to present images and key information and set pupils research tasks which deepen their knowledge. Teachers use sketching and other art-related tasks well to sharpen pupils’ awareness of the environments of the periods they study. They also incorporate good numeracy-related tasks,

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Commentary

such as constructing timelines, to help them understand the breadth of these periods. Written work to follow up visits does not always reflect the high quality of the visit experiences, since it too often consists of questions designed to ensure that pupils collect basic factual knowledge. Teachers do not yet assess standards against the full range of National Curriculum requirements, and some assessments seen do not address major errors, such as mistakes in sequencing time lines.

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Geography

64. During the inspection, very limited evidence was evaluated and judgements on standards, achievement, teaching and learning cannot be made. The evidence seen indicates standards match those seen nationally. The nationally recommended teaching plans provide a good framework for studies of more distant and local environments, with local walks and studies offering, for example, vivid experiences of river environments. Studies of India benefit from offering pupils some insights into modern India and Pakistan as well as traditional village lifestyles, climate, land use and economic activities. Good teaching about the relationship between climate, local resources and local costumes in West African countries was seen in the Year 2 lesson observed. The lesson was greatly enriched by the many examples of local costumes brought in by pupils whose families are from the countries studied. The pupils took great pride in showing their expert knowledge of the names in their home languages for the

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Geography

different parts of the costume, such as the names for headdresses and patterns. Pupils’ mapping skills are developed very well through practical observation and drawing exercises, leading to work on enlarged local street maps on which pupils map the routes group members use to walk to school. More use could be made of data logging ICT tools and the school’s digital cameras to support pupils’ learning about local climate patterns and environmental features.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well throughout the school. • Teachers focus on the development of exploration and investigative skills. • Pupils receive a wide range of opportunities to work with a range of materials. • During the inspection there was a very good contribution made by the artist in residence. • There is very little assessment of how pupils are doing in respect to National Curriculum expectations.

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Commentary

The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 26 65. There was a focus on art and design during the inspection week and pupils of all ages were receiving an exceptionally good art experience. Visits to art galleries and the contributions to lessons from the artists in residence made it a rich and valuable week for all pupils.

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Commentary

66. The quality of work produced by the pupils is above what you would expect to see for pupils of their age and pupils make good progress as they move through the school. The school shows how much it values the work that pupils produce by framing much of their work for display, as well as using art to provide a colourful and vibrant environment in which the pupils work. This is a similar judgement to that made at the time of the last inspection.

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Commentary

67. The quality of teaching and learning is good throughout the school. ICT is used very well to ensure pupils see the actual works of artists and to show them what it is possible to produce. This acts as a great stimulus for the pupils who are keen and eager to produce their best. Teachers and the artist in residence work effectively to develop the skills the pupils demonstrate, and give good guidance and support on how they can improve their work further. Teachers also provide plenty of opportunity for pupils to discuss their own and others’ work. During these opportunities, pupils think hard about how they can improve and make useful suggestions to others on how they can produce better work. The teachers use art effectively from different cultures to increase the pupils’ experiences and to share cultural backgrounds. A good example of this was in Year 2, when pupils learnt how to weave as part of their African topic. Although teachers are very good at supporting pupils to create better

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Commentary

products, there is little link to the expectations of the National Curriculum. Therefore pupils are not clear how they can improve this aspect of their work.

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Commentary

68. The art and design co-ordinator has a good understanding of her subject and provides good support and guidance to colleagues. There is, however, no systematic assessment of the progress pupils make as they move through the school and therefore they do not know whether all pupils are doing as well as they can.

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Design and technology

69. Design and technology was not a focus during the inspection and therefore no judgements can be made about standards or the quality of teaching and learning.

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Music

70. Insufficient evidence was gathered to make overall judgements on standards and the quality of teaching and learning.

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Music

71. In the two lessons seen, one in Year 1 and one in Year 3, the quality of teaching and learning was good and the standards attained were above the national expectations. In Year 1, there was good support from a visiting musician to help the pupils to enhance the quality of their singing. The class teacher also made a significant contribution to the progress the pupils made, and by the end of the lesson the pupils were singing very well – tuneful, powerful and with good tempo. Good opportunities were given to the pupils to accompany the singing using percussion instruments and, as a result, the pupils were enthusiastic and fully enjoyed the lesson. In the Year 3 lesson, the teacher gave the pupils a very good opportunity to create their own music to the story of Romulus and Remus. The expectations were made clear at the start of the lesson which enabled the pupils to settle quickly to the task. There was plenty

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Music

of opportunity here for pupils to misbehave but all were very sensible, working hard in their groups to produce a mixture of sounds that helped to represent the mood of the story. The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 27 72. The co-ordinator leads and manages the subject well providing good support and guidance to colleagues. However, there is not a systematic approach to assessing how well pupils do as they move through the school and therefore the school does not know whether pupils are achieving as well as they could.

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Physical education

73. Insufficient evidence was gathered during the inspection to make overall judgements on standards and the quality of teaching and learning.

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Physical education

74. In the lessons seen, pupils demonstrated good ability to develop and perform a sequence of actions to levels appropriate for their ages. In Year 1, pupils were able to change simple shapes as part of a sequence that they then performed to others. The teacher made good reference to the need for pupils to develop fluency in their movements and all responded well to this. Pupils watching the performances made some valuable comments about what they liked and what they felt could be done better. On this occasion however, the teacher did not allow enough time for the pupils to think about their own movements so that they could improve them before they performed to others. In Year 4, the teacher provided a good opportunity for pupils to create a dance putting together a specific sequence related to the movements tennis players would make at Wimbledon. Although the pupils worked very hard to join the movements together with fluency and control, they found this difficult. They had

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Physical education

little input into creating their own movements and copied the ones suggested by the teacher. In Year 6, the teacher worked very effectively with the pupils to create a lively dance sequence to chart music. More able pupils demonstrated a high level of skill and agility, providing movements that had great fluidity and reflected the mood of the music extremely well. An extension to the lesson was a session with a parent who was a qualified aerobics instructor. Her excellent instruction and demonstration encouraged the pupils to concentrate extremely hard on the movements they had to complete. The sympathetic approach by the parent enabled all the pupils, regardless of their ability, to work hard at improving their own performance and consequently they made very good progress. In all lessons, the pupils had very good attitudes to learning. They were keen to do their best and to support and help each other. Their levels of behaviour and application were excellent.

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Physical education

75. The co-ordinator leads and manages the subject well providing good support and guidance to colleagues. There is, however, no systematic approach to assessing the pupils’ abilities as they move through the school and therefore the school does not have sufficient information to judge whether all pupils do as well as they can.

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Personal, social and health education

76. The school meets requirements for this subject and there is a clearly defined programme for sex and relationship education. Pupils learn effectively about the dangers associated with drugs, alcohol and tobacco through their lessons in science, visiting speakers, and by the school making use of a theatre company. Lessons and assemblies are successful in promoting pupils’ personal qualities and emotional well-being. The work of the school council is highly successful in applying principles of democratic decision-making, and in gaining a good awareness of the responsibilities of living in a multi-racial community. The school council members take their work seriously and are highly successful in ensuring that the pupils’ views are fully taken into account, when important decisions are being taken.

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Personal, social and health education

77. PSHE takes place in discrete lessons for older pupils through subjects such as science, physical education and religious education, and for the younger pupils through planned activities during ‘circle time’. Appropriate time is devoted to the subject. There is a strong emphasis in the school on developing pupils’ personal and social skills, and their emotional development through the whole school assemblies. Pupils are encouraged to develop healthy The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 28 eating habits and are increasingly becoming aware of how to make informed choices. The school is working towards the national ‘Healthy Schools’ award in the near future. Teaching is very good and highly effective in ensuring that pupils achieve very good and often excellent behaviour, attitudes and values. As a result of the teachers’ high expectations, pupils are developing very good qualities of citizenship. Excellent relationships are formed with pupils

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Personal, social and health education

from other communities. Even the youngest pupils in the school show a strong sense of being able to reflect on their personal feelings, and show the capacity to modify their actions and behaviour when necessary.

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Personal, social and health education

78. The subject is well led and managed. There is informal monitoring by the headteacher, through looking at the teachers’ planning and by making lesson observations. The policy has been reviewed recently by involving pupils, parents and the school nurse. This has given the subject a higher profile. The curriculum coverage and progression are assured and in line with national developments.

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The overall effectiveness of the school 2

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

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2

Attendance 1 Attitudes 1 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 1 The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie - 29 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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The quality of education provided by the school 2

The quality of teaching 2 How well pupils learn 2 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 2 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 2 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 1 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 1 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 1 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 1

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The leadership and management of the school 2

The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the Headteacher 1 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3 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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