St Catherine's RC School

St Catherine's RC School Inspection report

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101333 Unique Reference Number Barnet Local Authority 276501 Inspection number 27 °28 June 2006 Inspection dates Graham Lee Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Sheila Isaac Chair Mrs Eileen Quigley Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection Vale Drive School address Barnet EN5 2ED

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02084404946 Telephone number 02084413436 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 27 °28 June 2006 Inspection dates 276501 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger-than-average primary school, which draws its pupils from quite a wide area of Barnet. The school serves a mixed community but very few pupils are entitled to free school meals. The vast majority of pupils are White and most of these are of British origin. An increasing minority of pupils come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is broadly average. Attainment on entry is broadly average. A new headteacher was appointed in September 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 7 Inspection Report: St Catherine's RC School, 27 °28 June 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

* Ensure that teachers consistently use a range of teaching strategies, including ICT and assessment for learning to meet the needs of all their pupils

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Grade:

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. It has improved significantly over the current school year and is outstanding in some lessons. Teachers have good relationships with pupils and manage their classes well. They are beginning to use the new interactive technology effectively to engage and motivate pupils. As a result, most pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. Where teaching is particularly effective, the teachers approach is enthusiastic and they present challenging activities to pupils of all abilities. This was evident in a Year 3/4 mathematics lesson, where pupils deepened their understanding because of the teacher's challenging questions and opportunities to discuss and continually refine their ideas. Most teachers set pupils challenging targets and give them a clear idea of how to improve their work. Some inconsistencies remain, however. In a few lessons, teachers do not use a sufficient

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Grade:

variety of strategies and do not give all pupils enough opportunities to contribute and discuss their ideas in order to consolidate their learning.

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Grade:

The curriculum is good and ensures that pupils of all abilities achieve well. Provision for basic skills is particularly successful and those with learning difficulties and disabilities are supported well by special needs teachers and the skilled team of teaching assistants. An increasingly effective range of strategies is being used to support those in danger of underachieving. This year, links between different subjects are developing and there are interesting plans in place to make the curriculum more exciting and creative for next year. ICT is used very effectively to support pupils' learning in other subjects. All aspects of pupils' personal and social development are prominent features of the curriculum. A good range of enrichment is provided through visits and visitors to the school and through a variety of sporting, musical and other additional activities. French adds richness and challenge to the curriculum for older pupils. Events such

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Grade:

as the recent project on the history of the school brought the curriculum alive and involved the whole school community. 4 of 7 Inspection Report: St Catherine's RC School, 27 °28 June 2006

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The school provides good care, guidance and support for pupils, within a strong Christian framework. Provision is exemplary in several respects and this enables pupils to feel secure and cared for within a community where they are fully included and valued. Health and safety procedures are regularly reviewed and potential risks are carefully assessed. Arrangements for the safeguarding of children are good and understood by all staff. Adults give learners confidence and enable them to enjoy all aspects of school life. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, is well organised and meets their needs. The school is developing good systems for monitoring academic progress although the marking of pupils' work is inconsistent. Pupils are taught how to take care of themselves and to make healthy and safe choices. The school has a productive partnership with parents who feel that their children are

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Grade:

safe and well cared for at school and that their views are taken into account. The many positive comments included 'my son has learnt how to be sociable, helpful, and friendly and is very good at his literacy and mathematics.'

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Grade:

5 of 7 Inspection Report: St Catherine's RC School, 27 °28 June 2006 .

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in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 7 Inspection Report: St Catherine's RC School, 27 °28 June 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils I am writing to thank you all for making us so welcome when we visited your school recently. You were very friendly and helpful and we really enjoyed meeting you and talking with you. I thought you would like to know what we found out. You are right to be proud of St Catherine's because it is a good school, which is quickly getting even better. You all feel safe and secure because the adults look after you very well. At the same time you all know that you have to support one another. We were impressed with how enthusiastic you were about all the exciting things going on in school. Most of you work hard and behave well.By the time you leave you are doing very well and are well prepared for life in secondary school. This is because the teaching is good and teachers help you to improve your work. Many of you said that you find the work challenging and yet fun as well. There are lots of exciting things for you to do in lessons and in the many clubs that are run for you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your new headteacher has done a great job in making the school even better and she gets plenty of help from all the staff. We have asked them to do just a couple of things which we think will help to improve the school even more. We want them to make sure that you get a chance to take a full part in your lessons and to talk about your ideas. We think this will help you to understand even more. We also want all the staff to work together to look at ways in which they can make their teaching even better for you. Yours truly Graham Lee Lead Inspector 7 of 7 Inspection Report: St Catherine's RC School, 27 °28 June 2006

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